Mr. Kite, Please Make Your Move

Although the Hagoromo side held an absolute advantage in numbers, that did not mean victory was assured.

Especially when their opponents were also highly skilled.

In the future, Might Guy's father, Might Duy, would use the Eight Gates alone to kill four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

That was enough to show just how terrifying a powerful ninja could be when fighting for his life.

After hearing Domoto Sarutobi's words, Satoshi Ri asked with Void Gaze, "Can you turn this situation around?"

Domoto Sarutobi said in a low voice, "There's no time to explain. All I can do is create a little time. We only have one chance."

"What are you whispering about?!"

At that moment, Naoyasu Hagoromo had already charged over. "Lightning Release: Earth Charge!"

Lightning burrowed into the ground, blasting the soil into powder as it surged toward Domoto Sarutobi's feet.

"Earth Release: Earth Tremor Core!"

He bent his knees and pressed both hands to the ground. The earth shook and shattered, dispersing the Lightning Release ambush.

However, Naoyasu Hagoromo's blade had already fallen.

Domoto Sarutobi twisted aside to evade the strike, formed hand seals as he retreated, and shouted, "Aikawa, Tōya, prepare to use that technique!"

The other two Sarutobi jonin whose names had been called both turned to look at him, their expressions changing sharply.

After gritting their teeth for a moment, the two shouted back in unison, "Understood."

"What are they plotting?"

Masashige Hagoromo felt a vague sense of foreboding rise in his heart and immediately ordered, "Take out those three! Hurry!"

In an instant, the other Hagoromo ninja all turned their attacks toward Domoto Sarutobi and the other two.

However, Satoshi Ri immediately called out, "Support them!"

For a time, the battle turned into a slaughter-and-protection struggle centered around the three Sarutobi ninja.

Still concealed in the shade of the trees, Izuna quietly activated his Sharingan and observed the Chakra flowing through the bodies of Domoto Sarutobi and the other two.

"That..."

Izuna was secretly startled.

The Chakra within the three of them was surging wildly, but at the same time, their life force was gradually being depleted.

It felt like opening the Gate of Death of the Eight Gates—using up one's life force to gain power beyond one's limits.

Without a doubt, it was a Forbidden Jutsu.

Clink—

Seeing this, Izuna secretly grasped a Flying Thunder God Kunai.

At the very least, for now, he still had to "help" the Hagoromo side.

"What are these people trying to do?"

The unease in Masashige Hagoromo's heart intensified. He personally charged forward, intending to kill Domoto Sarutobi before he could finish gathering Chakra.

"Don't even think about it! Wind Release: Vacuum Great Ball!"

A compressed wind projectile as large as a truck came hurtling in from the side. Masashige Hagoromo had no choice but to raise his blade to block it.

As a result, his right arm was sliced open by the Wind Release, leaving a deep gash. Blood sprayed into the air like a fountain before splattering across the ground.

"Satoshi Ri..."

Masashige Hagoromo's face darkened terribly. As a Kage-level fighter, he was naturally a level above his opponent, but killing him was not something he could accomplish in a short time.

"It's ready!"

At that moment, Domoto Sarutobi and the other two, who had been gathering Chakra with their eyes closed, abruptly opened them.

The sensation of Chakra pouring from their bodies startled everyone present.

"Sorry!"

For some reason, Domoto Sarutobi apologized. Then he and the other two Sarutobi jonin flashed to the outskirts of the battlefield.

From Izuna's direction, it was clear that the three had formed an enormous triangle.

"Sealing Technique: Three Corpses Death Face!"

Masashige Hagoromo immediately sensed something was wrong and shouted, "Everyone, scatter!"

As a Kage-level fighter positioned near one corner of the triangular formation, he was quick enough to escape the triangle.

However, quite a few Hagoromo ninja remained within it.

Many had just tried to flee when chaotic grayish-white light burst from beneath their feet, carrying an overwhelming sense of death as it shot into the sky.

"W-What is this?!"

Among those who failed to escape in time was Naoyasu Hagoromo, the Hagoromo Clan's second-in-command.

Faced with the bizarre energy surging up from below, he could only let out the final cry of his life.

As the sky-piercing strange power pierced through his body, his life energy was taken away along with it.

Once the light faded, more than twenty Hagoromo jonin, including Naoyasu Hagoromo, as well as around ten Sarutobi Shimura ninja, had all collapsed.

Their eyes were vacant and their faces deathly pale. They looked just like those whose souls had been extracted by the Human Path of the Six Paths of Pain in later generations!

"Was that... one of the Sarutobi Clan's Forbidden Jutsu, the Sealing Technique: Three Exhaustions Death Face Technique?"

Izuna thought to himself from afar.

He had only heard of it. Within the Sarutobi Clan, there was supposedly a sealing technique that required the lives of three Elite Jonin-level ninja to activate.

It would seize the lives of everything within the sealing array.

Domoto Sarutobi had said "sorry" just now. It seemed he had known that this technique would kill his own people as well.

"Naoyasu!!"

Seeing the loyal guard who had followed him for years die so miserably, even Masashige Hagoromo, who had long been accustomed to death, could not help crying out in heartfelt grief.

What followed, however, was endless fury. Like an enraged lion, he shouted at his remaining subordinates, "Kill them! Kill them! They must die! The more painfully they die, the better!"

"C-Clan Head! Satoshi Ri is gone!"

A Hagoromo jonin cried out urgently.

Masashige Hagoromo's emotions instantly shifted from rage to shock.

Turning his head, he saw that Satoshi Ri, who had been standing at his right side just moments ago, had vanished without a trace!

"That bastard!"

Masashige Hagoromo's ears turned red with rage. That man had actually taken advantage of their distraction over Domoto Sarutobi's sealing technique to flee.

Only then did Masashige Hagoromo remember that there was still one person on his side who had not acted. He hurriedly shouted, "Mr. Kite, one got away! Please deal with him!"

Kite!

Hearing that name, the remaining four Sarutobi Shimura ninja were terrified.

However, they no longer had any chance to do anything.

More than a dozen Hagoromo jonin swarmed forward, their blades and shuriken piercing the four men's bodies until they resembled hedgehogs.

Only in their final moments did they finally understand why their movements had been exposed.

Several miles away.

Satoshi Ri, sprinting at full speed, had reached this location in an extremely short time. His Taijutsu alone would have been at Kage level in later generations.

The ninja of this era placed tremendous emphasis on Taijutsu. In Izuna's view, the likely reason was that clans simply had only so many Ninjutsu.

Especially once one reached jonin level or above, one could practically learn every Ninjutsu within the clan.

Under such circumstances, they could only devote their remaining effort to Taijutsu.

Just as Satoshi Ri was racing at full speed and preparing to seek aid from the Four Clans of the Fūma Clan, a specially made three-bladed kunai came hurtling toward him.