SWNOVELXO Chapter 29: Orochimaru
Whoo—
The moment the terrifying giant beast appeared on the battlefield, time seemed to freeze.
"What the hell is that?!"
"We're going to die!"
"Where did this monster come from?!"
Countless shinobi—especially the inexperienced Genin—stared in shock, some even collapsing to the ground where they stood, their eyes widened with disbelief at the terrifying scale of the creature before them.
As the thick veil of summoning smoke dissipated, a monstrous serpent was revealed in full: towering, covered in glimmering purple scales entwined with jagged black bands, and crowned with two horn-like protrusions jutting out above its gleaming eyes.
Although Renjiro was far from the giant serpent, its gaze still sent a chill down his spine. As for those closer to it—its mere presence was suffocating, freezing them in place.
"Manda…" Renjiro whispered in awe, his eyes locked on the terrifying beast from afar.
Beside him, Shikaku caught the name, chuckled, and said in a surprised voice: "So, you recognize Lord Orochimaru's personal summon."
"Who wouldn't?! That's Manda—the king of all snake summoning beasts! Just look at it! Who wouldn't want to have something that majestic as their partner?!" Renjiro almost shouted, his heart filled with envy.
"But wait… if Manda's here—then that means Orochimaru himself is leading the Konoha reinforcements!" Renjiro suddenly realized; his eyes widened.
"Arkain, activate Combat Visual Assistance Mode!" Without wasting a second, Renjiro gave the command inwardly.
A transparent interface flickered to life over his field of vision. Instantly, his sight was enhanced—edges sharpened, contrast boosted, and motion tracking enabled.
With Arkain's help, Renjiro zoomed in on Manda's massive head. Atop the serpent's skull stood a man, his dark hair was blowing in the wind, he looked both graceful and arrogant.
That's right—dressed in a Konoha flak jacket, with pale skin, long narrow eyes, and golden irises slit like a serpent's, he exuded a striking blend of elegance and sinister charm. Purple markings around his eyes looked like painted shadows, only adding to his evil allure.
One of the Legendary Sannin—Orochimaru—had entered the battlefield in the Land of Waves.
---
Meanwhile, atop the summoning beast Manda—
"Damn you, Orochimaru!"
Manda hissed in irritation, his massive head swayed as he shouted angrily: "You always summon me to these noisy, filthy places!"
Clearly, Manda was extremely dissatisfied at being summoned so abruptly to the battlefield.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and said with a cold smile: "Stop whining. If you've got the time to complain, use it to devour some of these annoying pests. Do as you please—eat as many as you like."
"Oh~?" Manda's mood shifted instantly: "You said it, Orochimaru! Don't regret it!"
Without another word, the massive serpent began to rampage.
Renjiro watched in awe as Manda's colossal body slithered and surged across the battlefield, tearing through the chaos like a living calamity.
Boom! Boom!
Wherever the giant serpent moved, devastation followed. Its sheer mass hurled shinobi—friend and foe alike—into the air like ragdolls. The earth cracked and crumbled beneath its coils, and despite its monstrous size, its movements were terrifyingly fast—swift and lethal, like a vengeful force of nature.
But Manda wasn't just a weapon—he was a menace. What made him truly terrifying was his indifference.
He didn't distinguish between Mist or Konoha; to Manda, everyone in his path was the same: prey or obstacle.
"Damn it! Manda's out of control again!" Shikaku snapped, clearly familiar with Manda's cold and ruthless nature.
The moment he saw Manda turning the battlefield into a war zone of his own making, Shikaku grimaced. Without hesitation, he turned to Choza and Inoichi and shouted: "Let's go!"
Whoosh!
And with that, he vanished in an instant.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Choza and Inoichi followed shortly after, immediately responding to Shikaku's order.
"I have to get back." Renjiro said in a serious voice as he moved out, trailing behind the trio.
However, he wasn't reckless enough to charge into the heart of the battlefield alongside Shikaku and the others—that would be suicide. Instead, he veered off course, intending to regroup with his own team.
