Chapter 85: Adding Insult to Injury

The massive chakra fluctuation from that powerful Five-Element Jutsu had been visible from afar. Although its style differed from Orochimaru's usual techniques, it closely resembled what Third would typically use. While it was strange for the elderly Hiruzen to still wield such an advanced technique, one could deduce he currently held the upper hand. Furthermore, judging from the Anbu's reaction on the opposing side, the barrier had likely already been broken.

"Then let's hurry up and finish this part quickly," Might Guy suggested.

"Yeah, let's make it a competition—whoever defeats more enemies wins."

"That's the spirit, Kakashi! You're finally feeling the burning passion of youth!" Guy happily exclaimed.

[What a simple-minded guy, always so easily inspired.] Kakashi couldn't help but sigh inwardly before quickening his movements.

...

Meanwhile, without the constraint of the Four-Corner Sealing Barrier, the chaotic battle among three former Hokage gradually expanded beyond its original confined area. Particularly Hashirama Senju's Wood Release techniques became increasingly devastating as the battlefield widened. His signature [Wood Release: Creation of a World] seemed perfectly suited for large-scale battles like this, with countless trees erupting from the ground not only serving offensive purposes but also binding enemies. When combined with unique absorption abilities like [Spore Technique] that drained opponents' chakra, trapped enemies would soon find themselves completely incapacitated.

Fortunately, the current Impure World Reincarnation body of Hashirama lacked sufficient power to execute [Flower Country Descending], otherwise numerical superiority would become utterly meaningless.

Even so, Konoha shinobi were still struggling hard. Among them, the only one truly capable of harming both the First and Second was Hiruzen Sarutobi. Everyone else could only provide assistance. More troubling was the lack of effective methods to restrict these two predecessor Hokage's movements, making sealing attempts impossible in the first place. Moreover, most present were frontline combatants rather than seal masters. Not a single person here possessed the ability to counter the Impure World Reincarnation. This difficulty applied even to Mizuki himself—let alone the artificial Jinchuriki present. Due to limited knowledge about Impure World Reincarnation, approaching recklessly would be extremely dangerous. Mizuki hadn't anticipated the possibility of the Four-Corner Sealing Barrier being destroyed, hence hadn't prepared specific sealing techniques against this resurrection jutsu. Without relevant research materials, exploring life-and-death mysteries wasn't exactly something Mizuki had time for currently.

As for Orochimaru's four subordinates, under their [Cursed Seal] second forms and with incomplete [Sage Transformation] abilities, they barely managed to withstand the Anbu's assault. Among them, Kidomaru and Tayuya performed the most impressively. Kidomaru's spider web traps and durable silk threads provided excellent crowd-control capabilities, while Tayuya's summoned [Three Demons] combined with her Ocarina—the [Dance of the Spectral Whirlwinds] technique—allowed her to dominate the battlefield effortlessly. Jirobo's performance was rather mediocre though—his brute strength proved ineffective in this chaotic situation, managing only minor damage through stone attacks. Surprisingly, Sakon, who should've been the strongest among them, contributed the least. Most of his secret moves worked well in one-on-one duels, but had minimal impact in team-based fights.

The only practical use was to consume massive amounts of energy to block powerful Ninjutsu attacks with Rashomon when necessary.

"Huh?" Mizuki, who had been observing from the side, suddenly noticed something odd. "There's way too many Anbu showing up out of nowhere. What's going on?"

A heavily bandaged Danzo approached slowly.

"He actually came here? The plot has deviated too much."

Mizuki couldn't hide his surprise. What was supposed to be a minor climax early on had gradually escalated into complete chaos due to accumulated deviations.

Seeing Danzo arrive, Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.

"This is indeed rare," Orochimaru said mockingly. "The Root leader himself has finally revealed himself. Tell me, this isn't somehow related to you, right? Or should I say everything I've done is exactly what you wanted? I thought you approved silently."

"You're mistaken," Danzo replied flatly. "Since you failed, accept your misfortune."

The meaning was clear—if he had been careless, he shouldn't blame Danzo for taking advantage.

"Unexpected indeed," Orochimaru chuckled bitterly. "When did I become prey myself? Seems like I was underestimated completely."

Without hesitation, Orochimaru moved quickly—lingering any longer might truly trap him here.

He bit his thumbs and rapidly formed Hand Seals.

[Summoning—Manda!]

A gigantic serpent with a fierce head and purple markings across its body suddenly appeared. Orochimaru stood atop the snake's head, looking down at the crowd below.

"Orochimaru, calling me again? Did you prepare the sacrifices this time?" Manda asked impatiently.

"One hundred live human sacrifices—I remember."

Manda glanced at the surrounding ninja. "One hundred? No way. For such a troublesome job, at least two hundred, man."

"That's trivial. Just eliminate them quickly."

"Fine, don't forget two hundred..."

Before the words finished echoing, Manda shot toward Danzo Shimura with surprising speed for its size. The massive body slammed onto the ground, kicking up thick clouds of dust and scattering countless rocks in all directions.

Nearby, Mizuki dodged flying debris while shielding his eyes with his arms.

"The battlefield has already moved this close to the stadium seating area?"

Several rocks even landed among the nearby audience seats—no one knew how many people had been injured.

What began as a contained battle within the Four-Corner Sealing Barrier had now spilled outward. The devastating power of Jonin-level combat was on full display.

"At this level of battle, even if someone wins, this whole area might end up flattened."

Mizuki couldn't help worrying about his own weakness—he had foolishly attempted to interfere in a fight involving the One-Tail Jinchuriki.

"I wonder how my original body is doing. I thought everything was foolproof, but reality turned out completely different. Guess I was too arrogant. And what about the stadium audience..."

Kakashi's battle showed no sign of stopping. With many civilians present, the Konoha ninja were inevitably holding back in combat. Combined with their numerical disadvantage, they'd been drawn into a prolonged struggle.

Orochimaru, however, paid no mind to such concerns. The chaos from Konoha was precisely his chance. He summoned his full strength to command Manda, the First, and the Second, forcing the battlefield steadily toward the stadium seating.

"Orochimaru? Have you utterly forsaken the way of the ninja? Bringing innocent civilians into the battlefield?" Witnessing this, the Third Hokage thundered furiously.

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