Summit War (End)
Meanwhile, in Mary Geoise, among the Flower Room.
A black figure appeared out of thin air deep within the dark palace, staggering the moment it landed.
Saint Imu clutched his chest with one hand, while the other gripped the ancient-looking long-handled sword tightly. Crimson blood seeped from between his fingers, dripping onto the cold granite floor with a faint patter in the deathly silent hall.
His face, which was usually expressionless, was now slightly contorted with pain.
I can't even remember the last time I was injured—eight hundred years ago?
Perhaps longer.
It went on for so long that he thought he would never bleed again, never feel this kind of weakness pushed to the limit again.
He knelt on one knee, panting for a while before finally calming down. His crimson almond eyes, through his long, flowing hair, coldly gazed towards the direction outside the palace.
A dozen minutes later, five figures rushed to the outside of the Flower Room. No one dared to step into the hall; the five of them knelt down on the cold stone steps, their foreheads dripping with cold sweat.
Financial God of War Izanbaron V. Saint Nusjuro, Agricultural God of War Shepard X. Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, Warrior God of Justice Topman Saint Warcury, Environmental God of War Marcas Saint Mars, and Scientific Defense God of War Lucy Saint Saturn.
These five Celestial Dragons, who stood at the pinnacle of world power and whose words could decide the fate of countless nations, knelt on the ground, not daring to even breathe loudly.
They could sense the weakness emanating from behind the door, but they dared not entertain any thoughts.
"Withdraw the navy. Order the entire West Blue navy to retreat. CP0 to go to the West Blue to gather intelligence." Saint Imu's voice came from within the Flower Room, still with that aloof indifference, but every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, weak yet undeniable.
The Five Elders bowed their heads in unison and respectfully replied, "Yes, Saint Imu."
As evening fell on Origin Island, a sea breeze blew in from the direction of the Training Ground, carrying a faint smell of gunpowder.
The roar of Ninjutsu practice had subsided, and children were running out of the Clan Academy in twos and threes, their laughter faintly drifting from the other end of the stone path.
Uchiha Izumi pushed open the gate to her courtyard, forgetting to even turn on the lights inside. She sat down at the dimly lit table, propping her chin up with one hand, staring Kunai on the table.
The handle of the Kunai was wrapped with a circle of black cotton cloth, which Natsu had personally wrapped, smoothing out all the rough edges, making it just the right size to hold.
When he handed her the Kunai, he said that no matter where she was, as long as she channeled a little Chakra into it, he could come over immediately.
At the time, she found those words reassuring, but later she realized that, conversely, they meant she couldn't get to his side in the same way.
"I wonder how Natsu- jun is doing..." She gently flicked the end of the Kunai's handle with her finger. The Kunai spun halfway around the table and then stopped. "He's so powerful, he should have rescued Ace by now, right?"
No one answered her from inside the room; only the occasional sea breeze outside the window lifted a corner of the curtains.
She sighed, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the Flying Thunder God Formula seals on the Kunai handle, where a faint Chakra still lingered.
"If I also awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, I should be able to go with him this time, right?" She lowered her eyes, and her scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan flashed for a moment in the dim room before disappearing again.
She looked down at her outstretched palm, her fingers slowly curling up into a small fist.
At thirteen years old, Elite Jonin, Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and having already mastered Sealing Jutsu and Observation Haki —this resume would be considered outstanding among any peer in the clan.
But compared to him, what is this little skill?
At her age, he had already led his entire clan out of the abyss of Konoha and stood on the bow of a ship on another vast ocean, going head-to-head with Marine Admiral.
She chased after him quickly, but he ran even faster, so fast that she could barely see his back.
Just then, the Kunai on the table suddenly trembled.
It's not the kind of swaying caused by the wind, but the unique spatial tremor that occurs when the spell is activated.
A faint magical light emanated from the silver-gray blade, followed by an aura that was all too familiar appearing out of thin air behind her.
"Izumi... inform Setsuna..."
The voice was so weak it was almost inaudible, followed by a dull thud as something heavy fell to the ground.
Uchiha Izumi whirled around, her pupils dilating instantly when she saw the person lying on the ground.
"Natsu--!"
She practically lunged at him, only realizing how frighteningly cold his body was when she pulled Natsu upper body into her arms.
That face, which usually wore an indifferent or mocking expression, was now completely bloodless, as pale as if it had just been pulled out of ice water.
His greyish-white robe was mostly soaked in blood, and the most shocking sight was the wound on his abdomen—his entire abdomen had been pierced through, and a strange, dark red energy lingered at the edges, constantly eroding the surrounding flesh.
Blood gushed from the wound, dripping through her fingers onto the floor with a dull thud.
Natsu had completely lost consciousness, her breathing so shallow it was almost imperceptible.
Quan's tears welled up in her eyes, but she forced them back.
Now is not the time to cry.
Her hands flew, Hand Seals, and Shadow Clone appeared in the white smoke. She left behind the words, "Go find Elder Setsuna, quickly!" and then passed directly through the wall.
She quickly stood up, her fingertips illuminating the four corners of the room with Chakra, creating layer upon layer of Sealing Barrier on the walls, turning the entire room into an impenetrable fortress.
This combined sealing array represents the pinnacle of her Sealing Jutsu. Once fully activated, even Kage Level expert would have to put in considerable effort.
After doing all this, Izumi knelt down next to Natsu again, took out a tourniquet and medicine from her ninja tool bag, but her hands were trembling violently.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to steady herself, and then carefully lifted the blood-soaked robe.
The moment the wound was fully exposed before her eyes, the tears she had been holding back for so long finally fell.
The wound that pierced through his abdomen was a bloody mess, its edges blackened by the dark red energy.
Deep within the wound, another crimson-gold Yang Release Chakra was desperately resisting the spread of dark red energy. The two forces were constantly tearing at each other beneath the skin, and with each second of stalemate, Natsu's face paled a little more.
"How could you be injured like this..." She bit her lip, tears falling onto the back of her hand, but her hands didn't stop moving at all.
The hemostatic medicine was gently applied to the edge of the wound. The soft green light of the Mystical Palm Technique shone, but the moment it touched the dark red energy, it was like a drop of water falling into boiling oil, instantly swallowed up.