In the Land of Rain.
The rain fell like mist, as if this country was forever immersed in rainfall.
Like a person constantly in sorrow.
This downpour could not be avoided, not even on the outskirts of the Land of Rain.
Three years of continuous war.
Even Orochimaru's face showed signs of weariness.
According to the intel coming from the village, the Iwa front, the Kiri front, and the Suna front had all shown signs of fatigue after three years of fighting.
On the Iwa front, Jiraiya led the largest number of troops and had the strongest defense, even though Iwagakure was known for its sheer numbers and strength.
But elite ninjas could make up for the difference in numbers.
Jiraiya's strength couldn't be underestimated either.
Orochimaru didn't believe that with his own immense growth over these years, Jiraiya would still be standing still.
Although Jiraiya was often considered the "dead last," Orochimaru wasn't confident he could defeat him.
Iwagakure had no way of breaking through.
Even the scattered rogue ninjas in the Land of Fire hadn't caused much disruption.
Most of them had been gradually eliminated by the recovering Konoha ninjas.
As for the Kiri front, the Uchiha clan wasn't one to be trifled with either.
They kept Kirigakure from advancing an inch.
Even though the Kiri ninjas had some advantages over the Sharingan.
Not to mention Suna, whose forces had been greatly weakened by Sakumo.
Now, it was the other villages that were struggling to maintain the war effort.
Orochimaru's gaze met Hanzō's from across the battlefield.
Between them lay the Rain ninjas fighting desperately.
The Rain ninjas fought without regard for their lives, their faces devoid of any hope for survival.
It seemed as though death was their destiny.
In contrast, Konoha's side was much more cautious, placing their hopes on the green figure who dominated the battlefield.
"Duy-kun."
Orochimaru licked his lips, also turning his gaze toward the green-clad figure.
The purple poison mist was everywhere, making it extremely difficult for a taijutsu specialist like Might Duy to fight.
Soon, Orochimaru saw Might Duy's face turn pale as he was forced to retreat.
Several other Konoha ninjas followed suit.
Hanzō's poison mist wasn't easy to withstand.
Even with Tsunade's antidotes, it was impossible to maintain resistance indefinitely.
Soon, someone carried the nearly unconscious Might Duy back for treatment.
But Orochimaru didn't agree with Might Duy's actions.
From a distance, Hanzō glanced deeply at Orochimaru, who was standing opposite him.
This attack had once again failed to push Konoha back.
"Retreat!"
Hanzō's command rang out to all the Rain ninjas.
They swiftly began to withdraw.
"What a terrifying man, Hanzō."
Orochimaru scanned the battlefield, barely seeing any Rain ninja corpses.
A group of ninjas, covered in explosive tags, would explode upon death, taking their own lives while severely injuring at least one Konoha ninja.
Even with Orochimaru's current reputation, he couldn't get ninjas to willingly sacrifice themselves so blatantly.
And how many ninjas did Amegakure even have?
Once this war was over, no one knew if Amegakure would even continue to exist.
They were exhausting the strength of an entire village to stand against the entire ninja world.
The power this small village had unleashed was enough to shock the Five Great Nations.
Although the balance between the Great Nations played a role...
This small village had certainly taught them a lesson.
"Orochimaru-sama, we've repelled the Rain ninjas."
In the rain, an exhausted Konoha ninja knelt beside Orochimaru.
Three years of war.
Konoha's initial assessment of their losses was staggering.
They had lost nearly one-third of their forces.
Among them, the new generation and the older generation suffered the most casualties.
This war had taken a heavy toll on many of the veterans who had survived the First Great Ninja War.
In the new generation, the number of survivors from Uchiha Gin's cohort was less than twenty—barely enough to form a single class.
As for the younger generation, they were simply fodder for the war.
On the other hand, the middle generation—the core of Konoha's current strength—had also suffered losses, but not nearly as severe as the veterans and children.
"Life is fragile, indeed."
Orochimaru's gaze was deep as the ninja beside him bowed his head in silence.
What he wanted to say was:
It's all because of the cruelty of war.
"Let's retreat."
Orochimaru turned to leave.
"Next, we'll launch a full-scale assault."
He had grown tired of this.
Rather than watching lives disappear bit by bit, it was better to throw everything into one final push for victory.
War was gradually changing Orochimaru.
Shaping him into what he would become in the future.
Orochimaru immediately headed toward the medical tent.
The medical tent, the largest one in the camp, echoed with the groans of the injured as soon as he entered.
All the wounded ninjas lay in bed, the ones who had lost limbs staring blankly into space.
The only exception was Might Duy, who was doing one-handed push-ups with an IV drip attached.
Orochimaru found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
Might Duy was the most absurd ninja he had ever met, even more so than Jiraiya.
If you asked him to charge forward...
He would save someone first.
If you told him not to fight in the poison mist...
He would charge right in to save people.
And he'd say things like:
"Saving all my comrades is my youth!"
Before every battle, when he saw Hanzō, he would declare:
"Now is the time for me, Might Duy, to dedicate my youth!"
If Orochimaru hadn't held him back with all his might, this guy would have opened the Eight Gates and sacrificed himself already.
Orochimaru believed that with Might Duy's strength, Hanzō would undoubtedly die.
But Konoha would also lose one of its most valuable assets.
Every time Orochimaru saw Might Duy, he got a headache.
"Duy-kun, you're really working hard."
"Thank you, Orochimaru-kun, for recognizing my effort!"
Might Duy turned and gave Orochimaru a thumbs-up.
Orochimaru's mouth twitched as he took a deep breath.
"Duy-kun, we're preparing for a full-scale assault."
"Orochimaru-sama, I'm always ready to dedicate my youth!" Might Duy pounded his chest.
Orochimaru's head throbbed.
"That won't be necessary."
"But this time, you need to follow orders. Otherwise, the consequences will be unpredictable."
Seeing Orochimaru's increasingly serious expression, Might Duy's smile faded as he responded in a solemn tone.
"I understand, Orochimaru-kun."
"I will do everything I can to save everyone."
"You didn't understand at all!!" Orochimaru's face twisted in frustration.
He was even harder to deal with than Jiraiya.
"Orochimaru-sama, the latest battle report."
Orochimaru had just arrived at the command room when a messenger ninja handed him the latest report.
As he read the contents, Orochimaru's brow furrowed deeply.
"Suna and Iwa have both retreated?"
He had been planning a full-scale assault to push back the three villages.
But now, the enemy had retreated from the Land of Rain on their own.
Now, only Amegakure remained in the Land of Rain.
This wasn't typical behavior for Iwagakure or Sunagakure.
Orochimaru sensed something strange.
"Send a message to the village!"
"Tell them to deploy Sakumo, Jiraiya, and Tsunade to reinforce the Land of Rain."
Compared to the other three, who weren't suited to leadership, Orochimaru was undoubtedly a capable commander.
He also had a much sharper intuition when it came to the battlefield.
"I hope I'm just overthinking things."
Orochimaru gazed ominously toward the Land of Rain.
(End of Chapter)