The massive shuriken multiplied mid-air—one into four, four into eight—continuously splitting until they formed a sudden, deadly downpour. The storm of steel covered every possible direction Chisuke could dodge.
Damn it! If I had learned Magnet Release, I could transform into Magneto and these shuriken would just be free ammunition!Too bad I didn't learn it!
Chisuke mentally cursed his own lack of talent, then rapidly formed hand seals with both hands.
"Sand Hand!"
The surrounding sand surged upward, forming a giant, solid claw that stood upright in front of Chisuke, completely shielding his body.
A barrage of shuriken struck the Sand Hand, shattering chunks of the compressed earth, but they lost their lethal momentum and fell harmlessly into the dunes.
Run!
Seeing that his defense held, Chisuke had absolutely no intention of sticking around to fight the legendary Sannin.
Facing Orochimaru, his only goal was to quickly retreat back into Shukaku's massive body. But before he could even move a muscle, he saw Orochimaru's neck stretch like a soft rubber band.
The pale snake bypassed the Sand Hand entirely, his head rushing directly toward Chisuke at blinding speed.
Crap! Too late!
Orochimaru's cold, slitted eyes were already upon him. In this moment of ultimate crisis, Chisuke decided to go all out.
"Sand Burial!"
Since I can't dodge, I'll just take you down with me!
After officially becoming a shinobi, Chisuke had experienced enough brutal battles to cultivate a genuine will to fight to the death. The surrounding sand violently surged toward the two of them, intending to crush them both into paste.
Seeing the collapsing sand, Orochimaru frowned but did not retreat, choosing to press his attack.
The kunai in his left hand stabbed mercilessly toward Chisuke's heart. Chisuke desperately twisted his body, causing the blade to narrowly miss his vitals, grazing his ribs instead.
His strike having missed, Orochimaru remained perfectly calm. He opened his right hand, concentrated dense chakra into his five fingertips, and pressed them directly into Chisuke's abdomen.
"Five Elements Seal!"
Having successfully planted the seal, Orochimaru quickly retracted his unnaturally long neck, leaping backward to avoid the crushing wave of sand.
It's over!
The moment the sealing jutsu took effect, Chisuke felt something horribly wrong. Shukaku's immense power rapidly diminished, ultimately vanishing from his grasp entirely.
"This Lord will return!" Shukaku roared in his mind.
Everything had happened too fast. The massive sand construct had just scooped up the summoned snake's head to counterattack when its power suddenly dissipated. The Tailed Beast was forced back into Chisuke's body, and the towering sand demon quickly collapsed into a lifeless dune.
Chisuke fell hard onto the sand. The chakra inside his body began to violently riot, tearing at his flesh from the inside out.
For a moment, his entire body was engulfed in excruciating pain, rendering him completely unable to mold chakra or use Ninjutsu.
But they were in the middle of a warzone. Staying put meant certain death!
Run!
Driven by a sheer will to survive, Chisuke dragged his body up, staggering backward. Every step felt like walking across a sea of fire and broken glass. It felt as though his muscles, bones, nerves, and skin were being devoured by countless insects.
"Gah!"
Grinding his teeth until they nearly cracked, Chisuke forcefully took the largest strides possible, desperately trying to build speed.
"Be my snack!"
The giant brown snake suddenly loomed behind Chisuke. Staring at the trembling boy with a cruel gaze, it unhinged its massive jaws and swooped down, intending to swallow him whole.
"Scorch Release: Over-Vaporization Kill!"
Pakura's voice suddenly rang out across the battlefield.
Dozens of blazing, sun-like fireballs bombarded the giant snake's body, exploding on impact. The terrifyingly high temperatures instantly evaporated the moisture within the beast's flesh.
The giant snake shriveled and cracked at a speed visible to the naked eye, resembling a mummified corpse weathered over a thousand years.
"Damn it, Orochimaru! Don't forget your promise to compensate me!"
With nearly a third of its body severely desiccated, the giant snake couldn't bear the pain. It voluntarily dispelled the summoning jutsu, fleeing back to the Ryūchi Cave to recuperate—but not before reminding Orochimaru about its tribute.
"Teacher..."
Seeing Pakura appear, Chisuke's adrenaline finally gave out. He collapsed onto the ground, the blood from his chest wound dyeing the desert sands a deep red.
