Truth and Lies

Having missed with his first strike, Killer B wasn't discouraged. The Eight-Tails, Gyuki, opened its mouth again, and chakra with Yin and Yang attributes began to gather.

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

Manda's pupils narrowed to pinpricks. It was clearly furious.

It could let the earlier sneak attack slide, but now Killer B was doing it right in front of it, as if it didn't exist. Did he really think it couldn't do anything?

Manda twisted its body around the Eight-Tails and gathered its strength. Then its head slammed into Gyuki's mouth.

Gyuki's head was knocked askew, and the gathered chakra with Yin and Yang attributes immediately went out of control, exploding with a thunderous boom in front of their heads.

A shock wave swept outward. The smoke from the explosion came and went in an instant.

"Shhhh... That'll teach you to underestimate me."

Manda flicked its tongue. The thick scales on its head were damaged, making the purple giant serpent look even more vicious.

Fortunately, it had stopped the attack in time. Gyuki hadn't gathered much chakra yet, so the explosion was fairly weak.

"You purple bastard!"

Killer B swore in his offbeat voice and tried to use a Tailed Beast Ball again. His eight tentacles struggled with all their might, trying to impede Manda.

"Jinchuriki, shhhh..."

Manda had no intention of letting him have his way. It coiled around Gyuki, tightening and loosening its grip, never relying solely on brute force. It easily neutralized the tentacles' struggles.

Its slit pupils remained fixed on Gyuki's bull head, refusing to give Killer B even the slightest chance to successfully use a Tailed Beast Ball.

After his second attempt was interrupted, Killer B understood that with his level of mastery, it would be difficult to use a Tailed Beast Ball successfully while Manda was interfering.

The serpent had far too much experience fighting giant beasts, and it was incredibly fast.

"You're in the way!"

A fierce look flashed in Killer B's eyes. He stopped trying to gather a Tailed Beast Ball successfully and instead poured all his effort into forming a mass of chakra, just wanting it to explode in front of him.

Manda's earlier retreat had made Killer B realize that it wasn't willing to fight to the death for Orochimaru.

Gyuki was thick-skinned and tough. Taking a few hits wouldn't hurt it. Killer B wanted to see how many explosions the serpent could endure.

Killer B made no attempt to hide his intentions. Either they would both suffer, or Manda would back off.

Manda glared, its eyes blazing. "You bastard, how dare you look down on me!"

Anger and pride overpowered its instincts. Again and again, it slammed its head into Gyuki's mouth, enduring explosion after explosion.

The serpent and the Tailed Beast had entered a different kind of stalemate, each waiting to see who would give out first.

Explosions thundered across the sky. The Fourth Raikage caught sight of the battle on the other side from the corner of his eye and realized that the Eight-Tails wouldn't be able to destroy the fortress anytime soon.

Manda might be afraid of dying, but as Orochimaru's most powerful Summoning, it could surely hold out for a while.

And in that time, who knew how many shinobi the village would lose?

"We can't wait any longer."

The Fourth Raikage struck a huge hole in an incoming serpent head. While the serpent was reeling in pain, he leaped onto the body of Yamata no Orochi and ran over it toward the fortress.

As the leader of a village, the Raikage was also a master demolitions expert.

But first, his demolition work couldn't match a Tailed Beast's efficiency. And entering a long-established enemy fortress in human form was far too dangerous.

This wasn't some hastily laid Explosive Tag trap that he could withstand just by relying on his sturdy body.

Barrier Ninjutsu and Fūinjutsu were dangerous even for Tailed Beasts, and far more perilous than flashy ninjutsu.

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

If the battle continued, the village would suffer too many losses.

"Heh... Don't even think about it!" Orochimaru sneered. The serpent heads smashed down like swift fists, raining blows at the Raikage without regard for their own bodies.

"Hah!" The Fourth Raikage roared. His body became a streak of lightning. Like a highly skilled parkour runner, he dodged the hail of dense blows without a single one touching him. In the blink of an eye, he crossed Yamata no Orochi's body.

The Fourth Raikage pushed off with both feet and leaped toward the fortress. Lightning burst around him, and a ball of white light slammed into the structure like a cannonball.

Against the Fourth Raikage's full-powered Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the building didn't last a second. It collapsed in an instant, just as expected.

A huge crater was left where the building had stood.

How could it be... so easy?

The Fourth Raikage stood at the center of the crater, panting heavily. The lightning around him flickered unsteadily, and his rough, fierce features were filled with astonishment.

Of course, the fortress shouldn't have been able to withstand his full-strength attack. But for it to be destroyed so easily, there could only be one explanation.

This fortress... was fake!

The Fourth Raikage sensed something was wrong. Despite being at the point of exhaustion, with his strength spent and no new strength yet to take its place, he pushed off hard and leaped out of the crater.

But a whip-like blow struck him and knocked him right back into the crater.

The Fourth Raikage looked up to see a serpent head blocking out the moonlight. A distinctly sinister smile curled across its face.

I've been tricked... The thought flashed through the Fourth Raikage's mind. Before he could feel anger, Yamata no Orochi's attack came crashing down.

The whole thing was like pounding garlic. One serpent head after another struck the crater like a pestle, crashing down without pause.

A series of deafening booms rang through the forest, and the shaking even affected the shinobi fighting on both sides.

"Lord Raikage will be all right, won't he?" one of the Kumogakure shinobi couldn't help swallowing.

The Konoha shinobi also spared some attention for the outcome of the attack. If the Fourth Raikage died here, the war might well end on the spot.

With so many watching, Yamata no Orochi finally stopped attacking.

"Tsk, tsk. Just as I thought. Even with such a perfect chance, I still couldn't finish him off."

Orochimaru stared into the crater, his golden, slit-pupiled eyes raised as he mused, "If Jiraiya had attacked with Senjutsu, the Fourth Raikage would have been gravely injured, if not killed."

Even though he'd anticipated it, the Fourth Raikage's physical toughness still exceeded his initial expectations.

Yamata no Orochi's serpent heads had struck with great force, but it was as if they'd hit a solid rock, unable to damage him in the slightest.

It would be more accurate to call it pounding and forging than attacking.

"Whoosh..."

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

He was so fast that Orochimaru had no time to stop him. In the blink of an eye, the Fourth Raikage had reached the battlefield where the Eight-Tails was fighting.

Orochimaru sensed that something was wrong and tried to release Manda's Summoning, but the Fourth Raikage was too quick. One punch blasted a hole through Manda's body.

"You bastard, I'll—"

Manda twisted its head, its eyes blazing with fury as it lunged to bite the Fourth Raikage. But its body vanished with a puff.

Orochimaru had sent it back to Ryūchi Cave.

Though his strike had landed, the Fourth Raikage showed no sign of triumph. His rough voice rang through the forest.

"Kumogakure, retreat with me!"