Chapter 19

Orochimaru wore an amused smile as he leaped down from Manda's back and watched the show with great interest. As the one most familiar with Manda, he knew that the giant snake was completely enraged—when Manda was in such a state, it might even turn on him, its contractor.

"Hiss—" Coiled into a massive mound, Manda unusually did not strike at once, though murderous fury churned within its scarlet snake eyes.

Orochimaru's slit pupils swept over the Sand Village guards behind Rasa, his long tongue slowly sliding across his lips. He had always believed in ending battles swiftly and never giving his enemies a chance to catch their breath.

"Whoosh!" Manda suddenly launched an attack, its serpentine body carving an uncanny trail through the sand, moving three times faster than before. At nearly the same moment, Orochimaru kicked off the ground and shot forward, heading straight for the jonin—he intended to cut off Rasa's support while Manda kept him occupied.

"Bang!" Manda's tail shattered the incoming ball of black sand. After only a slight delay, it continued closing in. Rasa frowned faintly, sensing the giant snake's attacks becoming increasingly fierce, yet his hands never stopped forming seals. Waves of sand surged beneath his feet, taking on various forms as they slammed toward Manda.

"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Spear!" Rasa made a grasping motion with his right hand, and gold dust beneath the ground condensed into a glittering golden spear under magnetic force, shooting through the air. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Orochimaru twisted aside and leaped the instant the spear was launched. Not only did he evade the killing blow, he used the momentum to close the distance. Purple tomoe reflected the cold smile at the corner of his lips, while his black hair streamed behind him as he sprinted.

Manda had already burst out directly below Rasa. Its body snapped upward like a spring, its massive scaled tail ripping through the air as it lashed toward the Kazekage overhead, its scales reflecting a blindingly cold gleam.

At the ambush point on the right side of the battlefield, Saitama's unit could clearly hear the sounds of battle erupting in the distance.

"It's begun." Saki's lowered voice mingled with the faint scrape of shifting sand.

Saitama nodded silently, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the handle of his kunai. Their mission was to seize the opportunity to ambush the Sand Village's right flank. For now, they only needed to wait for their captain's signal to attack.

Saitama tightened his grip on his long sword, narrowing his eyes. A faint tremor ran through the ground, as though some enormous creatures were battling in the distance. Though he could not see it, he could still clearly sense the surging waves of chakra ahead.

"Move!" Uchiha Rin, lying in wait nearby, had tensed every muscle the moment the battle erupted. After silently counting to three, he chopped his right hand downward and shot out of cover like an arrow loosed from its bow. The others moved at his command, turning into streaks of afterimages as they followed.

"Thud!" Uchiha Rin moved like a ghost, instantly opening up a gap between himself and his teammates.

"Whoosh!" As lightning burst forth, Saitama abruptly accelerated, leaving Saki, who had been running alongside him, behind. His slight body wove nimbly through the crowd, and in the blink of an eye, he was running shoulder to shoulder with Rin at the front.

Uchiha Rin glanced sideways at Saitama and gave a silent nod.

"Kill!" "For Konoha!" Roars shook the battlefield. The ninjas were actually locked in close-quarters combat like ordinary warriors—both sides had exhausted their ninjutsu before clashing, and now relied on their remaining chakra to sustain a desperate fight.

Though the Konoha ninjas were outnumbered, they fought the Sand Village forces to a standstill.

Within mere seconds, Saitama and the others had crossed several hundred meters and charged into the battle formation.

"Whoosh!" Two figures cut into the fray at the same time. Several Sand Village ninjas were surrounding a wounded Konoha ninja, whose bloodstained katana was still struggling to fend them off. Corpses from both sides lay scattered all around.

"Slash—" A flash of steel appeared. Saitama's blade drew a crimson arc across a Sand Village ninja's throat before the man even had time to react in shock.

Lightning flashed again! Another Sand Village ninja abandoned his attack and shifted to defense. He had barely raised his kunai to his chest when it was cut in two. The blade continued with unstoppable force, tearing a charred gash from his chest to his abdomen as blood mist sprayed into the air!

"Bang!" Uchiha Rin spun and delivered a flying kick, sending a Sand Village ninja flying backward with his breastbone caved in. Chunks of internal organs spilled from his mouth in midair.

"Crush these Sand Village bastards!" Uchiha Rin swept his gaze over the battlefield and barked at the troops arriving behind him.

The wounded Konoha ninja stared blankly at the forehead protectors worn by Saitama and the others. Panting, he nodded, raised his sword again, and charged back into the enemy ranks. Everything flowed seamlessly, like gears in a war machine inevitably locking together.

