As Ao's voice fell, a ball of fire shot up into the sky. It suddenly transformed into a gigantic fire pillar, crashing down fiercely toward Butsuma. A shrill scream echoed. Soon, the flames disappeared, and Butsuma was no longer visible. The Konoha ninjas were thrown into panic.
"Butsuma-sama!"
"Butsuma-sama is dead!"
"Run!"
"If even Butsuma-sama couldn't stand against Ao, how powerful is Ao now?"
"It's terrifying!"
The Mist ninjas were greatly excited upon seeing this.
"Invincible!"
"Ao-sama is invincible!"
"Kill!"
"Seize this opportunity and eliminate all the Konoha ninjas!"
"The time for counterattack has come!"
Ao looked down at the Sword of the Darkness Flame, feeling his body trembling. It was trembling from sheer excitement.
Ao suddenly felt a surge of wanting to cry tears of joy.
"I've finally become a genuine powerhouse!"
"Soma, thank you!"
"But it seems I'm not just at the elite Jonin level."
"The power of the Sword of the Darkness Flame is even stronger than I anticipated."
"The more I say, the stronger I become!"
"In this ninja world, there's a place for me among the strong."
"While it might be a bit awkward to say those things, the boost in strength I've gained is genuine!"
"Others would crave for it!"
Ao no longer felt any resistance, completely submitting to the law of true chunibyo.
The Mist ninjas excitedly pursued.
"Ao-sama's strength is truly impressive now. He resolved Butsuma in just a few moves. I'm afraid he's already surpassed Fuguki-sama and the others. That fire was too powerful."
"It's mainly because of the Zanpakuto."
"Sword of the Darkness Flame—just the name sounds incredibly impressive."
"But I don't understand why Ao-senpai always mutters to himself before making a move."
"Something about blazing holy fire... I am invincible in this world..."
"I didn't expect Ao-senpai to have such a personality."
"Perhaps he used to hide his true nature due to a lack of strength, but now he can finally express it boldly."
The Mist ninjas speculated this way.
Ao heard such remarks and wanted to explain but didn't know how.
Revealing the "hidden" ability of the Sword of the Darkness Flame doesn't bring any benefit. If his reputation is "damaged," so be it. Ao no longer cares about that.
Meanwhile, the Konoha ninjas hated Ao even more for this.
"Stealing the Byakugan, killing Butsuma-sama, fighting while mocking us."
"This Ao is too much!"
"Neither Fuguki Suikazan nor Biwa Juzo acted this way."
"He's getting too arrogant."
The Konoha ninjas gritted their teeth in hatred towards Ao.
On the other side.
"Thud!"
Kohachi Kuriarare used the cover of the Water Mist to sneak up behind a Konoha ninja, driving the Blade of Destruction into the ninja's neck and quickly withdrawing.
The Konoha ninja clutched his throat, eyes wide, falling in disbelief.
But soon, other Konoha ninjas came to provide support.
Kohachi Kuriarare concealed himself.
A wave of fatigue hit him suddenly.
Kohachi Kuriarare had lost track of how many times he had struck and how many Konoha ninjas he had killed.
Kohachi Kuriarare felt that his chakra and stamina were nearly at their limit.
"These Konoha ninjas are too many!"
"Fuguki-sama and the others are still being held back and can't free themselves."
"It's a complete defeat!"
"It can be considered the biggest defeat Hidden Mist Village has faced since the days of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
"Teey've already chased us to the seaside, and these Konoha ninjas still won't stop?"
"Are they going to pursue us all the way to the Land of Water?"
Kohachi Kuriarare gritted his teeth.
Suddenly, he looked towards the distance.
Two figures were engaged in a fierce battle.
One was Hozuki Mangetsu from Hidden Mist Village.
The other was Uchiha Shisui from Konoha.
One excelled in Body Flicker Jutsu.
The other specialized in Water Release Jutsu.
One possessed the Sharingan and could use Genjutsu.
The other used Hydrification Jutsu, making him immune to physical damage.
Both were geniuses from their respective villages, with similar family backgrounds.
After several exchanges, the two of them developed a feeling of being both enemies and friends.
Uchiha Shisui didn't understand why.
Hozuki Mangetsu also didn't understand why.
However, both of them subconsciously held back, as if they were testing each other rather than fighting to the death.
In fact, it seemed like both were just going through the motions.
Kohachi Kuriarare's eyes flickered.
"If Mangetsu and Shisui's battle is evenly matched, I might be able to deliver a fatal blow to Uchiha Shisui if I sneak up behind him."
"A Uchiha genius... If he dies here, the Uchiha Clan will definitely be very distressed."
With this thought, Kohachi Kuriarare concealed his presence and approached Uchiha Shisui.
