Gyutaro rapidly formed hand seals with both hands.
"Wind Release: Airflow Wild Dance!"
Two small tornadoes appeared in his palms. He slammed them forcefully into the ground.
The twin whirlwinds merged together, lifting Gyutaro's body and suspending him in midair.
He spread his arms wide. Large quantities of blood flowed out from his body and fused into the tornado beneath him.
"Blood Demon Art: Infinite Blood Sickle—Grand Breakthrough!"
Using the tornado at his feet, Gyutaro spun at extreme speed. The blood flung outward from the vortex transformed mid-flight into blood sickles, indiscriminately attacking the Sunagakure shinobi.
Seeing this, Chiyo and Ebizō shouted urgently:
"Everyone—use defensive ninjutsu to block it!"
The Sand shinobi unleashed all kinds of defensive techniques, but the results were minimal.
For a time, cries of agony echoed across the battlefield as blood gradually soaked into the earth.
When the tornado finally dissipated, Sunagakure's casualties were devastating—and Gyutaro's figure had already vanished from the battlefield.
Ebizō stared at the bodies of his fellow villagers on the ground. Enraged, he clenched his fists and slammed them into the earth.
"Damn it!"
Chiyo sorrowfully patted Ebizō on the shoulder and sighed.
"War… has come once again."
Having successfully escaped, Asuma's group returned safely to their encampment and reported Chiyo's appearance on the front lines to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya's expression was grim.
"The assassination mission failed. Both Chiyo and Ebizō have appeared on the front line… Our plan to launch a surprise attack on the Sand forces just got a lot harder."
He paused, then asked,
"By the way, Asuma—where is that mysterious shinobi now? After saving you, didn't he regroup with you?"
Asuma shook his head.
"After retreating with his help, we waited near the border for a while, but he never showed up."
At that moment, Hiashi Hyūga entered the tent.
"There's new information from the front!"
Jiraiya assumed it was news of a Sand advance.
"Has the Sand Village begun moving?"
Hiashi reported excitedly,
"No! The Sunagakure forces have suffered massive casualties and have already withdrawn beyond the border to rest and reorganize!"
Jiraiya shot to his feet.
"What?! Is that information accurate?!"
"It's accurate. I personally confirmed it with the Byakugan, along with other Hyūga shinobi."
Jiraiya's emotions surged. He immediately gave an order:
"Excellent! Notify all Konoha shinobi stationed here—prepare for battle. We must drive them back into the Land of Wind before they finish reorganizing!"
Both Konoha and Sunagakure forces on the front line began feverishly preparing for the next clash.
—
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Orochimaru had arrived in Sunagakure.
Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi stood before the basement entrance beneath the Kazekage Building.
After inspecting it, Kabuto reported,
"Orochimaru-sama, this is a barrier formed by a sealing technique."
Orochimaru placed one hand against the door. A burning sensation immediately spread across his palm.
"Heh… a barrier infused with Fire Release, is it?"
Chakra gathered in his hand as he slammed it against the barrier.
"Release."
The barrier instantly dispersed, and the basement door opened on its own.
Orochimaru and Kabuto entered. What greeted them was a vast collection of ninjutsu scrolls gathered by Sunagakure.
Orochimaru didn't even spare a glance at the Five Nature Transformation scrolls. Instead, he headed straight for the sealing scrolls.
He picked one up and examined it.
"A sealing technique unique to Sunagakure—using cloth as the medium. Useless."
Disdainfully, he tossed it aside.
Then his attention was caught by the name on another scroll.
[Sealing Technique: Immortal Severing Absorption]
It summoned chakra chains capable of extracting chakra and sealing the target—similar in effect to the Uzumaki Clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Excited, Orochimaru extended his tongue and licked his lips.
"Kabuto… we've found it. Let's go."
Just as Orochimaru and Kabuto turned to leave, a figure appeared at the basement entrance.
"Who are you two?! Orochimaru?!"
Golden sand swirled around the man's body, making his identity unmistakable—
Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure.
Facing the strongest shinobi of an entire village, Orochimaru showed no fear. Instead, he spoke mockingly:
"I thought you'd be personally leading the front-line battle. After all, as a militant leader, your ambition to invade Konoha is common knowledge. Who knows—perhaps we might even cooperate someday."
"Hmph. As if I'd ever cooperate with rats crawling in the gutter!"
Rasa scowled and sent his Gold Dust surging toward Orochimaru and Kabuto.
"Word Spirit: Repel."
An invisible force blasted outward, forcing all of Rasa's Gold Dust back.
"Don't be so sure," Orochimaru said calmly.
"Don't underestimate Konoha. Even without the Uchiha, Konoha is not a village you can invade whenever you please."
Orochimaru and Kabuto slowly sank into the ground until they vanished completely.
Rasa frowned, standing still in thought.
Orochimaru was a rogue ninja of Konoha. His appearance here—was it for Konoha's sake, or merely to steal jutsu?
Unable to reach a conclusion, Rasa re-sealed the basement and returned to his office.
Not long after, Yura, a Sunagakure jōnin, rushed in with urgency.
"Kazekage-sama! Something's happened!"
Rasa frowned.
"What is it?!"
"The front line has reported heavy losses. Our forces have suffered devastating casualties and have withdrawn beyond the Land of Fire's border to recuperate!"
Rasa stared in disbelief.
"How is that possible? Both Chiyo and Ebizō were on the front line—how could the losses be that severe?!"
"According to intelligence, they were attacked by a shinobi with a blood-manipulation kekkei genkai."
Rasa slumped back into his chair, recalling Orochimaru's earlier words—
Even without the Uchiha, Konoha is not a village you can invade at will.
His face twisted with frustration.
"Damn it… I never imagined that even after losing the Uchiha, Konoha would still possess a shinobi with a blood-manipulating kekkei genkai. Is Konoha truly favored by the heavens?"
"Yura—summon all the advisors."
Before long, four figures stood inside the Kazekage's office—the current advisors of Sunagakure.
After recounting everything that had happened on the front line, Rasa asked,
"What do you all think?"
After a period of discussion, one advisor spoke:
"Nearly the entire shinobi world wants to take a bite out of Konoha, and they're treating us as the vanguard. We need to change that. Let the other villages move first, exhaust Konoha's strength, and only then should Sunagakure act."
Another advisor objected:
"But right now, the other villages are clearly waiting for us to disrupt the situation."
A third advisor added:
"Among the Five Great Villages, there's still one that hasn't joined this war. We can force them into it—muddy the waters further. Once that happens, the other villages will see too many hunters competing for the same prey and will rush to act."
Rasa tapped the table rhythmically with his index finger.
"…Kirigakure, huh."
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