Defeat

Wusheng, who had circled around to the side, spotted Kiyoshi Minazuki and immediately attacked. Its gleaming blade shot out like an arrow leaving the bow.

Kiyoshi Minazuki saw the ambush through the reflective ice crystal wall. With no time to think, he quickly formed hand seals with one hand—not to cast a new ninjutsu, but to adjust the ice crystal wall.

A two-inch-thick ice crystal wall suddenly extended from the larger wall. It did not look thick, but it could withstand even Exploding Tags.

Yet the Kusanagi Blade's sharpness exceeded Kiyoshi Minazuki's expectations. Its keen tip pierced the ice wall and stabbed into his body through the side of his waist.

Blood gushed out, and agonizing pain struck. Kiyoshi Minazuki could no longer maintain his ninjutsu as the surging golden sea of flames rapidly melted the thick ice crystal wall...

Kiyoshi Minazuki tilted his head toward the side, his eyes filled with confusion and despair.

There clearly wasn't any clone or anything like that. How had this sword flown over here?

What a pity. I still have so many techniques I never got the chance to use.

The next moment, Wusheng pulled out its blade and swiftly retreated.

The sword was alive?

A flicker of realization passed through Kiyoshi Minazuki's eyes, followed by boundless fury.

Uchiha Clan ninjas were already difficult enough to fight one-on-one, and now there was even an assistant. This was simply too...

The surging golden flames swallowed Kiyoshi Minazuki the next moment, cutting off his thoughts. The blazing fire engulfed him, and after a scream, all fell silent.

Seeing the sea of fire before him, Uchiha Gen took out a Uchiha Clan secret Soldier Pill from his ninja tool pouch and swallowed it.

Though their battle had not lasted long, they had consumed no small amount of Chakra.

"Zhurong, absorb the flames."

"Yes, Master."

Zhurong swayed its body and rapidly flew into the sea of fire. The flames quickly began to shrink...

"Well done."

Watching Wusheng fly back, Uchiha Gen praised it with a smile.

Wusheng happily circled Uchiha Gen several times before slipping into its sheath.

Zhurong soon absorbed all the flames and swiftly flew back.

"You did well too."

Zhurong happily rubbed against Uchiha Gen's palm before returning to his left arm.

In truth, Zhurong's true body was not merely a foot long. It only remained in that form for ease of concealment.

After glancing at the already-charred corpse, Uchiha Gen vanished from the spot in a flash. Following the sounds of battle, he soon arrived at where his subordinates were fighting.

This was where Kurenai Yuhi was battling a female Hidden Mist Ninja.

After assessing the situation, Uchiha Gen did not intervene. The female Hidden Mist Ninja had already fallen under Kurenai's genjutsu, and the battle would soon be over.

Although the Yuhi Clan was one of Konoha's smallest families—so small it could not even truly be called a clan, only a ninja household—it possessed a deep foundation in genjutsu.

Kurenai's father, Yuhi Shinko, was a renowned genjutsu Jonin in Konoha. With her father personally teaching her, even veteran Chunin could fall into Kurenai's hands if they were careless.

Against Chunin and Genin, Kurenai could handle things without anyone else's help.

Pshk!

A Kunai plunged into the female Hidden Mist Chunin's throat. She awoke from the genjutsu and collapsed to the ground, clutching her continuously bleeding throat. Her body twitched slightly before she quickly stopped breathing.

"Haa... Captain."

Kurenai let out a long breath, then looked toward Uchiha Gen, who stood atop a tree trunk.

"Not bad. Do you still have strength left?"

"Of course I do," Kurenai said firmly.

"Good. Go support the left side. I'll take the right."

"Yes."

The next moment, the two kicked off with both legs and vanished after several leaps.

In the forest, Hyuga Tokuma was fiercely battling a Kaguya Clan ninja. Both had suffered injuries of varying severity, though Tokuma's were external while his opponent's were internal.

As they fought, Hyuga Tokuma suddenly retreated to evade an Exploding Tag with a Kunai attached to it flying in from the side.

The Kaguya Clan ninja possessed extremely sharp combat instincts. Catching sight of the ambush from the corner of his eye, he raised his left hand without hesitation.

Three bone bullets shot from his index, middle, and ring fingers, directly intercepting the flying Kunai. Boom! The Exploding Tag detonated in a burst of fire and smoke.

The next moment, Uchiha Gen appeared before the Kaguya Clan ninja using the Body Flicker Technique. Their eyes met, and genjutsu was unleashed.

The Kaguya Clan ninja froze, his expression turning vacant. Uchiha Gen seized the opportunity to swing the Kusanagi Blade. A flash of sword light passed, and a thin line of blood appeared across his throat.

"Im... impressive."

The Kaguya Clan ninja regained consciousness and instinctively clutched his throat. Bloody foam rose from his mouth. After speaking, he fell with a calm expression, showing no fear of death.

