"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
The middle-aged Sunagakure ninja finally completed his hand seals, but the surface of the rolling sphere was already smeared with blood, leaving a crimson trail in its wake.
He exhaled a long, angled wind blade from his mouth, aiming it fiercely at the spherical mass before him.
Bang!
The sphere collided with the wind blade, but it merely slowed down momentarily before the wind blade shattered in an instant.
Seeing this, the middle-aged ninja had no choice but to retreat temporarily.
However, just as he prepared to leap away, the rolling sphere unexpectedly came to a halt. Two massive arms extended from its sides, reaching out to grab him tightly.
"Ah! You're no match for this guy, run!" The middle-aged Sunagakure ninja struggled desperately, but the enormous hand felt as if it were made of iron, leaving him with no hope of escape.
"Captain Kota!" The other Sunagakure ninja showed anxious expressions, ignoring the middle-aged man's advice as they rushed forward, intent on rescuing him.
"Are you all fools?!"
"Run!" Captain Kota shouted, his body creaking under the pressure of the giant hand, his eyes bloodshot.
After yelling these words, he found himself unable to breathe, forced to watch helplessly as another hand rose high above.
As the hand reached its peak, it seemed to swell further, casting a shadow over the group of Sunagakure ninja.
The hand slammed down with a thunderous crash!
Captain Kota closed his eyes, filled with bitterness. These young ninjas, fresh from the academy, were about to perish here.
"I'm still too weak..." Captain Kota thought, images of the young ninjas flashing through his mind.
Bang!
A sharp sound of air being sliced followed by a violent impact.
Captain Kota felt his body suddenly lift into the air and then fall to the ground. For a moment, his dazed mind couldn't determine if he was still alive.
But the next instant, the pain coursing through his body brought him joy—pain meant he was still alive.
As he regained his senses, he found himself lying on the ground, a few meters away from the stunned young Sunagakure ninja.
To his left, a deep furrow had been plowed into the earth, leading to a golden spear piercing the chest of the giant-armed Konoha ninja.
The ninja bore the signature markings of the Akimichi clan and wore dark red armor.
But evidently, the armor offered no defense against the golden spear, which had pierced straight through his heart, leaving him on the brink of death.
Before his consciousness faded into darkness, he heard the excited cries of Sunagakure ninja: "Lord Sōmi!"
Sōmi glanced briefly at Captain Kota's injuries—multiple bone fractures and internal bleeding—but his consciousness remained clear.
"Take him back to the rear!" Sōmi said calmly. Though he could heal him with his palm sage technique, the war was at a critical stage, and he couldn't afford to spend Chakra here.
"Lord Sōmi! We..." The Sunagakure ninja seemed resistant to this order. Before heading to the battlefield, their seniors had spoken of the shame of desertion—better to die in battle than to flee or betray.
If caught by the village for desertion or betrayal, the consequences would be worse than death!
"This is an order. In your current state, you're useless in this war. Remember what you witnessed today—turn your grief into strength, and you'll be able to contribute more to the village." Sōmi turned away, leaving them with an undeniable command before departing.
After Sōmi and the young ninja left, the ground suddenly bulged.
The mound moved swiftly, like a fish swimming through water.
In a blink, it reached beneath the Akimichi clan ninja's body, and with a soft rustle, Orochimaru emerged from the earth!
Orochimaru's aura was somewhat diminished, suggesting that breaking free from Sōmi's powerful technique hadn't been easy.
"Unexpectedly, Sunagakure has produced a remarkable figure..." Orochimaru extended his crimson tongue, licking his upper lip as he gazed in the direction Sōmi had departed, his eyes gleaming with a strange light.
"Hehe! I've been needing some new material, and this is a perfect opportunity..." Orochimaru turned his gaze to the Akimichi clan ninja's corpse.
With fiery eyes, Orochimaru crouched down, placing one hand on the golden spear. With the other hand, he formed a sword seal, and fine blue light emerged.
The golden spear crumbled instantly, sliding beneath the corpse like dense yellow sand.
Orochimaru opened his mouth and spat out a scroll, sealing the corpse within before swallowing it back into his belly.
If Sōmi witnessed this scene, he would surely ask Orochimaru how he managed such intricate sealing techniques...
With Sōmi joining the fray, Sunagakure began to turn the tide of the battle.
Konoha ninja retreated quickly.
Before long, Sunagakure ninja reached the entrance of a canyon.
If they could push through the canyon, Kikyō Mountain would be directly ahead.
Konoha ninja knew well the strategic importance of this canyon entrance.
"Ryūhei! What do we do now?"
"Lord Orochimaru isn't here!" shouted an Uchiha ninja.
Konoha ninja fought while retreating, withdrawing toward the canyon entrance to secure advantageous positions.
The proud Uchiha clan chose to cover the retreat, demonstrating their strong sense of honor.
"Don't worry, those Sunagakure scoundrels must have used underhanded tactics to temporarily trap Lord Orochimaru. Their leader is so young; he can't possibly match Lord Orochimaru!"
"We've sent out a distress signal. We just need to hold on. We mustn't let them capture Kikyō Mountain!" Ryūhei Uchiha shouted, his three-tomoe Sharingan flashing as he stabilized the troops.
He swung his kunai, cutting down two attacking Sunagakure ninja.
Ordinary Chūnin were no match for him, demonstrating his formidable strength.
Naturally, such outstanding prowess soon caught Sōmi's attention.
"Three-tomoe eyes are rare indeed!" Sōmi was intrigued by the Sharingan, of course.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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