The moment Orochimaru finished speaking, his left foot stepped into the room first.
Then he looked up—
And saw Senju Tobirama's dead-mother expression.
Bad.
I shouldn't have come at this time.
Orochimaru was extremely familiar with this situation.
Hokage-sama had left with a radiant face, as if he had won a great victory.
Meanwhile, his teacher, Lord Tobirama, wore this expression.
Clearly, his teacher and Hokage-sama had clashed again.
And once again, his teacher had suffered defeat.
Now, Tobirama was silently digesting the anger in his heart.
Run!
Orochimaru's brain spun rapidly and instantly produced the correct answer.
He had to leave the laboratory immediately.
If he stayed here, he would only become his teacher's punching bag!
But it was already too late.
The naturally evil Senju Tobirama had already heard Orochimaru's voice.
"Orochimaru."
"When you entered the laboratory just now, did you step in with your left foot first or your right foot first?"
"Answer honestly."
Senju Tobirama's face was dark and expressionless as he launched a soul-searching question at Orochimaru.
"Uh… left foot?"
Orochimaru carefully recalled the moment he entered the room.
He should have stepped into the laboratory with his left foot first.
So he hesitantly answered.
But why would his teacher suddenly ask something like this?
"Good!"
"That naturally evil Uchiha brat also entered the laboratory with his left foot first!"
"Are you trying to be like that bastard Uchiha Ren and defy your teacher?!"
Senju Tobirama suddenly shouted, lifting a pot of filth and dumping it directly onto Orochimaru's head.
"I'm wronged, Teacher!"
"How could I possibly have such thoughts?!"
Cold sweat broke out across Orochimaru's forehead.
To vent his anger on him, his teacher could even say something like this!
"You still dare argue back?!"
"Crime added to crime!"
"Shut up. How has your recent training and research progress been?"
"I'm conducting an early inspection."
"If the results don't satisfy me, hmph… hmph."
Senju Tobirama snorted coldly.
Orochimaru's body went half-cold.
Hadn't the last inspection only been three days ago?
Why was there another one already?
However, Orochimaru was very smart this time and did not try to argue again.
The more he said now, the more mistakes he would make.
And the worse his ending would become.
Tired.
Let everything be destroyed.
If he had to blame anything, he could only blame his poor fate.
He had chosen the wrong time to come to the laboratory.
Konoha passed a very peaceful night.
But Orochimaru's night was not peaceful.
No one knew what happened that night.
After that day, Orochimaru understood the importance of using Shadow Clones to scout ahead first.
—
The next day.
Hokage office.
Uchiha Ren received two letters.
One from the Third Kazekage, Mosa.
One from the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.
The contents of the two letters were largely similar.
Both began with a tired round of formal pleasantries, which could be skipped entirely.
Onoki and Mosa were very satisfied with the profits from the Ponzi scheme.
The long strings of zeroes from the final settlement nearly blinded them.
This Ponzi scheme had extracted a massive amount of money from the Land of Lightning.
It was enough to keep Sunagakure and Iwagakure's finances comfortable for a very long time.
But the price was also obvious.
Kumogakure had become a mad dog that bit people.
No one knew who Kumogakure would bite first.
Sunagakure had already exchanged blows with Amegakure.
Their frontline troops could only temporarily split forces.
One portion continued engaging the Rain Village in small-scale, low-intensity warfare, maintaining a standoff.
The other portion remained ready to respond to Kumogakure's counterattack at any moment.
Iwagakure was relatively lucky.
Their ninja forces were still on the march when the Ponzi scheme exploded.
Onoki immediately sent orders, withdrawing the majority of his ninja forces for defense and monitoring Kumogakure's movements to prevent them from lashing out in desperation.
As a result, Amegakure's desperate situation eased slightly.
At least before the storm caused by the Ponzi scheme was resolved, the Rain Village should be able to hold on.
Uchiha Ren analyzed the ninja world's situation.
Unexpectedly, the collapse of the Ponzi scheme had relieved the pressure on the Rain Village and allowed it to temporarily catch its breath.
Now—
He only had to wait for the Third Raikage's actions.
As for the daimyō of the ninja world, they were still impatiently urging the ninja villages to wipe out Amegakure as soon as possible.
They had already paid.
Why were these shinobi still not working?
The Third Raikage had no time to deal with the Daimyo's questioning.
He was currently leading Kumogakure's dark-skinned brutes forward day and night, advancing toward Iwagakure.
He intended to catch the Stone Village completely off guard.
As for Mosa and Onoki, they responded to the daimyō's pressure by playing dead and staying silent.
They had indeed handled this matter improperly.
Logically speaking, once shinobi accepted payment, they had to complete the employer's task.
