Before Shamon's head severed from his neck and descended to the ground, Tatsuya's right hand withdrew the sword back into its sheath, while his left hand swiftly snatched it backward. He caught the head before it hit the ground, holding it in his grasp.
As the Chakra supply to the surrounding sand ceased, the once-rampant sand sea disintegrated into a dispersion that faded with the breeze, losing its aggressive intent and drifting aimlessly.
With the sand wall's collapse, the assembly of Sand Shinobi ninjas refocused their gaze ahead.
They bore witness to Tatsuya clutching their Master Kazekage's head in his left hand, with the headless body falling behind him.
This shockingly impactful scene left hundreds of Sand Shinobi in a stupefied daze.
Amidst this momentary lull, Tatsuya's form flickered and vanished from his position.
Finally, someone among the Sand Shinobi reacted and cried out,"Master Kazekage has been slain!"
Master Kazekage had fallen.
This proclamation propagated like wildfire throughout Sunagakure. The ensuing panic rapidly spread to every corner of the village.
...
...
"Jiraiya, when can we retreat? My Chakra's nearly depleted!"
At the entrance to Sunagakure, Gamabunta struggled to dodge the onslaught, employing a short blade as a makeshift defense against a barrage of ninjutsu from all directions.
Each swing of the blade accompanied spurts of uncontrollable blood from his wounds.
Despite its size advantage, Gamabunta was unequivocally a living target.
Unlike the Nine-Tails, this Summoning Beast lacked unparalleled regenerative chakra abilities.
"Apologies, hold on!"
Jiraiya responded, his expression tinged with regret, his attention alternately shifting between the entrance and exit.
Is Tatsuya alright? What if he doesn't emerge anymore? I can't last much longer. Suddenly, sand waves surged beneath Gamabunta ensnaring his legs.
"Uh!?"
Gamabunta's pupils constricted, his gaze dropping to his ensnared feet.
Before him stood a red-haired youth, manipulating the quicksand in a bid to hinder his movements.
"You little brat!"
Exasperation brimmed within Gamabunta, his short blade aiming for the sand at his feet.
Since earlier, this kid's sand had been causing hindrances. Upon landing and becoming ensnared, considerable effort was required to break free.
He initially managed, yet as the injury worsened, Rasa seized the opportunity.
"Sand-bound Hazel!"
At the same moment, Rasa swiftly clasped his hands together. The sand waves entwining Gamabunta's feet twisted akin to a wrung towel.
"Uh!"
The excruciating agony of fractured bones forced Gamabunta to tumble to the ground, his posture undignified.
"Gamabunta!"
Jiraiya exclaimed.
"Get out of here Jiraya; I'll retreat."
With this declaration, Gamabunta reverse-summoned itself and turned into smoke, and fled back to the realm of Summoning.
"Capture Jiraiya!"
Finally freed from the troublesome toad, Rasa extended his arm towards Jiraiya, who was the next target.
"Summon another toad?"
Observing the oncoming swarm with rapidity, Jiraiya swiftly formulated a battle strategy in his mind.
Had this been Anbu or Root operatives, they would have likely retreated by this point.
This differentiation underscored why a select few, like Jiraiya, persisted in pushing on.
"Step aside, all of you."
Abruptly, a voice echoed from behind.
Rasa, acting on instinct, preemptively deployed a shield of sand to defend against the looming menace, an aura of dread cloaking the intruder.
A gleaming aura of blades materialized, meeting the sand shield halfway before blossoming into innumerable sword flowers, embodying a shinigami reaping lives.
The Sand Shinobi, their focus fixed solely on Jiraiya, were caught off guard, succumbing to a potent strike that spelled their swift defeat.
"Blocked?"
Meeting the sand shield's resistance for the second time, Tatsuya cast an appraising glance toward Rasa.
When he observed the red-haired figure at the opposite end, reminiscent of the Uzumaki clan, Tatsuya had already deduced the other's identity.
"It's you."
With a knowing smile, Tatsuya offered a four-word appraisal upon unraveling the other's identity.
No time was squandered in pleasantries as he passed directly by Rasa.
