More than ten thousand?!
Hearing that number, the Fourth Raikage was completely stunned.
How is that even possible?!
Even among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the total number of shinobi barely exceeded 20,000.
Where did Otogakure manage to find so many troops?
"What's going on?! Where did these guys come from?! And why are they appearing in the north?!"
The Fourth Raikage roared in frustration.
The north was close to the sea, while Otogakure, located in the Land of Sound lay south of Konoha.
The two locations were in completely opposite directions!
More importantly, how had such a massive force gone completely undetected until they were practically at the village gates?!
"Report… Raikage-sama!" A Kumo shinobi hurriedly knelt before him.
"The enemy appeared suddenly! The exact reason is still unknown!"
"Unknown?! Then find out!"
"Raikage-sama! Raikage-sama! This is bad!"
The Fourth Raikage's irritation deepened.
"What now?!" he snapped.
This was the phrase he hated hearing the most lately.
Because none of the reports had been good news for Kumogakure.
"Tailed beasts! Two tailed beasts have been spotted west of the village, moving toward us!"
"Tailed beasts?! Two of them?!"
More reports kept flooding in, each more alarming than the last.
Konoha alone was already enough to put Kumogakure on edge.
Now, an army of Otogakure shinobi had suddenly appeared…
And now, two tailed beasts were approaching?!
Kumogakure was in danger.
Two kilometers west of Kumogakure…
Two colossal tailed beasts moved slowly across the landscape.
One was a fox with nine tails.
The other was a tanuki with violet markings.
Both of them had lavender, ripple-shaped pupils.
"Whether in terms of sheer numbers or top-tier combat power, we hold an overwhelming advantage."
Standing atop Kyuubi's head, Pain gazed forward calmly.
"The Fourth Raikage should surrender, shouldn't he?"
This war was nothing more than an utter rout.
For Kumogakure, the outcome was already decided.
There was no suspense.
Watching the scene unfold through the perspective of an invisible spy fly, Orochimaru chuckled.
"It won't be that easy. The Fourth Raikage has a fiery temper, he won't surrender unless he's completely backed into a corner."
"For example, look at what they've prepared. They even brought out a chakra cannon, it's clear they have no intention of surrendering."
Orochimaru casually handed Pain a small display screen, about the size of a mobile phone.
The screen displayed an aerial view of the chakra cannon, positioned at Kumogakure's highest point.
Pain glanced at the display with mild curiosity.
Taking the screen from Orochimaru, he observed the massive weapon carefully.
"I don't know how advanced their research is, but based on its design… at minimum, a single blast would have the destructive power of a Tailed Beast Bomb."
Pain's expression barely changed, though a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
"The lowest level is already on par with a Tailed Beast Bomb?"
Tailed Beast Bombs could level an entire battlefield with a single shot.
"Compared to a Tailed Beast Bomb, it's only stronger, not weaker."
"The only downside is its size, it's too bulky and lacks mobility." Orochimaru smirked. "Otherwise, they would have already deployed it in battle."
"So, if we want to crush their will to resist, the first step is destroying that weapon."
"You want to do it, or should I—"
"Forget it. I'll take care of it."
Before Pain could respond, Orochimaru unleashed his chakra wings, shimmering with five elemental attributes, and soared into the sky.
Pain could also use Shinra Tensei to fly, but his movement wasn't nearly as agile as Orochimaru's Peacock Method.
That made Orochimaru the ideal choice for this stealth mission.
"Pain, I'm leaving the rest to you."
"Understood. No need to worry."
The Fourth Raikage was furious.
He was always known for his unyielding and indomitable spirit.
But at this moment, he wasn't just a warrior, he was a Kage.
And as a Kage, he had to prioritize the village's survival.
Seeing so many enemies closing in on Kumogakure, he couldn't afford to act recklessly.
If this had been a normal battle, Kumogakure might have stood a chance.
Even if they were outnumbered, they could still use their mountainous terrain to defend the village.
1. Kumogakure no longer had its tailed beasts.
2. Their top-tier combat power was significantly weaker than the enemy's.
They simply could not hold out.
After receiving countless reports, the Raikage quickly made a tactical decision.
First, they would deal with the two tailed beasts to the west.
His shinobi could still hold the line against the forces from Konoha and Otogakure, but the tailed beasts could not be stopped without Kage-level fighters.
Just as he was preparing to head west with Bee and a group of elite shinobi.
He saw something in the sky.
"Raikage-sama… that is…"
Zooming in with their monoculars, the Kumo shinobi's faces turned pale.
A pale face came into view.
The Raikage reacted instantly, leading his men into a full retreat.
Orochimaru's Peacock Method had been refined and enhanced.
His flight speed was now as fast as Ōnoki's in his prime.
No matter how fast the Raikage was, he was still on the ground.
There was no way he could outrun Orochimaru in the air.
The roaring wind howled around Orochimaru's ears.
The chakra cannon came into view.
"This feeling of absolute dominance… it's really quite nice."
Konan's wings were made of white paper, giving her an almost angelic presence.
But Orochimaru's wings, formed from pure chakra and imbued with elemental energy, made him look like a fallen demon god.
The Kumo shinobi operating the chakra cannon finally spotted him.
They immediately swiveled the barrel toward him.
This massive cannon moved too slowly.
It still needed time to charge up chakra.
How could they possibly hit Orochimaru?
With a few rapid maneuvers and a Flying Thunder God teleport, he easily dodged its aim.
"Attack! Attack! Don't let him get close!"
"Dammit! He's too fast, we can't lock on!"
"Shit! He's coming! Brace yourselves!"
From the sky, a Truth-Seeking Orb expanded into a massive shield, deflecting all kunai, shuriken, and jutsu.
Another Truth-Seeking Orb formed.
It launched forward, straight toward the chakra cannon.
"It's over… it's really over…"
"Orochimaru, you bastard…!"
The Fourth Raikage let out a furious roar.
A massive explosion shook all of Kumogakure.
At that moment, the entire world seemed to fall silent.
This book is complete. Support me on to read all advanced chapters: /Blownleaves.