Chapter 151: The Dust Settles
The dense mass of five thousand venomous snakes, each as thick as an adult's arm, coiled and intertwined in the air, condensing into a gigantic multicolored venomous hand, roughly an acre in size. Its five fingers flexed and slammed heavily toward the pale-green tornado column that connected heaven and earth.
Boom! A colossal sound. The terrifying great venomous hand solidly struck the pale-green wind column.
The tornado hurricane, which connected the sky and ground, contained endless, incredibly sharp wind blades of varying sizes.
The moment the hand formed by the snake horde struck the column, after the initial roar, an ear-splitting sound of cutting and tearing immediately erupted.
Dozens, even hundreds, of venomous snakes were instantly pulverized into several pieces by the incomparably sharp wind force.
In mid-air, it was as if a pool of blood had been opened, raining down blood and shredded flesh.
In the short moments of this collision, the massive multicolored venomous hand had shrunk by a third, and the pale-green wind column wavered unsteadily, showing signs of running out of power.
Orochimaru knew that success or failure rested on this single moment. A ruthless look flashed in his dark-golden eyes. He raised his right hand, remotely controlling the venomous hand in the air. He curled his fingers and clenched.
One could clearly see the thousands of remaining venomous snakes in the multicolored hand frantically slithering, as if injected with a stimulant.
The resulting multicolored venomous hand fiercely opened its five fingers, grabbed the pale-green wind column that connected heaven and earth, and forcefully squeezed.
Bang! Boom! An explosion ripped through the air. Nearly a thousand venomous snakes were instantly reduced to blood rain and shredded flesh in this single strike, painting a huge, intensely vivid blood flower in the air. The terrifying, immense force forcefully severed the heaven-and-earth-connecting wind column at its middle.
Rumble! A violent tremor shook the ground.
A circle of pale-green wind force ripples, visible to the naked eye, spread out like water waves from the explosion, radiating across the forest for ten miles.
Orochimaru desperately grabbed Manda's horn to stabilize his posture in the furious blast of wind, while the Aokita and Aokiya brothers, whose Chakra was long depleted and who were exhausted nearby, were instantly swept up and tossed away like pieces of dandelion fluff in the wind.
Towering trees tumbled down. At the center of the battlefield, the ground—already severely ravaged by the previous fighting—was forcibly sheared of a layer about ten centimeters deep by the strong, fierce wind ripples, exposing the soil and mud beneath.
The wind faded, the clouds dispersed, and the dust settled. Besides the clear sky, all that remained was the multicolored venomous hand, now reduced to half its size, before it dispersed.
Aftermath and Next Steps
Takayama Haruno glanced at the battle of the Chūnin where the Sand Ninja had long been wiped out. Severely wounded and with little Chakra left, his heart turned to ash, but he remained standing, maintaining the last shred of dignity as a Semi-Kage powerhouse. He slowly closed his eyes. In the darkness, he seemed to see the grim reaper's scythe swinging down!
Immediately, a shadow fell over his head, and a sudden full-body pain caused Takayama Haruno to lose consciousness.
After crushing Takayama Haruno, the giant venomous snake hand exploded into a cloud of white smoke and retreated to the summoning dimension.
Manda "viciously" reminded Orochimaru to send the cattle and sheep sacrifices on time before reluctantly returning.
At this point, the group of Konoha Elite Chūnin, disheveled and battered by the final wind force ripples, quickly rushed forward.
After first locating the exhausted Aokita and Aokiya brothers, Orochimaru ordered the others to begin clearing the battlefield.
A quick assessment allowed Orochimaru's mind to settle slightly. Two Anbu ninja had died, and everyone else sustained injuries of various sizes, though mostly minor. This casualty count was still within Orochimaru's acceptable range.
He distributed the Sealing Powder he had brought. Since they were in the rear of the Konoha battlefield, within friendly controlled territory, Orochimaru and his team decided to rest on the spot for two hours. Once everyone's Chakra had recovered, he commanded them to resume clearing the battlefield.
Orochimaru approached Takayama Haruno's side. Takayama Haruno, having been literally crushed by the venomous snake hand, lay bloody on the ground.
However, thanks to Orochimaru's control, his corpse remained relatively intact, although an internal examination would reveal that all his organs had been pulverized.
Orochimaru pulled a scroll from the ninja pouch on his lower back—it contained pre-drawn sealing formulas.
Just as he was about to seal the body, Orochimaru's eyes landed on the two gauntlets in Takayama Haruno's hands, which contained the hidden knuckle spike mechanism. His mind stirred.
"Tsunade, come over here!" Orochimaru called out to Tsunade.
Tsunade, hearing Orochimaru's summons, hurried over with a look of pleasant surprise.
Orochimaru removed the gauntlets from Takayama Haruno and handed them to her, saying calmly: "These have a hidden knuckle spike mechanism, and the material for conducting Chakra is better than your original pair. Take them!"
Tsunade excitedly took the gauntlets, holding them to her chest and admiring them, her face displaying the happiness of a young girl.
Orochimaru didn't think much of it and continued to seal Takayama Haruno's corpse.
A faint Chakra glow appeared in Orochimaru's hands, making his handsome profile and dark-golden eyes appear even more wicked and captivating, causing Tsunade to stare at him blankly for a moment.
After personally dealing with Takayama Haruno's body, Orochimaru instructed the others to cremate the bodies of their two deceased Anbu comrades, carrying the ashes to be returned to Konoha and buried by the memorial stone when they had the chance.
The Sand Ninja corpses were all preserved and sealed within scrolls, along with Takayama Haruno's body, to serve as a crucial part of his upcoming plans.
With everything arranged, the team, racing against the clock, headed full-speed toward the Western Front, the Third Battle Sector.
Arrival at the Third Sector
One day later, in the evening, as the sun set, they arrived at the camp of the Third Battle Sector—the southernmost of the three sectors on Konoha's frontline against the Sand Ninja.
Wisps of cooking smoke rose into the air. Dozens of hot pots were set up in the camp. The Konoha ninja, who had been fighting all day and subsisting only on rough, dry military rations, could finally enjoy some hot soup and stewed meat.
Everyone gathered in small groups around the hot pots, drinking their soup and chatting with their companions.
Squads that had earned recognition for killing enemies were naturally joyful, boasting about their feats and anticipating the rewards they would soon receive.
Squads that suffered casualties were naturally dispirited, drinking the hot soup while worrying about their comrades in the medical tents.
Suddenly, a commotion, mixed with gasps and a hint of surprise, erupted from the crowd at the back of the camp.
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