Naruto: Konoha’s Trickster, Starting as the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki-Chapter 782 - 782: The True Commander Orochimaru

A razor-sharp aura burst forth in an instant, streaking from Orochimaru's hand like a flash of light. It shot toward Kabuto so quickly that it reached him in the blink of an eye.
"Iron Sand Realm!"
But to Kabuto, this attack posed no real threat. The Third Kazekage stepped in front of him, and pitch-black Iron Sand condensed in an instant into a massive shield.
Clang!
The metallic collision rang out, sparks scattering from the impact.
"Hm?"
Kabuto hadn't expected this result. The Kusanagi Sword continued extending, forcing back both the Iron Sand shield—formed from highly concentrated chakra—and the Third Kazekage puppet behind it.
"This isn't an ordinary sword!"
"My Iron Sand couldn't even crack its tip?"
"The Kusanagi Sword, huh? Hmph… I suppose it does count as a legendary blade."
Kabuto swept his arm again, reshaping the Iron Sand shield into a triangular form. The sloped surface altered the trajectory of the Kusanagi Sword.
Seeing this, Orochimaru smiled faintly and offered a quiet note of approval.
"Knowing how to shift tactics instead of brute-forcing everything… not bad. You have a bit of a brain."
"The old me might've been impressed by that. But after everything I've witnessed…"
"I learned one thing—what you see isn't always the truth."
His voice wasn't loud, but Kabuto heard every word clearly.
The message was obviously meant for him. Just as Kabuto wondered what he meant, the ground suddenly trembled.
"Dance of the Blossoms!"
"Ice Release: Spiral Ascent!"
"What?!"
Several bone spikes suddenly burst from the ground, followed immediately by freezing air that formed into sharp ice cones.
Kimimaro and Haku had somehow burrowed underground, launching a perfectly coordinated ambush from below.
"Earth Release! Earth Spear!"
For a puppeteer, being forced into close combat was a nightmare—and the greatest taboo.
But Kabuto had long since pushed Puppet Technique to its limits, transforming even himself into a puppet. Faced with an ambush, his reaction was instantaneous.
As his Earth Release activated, his puppet body was coated in a dark, pitch-black layer.
This was Kakuzu's Earth Spear technique. But unlike Kakuzu, who only coated his skin in chakra to increase toughness, Kabuto applied the Earth Spear to his entire body. His once elegant puppet form turned completely black, eerie and unsettling to behold.
Boom!
Kimimaro and Haku's combined strike sent Kabuto flying, but he remained completely unharmed.
"Damn, he's tough. Kimimaro, didn't you claim your bones were harder than steel?"
"Tch, liar."
With the sneak attack a failure, Haku quickly shoved the blame onto Kimimaro. The accusation made Kimimaro flush with anger.
He ignored Haku entirely and charged straight at Kabuto.
Haku wasn't about to be left behind either—ice blades formed in both hands as the two of them pressed Kabuto in close-quarters combat.
"Being pinned down in melee, and he can still control puppets?"
"Looks like turning himself into a puppet really did make him something different."
Orochimaru stood like a commander surveying his battlefield, sword in hand.
The ambush from Kimimaro and Haku had been orchestrated by him. As for the underground routes—what creature dug faster than a snake?
"At this rate, it'll drag on too long. I should take care of it myself."
"To catch the thief, seize the master. Once the puppeteer is dealt with, the battle stabilizes."
"Hmm… though handling it alone may be a bit troublesome. If only I had a strong attacker…"
His eyes swept the battlefield in search of candidates. Before long, he settled on four: Kakashi, Obito Uchiha, Uchiha Shisui, and Itachi Uchiha.
"Hehehe… who would've thought the ones worthy of my attention are all my grand-students?"
"But that's fine. Merit should go to one's own people."
In this way, Orochimaru was similar to Ōnoki. Even though war had united the Five Great Shinobi Villages, certain advantages still belonged to those who claimed them first.
Too many wolves, too little meat—it was better to take more while you could.
"That's that. Go—bring those four to me."
With a casual wave of his hand, four white serpents shot across the battlefield, slithering rapidly toward the chosen four.
It didn't take long before they found them.
"Huh? Orochimaru's snakes? What does he want?"
"Let me go with them? Who even is Orochimaru? He tells me to go and I just—?!"
"Don't talk nonsense, Obito. Orochimaru-sensei is our sensei's teacher. If you disrespect him, do you want sensei to deal with you?"
Kakashi's team was clearing puppets at high speed. When they saw the white snakes approach, they were confused—until Rin Nohara spoke up, immediately shutting them both up.
"Rin, stay back. We'll go meet this legendary Sannin."
"Right, Rin. Should I use my dōjutsu to send you away?"
"No need. I'll head to Lady Tsunade. You two should go."
The trio split up. Kakashi and Obito rushed toward Orochimaru's position.
When they arrived, they found Shisui and Itachi already waiting.
"Huh? You two came too?"
"Yeah. Looks like whatever's next involves all four of us."
Three Uchiha and one reckless fighter—all of them undeniably powerful.
"Hehehe… good. You're all here."
"Then I suppose I don't need to introduce myself."
Orochimaru looked over the four attackers assembled before him, a satisfied smile forming.
At the same time, he couldn't help admiring Kazuyama Gekkō in his heart. Every student of his was a monstrous talent.
"Uh… should I call you Grandmaster?"
"That's fine."
Obito spoke first, remembering Rin's words—his teacher's teacher was indeed the Grandmaster.
"You've seen the situation over there. Kimimaro and Haku alone can't take down that puppeteer."
"That's why I need your strength."
"I'll act as the distraction, helping you create the opening. Your mission is simple: finish him. Understand?"
Orochimaru planted the Kusanagi Sword before him, wasting no time on small talk and jumping straight into orders.
Kakashi and the others nodded. They were only cooperating because it was Orochimaru giving the orders—anyone else, and they wouldn't have bothered.
After all, he was their Kazuyama-sensei's teacher.
"Good. Looks like Kazuyama-kun has trained you well."
"Then let's begin."