Mutual Injuries

Dark clouds obscured the moon, and the sky turned pitch black once again.

Across the entire battlefield, save for the Fourth Raikage and Orochimaru who were still locked in combat, all other ninjas had ceased fighting.

The Konoha side had already completed their strategic objective, thoroughly destroying the enemy's fortress. Now, under the command of Fugaku and with Manda serving as their vanguard, they were rushing toward the area where the Eight-Tails was located.

Intimidated by the sheer power of Manda, the Kumogakure ninjas did not dare to launch an attack recklessly. They followed behind the Konoha ninjas, waiting for the moment their village's Jinchuriki entangled Manda to launch a surprise attack.

Although the fortress had been destroyed, Kumogakure had not yet been defeated. The armored giant of Konoha had already been eliminated by the Raikage, and if they could also take down Orochimaru, the victors of this war would still be them.

Boom, boom, boom...

Eight tentacles danced wildly, struggling to capture the insect-like figure leaping and darting across the creature's body, yet they missed every time.

To ordinary ninjas, a Tailed Beast was a weapon of war impossible to resist, but once one's strength reached a certain threshold, they became nothing more than toys to be played with.

Given the current reflexes and speed of "Orochimaru," the Eight-Tails' attacks were as laughable as those of a child. However, as a precaution, he had left the ground, using the surface of Gyuki's body as his battlefield to fight the Fourth Raikage.

"Raikage-sama, you don't have much time left."

"Orochimaru" licked the blood from his lips and laughed, "My lovely summoning beast is about to arrive. When that happens, are you still confident you can kill me?"

The Fourth Raikage stood on the spine of Gyuki, his expression so dark it seemed as if water could drip from it.

He could also sense the approach of Manda and the others, knowing that Orochimaru was not speaking in vain.

Yet, after Orochimaru unleashed his aura, he only dodged, constantly gathering power within his blade. A lethal strike remained coiled but unreleased, giving the Raikage an unprecedented sense of crisis; he dared not ignore it or launch an attack lightly.

But if they continued to probe like this, the golden opportunity would be wasted.

Having let the half-crippled Uchiha Shisui escape, how could he let the weakened Orochimaru go as well?

"Killer B!!"

The Fourth Raikage made up his mind. Lightning flared brilliantly across his body as he leaped into the air.

The Eight-Tails, Gyuki, abandoned its attacks on Orochimaru. Its massive body pressed tightly against the ground, and its eight tentacles stood tall, slamming down fiercely toward the Fourth Raikage.

"This..."

"Orochimaru" looked up and couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.

In the air, a flash of lightning leaped repeatedly under the continuous strikes of the eight tentacles. Its speed grew faster and faster, leaving behind strings of afterimages in the sky.

Soon, even with his eyesight, he could no longer track the figure of the Fourth Raikage.

However, thanks to the tacit coordination of the brotherly duo, the tentacles were actually able to keep up with the Fourth Raikage's movements, causing the speed of the lightning to accelerate even further.

"This is truly simple and brutal..."

After a sigh of admiration, "Orochimaru" held his sword horizontally before him. Relying on his current special state of harmony with nature, he expanded his perception to cover his entire body.

"Boom!"

At a certain moment, a tentacle collided with the lightning, leaving a deep scar. The Fourth Raikage knew he had reached his limit; he stopped gathering power and dove straight down toward Orochimaru.

"Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop!"

A bolt of electricity struck, sounding like a thunderclap. "Orochimaru" suddenly opened his tightly shut eyes. A flash of sword light met the fist of the Fourth Raikage head-on.

The lightning and the fierce fire did not stalemate for long. With a crisp snap, the Kusanagi Sword shattered under the Raikage's attack.

The momentum of the fist did not cease, slamming down viciously. "Orochimaru" only had time to tilt his body, but a chunk of flesh the size of a fist was torn from his flank.

"Did I succeed? No, this isn't enough!"

The Fourth Raikage widened his eyes, but the remaining inertia of his body pulled him away, preventing him from landing a follow-up punch on Orochimaru.

Turning his head in frustration, the Fourth Raikage saw a savage grin rising on the side of Orochimaru's face.

Before he could react, a sharp pain struck his waist and abdomen. His large and small intestines, along with a kidney, had all been sliced by a blade.

"Boom!"

The Fourth Raikage could no longer maintain his stance and was thrown off by the inertia. Even though a tentacle caught him, he still ended up in a disheveled state.

"How was that kidney-slicing strike?"

"Orochimaru" chuckled. His gaze fell upon the soiled, broken Kusanagi Sword, and he wore an expression of disgust before tossing it aside.

Whoosh...

A gust of wind approached. "Orochimaru" clutched his flank and leaped with effort, narrowly avoiding a sneak attack from a tentacle.

With the Fourth Raikage no longer entangling him, Orochimaru did not need to stay any longer. He forced his body to move, exiting the attack range of the Eight-Tails, Gyuki.

Soon, he converged with the Konoha ninja army.

"Orochimaru, look at the state of you. How truly pathetic!"

Despite his words, Manda coiled his body, surrounding Orochimaru to prevent sneak attacks from other directions.

Just kidding—he had helped this guy twice already, and he hadn't been paid yet.

"Orochimaru-sama, are you alright?" Fugaku felt a jolt of shock upon seeing the massive wound on Orochimaru's flank and roared, "Medical squad! Where are the medical ninjas?"

He shouted twice, but his voice gradually lowered as he remembered that Orochimaru himself was an incredibly powerful medical ninja.

"Hehe... this is nothing, though I will need to change my state."

Orochimaru chuckled, exiting his Demon Slayer Mark mode. His entire demeanor shifted instantly, as if he had become a completely different person.

"That bastard really put me through the wringer."

Although Orochimaru was still smiling, his face seemed covered in a layer of frost. He glanced at his wounds, formed hand seals, and his body suddenly transformed into a white, scale-less snake several meters long.

Fugaku was startled, unable to stop himself from taking a few steps back.

The slightly small white snake opened its maw wide, and an arm reached out from within. Orochimaru slowly crawled out, covered in saliva but completely free of any wounds; the entire process was like a snake shedding its skin.

Even with some understanding of Orochimaru's bizarre nature, the Konoha ninjas present still felt a chill run down their spines at this inhuman sight, subconsciously swallowing their saliva.

Orochimaru didn't care in the slightest. He leaped lightly onto the head of Manda and, aided by the faint light of the crescent moon, looked toward the distance.

On the Kumogakure side, noticing his gaze, the Fourth Raikage struggled to stand up, unwilling to show weakness at this moment.

Nearby, the Kumogakure medical ninjas were doing their utmost to perform ninjutsu, but the effect was minimal.

The Fourth Raikage's muscular physique was indeed indestructible under normal circumstances, but once injured, it was not so easy to recover—especially since the energy contained in the Genie's sword technique was entirely focused on preventing the wounds from regenerating.

"Raikage, let's end this battle here, what do you say?"

Orochimaru said coldly, "At this point, you have already lost."

The Konoha side also cast their gaze toward the Kumogakure troops, their momentum fierce and their morale burning bright. In comparison, the Kumogakure ninjas were generally low-spirited; it was clear who held the advantage.

The Fourth Raikage's expression darkened. He wanted to flare up, but the stab wound to his kidney made it impossible for him to maintain his previous toughness.

"What, do you still want to keep fighting?"

Orochimaru stood atop Manda's head, completely unscathed, his cold, sinister face filled with oppressive pressure. "If you want to fight, I will accompany you to the end!"

After a brief silence on the battlefield, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer B suddenly spoke up, "Orochimaru, we in Kumogakure agree to end this war."