The battle continued

Kazemori Masaki sensed that the Third Raikage had not followed him and breathed a sigh of relief. He prepared to regroup with the others. Through that strange form of perception, he could see the ripples they stirred in the "water," clearly visible even through the trees.

While fighting the Third Raikage, Kazemori Masaki had found this state extremely useful, helping him move and act. But now that the battle was over, that perception had not stopped. Instead, it seemed to be growing stronger.

Kazemori Masaki's pupils trembled slightly. Not just his companions, but every swaying branch and leaf stirred wave after wave of ripples. The intricate ripples slowly spread across his vision. They were not difficult to distinguish—rather, they were too clear, so clear that it hurt.

Time seemed to have stopped, and all sound had vanished. Kazemori Masaki had never felt anything like this before. The ripples brought an enormous flood of information. Every tree, every Root of every branch, every leaf, even the stones on the ground seemed capable of becoming part of his perception.

Kazemori Masaki felt as though his consciousness was about to be swept apart. Through the haze, he thought he heard Satomi's voice, growing louder and clearer—

"Masaki, Masaki, Masaki!"

The last cry struck like a blow to the head, wrenching Kazemori Masaki free of that perception. Everything returned to normal. Satomi was moving beside him, watching him with concern.

"Zhenghui, are you all right? Why haven't you said anything?" Satomi asked.

"It's nothing." Only then did Kazemori Masaki realize how dangerous that moment had been. Not wanting to worry Satomi, he said nothing more, but he could not help wondering what had caused it.

That form of perception was too unusual. Kazemori Masaki suspected it had something to do with Sage Art, but he did not know what had brought it on. His Sage Art had come to him under strange circumstances to begin with. Perhaps it had undergone some new change without his noticing.

"Really? You don't look all right," Satomi said with a frown. They had been married for years, after all, and she could read some of what was on Kazemori Zhenghui's mind.

"It really is nothing. What about you? Were you hurt?" Kazemori Masaki brushed aside his own condition and turned the question back on Satomi.

"No. We caught those guys completely off guard. They were lucky just to stay alive. Hardly any of them could fight back," Satomi said.

"Yes, and she killed an enemy herself." Danzo had appeared at some point and now spoke up. "I killed two. Zhenghui, how many did you kill?"

"I'm ashamed to say it, but not a single one," Kazemori Masaki said with a rueful smile. "I ran into someone very powerful. My Wind Release could barely pierce his armor."

"There's someone like that?" Danzo was slightly startled. He knew how powerful Kazemori Masaki's Wind Release was, yet it had only managed to pierce the enemy's armor.

"I couldn't use any high-powered Wind Release techniques, but even if I had, I doubt I could have dealt him a fatal wound," Kazemori Masaki said after some thought.

The Third Raikage's Lightning Release armor was sturdy enough to withstand a Rasenshuriken. Although it could not completely block the attack, the remaining power was insufficient to seriously damage his body. Naruto Uzumaki had been forced to use the Third Raikage's own Strongest Spear to pierce him.

Even with Sage Art enhancing the techniques Kazemori Masaki currently knew, his Wind Release might not surpass the Rasenshuriken Naruto Uzumaki had thrown after gaining control of the Nine-Tails' power. Of course, the current Third Raikage had not yet reached his future prime, nor was he in an Impure World Reincarnation body that could keep fighting through any nonfatal injury. Even a nonfatal wound could seriously affect a living person. Perhaps Wind Release of that strength would not be necessary.

"I think you and I would need to fight together to reliably overpower him," Kazemori Masaki told Danzo. He considered that the safest approach.

Danzo's brow furrowed deeply. He did not doubt Kazemori Masaki's assessment or believe he would exaggerate. It seemed the other Shinobi Villages had some truly formidable fighters as well.

"After hearing that, I think retreating was the right choice," Senju Toka said, turning her head slightly. Although she was up ahead, she had heard their conversation.

"Lady Toka, what should we do now?" Satomi asked, shaken by Kazemori Masaki's description of the man's strength.

"Qi, what are they doing now?" Senju Toka looked at Hyuga Qi.

"They're heading back. Two other Kumogakure Ninja squads are also showing signs of movement. I suspect the other squads are doing the same. They're probably gathering together," Hyuga Qi said.

"Preparing for an all-out assault?" Senju Toka immediately guessed their intention and gave a quiet snort. "Good. Having everyone together makes things easier. We'll do the same, then continue with our earlier plan and slow them down. Tch, I hope the legion gets moving soon. This is what makes Samurai such a nuisance."

Unlike ninja, samurai generally had to assemble into a large force before leaving a city to engage the enemy. Their individual fighting ability was already inferior to that of ninja. Without an organized formation, they had no means of competing with them. That was what still allowed the Samurai Legion to exist.

Just as the Kumogakure Ninja force had done, Senju Toka gathered the Third Division together. With assistance from the scouting ninja, they used large-scale Genjutsu and limited armed strikes to keep the Kumogakure force occupied. Despite assembling their forces, the Kumogakure Ninja found that their situation hardly seemed to have changed.

"Damn it! Why do those Konoha ninja always seem to know which way we're going before we do?" Forced back once again, Hahn grew increasingly furious. In the Land of Lightning, with its fierce local temperament, most people born there had short tempers, and Hahn was no exception. His wealth of experience normally allowed him to control himself, but as the battle turned increasingly against them, that control began to slip.

"All we can say is that the Konoha ninja's scouting capabilities surpass ours," He said calmly from beside him. "I suspected as much during the earlier ambush. Their timing was far too perfect. And techniques of that scale and power could never have succeeded without advance preparation."

As expected of the future Third Raikage, He already showed the qualities of a leader, seeing more than others did. His junior fellow student, Sora, also seemed to have noticed something.

"Come to think of it, I think I saw someone among them with very pale eyes, almost white. Could that person be from the Hyuga Clan?" Sora asked.

"The Hyuga Clan? Hmm, their Byakugan is supposed to have tremendous powers of perception. But is it really that powerful?" Hahn frowned to himself at her words.

It was not that he had never heard of the Hyuga Clan's reputation, but hearing about something a hundred times was no substitute for seeing it once. Living in the Land of Lightning, he had never encountered the Hyuga Clan. No matter what the rumors said, he could not know their strength without witnessing it himself. Now, at last, Hahn was experiencing their powers of perception.

If only the Land of Lightning had the Hyuga Clan's eyes too, Hahn could not help thinking.

Regardless, Hahn could only continue directing the battle, urging his subordinates to attack ahead. This time, their fighting spirit ran unusually high, and the Third Division struggled to halt their advance. To buy more time, Senju Toka had no choice but to revise the battle plan.

Thus, the Third Division and the Kumogakure Ninja force inevitably entered a phase of direct combat.

(End of chapter)