The Hidden Mist ninja had been battling the Three-Tails all day, and now they were running on fumes. Meanwhile, the Konoha team—having rested and popped chakra enhancement pills—were fresh and at their peak. When they charged in, it was like tigers tearing through a flock of sheep. Any Mist ninja who got close was cut down in seconds.
Aming staggered to her feet, despair burning in her eyes. She was running on empty, her chakra reserves scraped dry, but she still refused to back down. Gritting her teeth, she drew her blade—she couldn't let Master Genshi's sacrifice, and the survival of the Three-Tails jinchūriki, go to waste.
Summoning the last dregs of her power, she forced her Lava Release chakra up from her core, concentrating it in her throat. With a desperate shout, she spat straight at Inoichi Yamanaka's face.
"Lava Release: Molten Spit Technique!"
A glob of magma hit Inoichi square in the face.
"AHHH!" Inoichi screamed, rolling on the ground clutching his face, writhing in agony—until he finally went still.
But the other three Konoha shinobi had no time to mourn. They pressed forward relentlessly.
"Clang!"
Aming raised her blade to block Fugaku Uchiha's strike. She tried to unleash her Boil Release—aiming to spray him in the face—but just as she met Fugaku's eyes, her body froze. She trembled uncontrollably. In less than two seconds, her eyes rolled back and she collapsed, unconscious.
Fugaku moved to finish her off, but more Mist ninja charged at him, reckless and unafraid of death.
"Fugaku, don't get bogged down! Kakashi, carry Rin—we're heading for Funato Port!" Koharu Utatane barked.
Kakashi didn't hesitate. He slung Rin over his shoulder and took off. Koharu and Fugaku covered their retreat, hacking through the remaining Mist ninja as they fought their way to the port.
"Elder Koharu, our ship's still in the dock getting barnacles scraped—we can't just sail out!" Fugaku shouted, slicing a Mist ninja's throat and kicking another away in the chaos.
The Konoha delegation's ship had been docked at Mist for over half a year; the hull was covered in barnacles and was currently being cleaned at Funato Port. Fugaku knew this.
"I already sent Mushū to prepare a vessel," Koharu replied, stabbing her blade into a Mist ninja's gut.
Only then did Fugaku realize Mushū hadn't been seen since the operation began—Koharu had planned their escape from the start.
After a brutal fight, the last of the Mist ANBU lay dead at their feet. At last, they could retreat.
"Move! Move! The Kaguya rebellion must be nearly finished too. Once Ao catches on, we'll be trapped!" Koharu urged.
The Kaguya rebellion was, as Koharu predicted, nearing its end. The rebels and Mist ninja were like two equally matched giants locked in an arm-wrestling contest—one side had numbers, the other elite troops; one fought on home turf, the other was fearless. They'd battled for a full day and night, evenly matched, until Master Genshi's 170-plus ANBU joined the fray and tipped the scales.
By now, the Kaguya rebels had been whittled down to just over four hundred, still resisting stubbornly under their leader, Kaguya Menma. Ōpeng's three thousand Mist ninja had suffered heavy losses—more than half were dead. Only Ao had held back, waiting for his moment.
With fewer than thirty men left, Ao knew throwing them into the melee wouldn't change much. He was counting on his plan—and he had absolute faith in Master Genshi's strength and wisdom.
Just then, the guards from Master Genshi's estate arrived in a rush. Ao didn't waste time on pleasantries; he grabbed the guard captain and barked, "This is urgent. You can fill me in on Master Genshi's situation later. Right now, we need to crush this rebellion—follow my orders!"
"Yes, Master Genshi gave the same instructions," the captain replied.
"Good," Ao said, pointing to the battlefield. "See that guy fighting Ōpeng?"
The captain looked, then nodded. "I see him."
"Remember him. In a moment, you and your men will charge from Shishin Street with me. Get me close—I know how to deal with him."
"Understood!"
Ōpeng was nearly spent. The other three guardians had already fallen; he was covered in wounds, the worst a bone sword that had pierced clean through his thigh. He'd yanked it out himself, gritting his teeth through the pain just to keep fighting. His opponent was a monster.
Kaguya Menma, by contrast, looked battered but still radiated murderous intent.
He'd taken multiple hits from Ōpeng's iron mace—arms, thighs, even his head. Ōpeng had seen his own mace snap Menma's thigh, folding it at a right angle and dropping him to the ground.
But what happened next was beyond belief.
Menma, right in front of him, cut open his own knee, reached inside, and pulled out two shattered pieces of thigh bone.
Then—he stood back up, wielding those broken bones as weapons, and charged back into the fight.
Such unyielding will, such terrifying kekkei genkai—if only it could be turned against their enemies.
After a full day of battle, the Mist ninja had learned the Kaguya clan's weakness. The Dead Bone Pulse only hardened their bones—it didn't make them immortal. The throat, wrists, and major arteries in the thighs were still fatal targets. If you were lucky enough to stab straight through the ribs and into the heart, you could kill them—but that was easier said than done.
Ōpeng's vision swam; he knew he was losing too much blood, but he couldn't give in. If he fell, morale would collapse, and all those deaths would be for nothing.
Suddenly, chaos erupted in the rebel ranks. Forcing himself to focus, Ōpeng saw a small squad of ANBU charging in from Shishin Street, instantly splitting the rebels. Menma's group was down to a dozen!
A golden opportunity for a decapitation strike.
"Brothers! With me—take them down!" Ōpeng roared, tossing aside his mace and grabbing two ninja blades from the ground. He charged straight at Kaguya Menma.
Menma grinned, sprouting countless bone spikes from his body as he rushed to meet Ōpeng.
Suddenly, a figure darted in front of Menma and slapped his shoulder.
Instantly, Menma was wrapped in thick rubber, transformed into a giant ball.
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