Leave This to Me

"Damn near suffocated... dodging the Byakugan's detection isn't easy... crawling through the ground like a rat for so long."

Numerous Iwagakure shinobi emerged from underground, each wearing a vicious grin.

A short distance away, Sekkotsu, who was fending off Orochimaru's attacks, also revealed a cold smile and said, "Orochimaru of Konoha, your strength is indeed impressive… but unfortunately, you didn't bring enough men. You might die here today!"

They had gone to great lengths to prepare for this ambush.

First, they deliberately leaked information about their vanguard force to Konoha, letting it charge into the Land of Grass from the front, allowing Konoha to roughly gauge the unit's strength and dispatch a proportionate force.

Then, Iwagakure quietly sent out about thirty elite shinobi, scattered across different locations under the guise of taking on individual missions. Once their cover missions were complete, they regrouped at the border of the Land of Fire.

Because they moved in small batches under the cover of legitimate requests, even if Konoha's scouts noticed one or two squads, it wasn't enough to raise major alarms or trigger intelligence alerts.

But once those squads all gathered, they formed a formidable elite force, over half of them were jonin, and among them were four of Iwagakure's elite jonin!

Their mission: deliver a heavy blow to Konoha's vanguard!

This was their move to seize an early advantage in the war.

"..."

A strange glint flickered through Orochimaru's snake-like eyes.

An elite force of around thirty Iwagakure shinobi, with over half being jonin, such a formidable unit couldn't possibly move without a trace. Yet Konoha hadn't received a single shred of intel about them!

Which meant Iwagakure truly had gone to great lengths to set this trap.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!

The next moment, three elite jonin landed around Orochimaru.

With Sekkotsu and the other Hidden Stone ninja already present, a total of five elite jonin now surrounded him. Though they weren't enough to defeat him outright, they could definitely tie him down!

"Hmph… so that's how it is."

Orochimaru's gaze glinted coldly, and with a sinister tone, he said, "Who exactly will die here is still uncertain."

He had actually anticipated a potential ambush. The entire operation had gone a little too smoothly for Konoha, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have launched such a bold attack.

But he did.

And the reason was simple.

Among his team was a certain ninja—Might Duy. This man was not accounted for in Iwagakure's intelligence, and the combat power he could unleash was enough to handle any unexpected situation!

That was why Orochimaru dared to move, even knowing it might be a trap.

"How unfortunate. The ones who'll die here… are you!"

Sekkotsu growled coldly and lunged at Orochimaru. The surrounding Hidden Stone ninja moved in unison, launching a coordinated assault.

At the same time—

The situation for the Konoha ninjas turned dire.

With nearly thirty elite Hidden Stone ninjas suddenly joining the battle, more than half of them jonin, the balance of power shifted dramatically and dangerously.

"Orochimaru-sama!"

Someone shouted toward Orochimaru, trying to alert him.

If they continued fighting under such disadvantage, they would only end in total defeat. They needed to retreat now, fighting any longer was suicide!

However—

Orochimaru gave no sign of retreat. Caught in combat between several Iwagakure elite jonin, he kept fighting fiercely, showing no intention of withdrawing, clearly prepared to battle to the bitter end.

Hyuga Setsuna was struggling against two Iwagakure jonin, his position precarious. Glancing toward Orochimaru, he was filled with confusion.

"Orochimaru-sama…?"

The situation clearly called for a retreat!

With Orochimaru's judgment, there was no way he couldn't see that. Yet he still hadn't ordered a withdrawal, none of the Konoha shinobi could understand this decision.

And then—

Amid the chaos of battle, Might Duy suddenly let out a roar, his entire body glowing with a vibrant green aura of chakra that suddenly intensified.

"Eight Gates Released Formation—Sixth Gate, Gate of View—open!!"

With the sixth gate opened, Duy's speed and power surged. With a single kick, he shattered a Chunin's shortsword and sent the man flying, blood spurting from his mouth.

This shocking display left Morino Ibiki and the others stunned, none of them had expected this "forever Genin" to wield such strength!

Only now did they begin to understand.

No wonder the Hokage had assigned Might Duy to the vanguard force, with strength like this, he was worthy of inclusion. This was clearly jonin-level power!

Yet, despite their shock, the battlefield pressure hadn't diminished. Duy's surprising strength wasn't enough to turn the tide.

Orochimaru still hadn't given the order to retreat.

Morino Ibiki and the rest could only grit their teeth and continue fighting.

"Even with the Sixth Gate, this is all I can manage… These Hidden Stone ninjas really are tough. Looks like I'll need to open the Seventh Gate… maybe even the Eighth…"

With the Sixth Gate activated, Might Duy had the power to annihilate Chunin and suppress jonin, but even that wasn't enough to reverse the tide of battle.

Given the current battlefield situation, even if he opened the Seventh Gate and took out a few jonin, it still wouldn't be enough. He might truly need to open the Eighth Gate…

The Eighth Gate…

Might Duy took a deep breath. He didn't particularly fear death. To protect what needed protecting, to burn his youth for the sake of Konoha, that was what he believed in!

But just as he prepared to open the Seventh Gate, and eventually the Eighth, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Don't open any more gates, Duy-senpai."

Kaede walked forward, gripping the White Fang blade. Beside him stood a Hidden Stone ninja, body rigid, then suddenly split in half at the waist, blood spraying as the corpse collapsed.

Time Reversal couldn't be used on others. If Duy opened the Eighth Gate here, death would be inevitable.

So instead, he would take over.

"…Kaede?"

Might Duy turned, startled.

Kaede walked steadily forward, his expression calm. With one hand, he formed a seal, and as he passed his hand over the White Fang's blade, the chirping of countless birds echoed across the battlefield.

Chidori Blade!

He kept moving forward. With his next step, a silvery glow enveloped his body.

It was the manifestation of lightning chakra spilling from the Third Gate: Gate of Life of the Eight Gates Formation.

Unlike the deep hue of the Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release Armor, and not the standard green of the Eight Gates, this glow was a pale silver-white.

"Lightning of Life."

That was the name Kaede gave this state.

Lightning chakra inflicted tremendous damage on the body and had significant side effects. Normally, it would be reckless, practically suicidal, but with his Time Reversal ability, he could ignore such limitations.

Moreover, in this mode, Chidori Blade could be maintained indefinitely.

This was a technique developed specifically for himself after gaining the Time Reversal ability. Its speed was slightly faster than normal Eight Gates activation.

Most importantly—

The silver glow was far more visually elusive than green, making him harder to track or react to.

"There's no need to use that here, Senpai."

"I'll handle this."

Bathed in the silvery glow, Kaede softly addressed Might Duy. The White Fang blade swung from in front of him to his right, trailing arcs of lightning through the air.

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