"Lord Sōmi! Konoha ninja are guarding every direction! We haven't found any weak points in their defenses," reported a masked Sunagakure ANBU as he approached Sōmi.
"Konoha isn't so easy to deal with, of course! But since we've started this fight, we need to achieve something! Even in failure, we must ensure that Konoha doesn't come out unscathed!" Sōmi's eyes gleamed with unwavering determination.
He then shouted loudly, "Have everyone converge in my direction! Use me as the spearhead to break through Konoha's defensive line!"
"Understood!" The ANBU ninja quickly pulled out a signal flare and fired it into the sky. A red ring of smoke burst open overhead, shrinking continuously to clearly mark their position.
"How bold!" Orochimaru's tongue flicked out, his voice dripping with amusement. Naturally, he had heard Sōmi's command.
However, Manda, the massive serpent Orochimaru had summoned, was far less interested in conversation. Its temper was as volatile as ever, and its sole desire was to devour blood sacrifices. The stronger the prey, the more exquisite the taste.
A flash of purple shot through the air.
Boom!
Golden sand scattered in all directions as Manda's colossal tail swept toward Sōmi. A wall of golden sand rose just in time to block the attack.
However, the center of the wall bore a deep crater, a testament to the terrifying power behind Manda's strike.
Having failed in its sneak attack, Manda's eyes flashed with a savage glint. Its enormous body lunged forward, and its massive head hurtled directly toward Sōmi.
Sōmi remained calm, gripping the Starfall Rod tightly as he channeled his Chakra into it without reservation.
The rod's core erupted with purple-blue light, interspersed with deep red sparks that flickered like embers.
This weapon, forged with great effort by Sasori and the artisans of the Land of Artisans, had sacrificed the Chakra-absorbing ability of Samehada in favor of exceptional Chakra storage capacity.
Sōmi drove the Starfall Rod into the ground with force.
Thud!
The Chakra stored within the rod, combined with the rod's inherent Chakra and Sōmi's own reserves, surged like a river bursting its banks, flowing violently into the earth.
The golden sand on the ground roared to life, churning like a stormy sea.
Massive waves of golden sand surged upward, clinging to Manda's enormous body. Initially, Manda could still manipulate its Chakra to slither across the surface of the sand.
But as the sand's movements intensified, the serpent's massive form began to sink under the relentless pull of the golden currents.
"Roar!"
Manda let out a low growl, its body twisting and thrashing violently to tear through the golden sand.
Yet the sand continued to multiply, leaving Manda struggling to keep up.
Clang!
A sharp metallic sound rang out. At some point, Orochimaru had appeared, wielding a gleaming sword as he slashed directly at Sōmi.
"Impressive reflexes," Orochimaru remarked, his tone laced with mock admiration.
But his attacks showed no mercy. The blade in his hand moved with relentless precision, raining down strikes like a violent storm.
Fortunately, Sōmi's taijutsu foundation was solid. He wielded the Starfall Rod with such skill that it formed an impenetrable defense.
However, Sōmi soon noticed small nicks appearing on the surface of the rod. Running his fingers over it, he could feel the discomfort caused by the dents.
"Is that the Kusanagi Sword?" Sōmi's gaze locked onto the shimmering blade in Orochimaru's hand. The sword's silver sheen glowed faintly, as if bathed in moonlight.
"Ah, so you recognize its value," Orochimaru said, his tongue flicking across the blade as a more dangerous aura erupted from him.
"Tongue Snake Swallow!"
Orochimaru's mouth suddenly opened to an impossible width, and from within shot a venomous snake, its speed like a compressed spring released in an instant.
Sōmi barely had time to raise the rod in defense, but the snake split into two heads mid-air, each lunging for his neck. The fangs sank in, injecting venom directly into his bloodstream.
The snake's body coiled tightly around Sōmi, its immense strength causing his bones to creak under the pressure.
Yet, Orochimaru showed no sign of triumph. Instead, he shifted his gaze to the side.
As Orochimaru turned, the Sōmi ensnared by the snake crumbled into golden sand, slipping to the ground.
The venomous snake, now filled with hardened sand, looked momentarily confused.
Sōmi reappeared in front of Orochimaru, who regarded him with growing interest.
Taking advantage of Orochimaru's hesitation, Sōmi clenched his right hand. The golden sand beneath Manda, which had been slowing in its movements, surged once more.
Solid arms of golden sand reached out, wrapping around Manda. The serpent struggled desperately, its body stretching to its limits to avoid being completely engulfed.
Orochimaru, of course, would not stand idly by. With a flick of his right hand, his arm transformed into a writhing mass of snakes that lunged toward Sōmi.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands: Multiple Strikes!"
Sōmi raised his left hand, forming a seal. Two golden sand arms shot up from the ground, intercepting the snake swarm and gripping them tightly.
The snakes' advance halted abruptly. With a squeeze, the sand arms crushed the snakes, leaving their severed bodies scattered on the ground.
However, the broken snakes retracted to Orochimaru's right arm, which reverted to a perfectly intact human limb, unaffected by the damage.
"Hmm... this rod of yours is quite remarkable," Orochimaru said, narrowing his eyes as he studied the Starfall Rod.
A weapon of such unique design and extraordinary power, never before seen in the ninja world, naturally piqued Orochimaru's interest.
After all, the materials used to create the Starfall Rod were incredibly rare. Even if someone else had obtained them, the idea of melting them down for forging would likely never cross their mind.
"Orochimaru, are you interested in making a deal?" Sōmi cautiously proposed, all the while maintaining his control over the golden sand that continued to entangle Manda.
Facing an opponent of Orochimaru's caliber, even the slightest carelessness could leave him without the chance to perform a substitution jutsu.
Fortunately, Orochimaru was not the type of swift Lightning Release fighter like the Fourth Raikage or Minato. While Sōmi knew he couldn't win, he was confident in his ability to escape.
If he were up against Minato or the Raikage, Sōmi wouldn't even dare stay on the ground—his only hope would be to flee into the sky.
"Oh? And what kind of deal might that be?" Orochimaru's gaze flickered briefly to Sōmi's rear flank.
"I can provide you with funding, personnel, and even my own assistance in your experiments to help you research forbidden techniques," Sōmi said, his left hand glowing with the emerald light of medical ninjutsu.
Meanwhile, the golden sand beneath Manda continued to expand its swamp-like area.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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