Chapter 20

"Crackle!" Violent lightning flared as the blade once more severed an enemy's head, sending it rolling across the ground.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" Before Saitama could catch his breath, the sound of something slicing through the air came suddenly from behind him. He spun around in alarm and saw that the bird puppet was still operating!

"Bang!" The struck Saitama exploded into white smoke and vanished, leaving only several senbon needles coated in poison.

"Just as I thought, you weren't dead!" Saitama's real body had already seen through ** the moment the puppet moved. He now rushed toward the bird puppet with his blade in hand.

The puppet stiffened briefly as the clone vanished, apparently never expecting it to have been bait!

Its wings beat frantically as it swiftly adjusted its posture, firing a skyful of concealed weapons at the approaching Saitama—

Too late! Saitama had already closed to within three meters. To him, that distance was no more than a single step!

"Slash!" The blade flashed, and the puppet's wings were severed at once. Its remaining body crashed to the ground like a wingless insect.

"Clack, clack, clack!" The puppet struggled in its death throes. Countless holes suddenly split open across its torso, and gleaming concealed weapons were about to fire in unison—

"Not a chance!" Saitama roared. The lightning armor around him surged, chakra churning like boiling water!

"Boom!" His ninja blade split open the puppet's shell, destroying its internal mechanisms. The concealed weapons poised to fire fell silent at once.

Blood seeped from the puppet's remains. Saitama knelt on one knee amid the wreckage and slowly withdrew his ninja blade. The lightning wrapped around it consumed the last trace of blood.

"Crash—" When he leaped down from the wreckage, he revealed the ninja hidden within the puppet **. A massive slash from brow to abdomen had split the body in two, like livestock beneath a butcher's knife.

"Whew..." Saitama steadied his breathing. This battle had been far more troublesome than he had expected. Only at the very end had he realized that the puppeteer had been hiding inside the puppet.

There were few people in the world ruthless enough to spray poisonous mist without changing expression. Coupled with the two-second delay when the opponent dodged, Saitama had long suspected that what he saw was not the real body.

While the poisonous mist spread, he secretly created a Shadow Clone to test the waters, and it confirmed his suspicion.

"The most dangerous place is the safest..." Staring at the body split in half, Saitama suddenly recalled that battlefield adage.

His sharp instincts drove him to strike decisively! That Sand Village puppeteer died with his eyes wide open!

A true warrior never looked back at the carnage behind him, and Saitama likewise had no interest in the miserable state of the Sand ninja. He gripped his long blade and slashed through the air, his eagle-eyed gaze locking onto his next prey.

The fallen puppeteer held no small status in the Sand Village. The surrounding Sand ninja all wore looks of disbelief. They could not accept that this young man had killed one of their elite jonin.

This is only one corner of the war. Konoha's situation is still dire. Saitama swept his gaze across the battlefield and found that the companions who had charged with him earlier had already been swallowed by the enemy ranks.

"Bang!" He kicked a burly enemy to the ground, then split open the man's back with a follow-up slash. Blood sprayed as lightning still danced across the enemy's body.

"Courting death!" A Sand ninja attacking from the shadows thought he had succeeded. A poison-coated shuriken flashed coldly as it cut through the air.

"Clang! Clang!" In the blink of an eye, Saitama's long blade precisely knocked aside the concealed weapons coming from his right.

Saitama stepped forward, determined to cut down the ambusher. The Sand ninja's face turned pale. His failed sneak attack had instead brought disaster upon himself, and he staggered backward while letting out a fierce but hollow roar.

The blade flashed, and the kunai snapped in two. Fresh red stained the yellow sands as Saitama's figure streaked toward other enemies like lightning.

On this battlefield dominated by chunin, he was like divine punishment descending. Amid flashing arcs of electricity, Sand ninja cries rang out one after another. The Konoha ninja who received his support nodded to him before throwing themselves into new battles.

Saitama looked toward the rising dust storm in the distance. That was the battlefield where Orochimaru and Rasa were clashing. Though he could not take part in a battle of that level, the violent tremors demonstrated just how fierce that clash at the peak was.

The key to this battle lies in Orochimaru's performance. If he wins, the situation will favor us; if he loses, morale will surely waver. As the battlefield commander, Orochimaru is everyone's spiritual pillar. Rasa may be the enemy leader, but his seniority is still lacking, and his reputation is far below Orochimaru's. The Sand ninja will find it easier to accept his defeat. Saitama pondered amid the intense battle.

"Saitama, go support the east! Leave this place to the others!" Uchiha Rin's voice rang out as several more chunin and genin fell beneath his blade.

"The jonin battle zone is in danger. Our elite troops are being surrounded!" Before his words had even faded, Rin was already racing eastward, while many elite ninja around him also gathered in that direction.

