Fire Engulfs All, Despair Descends, Catastrophic Casualties, Might Guy's Resolve to Die

"Sensei, you really chose to stand against me."

The moment he sensed Katsuyu entering the sea of flowers, Uchiha Shadian immediately understood Tsunade's answer.

"Saving them? Impossible."

Uchiha Shadian leaped onto the Nine-Tails' head and stared coldly at the forest of flowers and vines before him.

Uchiha Shadian formed hand seals and spoke coldly. "Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame."

A massive blaze surged from his mouth.

The fire crashed toward the forest of flowers and vines like a falling meteor. The flames spread, and in an instant, a vast sea of fire blazed through the vines.

"No!" Tsunade, watching the flames rise from outside, cried out in despair.

She could cure poison, but if people were burned to nothing, there was no way she could bring them back.

"Damn it, it's fire!"

"That damned Uchiha Shadian wants to wipe us all out!"

"It's over. It's completely over."

"This was a trap aimed at all of us. First, he used the vines to trap us, then the pollen to paralyze us, and finally the flames to cremate us. Damn it, bastard!"

"Lord Third Hokage, run! Please make sure you escape and avenge us!" A group of jonin protected Hiruzen Sarutobi. When the pollen descended, some jonin had used small-scale Wind Release to blow it away, so their group had avoided the pollen's toxins and had not been paralyzed.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Technique!" A group of ninjas risked their lives to shield Hiruzen Sarutobi from the front and rear, using ninjutsu to open a safe path for him.

"Quick, sever the connections between these vines and isolate the flames!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not choose to simply flee. If all the ninjas here died and he alone survived as a commanderless Hokage, there would be no value in it.

So he had to do everything he could to direct more people to safety.

"Lord Third Hokage, it is wonderful that I found you." Suddenly, a voice rang out as a small Katsuyu appeared before Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others.

"It's Lady Katsuyu. Wonderful!" a ninja exclaimed in delight.

"Lord Third Hokage, Lady Tsunade sent me to guide you out." The small Katsuyu crawled onto Hiruzen Sarutobi's shoulder.

"Tsunade has finally returned? That's wonderful." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. Tsunade was an outstanding medical ninja. With her back, she could save and heal a great number of wounded.

"My saliva can neutralize the poison. Quickly, each of you take a mouthful, then prepare to leave."

The small Katsuyu spat saliva all over everyone's faces.

It was sticky and disgusting.

But at this critical moment between life and death, no matter how disgusting it was, they wiped it into their mouths and swallowed without hesitation.

"The flames are almost here. Lord Third Hokage, hurry and withdraw!"

"I know the route. All of you, follow me."

"I'll leave it to you, Lady Katsuyu," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with surprising politeness.

"Some of them escaped?" Uchiha Shadian frowned. "Still, I wiped out ninety percent in one stroke."

Through the perception granted by Sage Art, Uchiha Shadian sensed that roughly a thousand people had escaped with the help of Tsunade's summoned beast.

"Using fire to burn Konoha's ninja army... what a ruthless and effective method!" White Zetsu and Black Zetsu emerged from a large tree at the edge of the battlefield.

Watching the sea of flames fill the sky, White Zetsu spoke with lingering fear. "Good thing we didn't go in earlier, or we would have been caught up in it."

Black Zetsu said, "This forest is covered by a layer of chakra. Anyone who enters falls within his perception. We can't go in and expose ourselves."

White Zetsu said, "He burned so many people that I can already smell scorched meat. If I took root in this soil later, it would definitely be fertile enough."

"Please, you're not actually a tree." Black Zetsu rolled his eyes at White Zetsu.

"I can turn into a tree!" White Zetsu retorted.

"Then go turn into a tree!" Black Zetsu said.

"I can't. If I turn into a tree, I'll lose consciousness," White Zetsu said.

"Then why the hell did you bring it up?" Black Zetsu cursed.

"I was just making an observation. What the hell does it have to do with you? If you've got the guts, stop using my body. Get out of my body!" White Zetsu said.

"What do you mean, your body? This is the shell I cultivated. You're the one who should get out." Black Zetsu cursed.

"You should get out."

"You should get out."

"You."

"You."

The two unknown creatures began hurling insults at each other.

"I'm sorry, Lady Tsunade. I only managed to save a little over a thousand people." Katsuyu apologized to Tsunade, who was using it to cast healing techniques on everyone.

"It isn't your fault, Katsuyu. I arrived too late and couldn't make it in time." Tsunade looked somewhat exhausted. Using healing techniques over such a wide range had consumed a great deal of chakra.

"Third Hokage, I'm sorry. I failed to stop Shadian." Might Guy came before the rescued Hiruzen Sarutobi, his face full of guilt.

"Guy, you're all right. That's wonderful." Seeing that Might Guy was still alive, Hiruzen Sarutobi's despondent heart stirred to life once more. "Guy, what exactly happened in your battle with Shadian? Why couldn't you stop him?"

"He tricked me with the Flying Thunder God Technique. By the time I rushed over at full speed, I was already too late." Might Guy concealed the information that Tsunade had told him to stop.

"It isn't your fault. That Uchiha Shadian was simply too cunning."

"He used a diversionary tactic and toyed with us completely."

"Lord Third Hokage, I believe we need to seek aid from outside." Shikaku Nara said gravely.

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "We cannot seek aid. The other villages are all wolves. Once they learn that Konoha has suffered such heavy losses, they will surely take advantage of our weakness and bite us hard."

"I've decided to recall every elite jonin from the borders of the Land of Fire. Guy, you will lead them and intercept Uchiha Shadian."

Shikaku Nara said, "If we do that, Konoha's strength along the Land of Fire's borders will be completely depleted. If we pull back so many elite jonin, the enemy nations will definitely notice."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said gravely, "There is no other choice. We must gather our elite forces and kill Uchiha Shadian completely. Only then can Konoha be reborn."

"Lord Third Hokage, I can do it alone." Might Guy's gaze was unwavering.

"This time, I will not let Uchiha Shadian slip away from my hands again."

"This time, I will not give him any chance to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape."

Might Guy's eyes were resolute. It was because he had not made up his mind before that Uchiha Shadian had escaped, resulting in such terrible casualties.

Out of more than ten thousand people, nearly nine thousand had been burned to ashes by Uchiha Shadian, not even leaving behind bodies.

If he had decisively made up his mind then, opened the Gate of Death, and taken Uchiha Shadian with him, this devastating loss would never have happened, and Konoha would not have suffered so terribly.

"Guy, you..." Seeing the determination in Might Guy's eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi roughly guessed what he intended to do.

"Then I leave it to you, Guy." Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with deep emotion.

"I'm going." Might Guy left without hesitation.