Siege of Wasabi

Siege of Wasabi

The stench of blood from the Wasabi Family's front courtyard had already drifted up to the towering watchtower behind it.

Uchiha Itachi stood motionless at the edge of the battlements like a silent statue. His black eyes were fixed on the three figures below who had brought the shadow of death into the courtyard, and... the katana that was mercilessly reaping lives.

Every flash of the blade was accompanied by the shrill wail of snapping metal and the teeth-grating thud of flesh being torn apart.

The screams and furious roars of the Wasabi Family guards seemed weak and powerless before absolute strength.

Itachi's fingertips unconsciously tightened against the cold stone.

Three. Only three had come. This outcome exceeded even Wasabi Jirocho's worst expectations and deviated from the emergency plan they had devised.

If dozens had swarmed in, it would have meant they were mainly Tea Mountain Gang grunts, with perhaps one or two ninja mixed in. With Shizune and Anko's strength, working alongside the Wasabi Family guards, they could have held them off or even driven them back.

But only three had come.

Did that mean the Black Erosion Corps, who had remained hidden in the shadows and moved so mysteriously, had finally stepped into the open?

These three were very likely the Black Erosion Corps' core fighting force, perhaps even their entire force. Just from the overwhelming, devastating power displayed by the leading swordsman with a casual swing of his blade, and the aura radiating from the two behind him...

Danger!

The mission priority had to be adjusted immediately. Driving back the enemy was no longer realistic. The foremost objective had to become escorting Wasabi Jirocho out amid the chaos!

"Kid."

A woman's voice sounded behind him.

The combat instincts forged through years of training instantly overrode his awareness of the surroundings. Itachi's body twisted sharply like a drawn bowstring, and the kunai in his hand became a streak of black light, stabbing toward the source of the voice with a fierce whistle through the air.

Yet an arm seemed to appear out of nowhere, moving too fast for the eye to follow! Rather than meeting the kunai's edge head-on, that hand lightly brushed against Itachi's wrist joint with flawless precision, as though stroking a willow branch.

An overwhelming yet incomparably gentle force passed through him. Itachi felt his entire arm go numb in an instant, the strength he had gathered dispersing at once. The kunai slipped from his hand and fell onto the stone tiles at his feet with a clang.

"Not bad reflexes." There was a nearly imperceptible note of approval in that voice before it returned to calm indifference. "I'm Shizune's teacher."

Itachi's taut nerves did not completely relax, but upon hearing the words "Shizune's teacher," his body instinctively lowered its guard slightly.

He quickly looked up and saw a woman with loose golden hair and a face breathtaking in the shifting light and shadow.

She wore a simple green robe and leaned against a pillar on the inner side of the watchtower. Her eyes swept over Itachi before turning toward the blood-soaked front courtyard below, her brows drawing together almost imperceptibly.

Itachi studied the woman who had appeared. She was undoubtedly powerful. Perhaps they could still continue with the original plan.

"No, I won't intervene."

The woman's answer made Itachi frown. Shizune's teacher should also be a Konoha ninja, so why was she refusing to help?

The doubt flashed through his mind before deeper calm replaced it. The strong always had their reasons. There was no point dwelling on it now.

Tsunade offered no explanation. Suppressing the churning discomfort within her, she raised her right hand. Four white Slugs, each no larger than a palm and emanating a gentle aura of life, rested upon it.

"Take them." She held the Slugs out to Itachi, her movements crisp and decisive. "Attach them to your bodies. I'll use them to send my chakra to you." She paused, her gaze sweeping over the battle below. "You know who the other three should go to. With them, as long as they don't die on the spot..." She did not finish, but the meaning was already clear.

"Where's your captain, Shuji?" Tsunade suddenly asked.

"The captain has a separate mission." Itachi's answer was concise and emotionless. He obediently placed one small Slug beneath the collar at his shoulder. Almost the instant it touched his skin, an immense, warm, and endlessly flowing pure chakra, like a hot spring, surged from the Slug's tiny body and swiftly filled every part of him.

This amount of chakra...

A storm raged in Itachi's heart, but his expression remained as still as water. He quickly put away the remaining three Slugs with care and turned his gaze downward once more.

The front courtyard was a portrait of hell.

Over half the Wasabi Family guards were already dead or wounded.

Severed limbs, broken arms, and shattered weapons lay jumbled together, while blood stained the bluestone slabs a dark crimson. Beast Soldier Guard strolled about as if taking a leisurely walk, every swing of his blade precisely claiming one life or several.

Behind him, the man on the left, whose left arm was wrapped in blood-soaked bandages and tipped with vicious bone claws, watched with the indifference of one admiring a work of art. The figure on the right, cloaked in oilcloth and carrying a massive gourd, stood silent as a boulder, his presence even more obscure and unfathomable.

"Enough!"

A dark-purple figure shot out from the shadows of the side hall like a hunting leopard!

Anko Mitarashi's eyes burned with fury, the hem of her brand-new trench coat snapping in the gale.

Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!

Brown venomous snakes let out piercing hisses as they shot forth like arrows, lunging for Beast Soldier Guard's throat, heart, and lower body! The attack was fierce, carrying the rage she had suppressed for far too long!

Almost the instant Anko made her move, another deep-blue figure swept into the field like a wisp of smoke.

Shizune's expression was grave, her movements swift as the wind. She did not attack directly. Instead, she flashed to the sides of several severely wounded guards who had fallen to the ground. Green medical chakra immediately lit up around her hands like the light of life, trying to stabilize their rapidly fading vitality.

Beast Soldier Guard's sword swing paused slightly.

Snakes?!

His hawk-sharp eyes immediately caught the Konoha symbol on Anko's forehead protector, as well as her young face blazing with anger.

It was her! The female ninja who had confronted the guards at the city gate alongside the Konoha jonin! She and Orochimaru...

Where was the other kid? Lying in ambush nearby? Or out at sea? If that kid alone had been protecting the messenger, why had First Erosion never returned? Could a mere kid like that really have stopped First Erosion?

And who was the other ninja? From Konoha, or another one hired by the Wasabi Clan?

The ninja they had been waiting for had finally appeared, yet Beast Soldier Guard's doubts only grew.

The situation seemed to be slipping out of control.

But the arrow had already left the bow!

The doubt in Beast Soldier Guard's eyes was instantly replaced by even deeper savagery.

No matter what other arrangements Konoha had made, they had to achieve their goal as quickly as possible—Wasabi Jirocho had to die!

With a flick of his wrist, the bloodstained katana carved out a shrieking streak of cold light, easily cleaving apart the incoming venomous snakes. The blade's momentum did not fade. Carrying unmatched killing intent, its icy edge pointed straight at Shizune, who stood before the wounded, and Anko, who had just landed and assumed a fighting stance!