Chapter 174

The second wave of attacks from the Sky Ninjas wasn't as effective as the first.

After all, Konoha, as the largest village in the ninja world, was quick to adapt. The initial surprise had worked in the enemy's favor, but a second attempt? This time, it wasn't going to go so smoothly.

Orochimaru took his weapon back and glanced over at Nawaki, who was hiding nearby. Because of his relationship with Tsunade, Orochimaru kept a close eye on Nawaki on the battlefield, keeping him by his side. It might slow Nawaki's growth as a shinobi, but Orochimaru didn't mind. He was genuinely curious to see if he could change Nawaki's fate.

After confirming that Nawaki was safe, Orochimaru turned his attention to Hizashi. The thirteen-year-old Hyuga was carrying his scroll and maneuvering among the rocks, searching for an angle to launch an attack. Without long-range techniques like the Eight Trigrams Air Palm, he relied on the tools Orochimaru had provided, thirty rounds of heat-seeking rockets that could keep him in the fight.

The Sky Ninjas quickly took note of Hizashi's movements and decided to target him.

"So Konoha has tech similar to ours?"

"Interesting. Take out that kid first."

But before they could act, there was a sudden whistling sound.

A Sky Ninja was shot down instantly, and Konoha ninjas on the ground quickly moved in, finishing him off.

Seeing his teammate killed, the Sky Ninja captain narrowed his eyes. "That's Konoha's long-range weapon we heard about. Annoying, indeed."

"Damn it…"

"Look out!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three more Sky Ninjas dropped out of the sky, their metal wings breaking apart as they crashed to the ground.

This was turning into a battle of modern weapons: microburst guns vs. sniper rifles, bombs vs. heat-seeking missiles. The main difference was simply their numbers.

Boom!

Another explosion in the sky took out two more.

"Well done!"

"Impressive, Hyuga boy!"

Even Orochimaru glanced at Hizashi with interest. "Taking down two at once? This Hyuga kid's got talent. Only his first time using it, and he's already that accurate?"

"Damn it!" shouted another Sky Ninja. "That kid's got to go!"

"I'm on it!"

"Watch out for Konoha's long-range counterattacks!"

As the Sky Ninjas adjusted their strategy, Konoha's forces did the same.

"Fugaku, they're targeting the Hyuga boy! Cover him!"

"You got it!"

Just then, another figure appeared.

"Hey, is that… Orochimaru-sama's summoned beast?"

"Haha, looks like we're not needed here after all!"

---

"Who are these guys, Orochimaru?"

"They're targets," Orochimaru replied calmly.

"Hmph!" sneered Manda, one of Orochimaru's massive summoned snakes. With a snap of his jaws, Manda devoured a Sky Ninja who failed to dodge in time. In the same movement, he struck out again, taking down two more.

Seeing this, the Sky Ninjas were shaken. To carry out their attacks, they had to fly low, and Manda's sheer size meant he could strike them at close range. Plus, his scales were so tough that any attempt to harm him was essentially useless.

"Damn it, this snake hurts! Let's get out of here!"

The Sky Ninja captain cursed under his breath. He knew that unless they used bombs from a higher altitude, their weapons were outmatched. And with the giant snake and that kid firing rockets from the ground… continuing this fight would only mean more casualties.

"Fall back!" he shouted.

As the Sky Ninjas began their retreat, Konoha moved to respond. Hizashi quickly reported the direction of their escape, and the Nara clan used that information to estimate the location of the Sky Ninja's base.

Several Konoha teams were sent to track them, including Orochimaru's.

Of course, Orochimaru volunteered for this. He was curious to see if these Sky Ninjas really had something as grand as an "air fortress."

---

The Sky Ninja, originally a small but ambitious force during the Second Shinobi War, had always harbored big plans. They'd dared to challenge the five great nations, caring little for their approval.

But now, with Orochimaru's strength posing a significant threat, both Iwa and Suna had sought out the Sky Ninjas, offering them resources and drawing them into a three-way alliance against Konoha.

It was ironic in a way, Orochimaru's strength had forced these three unlikely allies together.

Even Orochimaru hadn't anticipated this level of impact. He couldn't have known that his presence would trigger such an unusual alliance.

He didn't know much about the Sky Ninjas beyond what was in his memories. Their technology wasn't that impressive; aside from their launchers, nothing really stood out to him. Bombs and submachine guns? He had enough of those at his disposal, and they held little novelty for him now.

Even their flying apparatus was only somewhat interesting. A set of metal wings powered by chakra? That had limited use. Orochimaru wasn't particularly eager to rely on props like that for flight.

Flying based on tools alone seemed reckless. One wrong move, and they'd come crashing down.

Real flight was more reliable when it came from one's own strength. It provided greater control, agility, and freedom in combat.

Take Deidara's explosive clay birds, for example. Even if he was thrown off midair, he could quickly create another bird to catch himself.

Or consider Onoki, the Tsuchikage. His Lightened Boulder Jutsu allowed him and others to fly freely. Unless you killed him outright, he wouldn't fall from the sky.

---

Anyway, Orochimaru's team now joined the mission to locate the enemy headquarters.

The old strategy of "cut off the head to kill the snake" still applied.

If only he could fly. If he had that ability right now, Orochimaru would probably be challenging Onoki directly.