As Suikazan Fuguki charged in at high speed, leaping high to slash at Danzo—
"...Longsword...Ninja Art...Earth Spider Web..."
On the battlefield, wires resembling a spider's web, charged with electricity, suddenly lashed toward Ringo Ameyuri and the others behind him.
"Kuriarare Kushimaru… Are you insane…?"
The four in the back quickly leapt away to evade the deadly trap.
Meanwhile, the two airborne attackers' charged strikes had already reached their target.
Boom!
The force of their blows sent dust flying everywhere, and two figures were launched like baseballs struck out of the park.
"Hahaha! I hit him!" the swordsman was visibly pleased. With such force, even if he wasn't dead, he had to be crippled.
Suikazan Fuguki, who had attacked alongside him, wore a troubled expression and hesitantly said,
"I think… I might have hit Kuriarare Kushimaru instead…" He quickly added, "He jumped into it himself… Damn it…"
Hearing Fuguki's exclamation, everyone followed his gaze toward the figure that had been sent flying.
"Big Ball Rasengan!"
A sudden development—combined with the already-formed Big Ball Rasengan—forced the Yuki clan leader within the ice mirrors to temporarily retreat.
The moment the Big Ball Rasengan made contact, the ice crystal mirrors shattered, and Danzo was sent hurtling away like an arrow released from a bow.
Just as everyone regretted Danzo's escape, a shadow shot out from the ground at an alarming speed, intersecting with Danzo in midair.
A spray of blood mist filled the air.
When Danzo landed, he immediately bolted in another direction at an even faster pace.
The sudden turn of events left everyone momentarily stunned, their gazes locking onto the dark figure that had wounded Danzo.
"Kuriarare Kushimaru…!" A startled cry drew everyone's attention.
Only then did they notice Kushimaru's limp body, having been struck into the remains of the shattered ice mirror, sliding down like a tattered rag.
His body was contorted unnaturally, as though his bones had been removed. A longsword, Nuibari, was still embedded in him. He was undoubtedly dead.
"Suikazan Fuguki, could it be that you took the opportunity to kill him just because he opposed you?" Munashi Jinpachi asked with suspicion.
"Bullshit! When I struck him, he was already dead!" Fuguki had now regained his composure, recalling the moment he had cut into Kushimaru.
"That's indeed the case… Enough, we still have work to do," the Yuki clan leader affirmed from the side, then turned toward the mysterious intruder.
"Who are you?"
The stranger had a pale face divided in black and white, with a bizarre helmet resembling a pitcher plant, giving him an eerie appearance.
"I am a guard of the Mizukage. You may call me 'Zetsu.' Danzo has been severely wounded by me and likely won't get far… I need to report this situation to the Mizukage, so I won't stay any longer."
Without waiting for a response, his body slowly sank into the ground.
The others remained wary, trying to sense his presence, but there was no trace left behind.
If that sneak attack had been aimed at them instead…
"Lord… What should we do next…?" Among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the relatively mild-mannered Ringo Ameyuri, the only female, turned to the Yuki clan leader for instructions.
"Continue the pursuit… I must report this to the Mizukage…"
A mysterious figure capable of injuring a Kage-level opponent had appeared on the battlefield, which deeply unsettled the Yuki clan leader.
Then he added, "Don't worry. Danzo has been seriously injured… His chakra reserves are nearly depleted. Capture him directly."
...
Deep in the Forest…
In a distant forest, Danzo clutched his side as he moved swiftly through the trees, blood dripping down his leg, soaking into his pants and staining them dark red.
A deep wound ran from his left abdomen downward. If not for his chakra tightly holding the wound together to prevent further tearing, his intestines would have spilled out from moving at such high speed.
His left arm, which he had used to absorb impact, had its bones shattered. He couldn't exert any force with it at all.
"...Cough… Black Zetsu… It was him…" Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Moving quickly, Danzo hurriedly popped two specially made pills into his mouth, dulling the pain slightly.
For the first time, he had come face to face with death. Always known for his cold and composed demeanor, Danzo now felt an overwhelming mix of hatred, fear, anger… and emotions he couldn't quite name.
But he didn't flee toward the southern Konoha camp.
He ran west instead.
With the Fourth Mizukage on the battlefield, Konoha had already lost.
Heading south now would likely lead him straight into the ranks of the Mist ninja, and he might even encounter the Fourth Mizukage himself or the head of the Kaguya clan.
...
After some distance—
Sensing movement ahead, Danzo tensed up instantly.
"Lord Danzo…!"
Two Root operatives emerged in front of him.
Recognizing his own men, Danzo finally let out a breath of relief.
"Move! There are pursuers behind me…!"
"Summoning Jutsu— get on!"
A wolf the size of a young bull materialized before them.
As the three shinobi and the summoned beast moved at full speed, Danzo received a report from his men.
The Konoha forces had indeed been defeated.
The Fourth Mizukage's arrival had ignited the morale of the Mist ninja.
The head of the Kaguya clan led the Mist army and shattered Konoha's main force.
Uchiha Fugaku had already ordered a retreat.
Under Yakushi Nonou's orders, most of the Root members were assisting in the retreat.
Only ten elite jōnin remained, split into five squads of two, searching for Danzo on the battlefield.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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