He merely frowned at the blow he had just received.
Yellow sand hung in the air, swirling with the desert wind. The harsh environment agitated Manda's already foul temper.
"Roar! Die, you little worm!" Manda roared as his massive body coiled and whipped his tail with tremendous force against the sand wall that Rasa had raised.
Boom! The sand wall cracked on impact. Manda's tail pressed forward, relentless, crashing toward Rasa who hovered mid-air.
Bang! A dense cloud of gold sand intercepted the strike. Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, looked unimpressed. Despite the snake's enormous size, to a shinobi of Kage level, it was merely troublesome.
"You damned little Sand shinobi! You've enraged Lord Manda!" the serpent hissed, eyes gleaming crimson.
Manda, a legendary summoning creature of the Hidden Sound, had long commanded fear throughout the shinobi world. It tolerated no disrespect.
With a furious howl, Manda surged forward. Its jaws parted slightly, venom bubbling at the fangs, cold fury in its eyes.
"Hmph." Rasa's expression remained calm. This terrain, despite being desert, wasn't ideal due to the constant interference from Manda's thrashing. Still, with a wave of his hand, chakra flowed, and gold sand gathered at his feet.
Whoosh! Manda lunged. His fangs bared, venom ready to spew.
Boom! A massive golden fist—formed of condensed gold sand—smashed down on Manda's skull, slamming the serpent into the ground. Manda's eyes widened in disbelief.
Orochimaru, standing behind Manda, raised an eyebrow. Even he hadn't fully anticipated Rasa's speed. His wariness of the Kazekage grew, any earlier contempt already erased.
Ptui! Manda spat out a mouthful of sand. His jaws had slammed into the earth when he tried to bite down on Rasa. His target had slipped just in time.
Orochimaru leaped from Manda's head, now intrigued. He knew the summoning well—an enraged Manda was vastly more dangerous, and once angered, even Orochimaru himself might not be spared.
Hissss! Manda coiled defensively, not attacking immediately despite the fury boiling in his chest.
Below, Orochimaru eyed the Sand Ninja guards stationed behind Rasa. A cruel smirk curled across his lips as he licked them with his long tongue. He had no intention of giving them breathing room; momentum must be maintained.
Whoosh! Manda suddenly lunged again—faster this time. His massive body twisted and glided over the sand like a living wave, making his trajectory difficult to read.
As Manda attacked, Orochimaru also moved. With a single push of his foot, he bolted toward the Sand shinobi. His intent was clear: eliminate Rasa's support.
Boom! Manda's tail smashed aside a black sand sphere hurled at him, then surged toward Rasa once more.
"Hmph?" Rasa's gaze narrowed. Manda's movements were faster, heavier, more refined. But his hands never stopped weaving; waves of golden sand rose to strike the serpent again and again.
"Orochimaru…" Rasa's eyes shifted to the Sannin speeding toward his guards. He raised his right hand and pointed at the incoming threat.
"Magnet Release: Placer Gold Spear!" Chakra surged as Rasa manipulated precious metal particles from the earth, condensing them into a golden spear.
Shunk! The spear fired toward Orochimaru with blinding speed.
But Orochimaru, ever perceptive and attuned to killing intent, shifted with serpentine grace. Predicting the moment of launch, he darted right, the spear narrowly missing as he vaulted into the air—now even closer to the Sand troops.
His hair fluttered behind him like a banner, the violet tomoe in his eyes gleaming with menace.
Meanwhile, Manda had reached Rasa once more. With a twist of his massive body, he hurled his tail toward the airborne Kazekage. The serpent's scales shimmered under the sun.
---
Elsewhere, near the edge of the battlefield...
This was the site of Saitama's ambush squad, stationed on the right flank. When the battle erupted in the distance, the sounds of destruction were unmistakable.
"You hear that?" Sagi muttered, crouched at Saitama's side.
"Yeah. Get ready." Saitama's voice was calm and clipped. He saw no need for idle talk before bloodshed.
Their mission was clear: strike the right flank of the Sand forces under cover of the chaos.
Saitama gripped the handle of his sword tightly. The ground rumbled beneath them, like giants clashing in the distance. Though he couldn't see it, he could feel the chakra tremors—dense, overwhelming.
"Move!" barked Uchiha Rin, who had been crouched nearby. As soon as the battle ahead broke out, he counted silently to himself, then signaled the team to advance. Everyone launched forward at once.
"Charge!" Rin was first out of hiding, a blur across the sand.
Zzt! Lightning crackled. Saitama surged ahead, leaving Samu and the others behind. Petite but swift, he weaved through the group and caught up with Rin in moments.
Rin glanced over his shoulder, gave a brief nod to Saitama, and focused forward.
"Kill! For the Village!" the shouts erupted as their squad stormed the battlefield.
The main battlefield was a savage melee. Both sides had burned through their initial jutsu and were now conserving chakra, switching to brutal close combat.
Despite being outnumbered, Konoha's shinobi didn't back down.
In seconds, Saitama and his squad had covered hundreds of meters and entered the battlefield.
Saitama and Rin descended on a cluster of Sand shinobi who were surrounding a wounded Konoha ninja. Though bleeding and cornered, the man fought on with grim resolve. Around him were corpses—some of Sand, some of Leaf.
Zzzt! Drawing his blade, Saitama surged forward in a flash of lightning.
His first strike slit the throat of an enemy before they even saw him coming.
Gurgle! The Sand ninja clutched his neck, eyes wide in disbelief.
Without pausing, Saitama slashed again. Crack! Another opponent tried to block, but his kunai shattered under the force. Saitama's blade continued its arc, slicing across the man's torso in a crackling arc of lightning.
Thud! Rin followed up with a savage kick, sending another Sand shinobi flying, coughing blood midair.
"Push forward! Slaughter these Sand rats!" Rin barked, rallying the squad.
The Konoha ninja they had saved looked at them with wide eyes, then nodded and stumbled back into the fray.
Saitama pressed forward, his chakra cloaking him in arcs of visible lightning. He vanished and reappeared like a bolt, each strike claiming another enemy. His blade crackled with a technique similar to Chidori Nagashi, the Lightning Current—a variant he had developed through tireless training.
No enemy could withstand the flurry of strikes.
The rest of the squad followed Saitama's lead, like a spear behind its tip, carving a path deep into Sand's forces.
Zzt! Zzt! Saitama heard nothing but the hum of lightning and the pounding of his heart. His Sharingan spun, taking in every movement.
To his right, Rin matched him, slashing and dodging with surgical precision.
Clang! Suddenly, Saitama's blade met resistance.
"Hm?" He recognized the opponent—a Sand shinobi who had previously escaped Masano's squad.
"You," Saitama muttered, a grin forming as lightning surged along his blade.
Boom! Their blades clashed, and Saitama shoved him back with raw force. Sparks danced along the enemy's arms.
"Damn... he's stronger than before!" the Sand shinobi muttered, his hand twitching from the electric shock.
Slash! Saitama didn't hesitate. His next blow tore into the man's waist, drawing blood and pushing him to the brink.
Visit patreon.com/TEA_QUILL to get 30+ chapters