Death of Dan

The remaining Konoha ninja followed Orochimaru into the night. They did not know that Sunagakure had already laid a net to catch them.

Naturally, Beichen Haotian knew nothing of this. He was currently sleeping soundly, preparing for the next day's battle. He felt neither goodwill nor ill will toward Dan Katō. His earlier vague warning had only been out of consideration for Tsunade's sake. Whether Dan could survive this ordeal depended on his own choice.

Ahem. Any man who came to the Naruto World would probably have at least a few thoughts about Tsunade.

Although Beichen Haotian was still young and certain things had not fully developed yet, that did not stop him from standing by and watching. Dan Katō was, after all, a stumbling block in his path to winning the beauty. The fact that Beichen Haotian had not kicked him while he was down already spoke fairly well of his character.

The bright moon was gradually covered by dark clouds, and the sky turned overcast. A steady drizzle began to fall. Konoha's assassination force split into four groups and silently approached different Sunagakure ninja camps and patrol routes, beginning their dark and bloody path of assassination.

Dan Katō led four Konoha ninja in search of assassination targets. Before long, the five Jonin easily captured a Chunin from a Sunagakure patrol squad and used special methods to force plenty of valuable information out of him.

After dividing up their tasks, three Konoha ninja headed toward their respective targets. One Konoha Jonin remained with Dan Katō, and the two leaped onto the crown of a thick, leafy tree.

"Kazuki, guard my body well," Dan Katō instructed.

"I understand, Dan. Unless I die first, no one will get near you."

"Mm!"

Spirit Transformation Technique!

Dan Katō's body suddenly went limp against the tree. His aura flickered in and out, hazy and faint, as though he were at death's door. A glowing figure wreathed in dim white light flew from his body. On closer inspection, it looked exactly like Dan Katō.

The figure became a streak of light and shot across the sky like a meteor, as fast as lightning. Ninja lacking sufficient strength could not even catch sight of it. Soon, Dan Katō crossed more than ten kilometers and arrived in a patch of grass beside a Sunagakure camp.

He formed Hand Seals once more. The dim white glow around him disappeared, and his body became faint, blending into the surrounding night. He crawled close to the ground and silently infiltrated toward the tent in the center of the camp.

At the center of the camp, a Sand Ninja wearing a Sunagakure Jonin Vest and sporting dark red hair was writing something intently on a scroll.

Inside an inconspicuous small tent at the edge of the camp, five Sunagakure ninja sat with their eyes closed, their Chakra fluctuations intense. Between them was a transparent crystal ball the size of a washbasin. With their hands hovering over it, they used an invisible force to scan the area for dozens of miles around the camp. The closer something came to the camp, the clearer the intelligence transmitted into their minds became.

"He's here!" A low voice rang in the mind of the Sand Ninja at the center of the camp. His nerves immediately tensed, and Chakra instantly covered his body. The sheer intensity and volume of that Chakra were even more terrifying than an Elite Jonin's.

Damn it, I've been discovered! Dan Katō's heart skipped a beat as soon as he reached the tent. He immediately abandoned the assassination mission, turning into a streak of light as he flew back toward his body.

The Spirit Transformation Technique was abnormal, but it was not invincible. Assassination worked best when the enemy was unprepared and mentally relaxed. Trying to force it when the enemy was ready would only end in disaster.

Every body had a natural rejection response toward things that did not belong to it. With the body's owner still present, how could it be so easy to erase an enemy? Unless there was a huge disparity in strength. At most, Dan's strength was that of an Elite Jonin, and the Spirit Transformation Technique accounted for most of it. His assassination target was no weaker than him.

"Track him with all your strength. The moment you locate him, notify Lord Kazekage and the nearby ninja. I'll go ahead and pursue him in his direction," the Jonin in the camp immediately ordered the sensory ninja at the edge of the camp.

"Yes, Lord Rasa."

The future Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, then rushed out of the camp toward Dan Katō. After only a few leaps, he had already traveled over a thousand meters.

Within the next half hour, the area spanning dozens of miles was thrown into complete chaos. Countless Sunagakure scout squads, ambush squads, and Anbu directly under the Kazekage began searching everywhere.

Under the investigation of countless ninja and sensory ninja, Dan and Kazuki were discovered after fleeing for less than half an hour. A large number of ninja began surrounding and intercepting them. This enormous commotion also disrupted the other assassination force members, forcing them to abandon their missions.

At the same time, Konoha's assassination force members began converging on Dan's position. They planned to hold off Sunagakure briefly and escort the two away. As Orochimaru rushed back, he also used special methods to send intelligence to Konoha.

At the Konoha camp, Hatake Sakumo made a swift decision. Once the assassination force was exposed, he began gathering a large number of Jonin and assigning missions, while Konoha ninja still asleep were awakened.

In the center of the Konoha camp, Hatake Sakumo spoke with a grave expression. "The assassination force has been exposed. A large number of Sand Ninja are searching for and encircling Konoha's ninja. The full assault begins ahead of schedule. After this meeting, the Jonin commanding each unit are to immediately lead Konoha's ninja into battle. Specific orders will be relayed by the sensory unit. Our most urgent task now is to reinforce the assassination force."

"Tsunade, immediately lead the support force out ahead of schedule. The follow-up troops will arrive at once. Everyone, remember this: victory is our only option. If Konoha loses, countless wolves will pounce on us, and the war will drag on even longer. Everyone, give it everything you have!"

"Yes!" Everyone rose and answered in unison, their faces filled with determination and resolve.

