Kurosuki Shizuma's face darkened. He hadn't expected the girl to act so decisively. He hurriedly swung Samehada to block and dodge.
Boom! Boom!
Flames exploded one after another, throwing up clouds of dust. They didn't hurt him, but they did cut his "persuasion" short.
"Brother Kagura!" Jade shouted without looking back, her voice firm. "Leave him to me! Go help the Mizukage! If we wait any longer, it'll be too late!"
Kagura shuddered. From Jade's small but straight-backed figure, from the way she defended him and urged him on without hesitation, he drew strength.
He glanced at Chojuro on the roof, struggling to fend off attacks with his robes stained red, then looked at the resolve in Jade's eyes.
"Be careful, Jade!" Kagura stopped hesitating. He nodded firmly and pushed his inner turmoil aside for now.
He knew what mattered most right now was taking action—protecting the people before him who needed it.
He darted around Hoshigaki Shichengzhen through the dust, planted his feet against the wall, and raced up toward the roof as though running on level ground!
"Think you can leave? Not so easily!" Hoshigaki Shichengzhen angrily swept away the last of the dust and moved to pursue Kagura.
"I'm your opponent!" Jade cried. Her hands flew through seals. "Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
She drew a deep breath and blew out several highly compressed, razor-sharp Wind Blades. They spread into a net, cutting off Hoshigaki Shichengzhen's path!
The Wind Blades shrieked as they sliced through the air, forcing Hoshigaki Shichengzhen to stop and swing Samehada to fend them off.
"Tch. What a nuisance, brat!" Hoshigaki Shichengzhen knocked the Wind Blades aside. Seeing Kagura nearly reach the roof, he knew it was too late to give chase.
He turned all his fury on Jade, a cruel, eager grin