The Wasabi Siege (3)

The smoke and dust thrown up by the explosion mixed with the lingering mist, forming a chaotic barrier that bought Wasabi Jirocho a precious chance to catch his breath.

He had no intention of fighting further. Taking advantage of the chaos, he swiftly withdrew from the front courtyard.

The moment he retreated to the relatively safe corridor, the head of the Wasabi Family immediately revealed his decisive nature.

Suppressing the lingering fear in his heart and the grief and fury of witnessing his guards die, he ordered, "Carry the severely wounded away at once! Transfer them through the prepared secret passage! Everyone still able to move, prepare to evacuate!"

After arranging the emergency evacuation, Jirocho took a deep breath, changed out of his bloodstained clothes, put on a clean outer robe, and walked toward the corridor deep within the courtyard, half-concealed by bamboo shadows. His steps were steady, yet carried an imperceptible weight.

The blonde Senju princess sat cross-legged in the shadows beneath the corridor, her eyes slightly closed and her expression calm.

Chakra flowed continuously through Katsuyu on her shoulder and toward the front. Jirocho stood respectfully at the side without disturbing her, until Tsunade slowly opened her amber eyes and turned her gaze toward him.

"Lady Tsunade." Jirocho bowed slightly and presented the small white Katsuyu with both hands, his movements filled with sincere gratitude. "Thank you for your help. I am returning this to its owner."

He then quickly explained the guards' injuries, focusing on the strange wounds caused by the terrifying black water. "...The wounds rot incredibly fast, and it seems as if something living is writhing inside. Ordinary hemostatic powder is completely useless. Do you have a way to deal with it? Even temporary relief would help."

Tsunade frowned slightly.

"That isn't ordinary water."

"They're insects. A swarm of extremely tiny venomous insects. The battle is too intense right now for careful treatment."

She pointed toward an inconspicuous wooden cabinet in the corner beneath the corridor. "There are emergency medicines for external wounds in that cabinet. As for wounds caused by that 'black water'..." Her gaze shifted to a sealed clay jar beside it. "The jar on the left contains a powerful insect-suppressing ointment. Remember, apply it with clean cotton cloth or gauze. Never touch the wounds or the ointment directly with your hands!"

"Understood! Thank you so much, Lady Tsunade!" Jirocho solemnly expressed his gratitude, then immediately summoned the servants waiting outside the corridor and instructed them on the medicines and precautions one by one.

Afterward, he turned back to Tsunade, lowering his voice further as he asked, "Lady Tsunade, in your opinion, given the current situation... does the Wasabi Family need to prepare for the worst?"

"That depends on whether Shuji can get back in time," Tsunade gave her assessment. "With only Shizune and those two children, it'll be difficult to hold this place. Even if they can hold them off for a while, there's no guarantee they can keep everyone safe."

The middle-aged man fell silent for a moment.

"The Wasabi Clan has no reason to cling to a single estate," he said firmly. "I'll arrange for everyone to evacuate through the secret passage immediately and relocate to a safe stronghold outside the city!"

He gave Tsunade a deep bow. "Thank you again for your help, Lady Tsunade. Please excuse me!"

With that, Jirocho turned and strode away.

After finding the elder who was directing the transfer of the wounded, Jirocho gave a concise order. "Execute the evacuation plan at once! All wounded, women, and children are to withdraw through the secret passage to the stronghold outside the city! Move quickly!"

The elder's face showed reluctance. "Master, you..."

Jirocho raised a hand to cut him off, his gaze sharp as a blade. "I'm staying. Select a few volunteers to stay behind with me and cover the retreat!"

The elder said urgently, "You are the pillar of the Wasabi Clan! Leave the rear guard to this old man and the guards! You must—"

"Enough!" Jirocho's shout crashed down like thunder, carrying unquestionable authority and instantly silencing the elder's attempts at persuasion.