"Meeting adjourned. The decisive battle begins!"

The moment Hatake Sakumo finished speaking, Tsunade rushed out with an anxious expression. Leading the prepared support force, she raced madly toward the coordinates Orochimaru had sent.

The rain grew heavier and heavier. Tsunade set out without even having time to put on a raincoat. Her heart was in turmoil, and an ominous premonition lingered within her, as though something terrible was about to happen.

Just as Tsunade set off with her people, Dan and Kazuki were finally found by several Sunagakure Chunin. The battle began.

Both knew that the battle absolutely could not be dragged out. They attacked frantically from the start and killed two Chunin. The remaining Chunin quickly learned their lesson and began harassing them instead of rushing to kill them.

As one side pursued and the other fled, more and more people joined the chase. The two did not dare stop and fled desperately. Though both were Jonin, they were still far too fragile before Sunagakure's massive force. Not everyone was the Third Raikage or Madara Uchiha, capable of fighting ten thousand alone, or even massacring ten thousand enemies!

Suddenly, a young Sand Ninja with dark red hair and a grim face appeared ahead of them. As the two charged toward him, he rapidly pressed both hands to the ground.

Magnet Release, Golden Sand Wave.

An invisible ripple spread for a hundred meters. Then something terrifying happened: the wet ground began turning into desert, while golden sand surged through the air in rolling waves toward the two. Everything in its path was crushed, and trees were torn from the ground.

"Damn it, Rasa! He's close to Kage-level! Move! Don't get tangled up with him!" Dan Katō shouted anxiously.

The two split apart, dodging the golden sand attack from opposite sides. Their exceptional Taijutsu was on full display, but neither dared linger. They had no intention of fighting back.

"Trying to run? How could it be that easy? What do you take Sunagakure for? Stay!" Rasa said coldly, his expression dark and his eyes brimming with killing intent.

Magnet Release, Golden Sand Shuriken.

The rising golden sand rapidly condensed in the rain into countless Shuriken that shot toward the two, displaying Rasa's superb strength and sand-control skill.

"No, if no one holds Rasa back, neither of us will escape. Dan, go first. You still have Lady Tsunade and your parents. I have far fewer ties than you do," Kazuki shouted as he charged toward Rasa, forming Hand Seals at high speed.

Fire Style, Great Dragon Fire Technique.

A massive fire dragon erupted from Yota's mouth. Its scorching heat evaporated the rain into mist and destroyed the Golden Sand Shuriken filling the sky.

"Kazuki!" Dan Katō cried out in grief and fury.

"Go! Do you want my sacrifice to be in vain? The Sand Ninja behind us will be here any moment." Yota sounded both furious at Dan's stubbornness and faintly relieved.

Rain mixed with tears streamed down Dan's face. Then he gritted his teeth and fled into the distance. Watching Dan leave, Yota seemed to let go of something, as though he had finally found his resolve.

He escaped? Unfortunately, the rain has made the golden sand much heavier, and this isn't a desert. My sand-control ability is greatly weakened here. Fine. Even if he escapes, what then? A large number of Anbu are already waiting at the border where Sunagakure and Konoha are fighting. Going that way is still a dead end. I'll deal with this one first. Rasa sneered inwardly.

Rasa had already been stronger than Kazuki, and with the Sand Ninja arriving from behind, the battle ended in less than fifteen minutes.

By the time Orochimaru and the others arrived, Dan Katō was already severely wounded, and blood continued pouring from him without stopping. Dan used every method he could think of, but none of them worked.

Orochimaru and the others had also fought a bitter battle. The assassination force had lost a third of its members, but with Orochimaru, a powerhouse who had just entered the Kage-level, leading them around most of the Sand Ninja, the majority survived.

"Attack with everything you have. Hold nothing back. Kill without mercy!" Orochimaru's pale yellow pupils shrank sharply, resembling snake eyes. His voice was cold and utterly emotionless.

The other Konoha ninja had been hunted for so long that they were already full of pent-up rage. Their resentment erupted at once, and they attacked the more than twenty Sunagakure Anbu. No matter which ninja village's Anbu they were from, there were strong and weak members among them; not all were Jonin.

Ninjutsu, All-Serpent Art: Orochi's Breath!

Orochimaru also unleashed what was nearly the strongest attack among his current snake Ninjutsu.

Dense swarms of snakes were summoned from Orochimaru's mouth, every color imaginable, each carrying lethal venom. They formed a terrifying sea of snakes more than one hundred and twenty meters wide. The density was enough to scare anyone with trypophobia to death. This was already the result of Orochimaru consuming a considerable amount of Chakra; at full Chakra, it would have been even more terrifying.

Miserable screams rang through the forest. Trails of blood were left behind in the sea of snakes' wake. Ten Sunagakure Anbu were left without even corpses, torn apart and devoured by the venomous snakes.

Under the all-out attacks of every Jonin, even Elite Jonin, along with Orochimaru, the Sunagakure Anbu were quickly thrown into disarray. The Konoha ninja broke through the encirclement and carried the severely wounded Dan Katō toward Konoha.

Dan Katō had already fallen unconscious. Orochimaru examined his wounds and found that blood continued flowing from them without any sign of healing.

"Damn it, even part of a kidney was blasted away. Increase our speed! Tsunade is the only one in Konoha who has any hope of saving him!" Orochimaru barked.

The Konoha ninja had no choice but to drag their exhausted bodies onward and accelerate once again.

Thanks to Old Wang Living on the Fifth Floor and Zhuhán Wàndāndàn for the recommendation votes!