Chapter 54: The Sannin's Wrath
Orochimaru and Jiraiya moved like phantoms through the night. For shinobi of their legendary status and experience, slipping past the Kumo perimeter guards was a trivial matter. They flowed over walls and through shadows, entering Yugakure with an unsettling ease.
Guided by the sensory team's report, they found their way to a central district housing the largest concentration of Kumo-nin. They stood side-by-side on a tiled roof, looking down at the unsuspecting enemy.
"Alright, Orochimaru," Jiraiya said, a fierce grin spreading across his face. "Let's make an entrance."
He bit his thumb, swiped the blood across his palm, and began weaving the familiar signs. Orochimaru mirrored him exactly. In perfect unison, they slammed their bloodied palms onto the roof tiles.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
BOOM! BOOM!
Two massive plumes of smoke erupted, obscuring the Sannin and shaking the very foundations of the building beneath them. The roof shattered, tiles cascading into the structure below as two colossal forms materialized in its place.
From the smoke emerged Gamabunta, the gigantic toad boss, a smoking pipe clenched in his mouth. He took a long drag, exhaled a cloud of pungent smoke, and glared at the massive purple serpent now coiled beside him.
"Jiraiya," Gamabunta grumbled, his voice a low rumble. "How many times have I told you? Don't summon me when this stinking snake is around!"
Jiraiya laughed, leaping onto the toad's head. "Don't be like that, Gamabunta! This is a big one. Save the arguments for later."
The giant snake, Manda, hissed, his voice dripping with venomous contempt. "Orochimaru. You summoned me to endure the presence of this foul toad? If that's the case, consider your next sacrifice canceled."
Orochimaru stood calmly on Manda's head. "Patience, Manda. Everyone here... is your sacrifice."
"Tch." Manda knew eating the Toad Boss was a fantasy, but the thought was a pleasant one.
The colossal commotion had not gone unnoticed. Shouts of alarm rang out as Kumo-nin and local Yugakure shinobi swarmed into the square, their eyes wide with terror and disbelief.
"It's Orochimaru! One of the Sannin!"
"They're attacking the village!"
"All units! Battle formations!"
A storm of kunai, shuriken, and elemental ninjutsu soared toward the two summonings.
Gamabunta didn't flinch. He drew the massive tanto sword from his back and swept it in a wide, horizontal arc. The air screamed as the blade passed, cutting a swath of destruction through the front ranks of the attackers, leaving nothing but carnage in its wake.
Not to be outdone, Manda coiled and lashed out with his powerful tail. It was like a wrecking ball, sending ninjas flying through the air to smash against buildings with sickening crunches. His scales turned aside most ninjutsu with ease.
The two boss summons became engines of pure destruction, grinding the enemy forces to paste. Gamabunta, despite his immense size, demonstrated shocking agility, leaping high to avoid concentrated fire. Manda simply tanked the attacks, his armored body an impervious fortress.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya leaped down to the chaotic streets, leaving their summons to their work.
Orochimaru's hands flew through a sequence of seals before he dropped to the ground, his jaw unhinging impossibly wide.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
A torrent of snakes, hundreds of them, erupted from his mouth, slithering and striking with blinding speed, each one finding a target among the panicked shinobi.
Jiraiya, meanwhile, completed his own seals.
"Ninja Art: Hair Needle Senbon!"
His long, white hair hardened into sharp, needle-like points, enveloping his entire body in a protective, spiked shell.
"Needle Hell!"
With a roar, the hardened hairs shot out in every direction like a thousand senbon, peppering the surrounding area and pinning dozens of ninja to walls and the ground.
The initial surprise attack was a devastating success. Dozens of Kumo and Yugakure shinobi fell in the first few minutes. But they were not rookies. They began to recover, seeking cover, organizing counter-attacks, and shouting orders. The chaotic slaughter began to evolve into a more structured, and far deadlier, battle.
Outside the village walls, the Konoha force watched and waited. The moment they saw the Kumo perimeter guards abandon their posts and rush inward toward the chaos, they moved.
Kagenori and Minato were the first, two blurs of motion shooting toward the village gates. The rest of the force followed close behind, a wave of silent, determined shinobi.
Once inside, the plan snapped into action.
The Earth Release users slammed their hands onto the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Earthen barriers erupted throughout the streets, strategically dividing the battlefield, breaking the enemy's cohesion and preventing them from massing into a single, overwhelming force.
Then, the Water Release users acted.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Torrents of water gushed from their mouths, flooding the streets and washing over the disoriented enemy.
The Earth and Water users combined their efforts.
"Earth Release: Mud River!"
The chakra-infused ground softened and crumbled, merging with the rushing water to create a churning, treacherous mudslide that trapped and immobilized scores of Kumo and Hot Springs ninja.
The Fire and Wind teams were poised and ready.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Wind met fire, fanning the flames into a roaring, incinerating firestorm that swept through the streets, consuming those trapped in the mud.
At the village's main entrance, the remaining Fire Release users formed a solid line, advancing steadily while launching a relentless barrage of fireballs, pinning down enemy forces and creating a wall of suppression.
The Earth and Water users, their initial task complete, joined the frontal assault. The Lightning Release teams, leveraging their speed, became the rapid response units, darting to any point where the Konoha line faltered, providing crucial support and eliminating isolated enemies.
Orochimaru's tactical deployment was a masterpiece of coordinated chaos. In mere minutes, Yugakure was plunged into a maelstrom of fire, earth, and blood.
But the tide was vast. The numerical superiority of the Kumo and Yugakure forces was immense. As their commanders began to shout orders, organizing their ranks and mounting a disciplined counter-attack, the Konoha advance began to slow, the initial shock wearing off.
It was time for the final piece of the plan.
Kagenori and Minato's mission began now. Their target: the enemy commanders.
Kagenori's method of identification was brutally simple. His twin-tomoe Sharingan spun, its enhanced visual acuity allowing him to read the lips of distant shinobi from their movements alone. He scanned the chaos, his gaze locking onto those who were shouting the most, who were gesturing, who were directing the flow of battle.
There.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash! Sixfold!"
He became a crackling bolt of lightning, his path a zigzagging blur of motion. He used walls, debris, and even panicked combatants as springboards, changing direction mid-stride. Any who stood in his path were either electrocuted by the ambient lightning or brutally shoved aside, bones cracking. He closed the distance to his target in a heartbeat.
The Kumo commander had only a moment to widen his eyes in shock before Kagenori's new chakra-metal sword flashed in the firelight. A clean decapitation.
Without a second's pause, Kagenori used the Body Flicker Technique to vanish, leaving behind the headless corpse. Stuck to the dead commander's flak jacket were three paper tags, already sizzling.
BOOM!
The explosion tore through the cluster of ninja who had gathered around their leader, sowing fresh confusion and terror. One command node had been surgically, ruthlessly, extinguished. The hunt for the next had already begun.