Despair! Like an icy tide, it completely drowned Ringo Ameyuri and Suikazan Fuguki.
The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, a murderous force that had once made the entire Shinobi World tremble in fear, had been destroyed like clay chickens and porcelain dogs in such a short time! Jinin Akebino was severely wounded and unconscious, Juzo Biwa's fate was unknown, and Hozuki Mangetsu and Kushimaru Kuriarare had been killed on the spot! Only the two of them remained—one with Chakra nearly exhausted and her body ravaged by pollen, barely able to stand; the other tightly bound by vines, with even Samehada letting out pained wails!
The man standing amid the eerie Deep Forest Emergence Forest before them—how was he some "Konoha Azure Dragon"? He was clearly a demon god returned from hell! His unimaginable "Gravity Secret Technique," his world-altering Wood Release sage arts, and his cold, merciless methods of crushing everything... all filled them with fear from the depths of their souls!
"Run! Split up and run!" Suikazan Fuguki let out a desperate roar. He no longer cared about greedy Samehada, madly burning Chakra and even damaging his meridians to unleash his final strength! His fat body suddenly swelled, forcibly snapping several of the thickest vines! Without even looking at Ringo Ameyuri, he turned and fled desperately into the depths of the forest! At this moment, he only wanted to get as far away from that demon as possible!
"Fuguki! You bastard!" Ringo Ameyuri trembled with fury as she watched her companion abandon her and flee, but despair overwhelmed her even more. Her Chakra had been greatly depleted in the earlier battle, and the flower pollen's poison had ravaged her body. Even maintaining the lightning on Lightning Blade: Fang had become extraordinarily difficult. As Duanmu Ci's gaze fell upon her as though she were already dead, a trace of madness and resolve flashed through the purple-haired kunoichi's eyes!
"Even if I die! I'll take you with me! Lightning Style: Dream Lightning Person!" Ringo Ameyuri let out a shrill scream, frantically pouring every last bit of Chakra in her body, along with her life force, into Lightning Blade: Fang! The blade erupted with an unprecedented, dazzling lightning glow, even eclipsing the eerie colors of the Deep Forest Emergence Forest! Violent lightning formed a destructive storm domain around her as she transformed into a resolute humanoid bolt of lightning, charging Duanmu Ci with the tragic momentum of mutual destruction! This was her final swan song!
Facing this all-or-nothing attack, Duanmu Ci remained cold and expressionless. He did not even move half a step.
"A trapped beast's struggle," he commented indifferently. His hands formed seals again, faster than before!
Sage Art: Wood Release: Modified Wood Dragon Technique!
Roar—!!!
A deafening dragon's roar resounded through the heavens! An enormous Wood Dragon, larger and more solid than before, covered in emerald Sage Chakra runes and eerie flowers, burst through layer after layer of vines and soared into the sky from the Deep Forest Emergence Forest behind Duanmu Ci! The Wood Dragon was lifelike, every scale clearly visible. Its massive claws gleamed with cold light, while a highly compressed ball of Sage Chakra radiating destructive fluctuations gathered within its maw!
The Wood Dragon spiraled down in a dive, its gigantic claws descending like mountains with the power to tear space apart as they viciously grasped at that resolute humanoid lightning bolt!
Boom—!!!!
Lightning collided with the Wood Dragon! A blinding flash and an ear-splitting explosion erupted! Violent energy shockwaves spread outward like a tsunami, causing the surrounding flowering trees to shake violently!
The stalemate lasted only an instant!
Though Ringo Ameyuri's lightning was violent, under the overwhelming power of the sage-art Wood Dragon, its dense life force defense, and the natural suppression of Lightning Style by the Deep Forest Emergence Forest environment, it rapidly dimmed and collapsed!
Crack!
The Wood Dragon's gigantic claw ruthlessly crushed the outer lightning shield!
Squelch!
Like piercing thin paper, the sharp dragon claw tore through Ringo Ameyuri's chest!
"Ugh..." The madness and lightning in Ringo Ameyuri's eyes vanished instantly, leaving only endless emptiness and disbelief. Lightning Blade: Fang flew from her hand and clattered to the ground, the lightning around its blade completely extinguished.
The Wood Dragon let out a low roar and flung its claw, tossing Ringo Ameyuri's corpse away like a rag doll. It crashed heavily into a giant tree in the distance, slid down, and never moved again.
The final resisting member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist had fallen!
Meanwhile, Suikazan Fuguki had already fled several hundred meters away on hands and knees, just about to disappear into the depths of the forest.
"Trying to leave?" Duanmu Ci's eyes turned cold as his gaze locked onto that fat figure fleeing in panic. He slowly raised his right hand, spreading his fingers toward Suikazan Fuguki's back.
Banshō Ten'in!
Hum—!
That familiar, despair-inducing terrifying gravitational force descended once more!
"No—!!!" Suikazan Fuguki let out a scream of utter terror! He felt his body instantly lose all control, seized by an irresistible force and forcibly dragged from the ground, flying backward toward Duanmu Ci! No matter how he struggled or erupted with Chakra, it was like an ant trying to shake a tree!
"Samehada! Save me!" Suikazan Fuguki desperately looked at Samehada in his hand, which kept wailing as it tried to struggle free.
Duanmu Ci watched Suikazan Fuguki being dragged back by gravity, along with the greedy, constantly writhing Samehada in his hand. A trace of icy coldness flashed in his eyes.