Hyuga Tokuma glanced at him, his expression slightly complicated. Though Kaguya Clan ninjas were somewhat crazed, they truly were formidable rivals to the Hyuga Clan in taijutsu.

"Thank you for your help, Captain."

"No need. Even without me, you might not have lost."

Clang... Uchiha Gen sheathed the Kusanagi Blade behind his back, sliding it into the white sheath patterned with silver-gray designs at his waist.

"But I might not have won either."

Heh, he was a ninja who knew what was good for him and had tact. Worth coming to support.

A minute later, two figures landed. They were Kurenai and Hayama Shirakumo.

"How are you two? Still holding up?" Uchiha Gen asked, sweeping his gaze over them.

"I can still fight, Captain."

"So can I."

"Then take a Soldier Pill and let's move out."

The three readily complied, immediately taking a Soldier Pill from their ninja tool pouches and swallowing it.

"This time, we're heading to the edge of the forest. The fighting there is the fiercest, with ninja tools and ninjutsu flying everywhere."

"Once we arrive, the three of you will form a triangular formation and support one another. Do not split up, and do not stray too far from me."

"Yes, Captain!"

In a large-scale melee, a team with a Hyuga Clan ninja held a significant advantage. Their broad field of vision could keep themselves and their teammates from dying to unidentified ninja tools and unknown ninjutsu.

"Move out!"

Uchiha Gen moved first, leaping directly onto a branch. The other three immediately followed, though their jumping power was not as great as his, and they had to use the tree trunks to propel themselves.

As they passed the place where Uchiha Gen had fought Kiyoshi Minazuki, the three secretly marveled at the vast scorched area.

Half a minute later, the four crossed the forest and arrived at an open area filled with mud. Looking out, they saw Konoha Ninjas and Hidden Mist Ninjas fighting to the death everywhere.

The most eye-catching figures were the four in the distance.

Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade stood atop the massive Summoning Beasts Manda, Bunta, and Katsuyu. The first two focused on offense, while the latter could both attack and heal.

Minato Namikaze had not summoned Mount Myoboku's giant toads, but his figure flashed continuously across the battlefield. Sometimes he killed enemies, sometimes he saved allies, and his presence was no less striking than the first three.

Judging from the overall situation, Uchiha Gen found that Konoha had already gained a certain advantage.

However, Fourth Mizukage Yagura had personally entered the battle, and along with Hidden Mist's other experts, they fought tenaciously. It would likely take some time to win.

"Kill!"

After a brief pause, Uchiha Gen charged out. Mud splashed everywhere as Chakra flowed from the soles of his feet. With his precise and subtle Chakra control, he swiftly neutralized the mud's hindering effects and moved as if on level ground.

The sharp Kusanagi Blade swung through the air. Ordinary Kunai could not withstand even a single exchange and were cut apart one after another, while the lives of Hidden Mist Genin were taken with them...

Uchiha Gen's three subordinates did not possess such monstrous Chakra control. Even Hyuga Tokuma was no exception, though fortunately they were not so unskilled that they would fall like some poorly trained Genin.

Falling in such a dangerous battlefield could very well cost one's life.

Before long, the three who crawled and scrambled through the mud had become mud-covered monkeys like most of the ninjas on the battlefield...

Only a tiny number of outstanding Jonin and Kage-level experts could fight as elegantly as Uchiha Gen. Even ordinary Jonin could hardly avoid being spattered with mud.

Time passed bit by bit. Half an hour later, Yagura finally accepted reality and gave the order to retreat. A red signal flare shot into the sky and exploded.

Hidden Mist's retreat was orderly. The ninjas capable of using the Hidden Mist Technique cast it together, and soon more than half the battlefield was shrouded in fog as the Hidden Mist Ninjas retreated into the mist...

At this time, Konoha's Wind Release ninjas were scattered everywhere. Even with Kage-level experts assisting them, they could not disperse the fog in the shortest possible time without joining forces.

Facing the dense white fog, the Konoha Ninjas did not dare pursue. If they fell into an ambush, they would be finished.

The Sannin were the same. Hidden Mist's experts and vast number of ninjas, working together, could threaten their lives.

For one person to chase several thousand ninjas into flight, they would at least need to be among the strongest beyond Kage-level...

However, not every Hidden Mist Ninja could retreat safely. The battlefield had long since become a tangled mix, with each side interwoven with the other.

Seeing that the Konoha Ninjas had not pursued, Yagura sighed within the thick fog, while the other Hidden Mist higher-ups shook their heads in disappointment.

If the Konoha Ninjas had been carried away by victory, they would have joined forces to use ninjutsu and unleash the remaining half of the lake!

Perhaps they could have turned defeat into victory. Even if they could not, they could have inflicted heavy losses on Konoha!

What a pity!

The next moment, Yagura left without looking back, and the main force of Hidden Mist Ninjas followed him.

As for the ninjas who had been entangled in battle, they could only hope to break free from the melee and then escape pursuit.

If they continued dragging things out, their losses would only grow more severe...

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