Soon the sun had completely set behind the mountains, and the once bright battlefield became dark as the sun went down. The moon, which should have been visible, was also obscured by the dark clouds in the sky, with only a few thin rays of moonlight successfully breaking through the clouds and shining on the battlefield.
However, this glimmer of light could not bring about any significant change to the dark battlefield.
" Lord Rasa, the troops have assembled and are awaiting your orders."
"Okay, let's go."
At Rasa's command, the entire Sunagakure force of two thousand men marched menacingly toward the Konoha camp. Their movements were incredibly swift, and even the darkness did not diminish their marching speed.
However, there were Konoha's sensory ninjas on guard around them. As soon as they moved, several signal flares burning with bright flames flew directly into the sky and then exploded with a "pop".
Those in the Konoha camp, upon seeing the signal flare, immediately notified Orochimaru of the Sunagakure attack.
Orochimaru showed no surprise upon hearing this news; he had already anticipated a possible sneak attack from Sunagakure. Sunagakure's actions merely confirmed his suspicions.
" Inoichi, immediately notify all Jonin in charge of combat units that Sunagakure has launched an attack. Instruct them to lead their men to meet the enemy immediately. Also, instruct the guards protecting the medical camp to be on high alert, as Sunagakure forces may try to flank the battlefield and ambush our medical camp."
Furthermore, since Sunagakure has chosen this time to fight, let's show them the comprehensive strength and power of Konoha Ninja.
Orochimaru's hoarse voice revealed a chilling aura. In his view, Sunagakure thought that they could gain the upper hand by attacking Konoha under the cover of night, but they did not know that there were many clans in Konoha that were capable of fighting under the cover of night. With them around, Sunagakure's plan to launch a night raid was doomed to failure and defeat.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!" Konoha's forces, following Orochimaru's orders, entered the battlefield to engage the enemy.
Orochimaru himself also appeared on the battlefield because he received information that Rasa, the main leader of Sunagakure, had also arrived on the battlefield, so he had to appear in order to restrain Rasa.
Thus, the two sides clashed directly in the center of the battlefield. Shouts of battle, the clash of weapons, explosions, and screams shattered the previously quiet atmosphere of the battlefield.
As the leaders of both sides, Orochimaru and Rasa had no reason to watch their subordinates fight without taking action themselves, so they also engaged in battle.
" Multiple Hidden Shadow Snake Hands "
In an instant, Orochimaru's right hand produced more than a dozen venomous snakes with gaping mouths and bared fangs, which snaked toward Rasa with the momentum of a swarm attack.
Rasa did not dodge or evade the attack, but was bitten by more than a dozen venomous snakes one by one.
But before Orochimaru could make his next move, the Rasa in the snake's mouth turned into Gold Dust and disappeared into the snake's snout.
At the same time, the real Rasa appeared beside Orochimaru, wielding a long sword made of Gold Dust and slashing at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru, being an experienced and battle-hardened ninja, naturally wouldn't believe that his simple technique could defeat a Kage Level ninja.
He was prepared for Rasa's sudden appearance, so he simply stepped back slightly to dodge the attack of the Gold Dust longsword. However, the dozen or so poisonous snakes in his hand were cut in two by the longsword.
Orochimaru was completely unconcerned about the lost venomous snakes. He simply stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, his eyes filled with interest as he looked at Rasa, thinking to himself, " Magnet Release, huh?"
Although Konoha and Sunagakure have been at war for over two months and have clashed dozens of times, this is the first time Orochimaru and Rasa have faced off head-on.
Because Sunagakure is the attacking side, Konoha is the defending side.
As long as the Sunagakure Village forces haven't broken through Konoha's defenses, it's not time for Orochimaru to leave the field. Rasa, seeing his team's attack faltering, wanted to step in and turn the tide, but he hesitated because Orochimaru would also have to leave the field if he did.
This could escalate the war to a fever pitch, so he had no choice but to suppress his urge to act.
Thus, with the tacit understanding between the two commanders, the Kage Level experts refrained from intervening, allowing their subordinates to fight each other. The only time they would actually clash was when a victor was determined.
This is why Orochimaru is only now fighting Rasa for the first time, and witnessing the power of Magnet Release for the first time.
" Magnet Release: Gold Dust Shuriken "
After seeing Rasa easily dodge his attack, Orochimaru continued to use Magnet Release to manipulate the Gold Dust into the shape of Shuriken in the air, and then shot it towards Orochimaru at a fast speed.
In an instant, Orochimaru was enveloped by Rasa's Gold Dust Shuriken, but Orochimaru had a way to deal with this. He took out three Shuriken from his pocket and threw them out, while his hands quickly Hand Seals: " Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
The Shuriken spinning rapidly in the air increased from three to countless.
These Shuriken collided and neutralized Rasa's Gold Dust Shuriken.
After the collision, the Shuriken lost their kinetic energy, fell from the sky, and then disappeared with a "bang".
Both sides appeared to have very wide attack ranges, yet neither managed to harm the other in the slightest.
Seeing that his attack had failed, Rasa was not surprised. He knew the reputation of Orochimaru, one of the Sannin Orochimaru, and that he was not someone who could be dealt with so easily.
So he remained calm and continued to manipulate the Gold Dust dust to surround Orochimaru.
Under Rasa's control, the Gold Dust spread at a speed that ordinary ninjas could hardly react to, heading towards Orochimaru's position and burying the boulders and trees in the way, slamming towards Orochimaru with unparalleled momentum.
" Magnet Release: Gold Dust Great Wave "
Rasa, having used this technique, exuded confidence. He believed that even a powerful figure like Orochimaru would not be able to escape unscathed from such a powerful Release Technique.
However, Rasa was a bit too confident. With Orochimaru's endless tricks, how could he not defend against such Release Technique?
He put his thumbs to his mouth, bit them until they bled, quickly Hand Seals, and then slammed his hand on the ground.
" Summoning Technique: Triple Rashomon "
Instantly, three enormous, ghost-faced gates rose from the ground, blocking the towering waves of Gold Dust.
The next second, a massive wave of Gold Dust crashed violently against the Rashomon made of special materials, producing a deafening roar.
However, it was no ordinary Ninjutsu. The Gold Dust didn't hold for long before breaking through the first gate and heading towards the second gate, followed by another huge impact.
The sound was noticeably less loud than the first time, but it still managed to break through the second door with considerable force.
However, it was clear that the speed and power of the Gold Dust wave decreased significantly after breaking through two gates. Therefore, when it tried to break through the third gate, it was ruthlessly rejected due to lack of follow-up power and could not cause any damage to Orochimaru behind the gate.