But the current problem was—
A group of dark-skinned brutes were sharpening their blades and preparing to slaughter them.
So the daimyō's mission had to be delayed.
They couldn't throw away their lives just for a mission, could they?
—
Several nights later.
Land of Earth.
Near Iwagakure's main force.
"Go."
"Eliminate them!"
"Move fast. Absolutely do not give them a chance to send intelligence!"
The Third Raikage took the lead personally, guiding an elite squad deep behind enemy lines until they reached the vicinity of Iwagakure's main army.
Normally, this kind of mission would never require the Raikage himself to act.
But the current situation was special.
The entire village had been harvested like crops.
If this surprise attack against Iwagakure failed to produce results, then he would have to die.
Of course, even if it did produce results, the Third Raikage's ending wouldn't be much better.
Stepping down as Raikage was inevitable.
Most likely, he would also be imprisoned for the rest of his life.
But those were matters for later.
The Third Raikage had no time to think about that mess.
Right now, he only wanted to kill these despicable bastards from Iwagakure.
They had clearly agreed that Kumogakure and Iwagakure would ally against Konoha.
Yet Iwagakure turned around and sold Kumogakure out, throwing itself into Konoha's arms.
The elite squad dealt with the nearby sentry team cleanly.
The Third Raikage's terrifying speed gave the Stone shinobi no chance to see his figure clearly.
They only sensed someone approaching.
Then, in the next instant, their vision went black.
The Third Raikage killed them with a single hand chop, controlling his strength perfectly.
Not even a sound escaped.
The Third Raikage led the squad rapidly toward Iwagakure's forces.
"In a moment, release the Two-Tails' seal."
"Then all of you retreat."
"Raikage-sama, what about you?"
"Onoki is in the nearby command tent."
"I'm going to settle accounts with him."
"Raikage-sama, staying here alone is far too dangerous. Even with the Two-Tails causing chaos—"
"That's right, Raikage-sama. Iwagakure's elite forces are gathered here…"
The squad members all tried to persuade him.
But it was useless.
The Third Raikage's expression remained calm.
Tonight, he intended to settle things with Onoki, that treacherous villain.
"Don't worry."
"In this ninja world, if I want to leave, no one can stop me."
The Third Raikage's tone was extremely confident.
The squad members still wanted to persuade him further, but the Third Raikage directly cut them off and ordered them to carry out the command.
The silence of the night was shattered by a roar.
"Meowww!"
A gigantic blue cat wrapped in terrifying chakra suddenly appeared in the center of Iwagakure's camp.
"I'm free!"
"Humans!"
"All of you deserve death!"
The furious cat looked at the human gathering and began wreaking havoc.
Its roar and massive chakra waves overturned the surrounding tents.
The Stone shinobi in the camp were stunned by the sudden roar, momentarily at a loss.
What kind of monster was that enormous blue cat?
The appearance of the Two-Tails plunged the entire camp into chaos.
"Quick! Go notify Lord Onoki!"
One Iwagakure shinobi shouted in panic, trying to organize an effective response.
However, the Two-Tails' chakra waves were far too powerful.
The Stone shinobi could not approach it at all.
Onoki rushed out of his command tent.
The towering blue cat, immense as a mountain, was rampaging through the camp.
With a casual sweep of its two tails, it tore through a crowd of Iwagakure shinobi who hadn't even reacted.
"Don't panic!"
"All of you, calm down!"
"Sealing Team!"
"Assemble immediately!"
"Activate the emergency tailed beast protocol!"
Onoki immediately used Earth Release: Ultra-Light-Weight Rock Technique and floated into the air, shouting loudly in an attempt to stabilize the situation.
"It's Lord Tsuchikage! We're saved!"
Seeing their pillar of support, the Stone shinobi regained hope and began obeying Onoki's commands.
The Iwagakure forces quickly recovered and formed ranks, using Earth Release to try to restrain the Two-Tails and buy time for the Sealing Team.
Onoki hovered in midair, scanning his surroundings vigilantly.
The Two-Tails belonged to Kumogakure.
For it to suddenly appear here meant Kumogakure had come for revenge.
The Two-Tails roared, swiping aside the giant stones around it and charging into the crowd to wreak havoc.
It had been sealed and suppressed for so long.
Its stomach was full of rage, waiting to be released.
These tiny humans not only refused to scatter and flee—
They dared fight back!
Die, damned humans!
The cat roared.
A vast amount of chakra gathered in its mouth.
A black, high-density chakra sphere began forming.
That was a Tailed Beast Ball!
Onoki recognized the move immediately and had no time to continue searching for hidden Cloud shinobi.
