At the border of the Land of Grass, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, dispatched his son Kitsuchi as Iwagakure's vanguard. He led elite jonin such as Tōjin, Mahiru, Kakkō, Taiseki, and Sumashi, along with several thousand ninja, planning to launch an attack on Konoha through the Land of Grass.
Not only was this force enormous in number, but it was also composed entirely of Iwagakure's elite, an unstoppable force.
However, the one who came to meet them was Konoha's Kage-level powerhouse and frontline commander, Orochimaru.
Through his years of cooperation with and support from Uchiha Ying Yue, Orochimaru had not only made remarkable progress in scientific research, but had also integrated Hashirama Cell Solution, greatly increasing his chakra reserves.
At this point, Orochimaru was even more powerful than he had been in the original story.
Facing Iwagakure's attack, Orochimaru calmly directed Konoha's defenses, intending to stabilize the battle with his own strength.
To counter the enemy's pressure, Orochimaru immediately summoned the enormous Manda.
The giant serpent was irritable and arrogant. When faced with Orochimaru's command to fight, it demanded more sacrifices before it would give its all.
Orochimaru casually pointed toward the vast ranks of Iwagakure ninja on the battlefield and said coldly, "Eat as many as you want, as long as you tear open their defensive line."
Manda greedily charged onto the battlefield and began devouring Iwagakure's ninja in large numbers.
Thanks to the giant serpent's destructive power, Konoha's ninja briefly gained the upper hand. However, Iwagakure had overwhelming numbers and considerable strength, and its elite jonin began an orderly counterattack.
Kitsuchi led Iwagakure's ninja in using Earth Release to form sturdy defenses while steadily pressing against Konoha's lines.
In the end, unable to withstand the enemy's concentrated attacks, Manda was forced to dispel its summoning and vanished furiously in