Chapter 56: The Battle Begins

On the defensive line at Kikyo Pass, Uchiha Feiyu looked at the short blade flashing with cold light in his hand, feeling the chakra flowing smoothly within it, and couldn't help but exclaim:

"Orochimaru is really generous! If this Kusanagi Sword were sold on the open market, it would fetch at least tens of millions of ryo!"

"The foundation of the Leaf is quite solid; it is only right that you be equipped with a divine weapon capable of fully unleashing the power of the White Fang's blade techniques."

The soul of Hatake Sakumo spoke faintly, as if remembering something:

"Back then, my White Fang Short Blade was also custom-made with the village's help."

"It's different. The value of the White Fang Short Blade cannot compare to the Kusanagi Sword; that blade could at best be considered an excellent boutique, but it is definitely not a legendary weapon like the Kusanagi Sword. Besides, this is Orochimaru's personal property; what does it have to do with the Leaf?"

"Furthermore, even if the village helped you custom-make the White Fang Short Blade, you surely still paid for the materials and labor, right? I, on the other hand, am getting this for absolutely nothing—I even got the reward before I started the mission."

Hatake Sakumo was momentarily speechless; thinking about it carefully, Orochimaru was indeed being excessively generous.

Uchiha Feiyu, however, had some suspicions in his heart; it was obvious that Orochimaru wanted to win him over!

Was he looking at him as a vessel for reincarnation, or was it for the sake of the position of Hokage?

Not knowing Orochimaru's current state of mind, Uchiha Feiyu couldn't guess his thoughts, but one thing he could be certain of: Orochimaru was interested in him.

"Actually, joining Snake Uncle's camp wouldn't be bad. After all, Snake Uncle's research capabilities are no joke, and his moral bottom line is extremely low, which is just right for the development of a Demonic Path figure."

However, those were things to consider only after the Third Great Ninja War ended; the primary task now was to deal with the menacing Sand Ninja.

On the skyline, a golden tide vaguely appeared, accompanied by a rumbling, muffled sound like the sea, reflecting dazzling light as it charged straight toward the defensive line.

"Gold Sand Technique, what a grand display; this Fourth Kazekage is truly arrogant!"

Uchiha Feiyu chuckled, his tone impossible to distinguish between mockery or praise.

The golden, glittering sand looked imposing and magnificent, but unfortunately, it wasn't real gold, merely a metal mixture containing a small amount of gold; otherwise, if the Fourth Kazekage were a gold miner, he wouldn't just be able to support one Sunagakure—he could afford to pack up and support all Five Great Shinobi Villages.

"After all, he is the Kazekage, representing the face of Sunagakure."

Orochimaru sneered. Today, he had uncharacteristically put on a ninja flak jacket and tied up his long hair, looking clean and sharp, clearly having prepared for battle.

Seeing the golden waves rolling in, Orochimaru did not hesitate; he formed seals with his hands, and amidst the diffusing white smoke, the massive figure of Manda appeared.

On this giant snake's body, there were still some burn marks, scars left over from the last battle against four jinchuriki, which seemed to add a few more points of ferocity.

"Orochimaru... what is the opponent this time?"

Manda's voice sounded somewhat lazy. The main reason was that it had appeared in several major battles during this period, and after each battle, Orochimaru would let Manda clean up the battlefield; the large number of worthless Chunin and Genin corpses had already stuffed this ferocious Summoned Beast.

"This time it's Sunagakure. It's the same as before: if the battle is won, all those corpses of Sand Ninja Genin and Chunin with no important intelligence will be your offerings!"

"Sand Ninja... those guys who play with sand? Heh, it seems I can have another full meal!"

A ferocious smile appeared on Manda's face as it lifted up Orochimaru, who was standing on its head, and charged straight toward the golden sand tide.

The golden tide was instantly forced to a halt; Orochimaru on the giant snake's head and the Fourth Kazekage stepping on the gold sand began a battle as sharp as needles against wheat awns.

At the same time, a large number of Sand Ninja squads and Leaf Ninja squads emerged from all directions, and in an instant, the entire Kikyo Pass turned into a chaotic battlefield.

Uchiha Feiyu sighed, his body slowly disappearing. At the same time, the bodies of several Sand Ninja rushing toward him shuddered slightly, a bloodstain appeared on their necks, and their heads rolled down directly.

"Forget about that old woman Chiyo for now; I'll kill a round first, earning whatever I can!"

Thus, an invisible Kamaitachi Storm was whipped up among the Sand Ninja. In an instant, the Sand Ninja near Uchiha Feiyu one by one changed their profession to Headless Ghost, the terrifying sight causing the Sand Ninja who saw it to change color in alarm:

"Konoha Ghost... the Konoha Ghost is here!!"

"Can't see him, can't see him at all, can't even hear a sound... run!"

Facing the invisible and intangible attack, even the fierce and disciplined Sand Ninja were quickly frightened out of their wits. However, because the ninja battlefield was stretched extremely wide, there was no phenomenon of a rout or a charge, which instead slowed down Uchiha Feiyu's killing efficiency.

"Konoha Ghost?! That damn coward, he finally came out!"

At this moment, Pakura, who had just finished off a Leaf Ninja, looked happy and charged directly in the direction of Uchiha Feiyu. A golden fireball rotated in the sky, and with a 'Boom—', it split into countless tiny sparks, sweeping across a space the size of several basketball courts.

"You can't hide... come out and die, you damn Konoha Ghost!"

Uchiha Feiyu slowly revealed his figure, frowning as he patted the sparks on his shoulders, not expecting that he had actually attracted this woman.

Sorry, although you are very pretty, my target has always been that old woman!

Well, the main reason was that Pakura's Scorch Release was too much of a counter to a close-combat type like Uchiha Feiyu; touching even a little would turn him into a Dried Corpse. Just being illuminated by that big fireball made his sweat and stamina pour out.

Furthermore, the high temperature would cause the Camouflage Concealment Technique to distort, making it impossible to maintain a perfect stealth state.

Under these circumstances, Uchiha Feiyu in his Possession state, even if his raw strength was a notch above Pakura's, did not want to risk fighting her.

How good was the old woman Chiyo? Puppet Masters were naturally countered by high-speed ninja, and Hatake Sakumo had made Sand Ninja Puppet Masters turn pale at the mention of his name; he was a master among masters, and he could win against that old woman without even needing to use his brain.

Unfortunately, the hot-tempered Pakura didn't care about that. She firmly remembered how Uchiha Feiyu had used a Shadow Clone Jutsu to trick her back then, and then made her eat sand in the desert for over a month without even touching a hair of his.

Now that she saw the person himself, this Scorch Style User naturally didn't say a word, raised her hand, and threw a fireball over.

(End of chapter)