53: Ten thousand snakes are furious, Orochimaru is coming

The giant python, its body entirely purple, coiled like a mountain, completely obscuring the sky.

The heavy shadow completely engulfed Tang Yan and his group, and its scarlet snake eyes, larger than lanterns, slowly rotated, devoid of any emotion, cold and mocking, locking onto these 'prey' that appeared insignificant in its eyes.

The air seemed to solidify; each breath brought in a strong stench and a bloody smell, pressing down on one's chest, making it difficult to breathe, almost suffocating.

"Hehehe... A few lost little mice, gathered together, are you trying to add a meal for Uncle Snake?"

A cold, hoarse voice, yet tinged with a hint of laziness and a spine-chilling laugh, like the stickiest venom, pierced into the eardrums of every surviving Sand Ninja, lingering in their minds, refusing to dissipate.

The last trace of color drained from the faces of the surviving Sand Ninja, leaving them ashen.

The tiny spark of fighting spirit that Tang Yan had painstakingly ignited was, in the face of the unparalleled pressure of the creature named Wan Snake and the nightmarish name of Orochimaru, like a candle in the wind, instantly disintegrating and extinguishing without even a wisp of smoke remaining.

"Wan... Wan Snake!" A young Sand Ninja's teeth chattered uncontrollably, making a "clack-clack" sound; his legs gave out, the weapon in his hand clanged to the ground, and he collapsed, his pants quickly becoming soaked.

"Orochimaru... It's... it's Orochimaru's Summoning Technique, Wan Snake... We're doomed..." Another voice, tinged with an uncontrollable sob, whispered in despair, his eyes hollow, as if he had already seen his end.

Zi Luo's eyes widened in fury, veins bulging on his forehead, his Seven Day Breathing Method circulating to its extreme, and a series of teeth-grinding cracks erupted from his bones.

His already burly frame seemed to swell even further.

"Stop playing tricks over there! Monster!" He roared, his right arm muscles bulging, gnarled like ancient tree roots, his left arm, covered by a metal bracer, held across his chest in a desperate charge stance, and he charged headlong towards the colossal beast like a cannonball, heedless of everything.

His iron fist, infused with all his Chakra and strength, screamed as it tore through the air, unhesitatingly striking a section of Wan Snake's body that lay on the ground, thicker than a bucket.

"Bang!"

A dull, heavy thud, like a giant hammer striking thick leather.

Zi Luo felt an unstoppable, terrifying force rebound from his fist; the bones in his right arm felt as if they were shattering, instantly losing all sensation, and he was flung high by the force, tumbling awkwardly in the air for several rotations before falling heavily onto the sand more than ten meters away like a broken sack, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood that stained the yellow sand beneath him.

He struggled to look up, only to see that not even a faint white mark was left on Wan Snake's indestructible purple scales.

"Wind Release: Sickle Weasel!" Qian's figure followed closely the moment Zi Luo was sent flying; her expression was grave, and she rapidly waved the blood-stained white-furred iron fan in her hand, 'Scythe Wind Slash' combining with countless invisible wind blades that condensed in the air, transforming into incomparably sharp vacuum blades that emitted a mournful howl, precisely cutting towards Wan Snake's vital spot—the weak point of snakes.

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang, clang, clang!"

A series of ear-piercing metallic clashes erupted on the battlefield.

Countless Sickle Weasel wind blades, powerful enough to easily cut through steel, fiercely struck Wan Snake's hard scales, yet only sparked tiny, dazzling flashes of fire, leaving behind a few shallow white marks that were almost imperceptible to the naked eye, failing to truly break through its scale defense.

"Roar—!"

Wan Snake seemed finally enraged by the two ants' overestimation of their own strength; its enormous head suddenly lifted, letting out a deafening, sky-shattering roar.

The shockwave formed by the sound made the ground tremble.

Immediately after, its giant snake tail, several times thicker than a battering ram, swept across with immense force at a speed difficult to track with the naked eye!

The wind howled, and the earth groaned.

The air was sucked out, creating a temporary vacuum.

"Scatter!" Tang Yan's pupils constricted sharply in an instant, and he roared, his voice slightly distorted by extreme tension.

However, it was too late.

Several Sand Ninja, already slow to react due to fear, only managed to let out a short, desperate cry before being directly struck by the terrifying snake tail, which carried destructive power, without even making any evasive movements.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Hair-raising sounds of flesh tearing and bones shattering were clearly audible.

Those Ninja, like watermelons crushed by immense force, instantly turned into blurry puddles of blood and gore, mixing with the hot yellow sand, a glaring scarlet and a gruesome sight.

They perished without even a complete scream.

Wan Snake's blood-red mouth suddenly opened, and streams of dark green venomous liquid gushed out like a bursting dam, covering a large area in front.

Wherever the venom passed, the yellow sand sizzled, emitting nauseating black smoke, and the ground was instantly corroded into bottomless pits.

An extremely strong stench and corrosive odor permeated the air, almost making one's internal organs churn.

