Jinin Akebino roared and swung Kabutowari to counter, but Wen Lan's speed had already surpassed the limits of normal reaction.
A flash of blade light—
Jinin's arm was severed at the shoulder. Blood sprayed violently.
He screamed as he fell to the ground, rolling and struggling to rise.
Wen Lan gave him no chance.
With a light tap of his foot, he vanished—then reappeared behind Jinin, blade descending in a clean arc!
But at that instant, two Lightning Blades crossed in front of Jinin, forcibly blocking the strike!
From behind Wen Lan, Hiramekarei came slashing down toward his neck with a furious roar!
Wen Lan's pupils shrank. Lightning flickered as he shifted sharply to the left, the twin blades chasing him relentlessly, forcing him into a deadly narrow escape.
Though he narrowly evaded the pincer attack, Hiramekarei's edge still carved a deep gash across his right shoulder.
Blood burst forth—but Wen Lan clenched his teeth, his gaze growing colder.
"Watch out, kid!"
Suddenly, Wen Lan's vision blurred to the left as a green figure threw itself in front of him—
And a massive explosion swallowed that figure whole!
The terrifying blast hurled the body straight into Wen Lan, the two of them crashing together and smashing through three trees before coming to a halt.
"Cough—cough!"
Wen Lan coughed violently, his breathing ragged.
But when he saw who lay in his arms, his pupils contracted sharply.
Might Duy.
Duy's front torso was blown apart—flesh shredded, bones visible in his chest.
The green chakra surrounding him was slowly dissipating.
"Great.. Great-Senior! Great-Senior!"
Wen Lan gripped Duy's arm tightly, his voice trembling.
The world seemed to fall silent, leaving only distant explosions echoing across the battlefield.
Duy's eyes slowly opened, a faint yet resolute light flashing within. With great effort, he raised a hand and lightly patted Wen Lan's shoulder, a relieved smile on his face.
"Kid… you're… alright… that's… really good…"
Wen Lan immediately pulled out a healing salve and applied it to Duy's wounds. The blood that had refused to stop flowing quickly slowed.
He then stuffed several soldier pills into Duy's mouth.
He knew Duy's vitality—this would leave him gravely injured, but it wouldn't kill him.
What Duy needed now was chakra replenishment.
At that moment, memories of Duy's teachings flooded Wen Lan's mind—those unreserved lessons, given with everything he had.
Wen Lan slowly raised his head.
He saw that the previous attack had been launched by Jinpachi Munashi's Explosive Blade: Shibuki.
And the Uchiha chūnin who had been fighting Jinpachi… was already dead.
Wen Lan's fists clenched uncontrollably.
Rage. Hatred. Unwillingness.
They surged like a tidal wave.
His eyes grew wet, veins bulging—and within the crimson two-tomoe Sharingan, a third tomoe was forcibly carved into existence.
Three-tomoe Sharingan.
Wen Lan gently laid Might Duy down.
He picked up his blade and stood, walking step by step toward the center of the battlefield.
Before him stood four figures:
Kushimaru Kuriarare.
Jinpachi Munashi.
Jinin Akebino.
And the wielder of Hiramekarei.
They stood in a line, gazes filled with disdain, arrogance, and contempt.
Jinpachi rested Shibuki on his shoulder and sneered.
"Brat. Your turn."
Wen Lan said nothing.
But searing flames slowly rose along his blade, and an invisible pressure spread through the air.
"You injured my senior.
You killed my clansmen.
You invaded my land."
His voice was like a demon crawling up from hell.
"These crimes—deserve death."
His eyes snapped wide open.
The three-tomoe Sharingan spun madly.
Both hands tightened on the hilt as chakra erupted from his body like a volcano, blazing flames instantly engulfing him.
"Today, I pronounce judgment—"
The chakra around him detonated, flames surging wildly as the temperature skyrocketed. The ground cracked inch by inch.
"—Death Sentence!"
"Sixth Gate—Gate of View—OPEN!"
A thunderous roar shook the battlefield.
A pillar of chakra shot skyward like a cyclone.
The crimson flames were swallowed by green light, transforming into a pure emerald chakra storm.
Wen Lan stood with blade at his side, green flames coiling and roaring around him, so solid they looked as if every ripple of fire could be touched.
Trees instantly turned to ash.
The air burned.
"Flame Breathing—Ultimate Art—"
BOOM!
The flames surrounding him exploded outward, a blazing inferno sweeping across the battlefield like the sun descending upon the earth.
Under that scorching wave, Jinpachi and the others' expressions changed drastically as they hurriedly formed seals to defend.
But the flames behaved like living creatures, piercing straight through their defenses, the heat instantly overwhelming their ninjutsu barriers.
Might Guy's group, who had been fighting Zabuza, were blown away and slammed into the ground, staring in shock toward Wen Lan.
In the inferno, Wen Lan looked like a war god.
His Sharingan spun wildly, reflecting endless rage and killing intent.
"Flame Breathing—Ninth Form: Purgatory!"
With a furious roar, Wen Lan stomped down.
The ground exploded.
Flames surged skyward like an awakening earth dragon.
His body shot forward through the fire, blade carving a crimson arc through the air with a piercing scream.
A massive fire dragon burst forth from his blade, spiraling upward—like divine wrath incarnate—opening its blazing jaws as it charged Jinpachi and the others.
Kushimaru's expression twisted in fury as he whipped Nuibari wildly, forming an airtight metallic defense!
The wielder of Hiramekarei turned pale and immediately formed seals.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A torrential wall of water crashed down like a heavenly river, slamming head-on into the roaring fire dragon, filling the battlefield with steam.
But the dragon was unstoppable.
The extreme heat instantly vaporized the water, continuing its charge unabated.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Net Technique!"
Raiga Kurosuki threw up a blue lightning web in front of them.
But before the fire dragon, the lightning net was paper-thin, torn apart in an instant.
The flames devoured everything.
Yet Wen Lan keenly sensed it—
To break through the Lightning Net and Great Waterfall Technique, his momentum had weakened.
If that's the case—
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.
He inhaled sharply and compressed his chakra even further.
Using Breathing Techniques to channel Flame Breathing,
and chakra flow to drive Thunder Breathing!
The green flames erupted violently—
Then, as if fading—
They were instantly consumed by golden lightning.
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