Orochimaru nodded. Given Manda's current state, if Orochimaru were to summon Manda, the first attack would be aimed at Orochimaru himself.
However, Orochimaru was not afraid at all.
He just couldn't make Manda fight for him but he still had his own strength.
Leaving Konoha.
Orochimaru arrived at a staging post outside the village.
He entered a tavern.
"I need information on Kaguya Neko's whereabouts."
Every ninja village has its own intelligence system.
For ninjas, intelligence is a crucial aspect.
However, Kaguya Neko's situation is different.
He does not belong to any ninja village faction.
Therefore, Konoha's intelligence system does not invest much effort in this regard.
In contrast, the intelligence systems of bounty hunters would be more interested in someone like Kaguya Neko.
A powerful rogue ninja. If killed, one could collect a huge bounty by going to Hidden Mist Village.
If not killed, one could recruit or hire them.
Normally, hiring such a powerful ninja from a ninja village would cost a high price.
But for rogue ninjas, they can be hired at a relatively lower cost.
This is why Kakuzu is so popular in the wandering ninja world.
It's not just because Kakuzu is strong. But because Kakuzu's rates are cheaper.
For a minor noble who wants to hire a ninja proficient in all types of Ninjutsu, someone with strength surpassing elite Jonin, there are very few options: either Sarutobi Hiruzen or Kakuzu.
But to hire Sarutobi Hiruzen, this minor noble would likely have to spend their entire fortune.
Hiring Kakuzu, on the other hand, doesn't even require half, no, not even a third.
Powerful individuals like Kaguya Neko are highly sought after in the wandering ninja world, akin to hotcakes.
Moreover, Kaguya Neko's actions are exceptionally remarkable, which further draws attention.
A middle-aged man smiled.
"Orochimaru-sama, Kaguya Neko is powerful and dangerous. Acquiring information about him won't come cheap."
"Name your price."
"One million ryo."
Orochimaru frowned.
"Do you think I'm ignorant?"
"No, no, no, Orochimaru-sama, I wouldn't dare. It's just that the information is truly worth this price. I happen to have Kaguya Neko's whereabouts in hand. If you want it, I can give it to you right now."
The middle-aged man's smile became even more obsequious.
"The timeliness of this information is extremely high."
"Moreover, our people sacrificed quite a bit to obtain this intelligence."
Orochimaru still frowned.
"It's too high."
One million ryo—it's on the level of top-tier A-Rank missions or even S-Rank missions.
Is the location information of just Kaguya Neko worth so much?
An ordinary A-Rank mission typically costs only hundreds of thousands of ryo.
And A-Rank missions involve matters at the national or village level.
"Well, Orochimaru-sama, what amount would you find acceptable?"
"One hundred thousand ryo."
The middle-aged man's face turned bitter.
"Orochimaru-sama, that's too low. We lost over a dozen people."
After some haggling, they settled on three hundred thousand ryo.
Once Orochimaru paid the money, the middle-aged man's expression suddenly changed. From a face of bitterness and reluctance, he swiftly turned to joy, making Orochimaru realize that this price was entirely acceptable to the middle-aged man, without any reluctance at all.
The middle-aged man handed over a scroll.
It wasn't a Ninjutsu scroll, just ordinary paper.
"Orochimaru-sama, the intelligence is right here."
Orochimaru nodded and walked away.
When he reached the end of the street, he glanced back, squinting his eyes.
"These ordinary people are quite greedy."
"It's been a while since I dealt with people like this, and they managed to get a small advantage over me."
But at this moment, Orochimaru didn't have time to dwell on the middle-aged man.
Finding Kaguya Neko was the most important thing for Orochimaru right now.
...
"Ding!"
The blades in their hands clashed together.
Then, at an extremely fast speed, they separated.
Hozuki Mangetsu and Uchiha Shisui, both of their figures simultaneously retreated.
They looked up at each other, both with serious expressions.
"Uchiha Shisui?"
"Hozuki Mangetsu?"
The battlefield was a crucible for nurturing geniuses.
Through continuous battles, true talents would emerge.
Just like Hoshigaki Kisame, just like Hatake Kakashi.
It's not about relying on others' praise, but on one's own solid strength.
Powerful ninjas always attract extra attention and discussions from people.
Heroes, geniuses...
People usually categorize ninjas based on their age and achievements.
Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Raikage, Kitsuchi, Pakura, Rasa, Yagura, Biwa Juzo...
These individuals are considered the first generation.
Because Minato Namikaze stood out the most in this generation with his extraordinary performance, many references to Minato Namikaze's nickname were used in naming this era.
Minato is known as the Yellow Flash, or sometimes the Golden Flash.
The difference between the two is slight.
Therefore, some people refer to this generation as the Golden Generation.
The previous Mist Seven, due to their disastrous defeat, have already faded away.
But Biwa Juzo and the other two, relying on their Zanpakuto, have reentered public discourse.
The Third Mizukage and others are referred to as the older generation.