Fine arcs of electricity coiled around Saitama's body as he maintained the basic state of Lightning Release: Chakra, the current stimulating ** the cells throughout his body and keeping them active.

Hiss—his soles scraped across the sand, kicking up dust. He weaved through the enemy ranks as though no one stood in his way, and Sand ninja fell to the ground howling wherever he passed.

"Kill them all!" Saitama's surprise assault greatly reduced the pressure on the Konoha ninja. They immediately pounced on the wounded soldiers who had lost their ability to fight.

Ignoring the dying enemies, Saitama continued to advance. Although Sand ninja surrounded him, none dared meet his eyes, and they all retreated far away.

He had no time to chase fleeing soldiers. His immediate priority was reaching the jonin battle zone—that was where the outcome of the battle would be decided. Compared to that, the fighting here was merely a war of attrition.

The lightning-wreathed blade continued reaping lives. Saitama moved unimpeded across the battlefield, his fearsome name already enough to make enemies flee at the sound of it.

The scale of the battlefield exceeded all expectations, its battle lines stretching endlessly onward. Before he reached his destination, fierce cries of battle already reached his ears:

"See the situation clearly—Konoha is bound to lose!"

"Even Sand Village vermin dare act so arrogantly!"

"Fight for the Hokage!"

"End this quickly! Lord Orochimaru is still waiting for reinforcements!"

The Konoha ninja scoffed at the Sand Village's provocation, their fighting spirit rising even higher. They could not lose; they would not lose—this was both the conviction Orochimaru had instilled in them before the battle and the faith they upheld.

The Sand Village had assembled more than a hundred elite ninja, most of them jonin, while the rest were outstanding chunin. In contrast, Konoha had only half their numbers, leaving them clearly at a disadvantage.

The sounds of metal clashing and ** rose and fell. Brilliantly colored ninjutsu intertwined, while dull impacts from close combat rang out without pause. Although the Konoha ninja were stronger overall, their defensive line was already showing signs of collapse beneath Sand Village's overwhelming numbers, and most of them had been wounded.

While racing forward, Saitama spotted familiar figures among the crowd. He maintained his charge and continued forward with the group.

"How is your injury?" A jonin of the Moonlight Clan asked Moonlight Zhengye with concern. With support from his teammates and his clan's secret technique, Zhengye had successfully killed two jonin of the same rank earlier, but his right shoulder had still been pierced by an enemy blade. At the moment, he was fighting with his non-dominant left hand.

"Luckily, it wasn't poisoned." Zhengye blocked a Sand Village attack and took the chance to answer his clansman's concern. The Moonlight ninja looked toward Saitama's direction and added, "Reinforcements will be here soon." Unfortunately, ordinary eyesight could not make out distant movements.

Uchiha Rin activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and coldly warned, "Prepare to break through the encirclement." Saitama met his gaze and nodded, then swept his eyes over the gathered companions around them.

In an instant, lightning arcs raced along the ground while Wind, Fire, and Earth Release ninjutsu bombarded the enemy lines in succession. The Sand ninja initially paid little attention to this small squad, but when the ninjutsu exploded, they erupted in furious shouts. Those attacks precisely tore open a gap in the encirclement.

"It's reinforcements!" The trapped Konoha ninja cheered. Moonlight Zhengye stared at the lightning flashing at the front of the group, a smile appearing on his face.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" Saitama moved like lightning, passing through the gap opened by the Sand ninja and landing steadily within the Konoha formation.

At that moment, the fighting between Konoha and the Sand ninja briefly separated as both sides adjusted their formations.

"Is it serious?" Saitama landed beside Zhengye and glanced at the wound on his shoulder.

"Hehe, what do you think?" Zhengye forced a smile.

Saitama looked away without answering. He knew Zhengye was merely putting on a brave face.

"Thud!" "Thud!" Konoha ninja arrived one after another, joining the formation and facing off against the Sand ninja.

"This is all the manpower Konoha has?" Within the Sand ninja formation, the middle-aged leader sneered. Their numbers were nearly twice Konoha's.

"Sand Village trash, cut the crap!" Zhengye shouted sharply, blood continuously seeping from his wound.

"Kill!" The Sand ninja leader waved his hand, and dense masses of ninja surged forward like a tide.

"Crackle!" Blue lightning suddenly flared, drawing the attention of the surrounding Konoha ninja. Could this youth, capable of using Lightning Release Chakra Mode at such a young age, be a jonin? Saitama's reputation had yet to spread across the front lines, and many were astonished by this suddenly appearing genius.

"Charge!" "Take them down!" Though exhausted, the Konoha ninja remained full of fighting spirit.

