A glimmer of curiosity appeared in Orochimaru's eyes. In his view, for a Sunagakure ninja to master such advanced Magnet Release techniques at such a young age, Sōmi was undoubtedly a genius.
Moreover, judging from the medical ninjutsu he had displayed, his proficiency in the healing arts was also quite remarkable. Orochimaru, who was deeply engaged in human biological experiments, was in need of such talent—someone skilled in medical ninjutsu and possessing an open mind to assist him.
"I have no need for funding. As for personnel, do you think Konoha's medical ninja are inferior to yours?" Orochimaru said dismissively. Backed by the vast resources of Konohagakure, Orochimaru's access to materials and manpower was second to none.
The only issue was that the nature of his experiments, being utterly inhumane, could never be made public.
After his later collaboration with Danzo, however, Orochimaru had gained access to an increasing supply of human test subjects...
"Does Konohagakure approve of the secret experiments you conduct?" Sōmi countered.
Orochimaru's pupils contracted sharply. This Sunagakure ninja, whom he had never encountered before, seemed to know exactly what kind of experiments he was conducting...
Was this intelligence from Sunagakure, or was it his own deduction? Thoughts raced through Orochimaru's mind.
"Regardless, I could never collaborate with an enemy from another village," Orochimaru rasped in his hoarse voice.
"There are no eternal enemies, just as there are no permanent friends..."
"Do you really think the ninja of Konoha still consider you their comrade?" Sōmi glanced at the growing number of Sunagakure ninja gathering behind him.
On the opposite side, Konoha ninja began to appear one after another, flanking Orochimaru.
These Konoha ninja cast wary glances toward Sōmi and his group, but when their eyes fell on Orochimaru, fear flickered within their gazes. They all instinctively kept their distance from him.
"Heh heh!" Orochimaru was fully aware of this dynamic but paid no mind to the so-called 'feelings' of his supposed comrades.
Having come to understand the fragility of life, his deepest desire was to pursue immortality...
As for Konohagakure, it was merely a resource to be exploited, a place he remained tied to out of sentimentality and convenience.
Previously, Orochimaru had suggested to the Third Hokage that Konoha should not remain on the defensive but instead take the initiative to annihilate Sunagakure's main forces. Only by doing so could Sunagakure be subdued and cease to be a thorn in Konoha's side.
However, the Third Hokage had outright rejected Orochimaru's proposal, opting instead to send Minato Namikaze to various battlefronts to 'extinguish fires.' The ninja saved by Minato naturally felt immense gratitude toward him, and over time, Minato had amassed considerable prestige.
The calls for Minato to succeed as the Fourth Hokage grew louder and louder...
In the end, the Third Hokage merely assigned Orochimaru to guard the outskirts of the Land of Fire, effectively sidelining him.
Faced with this outcome, Orochimaru could only lament once more that the man once hailed as the "Shinobi Hero" had truly grown old...
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Whoosh!
Before Orochimaru could respond, a massive red fireball, the size of a small house, came hurtling toward them.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
A powerful gust of wind surged forward, splitting the fireball apart and dispersing it.
"It seems someone doesn't want us to continue our conversation, Orochimaru... If you're ever interested in collaboration, feel free to seek me out. I'm quite intrigued by your experiments," Sōmi said, glancing to his left.
The fireball had been launched by an Uchiha ninja. His blood-red Sharingan eyes, adorned with two tomoe, rotated slowly.
This was Sōmi's first time seeing the Sharingan, one of the Three Great Dōjutsu of the ninja world, and the precursor to the Rinnegan.
Though the Three Great Dōjutsu were renowned across the ninja world, the Hyūga clan's Byakugan and the Uchiha clan's Sharingan were both exclusive to Konohagakure. The Rinnegan, awakened by that elderly 'dancer,' also originated from Konoha. It might be more accurate to call them the Three Great Dōjutsu of Konoha.
Orochimaru also glanced at the Uchiha ninja. The young man's face, barely in his twenties, still bore a hint of inexperience, likely due to a lack of combat experience.
Most of Konoha's elite forces were engaged on other battlefronts, and there were few Jōnin-level ninja among those stationed here.
The Uchiha ninja's gaze was filled with pride and arrogance as he looked toward the Sunagakure forces. After all, according to his upbringing, the Land of Wind had always been the weakest among the Five Great Nations.
The Uchiha clan had long prided itself as the backbone of Konohagakure. Most Uchiha who awakened the Sharingan developed a 'chosen one' mentality, with exceptions like Shisui, Itachi, and Fugaku being rare.
Yet, even this haughty Uchiha involuntarily shuddered when Orochimaru's cold, slit-like pupils locked onto him. Cold sweat instantly drenched his back.
"Roar!"
Manda, still struggling to free itself, let out another furious roar. Under Sōmi's deliberate manipulation, most of Manda's massive body had already sunk into the golden sand swamp.
Large amounts of golden sand clung to its enormous form, relentlessly pulling it toward the ground.
Splat!
In its frustration, Manda spat out a mouthful of viscous, purple-black liquid.
Sōmi raised both hands, and a slanted wall of golden sand shot up from the ground in front of him, intercepting the venom.
Sizzle!
The venom hissed upon contact with the sand, emitting thick smoke as it corroded the golden barrier.
The venom that splashed onto the surrounding vegetation burned deep holes into the plants, destroying their vitality.
Seizing the opportunity, Orochimaru crouched low to the ground. With a guttural sound, he opened his mouth wide, releasing a swarm of venomous snakes that poured out like a tide.
The advancing snakes each opened their jaws to reveal gleaming blades within.
This was Orochimaru's ultimate technique: Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes, where 'man spits snake, snake spits sword.'
The ground in front of Orochimaru turned black, as if ink had been spilled across its surface. The swarm of snakes surged toward Sōmi and his allies like a relentless tide.
"Everyone, stay behind me!"
Sōmi shouted, his hands moving like spinning wheels as he formed hand seals with lightning speed, his movements a blur.
With his actions, the ground began to react violently. Grasping the Starfall Rod, Sōmi unleashed a torrent of Chakra stored within it.
"Golden Sand Prison Flow!"
Sōmi slammed the Starfall Rod into the ground.
Boom!
The ground in front of him erupted into a three-meter-high cascade of golden sand.
Crash!
The solid ground shattered under the force of the surging sand. The snake swarm, trees, rocks—everything on the surface was swallowed by the golden torrent.
"Ahhh!"
Several Konoha ninja who had been positioned too far forward were caught in the flow, disappearing without a trace.
The massive wave of golden sand crashed into Manda, completely burying its coiled body. The force of the impact tilted its head at an awkward angle, as if it were a drowning man struggling helplessly in a raging river.
Poof!
A puff of white smoke signaled Manda's disappearance. Fortunately for summoned creatures, they had a life-saving ability to cancel their summoning contracts and return to their original locations.
From above, the scene resembled a breach in the Yellow River. The golden sand particles flowed like liquid, washing over the battlefield.
By the end, only a few scattered, resilient trees remained visible above the surface. The area in front of Sōmi had transformed into a golden lake.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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