A General's Charge Left Ten Thousand Corpses in His Wake

Miroku wasn't moved by Moryo's words.

Ever since childhood, she had been oppressed by the burden of being the Shrine Maiden, and her heart was full of resentment toward Moryo.

She wished Moryo would drop dead. How could a few words from him make her remember that the Shrine Maiden and Moryo were one, and convince her to help him?

Moryo's attempt to recruit the Shrine Maiden to fight the Konoha Ninja was never going to work.

Miroku didn't reply. She merely gave him a cold smile.

Then she swept her sleeve and left with a group of guards.

Outside the palace, Baiyu was still waiting.

When Miroku came out and saw Baiyu, her gaze flicked discreetly to the three long swords at his waist.

Uchiha Itachi had only one sword, a short blade strapped to his back.

In Miroku's mind, Uchiha Itachi wasn't particularly skilled with a sword. She put his chances of killing Moryo's subordinates at only twenty percent.

Baiyu's appearance, attitude, and bearing accounted for the other eighty percent.

Uchiha Shiraha rested his left hand on his sword hilt. His gray kimono hung slightly open, revealing his muscular chest.

The weather was a little hot, so Baiyu had loosened his collar.

Noticing Miroku's gaze, Baiyu adjusted his collar and asked, "Is everything settled?"

Miroku nodded with a smile. "It's all taken care of."

"Then let's go. You know where Moryo's Ghost Army is, right?"

Baiyu asked. The Shrine Maiden's line had been passed down for generations, and they had been established in the Land of Demons for a long time. She had to know the surrounding area well.

"I do. Has something happened?"

Miroku asked.

"The Ghost Army is about to be resurrected."

Baiyu's words landed like a thunderclap.

The smile vanished from Miroku's face. She asked in alarm, "Is that true?"

Then she pressed him with another question. "When?"

The Ghost Army—the Undead Legion of Moryo—was an invincible army recorded in ancient texts.

It had fallen into a deep slumber when Moryo died.

"I don't know,"

Baiyu replied.

A satisfying level-up was about to begin.

Uchiha Itachi followed behind Yomi. When he noticed Yomi's suspicious actions, he was about to intervene, but then he suddenly received a warning from his Shadow Clone.

He immediately stopped and hid quietly nearby.

What exactly is Baiyu planning? His actions are very strange.

Itachi was trying to figure out what Baiyu was up to when he suddenly witnessed a terrifying sight.

Countless stone men climbed out of the ground. Every Stone Puppet was enormous; Itachi barely reached above their waists.

Hundreds, even thousands, of Stone Puppets moved at once. The earth trembled, and the world seemed to overturn as a thunderous rumble filled the air.

Rumble—

Rumble—

The earth rumbled again and again, growing louder and more violent. The cliffs nearby began to collapse, and thunder boomed across the open ground.

"I didn't expect a little mouse to follow me."

Yomi appeared in front of Uchiha Itachi, sneering at him.

Itachi's eyes turned red, and three Tomoe appeared. He cast a genjutsu first.

"You're quick! You cast genjutsu in an instant."

Yomi praised him, as if he were a cat toying with a mouse.

Itachi said nothing. His face remained impassive as he ran through countless battle simulations in his mind, searching for an opening.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet Technique!"

Itachi formed Hand Seals at lightning speed, already showing signs of being able to perform them one-handed.

As soon as he released the jutsu, six Shuriken flew out after it, keeping up a relentless assault.

Yomi dodged each attack, his expression still mocking.

In his eyes, the little ninja was already a dead man.

Still, Itachi's Three-Tomoe Sharingan could see through Yomi's attacks, allowing him to barely hold his own.

After holding out for a long time, his chakra was nearly spent, and his body was growing exhausted. A group of Stone Puppets closed in.

Am I going to die here?

The thought flashed through Uchiha Itachi's mind, and in an instant, all kinds of memories came flooding back.

Sasuke, I'm sorry I never got the chance to teach you...

In the end, his little brother's adorable smile appeared in his mind. He raised his hand slightly, as if to flick Sasuke on the forehead one more time.

This...

Really would be the last time.

Itachi closed his eyes and prepared to make one final stand. He kept spending his chakra, drew the short blade from his back, and began hacking wildly.

One Stone Puppet after another was destroyed, only to return to its original state.

"Die!"

Yomi suddenly attacked. A massive tentacle burst from his body and lunged straight for Uchiha Itachi.

There was no escape!

Itachi held his Ninja Blade against his chest. His chakra was almost completely depleted, leaving him no choice but to rely on Taijutsu to hold on.

He was powerless against this fatal strike.

At that critical moment, a flying sword cut through the air and hovered above them.

The sword severed the tentacle Yomi had thrust forward.

"Kusanagi Sword: Sky Longsword!"

The sword flew back into its owner's hand.

When Uchiha Itachi saw who had arrived, he breathed a sigh of relief. Finally.

"You look awful, Itachi! If you can't win, run! If I hadn't come, you'd have been finished here. Why didn't you use what I gave you?"

"This is a mission. My assignment was to keep watch on the surrounding area. An enemy leaving the palace was one of the unexpected possibilities. As for the stuff... I forgot..."

Itachi replied. With Baiyu there, he felt much more at ease, and his tone grew lighter.

Only when Baiyu reminded him did he remember that before the mission began, Baiyu had handed him a bottle of liquid and said it was poison...

Facing an immortal ghost, he hadn't thought of it at all. Deep down, he had assumed the poison wouldn't work. After all, poison was usually meant for living people. How could it work on a puppet?

"Ha! You idiot. No wonder you got beaten so badly!"

Baiyu laughed and scolded him. Seeing a genius get caught off guard felt great.

That inflexible mind was clever but stubborn. He was gifted, yet hopeless at handling his feelings for those around him.

And yet that very mind had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan without the slightest effort.

"Go protect Shrine Maiden Miroku. I'll handle things here!"

Baiyu said flatly. He waved a hand, motioning for Uchiha Itachi to leave.

Itachi left without hesitation. His trust in Baiyu had begun after the battle with Orochimaru, and it had only grown stronger since.

Baiyu's words had also gradually begun to influence his actions.

Baiyu watched Uchiha Itachi leave. Yomi, who hadn't said a word until then, didn't pursue him. He fixed Baiyu with a vicious glare.

This was the man who had once posed a tremendous threat to him.

Had Baiyu really dealt with all those defectors he'd left behind so quickly?

Once united, his subordinates could match a Kage in certain talents.

With their regeneration, resurrection, and massive reserves of chakra, they could wear down even a weaker Kage.

Yet against the man standing before him, they hadn't lasted half an hour.

"Sweeping Blade!"

A shout interrupted Yomi's thoughts.

Baiyu's voice was full of delight, as carefree as if he were playing a game. His figure became a gust of wind, darting through the ranks of the vast army.

Where a general stood, ten thousand corpses fell.

The Stone Puppets that had seemed invincible before Uchiha Itachi were as fragile as stalks of straw now. Under a storm of sword flashes, they fell in swathes.

The wind was unusually boisterous today, and the mood could not have been more joyful.

He listened to the wind's song and trampled Yomi's dignity.