He Really Is a Konoha Ninja

The moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting a silver sheen over the giant purple serpent as it charged toward the fortress, unstoppable and overwhelming.

Neither the towering trees of the forest nor the traps and cages set by men could hinder its advance in the slightest.

Taking all of this in, Shinsuke Uchiha took a deep breath, struggling to suppress his surging emotions.

He knew he was no match for Manda, and if not for the contract granted by Orochimaru, he wouldn't even have the ability to summon it.

Within the Uchiha clan, even elite jonin were not known for their chakra reserves, and massive summoning beasts were inherently ill-suited for them.

Though this was the reality, Shinsuke Uchiha refused to accept it; he swore in his heart that he would one day subdue a giant summoning beast of his own through sheer power, forcing it to defeat Manda on his behalf.

When that day came, he would humiliate Manda thoroughly.

"All Konoha squads, do not get bogged down in combat; keep pace with Manda."

Fugaku's command as acting commander echoed through the dense forest, and Shinsuke Uchiha reined in his emotions, sprinting toward the Kumogakure fortress.

Boom...

A bolt of lightning shot through the dense forest. "Orochimaru" only had enough time to hold his long sword horizontally across his chest before a fist struck his torso.

"Pfft..."

"Orochimaru" spat out a mouthful of blood as his body was sent flying backward, the impact snapping numerous giant trees in half.

Having landed a successful blow, the Fourth Raikage did not grow overly complacent. He stood his ground, breathing slightly heavily, his gaze fixed on Orochimaru with a furrowed brow.

In the time they had been fighting, the injuries he had inflicted on Orochimaru would have been enough to kill any other Kage-level powerhouse twice over, yet this bizarre creature remained lively and even had the energy to smile.

"Orochimaru" twisted his left hand against his chest, a sharp click signaling the resetting of his broken ribs, and he grinned, his face covered in Demon Slayer Marks looking all the more ferocious.

Medical ninjutsu, solar energy, and perhaps even Yamato's cells—the combination of the three complemented each other perfectly, pushing Orochimaru's already monstrous regenerative abilities to an absurd degree.

Even though his assimilation of the host's combat experience couldn't keep pace with the Fourth Raikage's adaptation to his power, he was in no immediate danger of defeat.

"You really are a troublesome guy."

The Fourth Raikage clenched his fists, though he was not discouraged.

He had successfully pinned Orochimaru down and held the upper hand; finishing the opponent off was only a matter of time.

Thinking this, the Fourth Raikage let out a savage grin and lunged at Orochimaru once more.

For a time, lightning and crimson flames intertwined and collided, causing a series of dull, thunderous explosions to ring out in the air as countless trees were shattered and instantly reduced to charcoal.

"Lord Raikage, it's bad! Konoha has summoned four giant beasts, and they've already broken through our defensive lines!"

Just then, a ninja shouted from the dense forest, "The fortress is under attack right now and won't be able to hold out much longer."

In the center of the battlefield, the Fourth Raikage frowned, his focus wavering, and his movements lost their previous flawlessness.

"Orochimaru" quickly spotted an opening, tanking a heavy punch to trade blow for blow, and swung his Kusanagi Sword in a circle, carving a long, narrow wound across the Raikage's chest.

The solar energy clinging to the wound prevented even the Raikage's formidable constitution from healing it immediately, and blood stained his torso.

"You bastard!"

The Fourth Raikage was filled with shock and rage, though the target of his curse was not Orochimaru, but the ninja who had been chattering incessantly in the woods.

If not for that guy distracting him, Orochimaru never would have landed that hit.

The Fourth Raikage even suspected that this guy wasn't a Cloud ninja, but a spy for Konoha.

In reality, he actually was a ninja from Konoha.

"Orochimaru" flicked the blood off his blade, a sinister smile spreading across his painted face.

He was not, after all, the real Orochimaru, nor was he a true warrior.

Even with the help of Orochimaru's will, which granted him the combat abilities and experience of the previous host, he could not fully utilize them in such a short time.

In a situation like this, he had to use every trick in the book.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Lord Raikage, aren't you going to go check on things? Your Kumogakure fortress is about to be breached."

"Orochimaru" let out a cackling laugh, his expression dripping with mockery.

That's right, he was doing it on purpose—he wanted to provoke him.

"Orochimaru, you bastard!"

The Fourth Raikage's hair stood on end, his bull-like eyes bulging with genuine fury.

However, to "Orochimaru's" surprise, the next moment the man punched the ground, kicked up a cloud of dust, and vanished from his spot.

"This guy... is he not afraid that I'll unleash the Eight Branches Technique in front of the fortress?"

"Orochimaru" realized, "Right, the fortress is about to fall anyway; worrying about that is useless now. Tsk, tsk... for a muscle-head, he's actually quite sharp."

With a chuckle, "Orochimaru" gave chase after the Fourth Raikage.

At this point, it no longer mattered where the battlefield was.

Boom, boom, boom...

Two giant snakes writhed their bodies, their tails rising high before slamming down.

An invisible barrier rippled, and the snake tails were sent recoiling back.

The giant snakes hissed repeatedly, continuing to repeat the action, while the barrier could only struggle to hold under their assault.

"I shall deliver the final blow to you insects myself."

Suddenly, a deep purple giant python raised its head and let out a roaring hiss, its body coiling into a ball before shooting out like an arrow.

The sharp horn on its head collided with the barrier, acting like the straw that broke the camel's back; cracks began to spread, quickly covering the entire barrier.

In that instant, continuous explosions erupted along the perimeter of the barrier, and smoke swallowed the three giant pythons.

"Do you think I would fall for the same trick twice?"

Manda used a snake shedding technique to retreat from the blast zone, while the other two large pythons lacked such ability and were left covered in wounds.

Yet, compared to the one that was blown to death while breaking through the first barrier, they were far luckier.

Poof, poof... With two puffs of smoke, they returned to Ryūchi Cave.

On the battlefield, only the purple giant python flickered its tongue, looking down at the carnage below, its sinister eyes filled with satisfaction.

The wound on its abdomen throbbed with pain, and still feeling unsatisfied, it raised its tail high.

Swish...

After a sound of rushing wind, the Fourth Raikage finally arrived at the fortress, watching helplessly as Manda raised its tail and slammed it down onto the structure.

Having lost the protection of the barrier, the fortress was nothing more than a toy made of earth and stone; how could it withstand a strike fueled by Manda's hatred?

Along with the Cloud ninja who hadn't managed to escape in time, it was buried in the rubble.

"Damn it, you bastards!!"

The Fourth Raikage was furious, his hair standing on end, his eyes bloodshot.

At this point, the war against Konoha could be considered mostly a failure.

Realizing this, the Fourth Raikage's rage grew even more intense; lightning gathered in his fists as he prepared to strike Manda once more.

Suddenly, the ground shook, and under the gloomy moonlight, three behemoths fought as they retreated, heading toward the direction of the former fortress.