Annihilation?

"Iai Slash!"

Yueshu sensed the commotion on Hui's side and caught sight of Ono Ishi's movements.

With the mission target about to be snatched away, Yueshu naturally wouldn't just stand by idly; he unleashed a sword technique, slashing directly toward him.

"Kid, don't go looking around in the middle of a fight!"

The strike from the Iai Slash was blocked.

Yueshu couldn't help but grit his teeth.

Standing before him was Sashizhen, the rogue ninja from Sunagakure whose swordsmanship was unexpectedly superb.

Yueshu understood that it was nearly impossible for him to get over there to help.

However—

That was only true if Yueshu hadn't played all his cards.

Chakra surged into his eyes, and in the blink of an eye, their appearance shifted.

Three tomoe floated within his blood-red pupils, and Yueshu's entire demeanor turned icy.

"Those eyes."

Sashizhen's voice grew significantly colder.

"The Uchiha eyes!"

Yueshu didn't care about any of that; he gripped his Kusanagi Sword and charged forward.

Sashizhen didn't panic; instead, the aura around him intensified.

I can see it!

Yueshu and Sashizhen clashed once more, and Yueshu clearly saw the momentary opening in his opponent's defense.

It was as if time had slowed down; Yueshu could see Sashizhen's movements with perfect clarity, down to every last detail.

"Rasengan!"

Yueshu hadn't forgotten about this sphere; during a brief stalemate, he used his free hand to let Sashizhen have a taste of it.

Sashizhen had never expected his opponent to use such a technique.

Moreover, the Rasengan was a completely seal-less jutsu, and the speed at which it was executed caught Sashizhen off guard.

It was too late to pull his ninja sword back to block, and Sashizhen took the full force of the Rasengan.

Even though it was a non-elemental jutsu, the rotational force within it caused Sashizhen to cough up blood instantly, sending him flying back several meters.

Yueshu wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

He drew several Kunai from his waist, each attached with an Explosive Tag, and hurled them directly at Sashizhen.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique."

Yueshu finished his hand seals in a second, spitting several small fireballs from his mouth.

One of them flew toward Sashizhen, while the others headed toward Kushina and Mikoto.

As soon as the jutsu was released, Yueshu sprinted toward Hui.

The small fireballs exploded, simultaneously detonating the Explosive Tags.

Amidst the roar of the explosions, Sashizhen was completely engulfed, and similar sounds of detonation echoed from the direction of Kushina and Mikoto.

The commotion caught Ono Ishi's eye for a fleeting moment.

He had already knocked Hui unconscious and slung him over his shoulder.

Just as he glanced over, a flash of sword light streaked past the corner of his eye.

With a slight tilt of his body, Ono Ishi easily dodged the flying Kusanagi Sword.

The next second, Yueshu arrived right behind it.

"Hah!"

Yueshu let out a shout and launched a flying kick.

Ono Ishi's taijutsu level was clearly impressive; he blocked Yueshu's kick with one hand and, in the same motion, grabbed Yueshu's leg to fling him away.

Yueshu wasn't so easily defeated; he landed steadily, pulled his hand, and the chakra threads glinted in the sunlight as he yanked the Kusanagi Sword back from where it had been stuck in the ground.

"A brat from the Uchiha clan?"

Ono Ishi's voice remained steady.

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan on Yueshu's face was exceptionally conspicuous.

Facing these Jonin-level rogue ninjas, who possessed countless life-and-death experiences and showed no mercy, Yueshu had to give it his all.

He couldn't hold back any of his trump cards!

Otherwise, it would surely lead to deep regret.

It was with this mindset that Yueshu had revealed his hidden Sharingan.

"That guy Sashizhen is truly useless."

Ono Ishi didn't pay much attention to Yueshu, instead glancing toward the center of the explosion.

The flames were still raging fiercely over there.

"Put her down!"

Yueshu wasn't necessarily furious, but he was worried about Hui.

