"So that Genjutsu earlier was just a distraction—to draw my attention away from the real attack, which came from my Byakugan's blind spot?"
Ao's instincts were correct. Mitsuki had indeed followed Heiji's advice, launching his strike precisely from the dead angle of the Byakugan. If his opponent had been a Hyūga of the main family, possessing both eyes, that tactic would've failed—but against someone using only a single Byakugan, the possibilities were far wider.
"Aa—"
A sharp cry rang out, like the screech of a thousand birds. Ruri appeared behind a Mist ninja with bandages wrapped around his head, the blazing light of Chidori crackling in her hand as she thrust forward with lightning speed.
The Mist ninja reacted quickly, realizing he couldn't turn in time to counter. He spun his wrist back blindly, stabbing with a kunai in a desperate attempt to trade injury for injury.
But Ruri twisted her body mid-strike, her movement fluid even at such high velocity—her flexibility was astounding. With a flick of her left hand, several senbon-shaped bolts of condensed lightning chakra shot forth, embedding into the Mist ninja's back.
The violent current paralyzed him instantly, leaving him rigid and helpless. Against an immobilized opponent, Ruri didn't hesitate. A single flash of blue light cut through the air—clean, efficient, final.
Another one down.
Meanwhile, Heiji was locked in combat with another Mist ninja. Unlike Ruri, he lacked her speed and offensive power, using the Gentle Fist to suppress and restrain rather than kill outright.
Whirr—
A massive, spinning blue chakra shuriken suddenly tore through the air toward the battlefield, closing in on Heiji's opponent at terrifying speed.
Seeing their comrade in danger, Ao and the shark-toothed Mist ninja nearby immediately tried to rush to his aid—
—but Shisui was already there. In an instant, several copies of him surrounded Ao and the shark-toothed man.
They weren't Shadow Clones—they were phantasmal afterimages, the result of Shisui's signature move: his personal variation of the Body Flicker.
Unlike other Jōnin, Shisui's Body Flicker was unique. Each time he vanished, he left behind a fleeting phantom—a mirage that looked identical to his real self. The afterimage couldn't attack, but if an enemy dared to ignore it, Shisui could reappear by overlapping perfectly with the phantom in a flash, striking from the blind spot before the enemy could even blink.
Just like now—dozens of Shisuis surrounded Ao and the shark-toothed ninja. Neither of them dared make a careless move.
Every fool who'd once underestimated those "illusions" had already become bones beneath the name Shunshin no Shisui.
With no allies left to protect him, the Mist ninja fighting Heiji was instantly bisected by Mitsuki's spinning Rasenshuriken.
The same brilliant blue shuriken that had once wreaked havoc on the battlefields of the Land of Rivers — breaking the will of countless Sand shinobi — returned to Mitsuki's side, hovering obediently beside him like a bird returning to its nest.
From within Mitsuki's chest, Shukaku groaned irritably.
"Partner! Why didn't you use that jutsu from yesterday instead? This one's so damn loud!"
Mitsuki grimaced. He agreed—Rasenshuriken really was noisy. Back in the Sand war, he'd had no choice but to use it. But now that he'd mastered Blazing Wind Annihilation, things were different.
He had actually planned to use that—until he remembered his title: The Konoha Gale.
Ruri had used her Chidori, Shisui had used his Shunshin… how could he not show off a little? For reputation—definitely not for style points—Mitsuki pretended not to hear the tanuki's complaints.
"Huh? What was that? Sorry, the wind's too strong—I can't hear you!"
With a huff, Shukaku covered his ears with his claws and retreated deeper into Mitsuki's clothes, deciding to stay there until the battle was over.
Mitsuki shrugged, then body-flickered beside one of Shisui's phantom images that was surrounding Ao and the shark-toothed Mist ninja.
Shisui tensed for a moment—the afterimage Mitsuki appeared next to was his real body.
"Yo," Mitsuki said casually, smirking. "You little rats sure made us work for it."
His tone was full of mocking amusement, as if laughing at the Mist ninja for sneaking into the Land of Fire like cowards too afraid to face Konoha head-on.
Ao's expression darkened. He didn't lash out, though his eyes burned with restrained fury. To Konoha, they were invaders—and if the situation were reversed, he knew he'd feel no sympathy either. Still, the odds were grim.
Facing Shunshin no Shisui, Chidori Ruri, and the Konoha Gale — the man who'd singlehandedly ended the war with Sunagakure — he knew there was no escaping this time.
Each of them alone was a nightmare. All three together? A death sentence.
But before Ao could speak, the shark-toothed ninja sneered.
"The strong devour the weak—that's the rule of the shinobi world, brat! Only you naïve Konoha types cling to those fake 'bonds'!"
His tone dripped with contempt, eyes gleaming with cruel arrogance.
Both Ruri and Heiji stepped forward, frowning at his words. Ruri's crimson Sharingan spun as she stared him down, her voice low and razor-sharp.
"Heh~ Look at you now," she said coldly. "Isn't this pitiful form exactly what you'd call the weakness of the worthless?"
Her words cut deep—icy, merciless, a blade of scorn that pierced straight into the heart. Her eyes gleamed like bloodied knives, her tone laced with mockery and disdain. Even hardened shinobi would feel a chill under that gaze.
"You—what did you just say?!"
The shark-toothed Mist ninja roared, his face flushing red with rage, veins bulging across his forehead. Driven mad by the insult, he glared at Ruri with murderous fury and began forming hand seals at lightning speed.
But before he could complete the sequence, Shisui appeared behind him—less than a blink later—slashing downward.
Only, instead of the feel of flesh and bone, his blade sliced through liquid.
Because this wasn't a normal shinobi.
He was a member of the Hōzuki Clan—masters of the Hydrification Technique.
By the time Shisui realized it, the enemy's jutsu was already complete.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"