MTLNOVEL Chapter 287: Chapter 287
"Oh? Found it so quickly?" Orochimaru, far away in the Land of Fire, smirked as he mused to himself.
"Looks like the battlefield on the Kumo Ninja side is about to wrap up."
The strength of a Kage was undeniable.
After all, the title of Kage wasn't given lightly, it was reserved for the strongest in a major ninja village.
And the Second Tsuchikage, Mū, was no exception.
His abilities were especially unique.
Beyond the well-known Dust Release, Mū possessed extraordinary perception and an unparalleled stealth technique—*Dustless Bewildering Cover*.
This technique rendered him invisible, not just to the naked eye but also to chakra-sensing, making him nearly undetectable.
It was this ability that earned him the title of "The Non-Person."
Using Mū to infiltrate and dismantle the enemy's backline was the most logical choice. His invisibility, combined with the unique properties of the reanimated body, made him a deadly force.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
More coffins erupted from the ground, their lids sliding off with an ominous creak.
This time, all the reanimated figures were Iwa ninjas.
As Mū gave the signal, the army of Iwa ninjas began their attack on the Kumo camp.
Even though the reanimated Iwa ninjas were being controlled, many among them harbored deep grudges against the Cloud Village.
So, even without Orochimaru's direct orders, their willingness to engage the Kumo ninjas was evident.
---
"Enemy attack!"
The warning cry rang out across the camp as the first Kumo ninja spotted the advancing army.
Immediately, Kumo ninjas grabbed their weapons and rushed out of their tents, only to be greeted by the sight of countless Iwa ninjas spread across the horizon.
"How… how is this possible?"
"Is this some kind of joke?!"
"Why are there so many Iwa ninjas here?"
"Damn it…"
The Kumo ninjas were baffled, unable to comprehend how such a massive force of Iwa ninjas had appeared without any prior warning.
"Die!"
*Slash!*
The blade of a Kumo ninja cut through an Iwa ninja, slicing him cleanly in half.
But instead of collapsing, the reanimated ninja's body began to reform almost instantly, the severed pieces snapping back into place.
The Kumo ninjas quickly realized the futility of their attacks.
The only way to defeat these reanimated corpses was through sealing techniques.
Unfortunately, when it came to sealing jutsu, Kumo was far from proficient.
In the ninja world, the Uzumaki Clan and Konoha were considered the masters of sealing techniques, followed by Sunagakure.
While Suna's expertise stemmed from their research into tailed beasts—beginning with the Second Kazekage's experiments, their sealing techniques were still far superior to Kumo's.
But Kumo, a village known more for its unique secret techniques than sealing jutsu, was ill-equipped to handle an army of reanimated ninjas.
To make matters worse, the Kumo ninjas had only received intelligence about the reanimated forces two days ago. It was nowhere near enough time to develop an effective counter-strategy.
And now, they were facing an army of 400 to 500 Iwa ninjas, nearly identical in size to the reanimated Suna ninja army.
Between the two forces, Orochimaru had managed to assemble nearly a thousand undead soldiers.
---
The scale of this army was no coincidence.
It had taken Orochimaru half a month to desecrate the graves of two villages to this extent.
Finding suitable sacrifices, however, had been the most time-consuming part.
Most of the sacrifices were death row prisoners from various countries or enemy ninjas who had dared to attack Orochimaru during his travels.
Every time he passed by a prison while researching Edo Tensei or experimenting with cells from smaller nations' daimyos, Orochimaru would "recruit" more sacrifices.
After months of meticulous preparation, the nearly thousand-strong undead army had finally been completed.
---
"Don't engage these things!"
"Damn it… they can't be killed!"
"Lord Raikage!"
A panicked Kumo ninja ran up to the Third Raikage, who had just stepped out of his tent.
The Raikage's sharp eyes scanned the chaos as he watched his men struggle against the reanimated Iwa ninjas. His brows furrowed deeply.
"How did these undead ninjas get here?" he demanded.
"I… I don't know, sir! We've received no intelligence about this from the frontlines!"
"Gather the men and retreat," the Raikage commanded. "Leave this to me."
"But, Lord Raikage—"
"No arguments!" the Raikage interrupted. "From what I've seen, these creatures can only be stopped with sealing techniques. And given our current resources…"
"Raikage-sama, watch out!"
"Nani?!"
Before the Raikage could finish speaking, his sharp instincts warned him of incoming danger. He looked up, his eyes narrowing.
Floating high above him was a figure wrapped in bandages—Mū, the Second Tsuchikage.
With his hands pressed together, Mū began condensing energy into a glowing cone-shaped construct.
*Buzz!*
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
The destructive energy beam shot toward the Third Raikage with devastating speed and force.
*Boom!*
The resulting explosion obliterated the tent beside the Raikage, sending debris and smoke flying in every direction.
Where the Dust Release struck, everything was reduced to dust, leaving only emptiness behind.
Amidst the swirling smoke, Mū hovered in the air, his senses sharply attuned.
He could still feel the Third Raikage's powerful chakra.
"As expected of the man they call a Kage," Mū muttered. "Fast reaction…"
---
The Third Raikage emerged from the dust, his piercing gaze locking onto the airborne figure.
"Who are you…? The Second Tsuchikage?" he demanded, his voice steady despite the situation.
Mū didn't respond, silently observing the Kage below.
---
Elsewhere, Orochimaru continued to monitor the situation remotely, piecing together what was happening.
"The Third Kazekage leads the Suna forces in a frontal assault, while the Second Tsuchikage strikes the rear lines with the reanimated Iwa ninjas?"
Orochimaru chuckled softly.
"It's a solid strategy… but if the first strike doesn't succeed, the outcome of a battle between two Kage-level opponents becomes far less certain."
For Orochimaru, these details were no longer of significant importance.
Victory would come from cutting the head off the snake.
As long as the Third Raikage was eliminated, the Kumo forces would fall apart.
---
"Kushina!" Orochimaru called.
"Yes, sir! Are you hungry again?" Kushina asked with a grin.
"…" Orochimaru stared at her, momentarily speechless. "I'm telling you I'm heading out, not asking for food."
"Heading out? Where to?"
"You don't need to worry about that," Orochimaru replied, his voice cold. "But while I'm gone, you're to stay here. Don't go anywhere. If you do…"
He paused, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "I'll kill Namikaze Minato."
"Eh? Why would you kill Minato just because I ran off?!" Kushina blurted out, her face filled with confusion.
Realizing how absurd his threat sounded, Orochimaru waved it off.
"My mistake," he said dismissively. "Just remember: if I come back and you're not here, there will be consequences."
"I… I understand!" Kushina replied, nodding hastily.
"I'll return before dark," Orochimaru added as he pulled out a Flying Thunder God kunai and embedded it into the wooden wall.
With that, he vanished in a flash.
***
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