---
Back at the heart of the battlefield—
Manda's rampage did not go unanswered. His reckless destruction—unleashed without restraint—completely enraged Fuguki.
"Fuguki-sama, it's Orochimaru! Konoha's reinforcements are here!" One of the Mist Special Jōnin standing behind Fuguki spoke in a fearful voice.
Sensing the fear in his subordinate's tone, a vein bulged on Fuguki's neck. His fury surged as he turned and shouted furiously: "You useless trash! With me here, why are you afraid of that Konoha brat?!"
Fuguki felt utterly humiliated. For his subordinate to cower at the mention of Orochimaru in his presence meant they saw him as weaker—and that was something he absolutely refused to accept.
"Fuguki-sama—" The Mist-nin was so terrified, he didn't even dare to breathe, let alone speak.
With a cold, chilling voice, Fuguki stepped forward and said: "I'll show you the true strength of the leader of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
The legendary Hōzuki Suikazan Fuguki, also known—(among some fans)—as Fuguki the Pufferfish, had finally entered the battle.
Whoosh!
Gripping Samehada in his right hand, he moved with terrifying speed, appearing before Manda in an instant—and bringing the massive sword crashing down onto the serpent's skull.
"How dare you act so arrogantly in front of me?!" Fuguki shouted, a hideous sneer appeared on his face.
BOOM!
The earth trembled as Manda's massive head was slammed directly into the ground. The impact was so forceful that the surrounding terrain fractured like a shattered mirror, with the serpent's skull at the epicenter of the destruction.
From this alone, one could clearly see just how powerful the leader of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen truly was.
"What terrifying power…!" Even watching from afar, Renjiro felt the tremor in his bones.
"You damn bastard!! I'm going to kill you!!" Though the blow hadn't seriously injured Manda's feral eyes now burned with murderous rage.
Fuguki completely ignored Manda. His gaze shifted upward—landing on Orochimaru, who stood calmly atop the serpent's massive head—and sneered: "You brat. You think just because Hanzō gave you a flashy nickname, you can throw your weight around in the Land of Waves? I'll teach you a lesson on behalf of Sarutobi. You're still a hundred years too early to run wild here."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Fuguki reached up and yanked away the white cloth tightly wrapped around Samehada—revealing the blade's grotesque, scale-covered body in all its savage glory. His killing intent burst forth—undeniably one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Orochimaru didn't even flinch.
Standing atop Manda's massive head, his golden, serpent-like eyes locked onto Fuguki's with unsettling calm. Then, with a slithering motion, he extended his tongue—unnaturally long and serpentine—curling it across his lips in a disturbingly slow gesture.
A twisted smile appeared on his pale face as he said in a cold voice, like a whisper from the grave: "You talk too much… for someone who's about to die."
---
And just like that, two titans clashed—a Sannin and a legendary swordsman—each unleashing devastating power that reshaped the battlefield with every strike.
Meanwhile, across the field, the tide was beginning to shift.
The situation—once chaotic and one-sided—was now evolving, subtly. The momentum of war was changing.
As Konoha's reinforcements poured onto the battlefield—led by Orochimaru and supported by the formidable Ino-Shika-Cho trio—the tide of battle shifted dramatically.
Their morale was revitalized. Their strategy—prepared in advance by Shikaku—was deployed with perfect timing.
Lightning Release and Earth Release formations tore through the Mist ranks, reversing the previous advantage. They began attacking the Mist shinobi furiously—those who had, just moments ago, held the upper hand.
Konoha was no longer retreating. They were taking back the field.
---
Renjiro soon found his squad. They had followed his strategy after he led the enemy Jonin away. With their teamwork, they managed to eliminate all the opposing Chunin with minimal casualties.
Though they couldn't wait for Renjiro's return—nor could they go searching for him without knowing his location—they pressed forward. As they advanced, they gradually linked up with other scattered Konoha forces, forming what could only be described as a full-fledged resistance unit.
Of course, the term "civilian ninja force" was just shorthand—among them were Uchiha, Hyuga, and many others.
In the chaos of a battlefield like this, bloodlines meant nothing. There were only allies and enemies.