Most of them are already elderly.
Moreover, the Third Raikage has already passed away.
The Third Kazekage has gone missing.
Among the strong individuals of that generation, there are hardly any left alive.
The generation from Konoha is relatively well preserved.
Apart from Sarutobi Hiruzen, there are Shimura Danzo and the two Elders.
The Sannin and others are referred to as the old generation as well.
People acknowledge the strength of the old generation, but there isn't much discussion about them because their strength is already well established and unlikely to change much.
There has been enough discussion about them in the past.
People are creatures who like novelty and get bored of the old.
Currently, the most discussed are the Golden Generation and the Silver Generation led by Hoshigaki Kisame.
In Konoha, there's Kakashi and Asuma.
In the Hidden Mist Village, there's Hoshigaki Kisame and Zabuza.
In the Hidden Cloud Village, there's Darui.
In the Hidden Rock Village, there's Gari.
In the Hidden Sand Village, there's Sasori of the Red Sand, though Sasori of the Red Sand is significantly older, and it's just that the Hidden Sand Village doesn't have any other noteworthy talents to speak of.
Apart from Sasori of the Red Sand, if we really have to mention someone, there's only Baki.
Further down the list are Uchiha Shisui and Hozuki Mangetsu, who represent the younger Silver Generation.
There aren't many people worth paying attention to, and their age gap with the Silver Generation isn't significant, so that's the nickname given to them.
Both are aware of each other's data.
Uchiha Shisui specializes in Genjutsu, Body Flicker Jutsu, and possesses the Sharingan.
Hozuki Mangetsu excels in Water Release and wields Hiramekarei.
Following Orochimaru's defeat, Mangetsu also realized the dire situation of the Hozuki Clan.
Therefore, Mangetsu is very eager to gain fame and alleviate the pressure on the Hozuki Clan.
Last time, Mangetsu actively engaged Kakashi for this reason.
However, after their encounter, Mangetsu had to admit that his current strength is still not a match for Kakashi.
Meanwhile, Asuma has completely withdrawn from the battlefield.
In this situation, Mangetsu can only set his sights on Shisui. A genius of the Uchiha Clan.
"Release!"
A large amount of chakra poured into Hiramekarei.
A sphere of light appeared on Hiramekarei.
In the next moment, Mangetsu swung the light sphere on Hiramekarei fiercely towards where Shisui was.
Shisui's pupils contracted.
"Body Flicker Jutsu!"
Right before the light sphere landed, Shisui flickered away.
"Boom!"
A huge explosion resounded.
Shisui glanced at where the light sphere had fallen.
"Such formidable power!"
"Is this the Hiramekarei among the Hidden Mist Seven Ninja Swords?"
Mangetsu corrected Uchiha Shisui.
"They aren't the Hidden Mist Seven Ninja Swords; it's the Hozuki Seven Ninja Swords."
With one attack made, Mangetsu didn't pause but predicted Shisui's possible location and charged forward in advance.
Jumping high, swinging Hiramekarei, he aimed to strike down at Shisui.
"Sharingan!"
Tomoe rotated in Shisui's eyes.
A wave of Genjutsu power fell upon Mangetsu.
Mangetsu fell into the Genjutsu and landed on the ground causing Shisui breathed a sigh of relief.
But suddenly he felt something was wrong. "Water Release: Water Gun Jutsu!"
*Shisui dodged with all his might. However, he was still too close.
"Splurt!"
Nevertheless, *Shisui managed to avoid the vital parts. *Mangetsu's Water Gun Jutsu grazed past the side of *Shisui's thigh, taking off a piece of flesh with blood flowing out.
"Too bad." Mangetsu revealed a regretful expression.
Shisui quickly tended to the wound, looking at Mangetsu with puzzlement in his eyes.
"What did you just do?"
Just as Shisui knew about Mangetsu's Hydrification Jutsu, Mangetsu also knew about Shisui's Genjutsu.
Therefore, during the high jump, Mangetsu had already used his Hydrification Jutsu on himself.
But it was only partial Hydrification.
It blocked the visual transmission to the brain's imagery processing area.
This means that even if Mangetsu opened his eyes and looked at Shisui's Sharingan, none of those images actually reached Mangetsu's brain.
Naturally, he wouldn't fall under Genjutsu.
After landing, Mangetsu released the Hydrification Jutsu and pretended to look as if he had fallen under Genjutsu.
This was to deceive Shisui.
Mangetsu didn't answer Shisui directly, only saying,
"Shisui, you're more formidable than I expected. But I have a reason that forces me to kill you! Let's continue!"
Mangetsu charged at Shisui once again.
High above.
Two figures stood.
Danzo looked at the Root ninja beside him.
"Has Yagura been drawn over there?"
"Yes, Danzo-sama."
Danzo nodded.
"Then the ninjas we need to watch out for here are only Hoshigaki Kisame, Fuguki Suikazan, and that one, Hozuki Izumo."
