This Ambush Was Pretty Interesting

No one knew how long they had been running. Night had fully fallen, and the mountain air was bitterly cold. Orochimaru's sixty-man assault squad finally stopped behind a massive boulder, sheltered from the wind.

"We're here."

He spoke quietly, yet his voice was especially clear in the silent surroundings.

"The plan is simple."

Orochimaru's voice was low and hoarse, but every person heard it clearly.

"I will charge directly into the center of the camp and create chaos. You—"

His gaze swept over Baiyun Zaojian, Uchiha Lan, and the other Jonin.

"Once the chaos breaks out, Baiyun Zaojian will command you to enter through the breach on the west side. Your objectives are to destroy their command system, their supply depots, and kill as many enemy combatants as possible."

"Uchiha Lan, lead the Chunin unit. Use Explosive Tags and shuriken to create greater confusion and cover the main force's advance. Be fast."

"If you find that Hidden Sand has too many people, retreat immediately."

"Understood!"

Everyone responded in hushed voices, and the atmosphere instantly tightened like a drawn bowstring.

Uchiha Lan's palms began to sweat slightly, his heart pounding powerfully in his chest. This was war. There were no drills here—only life and death.

Orochimaru said nothing more. He formed a hand seal, and his body seemed to melt into the darkness like flowing water, silently slipping down the boulder and sneaking toward the heavily guarded Hidden Sand camp, where distant lights flickered faintly.

If Uchiha Lan had guessed correctly, it was an Earth Release ninjutsu—Subterranean Voyage.

As the night deepened, most of the camp's lights had already gone out. Only the patrol torches and several key sentry posts remained lit.

While the Hidden Sand ninjas slept.

Suddenly!

A blinding purple light erupted from the center of the camp!

A huge and intricate summoning array instantly spread across the ground, and violent chakra fluctuations swept in every direction like a hurricane!

"Summoning Technique!"

Orochimaru's distinctive hoarse voice pierced the night sky, carrying a cold and imperious authority.

"Rumble—!!!"

Accompanied by a deafening roar and billowing dust, an enormous purple serpent appeared out of thin air!

Its savage head rose high, nearly blocking out the moonlight. Its cold vertical pupils gleamed with brutal light. It was one of the Three Great Snakes—Manda!

"Hiss—!!!"

"Orochimaru! Damn it, I was still sleeping! If there aren't two hundred sacrifices this time, don't think we're even!"

Manda let out an earth-shaking roar, its enormous tail sweeping out like a pillar of heaven!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Hidden Sand camp's tents, hastily constructed fortifications, and even some ninjas who had just awakened and failed to react in time were as fragile as paper before Manda's destructive power, instantly crushed or flung away!

"Urgh, ah!"

"An attack!"

"It's Orochimaru of Konoha's Three Ninja!"

Screams, cries, and alarms instantly tore through the stillness of the night. The entire central area of the Hidden Sand camp descended into flames and chaos!

"Quick! Wind Release unit, Attack Formation C! Use combined Wind Release to suppress this thing!"

"Yes!"

"Wind Release: Net Trap!"

Giant nets formed from raging winds fell directly over Manda's body.

"Now!" Jonin Baiyun Zaojian's eyes sharpened as he barked, "Everyone! Assault!"

The Konoha ninjas, who had long been poised to strike, shot out from the boulder's shadow like arrows loosed from a bow!

Uchiha Lan drew a deep breath and forcibly suppressed his trepidation at facing a large battlefield for the first time. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan opened instantly, his crimson eyes particularly conspicuous in the darkness.

"Chunin unit, follow me!"

He let out a low roar and took the lead, guiding thirty Chunin as they lunged like ghosts toward the outer perimeter on the camp's western side.

As expected, Manda's rampage and the upheaval in the central area had thrown the defenses here into massive disarray, leaving a huge gap.

"Explosive Tags! Blanket throw!"

Uchiha Lan gave the order calmly. He precisely sensed out the areas with the densest chakra fluctuations, where the enemy was attempting to organize a counterattack.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Dozens of Explosive Tag kunai were flung out with precision. Like butterflies of death, they fluttered down upon clusters of Hidden Sand ninjas, groups of tents, and suspected supply stockpiles.

"Art is an explosion!"

Boom! Boom! Rumble—!

A chain of explosions erupted across the western side of the camp! Flames surged into the sky, heat waves rolled outward, and screams rose one after another.

The explosions not only inflicted direct casualties, but also rapidly spread panic and chaos toward the outer perimeter.

"Throw every last shuriken, kunai, and Explosive Tag you have! Forget about saving anything!"

Uchiha Lan gave another order.

His hands flashed as he instantly hurled more than a dozen kunai bearing Explosive Tags. His Sharingan's dynamic vision was pushed to the limit, and the kunai traced tricky arcs as they flew precisely toward several Hidden Sand ninjas forming hand seals to cast ninjutsu.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Explosions rang out, blood splattered, and the Hidden Sand ninjas' techniques came to an abrupt halt.

The other Chunin also hurled shuriken and kunai. The dense whistles of projectiles cutting through the air sounded like Death's whispers, suppressing the Hidden Sand ninjas who tried to show themselves amid the chaos.

"Kill our way in!"

After all, they had been handpicked from among thousands. Even as Chunin, they coordinated flawlessly. Some unleashed powerful ninjutsu to clear the field, while others fought at close range. Their targets were the important facilities deep inside the camp and the Hidden Sand commanders trying to organize resistance.

The battle instantly reached a fever pitch!

Flames soared throughout the camp. The flashes of clashing ninjutsu rose and fell without end, while metal impacts, explosions, and screams mixed together into a cruel symphony of war.

While directing the Chunin unit to continue harassing and suppressing the enemy from afar, using Explosive Tags to ignite new fires and create further chaos, Uchiha Lan vigilantly watched the battlefield with his Sharingan.

He spotted a Hidden Sand Jonin leading several Chunin as they attempted to disperse the thick smoke with Wind Release and organize a counterattack. Without hesitation, Uchiha Lan formed hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Dragon Flame Technique!"

Uchiha Lan's chest abruptly expanded as chakra surged wildly through his meridians. Scorching breath burst from his mouth!

A ferocious, roaring dragon of flame, radiating an aura of destruction, tore through the night with the force to burn everything to ash and lunged at the Hidden Sand Jonin and the Wind Release unit behind him!

The searing heat distorted the air around them.

The Hidden Sand Jonin's expression changed drastically. He clearly had not expected Uchiha Lan's Fire Release to be so swift and fierce. In his haste, he only managed to concentrate Wind Release chakra before himself, forming a rotating wall of wind.

"Wind Release: Gale Wall!"

Rumble—!!!

The flaming dragon slammed viciously into the wind wall! Violent wind and scorching fire collided and tore at each other! The wind wall shuddered violently, letting out a groan of unbearable strain.

The stalemate lasted only an instant before the wind wall shattered with a bang! The remnant flame dragon, still carrying savage force, crashed hard into the Hidden Sand unit!

"Urgh—!"

"Scatter!"

Piercing screams erupted at once! The Hidden Sand Jonin bore the brunt of it. Though he desperately tried to evade, half his body was still swallowed by flames, giving off the stench of charred flesh as he screamed and rolled across the ground.

The several Chunin behind him fared even worse. Some were vaporized outright, while others became human torches, struggling frantically before instantly losing all combat capability.