Kumogakure outpost, conference room.
"...So far, the Konoha Shinobi Army has reached a point less than ten miles from the outpost. They're adjusting their condition now. Judging by their objective..."
The Kumogakure Intelligence Division ninja looked up, his tone tinged with disbelief. "The Konoha Shinobi Army seems to be planning to attack us directly."
Crack...
The cup in the Fourth Raikage's hand shattered. He let out a cold snort, inexplicably irritated. "What's the situation with the fortress Konoha just built?"
"A Konoha reinforcement force entered the fortress around noon today. It consisted of no more than fifty ninja."
The Intelligence Division ninja paused. "We estimate that Konoha's commander, Orochimaru, handed the fortress over to the reinforcements, then led all his forces straight here to attack us."
The Fourth Raikage gave no indication of what he thought. He swept his gaze across the people in the conference room and asked in a gruff voice, "What do you make of Orochimaru's actions?"
A burst of noisy discussion filled the room, but no one offered anything substantial.
The information available was simply too straightforward to leave room for speculation.
—Orochimaru intended to attack the Kumogakure fortress head-on.
Clearly, he believed Konoha's forces were strong enough to beat Kumogakure. But that was impossible. The reality was precisely the opposite.
Even if he transformed into the White Snake from that night, Kumogakure could suppress him with the power of two Jinchuriki.
They wouldn't even give him the slightest chance to destroy the fortress.
As for the other Konoha ninja, without Orochimaru backing them up, Kumogakure was confident it could rout them, or even wipe them out.
The Kumogakure ninja gathered in the conference room tried to guess what other hidden tricks Orochimaru might have, but they came up empty.
Even among the Sannin, Orochimaru was the most mysterious.
"Big Bro, how about you guys defend while I go destroy their outpost?"
Killer B, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, gestured as he spoke in his peculiar voice. "The fortress is unguarded, so I can attack it."
The Fourth Raikage was tempted, but soon shook his head. "It's just an outpost. If we can crush Orochimaru, we can take it out whenever we want."
Orochimaru's inexplicable actions made the Raikage uneasy. In that state, he naturally wouldn't split his forces. Better to play it safe.
After a moment's thought, the Fourth Raikage spoke slowly. "Have the scouting team keep an eye on Konoha's movements. Everyone else, get ready. Be prepared to fight at any moment."
Orochimaru's forces were now without the fortress's protection, and Kumogakure had no other strategic objectives to pursue. This was the perfect chance to eliminate them.
But before they struck, they needed to confirm the enemy's intentions.
If their guess was right, Konoha would attack the fortress directly. Kumogakure would then have the advantage of the terrain.
And even if Konoha was only here for a look around, they could attack as the enemy withdrew.
Whether to fight or defend, the initiative was theirs this time.
The Fourth Raikage thought it over and suddenly felt full of confidence. This one was in the bag.
In the blink of an eye, night deepened. Dark clouds rolled across the sky, and a gloomy forest stretched beneath the pitch-black heavens.
The Kumogakure scouting team hid in the shadows. Sharing their senses with their summoning beasts, they kept a close watch on one part of the forest.
In the darkness, the Konoha ninja appeared as pinpricks of starlight, exceptionally clear in their "field of vision."
They had been observing the Konoha forces for quite a while. The enemy seemed unaware of them and hadn't made a move.
Had they left the Hyuga Clan behind on this march?
As they wondered, a patch of light suddenly appeared in their field of vision, vast as a mountain. It blocked out the stars and filled their sight.
The scouting team's leader looked terrified. Sharing senses with his summoning beast, he too felt his spirit shaken.
Other than a Tailed Beast, he had never seen such enormous Chakra.
He bit the tip of his tongue, and the pain cleared his head. The Kumogakure squad leader shouted to the communications team, "Konoha is attacking! Orochimaru has turned into that White Snake monster again!"
The communications team didn't dare delay and immediately sent the news back to the Kumogakure outpost.
The Fourth Raikage soon learned of it. Confusion crossed his rugged face. "Orochimaru's using that forbidden technique already?"
They were still ten miles from the outpost. However you looked at it, it was far too soon.
Putting himself in Orochimaru's shoes, the Fourth Raikage guessed that he was trying to clear the way for the Konoha Shinobi Army. But he wasn't about to pass up such a good opportunity.
He immediately gave the order. "Killer B, Yugito, stop him. Don't let Orochimaru get anywhere near the fortress. Everyone else, follow me!"
"Yes!"
The ninja under his command answered as one and leaped out of the fortress.
Five miles from the Kumogakure fortress, the Eight-Headed Serpent, charging headlong and without hesitation, was stopped in its tracks.
A cat demon wreathed in blue flames, its body covered in black markings, and an octopus-like bull monster with a broken horn and eight tentacles used their respective abilities to hold it back. The Eight-Headed Serpent had no way to advance. Instead, the battle steadily moved farther from the fortress.
Seeing this, the Fourth Raikage relaxed slightly. Though the Eight-Headed Serpent was holding its own against two opponents, it could no longer display the overwhelming dominance it had shown before.
With Orochimaru no longer a threat, the Fourth Raikage turned his attention to the Konoha Shinobi Army. His rugged face now looked even more savage.
"Boom!"
He leaped into the Konoha ranks, lightning blazing around him as he displayed his superb Taijutsu. The Konoha ninja danced at his mercy. Even members of the Uchiha Clan with the Sharingan couldn't last more than two exchanges.
"Uchiha Flame Formation!"
Suddenly, four Uchiha Jonin took up positions on all sides, surrounding the Fourth Raikage. They pressed their fingers to the ground, and four red walls of the barrier rose, separating him from the Konoha Shinobi Army.
"Barrier Ninjutsu?"
The Fourth Raikage sneered. Protected by the barrier, the four Jonin could only be defeated by force, whether from outside or within.
But the Fourth Raikage didn't care. Aside from Orochimaru, there wasn't a single ninja on Konoha's side worth his attention.
"Boom!"
His punch sent the red barrier trembling. The Fourth Raikage glanced at the burn marks on his knuckles and raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."
"But how many punches can you take?"
The four Uchiha Jonin said nothing. They simply kept pouring Chakra into the barrier to maintain it.
Their task was to buy time until Orochimaru returned.
Boom, boom, boom...
Beneath the pitch-black sky, roars, howls, and rumbling shook the air without pause.
Three gigantic beasts battled at close quarters. Trees snapped, and enormous craters appeared in the earth, as if the world had returned to ancient times, when primeval beasts fought over food and the right to reproduce.
The Eight-Tails, Gyuki, strained to constrict its tentacles, tangling them around the Eight-Headed Serpent's heads and tails and firmly restraining its movements. It seemed to be avenging the night when Manda had held it back.
If it had been a one-on-one fight, Killer B wouldn't have devoted all his strength to restraining his enemy. But he wasn't fighting alone.
The Two-Tails, Matatabi, opened her jaws. A scorching fireball gathered before her. Her presence was less like that of a cat demon and more like that of a tiger.
Boom...
A Scorch Release fireball shot out. Killer B felt his hold loosen, but before he could react, the fireball struck him.
Even Gyuki's thick hide couldn't prevent him from letting out a cry of pain.
Not far away, Orochimaru, who had returned to human form, dodged the flames. He spoke to a figure in the forest. "I'll leave this to you."
Before you continue