"You like devouring Chakra? Then eat your fill!" Duanmu Ci rapidly formed seals with his left hand and pressed it against the ground!
Wood Release: All-Binding Sack Technique!
The earth trembled! The ground where Suikazan Fuguki was about to land suddenly split open! An incomparably huge wooden hand made of countless thick vines and tough branches burst from the earth! Like the Buddha's Five-Finger Mountain, it descended with a sky-blocking shadow and vast life force Chakra, viciously closing around Suikazan Fuguki, who had been pinned helplessly in midair by gravity!
"No—!!!"
Amid Suikazan Fuguki's desperate howl, the gigantic wooden palm slammed shut!
Squelch! Crack! Crunch!
The scalp-numbing sounds of bones shattering and flesh being crushed rang out in rapid succession! Blood sprayed wildly from between the wooden fingers like a fountain! When greedy Samehada came into contact with the immense life chakra within the wooden hand, infused with sage intent, it let out an incomparably shrill wail. Like an overinflated balloon, it twisted and swelled violently before finally exploding with a bang! Countless sharp fragments scattered in every direction amid the rain of blood!
When the wooden hand slowly opened, all that remained in its palm was a mangled mass of flesh and fragments of a ninja blade. The leader of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, along with his ninja blade Samehada, had been utterly crushed by Duanmu Ci in the most domineering and brutal manner!
Thus, the invading Seven Swordsmen of the Mist were completely annihilated! Jinin Akebino and Juzo Biwa had been severely wounded, knocked unconscious, and captured, while the other five had all been executed!
The Deep Forest Emergence Forest gradually ceased its unrest. The eerie flowers withdrew their pollen, and the vines fell still. Sunlight once again filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, illuminating this battlefield that resembled both Purgatory and a divine miracle. The air was thick with the smell of blood, burnt vegetation, and faintly sweet floral fragrance, creating a strange and tragic atmosphere.
Inside and outside Taoyuan Village, there was dead silence. Whether they were guards or residents nervously watching from the shelters, everyone had been utterly shocked by the mythic battle before them! One man had faced the Seven Swordsmen alone, crushing them all and wiping them out! What incredible power was this?! What overwhelming dominance?!
After a brief silence, cheers like a mountain-shaking tsunami erupted from every corner of Taoyuan Village!
"Long live Lord Duanmu!"
"Lord Azure Dragon!"
"Long live Taoyuan Village!"
"We won!!"
The wild joy of surviving disaster, along with boundless worship and gratitude toward their protector, became a thunderous wave of sound that echoed through the heavens!
At the watchtower, Tsunade looked at the figure standing below like a war god amid the cheers, her golden eyes long blurred with tears. From her worry when the Seven Swordsmen had attacked, to the heart-wrenching tension as Duanmu Ci fought the gathered demons alone, to the shock and ecstasy as he repeatedly turned the tide and finally crushed powerful enemies with invincible might... the overwhelming emotional impact made her entire body tremble slightly.
Especially when Nuibari had shot toward her, Duanmu Ci's figure as he disregarded everything to save her from afar had been branded into her heart! At that moment, she had clearly felt this man's bone-deep desire to protect her!
What blood phobia, what scars from war, what confusion about the future... before the image of this man holding up the sky for her and for Taoyuan Village, all of it vanished into smoke! All that remained in her heart was surging love, pride, and an unprecedented sense of security!
She could no longer suppress her emotions! Her golden figure leaped from the watchtower like lightning, passed through the cheering crowd, ignored the wreckage and blood everywhere, and shot like a golden streak of light straight toward Duanmu Ci in the center of the battlefield!
Duanmu Ci had just withdrawn his Sage Chakra and released Sage Mode. There was a trace of fatigue on his face, but his eyes remained bright. He turned around and saw Tsunade rushing into his arms like a swallow returning to its nest, tears on her face and an incomparably radiant smile blooming on her lips!
Her soft, fragrant body filled his arms. Duanmu Ci froze slightly, then felt the violent trembling of her delicate body and the scorching tears soaking into his clothes. Understanding filled his heart, followed by endless tenderness. He opened his arms and tightly embraced the woman who had worried for him and felt such pride in him.
"Duanmu Ci!" Tsunade raised her head, tears still clinging to her long lashes, yet her smile was like the most brilliant sunlight. She cupped Duanmu Ci's face, and under the astonished, blessing, and understanding gazes of everyone around them, on the battlefield where smoke had yet to clear and blood had yet to dry, in the center of the Deep Forest Emergence Forest that symbolized victory, she took the initiative and kissed his lips deeply, passionately, without reservation!
The kiss was burning hot and deeply tender, as though it poured every worry, fear, love, and pride into it! It transcended status and surpassed the battlefield. It was the release of surviving catastrophe, a vow to bind their lives together!
The cheers of Taoyuan Village reached their peak at that moment! Then, as though by mutual understanding, they turned into good-natured teasing and applause filled with blessings!
"Lord Tsunade!"
"Lord Duanmu!"
"Be together! Be together!"
Sunlight pierced through the eerie flowering trees and fell upon the two embracing in a passionate kiss, coating them in a sacred, blissful glow. Konoha's Azure Dragon and the Princess of the Sannin had bound their love in Taoyuan Village before the homeland they had defended with blood and before the witness of all!
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