Chapter 260: The Cloud Collapse Plan, Initiated!
At this moment, in the Land of Lightning, a thousand miles away from the Hell Valley battlefield—
Kumogakure.
This ninja village was built atop towering peaks that pierced the clouds, shrouded in mist, with deafening thunder constantly echoing through the air.
At the village's center stood the Raikage Building, wedged between the mountain valleys like a... plug?
—
Inside the Raikage's Office, the very core of the village, Orochimaru sat on the Raikage's throne as if it were his rightful place, leisurely flipping through top-secret Kumogakure documents.
Scrolls containing the secret techniques of the Lightning Release Armor, records of war meetings, the highly classified movement routes of Turtle Island, maps detailing border defenses, and even an insane raid plan devised by Kumogakure itself.
Holding these priceless pieces of intelligence, Orochimaru couldn't help but feel both excited and amused.
Jiraiya had spent years gathering intelligence from across the ninja world—bars, brothels, rogue ninja hideouts—piecing together scattered information. And yet, all of that effort paled in comparison to the depth of these files, not even a tenth as comprehensive.
Seriously, what was that guy even doing?
Still chasing after that so-called Child of Prophecy?
Shaking his head, Orochimaru gathered the copied documents and tossed them into the waiting mouth of a summoning snake.
Just as he was about to leave, a scroll caught his eye at the corner of the Raikage's desk.
"This is… a scroll for Kumogakure's sealed artifacts? The Amber Purifying Pot has already been taken?"
Orochimaru frowned slightly, picking up the scroll. Beneath it lay a stack of non-classified intelligence files, among which he spotted a familiar photo ID.
"Uchiha Ci?"
"And… this is a battle plan for Hell Valley?"
The document detailed tailed beast movements, the Blood Pool Clan's alliance, Kumogakure's strategic maneuvers, and an attack strategy involving the two Jinchūriki coordinating in Hell Valley.
At the very end, handwritten notes by the Third Raikage summarized the intelligence with two critical points—
"Against the complex combat systems of the Uchiha, if necessary, aim directly for the core!"
"Abandon the retrieval of the Two-Tails. Instead, use the artifact—the Amber Purifying Pot—to forcibly extract the tailed beast from within, thereby stripping away its host's immortality."
Upon reading this, Orochimaru's face darkened.
If things were as this battle plan described, then—
He suddenly stood up from the Raikage's seat, turning around.
His cold, golden snake-like pupils gazed through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the village below.
—
The peaceful, illuminated city,
The children running carefreely through the streets,
The women returning home from work,
The ninja tirelessly training on the mountains…
This place, utterly defenseless against him.
Orochimaru took a deep breath.
His expression turned completely cold and indifferent.
"Raikage, don't blame me for being despicable."
He muttered hoarsely, calmly watching the peaceful village below.
Then, he raised his hand.
A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.
"After all—this is war."
—
As Orochimaru lifted his hand,
Shadows clad in full battle gear suddenly emerged behind him.
"Go."
His cold gaze sharpened as he formed the final 'Boar' seal for the Summoning Jutsu.
He slammed his palm onto the Raikage's office window,
Unleashing a summoning formation that stretched far beyond the horizon!
"Now then—Cloud Collapse Plan…"
"Begins now!"
—
BOOM!!!
A raging storm erupted,
Accompanied by a thunderous explosion that shook all of Kumogakure!
Countless villagers looked up—
And saw something they would never forget for the rest of their lives—
A colossal white-scaled serpent with eight heads had burst through the Raikage's Building, coiling atop the structure regarded as sacred by all Kumogakure ninja.
All eight heads reared back and let out a deafening, rage-filled roar—
"ROOOAAARR!!!"
—
Hell Valley.
The howling winds raged.
Beneath the shadow of a monstrous beast,
The Third Raikage, A, suddenly felt something.
He turned his head slightly, glancing toward the direction of his village.
For some reason, his heart pounded violently.
He shook his head, dismissing the feeling as nothing more than a reaction to his previous injuries.
Refocusing, he locked his gaze onto Uchiha Ci.
At his feet lay a large, yellow-brown urn.
A dangerous gleam flashed in A's eyes.
This urn was a legendary Kumogakure heirloom, said to be crafted by the Sage of Six Paths himself—
The Amber Purifying Pot.
Despite its name, it resembled more of a massive jar than a bottle.
It was bulky and highly impractical to carry.
However, its ability was terrifying—
Once activated, anyone whose name was called and responded would be instantly sealed.
Compared to the other Six Paths Tools, which had tricky or underhanded effects, this one was relatively straightforward.
In theory, one could avoid being sealed simply by not responding.
But—
The Third Raikage, A, had devised a flawless sealing strategy.
If one had a body strong enough to carry the heavy artifact,
And could call the enemy's name while brutally beating them until they screamed in agony—
Then no one—not even a Tailed Beast—could escape its grasp!
Yes—
Even a scream of pain counted as a response!
—
A cold, knowing smirk crept across A's face as he saw Uchiha Ci suddenly halt mid-step, his expression shifting dramatically before he immediately rushed back.
"Compassion on the battlefield will only get you killed."
"Looks like you've made your choice."
A took a deep breath, lowering his stance, fists clenched, his gaze murderous.
"Unfortunately, you chose—"
"Death!"
—
In that instant, A charged forward, closing the distance in a flash!
A direct line was formed—
From Killer Bee, to A, to Uchiha Ci!
Within moments, the gap narrowed drastically!
At the same time—
Uchiha Ci's eyes locked onto the Tailed Beast Bomb forming in the mouth of the Eight-Tails.
A surge of suppressed fury burned within him.
Faced with the oncoming Third Raikage, he abandoned all thoughts of conserving chakra.
Gathering a massive amount of chakra into his tightly gripped Kusanagi Sword,
He fused Wind, Fire, Lightning, and Water chakra into a single concentrated point!
Then, he closed his eyes—
And relied entirely on instinct.
Because what he was about to attempt—
Was something nearly impossible…
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