Arrival in the Stalemate (Third Update)

Unlike before, when the Mist Ninja were steadily seizing every advantage and squeezing the Snow Ninja into an ever smaller space, the arrival of the Snow Ninja Village's Aerial Combat Unit changed things.

Although they were somewhat restricted later on, they still changed the overall battle situation to a considerable degree. The Mist Ninja Jonin, who had been relentlessly suppressing the Snow Ninja, now had to contend with attacks from above. They couldn't commit fully to their coordinated maneuvers or powerful assaults, and were forced to fight with their hands tied. This gave the Snow Ninja on the front lines a chance to hold back the Mist Ninja's fierce advance and even gain the upper hand in certain areas.

"Rumble!"

"Bang!"

Dust billowed into the air.

"Earth Style: Earth Splitter!"

"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

Ash and smoke swirled through the sky.

One vortex after another exploded.

Ripples spread outward.

"Thud!"

"Crack!"

"Slash!"

Blood sprayed through the air.

One figure after another fell amid the fighting.

Sometimes the medical Ninja could reach the fallen in time, but more often, the wounded were caught in the aftermath of other battles the moment they hit the ground—or simply finished off. In large-scale Ninja battles, deaths often outnumbered injuries. And only the victors had the right to truly save their wounded; the defeated had to depend on the other side's mercy. After all, a Ninja's corpse—and especially their brain—could be of immense value for research.

Even high-ranking Ninja had safeguards and sealing measures in place to protect their bodies and minds.

But even just a portion of their data or information was immensely important to any Ninja village.

The sounds of combat.

Shouts.

Thick smoke spreading across