Scarlet Chakra surged wildly around Haotian, devouring everything nearby like the flames of hell.
The Sand Ninja's screams rang without end. To Haotian, the howl of Wind Release sounded like the buzzing of flies—weak and powerless.
Every swing of the Kunai in his hand took another life.
Yellow sand billowed, but it could not conceal the stench of blood filling the air.
Haotian took a deep breath. A searing pain flared in his lungs, but he paid it no heed.
The scarlet light in his eyes grew ever more intense, as if he meant to dye the whole world red.
"Wind Release? That's all?" Haotian murmured, his voice tinged with disdain.
With a casual swing, he cleaved the last Sand Ninja in two.
Blood sprayed out, staining the Konoha Forehead Protector on Haotian's brow.
He lowered his head and looked at his hands, soaked in blood,
Not far away, Uchiha Mei leaned against a tree trunk, panting. Her face was smeared with sweat and blood, and the hand gripping her Kunai trembled slightly.
At her feet lay several Iwa Ninja corpses, terror still etched on their faces.
Mei looked up at Haotian,
"Haotian... your power..." Mei's voice was hoarse. She wanted to say something, but didn't know how to put it into words.
Haotian turned around. The scarlet Chakra gradually faded, revealing his pale face.
A wave of intense weakness washed over him. The Chakra inside him was nearly depleted.
He staggered over to Mei and managed a faint smile.
"It's over..." Haotian whispered, his voice so weak it was almost inaudible.
"Yeah, it's over..." Mei murmured. Her gaze fell on the mountain of corpses and sea of blood behind Haotian, and shock filled her heart.
Suddenly, a rush of hurried footsteps broke the brief silence.
"Mei! Haotian!" a familiar voice called.
"It's Minato-sensei!" Mei
A golden figure streaked across the battlefield like lightning. Minato Namikaze appeared before them in an instant. His face was weary, but his eyes were full of concern.
"Are you two all right?" He quickly looked them over, and only after confirming that neither was seriously injured did he let out a small sigh of relief.
Haotian managed a nod. His throat was painfully dry, and he couldn't utter a word.
Just then, a chilling laugh drifted over from the distance, its rasp enough to make one's skin crawl.
"Heh heh heh... It seems this old man arrived a step too late."
Orochimaru appeared in the distance. His clothes were in tatters, his hair disheveled, and several parts of his body were scorched, leaving him looking utterly wretched. Yet an excited smile played on his face. In one hand, he held a blood-soaked arm—the severed limb of Chiyo, an advisor to Sunagakure.
He looked at Haotian and Mei,
"Orochimaru-sensei!?" Mei cried out. She hadn't expected Orochimaru to show up here, much less to be injured so badly.
"Looks like Konoha got lucky this time. But it doesn't matter. What I gained today more than makes up for my losses." Orochimaru chuckled and licked his lips. In a flash, he vanished.
At the same moment, dust rose along the distant horizon. Roshi's figure appeared and disappeared through the haze as he led the remaining Iwa Ninja in a rapid retreat.
The Sand Ninja and Iwa Ninja had both been routed. All that remained on the battlefield were corpses strewn across the ground.
"We won!" someone shouted, breaking the battlefield's silence.
"Long live Konoha!"
"We won!!"
Cheers and shouts rang into the sky. The Konoha Ninja raised their weapons, celebrating this hard-won victory.
They embraced one another, sharing in the joy of their triumph.
Some spoke loudly about the fierce battles that had taken place, others excitedly discussed their own achievements, while still others searched for their missing comrades.
"Haotian, your performance just now was incredible! That power you used was like a god descending from the heavens."
"Yeah, I've never seen power that strong. It was terrifying!"
"Haotian, you're the real hero of Konoha!"
The Ninja around him gathered, looking at Haotian's
Haotian watched it all, but his heart was filled with exhaustion and bewilderment.
He felt as if his body had been completely drained, and he was so weak he could barely stand.
He paid no heed to the cheers and praise around him, simply panting in silence.
Suddenly, a stern voice rang in his ear. "Haotian! Get over here!"
Haotian looked up and saw Tsunade standing not far away, hands on her hips as she glared at him furiously.
"Uh..." Haotian's mouth twitched. A bad feeling instinctively crept over him. He took a step back, only for Tsunade to grab his arm and pull him toward her.
"You! How dare you...!" Tsunade's scolding abruptly cut off. Her gaze settled on several people fooling around nearby, and her expression darkened further. "You lot, get over here!"
The battlefield's din gradually gave way to cheers, while the smell of smoke mingled with blood filled the air.
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