"The traps have all been destroyed."
"They're already on the move again. What do we do?"
Kazuyama crouched in the treetops a kilometer away, relaying everything he saw through the Hive Mind.
Orochimaru and Shinnosuke, perched on tree trunks nearby, frowned slightly. The enemy was advancing at a speed far beyond their expectations.
"If we don't act soon, they'll just charge straight past our positions."
"That won't do. Orochimaru, shall we intervene?"
"I could use Earth Release to alter the terrain and then sneak up on them."
Shinnosuke was proficient in Earth Release; reshaping the battlefield was simple for him.
"Fine, but even if we both give it our all, I doubt we'll hold them off for long."
"And putting ourselves in danger like that isn't exactly ideal."
Orochimaru's tone was serious—the situation was far from favorable.
Just then, Kazuyama dropped from the treetop with a thud. He removed his mask, revealing a strange, sinister smile.
"Why do we need to face them head-on?"
"Our goal is just to stop them, isn't it?"
At that moment, Kazuyama exuded an air of unsettling confidence.
"Oh? Kazuyama, do you have a plan?"
"Tell me."
Orochimaru was intrigued by Kazuyama's composure. Even Shinnosuke Sarutobi was curious.
"Sensei, and... this... uh..."
"Just call me Midori." (Shinnosuke's ANBU codename.)
"Oh, right. Sensei and Midori, you're looking at this the wrong way."
Kazuyama's gaze shifted into the distance, his tone lighter than ever.
"All we have to do is stop them, not attack them."
"There are plenty of ways to do that—fear, confusion, misdirection. Only as a last resort do we fight."
"Sensei, one of the jutsu you taught me is Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."
"Snakes are apex predators—cunning, ferocious. No matter who it is, they'll fear a serpent lurking in the dark."
"I wonder... have either of you ever heard of the 'Pit of Venom'?"
As he spoke, a chilling smile crept across Kazuyama's face.
The moment he revealed his plan, Orochimaru and Shinnosuke Sarutobi felt a shiver run down their spines.
This brat is ruthless.
But they couldn't deny it—the plan was effective. If executed well, it would significantly slow the enemy's advance.
Without hesitation, the three of them got to work.
Orochimaru landed on the ground, bit his finger, and slammed his palm down.
"Summoning Technique!"
A burst of white smoke erupted, and the moment it cleared, three enormous snakes surged forward, slithering at high speed.
This was the first step: creating obstacles.
The snakes soon clashed with the Sunagakure vanguard.
"Damn! Look at the size of those snakes!"
"How can they be this huge?!"
The sheer force of the charging serpents sent shockwaves through the battlefield. While Sunagakure possessed a variety of secret techniques, their expertise in Summoning Jutsu was relatively limited.
"Don't panic!"
"It's just a Konoha technique! Wind Release! Wind Cutter Technique!"
The Sunagakure vanguard, well-trained and highly disciplined, quickly regained their composure. They unleashed a barrage of razor-sharp wind blades, slicing through the massive serpents.
No matter how powerful the snakes were, they stood no chance against the coordinated assault of hundreds of shinobi. Within moments, all three were beheaded.
Just as the Sunagakure forces prepared to advance, a masked figure appeared in their path.
"The ANBU of Konoha?"
"What's he up to?"
It was Shinnosuke. Without hesitation, he pressed both hands against the ground.
"Earth Release! Moving Earth Core!"
Boom!
The earth beneath the Sunagakure vanguard trembled violently. In an instant, the ground caved in, splitting apart in uneven chunks.
The tightly packed formation collapsed into chaos. Dozens of shinobi tumbled into the sudden pitfall, shoving and colliding in their scramble for balance. A handful, reacting swiftly, leaped to safety.
"Don't panic! Adjust formation! Jump out of the pit!"
This was the second step of Kazuyama's plan—disrupt the enemy's ranks.
At the same time, Kazuyama and Orochimaru moved in unison.
Kazuyama leaped high into the air, arms outstretched, ready to strike.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, remained crouched on the ground. At the same time, they both shouted:
"Ninja Art! Many Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
"Ninja Art! Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"
Kazuyama shot Orochimaru a look of disbelief.
"What happened to the Many Hidden Shadow Snake Hands you taught me?"
Orochimaru smirked. "I have more snakes."
And he wasn't lying. Even when Kazuyama pushed his technique to the limit, only a dozen long snakes emerged. But when Orochimaru made his move—an overwhelming flood of snakes surged forward!
In an instant, a sea of slithering bodies swallowed the battlefield.
The Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes was especially terrifying—these serpents slithered along the ground, pouring into the pit and aiming to bury the Sunagakure ninjas alive in a writhing mass.
For a moment, every Sunagakure shinobi was drowning in a nightmare.
"Ahhh!!! Snakes! So many snakes!"
"Fight back! Fight back!"
A single snake wasn't frightening, but when their numbers climbed into the thousands—into the tens of thousands—it became pure terror.
Trapped in the multicolored swarm, feeling the smooth, scaled bodies coiling and slithering against them, even the strongest warriors felt their primal fears rise.
Some suppressed their panic and tried to fight back with ninjutsu, but against Orochimaru's massive serpent horde, their resistance was futile.
"Damn it! Orochimaru?"
"That bastard!"
"Sanshōuo!"
From within the chaos, a figure sprang back. Sasori of the Red Sand had anticipated trouble—when the ground first trembled from the Moving Earth Core, he had already leaped to safety. Now, as the sea of snakes appeared, he instantly recognized their master.
His reaction was swift. The moment his puppet, Sanshōuo, emerged, he jumped inside, manipulating it with his Puppet Technique to fend off the swarm.
Orochimaru finally ceased his jutsu, watching the endless tide of serpents with satisfaction. This technique was something he had long studied—utilizing summoning principles to unleash an overwhelming flood of snakes from his mouth, drowning enemies in sheer numbers.
Kazuyama landed beside him, surveying the scene.
"Cut it out, Sensei. The snakes you summoned aren't even venomous, are they?"
"It'd be much better if they were poisonous."
Orochimaru nodded slightly, a trace of regret on his face.
"I've been caught up in my other research, which delayed the development of this technique. Once we get back, I'll refine it—next time, I'll flood them with venomous snakes."
The Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes was still incomplete. The summoned snakes lacked poison, which only made Kazuyama feel that they could have been even more effective.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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