"If you want her?"

"Then come and take her."

Ono Ishi waved a single hand.

"In this world, strength is the greatest foundation for one's words."

Ono Ishi's gaze remained steady, vast and imposing like the earth itself, commanding respect without needing to show anger.

"Fire Style—"

Yueshu had just intended to weave hand signs; for him, weaving signs was a matter of an instant.

However, in that very instant, Ono Ishi reacted.

With one hand, he pulled a Kunai attached to an Explosive Tag from his ninja pouch and hurled it toward Yueshu.

This was the reaction Ono Ishi made in a split second.

It was impossibly fast!

Yueshu had no choice but to stop weaving his signs, instead retaliating with lightning speed by using his Kusanagi Sword to deflect the incoming Kunai.

The Kunai exploded in mid-air, blooming like a flower.

A blast of air rushed down from above, but Yueshu's eyes remained fixed on Ono Ishi before him.

He's even stronger than Sashizhen was just now.

Yueshu felt this clearly.

"Not bad. Konoha has had quite a few geniuses lately."

Ono Ishi praised him.

Yueshu ignored him, his gaze shifting to the side where Minato Namikaze had already fainted, and to Kushina and Mikoto, who were locked in a bitter struggle.

Fortunately, the spot where Minato Namikaze had collapsed was not far from Yueshu, and the tense atmosphere of the standoff kept the enemies from approaching; otherwise, Minato Namikaze would likely have been in grave danger.

The situation is dire.

Anyone would think the same at this moment; the situation couldn't be any worse.

As his mind raced, Yueshu suddenly sensed a danger.

It was an instinctive warning, and Yueshu immediately leaped to the side.

Sure enough, the spot where he had just been standing was struck.

A blade flashed through the air, accompanied by a subtle, sharp edge.

Sashizhen!

Yueshu's expression grew even more serious.

This was no longer just a dire situation.

This was an extremely dire situation.

Two Jonin, both experienced veterans of the battlefield—they could both be called elites.

"It's not over yet!"

Sashizhen laughed and slashed at Yueshu with his blade.

Yueshu immediately drew his Kusanagi Sword to block.

Blade met sword once again, and Yueshu was forced into a stalemate with Sashizhen.

However—

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique."

This time, Sashizhen was not alone.

Ono Ishi, carrying Hui on one shoulder, wove hand signs with his free hand to unleash the ninjutsu.

Single-handed signs again.

Yueshu abandoned his confrontation with Sashizhen and used the momentum to retreat several steps.

The Earth Dragon Bullet slammed exactly where he had been standing, and Yueshu narrowly dodged the attack.

"Wind Style: Cross Slash."

No sooner had Yueshu dodged than Sashizhen attacked him again.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Technique."

The Sharingan in Yueshu's eyes spun incessantly; he puffed out his cheeks and unleashed a torrent of flames into the air.

Fire and wind collided, locked in a tug-of-war as each side pushed against the other, vying for dominance.

Yueshu had only just parried a slash from Sashizhen when Ono Ishi's attack arrived from the other side.

This time, Yueshu had no time to block.

With a loud bang, Yueshu was sent skidding several meters across the ground before crashing into and snapping a tree.

Ono Ishi's mastery of taijutsu was formidable; that single kick made Yueshu feel as though his internal organs were about to jump out of his chest.

With his Kusanagi Sword plunged into the earth, Yueshu struggled to prop himself up in a wretched state.

Coupled with Kushina and Mikoto on the other side, who were nearly at the end of their rope, the Jiraiya Squad had now completely fallen into a desperate situation.

The outcome was already clear; Yueshu could even envision the scene of the four of them meeting their deaths.

This is bad!

This is a super bad situation!

Yueshu gasped for air, half of his face stained with blood trickling down from a gash on his head.

Swirls of dust and smoke clung to his body, and his face was smeared with dirt, leaving him looking utterly disheveled.

The crisis of total annihilation was right before his eyes!