Not too far from the battlefield, beneath the cover of a hazy mist, two men and one beast were watching the battle unfold.
"Aren't we going to rescue them? You promised En no Gyōja that you would help them when necessary."
A pale-skinned man with cascading black hair and purple eyeshadow at the corners of his eyes gently licked his lips, his voice cold and slick.
"Hmph, the Tsuchigumo Clan is indeed worth saving. After all, they are a banner we intend to raise."
The old man with a cross-shaped scar on his chin spoke grimly. "But forget En no Gyōja. His existence is not conducive to the Tsuchigumo Clan integrating into Konoha."
"Hehehe..."
Orochimaru did not say anything more and instead changed the subject. "The Kaguya Clan, the Yuki Clan, that sword-wielding brat, and the shark-faced one... It will not be easy to save the Tsuchigumo Clan from their hands."
Although Xiu Bing had remained hidden and had not acted, the well-informed Orochimaru and Danzo could naturally tell who he was.
"Even the mighty leader of the Sannin, Orochimaru, knows fear?" Danzo mocked.
"How could the mere Sannin compare to you, the 'Darkness of the Shinobi'? If Lord Danzo acts personally, surely taking on six enemies alone would be no challenge."
Orochimaru was no pushover either, immediately returning the sarcasm.
After mocking each other, the two simply stared wide-eyed at one another and fell silent.
"Has Kirigakure gone mad? It is only the Tsuchigumo Clan. Why did they send so many people?!"
Danzo was somewhat frustrated.
In his original plan, Kirigakure would at most send a team of two elite jonin accompanied by several chunin. After all, En no Gyōja's strength was nothing special in their eyes.
Facing two such jonin squads would naturally have been easy and pleasant