Calling for backup? I know how to do that too.

Under the cover of night, a pillar of light shot skyward from the top of a domed building, standing out like a lighthouse marking the landscape.

Orochimaru stood atop the treetops, gazing into the shadowy forest untouched by the beam of light, quietly awaiting the arrival of his adversary.

Since he had already guessed that the Hidden Cloud intended to launch a full-force assault when the Leaf arrived at the fortress, Orochimaru saw no point in hurrying further and wasting his strength. Instead, he had simply wrapped the building he encountered by the roadside in a barrier technique, turning it into a gigantic beacon.

Better to wait in comfort than to exhaust oneself and be caught off guard.

Of course, if the Cloud did not rise to this challenge, he would simply use the opportunity to play tricks, creating several false pillars of light and capturing the fortress without shedding blood.

Yet, the Raikage’s temperament was exactly as rumored—straightforward and decisive, uninterested in playing mind games.

A heavy thud echoed—Fourth Raikage leapt from the darkness, landing with such force that the ground caved beneath his feet, leaving a wide crater.

Such an entrance fit the Raikage perfectly: visually striking and brimming with imposing power!

Seeing this, Orochimaru gave a sinister smile and uttered softly, “Detonate!”

Boom, boom, boom...

In an instant, shockwaves rippled outward, dust billowed, and searing flames devoured the haze. The explosive blaze surged, instantly swallowing the Raikage’s massive form.

The ninjas on the Leaf’s side stared into the smoke, anticipation on their faces.

Even a Jonin with preparation would suffer grievous wounds in an explosion of this magnitude. For the Raikage to charge in so recklessly—perhaps he might be...

“No, he’s not dead.”

The elite among the Uchiha had already activated their Sharingan. In their vision, a massive chakra signature still flickered within the smoke.

A sharp chirping, like a thousand birds, rang out. Lightning tore through the haze, and the Fourth Raikage emerged, tearing away the ruined remnants of his upper garment with a casual gesture, his chest bare and wild.

Not only had he survived—he was utterly unscathed.

Facing the Raikage’s fierce expression, Orochimaru let out a sinister laugh. “It seems Lord Raikage found my greeting quite satisfactory.”

Yet inwardly, he grew wary—the Fourth Raikage truly was, as the old man said, rough in manner but careful in thought.

The Leaf had prepared to wait at their leisure; the Fourth Raikage had chosen to blaze the path himself, trusting in the resilience of his own body.

He might appear reckless, but in truth, his confidence in his own endurance was absolute.

Orochimaru licked his lips, sensing trouble ahead.

Now that they had truly crossed paths, Orochimaru had a far clearer understanding of the Raikage than any intelligence report could offer.

The Fourth Raikage was of the same breed as Jiraiya—physically formidable, quick to adapt. Without overwhelming offensive power, defeating him was all but impossible.

Orochimaru admitted to himself that he wielded no spear sharp enough—his pursuit of ninjutsu had never been about killing.

This battle, he could only strive for the unassailable.

Of course, there are many shades of “unassailable.”

All these thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. The moment the Fourth Raikage revealed himself, Orochimaru leapt from the treetop.

His hands flew through seals. “Forbidden Art: Eight-Forked Serpent Technique!”

In a heartbeat, a leviathan with eight heads and eight tails appeared out of nowhere—a tangle of enormous white serpents, glistening and scaleless, unleashing chakra at the level of a tailed beast to the surrounding area.

No more wasted words. From the start, he was going all out.

Orochimaru let out a bestial roar. With a sweep of its mighty tails, the pillar of light was smashed to pieces, plunging the area once more into darkness.

And with that as the signal, the battle between Leaf and Cloud erupted.

Both sides’ ninjas deliberately avoided the zone where the Eight-Forked Serpent and the Raikage clashed, engaging each other in the shadowed forest.

Darkness was, without question, an advantage for those possessing eye techniques—but the Cloud’s overwhelming numbers balanced the field.

For a time, the two sides were evenly matched.

In the end, the fate of the battlefield always hinged on the strongest among them.

The Fourth Raikage’s gaze sharpened, undaunted by the Eight-Forked Serpent’s intimidating presence.

He was well-versed in fighting tailed beasts—the Eight-Tails, after all, routinely fell to him. This white serpent, though imposing, was little more than an empty shell compared to the Eight-Tails.

“Lariat: Lightning Dance of a Thousand Sheets!”

With a low shout, the Fourth Raikage burst into brilliant blue lightning, leaping forward at a speed rivaling the Yellow Flash, striking at the serpent’s head.

His hand, sharp as a thunderbolt, sliced effortlessly through the resilient scales atop the serpent’s skull, the blow cleaving downward like a battle axe.

The long snake body was split in two, and spurting blood bathed the Raikage in crimson.

Even Orochimaru, whose will was like iron, could not stifle a cry of pain under such an attack, and the other serpent heads lunged at the Raikage, fangs bared.

With a thunderous stomp, the Raikage dodged the snapping jaws and landed back on the ground, his gaze fixed on the Eight-Forked Serpent, thick brows furrowing.

The split serpent head, supported by the others, began to fuse together before his eyes, the wound sealing and healing at a pace visible to the naked eye. At this rate, it would be fully restored in no time.

Wiping the blood from his face, the Raikage cursed, “What kind of monster is this?”

The legend of the “Three Sannin” was well-known—they were heroes of the previous generation. But to be this troublesome surpassed even the Raikage’s expectations.

Not only had Orochimaru become a beast on par with a tailed beast, his regenerative abilities were monstrous. With power like this, Orochimaru could simply take the Raikage’s attacks head-on and still go after the Cloud’s other ninjas.

Using tailed beast power to try to wipe out the Leaf’s fighting force had been the Cloud’s original plan, but now, Orochimaru had turned it against them.

With this realization, the Raikage shouted into the dense forest, “Killer Bee, help me take down this monster!”

Their earlier objective had been abandoned. The Raikage’s face twisted into a fierce grin—he would use this opportunity to finish Orochimaru once and for all.

“Yes, brother!”

Killer Bee cut down the surrounding Leaf ninjas with his sword, eight tentacles bursting from his body as he began to swell in size. In a flash, the massive form of the Eight-Tails dominated the battlefield.

At the sight, both Leaf and Cloud shinobi hurriedly withdrew from the area to avoid being caught in the ensuing chaos.

Orochimaru, of course, noticed the enormous beast in the darkness. His cold, slit pupils flicked toward the Eight-Tails, and he let out a sinister chuckle. “Calling reinforcements? I can do that too.”

The central serpent head of the Eight-Forked Serpent opened wide; Orochimaru rose from within, his upper body emerging as his hands flew through seals. “Summoning Jutsu!”

With a puff of smoke, the colossal summoning beast from the Ryuchi Cave—Manda—appeared on the battlefield. Its gaze swept across the scene, capturing everything in a single glance as it spoke coldly,

“Orochimaru, every time you summon me, it’s never for anything good.”

Ducking a sneak attack from the Fourth Raikage, Orochimaru retreated into the Eight-Forked Serpent’s body. The white serpent’s head opened and spoke, “Relax—after the battle, I’ll repay you handsomely.”

“I want ten times what you gave last time.”

Manda let out a thunderous hiss and lunged at the Eight-Tails.