The moment Hashirama dispelled the thick mist that had blanketed both the Konoha and Kirigakure vanguard units, it was as if two magnetic poles slammed together.
A brutal collision erupted instantly.
The battlefield exploded into chaos.
Clang!
Steel met steel as weapons crashed together, sparks flying in all directions.
Fushark grinned savagely as he locked eyes with Shirakumo Hayama. Compared to the rookie squad they had butchered earlier, these Konoha forces were on a completely different level.
"Too bad you're late," Fushark sneered."We already killed all your comrades. Hehehe."
Hayama frowned. With a single slash of his sword, he sent Fushark flying backward.
"What comrades?" Hayama asked coldly.
Fushark landed, rolled once, then rose to his feet, baring his shark-like teeth in a wide grin.
"What a heartless man…"
"Hmph. Mind games?" Hayama scoffed, anger rising in his chest.He immediately suspected that some Konoha scouts had been captured earlier—interrogated before they could send a distress signal.
So that was what "late" meant.
"Just look at all the bodies around," Fushark laughed."You'll know whether I'm lying."
Hayama's expression darkened.
"So what if you learned something?" he growled."You're still going to lose!"
He lowered his stance, gripping his blade in a reverse hold.
Konoha Style Kenjutsu: Vacuum Sword!
Hayama lunged forward, swinging his blade horizontally. A compressed sword wind tore through the air toward Fushark.
Sensing danger, Fushark retreated several steps and rapidly formed hand seals.
Water Style: Water Wall!
A roaring curtain of water surged up, blocking the sword wind and the hidden blades carried within it. Watching Hayama through the translucent wall, Fushark scratched his head.
"Information, huh…" he muttered."Guess I should've kept someone alive."
As more ninja from both sides poured into the battlefield, the clash intensified.
Yet it quickly became clear—
Kirigakure was being pushed back.
Their lack of mid- and high-level combat power was glaring. Under Konoha's relentless advance, Fushark could only retreat, pulling his subordinates with him—
Until a terrifying presence descended.
Mei Terumi arrived with Kirigakure's main force.
The tide of battle shifted instantly.
Lava Style: Lava Monster Jutsu!
Mei opened her mouth, releasing a torrent of boiling, crimson lava. The Kirigakure ninja retreated immediately, well aware of her jutsu's range.
Several Konoha ninja weren't fast enough.
Sizzle—
The lava splashed onto flesh and armor. Screams filled the air as bodies writhed in agony. Some lost limbs on the spot. Others were completely engulfed, their cries echoing until nothing remained but charred remnants.
Even bone dissolved within seconds under the acidic heat.
"Everyone, dodge!" Tsunade shouted.
At her signal, several Wind Style users stepped forward.
Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
Powerful gusts blasted forward, forcefully blowing the red acid back toward the Kirigakure ranks.
Instantly—
Screams erupted again.
Mei's eyes widened. She hadn't expected such a fast and coordinated counter. Hastily, she inhaled, drawing the lava back before it could spread further.
Some of it scattered, splashing harmlessly into the distance—yet still deadly to anyone unfortunate enough to cross its path.
"Our information was leaked," Mei said sharply."These Konoha ninja came prepared."
"Stay alert!""Check for ambushes!"
Mei frowned, her unease growing.
Ao stepped forward, activating his Byakugan and scanning the surroundings. After a moment, he exhaled.
"There's only one person nearby," he reported."And they don't look like a Konoha ninja—over there, behind that rock."
"Good." Mei nodded, her tension easing slightly."With equal numbers and no reinforcements, we can still win this."
"Ao," she continued,"they've countered my jutsu. Using it recklessly will hurt our own forces. I'll draw some of them away."
"You deal with the Wind Style users."
"Understood."
Mei broke away from the Kirigakure formation, charging toward Konoha's rear lines.
"She's going to use a wide-area jutsu!" Nara Suzaku immediately realized."We can't let her succeed!"
"I'll intercept her," Tsunade said, leaping forward.
Suzaku hesitated—but said nothing.
A leader versus leader.
He trusted Tsunade.
Turning back to the battlefield, he raised his voice.
"Everyone! Push forward—crush them!!"
"Yeah!!"
"Crush them!!"
Following Mei's orders, Ao led his men forward—only to have their path blocked.
"Everything you do is within my expectations," Suzaku said calmly, a faint smile on his face.
"Tsk."
Ao's eyes narrowed.
A Nara clan member.
Troublesome.
Keeping his Byakugan active, Ao dodged as Suzaku placed his hands on the ground, chakra spreading beneath the earth.
"Your tricks won't work on my Byakugan," Ao scoffed.
Suzaku sighed and stood upright.
"That eye you took from the Hyuga Clan," he said casually,"belongs to Konoha. You should return it."
Ao chuckled darkly.
"You wouldn't understand," he replied."My lifelong dream of having a pair of Byakugan will never come true."
His gaze flicked across the battlefield.
Damn it… Kirigakure's situation is getting worse.
Konoha was fully prepared.
Who leaked the information?
Then—
Ao noticed something.
The figure he had sensed earlier behind the rock—
Was gone.
He dismissed it.
"Besides," Ao continued mockingly,"if I were to return this Byakugan, it should go to a Hyuga."
"Giving it to you is no different from keeping it myself."
With the Hyuga Clan destroyed, many in Konoha coveted the Byakugan. Ao's words were a deliberate provocation.
"Well said."
A cold voice suddenly spoke from behind him.
"Then give it back."
Ao's pupils shrank.
PS :
Ao - Kirigakure shinobi known as the "Byakugan Killer," possessing a stolen Byakugan.
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