---
Renjiro's return caused an uproar—especially because he was completely unscathed. It was almost unbelievable, considering his opponent had been a Jonin.
"Renjiro, did you defeat the Mist Jonin?!" Zeri asked in shock.
"Of course not!" Renjiro immediately waved his hands in denial, then added with a bitter smile: "I'm just a Genin—how could I possibly defeat a Jonin? I was just lucky. Lord Shikaku of the Nara Clan saved me when the reinforcements arrived."
"Phew…"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Although they hoped Renjiro would grow stronger, such rapid progress was almost too much to process.
He already appeared exceptionally gifted and had saved them many times—but what truly shocked them was the terrifying speed of his growth.
It wasn't that there were no other young shinobi of Renjiro's age or talent—prodigies like Kakashi and Shisui came to mind.
But both of them hailed from prestigious backgrounds: Kakashi's father was the famed White Fang of Konoha, and Shisui—needless to say—came from the Uchiha clan. Renjiro, on the other hand, was just an ordinary civilian-born shinobi—someone who couldn't have seemed more unremarkable by comparison.
"Who is he?" Asked an Uchiha shinobi, his voice tinged with curiosity.
In truth, it wasn't just him. Many members of both the Uchiha and Hyuga clans were intrigued by Renjiro's identity—especially after witnessing the warm welcome he received from the civilian shinobi.
"That's Renjiro Takane, and…"
One of the civilian shinobi answered with a proud grin, eagerly recounting Renjiro's feats and the critical role he and his team had played—speaking with such enthusiasm it was as if he were talking about himself.
"Ahh!"
As the explanation unfolded, members of both the Uchiha and Hyuga clans drew sharp breaths, their expressions filled with shock and disbelief.
None of them had expected that someone so young—and born of a civilian background—could have accomplished so much.
"Let's attack!"
Renjiro resumed command. Naturally, no one objected. With Mind Net fully active, he coordinated their movements and led his growing unit to regroup with the larger reinforcements.
They joined the counterattack in earnest—swift, decisive, effective. And their performance?
It was nothing short of outstanding under Renjiro's leadership.
"Hey, Shikaku, your judgment was spot-on—as always. That kid who caught your eye really is something else." Inoichi said in a serious voice.
The striking performance of the small ninja unit had naturally drawn attention. And Inoichi quickly noticed the truth behind their cohesion: the real core of the team was a Genin.
"Hm."
Shikaku said nothing. In truth, even he was a little surprised. He'd initially taken notice of Renjiro purely because of the boy's sheer nerve—challenging a Jonin alone.
He hadn't expected the kid to possess not only remarkable courage, but also exceptional talent. At such a young age, Renjiro had managed to earn the respect of a group of shinobi—and lead them with conviction, that kind of charisma and ability was truly rare.
---
Renjiro had no idea how highly Shikaku now regarded him—and even if he did, he wouldn't dare accept the praise. In his mind, the only reason he was able to command so many shinobi was thanks to Arkain's help.
Its tactical simulations, its strategic calculations—they were the reason he succeeded.
But was it really just Arkain's influence that made them follow his command? Perhaps in part—but certainly not entirely.
The chip may have enabled smart decisions, but it was Renjiro's presence, his sincerity, his bravery, that had earned the respect of his peers.
To them, he was more than just a gifted young shinobi with exceptional sensory skills—he was a friend, a selfless comrade, a leader who had stared death in the face so that they could have a chance to live.
For his team, Renjiro had been willing to face a Jonin head-on—even as a mere Genin.
To the others, he was more than just brave; he was someone who made the impossible seem possible, a shinobi who turned desperation into hope.
But perhaps what set Renjiro apart the most was something less flashy—something more human. Unlike the distant legends spoken of in hushed awe, Renjiro felt real.
Despite the miracles he accomplished, he never seemed untouchable. He was one of them—someone within reach, someone who walked beside them, not above them.
And so, people naturally gravitated toward him. Friendships formed easily, almost effortlessly. After spending just a short time with him, they found themselves willing—no, eager—to follow his lead.
---
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