"Tap!" Saitama charged out first. With chakra brimming within him, he felt no fear whatsoever. Lightning Release Chakra Mode continued operating as electricity danced along his ninja blade.

Scorched footprints marked the sand. Saitama gripped his lightning-flashing ninja blade tightly, his gaze as sharp as a blade.

"Slash!" At the very first exchange, Saitama cut down a scythe-wielding Sand ninja. Just as he was about to finish him off, several weapons crossed together and blocked his attack.

This was a true battlefield. Compared to the earlier fights, the Sand ninja here coordinated far more seamlessly.

Narrowing his eyes, Saitama pulled back the moment a massive blade came crashing down.

The pressure rose sharply. What he faced now were well-trained elite chunin and even jonin!

His Two-Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly as Saitama remained fully alert.

The Sharingan locked onto several Sand ninja ahead, and Saitama felt a long-lost thrill.

"A Konoha brat?" After blocking Saitama's attack, the Sand Village ninja grinned, a sinister expression appearing on his face.

The blade flashed! Saitama drew his weapon and cleaved straight for the enemy's head.

"Clang!" "Clang!" As their blades collided, the youth's attacks came in endless waves.

The perfect fusion of speed and strength allowed Saitama to suppress two mid-to-high-ranking jonin who worked together seamlessly.

"Bang!" He twisted aside to evade the massive blade's slash, only for a whip kick to strike him squarely in the back. He staggered and skidded several meters away.

"Interesting." The wielder of the massive blade chuckled as he exchanged a look with his companion.

"Maintain formation. Attack freely," the ninja who had landed the kick said in a low voice.

Individually, none of them was Saitama's match, but their exquisite coordination had reversed the battle.

The blade-wielding ninja understood and stepped forward, using his body to form a shield for his companion.

"Twin brothers?" Saitama noticed their similar features. Their innate coordination was alarming.

Lightning Release chakra erupted abruptly. Every strand of his short hair stood on end as blue-white electricity coiled around the youth's body.

Take out the one waiting for an opening first. Saitama locked his gaze onto the enemy in the rear, and lightning flashed!

"Whoosh—" An afterimage swept past. The massive-blade wielder felt his hair stand on end. He barely caught the trajectory, yet could not see the movement itself.

"Ha!" The Sand ninja roared and swung his blade, but it only tore through empty air.

Saitama slid close to the ground and instantly cut into the enemy's lower guard. As he looked up, their four eyes met, all filled with shock.

"Lightning Release: Flash!" The ninja blade swept upward diagonally, wrapped in lightning.

Though the enemy retreated frantically, he was ultimately too slow to evade the killing move Saitama had prepared. A line of blood burst from his waist, and the Sand ninja grunted as he staggered backward.

"Watch out!" His companion behind him shouted and rushed forward.

Saitama pressed his advantage. Sand burst beneath his feet as he closed in once more like an arrow released from the bowstring.

"Clang!" The massive blade hurriedly blocked, and lightning snakes raced along its surface. The Sand ninja's pupils shrank—his defense had been pierced by a palm wrapped in blinding lightning, reaching straight for his heart!

"Not a chance!" Though the Sand ninja did not recognize Saitama's ninjutsu, he instinctively sensed the approaching danger. He roared as he tried to dodge, but just as his body moved—

"Slash!" The enemy behind him saw in horror as a bloodied hand pierced through his companion's back, violent lightning crackling in its palm!

"Cough!" The Sand ninja spat out a mouthful of blood, while the wound in his chest sprayed blood like a spring.

Saitama knocked aside the blocking greatsword, his lean body pressed against the enemy's back. Blood splashed across his clothes like spilled ink. He narrowed his eyes and surveyed the battlefield as lightning on his left arm evaporated the bloodstains.

"Pay with your life!" A kunai tore through the air, and a savage face was already inches from his own.

"Clang!" Saitama's ninja blade precisely intercepted the sneak attack. Using the force, he sprang into the air and kicked backward. Blade light formed a net around the enemy, carving him into a blood-soaked figure in an instant.

The vengeance-driven Sand ninja had gone completely mad, ignoring the difference in strength—precisely the beginning of a ninja's death.

"Eager to be reincarnated?" Saitama coldly pierced the enemy's heart, his blood-soaked figure like an Asura.

"Sand Village... will slaughter you..." The dying man clamped down on Saitama with all his strength, a broken kunai clattering to the ground.

Thunder erupted. The enemy convulsed as his eyes rolled back. Saitama withdrew his blade and looked around, finding the battlefield filled with the cries of the wounded.

"Saitama!"

Uchiha Rin was trapped under the assault of three jonin. Though his Sharingan moved swiftly, he was still struggling to hold them off.