Simultaneously, Rasa's realization dawned.
Adjacent to him, suspended from Tatsuya's waist, was a bare forehead—the severed head of a human, blood still dripping!
"Retreat!"
Tatsuya patted Jiraiya on the shoulder, sprinting towards the Land of Rivers without faltering.
"Quickly!"
Jiraiya reacted instantaneously, pivoting on his heels to flee as well.
"They've slain Master Kazekage! Pursue them!"
Rasa, regaining his senses, rallied the remaining Sand Shinobi and bellowed the order.
...
...
Three days later.
The frontline battlefield straddles the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers.
Blue arcs of electricity voraciously claimed the lives of Sand Shinobi on the battlefield, akin to bloodthirsty predator.
Whoosh—
Abruptly, three puppets clad in white attire configured themselves in a triangular formation in midair. Manipulated by Chakra strings, they arced through the sky, intercepting the oncoming electrical onslaught.
In the ensuing second, the three white-clad puppets exhaled copious amounts of purple mist.
"Poison?!"
Confronted with this unforeseen development, Hatake relinquished his pursuit, his left hand instinctively covering his mouth and nose as he swiftly retreated.
"Is this a new toxin? It would be perilous to engage prior to Tsunade-sama concocting an antidote."
Nara Shikaku, turning towards the frontline commander Orochimaru, sought guidance, "Master Orochimaru, might it be prudent to disengage from this confrontation?"
Orochimaru, without much contemplation, was about to nod in agreement.
Over the years of stagnated strife with the Sand Shinobi, such scenarios had become all too familiar.
With every new poison concocted by Chiyo, Tsunade's medical expertise was indispensably enlisted to counteract its effects.
"It's unnecessary."
At that instant, two figures materialized on the periphery of the battlefield.
One of them elevated an object high, projecting their voice to reach both the warring Sand Shinobi and Konoha forces:
"Second Kazekage, Shamon's head is here."
READ 40 CHAPTERS AHEAD ON P*TREON.C*M/MARIONI
Before Shamon's head severed from his neck and descended to the ground, Tatsuya's right hand withdrew the sword back into its sheath, while his left hand swiftly snatched it backward. He caught the head before it hit the ground, holding it in his grasp.
As the Chakra supply to the surrounding sand ceased, the once-rampant sand sea disintegrated into a dispersion that faded with the breeze, losing its aggressive intent and drifting aimlessly.
With the sand wall's collapse, the assembly of Sand Shinobi ninjas refocused their gaze ahead.
They bore witness to Tatsuya clutching their Master Kazekage's head in his left hand, with the headless body falling behind him.
This shockingly impactful scene left hundreds of Sand Shinobi in a stupefied daze.
Amidst this momentary lull, Tatsuya's form flickered and vanished from his position.
Finally, someone among the Sand Shinobi reacted and cried out,"Master Kazekage has been slain!"
Master Kazekage had fallen.
This proclamation propagated like wildfire throughout Sunagakure. The ensuing panic rapidly spread to every corner of the village.
...
...
"Jiraiya, when can we retreat? My Chakra's nearly depleted!"
At the entrance to Sunagakure, Gamabunta struggled to dodge the onslaught, employing a short blade as a makeshift defense against a barrage of ninjutsu from all directions.
Each swing of the blade accompanied spurts of uncontrollable blood from his wounds.
Despite its size advantage, Gamabunta was unequivocally a living target.
Unlike the Nine-Tails, this Summoning Beast lacked unparalleled regenerative chakra abilities.
"Apologies, hold on!"
Jiraiya responded, his expression tinged with regret, his attention alternately shifting between the entrance and exit.
Is Tatsuya alright? What if he doesn't emerge anymore? I can't last much longer. Suddenly, sand waves surged beneath Gamabunta ensnaring his legs.
"Uh!?"
Gamabunta's pupils constricted, his gaze dropping to his ensnared feet.
Before him stood a red-haired youth, manipulating the quicksand in a bid to hinder his movements.
"You little brat!"
