True and False

Missing his strike, Killer B was not discouraged; Gyuki opened its mouth once more, and chakra of yin and yang attributes began to converge.

"Damn it, do you think I'm just a decoration?"

Manda's pupils shrank to needle points, clearly beyond furious.

It might have been understandable if it were a surprise attack, but to do it so openly was a clear sign that he didn't take him seriously. Did he really think he had no way to deal with him?

Twisting its serpentine body around the Eight-Tails, Manda gathered a bit of strength and slammed its head violently into the mouth of the Eight-Tails.

Gyuki's head was knocked askew, and the converging yin and yang chakra instantly lost control, detonating with a roar right in front of their faces.

A wave of air surged outward, and the smoke from the explosion came and went in a flash.

"Hiss... that'll teach you to underestimate me."

Manda flicked its tongue; the thick scales on its head were damaged, making the giant purple python look even more ferocious and vicious.

Fortunately, the intervention had been timely, and since Gyuki had only gathered a small amount of chakra, the power of the explosion was quite limited.

"You purple bastard!"

Killer B cursed in his strange, rhythmic tone and attempted the Tailed Beast Ball again, his eight tentacles struggling fiercely in an attempt to hinder Manda's movements.

"Jinchuriki, hiss..."

Manda naturally wouldn't let him have his way. Its body coiled around Gyuki, tightening and loosening, never exerting force blindly, and it easily neutralized the struggle of the tentacles.

Its pair of vertical pupils remained fixed on the head of the Eight-Tails, determined not to give Killer B a single chance to successfully unleash a Tailed Beast Ball.

After his attempt was interrupted again, Killer B realized that with his level of proficiency, it was difficult to successfully cast a Tailed Beast Ball while being obstructed by Manda.

This snake had far too much experience fighting giant beasts, and its speed was simply too fast.

"You annoying pest!"

A fierce glint flashed in Killer B's eyes. He stopped trying to fully condense the Tailed Beast Ball and instead focused on gathering a mass of chakra, aiming only to make it detonate right in front of him.

Manda's previous retreat made Killer B realize that it would not fight to the death for Orochimaru.

Gyuki had thick skin and flesh, so taking a few hits wouldn't matter; he wanted to see how many times this snake could endure it.

Killer B's intent was undisguised in his actions: either they would both suffer, or the snake would have to back off.

Manda's eyes glared in rage, "Bastard, how dare you look down on me."

Anger and arrogance suppressed its biological instincts; the snake head slammed into the ox mouth again and again, enduring the explosions each time.

The struggle between the snake and the Tailed Beast entered a different kind of stalemate, a test of who would give out first.

Explosions boomed across the sky. The Fourth Raikage caught a glimpse of the battlefield situation from the corner of his eye and realized that relying on the Eight-Tails to destroy the fortress in a short time was impossible.

Manda might be afraid of death, but as Orochimaru's most powerful summoning, it would certainly be able to hold out for a while.

And if that time were converted into casualties, there was no telling how many ninjas in the village would be lost.

"I can't wait any longer."

The Fourth Raikage punched a large hole into the snake head attacking him, and while the serpent was reeling in pain, he leaped onto the body of the Yamata no Orochi, traversing the mountain-like coils to dash toward the fortress.

As the Kage of a village, the Raikage also possessed excellent demolition skills.

However, for one, his demolition efficiency was far inferior to that of a Tailed Beast, and furthermore, entering a fortress that the enemy had fortified for a long time on foot was too dangerous.

This wasn't just some makeshift trap of explosive tags that one could tank with a sturdy physique.

Barrier ninjutsu and sealing techniques were things even Tailed Beasts couldn't easily avoid, and they were far more dangerous than flashy ninjutsu.

But now, the Fourth Raikage had no choice but to take the risk.

If the battle continued like this, the losses to the village would be too great.

"Heh... don't even think about it!" Orochimaru sneered. A snake head struck downward like a swift, powerful fist, ignoring the damage to its own body as it rained continuous blows upon the Raikage.

"Hah!" The Fourth Raikage let out a shout, his figure transforming into a bolt of lightning. Like a master parkour athlete, the hail of dense strikes couldn't touch him in the slightest, and in the blink of an eye, he crossed the body of the Yamata no Orochi.

The Fourth Raikage planted his feet and leaped toward the fortress. Lightning exploded, and a mass of white light slammed into the structure like a cannonball.

Facing the Fourth Raikage's full-powered Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the building didn't last a second before it collapsed with a roar, just as expected.

A massive crater was left where the building had stood.

How could it... be so easy?

The Fourth Raikage stood in the center of the crater, panting heavily, the lightning around his body flickering unsteadily. His rugged, ferocious face was filled with astonishment.

The fortress should certainly not have been able to withstand his full-powered strike, but if it was destroyed this easily, then there was only one possibility.

This fortress... was a fake!

The Fourth Raikage sensed something was wrong. Ignoring the fatigue of his body, which was caught in the moment between old strength fading and new strength not yet rising, he pushed off with both feet to leap out of the crater.

However, a whip-like strike slammed him back into the pit.

The Fourth Raikage looked up to see a snake head blocking the moonlight, a very clear, sinister smile hanging on its face.

I've been tricked... This thought flashed through the Fourth Raikage's mind. Before he could even feel anger, the attack from the Yamata no Orochi crashed down upon him.

The entire process was like pounding garlic, with one snake head after another acting like a pestle, continuously slamming into the crater.

For a moment, a series of deafening roars echoed through the dense forest, the tremors even affecting the ninjas currently locked in combat.

"Is Lord Fourth Raikage really alright?" a Kumogakure ninja couldn't help but swallow hard.

The Konoha ninjas also diverted some of their attention to the outcome of this attack; if the Fourth Raikage were to perish here, it was possible that this war might end immediately.

Under the watchful eyes of many, Yamata no Orochi ceased its assault.

"Tsk tsk, as expected, I couldn't finish him off even with such a good opportunity."

Orochimaru stared at the crater, his golden slit pupils narrowing as he remarked, "If this attack had been powered by Jiraiya's Senjutsu, the Fourth Raikage would be dead or at least severely wounded."

Even though he had anticipated it, the durability of the Fourth Raikage's body still exceeded his initial projections.

The bombardment from the heads of Yamata no Orochi, while seemingly massive in scale, felt as if they were striking a hard stone, unable to inflict even the slightest damage.

It was less of an attack and more like hammering and forging.

"Swish..."

Before the dust in the crater had even settled, a figure leaped out, darting through the dark forest like a bolt of lightning.

The speed was so great that Orochimaru had no time to intercept him. In the blink of an eye, the Fourth Raikage arrived at the battlefield where the Eight-Tails was engaged.

Orochimaru felt a sense of foreboding and wanted to dispel the summoning of Manda, but the Fourth Raikage was one step faster, punching a massive hole through Manda's body with a single blow.

"You bastard, I'll..."

Manda twisted its head, its snake eyes filled with fury as it prepared to bite at the Fourth Raikage, but its body vanished with a 'poof'.

Orochimaru had sent it back to Ryūchi Cave.

Having succeeded with a single strike, the Fourth Raikage showed no signs of arrogance; his rough voice rang out through the dense forest, "Kumogakure, retreat with me!"