He stared directly at him, each word ringing with force. "This is the responsibility of the head of the family! Do you expect me to abandon my subordinates, abandon the guests who came to help us, and flee first by myself?! If I die, someone will naturally be able to take my place!"

Seeing the unshakable resolve in Jirocho's eyes, the elder's lips moved a few times before finally turning into a heavy sigh. He lowered his head deeply. "...As you command."

Jirocho said no more and turned toward the weapon rack.

He took down a well-maintained heavy bow and tested the tension of its string. Then he carried out a heavy sealed wooden case from the inner room. Opening it, he revealed dozens of Explosive Tags neatly stacked within, all covered in sealing runes.

He personally distributed the Explosive Tags. "Follow me," he said in a low voice, leading several people swiftly up a watchtower with a relatively open view inside the estate. From there, they could vaguely overlook the battle in the front courtyard, and it was also the choke point blocking the path to the inner residence.

The front courtyard battlefield.

With Jirocho and the guards withdrawn, the area instantly became much more open, with far fewer restrictions.

Anko panted heavily. The numb soreness in her arm had eased somewhat under the warm current transmitted by Katsuyu, but the strain from clashing head-on with Beast Soldier Guard was still immense.

As she watched the samurai press forward again, the fighting spirit in her eyes remained undiminished, and she was about to grit her teeth and charge again.

"Anko, fall back! I'll take over!" Shizune stepped in front of Anko. She could see clearly that Anko's strength and weaponry were at an absolute disadvantage against the enemy. If she kept forcing a direct confrontation, the consequences would be impossible to predict.

As the more experienced ninja on the team, she had to bear the greatest pressure now.

"Senior Shizune, I..." Anko was unwilling, but when she saw Shizune's serious expression, she ultimately understood that this was not the time to be stubborn.

"That gourd-cape is yours!" Shizune spoke rapidly, her sharp gaze sweeping over Water Erosion, who carried a gourd on his shoulder and exuded an obscure aura beneath his cloak. "His technique is strange. Be extremely careful."

The attempt to switch opponents did not stir Beast Soldier Guard in the slightest. His body did not move, but the crushing killing intent, as heavy as mountains, locked onto both Shizune before him and Anko on the flank!

"Corpse Erosion!" Beast Soldier Guard's cold gaze fell upon the man whose bandages around his left arm had already been soaked dark red with blood. "Don't let the rats escape! Catch up to them and kill them all!"

Corpse Erosion's cloudy left eye, like that of a dead fish, shifted slightly. His lifeless gaze turned toward the direction in which the guards had retreated—the depths of the inner residence. His intact right hand reached once more toward the bloodstained bandages, as though he were about to draw out that deadly pale bone blade again.

At the instant Corpse Erosion's attention shifted!

A small figure took the initiative to meet him!

A Kunai tore through the air with a sharp whistle, stabbing straight at the joint of Corpse Erosion's outstretched arm!

Corpse Erosion's movement paused slightly, forcing him to withdraw his right hand and block the tricky incoming strike.

His body felt light, and using the Sharingan did not feel draining at all.

He could stop this ninja.

Itachi was certain of it.

However, at the moment when Itachi was fully focused on intercepting Corpse Erosion, while Shizune and Anko were restrained by Beast Soldier Guard's overwhelming presence, their vision blocked by smoke, dust, and the fierce clash—

The figure draped in a wide oilcloth cape, carrying an enormous brown gourd, silently took half a step back like a specter merging into the shadows. The huge gourd on his shoulder tilted slightly, and an extremely thin stream of black liquid, nearly blending into the dust on the ground, seeped soundlessly from beneath his cloak and quickly flowed into the cracks between the bluestone slabs beneath his feet.

Meanwhile, his true body beneath the cloak took advantage of the chaos created by his companions' battle and the blind spots in their vision. Like smoke scattered by the wind, his figure faded and vanished in an exceedingly strange manner, without causing any obvious chakra fluctuations or sound, as though he had never existed at all.