"Slash!" Ignoring the commotion behind him, Saitama's body crackled with lightning as his speed suddenly surged. He moved through the enemy ranks like a ghost, harvesting lives! Dazzling arcs of lightning coiled around his blade, brighter than ever before—this was the result of his recent training, something similar to Sasuke's future Chidori Stream!

By channeling Lightning Release into his ninja tools, Saitama became even more formidable. Every enemy in his path fell dead, and no one could withstand his sudden, razor-sharp assault!

The troops behind him followed close at hand, using Saitama as their spearhead. They tore through the battlefield with unstoppable momentum, driving straight into the heart of the Sand Village forces!

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" Saitama automatically shut out the cries of battle, leaving only the constant slashing of the long sword in his hand. His scarlet Sharingan swept across the battlefield, seeing through every movement. Uchiha Rin on his right was likewise cutting down enemies in a frenzy.

"Clang!" His blade was blocked, and Saitama's movement paused.

"Oh?" He raised his brows at the man blocking his path—it was the Sand Village ninja who had once escaped from Moonlight Zhengye.

"So it's you." Saitama's lips curled slightly as he drove down his lightning-charged blade.

"Boom!" Flow Sever was blasted backward by the tremendous force. Lightning Release surged through his arm and into his body, twisting his face in agony.

"Tap!" Before the other man could regain his footing, Saitama had already rushed in again.

"How is this possible... He got stronger again?" Flow Sever's palm went numb as he stared uncertainly at his trembling weapon.

"Slice!" The blade swept past his waist, and blood immediately spurted out.

"Tch!" Flow Sever retreated several steps, completely losing his will to fight—the Konoha monster before him had advanced at a terrifying pace. He was no longer a match for him.

How could Saitama allow his prey to escape? His blade flashed repeatedly, leaving several bloody wounds across Flow Sever's body.

"Hiss..." Sensing his impending death, the Sand Village ninja's pupils shrank sharply as he launched a desperate counterattack!

"Whoosh!" Saitama turned aside to evade the thrust, then spun in midair and drove his long sword into the back of his enemy's neck!

"Crackle!" Lightning exploded, extinguishing his life.

Pulling out his blade and landing, Saitama continued searching for a new target—ordinary jonin could no longer stand against his edge!

Similar scenes unfolded throughout the battlefield. The Sand Village ninjas, who had originally been suppressing Konoha, were suddenly hit by a surprise assault and thrown into disarray. Yet their numerical advantage allowed them to quickly regroup, and the battle once more fell into a deadlock.

The fighting continued, and the battlefield remained a mess. In the distance, the clash between Orochimaru and Rasa was earthshaking. Manda, which had been so arrogant before, was now covered in wounds and surrounded by several jonin. Yet it still appeared at ease—clearly, those injuries had not been inflicted by the enemies before it.

Orochimaru and Rasa were evenly matched. Snakes and gold dust collided without cease as both sides unleashed their full strength. A vacuum had formed around them, and no one dared rashly intrude upon this clash of peak fighters.

Saitama had no time to concern himself with the fierce battle in the distance. Right now, he was ruling this part of the battlefield. The ninja blade dancing with lightning in his hand was like Death's scythe, and every life it passed withered away.

Perhaps his performance was simply too dazzling. More and more Sand Village ninjas poured into this area, splitting Saitama's unit apart.

"Clang!" Amid the sound of colliding metal, Saitama stared at the enemy before him—his half-covered face and strange markings lent him an air of mystery.

"Scrape—" The blade dragged across the sand, scorching marks into its surface with lightning.

"Boom!" Chakra erupted, and Saitama charged forward. He was full of confidence.

"Wind Release: Wind Blade!" The enemy rapidly formed hand seals and unleashed a basic ninjutsu.

A gale laced with invisible blades surged toward him!

Saitama's figure drifted unpredictably as he easily evaded the attack.

"Ah!" "Pfft!" The sound of blades piercing flesh and a companion's scream came from behind him, making Saitama frown slightly.

The battlefield was this cruel. Danger could come from any direction. One had to remain absolutely vigilant at all times—not only against the enemy in front, but against hidden attacks from every side.

With no time to tend to his wounded companion, Saitama's Sharingan spun rapidly as he predicted his enemy's movements.

Holding his sword in a reverse grip, he lowered his body and began circling around. His ever-changing footwork made his path impossible to read.

Saitama's speed advantage allowed him to easily circle around to the enemy's flank.

"Whoosh!" Lightning flashed, illuminating the Sand Village ninja's shocked face.

"Thud!" His head rolled across the sand.

But Saitama's expression suddenly turned grave as he held his sword horizontally and guarded against his surroundings.

A vacuum zone had now formed around him as well, with the Sand Village ninjas retreating one after another.

Looking at the head on the ground, Saitama's pupils contracted—he had failed to notice that it was a puppet!

