Chapter 107

The Uzumaki clan, descendants of Asura and distant relatives of the Senju, held a special place in Konoha. Their exceptional vitality, massive chakra reserves, and powerful sealing techniques allowed them to suppress tailed beasts making them a vital ally to the village. Konoha, knowing the importance of the Uzumaki clan, had always sent shinobi to secretly protect them. One of the last survivors, Uzumaki Kushina, witnessed the destruction of her homeland with her own eyes. Because of her special constitution and Konoha's plans for her to become the next jinchūriki, Kushina was brought back to Konoha after the tragedy.

A jinchūriki, as Orochimaru well knew, was a person who served as a vessel for a tailed beast, containing its chakra. Kushina's status as the jinchūriki for the Nine-Tails was top-secret, known only to Konoha's highest officials and a few elite Anbu tasked with her protection. Not even the Sannin, including Orochimaru, were aware of her true purpose. But now, after years of delving into Konoha's hidden secrets, there was little that escaped Orochimaru's notice.

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In Uzushiogakure, chaos reigned.

"Retreat! Retreat now!"

"Hahaha, don't rush, we've looted enough!"

"We've gained plenty of resources here. Even as a minor country, Uzushiogakure still had much to offer."

"We need to leave now! Konoha's reinforcements will be here any moment!"

"What? Konoha? Retreat!"

Ninja after ninja fled from the crumbling walls of Uzushiogakure, their retreat swift as they headed toward the eastern docks of the Land of Whirlpools. But on the western shores, three large ships approached the island.

Onboard were 24 elite Konoha jonin, most of whom had once been classmates of Orochimaru from their chunin days. Hatake Sakumo wasn't present, but the Uchiha clan had sent one of its own: Uchiha Retsu.

"Lord Orochimaru," Nara Shikafu, one of the jonin, spoke calmly. "There are several foreign ninjas on the island. We've spotted them through reconnaissance."

Despite being a jonin now, Shikafu still vividly remembered Orochimaru's terrifying performance during their chunin exams. The memory of how Orochimaru's team had dominated the Forest of Death was forever etched in his mind. Out of respect, he always addressed him as "Lord Orochimaru."

"Is that so?" Orochimaru replied nonchalantly, taking the monocular telescope from Shikafu and peering toward the shores of the Land of Whirlpools. Sure enough, there were several enemy ninjas keeping watch.

"There are indeed quite a few," Orochimaru said, lowering the telescope.

"What should we do?" Shikafu asked, waiting for instructions.

Orochimaru smiled slightly, his voice calm but sharp. "Abandon the ship. We'll head straight for them. If they aren't wearing Uzushiogakure headbands, kill them all."

"Understood!" Shikafu nodded before turning to the others. "Everyone, abandon ship! Attack the enemy directly!"

"Yes, sir!" The assembled jonin echoed as they leaped from the ship, landing swiftly on the water. Chakra surged to the soles of their feet, allowing them to sprint across the waves toward the shores of Uzushiogakure.

Orochimaru and Tsunade were among them.

"Are we really killing all of them, Orochimaru?" Tsunade asked, sounding a bit conflicted.

Orochimaru chuckled, his eyes gleaming with a hint of amusement. "Still soft, Tsunade? These are enemies who've invaded and destroyed an allied village. Do you really expect mercy?"

Tsunade fell silent. Despite her strength, she had never experienced the brutality of war on a large scale. Aside from the few skirmishes Hiruzen had taken her to, she had been shielded from the true horrors of battle. Now, witnessing Konoha preparing to execute foreign invaders without hesitation, she felt a flicker of doubt.

But the battle had already begun.

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"Dammit, Konoha's forces are here already!"

"Hold them off! We need to buy time for the others to retreat!"

"You're all going to die here, Konoha!"

The foreign invaders clashed with Konoha's elite jonin. Fire, earth, and wind-based jutsu filled the air, the clashing forces igniting the land.

"Earth Style: Stone Shatter!" One of the invaders hurled an earth jutsu toward Uchiha Retsu, who dodged it effortlessly. He leaped into the air, drawing his sword with a gleaming arc. His blade met resistance as the enemy blocked with a kunai, but it wasn't long before Retsu gained the upper hand, disarming the foreign ninja with a swift strike.

Elsewhere, Konoha's jonin were proving their superior strength. Many of them hailed from the great clans like the Uchiha, Hyuga, and Aburame, their bloodline abilities and clan techniques giving them an edge in battle. Coupled with their sheer numbers, the tide quickly turned in Konoha's favor.

Orochimaru, however, walked leisurely through the battlefield, his demeanor calm amidst the chaos.

"This is my chance," thought one of the invaders as he spotted Orochimaru's back turned to him. He flung two shurikens with deadly precision.

"Whoosh!" Orochimaru casually sidestepped, not even turning to face the attacker.

"H-how did he dodge that without even looking? Does he have eyes in the back of his head?" the enemy ninja thought, stunned.

Before he could react further, he realized something was very wrong. He couldn't move his hands to form seals.

Glancing down, he saw that a black python had silently coiled around his arm, its grip tight and unyielding.

Orochimaru finally turned, his golden, snake-like eyes locking onto the invader. "Iwa nin? No… you're not from Iwagakure."

"W-what? How can you tell?" the enemy stammered, confusion and fear flooding his voice. His headband and uniform were perfect replicas of Iwagakure's, and his ninjutsu even mimicked the techniques used by Iwa shinobi. How had Orochimaru seen through it?

Orochimaru smirked. "The geology of Iwagakure tends to breed hardier shinobi. Your frame is far too thin to be from there, and your skin… it's far too pale. You're clearly from a small, weaker nation. You disguised yourselves as Iwa-nin to escape retaliation."

The invader was completely taken aback. Who was this man, to deduce their plan so effortlessly?

Unfortunately for him, he had no time to ponder further as Orochimaru's black snake, Yamata, sank its fangs into his neck, injecting its paralytic venom.

"Yamanaka Yanichi," Orochimaru called over to one of his teammates, "take this one for interrogation."

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru," Yanichi replied, moving toward the immobilized man.

Before they could act, another enemy ninja hurled two kunai with explosive tags attached directly at them.

"Don't even think about it!" the enemy shouted.

"Boom!"

The explosion went off, killing the paralyzed ninja instantly. Orochimaru leaped back, avoiding the blast with ease, his face remaining impassive as the smoke cleared.

"Such a waste," Orochimaru muttered, watching the flames dissipate.