The sudden appearance of the giant python terrified the Sand Ninja forces. They halted immediately, retreating to a safer distance, their eyes wide with shock.
The Sannin had been mere children during the First Great Ninja War, and the other villages had little to no information on their abilities. So, when they saw the massive snake suddenly appear on the battlefield, the surprise was as great as when they first encountered Konoha's sniper rifles.
After swallowing one of the enemy, the python slithered back to Orochimaru, coiling itself neatly behind him, waiting for its next command.
As the white smoke from the summoning began to fade, a new figure came into view.
Standing in front of Hyuga Ryuichi was a human-sized toad, gripping the blades of a puppet's sword with both fists bound by iron rings.
"Looks like I made it just in time," came a voice of relief.
Ryuichi's heart leapt. Quickly retreating toward the voice, he bowed slightly as he moved. "Thank you, Jiraiya-sama! Orochimaru-sama! You saved me!"
Having narrowly escaped death, Ryuichi felt as if he were looking at his saviors.
Jiraiya gave a small nod and glanced at the Sand Ninja across the battlefield. "Leave this to the three of us. You go regroup with your team."
"Yes!" Ryuichi responded without hesitation, quickly retreating to where his teammates had been waiting. Fortunately, they hadn't gone far, unwilling to abandon him completely. When they saw him return alive, both teammates let out audible sighs of relief, with one even tearing up.
They had been forced to leave their teammate behind because, as shinobi, sometimes delivering crucial information took priority over saving lives. Yet, seeing Ryuichi safe again was more than they had dared hope for.
As Ryuichi and his team withdrew, Jiraiya twisted his neck, cracking his joints. "Alright, then. You're on the battlefield now, so be prepared for what's coming."
"Hmph! You think having some summoned creatures is going to change anything?" sneered the leader of the Sand Ninja squad. "Sand Ninjas, kill them!"
He took a step back, clutching his chest. Ryuichi's earlier attack had hit him hard, too hard. The gentle fist technique had sealed several of his chakra points, making it impossible for him to mold chakra properly.
Without chakra, a ninja was nearly useless in battle. He could no longer participate and could only leave it to his subordinates.
In his mind, the odds were still in their favor. "There were more than a dozen of them, while there were only three opponents. Even if they had summoned creatures, what could they do?"
But what he failed to realize was that he and his team were facing the future Sannin.
Each of the three had the strength of an entire squad, and their summoned beasts were far more dangerous than the puppets his men controlled.
Orochimaru, preparing for the fight ahead, glanced at the slug perched on his shoulder. "I don't need this thing."
Tsunade shot him a look. "What if you get injured?"
"I won't."
"I don't care. You're keeping it."
"Damn it, could you two stop flirting already?" Jiraiya grumbled. His patience was running thin. "Can't we focus on the fight first?"
As if it wasn't painful enough seeing the two of them act like this when they were together, they had to do it in the middle of a battlefield? In front of enemies?
The Sand Ninjas were just as frustrated. Seeing the three Sannin casually conversing while in the heat of battle only made them angrier.
"Are they mocking us? Do they think so little of us?"
"Kill them!" the leader of the Sand Ninja roared.
"Take this!"
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"
A barrage of shurikens, kunai, explosive tags, and ninjutsu rained down on the trio, hurtling through the air with deadly intent.
Jiraiya, reacting quickly, formed seals and slammed his hands into the ground.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
A solid wall of earth rose up, blocking the oncoming projectiles.
**Ding, ding, ding!**
**Boom! Boom! Boom!**
Shuriken and kunai clanged against the earthen barrier, while explosive tags detonated in flashes of light and fire, sending debris flying everywhere.
As the smoke and dust filled the air, a puppet armed with twin swords darted around the side, attempting to flank Orochimaru.
"Try this on for size!"
**Bang! Crack!**
Tsunade intercepted the puppet in a flash, her fist crashing into it with devastating force. The puppet shattered into pieces under her punch, scattering fragments across the battlefield.
At the same time, Orochimaru casually tossed several small stones over the wall, aiming at the Sand Ninja formation.
"Stones?" one of the Sand Ninjas muttered in confusion, momentarily frozen.
It was just enough hesitation to prevent them from reacting quickly.
The "stones" Orochimaru threw were actually small iron spheres, and while they moved slowly enough to give the Sand Ninja time to react, the confusion had delayed their response.
Realizing the danger too late, several Sand Ninjas threw shuriken at the spheres, hoping to knock them away.
But when the shuriken made contact…
**Boom! Boom! Boom!**
Each sphere exploded, releasing shrapnel in every direction.
"Ahhhh!"
"Damn it!"
"Argh!"
Screams of pain and groans of frustration filled the air as the Sand Ninja were caught in the blasts, their bodies shredded by the shrapnel.
"What… what are these things?"
"Kai! Onigiri! Stay with me!" one of the Sand Ninja cried out, shaking his injured comrades.
**Boom! Boom! Boom!**
More explosions followed, catching several Sand Ninja off guard. Those who couldn't escape in time were struck down by the deadly fragments.
"Big brother…!" came a desperate, anguished cry from one of the surviving Sand Ninja.
"Retreat! Fall back!" the squad leader ordered, his voice strained as he collapsed, lifeless, from his injuries.
"Damn you, Konoha scum! I'll kill you!" one of the Sand Ninja screamed in rage. Rather than retreat, he charged toward Orochimaru and the others, blinded by anger.
But just as he rounded the remains of the Earth Wall and got within range of the trio, a jet of corrosive acid sprayed out from behind Orochimaru, hitting the charging ninja square in the face.
*Splatter!*
The acid ate through the ninja's face, melting flesh and bone in an instant. He didn't even have time to scream before his body crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
The culprit—a slug—offered a soft apology. "Sorry…"
The slug, being a peace-loving creature, rarely killed unless absolutely necessary. It found the act distasteful but unavoidable in the heat of battle.
Orochimaru's snake, however, had no such reservations. It lifted its head and slammed into the ground with enough force to send a shockwave across the battlefield.
*Boom!*
The Sand Ninja screamed as they were either crushed or thrown aside.
Within minutes, the battlefield was littered with the bodies of the Sand Ninja squad. The few survivors were in no condition to continue fighting, either paralyzed with fear or too injured to stand.
The Sand Ninja captain, who had stayed in the rear, watched in horror. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Who are these people?"
Not only did they possess strange and deadly tools, but their summoned creatures were on a completely different level from anything he had seen before.
"We… we have to retreat!" he shouted. There was no point in continuing this battle. The Sand Ninja had been thoroughly outclassed.
The remaining Sand Ninja, those lucky enough to still be breathing, obeyed without hesitation. They tossed smoke bombs into the air, covering their escape as they fled.
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade watched them retreat but made no move to pursue.
Their objective had already been achieved.
---
The Sand Ninja captain, believing that his team had simply been unfortunate, braced himself for the punishment that would surely await him at the village. But when he returned to the base, he found something even more disturbing.
It wasn't just his team.
Other squads had been completely devastated as well.
"What… what is happening?"