"Salamander, break their jutsu first."
Hanzō began issuing orders to his salamander.
"Gwaaah… gwaah…"
The creature let out two guttural cries, its enormous body surprisingly agile.
With a single sweep of its tail, the combined Konoha ninjutsu was completely destroyed.
"Gwaaah… gwaah…"
It cried again—stealing the credit from its master on purpose.
Hanzō crouched down and gently patted its head in encouragement.
When Manda caught sight of the salamander, his expression darkened. This big guy wouldn't be easy to deal with.
"Damn it… Hanzō's summon is way too strong."
Even from that brief exchange, Orochimaru could tell how powerful the salamander was.
Only when forced into a direct clash with Hanzō did Orochimaru fully understand why the man was called a demi-god.
Meanwhile, Konoha and Rain shinobi had already entered close-quarters combat.
For a time, the battlefield was drowned in jutsu and bloodshed, with people dying by the second.
Orochimaru drew his sword and clashed with Hanzō's scythe, but after just a few exchanges, he was already at a disadvantage.
And he still had to watch out for the poison gas the salamander occasionally spewed.
In this weapon duel, Orochimaru felt nothing but despair.
Then he saw his chance.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Numerous serpents shot from his sleeves—some biting, some trying to coil around Hanzō.
"Sword Art—Iaido Cut."
Hanzō sliced the snakes clean in half with a single sweep of his scythe. Orochimaru's signature technique had no effect at all.
Using the opening, Orochimaru retreated to the top of Manda's head.
But Manda's body already looked weakened—new wounds everywhere.
He had been poisoned. And even though it was the same poison that affected both sides—allowing him to hold on a bit longer—Orochimaru could tell he wouldn't last.
Manda lowered his head, chomped a few Rain-nin into his jaws, then raised his head and swallowed them whole.
"I won't last much longer… so be careful."
After saying this, he continued wrestling with the salamander, stopping it from slaughtering more Konoha ninjas.
"Ten-Thousand Snake Formation!"
Orochimaru spewed a swarm of snakes from his mouth, hurling them toward Hanzō.
"How many times must I tell you—your name is Orochimaru, and all you know is snakes?"
Hanzō didn't move. The salamander swallowed the snakes, burrowed underground, then emerged again—launching thousands of them high into the air.
"Orochimaru… I can't hold on anymore."
The thousands of snakes burst into smoke and vanished, returning to Ryūchi Cave to recover.
"Without your summoned beast, you are no match for me."
Hanzō gripped his scythe and charged at Orochimaru.
Meanwhile, the salamander finally unleashed its true power.
A great cloud of purple poison mist erupted from its mouth, engulfing the entire battlefield.
Before long, Konoha shinobi began collapsing—dying rapidly. Even the strongest among them grew numb and sluggish.
Konoha forces were being wiped out. Orochimaru had understood the outcome long ago—
From the moment Manda vanished—No, from the moment he had led his troops into the charge,the result was already decided.
"Earth Style—Rift!"
Orochimaru used a jutsu to evade Hanzō's attack, then turned and fled with the few surviving Konoha shinobi.
Seven months earlier, Rain-nin had been massacred.This time, the losses Konoha suffered were even worse.
War never favored the weak.And Konoha was full of orphans.
"Should we pursue them?"
Shinda appeared beside Hanzō, also wearing a gas mask. Poison spared no one.
"Forget it. Killing the Hokage's student will only cause unnecessary trouble."
Hanzō had no desire to start a death-feud with Konoha.
Deaths in war were normal—but killing the Hokage's disciple was another matter entirely.
In terms of overall national strength, the Rain Country was still far inferior to the great nations.
"Kill the remaining ones, then return."
Hanzō issued the cruel order without a flicker of emotion.
Such was the price of war.
After Hanzō and the Rain-nin withdrew, it began to rain.
Heavy rainfall washed across the land—mixing with the blood that soaked the battlefield, forming red puddles.
The ground was littered with Konoha corpses.Aside from the dozen Orochimaru carried away, not a single one survived.
"Orochimaru-sama… what do we do now?"
The surviving Konoha shinobi were pale and sluggish—each suffering from varying degrees of poisoning.
One of the more soft-spoken ninjas asked Orochimaru, whose expression was dark and unreadable.
They were currently fleeing toward the Land of Fire.
"Hanzō isn't chasing us. We're safe for now."
"But we've completely lost this battle. We have to return to the village."
"And you need treatment immediately."
Even in defeat, Orochimaru's mind remained sharp. Being beaten as the weaker side was normal—and he rarely believed in anyone else's strength anyway.
But then a sudden thought surfaced:
If Kawamine, Jiraiya, and Tsunade had been here…would the outcome have been different?
But reality held no "what-ifs."Defeat was absolute.
Orochimaru pushed the remaining Konoha shinobi onward without rest.
Three more died of severe poisoning along the way.
The atmosphere was suffocatingly heavy. Almost no one spoke.
Because of their injuries, it took them four days to return to Konoha.
Fortunately, Orochimaru had carried the antidote pills Tsunade developed—otherwise even fewer would have survived.
As the village gates opened, only one ninja still stood beside Orochimaru.The rest collapsed the moment they reached safety—breathing their last or fainting outright.
"Get her to Konoha General Hospital immediately."
Orochimaru commanded the chūnin guarding the gate.
There was no way those chūnin did not recognize Orochimaru.They didn't even bother checking his identity—they simply ran off in fear to call for help.
After watching the medics carry the wounded away, Orochimaru entered the village and headed toward the Hokage's office.
He wanted to apologize. As commander, it was his responsibility.
Upon reaching the building, the ANBU quickly reported the situation and escorted him into the office.
"Sensei… we suffered a disastrous defeat."
…
"It was my incompetence."
For even the proud Orochimaru to say such words—it showed how much pressure this battle had placed on him.
"Hanzō the Salamander personally intervened?"
"No wonder you underestimated him."
Hiruzen's face showed no anger—only a shadowed, heavy expression. He continued puffing on his pipe.
Silence weighed down the room.
The two advisors remained quiet as well—no one knew what strategy they were considering.
"Go for now. I need time to think."
After a while, Hiruzen set down his pipe, sighed, and dismissed Orochimaru.
"Koharu, Homura… your thoughts?"
Once Orochimaru left, the Third Hokage asked for the advisors' opinions.
"Send more troops. Continue the fight."
"Konoha shinobi cannot die in vain."
Their words differed, but the intent was the same.
"All right. I'll request additional supplies from the daimyo immediately."
Hiruzen's eyes sharpened. This time, convincing the daimyo would not be easy.
Orochimaru left the Hokage building, his eyes unfocused.Tears slipped from the corner of his eyes.
Only your own strength…is truly reliable.
He looked up at the sky.Konoha's sky was impossibly blue.A gentle breeze brushed the leaves, making them sway quietly.
For the first time, Orochimaru didn't know where to go.
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All the fanfiction is 30-chapter ahead but this "Naruto: Tsunade the Fugitive Healer" is 30 chapters ahead there