Raikage: This Is in the Bag

Kumogakure outpost, conference room.

"...As of now, the Konoha ninja army has arrived within ten miles of the outpost. They are currently adjusting their state, and judging by their target..."

The Kumogakure intelligence squad ninja looked up, his tone filled with disbelief, "The Konoha army seems to be preparing to launch an active assault on us."

Crack...

The cup in his hand shattered instantly. The Fourth Raikage let out a cold snort, feeling inexplicably irritated, "What is the current situation with that fortress Konoha recently built?"

"At noon today, Konoha reinforcements entered the fortress, numbering no more than fifty ninjas."

The intelligence squad ninja paused, "It is estimated that the Konoha commander, Orochimaru, is likely handing the fortress over to the reinforcements before leading his entire force to attack us."

The Fourth Raikage remained noncommittal. He swept his gaze across everyone in the conference room and said in a muffled voice, "What do you all make of Orochimaru's actions?"

A wave of noisy discussion erupted in the conference room, but it contained no substantial content.

Because the information laid out on the table was too simple, leaving no room for speculation.

--Orochimaru intends to launch a frontal assault on the Kumogakure fortress.

And by doing so, he clearly believes that the strength of the Konoha army surpasses that of Kumogakure, but that is simply impossible; the current situation is clearly the opposite.

Even if the opponent transformed into that white snake form from that night, Kumogakure could suppress him using the power of the two Jinchuriki.

They wouldn't even give the opponent a single chance to damage the fortress.

As for the other Konoha ninjas, without Orochimaru holding the line, Kumogakure was confident they could rout or even annihilate them.

The Kumogakure ninjas sitting in the conference room were all guessing what hidden cards Orochimaru might have, but they had gained nothing.

Even among the Sannin, Orochimaru was the most mysterious one.

"Big Brother, why don't you guys defend, and I'll go destroy their base."

The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer B gestured with his hands and said in a strange, rhythmic tone, "The fortress is empty, it's the perfect time for me to attack."

Hearing this, the Fourth Raikage was somewhat tempted, but he quickly shook his head, "It's just an outpost. If we can crush Orochimaru, that base can be uprooted at any time."

Orochimaru's inexplicable behavior made the Raikage feel uneasy, and in this state, he naturally refused to split his forces, preferring to play it safe.

After a moment of contemplation, the Fourth Raikage spoke slowly, "Have the reconnaissance squad continue to monitor Konoha's movements. Everyone else, adjust your state and be ready for battle at any time."

Now that Orochimaru's troops were without the protection of a fortress, and the Kumogakure side had no other strategic objectives to achieve, it was the perfect opportunity to wipe them out.

But to fight, one must first confirm the opponent's strategic intent.

If his guess was correct, they would likely take the initiative to attack the fortress, at which point Kumogakure could occupy the geographical advantage.

And even if Konoha was just here for a stroll, they could strike when they turned to leave.

Whether to fight or defend, the initiative had always been in their hands this time.

Thinking this way, the Fourth Raikage suddenly felt full of confidence, feeling that this victory was secure.

Time slipped away into the dead of night. Black clouds rolled across the sky, and beneath the pitch-black canopy lay a deep, dense forest.

The Kumogakure reconnaissance squad hid within the gloom. Sharing perception with their summoning beasts, they kept a tight lock on a section of the forest.

In the darkness, the ninjas of the Konoha army appeared as tiny specks of starlight, exceptionally clear within their 'field of vision.'

They had been spying on the Konoha army for some time, and the other side seemed unaware, making no moves.

Did they not bring the Hyuga clan on this march?

As they thought this, a patch of light suddenly appeared in their vision, as massive and boundless as a mountain, obscuring the starlight and filling their entire field of view.

The captain of the reconnaissance squad wore a look of terror. Sharing perception with his summoning beast, his mind could not help but be shaken.

Aside from the Tailed Beasts, he had never seen such immense chakra.

