Chapter 131: The Ambush's Instant Reversal

Root ninja are, in essence, brainwashed until they lose their self, becoming puppets without a soul.

This is the culmination of Shimura Danzo's "ninja are tools" philosophy, and also his proudest achievement.

Danzo has always taken great pride in the fact that Root ninja obey his every command without question.

But now, even though he gave no order, the Root ninja charged toward Orochimaru on their own.

Their movements were swift and precise, their strikes vicious and lethal, every blow aimed to kill, while simultaneously avoiding the Kirigakure Rogue Ninja's Water Style attack trajectories.

Clearly, before the ambush, both sides had already agreed upon and rehearsed coordinated tactics.

Fierce combat erupted; battle cries, the clash of weapons, the explosions of Ninjutsu, and the crash of rushing water wove together, echoing through the dense forest.

Blood quickly dyed the ground red, and a thick, metallic stench of blood filled the air.

Though the scale of the battle was not large, its intensity was astonishing and exceptionally brutal.

Only the price Orochimaru's side paid was all from Ryuchi Cave's giant snakes and small snakes, while the price the Kirigakure Rogue Ninja paid was human life after human life.

What surprised Shimura Danzo was that his Root ninja had suffered almost no losses.

He could not help but feel deeply puzzled: That shouldn't be the case.

Yes, Orochimaru's Konoha Ninja guards were all elites, immensely powerful, but what they faced was a three-sided encirclement by Mist, Akatsuki, and Konoha Root.

An absolute disadvantage in numbers, combined with the Kirigakure Rogue Ninja using the lake's geographical advantage to double the power of their Water Style Ninjutsu—by every measure, it should have been a crushing battle.

And on the surface, Orochimaru's side was being pushed back—so why were the results the exact opposite?

Orochimaru unhurriedly performed Summoning Jutsu, summoning more and more Ryuchi Cave giant snakes onto the battlefield, building an increasingly solid wall of flesh and blood as a defensive line.

His guard ninja darted back and forth along the defensive line, patching the gaps left by the mindless giant snakes and cutting down the fish that slipped through.

Hoshigaki Kisame erupted his chakra once more, unleashing Water Style: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave in succession, raising wave after wave that completely submerged the dense forest, transforming the forest terrain into a vast ocean.

Many small snakes, once swept up by the crests, vanished without a trace.

Without the support of solid ground, the Ryuchi Cave giant snakes could no longer maintain a defensive line.

"Interesting."

A smile curled at the corner of Orochimaru's mouth, and a gleam of excitement flashed in his golden slit pupils: "Your chakra is truly abundant, practically on par with a Tailed Beast in human form, but if you want my life, Orochimaru's, that much power still isn't enough."

Hoshigaki Kisame sneered coldly: "Tough talk won't change your fate."

Danzo barked harshly: "Everyone, attack with everything you have!"

"Don't give Orochimaru a chance to catch his breath!"

He no longer cared about the Root ninja losing control, and his cane slammed heavily against the water's surface as he personally formed hand seals to launch an attack: "Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"

At the same time, he also issued the order: "Root ninja, use Forbidden Jutsu—at any cost, kill Orochimaru!"

"Mist ninja, use your greatest power to restrain Orochimaru!"

Hoshigaki Kisame snorted coldly: "You old rat leader of Konohagakure, you're in no position to order me!"

But even as he spoke, his hands moved without slowing, immediately forming seals to perform Ninjutsu: "Water Style: Vortex Trap!"

On the already turbulent sea surface, vortexes suddenly appeared one after another, and beneath the water lay a dense network of undercurrents, making every step treacherous.

As Danzo's order was issued, the Root ninja ceased their attacks one after another, stood in place and rapidly formed hand seals, dense and dangerous chakra fluctuations emanating from their bodies.

Chakra gathered on the surface of the Root ninja's bodies, forming a black, viscous liquid.

As a strange scent spread, the Root ninja's lives began to burn, their strength surging explosively, their eyes turning crimson, their speed and power vastly amplified.

Like men possessed, they charged toward Orochimaru.

Seeing this, the Mist Ninja exchanged glances with one another, then unleashed their strongest Ninjutsu in turn, launching attacks against Orochimaru.

Hoshigaki Kisame's chakra erupted once more; countless seas of water spewed from his mouth, merging with the surrounding rivers and lakes to form a colossal water tornado that trapped Orochimaru within it.

But Orochimaru was not the least bit flustered; instead, he called all his guard ninja to his side, clasped his hands behind his back, and smiled as he watched the Kirigakure Rogue Ninja and Root ninja's attacks draw near.

Shimura Danzo was struck with sudden terror; his blustering but cowardly nature kicked in, and he immediately cut off his Ninjutsu and quietly retreated backward.

Hoshigaki Kisame also sensed something was wrong, but no matter how hard he searched, he could not find the problem, and could only grit his teeth and press on.

As the most traditional of ninja, he could not stand by and watch victory slip from his grasp.

At that very moment, the Root ninja suddenly turned, hurling their strongest killing blows at the completely unguarded Mist Ninja.

The caught-off-guard Kirigakure Rogue Ninja were nearly all struck, their flesh and blood sent flying, the dead and wounded grievous in number.

The strong among the Kirigakure Rogue Ninja, in the instant they were struck, fought back viciously, only to be met by the Root ninja's even more vicious, mutual-destruction attacks, dying in exchanges of life for life.

In the span of a single instant, over a thousand Kirigakure Rogue Ninja were reduced to fewer than thirty, and nearly every one of them was gravely wounded.

The Root ninja, however, survived mostly intact, and now stood at Orochimaru's side.

Meanwhile, Yamanaka Chujiu led eight hundred Konoha Ninja, walking across the water from farther away, encircling the Kirigakure Rogue Ninja and Shimura Danzo.

The numbers and strength of both sides instantly reversed.

The outcome naturally turned on its head.

Orochimaru laughed: "Oh-hoh-hoh, my good student, you controlled the Root ninja a little longer than you had anticipated."

Yamanaka Chujiu replied with a smile: "It's fine, Orochimaru-sensei, you must trust that everything is within my grasp."

Orochimaru laughed heartily: "Indeed, not a single one of our side has died—isn't that everything within your grasp."

Shimura Danzo was nearly driven mad: "Orochimaru, Yamanaka Chujiu, what did you do? Why won't the Root ninja listen to my commands?"

"Give me back my ninja!"

Hoshigaki Kisame halted his attack, reined in his chakra, and began searching for a route of retreat, his feet already silently sinking beneath the water.

Suddenly, Orochimaru looked over; his golden slit pupils seemed to hold a mysterious magic, and a single glance sent a chill through Hoshigaki Kisame's entire body, as if he were being watched by a natural predator.

But Hoshigaki Kisame was not the least bit flustered: "Even if you are a great serpent, I am an even fiercer sea shark—who eats whom is hardly certain."

As he spoke, he suddenly formed hand seals and transformed into a half-man, half-fish form; the gill markings on his cheeks truly became enormous gills, and he plunged headfirst into the seawater, splitting into countless translucent seawater sharks that fled in different directions.

Neither Orochimaru nor Yamanaka Chujiu showed any intention of pursuing Hoshigaki Kisame.

They fixed their gaze solely on Shimura Danzo, their killing intent so dense it nearly solidified into something tangible.

Danzo's face turned an iron-blue, and raging fury blazed in his eyes: "Orochimaru! Yamanaka Chujiu! How dare you try to kill me?"

Orochimaru and Yamanaka Chujiu exchanged a glance, then said in unison: "Isn't it perfectly obvious?"