CHAPTER 153
"What?!"
Manda's vertical pupils suddenly contracted.
An overwhelming sense of impending death instantly made every scale on its body stand upright.
Without time to think, Manda instinctively tried to evade.
However, before the rapidly approaching white beam of Dust Release, its enormous body appeared unbearably sluggish.
Moreover, the attack had come far too suddenly.
Completely avoiding it was simply impossible.
"Hisssss!!!"
Manda let out a furious hiss as it forcibly twisted its enormous body.
At the critical moment, it barely managed to move its head, the most vital part of its body, out of the Dust Release's path.
"Sizzle!!!"
A harsh disintegration sound echoed across the battlefield.
The blazing white beam grazed the side of Manda's neck before striking the lower portion of its body around one-third of the way down.
There was no earth-shattering explosion.
Nor was there a gruesome scene of flesh and blood flying everywhere.
Instead...
The huge section of Manda's body touched by the white light...
Simply disappeared.
It was as though that portion had never existed.
Everything within the Dust Release's range had been broken down into microscopic particles and erased from existence.
Manda's massive body, stretching dozens of meters in length...
Was cleanly severed.
The cross section was incomparably smooth.
Only an eerie emptiness remained where its flesh had once existed.
"Hissaaaaaaaaa!!!"
Manda released an agonizing scream that echoed throughout the battlefield.
Its gigantic upper body writhed violently in midair.
Only after the Dust Release had completely vanished did blood gush from the severed section like a waterfall.
The ground cracked.
Dust filled the air.
Scarlet blood splashed in every direction.
"Orochimaru!!! You bastard!!! You've gotten me killed!!!"
The unbearable pain and overwhelming fear of death completely drove Manda into madness.
At that moment, it no longer cared about sacrifices.
Nor did it care about devouring countless enemies.
"Bang!!"
Another enormous cloud of summoning smoke erupted.
Together with its severed body and furious curses...
Manda disappeared back into Ryūchi Cave.
It directly canceled the summoning and fled.
From the moment it appeared until the moment it escaped...
Only a few short seconds had passed.
Manda had arrived.
And immediately afterward...
It ran away.
A deathly silence spread across the battlefield.
Every Konoha Shinobi wore an extremely grim expression.
Standing at the front of the formation, Orochimaru stared fixedly at Ōnoki with his golden vertical pupils.
His face was so gloomy it seemed capable of dripping water.
He had never expected Ōnoki to be so ruthless.
The Tsuchikage had opened the battle by immediately using Dust Release.
Even more terrifying...
He had clearly planned this beforehand.
He had perfectly seized the brief instant when Manda had just emerged from the summoning and was unable to react.
A heavy shadow settled over every Konoha Shinobi.
A terrifying summon like Manda, whose destructive power on the battlefield rivaled a natural disaster...
Had actually been crippled by a single strike the moment it appeared.
Ōnoki's strength...
Was truly terrifying.
Standing among the ranks, Might Guy silently watched everything unfold with a solemn expression.
Ōnoki's Kekkei Tōta...
No...
It had already surpassed the level of an ordinary Kekkei Genkai.
A Kekkei Genkai generally referred to a power created through the fusion of two Chakra nature transformations, excluding certain inherited physical mutations.
For example...
Roshi's Lava Release combined Fire Release and Earth Release.
Mei Terumī's Boil Release combined Water Release and Fire Release.
However...
Ōnoki's Dust Release fused three Chakra natures simultaneously.
Earth Release.
Wind Release.
And Fire Release.
Its destructive power far surpassed an ordinary Kekkei Genkai.
It was known throughout the Shinobi World as a Kekkei Tōta.
Dust Release could instantly reduce its target to microscopic particles.
Its offensive power was virtually unmatched.
Even an ordinary Susanoo would struggle to withstand it.
Not to mention Manda's flesh-and-blood body.
On a conventional battlefield...
Manda was a terrifying war machine.
But before Ōnoki, who could unleash Dust Release from an enormous distance with pinpoint accuracy...
The gigantic serpent was nothing more than an oversized target.
Akimichi Torifu's expression was equally grim.
The Akimichi Clan's signature technique revolved around the Multi-Size Technique.
After enlarging their bodies, both strength and durability increased tremendously.
But their speed inevitably declined.
Against ordinary enemies, they were living fortresses capable of smashing through enemy lines and shielding countless comrades.
Yet before Ōnoki's Dust Release...
Wouldn't such a giant body merely become an even larger target?
If Dust Release locked onto him...
The consequences would be unimaginable.
But under the current circumstances, aside from joining forces with Orochimaru...
Who else present possessed the qualifications to fight the Third Tsuchikage?
High above the opposing army...
Ōnoki's breathing had become slightly heavier.
The Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique he had just unleashed across several hundred meters had consumed a considerable amount of Chakra.
Even so...
Being able to severely wound Manda and force it to retreat immediately...
Made every bit of that expenditure worthwhile.
Since he had personally led Iwagakure into battle...
How could he possibly have come unprepared?
Orochimaru's summon Manda had long been famous throughout the Shinobi World.
The moment Orochimaru began weaving hand seals for the Summoning Technique...
The experienced Ōnoki had already started preparing his Dust Release.
Only by doing so...
Could he seize that fleeting opportunity.
And land a direct hit.
"What a pity..."
"I didn't kill that oversized snake."
Ōnoki snorted coldly.
Still...
It didn't matter.
Manda's severe injuries and retreat were already enough to shatter Konoha's morale.
At the same time, Orochimaru had lost one of his greatest battlefield trump cards.
A cruel smile gradually appeared on Ōnoki's aged face.
Although he had failed to kill the Third Raikage...
If he could eliminate one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin instead...
Iwagakure's prestige would soar throughout the Shinobi World.
Likewise...
It would be an enormous blow to Konoha.
"Sons of Iwagakure!"
"The enemy commander has already lost his nerve!"
"Advance with me!"
"Charge!!!"
Following Ōnoki's command...
The six thousand Iwagakure Shinobi behind him erupted with earth-shaking battle cries.
The already overwhelming tide of black figures surged forward with even greater ferocity.
The crushing pressure became stronger than before.
Within Konoha's front lines...
Unease gradually began to spread.
Some Shinobi's faces turned deathly pale.
"It's over..."
"Even Lord Orochimaru's summon..."
However...
Just as morale stood on the verge of collapse...
"Crack!!!"
A dazzling streak of white lightning suddenly shot out from the rear of Konoha's formation.
Its speed exceeded the limits of ordinary perception.
Accompanied by the piercing roar of thunder...
It instantly arrived at the very front of Konoha's army.
It came to a steady halt between Orochimaru and Akimichi Torifu.
The blinding lightning gradually faded.
Revealing a tall and upright figure.
His silver-white hair stood wildly upward, while the longer hair behind his head was tied into a ponytail.
His expression remained calm and resolute.
A short white chakra saber rested across his back.
On his left shoulder, he wore the distinctive white sleeve that symbolized Konoha's elite.
The instant the Konoha Shinobi recognized him...
Their previously wavering eyes exploded with excitement.
Their morale surged as though they had been injected with new life.
"It's..."
"It's Lord White Fang!!!"
"Lord Sakumo Hatake has arrived!!!"
The legendary White Fang of Konoha.
Sakumo Hatake.
At the very moment Konoha needed him most...
He had arrived.
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