A voice like a demon's whisper echoed—
And in the next instant, a golden bolt of lightning tore through the battlefield at terrifying speed. In the blink of an eye, six genin at the rear of the Mist formation were instantly decapitated!
Seeing that manga-like golden lightning, a Kirigakure chūnin's pupils shrank violently.
"Gold Thunderflame Wen Lan?! Damn it—you actually sent jōnin as a vanguard force?!"
Indeed, for vanguard units, every major village normally deployed chūnin leading genin.
After all, even the strongest villages had at most around three hundred jōnin.
Even in Konoha, jōnin were extremely precious combat assets.
They were meant to enter the battlefield only when large-scale battles reached a stalemate—or to finish things at the end.
No village ever used jōnin as vanguard troops!
Before the thought could settle, a figure flashed in front of the chūnin—
A kunai stabbed straight toward his throat!
The chūnin reacted instinctively, twisting his body aside and kicking out hard, sending the attacker flying.
The figure smashed into a tree and fell heavily to the ground.
It was Yūhi Kurenai.
Wen Lan looked at her, utterly speechless, his gaze complicated.
"I told you already—you're only supposed to open with genjutsu. Why did you rush in? Your taijutsu isn't good."
Kurenai coughed as she stood up, stubbornness written on her face.
"I can't always hide in the back. I'm a ninja too."
Wen Lan sighed helplessly. Lightning crackled around his hand as he charged again.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball roared from Wen Lan's mouth, slamming into the remaining Mist formation. It exploded violently, scorching flames instantly swallowing three Mist genin who failed to evade.
The stench of burning flesh filled the air as crows scattered from the distant forest.
"Heh… who says the Great Fireball can't kill?"
Wen Lan sneered as the three genin screamed within the flames.
"Gold Thunderflame Wen Lan, you lunatic!"
A Mist chūnin rapidly formed seals.
"Die! Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!"
The water left behind by the earlier Water Dragon Technique surged up, condensing into spiraling water spikes that shot toward Wen Lan.
Wen Lan's eyes turned cold. He stomped hard and barely avoided the spikes' trajectory, gripping his blade with both hands and taking a deep breath.
"Flame Breathing—Fourth Form: Blooming Flame Undulation!"
Swirling flames coiled around the blade, spinning outward!
The Water Fang Bullets collided with the flames and instantly vaporized, producing massive clouds of steam.
Scalding vapor spread across the battlefield, temporarily blinding both sides.
"What a chance!"
A Mist chūnin's face lit up with joy.
"For us, this fog is perfect for retreat!"
To others, the steam was an obstacle—but to Mist ninja who lived their entire lives in fog, it was the best possible cover.
"Trying to run?" Wen Lan snorted coldly.
His figure vanished into the steam.
In the next instant, flames tore through the mist— Wen Lan appeared, blade blazing, slashing straight toward the chūnin's neck!
The chūnin's pupils contracted. He hastily formed seals and condensed a lightning blade in his right hand!
Just as the lightning blade was about to collide with the flaming sword—
Wen Lan's body suddenly turned into a log, exploding into splinters!
"Substitution?!"
The Mist chūnin's heart leapt—
Too late.
The temperature skyrocketed as waves of heat surged from all directions, completely evaporating the mist!
Wen Lan's real body slowly emerged at the center of the battlefield, flames raging around him like a wrathful fire god.
The Mist chūnin realized in horror that there was nowhere left to run.
A massive ring of fire surrounded them—
Every direction filled with scorching heat and distorted air.
"It's over," Wen Lan said softly, his voice calm yet absolute.
His blade cut through the air.
A blazing slash erupted like a burning sun, crashing into the enemy ranks.
Fire shot skyward with a deafening explosion.
The battlefield was flooded with scorching shockwaves and searing heat.
The Mist ninja struggled desperately, throwing up ninjutsu defenses—
But the flames rolled in like a tidal wave, completely engulfing them.
The ground turned pitch-black as rocks and scorched earth scattered in all directions.
Kurenai stared at Wen Lan within the flames, her beautiful eyes filled with shock—and a hint of awe she couldn't suppress.
Wen Lan sheathed his blade slowly. As the heat dissipated, he looked down disdainfully at the charred Mist corpses, thinking coldly:
You call that Water Release?
Go argue with Tobirama Senju in the Pure Land about what real Water Release looks like.
"Too fast!"
Kurenai's pupils suddenly shrank as she shouted urgently:
"Be careful! Nine jōnin-level chakra signatures—extremely fast!"
Before the words finished, nine black shadows burst out of the lingering smoke like specters, instantly sealing off nine directions.
At the same time, over thirty chūnin rushed in, surrounding Wen Lan's group completely.
Wen Lan and the others quickly moved back-to-back, weapons raised, eyes scanning the encirclement.
One Mist jōnin stared at Wen Lan's blade, then grinned viciously.
"You're Gold Thunderflame Wen Lan, right?"
Though phrased as a question, his tone was unmistakably certain.
Wen Lan sneered, eyes blazing.
"Since you know my name, you still dare block my path?"
Under the firelight, his shadow stretched long—like an unyielding war god.
The jōnin's grin widened as he drew the long blade from his back.
"Our vanguard has been looking for you for a long time."
Wen Lan froze for a split second—then understood.
This wasn't a coincidence.
Not even the previous thirty-five attacks had been accidental.
Someone had leaked his position.
Wen Lan abruptly turned his head and narrowed his eyes at Asuma.
Among everyone here, Asuma was the one he trusted the least.
Kurenai's father, Yūhi Shinku, belonged to the Hokage's direct faction—but that meant loyalty to whoever was Hokage, not to a specific person.
And right now, unless Hiruzen had completely lost his mind, he would never arrange for an active shadow-level powerhouse to be assassinated.
Even the framing of Sakumo Hatake happened after the war.
Might Guy was also part of the Hokage's faction.
Shiranui Genma was a civilian ninja—he wouldn't be noticed by Minato until later.
That left only one person.
Sarutobi Asuma.
Just because he was Hiruzen's son didn't mean he was loyal to his father.
If he truly were, he wouldn't later leave Konoha to become one of the Guardian Ninja Twelve.
That meant he definitely knew who Danzō Shimura was.
And Wen Lan had humiliated Asuma again and again— there was no way Asuma didn't hate him to the bone.
So if Danzō offered him one condition—
"Kill Wen Lan."
Asuma would absolutely agree.
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