Orochimaru and Jiraiya had already taken action.
The two veteran shinobi raced toward Tangyin Village with purpose and precision. As two of the most experienced and renowned ninjas in the world, it wasn't difficult for them to bypass the Kumogakure guards undetected. With practiced ease, they infiltrated Yugakure Village.
According to intel provided by the sensory unit, the highest concentration of Cloud Ninjas was gathered at a certain location, and Orochimaru and Jiraiya headed there immediately.
Now, the two of them stood on the rooftop, overlooking the target zone.
Jiraiya, brimming with fighting spirit, turned to Orochimaru. "Orochimaru—let's go."
Without hesitation, he bit his thumb, smeared the blood across his palm, and began forming the seals for the summoning technique. Orochimaru followed suit, his movements equally swift and fluid.
Both placed their hands firmly on the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Boom! Boom!
Two massive clouds of smoke exploded outward, enveloping the rooftop. When the smoke cleared, the roof beneath them had completely collapsed. In its place stood two enormous summoned beasts.
From the depths of Ryūchi Cave came Manda, and from the sacred Mount Myōboku arrived Gamabunta.
Gamabunta took a long draw from his giant pipe and blew out a thick cloud of smoke, eyeing the snake beside him with disdain. "Jiraiya, how many damn times have I told you not to summon me when this stinking serpent is around?"
Jiraiya chuckled. "Come on, don't be like that. This mission's important. We can't afford to be picky."
Manda, clearly not fond of the toad either, hissed, "Orochimaru, did you summon me just to feed me this foul toad? If that's the case, you can forget about the offering."
Orochimaru's voice was cold. "Manda, everyone here is your offering."
"Tch."
Manda knew he wouldn't actually get to eat Gamabunta. He just liked to provoke the toad.
The sheer chaos from their summoning had already drawn the attention of both the Cloud and Tang Ninjas. Within moments, a large number of them had surrounded Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
"Orochimaru?! One of the Legendary Sannin? What's he doing in the Land of Hot Springs?!"
"They're attacking Tangyin Village!"
"All units—prepare for combat!"
The battle began.
The Cloud and Hot Spring Ninjas launched their assault on Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
Gamabunta unsheathed his giant short blade and swung it horizontally. A massive group of enemy shinobi was instantly cleaved in half.
Not to be outdone, Manda lashed his tail with incredible force, sending scores of ninjas flying.
The two beasts were like walking calamities—unstoppable, merciless, and utterly terrifying. Manda's thick scales deflected most jutsu with ease. Gamabunta, despite his size, moved with stunning agility. A single leap sent him skyward, making it nearly impossible for enemy attacks to hit him.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru and Jiraiya had already landed on the ground, letting their summoned partners wreak havoc above.
Orochimaru quickly formed seals and pressed his mouth to the earth.
"Summoning: Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"
A torrent of serpents erupted from Orochimaru's mouth. Each snake hunted down Cloud and Tang ninjas, fangs bared.
Jiraiya completed his own hand signs.
"Needle Jizō!"
His long silver hair hardened and wrapped around his body, then suddenly expanded outward.
"Hair Needle Hell!"
Hardened strands shot out in all directions, each one like a razor-sharp spear. Dozens of enemy ninjas screamed in pain as they were pierced and cut down.
The ambush was working flawlessly. Orochimaru and Jiraiya had killed a large number of enemy forces in just a few minutes.
But the enemy was beginning to adapt.
The Cloud and Tang ninjas sought cover, regrouped, and began coordinating their counterattack. They avoided open areas, breaking the advantage of the summoned beasts' wide-range attacks. Field commanders started issuing orders, and the tide began to shift.
Outside Tangyin Village.
The Konoha ninjas had been watching carefully. The moment they confirmed that the Cloud Ninja perimeter guards had moved into the village to support their comrades, they made their move.
Shiranui Riku and Minato Namikaze led the charge, moving with blinding speed.
The rest of the Konoha forces followed right behind.
Once inside Tangyin Village, the Earth Release users sprang into action.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
All the Earth-style ninjas completed their hand seals and slammed their palms to the ground. Massive stone walls rose up, dividing the battlefield into sections and preventing the enemy from regrouping.
Next, the Water-style ninjas began their jutsu.
"Water Style: Water Colliding Wave!"
From their mouths, streams of high-pressure water surged toward the enemy, flooding the field.
Combining Earth and Water Style, the terrain began to collapse.
"Earth Style: Rock Collapse!"
By injecting chakra into the ground, they caused the rocks to shatter and mix with water, forming a chaotic mudslide. Dozens of Cloud and Tang ninjas were immediately trapped.
Then came Fire and Wind.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
The combo unleashed a flaming tornado, sweeping across the mudslide and incinerating any trapped enemies.
At the frontlines, Fire Style users bombarded enemy positions with massive fireballs. The Earth and Water teams, their job done, now joined the frontal assault.
Lightning Style ninjas moved like blurs—flanking, ambushing, and killing with precision.
Orochimaru's plan was unfolding perfectly. Tangyin Village was plunged into chaos.
The operation was halfway to success.
But even with this momentum, the Konoha forces were still at a disadvantage. The sheer number of enemy ninjas in Yugakure was overwhelming.
Now, under the guidance of experienced commanders, the Cloud and Tang forces were beginning to organize and fight back effectively.
This was where Shiranui Riku and Minato's true mission began.
Their target: the enemy commanders.
Riku's method for identifying them was simple—brutally so.
He used his Sharingan.
With its superior motion detection, the Sharingan allowed Riku to read distant faces and observe mouth movements.
The ninja giving the most commands? That was the commander. That was the target.
"Thunder Breathing: First Form – Thunderclap and Flash, Sixfold!"
Riku became a streak of lightning, weaving through the battlefield at incredible speed. Every twist and turn was calculated, using the terrain to his advantage.
Any ninja in his path was either paralyzed by the thunderous shock or knocked aside with bone-breaking force.
When he reached his target, his blade was already drawn.
The enemy commander didn't even have time to speak—Riku's sword sliced cleanly through his neck.
Immediately, Riku vanished again using Body Flicker Technique.
He'd planted explosive tags on the corpse before disappearing.
Boom!
The detonating tags erupted, killing or maiming all the nearby enemy ninjas.