"Since you're clearly no longer in the mood to attack us… then I suppose that job falls to me."
Seeing how calm the Sand Shinobi remained even after being ridiculed, Yagami found himself momentarily speechless.
It seemed these people were genuinely terrified of being killed right now.
Yagami gripped Shisui, the Black Blade, and stepped forward.
At that moment—
The breeze rose again.
The blood-tainted air lingering over the battlefield was stirred by his movement, rolling forward toward the Sand Shinobi along with his presence.
Almost instinctively, every Sand Shinobi took a step back.
Yagami's slender frame now radiated a pressure like that of a wild beast standing at the edge of a hunt.
The panic among the Sand Shinobi deepened.
Step… step…
Seeing Yagami advance, Kushina followed without hesitation.
Most of the Sand Shinobi before them had joined this vanguard unit in hopes of earning their first real merit in battle.
But in Kushina's eyes—
This was nothing less than a perfect opportunity for the two of them to make their names known.
Her dream was to become Konoha's first female Hokage.
There was no way she would miss a chance like this.
Yagami noticed Kushina stepping up beside him.
By now, he had a solid grasp of her strength.
The Adamantine Sealing Chains balanced offense and defense perfectly—these Sand Shinobi couldn't even break through her protection.
For the first time, he no longer felt the need to worry about her safety the way he once had.
"Captain Sando…!?"
"Captain Sando!!"
As Yagami and Kushina continued their slow approach, the Sand Shinobi turned toward their leader.
Sando stood frozen in place, his expression grim.
Yagami was simply too dangerous.
When the gap in strength grew this large, tactics became meaningless.
Hearing his comrades calling out to him, Sando swept his gaze across the battlefield.
His heart churned violently.
He was hesitating—whether to order a retreat.
If they withdrew, the blow to the morale of Sunagakure's forces would be devastating.
But if they stayed…
Then everyone standing here would likely die for nothing.
Either choice was unbearable.
"…Hah."
As Yagami continued his steady advance, Sando exhaled slowly, forcing the air from his lungs.
"The enemy in front of us… is beyond what we can handle."
"If any of you wish to retreat—then retreat."
"But remember this."
"You must bring back everything you witnessed here."
He paused, then continued in a low, resolute voice.
"And if anyone chooses to stay…"
"You will die as heroes of Sunagakure."
The weight of his words settled heavily over the battlefield.
Sando had thrown the decision back to his comrades.
At that moment, he had already resolved himself to die.
The Sand Shinobi trembled.
Most of them had families waiting at home—wives, children.
No one wanted to die.
Not like this.
Not in a battle they had no hope of winning.
"Captain… let me stay with you."
A single voice broke the silence.
A seventeen-year-old youth stepped forward.
"Dying's fine," he said quietly. "At least my name will be engraved on the memorial tablet."
"…Kishi."
Sando's chest tightened.
He hadn't expected the first to step forward to be the youngest member of the team.
The other Sand Shinobi lowered their heads in shame.
A teenager had shown more resolve than they had.
"I'll stay too."
"So will I."
"Me too—if we're dying, then we die properly."
Voices rang out one after another.
Like a chain reaction, the hesitation vanished.
The tragic resolve spreading through the ranks dulled their fear of Yagami.
"…Good."
Sando smiled weakly.
"You are all heroes of Sunagakure."
Tears streamed freely down his face.
As Yagami and Kushina drew closer, Sando hastily wiped his eyes and spoke again, his voice heavy.
"But even so—this information must reach the village."
He quickly named five people.
All of them were among the youngest in the unit.
Including Kishi.
"Captain—!"
The five looked devastated, tears welling in their eyes.
"This is an order!"
Sando's voice left no room for refusal.
The others joined in, urging them to go.
"Yes!"
"We'll bring everything back!"
Wiping away their tears, the five turned and burst toward the rear at full speed.
None of this was whispered.
Yagami and Kushina heard every word.
"Hey… isn't this getting a little too tragic?"
Yagami sighed.
"You're making us look like villains."
Behind him, Kushina nodded seriously.
You're the ones who started the war, you know…
"Spread out!!"
After watching the five retreat, Sando shouted.
Though his men had resolved themselves to death, he wasn't about to let them rush in blindly.
Shhk—! Shhk—!
The Sand Shinobi moved in unison, forming a wide arc.
Yagami and Kushina were surrounded.
"Kushina—protect yourself."
Yagami rolled his wrist, adjusting his grip on the blade, and glanced back at her.
These Sand Shinobi were different now.
Having abandoned retreat entirely, their killing intent had sharpened.
"I know."
Kushina nodded.
From the earlier exchange, she understood she could become a burden if she wasn't careful.
Behind her, the chakra chains danced more fiercely, snapping through the air.
"BOOM—!"
With Kushina's response secured, Yagami slammed his foot into the ground and shot forward.
Toward the Sand Shinobi.
The real killing...
Had only just begun.
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