The Cliff

Qiancao, whose eyes were exhausted from overuse, couldn't see the situation.

But to Senju Arashi, Uchiha Keisuke looked like a demon.

Most of his body had been burned, and the charred flesh still steamed.

If not for the black, leather-like material wrapped around his vital areas, Keisuke's body would have fallen apart like a heap of rotten meat.

If Qiancao could still see Keisuke, he would have recognized his true identity at once: Black Zetsu.

Senju Arashi held a guarded stance and snapped, "What are you!?"

"I'm a shinobi of the Uchiha Clan!" Keisuke sounded as if he were laughing, but there was hardly any unburned flesh left on his face. Senju Arashi couldn't make out his true expression.

That last attack had used up the rest of Senju Arashi's chakra. After fighting for half the night, she was already at her limit. If she tried to use another jutsu, she would be risking her life.

Keisuke was in no better shape. Qiancao's Great Fireball had destroyed most of the muscles in his body, forcing him to reveal his true form just to keep moving.

These people have to die here! Looks like I'll have to use that. Keisuke, or rather Black Zetsu, thought silently.

He carried some White Zetsu cells inside his body, which was why he could still move, however feebly, after Keisuke's body had been damaged so badly.

White Zetsu's body had been transformed from the God Tree, and could naturally use a few simple Wood Style techniques.

So Black Zetsu made no obvious movement. His true body simply touched the ground and injected White Zetsu chakra from the God Tree deep into the earth.

Plants struggling to grow in the cracks of the cliff were nourished by the chakra and began to grow wildly.

Countless enormous roots burst from the ground and encircled everyone. Senju Arashi had never seen such an unusual jutsu, and her mind raced as she searched for a way to counter it.

But Black Zetsu gave her no time to think. He formed Hand Seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Given Black Zetsu's current condition, the Great Fireball was weak and wouldn't cause the group any real harm.

But the flames set the roots of the wildly growing plants ablaze. Thick smoke and burning embers filled the air. If the four weren't burned to death, they would be smoked like sausages.

Senju Arashi couldn't afford to worry about the danger anymore. She formed Hand Seals and used the last of her chakra. "Earth Release: Rock Lodging Collapse!"

The cliff had already been struck twice: first by the Great Fireball, then by the sudden eruption of dense woodland. At last, it could take no more. Under Senju Arashi's Earth Release, it crumbled apart!

Black Zetsu, standing at the edge of the cliff, was shocked, but his battered body couldn't keep up with the collapse.

All he could do was watch as Senju Arashi passed out on the ground, along with the unconscious Shiri, Wuming, and Qiancao, whose eyes had only just begun to recover.

The four plunged into the abyss with the falling rocks and burning trees.

After weighing his options, Black Zetsu decided not to pursue them. For one thing, Keisuke's body was already in tatters. If he followed them down and that brat Qiancao managed to defeat him, it would be a poor trade.

Besides, although they had seen his true form, they knew nothing about him. They probably wouldn't be able to figure out who he really was and would just assume Uchiha Keisuke had learned some strange jutsu.

Black Zetsu regretted losing the body. Given how much the Uchiha Clan valued the Sharingan, finding a vessel as powerful as Uchiha Keisuke hadn't been easy.

He still hadn't found Indra's reincarnation, and this body had already been ruined before he could accomplish anything major.

Fortunately, he had encountered the daughter of the Senju Clan's leader this time. At least he had planted a seed of hatred between the Senju and Uchiha Clans.

With that thought, Black Zetsu crawled out of Keisuke's body and tossed it into the sea of flames. His true body sank slowly into the ground and moved toward a new target.

The instant Qiancao and the others plunged over the cliff, Qiancao's vision finally began to recover.

He grabbed Shiri and Wuming beside him. Risking blindness, he forced his Sharingan open and twisted and turned through the air, using trees and falling rocks as footholds to slow his descent.

Then, in the corner of his eye, he saw the unconscious Senju Arashi. After a moment's hesitation, he couldn't bear to let her die right in front of him.

Fortunately, Shiri and Wuming were both slim. Qiancao changed his position, wrapped one arm around both of them, and freed his other hand to grab Senju Arashi. With all three in tow, he stepped on trees in midair to slow their fall.

Only the incredible Sharingan could have made such a reckless maneuver possible.

A raging river flowed beneath the cliff, its surface dotted with huge rocks. If he landed in the wrong place, he would die too.

Qiancao gritted his teeth, pulled all three girls against his chest, and used his Sharingan to spot a deep patch of water with no rocks. He took the impact on his back to cushion their fall and plunged straight into it!

The impact left a bitter taste in his throat. He managed to push the girls toward the bank, then passed out.

After who knew how long, Qiancao slowly awoke. The long night had finally ended. Through a crack in the cliff, he could see the sun high overhead.

He surveyed the area and saw the three girls unconscious upstream.

Feeling as if his whole body had fallen apart, Qiancao struggled over to Shiri and Wuming. He shifted them carefully and checked their injuries.

Shiri had passed out after taking a heavy blow to the neck from Senju Arashi. The bruising was still severe, but her breathing was steady. She should be all right.

The wound on Wuming's chest had mostly healed. Fortunately, although she had fallen into the river, it hadn't become infected. She would probably be fine after some rest.

As for Senju Arashi, who was lying farthest away, Qiancao first took out a Kunai and approached cautiously.

Senju Arashi lay on the ground, pale-faced and grimacing in pain. Her clothes were soaked by the river, revealing her alluring figure.

If not for the faint rise and fall of her chest, she could easily have been mistaken for a corpse.

Qiancao pressed the Kunai in his hand to Senju Arashi's throat, but when it came time to strike, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

He had lived for twenty years without even killing a chicken. Suddenly killing a person was too difficult.

After a fierce inner struggle, Qiancao still couldn't go through with it. Instead, he took the thin wire used to control Shuriken from his pouch, intending to tie Senju Arashi up.

Before he could act, Senju Arashi suddenly opened her eyes. Exhausted, she forced a faint smile. "What's wrong, little boy? Can't bring yourself to kill me?"

Startled by her sudden awakening, Qiancao quickly pressed the Kunai back to her throat and demanded, "When did you wake up?"

Senju Arashi continued smiling. "A while ago. But I spent all my chakra helping everyone escape the flames yesterday. I can't even move."

Hearing that, Qiancao's attitude softened. She had saved the three of them, after all. His grip on the Kunai loosened, and he stopped pressing it directly against her skin.

Seeing him relent, Senju Arashi pressed her advantage. "Little brother, if you let me go, I promise you can do anything you want to me."