Shiro vs. Sunagakure!

The next day, the decisive battle arrived as scheduled. Early in the morning, Rasa led nearly every ninja on the front line and gathered them before the position, ready to settle everything in one stroke!

As for why they were ninja yet insisted on clashing head-on—well, that was not important. Charging straight in was the right call; all the fancy tricks were for before the battle.

On the other side, just as Rasa and the others stood solemnly before the lines, Shiro opened his eyes as well. After putting away the scroll on his lap, he rose from the ground.

"Let's go, Gray Snake. The plan begins!"

For today's battle, Shiro had not slept a wink last night. He had spent the entire night studying Orochimaru's scroll, all to ensure that today's battle proceeded smoothly.

By the time Shiro leisurely arrived before the formation, both sides had long since lined up their forces and were facing each other down.

Shiro slowly passed through Konoha's gathered ninja and stopped beside Orochimaru.

Orochimaru glanced at Shiro from the corner of his eye. "Heh, is that really all right, Shiro-kun? Not resting properly before a battle is hardly a good habit."

"Hah, isn't it because I'm taking this battle seriously? Using that tactic isn't exactly simple, even if it's only the simplest version."

"That's true. But I'm very curious—can you really complete it, Shiro-kun?"

"On my own, of course not. But with this, who knows?" As he spoke, Shiro lifted his right hand, showing the Blood Pattern.

"Then I shall wait and see, Shiro-kun."

"That's what I wanted to say too, Orochimaru-senpai. Whether we can truly keep cooperating depends on your actions in a while. I'm quite looking forward to it. Researchers as incredible as you are rare."

"Rest assured, Shiro-kun. I am