Exasperation brimmed within Gamabunta, his short blade aiming for the sand at his feet.
Since earlier, this kid's sand had been causing hindrances. Upon landing and becoming ensnared, considerable effort was required to break free.
He initially managed, yet as the injury worsened, Rasa seized the opportunity.
"Sand-bound Hazel!"
At the same moment, Rasa swiftly clasped his hands together. The sand waves entwining Gamabunta's feet twisted akin to a wrung towel.
"Uh!"
The excruciating agony of fractured bones forced Gamabunta to tumble to the ground, his posture undignified.
"Gamabunta!"
Jiraiya exclaimed.
"Get out of here Jiraya; I'll retreat."
With this declaration, Gamabunta reverse-summoned itself and turned into smoke, and fled back to the realm of Summoning.
"Capture Jiraiya!"
Finally freed from the troublesome toad, Rasa extended his arm towards Jiraiya, who was the next target.
"Summon another toad?"
Observing the oncoming swarm with rapidity, Jiraiya swiftly formulated a battle strategy in his mind.
Had this been Anbu or Root operatives, they would have likely retreated by this point.
This differentiation underscored why a select few, like Jiraiya, persisted in pushing on.
"Step aside, all of you."
Abruptly, a voice echoed from behind.
Rasa, acting on instinct, preemptively deployed a shield of sand to defend against the looming menace, an aura of dread cloaking the intruder.
A gleaming aura of blades materialized, meeting the sand shield halfway before blossoming into innumerable sword flowers, embodying a shinigami reaping lives.
The Sand Shinobi, their focus fixed solely on Jiraiya, were caught off guard, succumbing to a potent strike that spelled their swift defeat.
"Blocked?"
Meeting the sand shield's resistance for the second time, Tatsuya cast an appraising glance toward Rasa.
When he observed the red-haired figure at the opposite end, reminiscent of the Uzumaki clan, Tatsuya had already deduced the other's identity.
"It's you."
With a knowing smile, Tatsuya offered a four-word appraisal upon unraveling the other's identity.
No time was squandered in pleasantries as he passed directly by Rasa.
Simultaneously, Rasa's realization dawned.
Adjacent to him, suspended from Tatsuya's waist, was a bare forehead—the severed head of a human, blood still dripping!
"Retreat!"
Tatsuya patted Jiraiya on the shoulder, sprinting towards the Land of Rivers without faltering.
"Quickly!"
Jiraiya reacted instantaneously, pivoting on his heels to flee as well.
"They've slain Master Kazekage! Pursue them!"
Rasa, regaining his senses, rallied the remaining Sand Shinobi and bellowed the order.
...
...
Three days later.
The frontline battlefield straddles the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers.
Blue arcs of electricity voraciously claimed the lives of Sand Shinobi on the battlefield, akin to bloodthirsty predator.
Whoosh—
Abruptly, three puppets clad in white attire configured themselves in a triangular formation in midair. Manipulated by Chakra strings, they arced through the sky, intercepting the oncoming electrical onslaught.
In the ensuing second, the three white-clad puppets exhaled copious amounts of purple mist.
"Poison?!"
Confronted with this unforeseen development, Hatake relinquished his pursuit, his left hand instinctively covering his mouth and nose as he swiftly retreated.
"Is this a new toxin? It would be perilous to engage prior to Tsunade-sama concocting an antidote."
Nara Shikaku, turning towards the frontline commander Orochimaru, sought guidance, "Master Orochimaru, might it be prudent to disengage from this confrontation?"
Orochimaru, without much contemplation, was about to nod in agreement.
Over the years of stagnated strife with the Sand Shinobi, such scenarios had become all too familiar.
With every new poison concocted by Chiyo, Tsunade's medical expertise was indispensably enlisted to counteract its effects.
"It's unnecessary."
At that instant, two figures materialized on the periphery of the battlefield.
One of them elevated an object high, projecting their voice to reach both the warring Sand Shinobi and Konoha forces:
"Second Kazekage, Shamon's head is here."
READ 40 CHAPTERS AHEAD ON P*TREON.C*M/MARIONI
