Wiped Out in One Wave

"Die, you damn bastard!!"

The Fourth Raikage roared like thunder, his feet slamming into the ground as he arrived before Orochimaru in an instant.

His arm, condensed with lightning, swung down like a battle axe.

"Boom!"

The battle axe tore through Orochimaru's figure, cleaving a massive crater into the earth; the fissure extended into the distance, causing a towering tree to collapse with a thunderous crash.

Shadow Clone? No... this is an afterimage!

The Fourth Raikage was shocked. As one of the few masters of taijutsu in the ninja world, he knew exactly how terrifying the speed required to leave behind an afterimage truly was.

Orochimaru specialized in ninjutsu; how could he possibly possess such speed, and how could his physical constitution even withstand it?

"Hoo..."

Not far away, "Orochimaru" let out a long breath, as if trying to expel every bit of air from his chest and abdomen.

As he began to inhale, pale markings crawled across his face, and the blade of his Kusanagi Sword ignited with a layer of yellow light.

Seeing this, the Fourth Raikage's pupils constricted, and he blurted out, "Senjutsu?"

The doubt in his heart was instantly resolved.

With the augmentation of Natural Energy, physical capabilities would indeed see a significant boost.

However, when had Orochimaru learned Senjutsu? To his knowledge, only Jiraiya could use it in Konoha, and the late Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, had only mastered a mere fraction of it.

"Senjutsu? You could say that, though more specifically, it should be called solar energy."

"Orochimaru" smiled, the warm yellow markings weaving across his face like war paint, adding a touch of masculinity to his otherwise feminine features.

"Solar energy?"

The Fourth Raikage scowled, looking at Orochimaru in the deep night, assuming the man was spouting nonsense, unaware that Orochimaru spoke the truth.

Solar energy was not equivalent to sunlight; otherwise, how could Sun Breathing be used during the day, and how could it deal with the demons that emerged at night?

In reality, after being irradiated during the day, a portion of solar energy was absorbed by the earth. At this moment, Orochimaru was tapping into this energy to enter his Demon Slayer Mark mode.

It was precisely because it was nighttime that he didn't have to worry about being overwhelmed by the concentrated solar energy.

The Fourth Raikage didn't know the specifics, but he understood one thing: a ninja who could use Senjutsu could no longer be measured by common sense.

Moreover, the speed Orochimaru had just displayed made him wary, and he resolved to proceed with caution.

"Not attacking? You should know, you don't have much time left."

"Orochimaru" curled his lips into a sinister grin, and flames suddenly ignited on the Kusanagi Sword in his hand. "Forget it, how can one test a blade by waiting for others to deliver themselves? Taking the initiative is the only way."

As the last syllable left his lips, "Orochimaru" vanished from his spot. The Fourth Raikage's heart tightened, and he blocked with his arm to the right.

"Clang!"

A wave of heat washed over him, leaving a black mark on his golden arm guard.

The Fourth Raikage countered with a heavy hammer-like blow, his fist wrapped in lightning, possessing an almost unstoppable momentum.

However, as the fist struck, the afterimage shattered like foam.

"Tsk tsk... for a muscle-head, you should really just be wearing underwear, yet you're still covered in gear."

"Orochimaru" flashed onto a tree trunk, looking surprised as he laughed, "But how many more hits can you block relying on just that?"

The Fourth Raikage retorted in his rough, grating voice, "And how long can you last?"

His gaze fell on Orochimaru's legs, where the ninja uniform was stained a deep crimson. Clearly, even with the augmentation of Senjutsu, an untrained body would struggle to bear such extreme speed.

This bastard Orochimaru was half-lying, but one thing seemed true: this was his first time using Senjutsu.

"Using it for the first time, it's inevitably a bit taxing, but I can still easily last the whole day."

A strange smile appeared on "Orochimaru's" face. "However, you won't have the time to experience that, because your subordinates won't give you the chance."

His words hinted that the Kumogakure fortress might have already fallen, a psychological attack.

The Fourth Raikage's hair stood on end, and though his fierce expression remained unchanged, the lightning on his body intensified.

"Orochimaru" didn't care if the man was affected; he leaped from the treetop, his sword wreathed in flames, and slashed toward the Raikage with all his might.

For a moment, lightning and crimson flames intertwined, and a series of explosions rang out in the air as their battle gradually reached a fever pitch.

Meanwhile, the Konoha ninjas and the Kumogakure ninjas chased each other until they arrived not far from the fortress.

Three Uchiha jonin exchanged glances and, seizing a gap in the action, began to weave hand seals rapidly, shouting, "Summoning Technique!"

"Poof!"

After a burst of white smoke, three brown pythons, each dozens of meters long, appeared, crushing countless trees in their wake.

The Uchiha jonin took a breath, suppressing their excitement, and pointed toward the fortress. "Forward, destroy that fortress."

"Hiss, hiss, hiss."

The three pythons let out a series of hisses. Instead of obeying, they opened their massive maws toward the Uchiha jonin, transparent saliva dripping from their jaws.

Under the imposing presence of the three snake-type summons, the Uchiha jonin stepped forward, waved his arm, and barked, "Do you want to defy Lord Orochimaru's orders?"

Sensing the constraints of the temporary contract, the pythons let out a hiss of resentment before charging straight toward the fortress, venting their frustration and wild instincts upon the Kumogakure ninja.

The Uchiha jonin breathed a sigh of relief and turned his gaze toward his captain. "Do we still need to summon Manda? It is even more unruly than these pythons."

"We must summon it. With Manda, our chances of destroying the Kumogakure fortress this time will be much higher."

Shinsuke Uchiha gritted his teeth. "Have the other comrades move away from this area."

Upon hearing this, the other Uchiha jonin did not hesitate for a second and vanished from the spot in the blink of an eye.

The sound of blades clashing rang out through the dense forest as they held back the surrounding Kumogakure forces, leaving Shinsuke Uchiha alone in this area.

He bit his fingertip, let his blood soak into the temporary contract drawn on his palm, and shouted, "Summoning Technique!"

"Orochimaru... no, you aren't Orochimaru. Which bastard dares to disturb my rest?"

A cold voice rang out from within the white smoke as Manda poked its head out, staring down at Shinsuke Uchiha with lantern-like eyes that radiated immense pressure.

"Heh, just because Orochimaru gave you a contract, you think you can summon me? Are you looking down on me?"

Such an arrogant attitude made the veins on Shinsuke Uchiha's forehead throb, and what angered him even more was that, under Manda's fierce aura, he truly felt a bit uneasy deep down.

Forcing himself to suppress his complicated emotions, Shinsuke Uchiha pulled a stiff expression. "Manda, that over there is the Kumogakure fortress. Lord Orochimaru told me to tell you to destroy it."

"You, too, dare to order me around?"

Manda whipped its tail, gouging a massive crater into the earth.

After venting, it no longer looked at Shinsuke Uchiha, who had barely managed to dodge, and instead fixed its gaze on the nearby fortress, its snake eyes filled with hatred.

Although it had recovered significantly, the scars left behind by the Raikage were still visible on its belly.

Now was the time for revenge.

On the other side, Shinsuke Uchiha watched Manda assault the fortress, his Sharingan burning with rage as he swore that in the future, he would make this snake pay dearly.