"However, considering the situation of the Hozuki Clan, while Hozuki Mangetsu is currently in fierce battle, Hozuki Izumo is unlikely to actively support Hoshigaki Kisame and Fuguki Suikazan on the other side."
"Now is the best opportunity."
"Send my orders, move!"
With Danzo's command, a large number of Konoha ninja began to take action.
"Kill!"
If strength is lacking, then make up for it with numbers.
On the battlefield in the Land of Fire, Konoha indeed had the numerical advantage.
Konoha's population was inherently larger than that of the Hidden Mist Village.
Moreover, many were eliminated in the Bloody Mist of the Hidden Mist Village, while those from Konoha who survived were considered cannon fodder.
"Fuguki Senpai, something doesn't seem right."
Kisame slit the throat of a Konoha ninja, looked around, and vaguely sensed something amiss.
"Indeed."
Fuguki nodded.
"It must be Shimura Danzo scheming something."
"In terms of strength, Shimura Danzo is not as good as Orochimaru, but when it comes to cunning, he surpasses even Orochimaru."
"I'll go up and take a look at the situation."
After saying that, Fuguki formed hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu."
Instead of attacking, he lightly jumped and landed atop the Water Dragon's head.
Then, with a fierce surge upward, the Water Dragon swiftly ascended into the sky.
Fuguki looked down below.
Ordinary Water Release ninjas couldn't achieve this level of Water Dragon Bullet Ninjutsu or sustain it for long.
But Fuguki, who possessed Water Dragon Possession, could.
After assessing the situation below, Fuguki's expression turned grim in an instant.
"We're surrounded."
"There are many Konoha ninja hidden all around us."
"This is a trap! We must break through."
"Yagura is definitely being held back somewhere else."
"Kisame, they're coming for us."
Fuguki landed, his expression becoming very serious.
Both he and Kisame had means to attempt an escape.
Fuguki's Water Dragon Bullet.
Hoshigaki Kisame's Great Shark Bullet.
But Danzo was also clear about this.
Therefore, he deliberately surrounded some other Hidden Mist ninja.
Clearly, he had the power to swiftly kill them, but he encircled without striking.
He intended to use the lives of these people to restrain Kisame and Fuguki.
"We must create a breakthrough."
Kisame nodded.
"Alright Senpai, I'll cooperate with you."
Immediately, Kisame formed hand seals.
"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave Jutsu!"
A powerful surge of water rushed upward.
In an instant, the vicinity turned into a small lake.
"Water Release: Water Fang Bullet Jutsu!"
Fuguki lifted Water Dragon Possession.
"Replicate!"
"Replicate!"
Hundreds of Water Fang Bullets appeared.
"Go!"
Then, all of them were thrown in one direction.
Danzo's eyes flickered.
"With one set of hand seals, he can create so many Water Fang Bullets..."
"This is the ability of Water Dragon Possession."
"Indeed, remarkable."
"We cannot allow Hidden Mist Village to continue like this with such ninjutsu. No wonder it could defeat Orochimaru. No wonder it could defeat Manda. But this time, I am fully prepared. My plan is absolutely foolproof."
At that moment, a squad of Earth Release ninjas swiftly arrived to support.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall Jutsu!"
Multiple earth walls instantly erected.
Simultaneously, two Yamanaka clan ninjas appeared.
"Mind Body Switch Jutsu!"
Then,
"Shadow Binding Jutsu!"
Continuous control techniques ensued, including genjutsu from the Uchiha Clan.
Fuguki managed to dodge to a relatively safe position in time, but Kisame, being too young and inexperienced, did not.
"Kisame!"
Danzo revealed a smile.
At that very moment,
Not far away, Mangetsu, who was engaged in battle with Shisui, heard the agonized cries of the Mist ninjas.
After hesitating for a moment, enduring Shisui's attack forcefully without retaliating, Mangetsu used the recoil force to support towards the direction where the cries of the Mist ninjas came from.
Shisui hesitated for a moment, and decided not to pursue.
"Water Release: Water Gun Jutsu!"
After seeing the situation on the scene, Mangetsu attacked without hesitation.
The attention of the Konoha ninjas was focused inward, momentarily relaxing their vigilance outward.
Mangetsu's Water Gun Jutsu pierced through two Konoha ninjas in an instant.
"Watch out!"
The nearby Konoha ninjas realized the danger and hurriedly attacked Mangetsu.
Danzo frowned slightly.
"A little brat... from the Hozuki Clan?"
Hozuki Izumo sighed as he saw Mangetsu's actions.
Step by step, he approached the Konoha ninjas.
"I originally didn't want to intervene."
"But now, let me show you the power of Thunder Swords."
"Remember, Hoshigaki Kisame, Fuguki Suikazan, this time you're saved by Hozuki Izumo from the Hozuki Seven, using the Thunder Swords from the Hozuki Seven Ninja Swords!"
---
You can read up to 50 Advanced chapters and support me at patreon.com/Lookar