The Second Kazekage's Fall

Looking at Bunpuku, sealed away, Li Yi felt troubled. The seal had confined Bunpuku, but it had also protected him. If Li Yi broke it, he would release Bunpuku and return things to how they had been before. But if he left the seal alone, his secrets might be exposed.

Li Yi hadn't expected Bunpuku to be so difficult to deal with. The man had forced him to reveal all his trump cards, and one careless moment had nearly gotten Li Yi sealed away. Li Yi couldn't help but reflect that no matter how strong you were, you still had to be careful. In the ninja world, there were plenty of stories about people getting tripped up by a small mistake.

Still, this had bought him some time. He could go deal with the Sand Ninja, and then the war would be won.

With that in mind, Li Yi stopped worrying about the sealed pyramid and flew toward the battlefield between the Sand Ninja and Konoha.

By the time Li Yi arrived, the two sides had reached a stalemate. Konoha had plenty of ninja, but the Second Kazekage had joined the fight as well. He was clearly in poor shape, and Mitokado Homura and the others were pressing him hard, but he was still keeping them occupied.

"Li Yi!" The Second Kazekage, Shamon, spotted him, and his expression changed. Li Yi's arrival could only mean one thing: Bunpuku was probably in trouble.

Li Yi immediately swung his sword, using one of Ryujin Jakka's techniques.

Taimatsu!

A massive tornado of flames swept Shamon up into its vortex. Li Yi called out, "Elder Mitokado, I'll deal with him!"

Mitokado Homura said nothing. He took Utatane Koharu with him and rushed toward another part of the battlefield.

Li Yi glanced down and smiled. He drove Ryujin Jakka, its blade wreathed in flames, into the ground. All around him, blazing fire sprang up.

"Enjokō!" Li Yi shouted. Instantly, flames erupted everywhere, forming wall after wall of fire and enclosing the entire area.

The ninja who hadn't managed to escape stared at the scene in horror. Li Yi had no choice. He had to stop Shamon from escaping. He couldn't kill Bunpuku, but Shamon had to die!

When the flaming tornado died down, Shamon rose from the ground.

His face was deathly pale, and parts of his body were charred.

"Second Kazekage, today is the day you fall!" Li Yi said calmly, Ryujin Jakka in hand.

"I never thought Bunpuku wouldn't be able to stop you. You really are strong. But if you want my life, come and try!" Shamon said, dragging his badly wounded body forward.

In truth, he had no choice. He had already been seriously injured, but Konoha had launched a full-scale attack, and he'd had to join the battle. With Bunpuku holding Li Yi off and Shamon keeping Mitokado Homura and the others occupied, the Sand Ninja might have had a chance to turn things around. But now that Li Yi had arrived, all of that was about to come to nothing.

"Then I'll send the Second Kazekage on his way!" Li Yi said, charging forward with Ryujin Jakka raised high.

The Second Kazekage drew a kunai. But after looking at it, then at Li Yi's flaming sword, he decisively abandoned the weapon. He quickly formed Hand Seals, took a deep breath, and blew out several balls of wind that floated around him.

Li Yi paid them little mind. He had already entered his elemental state, and there was no longer any need to hide it.

As Li Yi approached, the wind balls moved. But they passed straight through his body without hindering him in the slightest.

A glint flashed in the Second Kazekage's eyes. That alone was enough for him to realize Li Yi had an ability similar to the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique.

But he had no time to think further. He pressed both hands to the ground, and countless symbols appeared. Against an opponent like this, if you didn't have the right elemental affinity, Sealing Jutsu was undoubtedly the most practical choice.

But Li Yi had already brought Ryujin Jakka down in a slash.

The Second Kazekage took a deep breath and said, "I'll hold him. You all shoot him!"

He wasn't even trying to dodge. He intended to grab Li Yi. Li Yi frowned and abruptly veered upward. Black symbols crawled over the Second Kazekage's entire body, but he caught nothing.

The Second Kazekage sighed to himself. He really had been prepared to sacrifice himself to take Li Yi down with him.

But Li Yi had gotten away.

"Blaze Release: Great Fire Annihilation!" Li Yi unleashed a vast sea of flames from above the Second Kazekage. It surged down over him like a tidal wave.

There were still some Konoha Ninja and Sand Ninja inside Enjokō.

The Sand Ninja gathered around the Second Kazekage, while the Konoha Ninja wanted to get closer to Li Yi. But his technique was so powerful that they could only dodge as best they could along the perimeter.

As the vast expanse of fire came down, the Sand Ninja hastily formed Hand Seals. Some of them were Water Release users who began creating walls of water, but it made no difference. Li Yi's Great Fire Annihilation swallowed them all in its sea of flames.

Watching it all, Li Yi clenched his fist. Flames roared around it as he shouted, "Fire Fist!"

A gigantic fist of fire plunged down and slammed into the sea of flames. Cries of agony rang out, then everything fell silent.

Li Yi saw numerous White Spirit Ribbons being absorbed by his Zanpakuto. One of them was especially thick.

He knew the Second Kazekage had died beneath his Fire Fist.

Sure enough, when fighting opponents like these, it was better to attack from a distance whenever possible. Li Yi had never even heard of the Sealing Jutsu the Second Kazekage had just used, and he didn't know what it could do. If it had really managed to catch him, he would have been in serious trouble.

Li Yi dismissed Enjokō and said calmly, "Kill the enemy!"

"Yes, Lord Li Yi!" the Konoha Ninja shouted excitedly.

It was no wonder they were excited. Li Yi was incredibly strong—he had actually killed the Second Kazekage.

In truth, if the Second Kazekage hadn't already been seriously wounded, Li Yi wouldn't have been able to kill him so easily.

If the Second Kazekage had returned to Sunagakure, Li Yi wouldn't have pursued him there. But the Second Kazekage had insisted on coming back, and so he had to die.

After that, Li Yi joined the fight as well. Wherever his Zanpakuto passed, explosions of flame instantly swallowed a Sand Ninja. Ordinary Chunin and Genin weren't even a match for him.

"Retreat! Everyone, retreat!" someone among the Sand Ninja shouted. It was a sign that they had lost—utterly. Their casualties were devastating, and they had no choice but to withdraw.

As the Sand Ninja fled in disarray back into the desert, Mitokado Homura didn't send anyone after them. The Sand Ninja had been defeated. Without ten or twenty years, Sunagakure wouldn't be able to recover from the loss of so many troops.