Tang Yan and the others hurriedly retreated in disarray, narrowly avoiding the main coverage area of the venom, but a few drops still splashed onto their faces and arms, causing immediate burning, intense stinging pain, and rapid redness, swelling, and ulceration of the skin.

This was not a battle of the same magnitude at all.

The gap in strength between the two sides was despairingly vast.

Tang Yan's gaze was fixed on the coiled Wan Snake, and on Orochimaru, who was faintly visible, hidden in the giant snake's shadow, observing their battered remnants with the gaze of a cat playing with a mouse, full of interest.

Engaging Wan Snake in battle was like trying to smash a rock with an egg, courting death.

Orochimaru lurked in the shadows like a venomous snake, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

They had to find a way to lure him and this damned monster away!

Only then would Qian and Zi Luo, and these surviving Sandagakure comrades who trusted her, have a chance at survival.

A crazy idea rapidly formed in her mind, quickly becoming clear and firm.

Tang Yan suddenly turned her head, her voice extremely low, yet carrying an undeniable resolve and a cold will, clearly reaching Qian and Zi Luo's ears: "Qian, you lead the rest of the people and immediately break through from the left flank of the battlefield!

Rasa should be arriving soon, hold on!"

"Zi Luo, protect Qian, at all costs, carve a bloody path for me!

Even if you die, die on the charge!"

Qian's body trembled uncontrollably, and her beautiful phoenix eyes, usually so serene, were now filled with shock, reluctance, and a trace of imperceptible panic.

She looked at Tang Yan's face, which appeared unusually resolute and determined under the flickering firelight and snake shadow, her lips moving a few times as if to say something, but the words caught in her throat, and she swallowed them back, finally only nodding heavily, her eyes slightly reddening.

Zi Luo wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his still-intact left hand, his chest heaving with ragged breaths.

He looked at Tang Yan, his eyes filled with intense unwillingness and fury, but even more so with a desperate resolve to face life and death together.

He nodded heavily, his voice hoarse but firm: "Don't worry, Tang Yan!

As long as I, Zi Luo, have breath in me, I won't let them harm a single hair on Qian's head!

You... take care of yourself!"

Tang Yan said no more, nor did she have time to; every moment could mean the difference between life and death.

"Summoning Technique!"

"Boom!"

A thick cloud of white smoke suddenly erupted, and within the smoke, a half-human-sized figure gradually became clear.

It was a green Ninja Toad, its muscles sleek and explosive, its eyes gleaming with alert and agile light.

It had a belt of sharp shuriken around its waist, and in its hand, it gripped an ancient-looking Tang Blade, its edge faintly glinting with cold light in the firelight.

As soon as the Ninja Toad appeared, it quickly scanned its surroundings with sharp eyes, finally settling on the colossal beast not far away—Wan Snake—and let out a low, battle-ready croak: "Croak!"

"Ninja Toad, prepare to move!" Tang Yan's voice was cold.

The Ninja Toad completely understood his intention, its four limbs pushing off the ground, its entire body transforming into a blurry green afterimage, charging towards Manda at an astonishing speed.

It didn't choose to foolishly charge head-on. Instead, relying on agility far exceeding its size, it moved at high speed along the side of Manda's massive body, its figure flickering unpredictably.

As it moved, the Ninja Toad precisely flicked out several palm-sized, flat objects from the shuriken pouch at its waist, which glowed with a faint red light. These objects silently embedded themselves into the gaps between the scales on Manda's underbelly.

The red glow seemed to possess life, pulsating faintly.

They were attached to explosive tags!

"Explode!" the Ninja Toad let out a short, low growl.

"Boom! Boom boom boom!"

A series of muffled explosions rang out consecutively on Manda's underbelly, with fire bursting forth and debris flying.

Although the power of these miniature explosive tags was not enough to pierce Manda's thick, terrifying scales, the impact and slight pain caused by the explosions thoroughly ignited the fury of this usually arrogant giant beast.

"Hiss—roar—!!!"

Manda raised its ferocious head, letting out an even more violent and piercing hiss than before, shaking the very air. Its massive crimson snake eyes instantly locked onto the Ninja Toad, which was moving erratically beneath it like an annoying mosquito, and Tang Yan, who was also rapidly moving away from the main group not far away.

Its enormous body twisted sharply, abandoning its previous relentless pursuit of Qian and Zi Luo. Its massive snake tail carved a deep Ravine in the sand, and its entire body, like a moving hill, charged furiously towards Tang Yan and the Ninja Toad with an aura of crushing everything in its path.

In the distance, within the never-fading shadow, Orochimaru's pale face showed a slight upward curve at the corner of his mouth. He extended his long, slender tongue, lightly licking his dry lips, and the eager light in his golden snake eyes grew more intense. He displayed great interest in Tang Yan's sudden summon and this Ninja Toad, which was quite peculiar in both appearance and combat style. He had no intention of intervening for now, seemingly wanting to see what other tricks this "little mouse" could pull.

"Go!" Qian's eyes instantly reddened as she watched Tang Yan's resolute back leading Manda away. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly held them back. She understood that this was the only chance for survival Tang Yan had bought them with his life, using herself as bait.