If the Tailed Beast Ball exploded here, everything would be over.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Onoki rapidly formed seals and brought his hands together.
A powerful surge of chakra erupted from his body.
The cat sensed danger and looked warily toward the source.
If that attack hit—
It would suffer badly.
Unwillingly, the cat abandoned the Tailed Beast Ball and leapt several times to distance itself from Onoki, charging toward the Stone shinobi farther away.
At that moment, the Third Raikage had silently approached behind Onoki.
"Onoki, you treacherous villain. Today is your death day!"
The Third Raikage's voice rang out in the night like a ghost, sending chills through the heart.
"What?!"
Onoki's pupils shrank.
Hearing that familiar voice, he did not hesitate for even a moment.
He immediately flew higher into the sky and turned to cast Earth Release: Ultra-Added-Weight Rock Technique on the Third Raikage.
The Third Raikage instantly felt his body grow heavier.
But that no longer mattered.
While Onoki was still rising, a heavy punch slammed fiercely into his chest.
"Hmph. Did you think I would still give you a chance?"
The Third Raikage sneered.
Powerful Lightning Release chakra gathered around his fist, as if it would tear Onoki's body apart.
Onoki barely blocked the punch, but his body was still blasted backward.
"Third Raikage!"
"So it really is you!"
"Stop! We can sit down and talk!"
Onoki endured the injury in his chest and swallowed the blood that had risen into his throat.
"Talk?"
"I'll talk to your ***!"
"Treacherous bastard!"
"Tonight is your death day!"
The Third Raikage roared at Onoki, venting all the resentment in his heart.
Kumogakure had been flourishing.
Everything had been thriving.
But because Iwagakure colluded with Konoha and used such despicable methods, everyone in Kumogakure had been reduced to paupers.
And now he wanted to talk?
Talk his ass!
Onoki knew he was in the wrong.
He had also been ambushed and suffered a serious injury.
One punch from the Third Raikage could even knock over the Eight-Tails.
If his Earth Release: Ultra-Added-Weight Rock Technique hadn't weakened that punch just now, he might have been killed in a single blow.
"If you have the guts, come down and fight me to the death!"
The Third Raikage looked at Onoki floating high above, regret flashing across his face.
If only that punch had landed on Onoki's head.
The Third Raikage was confident that a punch filled with his rage would have smashed Onoki's skull open.
"Raikage, if you remain this stubborn, then I can only walk the same dark road as Konoha."
Killing intent appeared in Onoki's eyes.
Tonight, Iwagakure was destined to suffer heavy losses.
The Two-Tails was wreaking havoc.
And he had been punched by the Third Raikage until he vomited blood.
"Then come!"
"Get down here!"
Anger filled the Third Raikage's face.
He couldn't fly.
Right now, he simply couldn't attack Onoki in the air.
As the saying went—
High ground striking low ground meant beating idiots.
Onoki no longer wanted to waste words with the Third Raikage.
Now he had to take down the Third Raikage as quickly as possible, then deal with the Two-Tails.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
White light bloomed in Onoki's hands.
The signature wind-up of Dust Release.
The Third Raikage sensed the threat and immediately tried to distance himself from the white light.
But he was already surrounded by Iwagakure's main force.
The Stone shinobi had encircled the Third Raikage completely.
They had seen the entire process of the Third Raikage ambushing their Tsuchikage.
Kumogakure had already come knocking on their door.
How could they let him escape?
Onoki flew in the air, out of the Third Raikage's attack range.
But the Dust Release in his hands had very long range.
It was more than enough to snipe the Third Raikage from a distance.
However, the Third Raikage was only reckless, not stupid.
He charged directly toward the area where the Iwagakure shinobi were most densely gathered.
This made Onoki hesitate.
He didn't dare release Dust Release carelessly.
The battle lasted the entire night.
The Third Raikage truly lived up to his reputation as the standout among the Third-generation Kage.
A man with the famous achievement of one against ten thousand.
Even while surrounded by layers of Stone shinobi, with Onoki watching from the sky like a tiger waiting to pounce, he actually managed to break out.
Of course, this was inseparable from the cat's assistance.
The Two-Tails' indiscriminate destruction tied down a large portion of Iwagakure's forces.
A night raid.
Iwagakure's main force suffered disastrous losses.
The Third Tsuchikage Onoki was ambushed by the Third Raikage and then fought continuously for the entire night.
After the battle ended, he spat out several mouthfuls of blood and fell unconscious.
The Third Raikage was covered in injuries.
Large and small wounds numbered eighty-two in total.
He endured until Kumogakure's support forces arrived.
The Two-Tails cat was the only true winner.
It obtained freedom.
After a wild rampage, it disappeared without a trace.
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