Biting the tip of his tongue, the pain cleared his mind. The Kumogakure squad captain roared at the communication unit, "Konoha is attacking! Orochimaru has turned into that white snake monster again!"

The communication unit did not dare to delay and immediately relayed the news back to the Kumogakure outpost.

The Fourth Raikage soon received the intelligence, a look of confusion appearing on his rugged face, "Orochimaru is using that forbidden jutsu now?"

They were still ten miles away from the outpost; no matter how one looked at it, it was still too early.

The Fourth Raikage projected his own mindset onto his enemy, guessing that Orochimaru wanted to clear the path for the Konoha army, but he would not let such a good opportunity slip by.

He issued a direct order, "Killer B, Yugito, you two intercept him. Make sure you don't let Orochimaru get near the fortress. Everyone else, follow me and attack!"

"Yes!"

The subordinate ninjas all accepted the order and leaped out from the fortress.

Five miles away from the Kumogakure fortress, the rampaging, unstoppable Yamata no Orochi was brought to a halt.

A cat demon burning with blue flames and covered in black curse marks, and a bull-headed, broken-horned octopus monster with eight tentacles—each used their own methods. Yamata no Orochi had no possibility of advancing; on the contrary, the combat zone between the two sides was constantly moving away from the fortress.

Seeing this scene, the Fourth Raikage breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although Yamata no Orochi was not at a disadvantage fighting two-on-one, it ultimately could not display the same suppression as before.

And with the threat of Orochimaru gone, the Fourth Raikage turned his attention toward the Konoha army, his rugged face looking even more ferocious now.

"Boom!"

Leaping into the air, he dove into the ranks of the Konoha shinobi army, lightning erupting from his body as he displayed exquisite taijutsu. The Konoha ninjas danced at his mercy; even the Uchiha clan, with their Sharingan, could not last more than two rounds against him.

"Uchiha Flame Formation!"

Suddenly, four Uchiha jonin occupied the four cardinal directions, surrounding the Fourth Raikage. Pressing their palms to the ground, a crimson barrier rose on all four sides, isolating him from the Konoha forces.

"A barrier technique?"

The Fourth Raikage sneered. With the four jonin protected by the barrier, he had no choice but to break through it by force, whether from the outside or the inside.

Yet, the Fourth Raikage did not care in the slightest; aside from Orochimaru, there was no ninja on the Konoha side worth his attention.

"Boom!"

With a single punch, the crimson barrier began to tremble. The Fourth Raikage glanced at the scorch marks on his fist and raised a thick eyebrow. "Interesting."

"But how many of my punches can you block?"

The four Uchiha jonin remained silent, focusing entirely on outputting chakra to maintain the barrier.

Their mission was to stall for time until Orochimaru returned.

Boom, boom, boom...

Under the pitch-black sky, the sounds of roaring, screeching, and tremors were incessant.

Three colossal beasts were locked in close-quarters combat, snapping trees and leaving massive craters in the earth as if the world had returned to an ancient era where primordial monsters fought for survival and prey.

Gyuki, the Eight-Tails, strained to retract his tentacles, tangling them with the heads and tails of Yamata no Orochi to lock the serpent's movements, as if seeking revenge for being restrained by Manda that night.

If it were a one-on-one fight, Killer B would not have committed his full strength to restraining the enemy, but he was not fighting alone.

Matatabi, the Two-Tails, opened her massive jaws, a searing fireball coalescing before her. Her aura and pressure were less like a cat demon and more like a ferocious tiger.

Boom...

The Scorch Release fireball erupted, but Killer B felt his hold loosen. Before he could react, the fireball slammed into him.

Even with Gyuki's thick hide, he could not help but let out a cry of pain.

Not far away, Orochimaru, having returned to his human form, dodged the reach of the flames and spoke to a figure in the dense forest, "I leave this to you."

Thanks to "Bandaru" for the tip.