The Kusanagi Sword lay across his front, its tip lowered slightly, traces of blood still wet in its fuller.
He had just rushed over from the front lines in the Land of Rain, his clothes still carrying the scent of that country's distinctive mud.
"Orochimaru?" Jiraiya smoothly formed another set of hand seals and spoke calmly.
"You could get away from Amegakure?"
"That's hardly something a dying man needs to worry about."
Orochimaru tilted his head toward Kushimaru Kuriarare, his tone mild but edged.
"Kushimaru Kuriarare of Nuibari, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
"I hear your wire can easily slice through a Chunin's Chakra Armor within ten paces. Why not see whether it can cut through me?"
Kushimaru Kuriarare said nothing. Silently tightening his wire, he slipped back into the thick mist and vanished.
Suikazan Fuguki stepped forward with Samehada on his shoulder and planted his feet, facing Orochimaru from a distance.
With the Sannin facing two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the battle instantly settled into a tense stalemate.
Meanwhile, Kirigakure's follow-up forces were rapidly reorganizing.
Tsunade's Heavenly Foot of Pain had crushed the first landing charge, while Jiraiya's Fire Release had sealed off the flanking route to the left.
Their frontal advance had stalled and their flanking maneuver had been cut off, but these Kirigakure regulars were leagues above the pirates and rogue ninja from before in both strength and discipline.
They adjusted their formation with remarkable speed. Fallen comrades were immediately replaced, while the wounded were swiftly dragged to the rear for treatment.
An endless stream of Kirigakure ninja took turns maintaining the dense mist, allowing no relief from the poor visibility.
The night was still young, and the fighting raged on.
Both sides fought back and forth among the