Did Orochimaru come here for the sake of the village?
No, such noble intentions were far beyond him.
Did he come just to see the people who orchestrated his downfall?
Perhaps. Killing a few along the way would be his style.
But even he didn't anticipate seeing Kages from the three great nations gathered here.
Unbelievable.
After all, while these major powers might appear to be allies on the surface, their private conflicts are utterly irreconcilable. Even if their Kage showed interest in forming alliances, it would only be on the battlefield. Outside of that? Cooperation would be nothing short of impossible.
And yet...
Did they really come together?
Orochimaru couldn't help but feel suspicious. Was his reputation truly so grand that it warranted such a response?
As shocked as Orochimaru was, the people around him were even more stunned.
"Hey, hey, what's with that black substance?!"
"This… this is…"
"No way… could it be?"
"This guy…"
"How could this happen?"
The young ninja leading the Sand Village forces frowned deeply.
"The iron sand of the Third Kazekage? What is this guy doing with it?"
Below the valley, black iron sand formed a massive sphere, shielding Orochimaru within its impenetrable shell. Only his golden, snake-like pupils peeked out from the dark surface.
So many kunai, so many shuriken, so many explosive tags…
Without some kind of special defense, even Orochimaru would have been turned into a sieve. So, he had relied on Magnet Release and the sand iron defense.
All the kunai and shuriken halted a meter away from Orochimaru, suspended in midair. The explosive tags? They were blocked entirely by the thick shell of sand iron.
Orochimaru's iron sand was stored in the system space, allowing him to summon vast amounts of it instantaneously. This made his defenses not only formidable but also astonishingly fast.
"Even though I expected it wouldn't be easy to deal with them…" Orochimaru muttered.
From the cliff above, Onoki's eyes were locked on the scene below, glaring at the black iron sand encasing Orochimaru.
"The Third Kazekage's Magnet Release? How is that possible?"
"How did he manage to steal the Third Kazekage's abilities?"
"Incredible…"
"Yeah, it's unbelievable."
"There's definitely something wrong with this guy," A said, standing behind his father, the Third Raikage.
Although he had never personally witnessed the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release, the reputation of the technique had reached even his ears. And now, seeing Orochimaru wield it, he immediately recognized it for what it was.
Were the three great nations truly cooperating to kill Orochimaru?
No. That was impossible. Orochimaru wasn't important enough to warrant such an effort.
Even if they knew Orochimaru had killed the Third Kazekage, that alone wouldn't have been enough to push them to set aside their differences and work together.
From the beginning, the only reason these nations gathered here was simple: to watch Orochimaru die.
If any one village had tried to eliminate Orochimaru on its own, the other two would have been uneasy. No one wanted the others to secretly recruit Orochimaru.
Recruit him? A ridiculous thought, perhaps, but not entirely impossible given the current circumstances.
Orochimaru's talents were undeniable, and now that Konoha had failed to properly protect him, he had been left exposed. Under the combined pressure of the three great nations, Konoha had no choice but to relinquish him.
In this situation, Orochimaru undoubtedly harbored deep resentment toward Konoha. Other villages could take advantage of this animosity and possibly win his allegiance.
With Konoha's history of covert operations, it wasn't unreasonable to assume they might try to hide Orochimaru instead.
So, after some deliberation, the three villages decided to act together.
Their goal wasn't to recruit Orochimaru. It was to ensure the other villages didn't recruit him either.
But now, watching Orochimaru's Magnet Release in action below the valley, they couldn't help but frown.
They understood the immense power of the technique.
With such a defense, most standard ninja attacks would prove completely ineffective.
Of course, at this moment, neither Ohnoki nor the Third Raikage had any intention of stepping onto the battlefield themselves.
As Kage, they had their pride and unique skills. Why waste their time when so many subordinates were present?
"In addition to the forces above, there are also many hidden ninja around the valley," Orochimaru noted.
Hidden within the black sand iron sphere, his lips curled into a smirk. He had faced many opponents in his life, but never so many at once.
"Well then," he murmured, "let's start by testing the waters with a single move."
With a flick of his wrist, Orochimaru released four invisible flies that darted out of his protective sphere.
Along with them, a large amount of black iron sand surged into the sky.
The flies acted as his scouts, allowing him to observe the situation outside and pinpoint the locations of several concealed ninjas.
"Ah, so there are a few Kumo shinobi hiding nearby, are there?"
Orochimaru's grin widened as his hands came together in a seal.
"Let's start with you!"
Magnet Release: Iron sand Boundary!
With a loud rush, countless particles of black iron sand rose high into the sky before crashing down like an iron rain.
The sheer scale and density of the attack were overwhelming, far surpassing anything the Third Kazekage had achieved in his time.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground erupted violently as the iron sand pierced it with merciless precision.
The Kumo ninja tasked with this ambush mission quickly realized the danger. Some managed to dodge the onslaught, leaping away just in time.
But the coverage area of Orochimaru's attack was massive, and the black iron sand fell too densely to avoid entirely.
"Move! Get out of the way!"
"Damn it…"
"Is this guy seriously using such a chakra-draining technique right from the start?!"
"He doesn't fight by any rules!"
"Stop standing there—counterattack!"
"Team 3, Team 4, Team 6—focus your attacks on him!"
"Got it!"
Swish, swish!
With that command, countless Kumo ninja burst from their hiding spots, forming hand seals mid-air.
"Destroy his shield first!"
"Understood!"
Lightning Style: Thunderball!
Lightning Style: Thunder Serpent!
Lightning Style: Thunder Bind!
Crack! Crack!
Blinding bolts of lightning shot toward Orochimaru's position, roaring with destructive power.
These Kumo ninja were elites, chosen specifically for this mission. Their coordination and combat skills were top-notch.
Iron sand defense? They knew lightning was its weakness. As long as they disrupted it for even a moment, Orochimaru would be left vulnerable to their overwhelming numbers.
"Using lightning to magnetize my iron sand?" Orochimaru chuckled. "Not a bad strategy, but…"
His smile widened.
"I don't rely on Magnet Release to fight."
As the iron sand faltered under the onslaught of lightning attacks, gaps began to form in Orochimaru's defenses.
But at that moment, under the influence of his Magnet Release, countless kunai shot outward in every direction, spreading like a deadly storm.
"Flying Thunder God Technique!"
***
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