Its constantly opening and closing mouth seemed to mock his oversight.

Saitama remained calm, knowing that he had to keep his cool now. His gaze was sharp as lightning as he quickly scanned the area, his feet firmly planted as he prepared to evade an ambush at any moment.

"Whoosh—" The sand beneath his feet suddenly collapsed, and Saitama fell with it. His eyes remained unruffled as lightning burst from his legs. He exerted force sharply, launching himself away like a bolt of lightning.

"Boom!" A huge force blasted a deep pit into the spot where he had been standing. At the bottom of the pit, a grotesque arm slowly withdrew into the sand.

"Crackle, crackle—" Lightning wrapped around the blade, the current hissing. Saitama swung his sword in midair, and a cold flash passed through the sand. The arm beneath it shattered on the spot.

Another puppet! Saitama sheathed his blade and landed, his scarlet eyes warily scanning his surroundings.

"Heh, not bad." Half a figure slowly emerged from the sand, both hands rapidly forming seals as though controlling something.

"A Sand Village puppeteer?" Saitama asked coldly, holding his long sword before his chest.

"Sharp eyes, kid!" The Sand Village ninja's sinister voice rang out, hissing like a venomous snake and making one's skin crawl.

"Bang!" Saitama did not wait for him to finish. He pushed off the ground and charged forward.

A puppet suddenly clamped its jaws around his blade. Saitama's gaze sharpened as chakra erupted. Lightning burst along the sword, and white smoke instantly rose from the puppet as the burlap covering it blackened and crumbled apart.

"Hmph!" The puppeteer clearly had not expected this. He had thought locking down Saitama's weapon would restrain him, only to lose one of his puppets instead.

"Crack!" Expressionless, Saitama kicked through the puppet's body, sending parts flying everywhere. He pulled out his sword in the same motion and slashed backward, cutting the puppet neatly into two.

"Clack, clack, clack—" Another bird-shaped puppet swooped down with a piercing cry.

Saitama's gaze darkened. His right arm gathered strength as lightning around his body surged. Against a puppeteer, the only way to end the battle was to strike directly at the controller!

His figure darted and shifted like a ghost, causing every attack from the puppets to miss. The bird-shaped puppet circled low overhead, its wings whipping up clouds of sand, yet it could not halt Saitama's approach.

Seeing that he could not keep up with Saitama's speed, the puppeteer simply stopped pursuing and controlled the puppet to block the space between them.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" The moment the puppet opened its mouth, Saitama predicted the trajectory of the hidden weapons and vanished from where he stood.

A skyful of senbon rained into the sand, punching dense holes across the yellow earth. Saitama raced through the sea of sand, patiently waiting for an opening between the puppet's attacks.

His long sword occasionally swung out to block the hidden weapons that slipped through. He knew well that Sand Village puppeteers specialized in poison. He could not allow even a single hidden weapon to get close.

His Two-Tomoe Sharingan spun at high speed, taking in every detail.

After the barrage ended, the puppet closed its mouth, and the mechanical wings on its back suddenly began beating faster!

An opening! Chakra surged across Saitama's body, forming a Lightning Release armor as thin as cicada wings.

He covered three steps in two, his lightning-wreathed sword pointing directly at the puppet. This speed had already exceeded the puppeteer's limit of reaction. The Sand Village ninja only had time to twitch his fingers before Saitama's military boot crushed the puppet's head.

"Bang!" Smoke rose from the scorched footprint as Saitama instantly closed to within two meters of the puppeteer!

His Sharingan locked onto the target, and Saitama silently regretted wasting so much time on this enemy.

Yet beneath his mask, the puppeteer wore a wicked grin as the enemy reached him. In that split second, alarm bells rang wildly in Saitama's mind.

A ninja's instincts had never been wrong. He forcefully halted his charge and dodged sideways at even greater speed. At almost the same time, the puppet behind him violently split apart.

"Crack!" A massive rupture opened in the puppet's tail, spewing out an eerie purple mist. Wherever the poisonous fog passed, even the yellow sand congealed into bizarre hardened clumps.

Saitama narrowed his eyes and retreated rapidly. "Hm?" The puppeteer had clearly not expected him to change tactics at the last moment.

As the purple mist closed in, the puppeteer hurriedly jumped in the opposite direction as well. Yet in that instant between life and death, a lightning-wreathed blade ghosted across his neck!

"Impossible!" The puppeteer's expression changed drastically. He had clearly seen Saitama leap to the other side—how had he suddenly appeared beside him?!

He abruptly turned to look at Saitama's original position, only to find another Saitama standing there as well.

"Clone Technique? When did he use it? Could it have been the instant the poison mist erupted?" The puppeteer's pupils trembled. Just as the blade touched his neck, he suddenly understood everything.