"Impossible… how did you find this place so quickly?"
A samurai was held by the throat, lifted into the air by Hanzo.
"There are many ways to track someone," Hanzo replied calmly. "The scent you left behind, your footprints… even the lingering traces of chakra."
"You carried the Daimyō when you fled, didn't you? The footprints outside the escape tunnel were faint—but to me, they were as obvious as lamps in the night."
His grip tightened slowly.
"Now talk. Where is the Daimyō? If you answer honestly, I might grant you a quick death."
"Never."
The samurai clenched his teeth, suddenly convulsed—and died.
"Poison hidden in his teeth… instant death upon drawing blood." Hanzo shook his head. The trail ended here.
"The Wind Country Daimyō's retainers are quite loyal. This complicates things. I acted too soon—I should've followed him back to the Daimyō instead."
He glanced toward the nearby town and then at the Ame shinobi behind him.
"This man was just an outer sentry. That means the Daimyō must be hiding somewhere in this town."
"I'll investigate personally."
"From now on, watch every person entering or leaving this town. If anything seems suspicious—eliminate them immediately."
"Yes, Lord Hanzo."
With a Body Flicker, Hanzo vanished.
---
At the border of the Land of Wind, a group of Sunagakure ninja confronted Orochimaru's team.
"Our movements were exposed this quickly… Sunagakure was prepared," Orochimaru muttered, his expression dark.
"Tsunade, their numbers match ours. Should we break through by force?"
Their mission had been reconnaissance—but now that they'd been discovered, battle was inevitable.
"Attack."
Tsunade leapt forward without hesitation. Orochimaru and the Konoha ninja followed.
"They're coming. Are preparations complete?" the Suna squad captain asked.
"All ready, Captain."
Beside him lay a scroll marked with the character for 'Snake', covered in dense, tadpole-like sealing formulas.
"Good."
He uncorked a vial and splashed blood onto the symbol, then slammed his hand down.
"Treacherous Konoha—pay the price!"
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A massive summoning seal expanded from the scroll. Thick smoke billowed—and a gigantic red, one-eyed serpent appeared.
"You dare summon me again?!" the serpent roared. "I'll devour you!"
The red snake—Garaga—clearly held a grudge against his contractor. After roaring, he realized he couldn't sense their chakra.
"Where did you go?! Show yourselves!"
His massive body twisted violently, crushing nearby Sand ninja into pulp. Only then did he notice the scroll on the ground.
"You summoned me with this trick? You expect me to fight for you? Die!"
The Suna captain never expected the summoned beast to attack its own side first.
"Retreat! Retreat!"
A giant summon was terrifying. Even a casual movement carried the power of an A-rank ninjutsu. If it went berserk, controlling it would be nearly impossible.
"A snake… Ryūchi Cave!" Orochimaru recognized immediately.
"They failed to control their summon and suffered backlash. If it's from Ryūchi Cave, that makes sense," he said. "This is our chance—circle around and cut off their escape."
But as they moved, Garaga sensed them.
"One of them bears the contract of Ryūchi Cave… In this era, only Manda still has a contract. So that's his summoner."
Garaga turned toward the Konoha forces, rage overwhelming him.
"Humans are all the same… liars!"
"Die! All of you!"
He lunged toward Orochimaru's group.
"Scatter!" Tsunade shouted. "Orochimaru—he's targeting you!"
"He sensed my Ryūchi Cave contract… Should I summon Manda?"
A troubling thought crossed Orochimaru's mind:
Would pitting Ryūchi Cave snakes against each other anger the White Snake Sage?
But facing a giant summon without one of their own was far too dangerous.
"Tsunade!"
She understood instantly. "Everyone, fall back!"
"Summoning Jutsu!" ×2
Two clouds of smoke erupted. Manda and Katsuyu appeared before Garaga.
"Manda!" Orochimaru called.
"Manda, what now? Last time you dragged me into battles with the Third Kazekage and Hanzo—I nearly died from that poison!"
Manda's temper flared; he'd shed his skin multiple times while recovering.
Now he'd barely healed and was summoned again—only to face Garaga.
"You side with humans?" Garaga roared.
"So it's you, Garaga," Manda sneered. "Still bitter after being cheated by your contractor? Try not to lose your other eye this time."
Garaga exploded with rage. "You're nothing but a dog serving humans!"
"You dare call me a damn dog?!" Manda snapped.
The two serpents collided with a thunderous crash, immediately entangling in brutal combat.
"Tsunade, Orochimaru might be in danger," Katsuyu warned.
"Why?"
"Reverse scales. Garaga has developed one beneath his neck. In Ryūchi Cave, when a snake grows a reverse scale, it means it has the potential to transform into a dragon."
"It enhances both temperament and strength. He's far stronger than before."
As they spoke, Manda was already losing ground. Garaga's coils crushed deep dents into Manda's purple body.
"Wind Style: Wind Cutter!" Orochimaru attacked—but the jutsu only made a sharp crack against Garaga's scales and did no damage.
Unlike Manda's smooth skin, Garaga's scales were as tough as steel.
"His body has been tempered by senjutsu," Katsuyu said. "He's evolving toward becoming a dragon. His attraction to natural energy surpasses even Manda and me."
Before she finished, Tsunade leapt forward.
"Heaven Kick of Pain!"
Her chakra-charged kick slammed into Garaga's jaw, shattering several scales. Yet Garaga refused to release Manda.
"Garaga! I'll kill you!" Manda roared in fury.
He spat gray sludge. Garaga spat the same in response.
"Orochimaru!" Tsunade warned.
That mud could petrify anything it touched.
The projectiles collided midair and rained down. Garaga twisted free to dodge. Manda retreated with minor damage. Tsunade jumped back to Orochimaru's side.
Manda glared at Garaga.
"I treated you like a brother—and you tried to kill me."
He growled at Orochimaru:
"See the bulging scale under his throat? Tear it off—or destroy it. Today, we're gonna educate him."
--------------------------------///
Advance Chapters on Patreon!
p(a)treon(.)com/HudaLin
-Remove the parenthesis to access patreon normally
Thanks for the Support!