The moon broke through the dark clouds, casting silver light across the land. Under its glow, the massive purple serpent seemed armored in silver as it charged toward the fortress, a force of nature that crushed everything in its path.
Neither towering trees nor man-made traps could slow its advance. Forests shattered. Cages collapsed. Nothing stood in its way.
Watching it all, Uchiha Shinsuke inhaled deeply, trying to calm the emotions churning inside him.
He knew full well—he wasn't a match for Manda. If not for the summoning contract Orochimaru had handed to him, he wouldn't have been able to summon the serpent at all.
Even among the Uchiha elite, chakra reserves were never their strong suit. Giant summons weren't meant for them.
That was the reality. But Shinsuke refused to accept it.
One day, he vowed silently, I'll forge my own summoning contract. I'll tame a beast powerful enough to defeat Manda in single combat. I'll make him grovel.
"All Konoha units, don't linger in combat! Keep pace with Manda!"
The voice of Commander Fugaku echoed through the dense forest.
Shinsuke steeled himself and raced toward the Kumogakure fortress.
---
Boom—
A bolt of lightning tore through the forest. "Orochimaru" barely managed to raise his blade in time.
Thud!
A fist slammed into his chest.
"Urgh…!"
Blood sprayed from his mouth as his body was hurled backward, crashing through several giant trees before hitting the ground with a thunderous impact.
The Fourth Raikage had landed a clean blow. But he didn't celebrate. He stood in place, panting slightly, eyes locked onto his opponent. His brows furrowed.
Despite the barrage of devastating injuries he'd dealt, enough to kill most kage-level shinobi multiple times over, Orochimaru still stood. Worse—he was smiling.
The man twisted his arm back into place with a sickening crack, resetting his broken sternum. His bloodstained grin stretched across a face already hideous and discolored.
Solar-enhanced healing, some form of advanced regenerative technique… and possibly Yamato's cells.
The combination made Orochimaru's body absurdly resilient—unnaturally so.
Even if his reaction speed couldn't quite match the Raikage's evolving rhythm, his endurance alone kept him in the fight.
The Fourth Raikage gritted his teeth.
"Troublesome bastard."
But he didn't waver. He had the upper hand. He'd pinned Orochimaru down—and that was enough for now. Victory would come in time.
He cracked a grin and lunged forward once more.
Lightning and fire met again in a chaotic explosion of force. Blasts echoed across the forest. Trees shattered, then ignited, turning to ash in seconds.
"Lord Raikage! Urgent news!"
A voice called out from the woods.
"Konoha has summoned four giant beasts! They've broken through our defenses—the fortress is under attack!"
The Raikage's eyes narrowed.
That moment of distraction cost him.
Orochimaru moved in a flash, taking a hit to land one. The Kusanagi sword cut a vicious arc across the Raikage's chest.
The blade seared deep, leaving a long, narrow wound that pulsed with solar energy.
Even the Raikage's formidable body couldn't heal it immediately. Blood drenched half his torso.
"That bastard!!"
The Raikage roared—not at Orochimaru—but at the messenger who'd distracted him mid-fight.
If that guy hadn't distracted him, there's no way Orochimaru would've landed that blow.
The Fourth Raikage narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Was that man really a Cloud ninja? Or a spy from Konoha?
He was right to be suspicious.
That ninja was from Konoha.
"Orochimaru" casually flicked the blood off his blade and smirked, his face twisted and smeared with filth.
But he wasn't the real Orochimaru—nor a true warrior.
Even with Orochimaru's will backing him, he couldn't fully harness the host's battle prowess or instincts. Still, now wasn't the time for holding back.
"Heh… Lord Raikage," he taunted, voice dripping with mockery, "maybe you should go check on your little fortress. I think it's about to fall."
It wasn't just a jab. It was deliberate—meant to provoke.
"You bastard, Orochimaru!!"
The Fourth Raikage was seething, his eyes wide with fury, veins bulging across his forehead. But just when Orochimaru expected another head-on charge, the Raikage did something unexpected.
With a roar, he slammed his fist into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust—and vanished.
"Huh?" Orochimaru blinked in surprise. "Isn't he afraid I'll use the 'Eight-Branched Technique' right in front of the fortress?"
Then he snorted.
"Well… I guess it doesn't matter now. If the fortress is falling anyway, he's got bigger things to worry about."
He chuckled darkly and took off after the Raikage.
By this point, the battlefield was wherever they stood.
---
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Two giant serpents thrashed violently. Their massive tails whipped into the air and slammed down against a shimmering barrier.
Ripples spread through the air—the impact bounced back.
Undeterred, the snakes roared and struck again and again. The barrier trembled, barely holding.
Suddenly, the massive purple serpent lifted its head and hissed, voice low and rumbling.
"Let me finish off these insects."
Coiling tightly, it launched itself like a spring-loaded spear. The sharp horn on its head pierced the barrier.
Like glass under pressure, cracks spiderwebbed out across the surface. It couldn't hold any longer.
Just as the barrier was about to collapse completely—boom! boom! boom!—a series of explosions erupted around the border, cloaking the scene in thick smoke.
"How did I fall for that again?!"
Manda barely escaped by shedding his skin and slithering free. The other two snakes weren't so lucky—they took the full force of the blast.
They were torn and bloodied, though they fared better than the last one that died outright breaching the first barrier.
Pop. Pop. With twin bursts of smoke, the two wounded snakes vanished—recalled back to Ryūchi Cave.
Only the deep purple python remained, flicking its tongue, scanning the destruction below with vengeful satisfaction.
The wound on its belly throbbed in pain, but it wasn't enough.
Its tail rose once again.
WHOOSH—
A piercing gust announced the arrival of the Fourth Raikage. He reached the ruined fortress just in time to see Manda slam its massive tail down.
Without the barrier's protection, the fortress—mere stone and soil—crumbled like paper under the serpent's wrath.
Even the Cloud ninja inside had no chance to escape. They were crushed and buried alive.
"Damn you… you monsters!"
The Fourth Raikage trembled with rage, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Manda. His fists crackled with lightning.
The battle against Konoha—at least this front—was lost.
And with that realization, fury took hold.
He charged.
But just then, the earth trembled beneath his feet. Under the pale, grim moonlight, three massive figures emerged, moving as one.
Titans in battle—heading straight for the shattered fortress.
______________
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