Arriving Just in Time!

Anko and the others were in increasingly dire straits.

They had been hounded by the enemy and forced to keep fleeing, leaving them almost no time to rest. Their condition had remained poor throughout.

The earlier battles had also left them with varying degrees of injury, causing their condition to deteriorate even further.

It wasn't that they had any strength in reserve; they were already at the end of their rope.

But at that very moment, they had no chance to rest. Looking at the enemies who kept them tied up in battle, they knew they wouldn't be able to get away easily unless they took these guys out!

In these circumstances, Anko displayed a madness she had never shown before.

Perhaps, as Orochimaru's disciple, she couldn't allow herself to perform so poorly and tarnish her teacher's reputation!

Though injured, her chakra was at its peak.

Facing the Mist Ninja's attack, Anko, in her frenzied state, refused to back down. She paid no heed to her injuries and retaliated with reckless ferocity.

She was fighting with the mindset of trading her life for an enemy's, making the battle especially brutal.

Fortunately, Anko and Morino Ibiki hadn't suffered any serious injuries. Hyuga Tetsu, on the other hand, was in a bad way.

He had been using his Byakugan to scout without pause and was already close to his limit. Now, with the Mist Ninja attacking—and targeting him in particular after noticing his Byakugan—

His situation became even more difficult. The number of wounds on his body kept growing, and it was easy to imagine that if things continued this way, he'd be the first to be left behind!

"Damn it!"

Anko and Ibiki knew what was happening, but each was occupied by an opponent. They had no time to help Hyuga Tetsu.

Watching Hyuga Tetsu struggle, Anko cursed under her breath. Then she used a kunai to drive a Mist Ninja back against a large tree.

Ignoring her own condition, she thrust her other hand forward.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

A flash of panic crossed the face of the Mist Ninja, who had been driven into a corner. He immediately drew a kunai and viciously stabbed at Anko.

But Hidden Shadow Snake Hands was one of Orochimaru's secret techniques. It wasn't something that could be dealt with so easily.

"Argh!"

The poisonous snakes tore into him in a frenzy. The Mist Ninja let out a bloodcurdling scream. He couldn't cause Anko any trouble at all before he died on the spot.

But after doing all that, Anko had nearly run out of chakra. Panting, she watched the Mist Ninja. She wanted to go help, but she was simply too exhausted.

"I can't let Lord Orochimaru down!"

Anko was utterly exhausted. She was so tired that she could barely go on. She really wanted to stop.

But at the thought of Orochimaru, the madness inside her flared up once more. The battle wasn't over, and she wasn't dead yet!

Just as she rallied and prepared to head toward Hyuga Tetsu, she suddenly felt the air grow hot.

It wasn't just her. Morino Ibiki and Hyuga Tetsu, along with the Mist Ninja, noticed it too!

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Scorching flames slammed into the ground, forcing the Mist Ninja squad to scatter. At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared.

The figure moved so fast that Anko barely noticed anything before he was already in front of her.

In the blink of an eye, the kunai in his hand slid across a Mist Ninja's throat. His movements were clean, simple, and practical.

Afterward, he threw the kunai in his hand, pinning another Mist Ninja behind Anko.

By then, Anko could make out the newcomer's face. She let out a small sigh of relief.

"Uchiha Sou."

Anko knew Uchiha Sou, of course. They weren't in the same year, but Sou's reputation as a prodigy had spread throughout the academy.

And since they were both on the battlefield in the Land of Whirlpools, they'd naturally had more chances to interact as fellow students.

She just hadn't expected to run into him in such a desperate situation.

"Are you all right?" Uchiha Sou glanced at Anko. Shiranui Genma and Might Guy had also just arrived at the battlefield.

"We're all right, more or less, but things aren't looking good."

Anko slowly stood up. Staring at the Mist Ninja, who were gathering themselves in front of them, she spoke in a low voice.

"One squad hasn't arrived yet, but we've already sent up a signal flare. I'm worried—"

"Don't worry. We already took care of that squad."

Before Anko could finish, Uchiha Sou cut her off.

"We came after seeing the signal flare too. Looks like these are the only enemies left."

The moment they saw the signal flare rise, Uchiha Sou and the others realized there was probably trouble here, so they immediately rushed over without hesitation.

Unexpectedly, on the way, they ran straight into another Kirigakure squad heading here.

The situation had been a little awkward. It seemed neither side had expected to run into an enemy right around the corner.

But both sides needed to help, and each wanted to beat the other to it.

What could they do?

Fight!

To earn the right to be the first to reach the battlefield, both sides had gone all out, striking hard at their enemies the moment they arrived.

Besides, they all knew that if they didn't fight hard today, they'd be the ones lying in the ground tomorrow. To make sure the other side ended up there instead, they showed no mercy.

Fortunately, Uchiha Sou and the others were slightly stronger. Even though they were outnumbered, Genin in wartime were nothing like the Genin of the future.

In those days, Genin were little more than cannon fodder, liable to die at any moment in some unknown area-of-effect attack. Strictly speaking, they were hardly even human anymore.

After a heated exchange about the pros and cons, Uchiha Sou and the others secured the right to go to the rescue. Once they'd left the Mist Ninja squad lying on the ground, they made it to the battlefield just in time.

"You took out that squad?" Anko asked in surprise.

"Yeah, but now isn't the time to talk about that."

After a brief moment of surprise, Uchiha Sou and the others saw that the Mist Ninja were regrouping. He frowned.

"Rest for a bit and recover your chakra and strength. Then we'll break through. We can't stay here any longer."

After saying that, Uchiha Sou stopped talking to Anko. This battle had to end quickly.

As a Sharingan wielder, he didn't want to face the Hidden Mist Jutsu.

Still, he was pretty pleased with himself. He'd realized that he didn't just have a pair of Byakugan—he also had Anko!

Who was Anko? She was Orochimaru's disciple, as everyone knew!

But this wasn't the time to think about that. He needed to take out the enemy as quickly as possible before he could focus on anything else!

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Without hesitation, he formed Hand Seals and used a Fire Release Ninjutsu.

The enemy had more people. He'd already taken out two, but there were still six of them.

But six? Uchiha Sou wasn't afraid!

A massive fireball shot toward the Mist Ninja, who were ready for it and immediately scattered to dodge.

"So they've sent more reinforcements. Looks like we're in for a big haul this time."

The jōnin leading them thought to himself as he watched. After pursuing them for so many days, he was getting tired of it.

But it seemed another squad had come to throw their lives away. That would earn him another merit.

Still, he didn't let his guard down. The kids in front of him might all be brats, but few kids who could make it behind enemy lines were ordinary.

Just then, a sudden sense of danger seized him. He immediately tried to move backward.

But he was too slow. A cold, piercing sound cut past his neck, and intense pain surged through his mind!

In his final moments, he caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye: beneath the glow of the flames, a pair of scarlet eyes were slowly spinning.