Manda blinked its enormous eyes, a bit confused.
Wasn't it supposed to fight?
Why was it being told to protect people instead?
Though puzzled, the giant snake obeyed, not daring to question its master.
"Ophis, please help me."
Ophis, who had been hiding this entire time, was finally ready to make her appearance.
For now, she would be used as a powerful summon - a deception to keep others from discovering her true nature.
As long as she didn't start throwing around Tailed Beast Bombs like Energy Ball, Xin thought, everything would go according to plan.
Let everyone think Ophis was just a large, powerful summoning beast. Then, when they least expected it, she could reveal her true form, and no one would see it coming.
"Don't use the Energy Ball," Xin reminded.
"Got it, Xin!" Ophis happily leapt from Xin's shoulder, landing gracefully on Manda's head.
Manda's enormous body shuddered, and it quickly bowed its head to accommodate the little snake.
What's going on? the Suna shinobi wondered, growing more cautious at the sight of Manda's arrival. They all knew the reputation of the great snake - it had devoured countless enemies on the battlefield.
Normally, Orochimaru didn't have the luxury of finding enough sacrifices to keep Manda satisfied. But on the battlefield, there were plenty. All it had to do was feast to its heart's content.
However, Manda seemed oddly respectful toward that small, tiny white snake.
"Kill him!" The order come.
Whether Manda was there or not, Usagi Xin was still the primary target. After dealing with him, they'd focus on the injured Konoha ninjas.
The Suna jonin who had been forced back by Manda immediately gave the order to attack.
"Charge!"
Hundreds of Suna shinobi roared as they rushed forward.
In his previous life, Xin had foolishly thought that battles between ninjas were mostly about unleashing flashy jutsu, blasting each other with everything they had, just like in the anime. Even there, you'd see epic bombardments of ninjutsu.
But after arriving in this world, he realized-what a joke.
Massive ninjutsu attacks? Yeah, right.
Only specialized squads operated like that. For most ninja, especially genin and chunin, close-quarters combat was the norm. If they could skillfully use a few jutsu during a fight, that was already impressive.
All that dream of large-scale ninjutsu bombardments? Rarely ever happened.
The only person he knew who liked to mess around like that was Nawaki. Even Orochimaru, the so-called walking encyclopedia of ninjutsu, didn't bother with it. Even the Professor of Ninjutsu, the Third Hokage, spent more time bashing people with his staff than using crazy jutsu.
So, if anyone was expecting a grand display of ninja fireworks, they were bound to be disappointed.