"I'll leave this to you."
The words had barely left his mouth when a figure leapt out of the forest.
The two Kumogakure Jinchuriki followed Orochimaru's gaze and instantly recognized the newcomer.
"Uchiha Shisui?"
Yugito had just fought him earlier, tangled up for a long time by that strange "turtle shell" defense of his. She could never mistake him now.
Seeing him again, the cat's face twisted in anger, and she spat out a fireball without hesitation.
But Killer Bee suddenly felt a wave of unease.
For Orochimaru to entrust someone with this fight… this Uchiha Shisui must have something special.
Could it be…
A thought struck him, and Killer Bee's heart tightened. Eight tentacles shot toward Shisui like lightning.
The two Jinchuriki reacted differently, but both showed deep hostility the moment they faced him.
Shisui's eyes sharpened. The three tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly, merging into a pattern shaped like a four-bladed shuriken.
His ocular power surged, and with a low shout he called out, "Susano'o!"
In the next moment, a giant green phantom appeared around Shisui's body. Clad in full armor, it gripped a spiral sword in its right hand, towering with a presence no less than that of a tailed beast.
Boom! Boom!
Two sweeping slashes tore apart the fireball and the tentacles. Shisui didn't pause—he drove Susano'o straight at the Kumogakure Jinchuriki.
Killer Bee's heart sank. "So it really is the Uchiha clan's forbidden eyes."
The sheer power of the giant alone made it clear—Yugito wasn't its match. And even he himself might only be able to hold even at best.
With Orochimaru's white snake form added on top, this battle was looking grim.
Countless thoughts flashed through Killer Bee's mind, but he kept attacking. His severed tentacles grew back quickly, stretching out to bind Susano'o.
But after slicing them apart, Susano'o didn't press the attack on him. Instead, its focus turned toward Yugito.
It endured several fireballs head-on, then swung its spiral sword in a relentless assault against her.
Killer Bee froze for a moment, unsettled. He realized that as long as he didn't get in the way, Shisui acted as if he didn't exist at all.
What was even stranger was that Orochimaru was standing on a treetop nearby with no sign of wanting to join the fight.
"So weird… I just don't get it!"
Killer Bee wanted to think it over, but Yugito wasn't giving him the chance.
Susano'o's power was overwhelming. If he split his focus on Orochimaru and didn't interfere, Yugito would be seriously hurt very soon.
So Killer Bee dropped the thought.
Gyuki ignored Orochimaru completely and attacked Susano'o with full force. Two of its tentacles whipped upward like giant whips and came crashing down on Susano'o.
Struck on the back, Susano'o staggered for a moment, but after regaining balance, it still ignored the Eight-Tails and kept pressing its attack on Yugito.
Shocked at its defense, Killer Bee quickly changed tactics. His tentacles slithered like snakes, climbing up along Susano'o's leg.
With his leg wrapped up, Shisui was forced to split off some strikes to cut through the Eight-Tails' hold.
But as long as his offense wasn't interrupted, Shisui was willing to risk injury just to keep up his assault on Yugito.
That desperate stance gave Killer Bee sudden insight. When he looked back at the spot Orochimaru had been standing, there was no trace of him.
"Big bro's side… he's probably in trouble."
Now that he understood the enemy's strategy, Killer Bee still couldn't do anything about it.
He couldn't leave this fight. Otherwise, Yugito wouldn't last long, and with Shisui fighting like he had nothing to lose, she wouldn't be able to escape either.
The only good news was that the enemy's burst state clearly couldn't last forever.
Thinking of this, Gyuki opened his mouth wide. Yin and Yang chakra began gathering wildly in front of him.
Even with that massive energy forming behind it, Susano'o didn't react at all. It just kept pressing its attack on the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki.
…
"Didn't think Shisui could block two Jinchuriki from Kumogakure all on his own."
Even Orochimaru was surprised. He muttered, "Looks like that genetic serum worked better on him than I thought."
"It's also because he's burning through his eye power without holding back. The serum strengthened his body, at most raising his limits. Eye power doesn't grow that fast."
Genie poked out his upper body and grinned. "Still, with Manda saved, the main battlefield will be much easier."
Orochimaru gave a small nod, then asked, "Can you really stop the Raikage?"
Stopping Kumogakure's Jinchuriki was only one part of the plan. If they couldn't hold down the Raikage, the larger strategy would still fail.
"I can't stop him—but you can!"
Genie blinked, his grin spreading wider. "Don't forget, I'm a genie. My power is to make the impossible possible."
"Of course, I'll need a little price in return."
Orochimaru's heart skipped a beat, a bad feeling rising inside him. He suddenly remembered what Genie said the first time about the three kinds of genies.
…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Blue light and the red barrier clashed again and again with deafening noise, so loud that even the chaos of battle couldn't drown it out.
After entering Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the Fourth Raikage unleashed his full power. Under his relentless blows, the Uchiha Flame Formation barrier trembled, as if about to shatter at any second.
"Whoosh…"
Suddenly, the sound of air splitting rang out, and a figure dropped near the barrier.
The four Uchiha jonin guarding it recognized the newcomer and let out a breath of relief, stopping their chakra flow into the barrier.
Without their support, the red screen shattered under the Raikage's attack.
Finally freed from the barrier, the Fourth Raikage's face showed no joy. He had already noticed the extra figure on the battlefield.
His face darkened, and he shouted loudly, "All Kumogakure shinobi, clear this area!"
He was afraid of seeing a repeat of what happened that night.
Hearing the order, the Kumogakure ninjas were shocked. They quickly broke away from their fights and scattered outward, avoiding the area around Orochimaru.
On the other side, Konoha's ninjas didn't chase them. Instead, they rushed straight toward the Kumogakure fortress.
"Orochimaru, where are Killer Bee and Yugito?" the Fourth Raikage shouted. "What did you do to them?"
"Relax, they're still alive. You'll see him soon enough."
Orochimaru licked his lips, pulled the Kusanagi sword from the mouth of a summoned viper, and grinned. "Let's get started. This state I'm using is my first time, and I can't hold it for long."
"You want to fight me up close?"
The Fourth Raikage laughed in anger, his body turning into a flash of lightning as he lunged straight at Orochimaru.
"Die, you bastard!!"
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