Pakura's condition wasn't much better. Her abdomen was wrapped in thick bandages, and fresh blood constantly seeped through the fabric. Yet, she stood firmly between Chisuke and Orochimaru.
"Don't even think about harming my disciple in front of me!"
Orochimaru coldly scanned the battlefield. He noticed that the surrounding area was now almost entirely swarming with Sand Shinobi. The corpses littering the ground were predominantly Konoha ninja, indicating that Shikaku's defensive line had already been broken.
However, since the One-Tails Jinchūriki had been hit by the Five Elements Seal, the boy couldn't return to the battlefield anytime soon. The Sand Ninja had lost their most crucial weapon.
Both sides had suffered heavy losses.
With more Sand Shinobi converging on his position, and having expended a massive amount of chakra fighting Shukaku, Orochimaru decided his condition was no longer ideal for a prolonged fight. He opted to retreat.
"Summoning Technique!"
Orochimaru summoned five giant pythons. The massive snakes writhed and launched themselves at Pakura and the advancing Sand Shinobi, kicking up a massive cloud of dust to cover the Sannin's escape.
"Scorch Release: Over-Vaporization Kill!"
After incinerating the decoy pythons, Pakura scanned the area. Seeing that Orochimaru was already gone, she didn't pursue. Instead, she immediately ordered the Medical Ninja forward to treat Chisuke.
When Chisuke finally woke up, he was already back in the safety of the medical tent. He weakly raised his head and scanned the room, spotting Pakura leaning heavily against the wall, resting with her eyes closed.
Looking at her exhausted face, her torn clothes, and her blood-soaked bandages, Chisuke felt a sudden surge of warmth in his chest.
During this entire campaign, Pakura had been forced to oversee command while engaging in continuous, high-level battles against Konoha's elite. She had to be even more exhausted than him, and she had clearly suffered worse injuries.
He just hadn't noticed it until now.
Teacher, if you're tired, go back and rest. If you keep taking care of me like this, I'm actually going to start crying.
Chisuke quietly lay back down, not wanting to disturb her. But at that exact moment, a Sand Ninja hurried into the tent.
"Lady Pakura! The Kazekage has arrived!"
Pakura's eyes snapped open. But her first glance wasn't toward the messenger—it was toward Chisuke on the sickbed.
Chisuke waved his hand weakly and forced a smile. "Teacher, I feel like I'm fine now."
A few moments later, the Third Kazekage, Elder Chiyo, Pakura, and Rasa gathered together in the command tent.
The Kazekage spoke first, firmly acknowledging the merits of Pakura and Chisuke.
"You both did exceptionally well. You successfully breached the borders of the Land of Fire and established a stable frontline. Because of your efforts, we now hold the initiative and the tactical advantage!"
By spreading the flames of war onto the soil of the Land of Fire, regardless of the final outcome, the Sand Ninja were inflicting continuous economic and structural damage on their enemies.
Pakura bowed respectfully, then asked with concern, "Lord Kazekage, what about Chisuke's injuries?"
The Kazekage smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, his physical injuries are not life-threatening. And that troublesome sealing jutsu is also not a major problem."
"We will unseal it externally. As a perfect Jinchūriki, Chisuke can control the Tailed Beast's power to push against the seal from within. With an internal and external attack, it won't take long to shatter Orochimaru's jutsu."
The Five Elements Seal was indeed brilliant, but the Sand Village, as one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, had their own extensive research into Fūinjutsu. Breaking it wasn't impossible; it was merely a matter of time.
This time, Chisuke had demonstrated terrifying combat value as a Jinchūriki. For the ultimate benefit of the Sand, the Kazekage would not allow him to remain in danger, and would personally ensure the best unsealing method was used.
At this time, Rasa stepped forward to speak. "We just received fresh intelligence. A large number of reinforcements have appeared at the Konoha camp."
Elder Chiyo offered a wizened, deadly smile. "Lord Kazekage, shall we launch a surprise attack?"
The Kazekage pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "The situation is unclear right now. We must be wary of traps. Order the reconnaissance units to ascertain the exact strength of the Konoha reinforcements tonight."
"Tomorrow, we will fight a decisive battle and crush them completely!"
"Yes, Lord Kazekage!"