Tōka's Resolve, Battle Against Jūzō Biwa

In the forest, a chilling wind blew.

The sky was covered by gathered storm clouds, darkness descended, and a cold aura of death swept across the land.

Tōka stared expressionlessly at Jūzō Biwa, but his heart could not calm down.

His hands were clenched tightly into fists, his knuckles cracking.

Might Duy had used up his life to only take down five people, and Jūzō Biwa had dragged him here to his death.

All Tōka needed to do was to finish what Might Duy had left undone.

"Bandage man, you're dead!" Tōka extended a hand, pointing his index finger at Jūzō Biwa, then clenched it fiercely.

"Brat, don't get too arrogant!!" Jūzō Biwa's eyes were about to burst, how dare a mere Genin provoke him!

Jūzō Biwa's eyes were bloodshot, filled with streaks of red.

The veins on his remaining arm bulged, his hand gripping the Kubikiribōchō, which let out a humming sound.

His battle spirit was fierce, his killing intent surging.

"Haa! Die!!" Jūzō Biwa roared, no longer able to contain the rage in his chest.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Jūzō Biwa swung the Kubikiribōchō in his hand, tearing through the air with roars.

A strong wind arose, and the smell of blood assaulted them.

A tangible killing intent, like a monstrous wave of blood, crashed towards them.

Tōka stood still in his spot, as if terrified by Jūzō Biwa's killing intent.

The great sword was swung, cleaving down.

"Die!!"

Jūzō Biwa leaped forward, determined to split Tōka in two!

Buzz!!

The Kubikiribōchō descended, landing directly above Tōka's head. A ferocious glint flashed in Jūzō Biwa's eyes.

The muscles in his arm bulged as he put all his strength into the downward slash!

Slash! Blood gushed out like a spring, flowing down the sharp blade.

Just as he had predicted.

Tōka's body was split in half from top to bottom by the Kubikiribōchō.

However, Jūzō Biwa did not show any joy. Instead, his expression darkened.

Without even retracting the Kubikiribōchō, he violently leaped back, dragging Tōka's corpse with him.

Crack! Crack! Crack!!

Three strange projectiles embedded themselves into the ground in a line where Jūzō Biwa had been moments before.

"Substitution Technique?" Jūzō Biwa glanced at the piece of wood stuck to his blade, his face grim and displeased.

He, a powerful elite Jonin, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist wielding the Kubikiribōchō, had been tricked by such a petty trick!

Jūzō Biwa seemed to have forgotten that Konoha ninja would soon be pursuing him, and he was currently fleeing for his life.

His anger surged, completely consuming his reason.

"Brat, you're dead!" Jūzō Biwa roared through gritted teeth, holding the Kubikiribōchō with one hand.

"Is that so?" Tōka stood expressionlessly on a tree branch, looking down at Jūzō Biwa from above.

If Jūzō Biwa were at his peak, Tōka's win rate would be only one percent.

But now...

Whoosh!!

Tōka raised his hand and waved, and a gray bone, as thick as a little finger, shot out. Its speed was no less than a Chunin throwing a Kunai with all their might.

Although Jūzō Biwa was heavily injured and had only one arm left, as an elite Jonin, his strength was undeniable.

He casually raised his thick arm, blocking with the Kubikiribōchō.

Clang!!

The gray bone was knocked flying, coincidentally embedding itself into a large tree.

Instantly, the tree began to turn into pieces of confetti from where the bone had entered, drifting away with the wind.

"Gulp..." Jūzō Biwa swallowed in fear. Blocking just now had been a subconscious reaction.

He had never expected that this Genin brat's abilities would be so bizarre.

The seemingly ordinary projectile possessed such terrifying destructive power!

"Is this your Kekkei Genkai?" A cold sweat trickled down Jūzō Biwa's forehead. Were all Genin from Konohagakure monsters?

The red-skinned Genin lying on the ground had fought them, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and left five dead, one crippled, and one heavily injured upon their first encounter.

And the brat in front of him wasn't as exaggerated, but this attack...

"Kekkei Genkai?" Tōka scoffed, his deep eyes seeming to draw people in.

This wasn't a Kekkei Genkai, but a Kekkei Mōra that surpassed Kekkei Genkai and Kekkei Tōta!

Tōka slowly raised a finger, pointing at Might Duy's corpse.

Under Jūzō Biwa's horrified gaze, an unbelievable and bizarre scene unfolded.

A blood-red figure slowly sat up, its hollow eyes locking onto him like a demon from hell.

"How is this possible!!"

Jūzō Biwa unnaturally shuffled backward, staring in astonishment at Might Duy standing beside Tōka.

Wounds that looked like they were burned from the inside were visibly healing, a scene like a miracle!

