On the other side of the battlefield, the fight between Orochimaru and the Kazekage had escalated to its peak intensity.
Orochimaru had transformed into the massive Yamata no Orochi right from the start.
Countless iron sand particles surrounded the giant serpent, wrapping around its massive body, restricting its movements. Only the eight flexible snake heads remained active within the barrier.
Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Method.
This was the Third Kazekage's most powerful jutsu, where iron sand formed sharp spikes across the battlefield.
He could swim freely among the iron spikes, controlling them to continuously pierce the massive serpent's body, limiting Orochimaru's chances of escape.
Despite having its body pierced by countless iron sand spikes, the Yamata no Orochi pressed forward, enduring the pain and continuing its attack.
One of the giant snake heads opened its mouth and unleashed a fierce gust of wind.
The wind carried a powerful slicing force.
Even the solid iron sand wavered in the wind, showing white marks from the powerful gusts. If not for the toughness of the iron sand, it would have been shredded into pieces.
The Kazekage dodged swiftly, raising his hand as the iron sand coiled tightly around the neck of the snake head. As his fist clenched, the iron sand tightened further.
Boom!
The entire snake's neck exploded.
Instead of blood, countless white snakes emerged from the shattered neck, spreading in all directions and attempting to bite through the iron sand, but the tough iron sand proved impervious.
The serpents tried to turn their attention to the Third Kazekage, but with a wave of his hand, even more iron sand needles pierced every white snake.
The iron sand was too tough to absorb any chakra from it.
At that moment, two more snake heads lunged forward, spitting out flames and lightning, combining into an even more powerful elemental attack aimed at the Kazekage.
The Kazekage swiftly moved within the barrier, evading the attack. He watched as the iron sand melted into liquid under the combined lightning and fire, losing its magnetic properties and becoming uncontrollable.
Raising both hands, he directed the remaining iron sand to crawl onto the snake heads, using the same method as before to destroy them.
However, the first snake head he had destroyed had already regenerated, and it unleashed another violent gust of wind toward him.
The Kazekage brought his hands together, forming a shield from the iron sand. The iron threads extending from the surroundings reinforced the shield, holding it steady even against the fierce wind.
Meanwhile, two more snake heads circled around behind him, spitting mud and water that transformed into a landslide, burying the Kazekage beneath it.
From the rapidly hardening mud, iron wires suddenly emerged, forming a giant black iron sand sphere that rose into the air.
The iron sand sphere unraveled into threads, revealing the Third Kazekage within.
He glanced at the two snake heads towering above, one of which swallowed the iron sand. Once inside, the iron sand became uncontrollable, as if it no longer existed.
"Absorbing ninjutsu, is it?"
The Kazekage knew that one of Orochimaru's most troublesome abilities was absorbing the chakra within his opponents' ninjutsu.
This was intelligence he had gathered from the Hidden Rain. In the chaos of war, preventing ninjutsu information from leaking was incredibly difficult.
"So, that must be the real body?"
His gaze locked onto the highest snake head, the one that hadn't moved but seemed to be observing its surroundings.
The Kazekage raised his hands, and countless threads of iron sand coiled around the eighth snake head, binding it tightly.
With a forceful squeeze, the snake head burst into countless small white snakes, but the iron sand sealed them in, preventing them from escaping. The iron sand then crushed the snakes into a bloody pulp.
Just as he thought the battle was decided, the remaining six heads turned toward him simultaneously.
Earth, wind, fire, lightning, water, and a horde of serpents—all surged toward him in a chaotic barrage.
The Kazekage had no choice but to form a triangular shield of iron sand around himself.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Defense!"
He braced himself against the onslaught of the six-elemental attacks.
Even while defending, the Kazekage manipulated the iron sand spikes outside.
Soon, the iron sand wrapped around the snake heads, tightening swiftly and crushing them completely.
But the next moment, the severed necks began regenerating new heads.
"This really is endless," the Kazekage muttered in frustration.
He spread his arms, gathering a massive amount of iron sand behind him.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!"
Countless sharp iron needles formed from the iron sand, piercing the body of the Yamata no Orochi in rapid succession.
In no time, the entire serpent's body was covered with sharp iron needles, making it look like a spiked hedgehog.
Inside the massive serpent, Orochimaru twisted and turned, trying to dodge the piercing iron needles. However, his body was still riddled with wounds.
This technique wasn't yet perfected, making it difficult to deal with Kage-level opponents.
Especially opponents like the Third Kazekage, who weren't fazed by large creatures.
This jutsu was originally designed to absorb the enemy's ninjutsu and maintain its form, but the iron sand was simply too tough, preventing Orochimaru from absorbing enough ninjutsu in one go.
Now, he was sustaining it purely through his own chakra.
If this continued, he would eventually run out of chakra first.
"You truly live up to your reputation, Strongest Kazekage."
Despite being under constant assault, six of the snake heads unleashed elemental attacks, resisting the barrage of iron sand needles.
A clash between the black iron sand and the colorful elemental attacks ensued, one side turning the battlefield black and white, while the other side remained vibrant.
Both sides remained locked in a fierce stalemate, showing no signs of giving in.
All three battlegrounds had reached a fever pitch, with no one able to achieve a swift victory.
At that moment...
The sky suddenly erupted with fireworks, as if celebrating a festival.
The exploding fireworks revealed the symbols of the Hidden Stone, Hidden Sand, and Hidden Mist.
Ōnoki was the first to withdraw from the battle, followed closely by Hanzo, who quickly disengaged from Tsunade and regrouped with Ōnoki.
The Kazekage, who had seen a glimmer of hope for victory, reluctantly ceased his battle as well.
The iron sand beneath him transformed into a cloud, lifting him into the air.
Ōnoki glanced at the giant Yamata no Orochi as it dissolved into white light, revealing a heavily injured Orochimaru, kneeling on the ground with multiple wounds.
Just as he was about to strike, Tsunade and Jiraiya appeared by Orochimaru's side in time.
Ōnoki sighed in frustration, realizing he had missed his opportunity.
Looking at the fireworks in the sky, he knew they signaled Konoha's counteroffensive on the Hidden Stone front.
He hadn't expected Konoha to act so decisively. Seeing the grim expression on the Kazekage's face, it was clear they were in the same situation.
In the end, even Konoha, weakened though it was, still had plenty of powerful shinobi.
This battle had come to an end.
"You have won, Konoha shinobi," Ōnoki said with a stoic expression, eyeing Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. Just these three had enough power to rival their forces. Konoha was truly terrifying.
"I acknowledge your strength."
"The Legendary Sannin of Konoha."
"You have won."
(End of Chapter)
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