She abruptly waved the white fluffy iron fan in her hand, the fan's surface cutting through the air with a sharp whoosh. Her voice trembled with emotion, yet it clearly reached every surviving Sunagakure Ninja's ear: "Sunagakure brothers, break through with me! Charge out!"

The remaining dozen or so Sunagakure Ninjas, who had long been enveloped by the shadow of death and despair, now seeing Tang Yan's actions, and inspired by Zi Luo's fearless bravery and Qian's undeniable resolve, felt their long-cooled fighting spirit ignite once more.

They forcibly suppressed their fear of Manda's destructive power, letting out suppressed roars, and followed closely behind Qian and Zi Luo, launching a nearly suicidal, desperate charge towards a relatively weak point in the Konoha forces' encirclement.

Zi Luo led the charge, his burly body now like a burning furnace. Each swing of his iron fist brought the sound of wind and thunder. A Leaf Ninja, caught off guard, was struck in the chest by his punch, the sound of collapsing ribs clearly audible, and the Ninja flew backward like a broken kite.

He forcefully tore open a gap in the enemy's formation with his bare fists.

Manda's pursuit was immense; each movement of its massive body caused sand and stones to fly, and the ground to tremble and crack. This inadvertently created some chaos for Qian and the others' breakout and successfully drew the attention of some Leaf Ninjas, making them hesitant to approach that area.

As Tang Yan moved rapidly, the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of Qian and Zi Luo's breakout direction. Seeing that they had initially torn open a gap, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

But he knew this was just the beginning; the crisis was far from over.

Manda was in hot pursuit behind him, the stench almost knocking him over. What he feared even more was Orochimaru, lurking in the shadows like a venomous snake. To truly escape the current deadly situation, it seemed impossible without severely wounding, or even... killing Orochimaru.

This thought flashed through his mind, and even he found it somewhat insane.

He quickly calculated his remaining trump cards. The Qi Poison from the puppet Shura? That poisonous fire might be effective against human Ninjas, but against a massive, tough-scaled Summoning beast like Manda, its effectiveness would likely be greatly reduced.

The intricate hidden weapons of the Tang Clan might cause some disturbance, but relying on them as the key to victory would be wishful thinking.

He had to come up with a foolproof plan, a method that could truly pose a fatal threat to Orochimaru!

"Croak!" The Ninja Toad leaped agilely beside him, using the rugged strange rocks as cover, constantly changing its position, dodging Manda's ram-like charges and the overwhelming torrents of venom it spewed.

But Manda's attack range was too wide, and its speed astonishingly fast.

A thick snake tail swept across, the strong wind it generated stinging one's cheeks. To shield Tang Yan from being directly hit by the wind, the Ninja Toad lunged forward, blocking in front of him. It was violently struck by the edge of the snake tail, letting out a clear grunt of pain, and its entire body tumbled like a rag doll for dozens of meters, crashing heavily into a large boulder. Several bone-deep wounds appeared on its body, and green blood seeped out.

Tang Yan himself was also swept by the violent aftershock of the wind. A long tear appeared in the sleeve of his left arm, a burning stinging pain came, and a bloodstain quickly emerged. He gritted his teeth, his determination unwavering.

"This way!" he growled, forcibly suppressing the churning blood within him, controlling the injured Ninja Toad, while also employing the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track movement technique. His figure became elusive as he rushed towards a chaotic rocky area on the edge of the battlefield, where strange rocks stood tall and the terrain was more complex. The terrain there was relatively narrow, which might slightly restrict Manda's massive body, buying him a moment to breathe and counterattack.

As long as he could completely separate Manda from the main battlefield, he would have a chance!

The Konoha forces also experienced a considerable commotion due to Manda's sudden furious pursuit. Under command, some Ninjas began to attempt a flanking maneuver, trying to trap Tang Yan and the enraged Manda together in the rocky area.

On the other side, the breakout team was also engaged in a bitter struggle.

"Kill!" Zi Luo was covered in blood, his normally sturdy arm guard on his left arm severely twisted and deformed, and the finger bones of his right fist were white from excessive force, blood dripping from his knuckles. Yet, he seemed tireless, still ferociously powerful. Each roar was accompanied by the scream and collapse of a Leaf Ninja. He used his own flesh and blood to stubbornly hold the very front of the line, buying every inch of space for Qian and his remaining Sunagakure comrades behind him.

However, the Leaf Ninjas still held an overwhelming numerical advantage. They came in waves, like relentless tides crashing against the shore, and the encirclement that had just been torn open was slowly shrinking at a visible rate.

Just as Tang Yan led Manda plunging into the anticipated rocky area, temporarily creating some distance from the main battlefield behind them.

A figure appeared, without warning, silently, on top of Manda's enormous head.

The newcomer extended a crimson, slender tongue, licking his somewhat dry lips. His golden snake eyes, flickering with an unusual light, held a hint of amusement and cruelty as he looked down from above at Tang Yan, who was somewhat awkwardly dodging Manda's attacks amidst the rocks.

"Hehehe..." A low, hoarse laugh rang out, carrying a chilling coldness, "Little mouse, it seems your warm-up is almost over."