In the blink of an eye, a bloody mist enveloped Might Duy, and that terrifying aura once again surged in all directions.

That monster came back to life?!

Jūzō Biwa's mind was in a daze, staring blankly at Might Duy.

Facing a guy this inhumanly strong, Jūzō Biwa didn't even have the will to resist.

Just as the other party was lost in thought, Tōka's gaze sharpened, killing intent surging.

"Fly far across space and decay with the bones!"

In the space, a string of obscure incantations inexplicably sounded.

Following that, a terrifying Chakra suddenly erupted, and the aura of decaying space enveloped the entire forest!

BOOM!!

Lightning flashed across the dark sky, illuminating the black curtain-like heavens.

CRASH!!

Large raindrops began to fall, and in the blink of an eye, the ravaged forest was submerged in a misty layer of rain.

"All-Killing Ash Bones..." Tōka half-crouched, a pained expression on his small face.

The Chakra within his body gathered madly between his palms.

CRACKLE...

The sound of bones growing, strange and horrifying.

"Earth Spear Pierce!"

With a roar, Tōka slammed his hands onto the ground.

The massive Chakra condensed in his palms seemed to find an outlet, transforming into a torrent that surged out wildly.

SPLATTER SPLATTER SPLATTER!!

Countless gray bones, as thick as an arm and carrying the aura of death, erupted from the ground.

Within a hundred-meter radius, everything was covered in decaying gray bones, and the earth fell into a deathly stillness.

Trees, grass...

Everything in the world that possessed life, as long as it was pierced by the gray bones, turned into paper scraps in the blink of an eye, dissipating into nothingness.

"Are these bones?!" Jūzō Biwa stared in shock at his pierced body, murmuring.

Immediately after, the flesh and blood at the wound turned into pieces of waste paper...

His tall and sturdy body disintegrated in the blink of an eye, like an earth statue shattering.

In the last moment before his consciousness faded, Jūzō Biwa finally noticed Might Duy's corpse...

Still lying motionless not far away.

"So... that was just Genjutsu." Jūzō Biwa's lips twitched slightly, his voice a mere whisper carried away by the wind.

THUMP!

Tōka knelt on one knee on the ground, his face deathly pale, his vision darkening.

The feeling of the world spinning assaulted his brain, as if he would faint at any moment.

However, Tōka gritted his teeth and persevered.

Looking at the world that had turned into a bone forest, Tōka knew it was due to his energy being overdrawn.

With his current cultivation, using a wide-area Secret Technique like All-Killing Ash Bones: Earth Spear Pierce was indeed quite taxing.

Tōka flipped his palm and pulled out a Soldier Pill from his ninja tool pouch.

Although Soldier Pills didn't taste good, they were rich in protein and could replenish the body's lost nutrients.

Tōka swallowed the Soldier Pill as if he were eating flies, then sat down cross-legged to recover his stamina.

The bone forest at this moment was the best defensive traps.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!!

About three minutes later, a rustling sound came from outside the bone forest.

Tōka's ears twitched, and he pinpointed the direction: it was coming from the west.

This area wasn't far from the Konoha main camp stationed at the border of the Land of Wind, so Tōka guessed that Konoha's reinforcement troops had arrived.

They've come just in time. Tōka took a deep breath, slowly opened his eyes, and looked in the direction of the sound.

Just as he expected!

A ninja wearing a Jonin vest and a Konoha forehead protector landed outside the bone forest.

Tōka recovered a little and secretly formed hand seals.

RUMBLE!!

The bone forest within a hundred-meter radius instantly collapsed, turning into nothingness.

The properties of All-Killing Ash Bones were terrifying; it was certain that a scratch meant death, and even gods couldn't save them.

As for whether others besides Tōka could touch it...

Tōka hadn't tried this yet, but there was no need to take the risk. He still needed to stay at the Konoha camp for a while.

Everyone surrounded the battle area, and Might Duy's corpse and the Kubikiribōchō were discovered.

Jūzō Biwa, however, had turned into a pile of paper scraps.

"There's a Genin kid here!"

"Weren't the reinforcement troops all composed of Chunin and Jonin this time?"

"Let's secure this area first. We'll wait for Lady Tsunade to arrive before doing anything else."

The ninjas exchanged words and quickly made a decision.

Tōka stood up calmly, recovering in secret without any extra movements.

The surrounding Konoha ninjas were extremely vigilant. It was unclear if the Hyuga brothers had done it intentionally or if they simply hadn't had time to ask.

These guys seemed unaware of his and Might Duy's existence.

Before long, a commotion came from the woods at the edge.

A figure with yellow hair tied in twin ponytails, a diamond-shaped marking on their forehead, and wearing a green coat walked through the crowd.

"Lady Tsunade!"

Ninjass along the way bowed to her and led Tsunade to inspect Might Duy's body first.

Tsunade crouched down and, after a brief examination, knew Might Duy's condition.

His life force was gone, beyond saving.

Even she couldn't save him.

With that thought, Tsunade stood up, preparing to check on the other survivor.

Before she could take two steps, Tsunade noticed two ninjas opening a scroll, preparing to seal Might Duy's body directly inside.

On the battlefield, the best way to handle a corpse was to seal it in a scroll and bring it back to Konohagakure for burial.

However...

"He's a hero of Konoha!" Tsunade snorted coldly, a domineering glint in her eyes.

The two ninjas preparing to seal the body changed their expressions slightly and stopped their actions.

Tsunade's intention was simple.

A hero deserved the highest treatment!

"Kid, where's Jūzō Biwa?" Tsunade glanced at Tōka indifferently, knowing he was unharmed.

He had merely used some powerful Secret Technique, causing him to be overly depleted.

"Dead." Tōka glanced nonchalantly at Jūzō Biwa's "corpse" and said calmly.

"Dead?" Tsunade followed Tōka's gaze and saw a pile of paper scraps forming a small mound not far away.

Tōka watched expressionlessly as Might Duy was taken away, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions, like an overturned bottle of assorted flavors.

This was the closest he had ever been to death.

If Might Duy hadn't been there, what would the final outcome have been? Only heaven... knew.

Heavy rain poured down, pattering loudly.

It dripped onto everyone, chilling them to the bone, and a faint sense of sorrow permeated the surroundings.

The battlefield was a merciless meat grinder.

No one could be sure if they themselves would become a cold corpse in the next moment.

"Let's go, back to the camp first." Tsunade clearly knew of Tōka's arrival; Minato, who had returned to deliver a message to Jiraiya, had informed her.

In the Konoha main camp, Sakumo Hatake, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and other high-ranking officials were aware of this.

Tōka followed the group from behind with a blank expression, showing no trace of sadness on his face.

Tsunade frowned as she watched Tōka's retreating back. That brat...

In the western forest, Konoha's main camp.

Sakumo Hatake sat at the head of the table. He was the supreme commander for this battle against Sunagakure, accompanied by two of the Sannin, Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

Tsunade had to oversee the medical division and, due to her hemophobia, would not participate in anything other than rescue operations.

"Kirigakure and Sunagakure have joined forces. It looks like they're going to split their forces to the east," Sakumo Hatake said with a frown, his voice deep.

Perhaps the Konoha army on the Land of Wind's border wouldn't need to be redeployed, but top-tier combat power would definitely be sent to the Land of Water's border.

Furthermore, a portion of the strategic materials Konoha sent to the front lines would also be diverted.

"Sunagakure can't afford this anymore, so they've invited outside help?" Jiraiya asked.

"After all these years, have you only grown in body and not in brain?" Orochimaru licked his lips and chuckled sinisterly.

"You bastard, Orochimaru!" Jiraiya's feigned thoughtful expression stiffened. He wasn't particularly good at these brain-taxing matters anyway.

"It's likely not Sunagakure requesting aid, but Kirigakure proactively getting involved," Sakumo Hatake saw things clearly.

It wasn't just Kirigakure; the other two great nations also didn't want Sunagakure to be defeated so quickly.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had all perished within the Land of Fire, and Kirigakure's seven ninja swords had also fallen into Konoha's hands.

Therefore, only two scenarios would occur next.

The best-case scenario would be for Kirigakure and Konoha to negotiate peace.

Kirigakure was in a period of internal strife. Launching a major war rashly might be fine if they won, but if they lost, the consequences would be unforeseeably dire.

The worst-case scenario would be for Kirigakure to disregard everything and directly declare war, defeat Konoha, and reclaim the ninja swords.

Regardless of which scenario unfolded, Konoha would definitely dispatch troops to garrison the border with the Land of Water in the east.

"What about those seven swords?" Jiraiya asked.

"Send them back to the village. The Hokage will decide," Sakumo Hatake paused, then continued, "You two should also prepare yourselves."

"Prepare for what?" Jiraiya asked, confused.

"Idiot," Orochimaru sneered, his lips curling coldly.

"What did you say?!" Jiraiya's face twitched, and he shouted.

Sakumo Hatake stepped in to restrain Jiraiya at the opportune moment, explaining in a deep voice, "A strong individual is needed to garrison the border with the Land of Water."

As he spoke, Sakumo Hatake's gaze fell upon Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

Clearly, the "strong individual" Sakumo Hatake mentioned would have to be one of them, Orochimaru or Jiraiya. (To be continued)