Neither Hozuki Mangetsu nor Uchiha Shisui noticed.
"Here's the chance!"
Suddenly, Kohachi Kuriarare sprang into action.
Hozuki Mangetsu was momentarily stunned by the sudden appearance of Kohachi Kuriarare.
Uchiha Shisui sensed something was wrong.
"Body Flicker Jutsu!"
his figure instantly disappeared, leaving only a green afterimage behind.
However, Kohachi Kuriarare's attack had already landed before Shisui could move away.
Shisui felt a burning pain on his back.
"Kohachi Kuriarare!"
"So this is the power of the Blade of Destruction?"
"It feels like torturous pain."
"This is the Great Grade Sword!"
Shisui kept a wary eye on Kohachi.
"What a pity!"
Kohachi displayed a look of regret.
"Mangetsu, let's team up and kill him!"
Before Kohachi's words had fully left his mouth, he was already in motion, channeling chakra into the Blade of Destruction, preparing to find another opportunity for a fatal strike against Uchiha Shisui.
Mangetsu and Shisui did indeed share a sense of mutual respect.
But at this moment, Mangetsu had no intention of being complacent.
Facing attacks from both sides, Shisui found himself in a difficult situation.
At this point, Shisui had not yet fully developed.
Body Flicker Jutsu had limited range.
The Sharingan was just an ordinary Tomoe Sharingan.
Mangetsu was already quite strong.
Moreover, there was also Kohachi.
His assassination jutsu made Shisui wary.
Just as Shisui was about to collapse.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
A fire dragon surged forward, blocking Kohachi and Mangetsu.
Fugaku's voice rang out.
"Shisui, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Clan Head, thank you."
Fugaku turned his gaze to Kohachi and Mangetsu.
"Shisui, you are a genius of our Uchiha Clan, the future of our clan. Your life is very important. If you feel you can't continue, step back for now."
"In this war, Konoha has an absolute advantage."
"There's no need to take risks."
Shisui nodded.
"Yes, Clan Head."
Mangetsu looked towards Fugaku.
Mangetsu noticed that not only himself and Shisui had been holding back during the previous battle, but Fugaku was doing the same.
Despite having greater strength, he was only using a portion of it.
However, Fugaku's reasons were likely different from his own or Shisui's.
Fugaku was right.
At this moment, Konoha did have an absolute advantage in this battle.
But Fugaku's restraint would inevitably lead to more sacrifices among the Konoha ninjas.
Such actions would only exacerbate the existing conflict between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha.
After all, not everyone is foolish; it's just a matter of whether or not it will be pursued.
One Fugaku's actions might result in the death of two or three more Konoha ninjas.
What if all the Uchiha ninjas behaved this way?
Mangetsu couldn't help but think of the Hozuki Clan.
"The situation of the Uchiha and Hozuki Clans is similar."
"ugaku's actions are definitely due to the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha."
"If the Hozuki Clan's ninjas acted this way because of conflicts with Hidden Mist Village, the relationship between the Hozuki Clan and the village after this war might become irreparably strained."
Mangetsu grew worried.
"I hope the Hozuki Clan members are not like the Uchiha."
Shisui had retreated to a relatively safe position and was teaming up with other Konoha ninjas to launch an attack.
Fugaku slightly nodded but did not notice the clear disappointment in Itachi's eyes as he looked up at him.
"Father, you're too selfish."
"Putting personal interests above the village."
"This is wrong."
Kohachi was somewhat disappointed at not being able to kill Shisui.
Suddenly.
"Kohachi-san, be careful!"
Mangetsu's voice rang out.
He swiftly moved to block in front of Kohachi.
"Hatake Style Kenjutsu, Third Form, Distant Thunder, Surprise Slash!"
Kohachi came to his senses and saw Kakashi flash forward, closing the distance instantly.
Like a bolt of lightning. From afar to near.
Kohachi's pupils constricted.
Fortunately, Mangetsu had used Hydrification Jutsu in advance.
When Kakashi's blade came down, it struck Hydrification instead of blood.
However, while Hydrification Jutsu could indeed immunize against physical damage, it was countered by Lightning Release, and Kakashi was an expert in Lightning Release.
Lightning flickered, coursing through Mangetsu's body.
Immediately, Mangetsu's body stiffened.
The Hydrification part turned into a jelly-like substance.
Kakashi aimed at Mangetsu's vital points and struck again.
"Ding!"
Kohachi reacted in time.
Sword of the Thunder God collided with the Blade of Destruction.
A tremendous force pushed back, causing Kohachi to continuously retreat.
But before retreating, Kohachi grabbed Mangetsu by the shoulder and took him along.
Then, Kohachi fixed his gaze on Kakashi.
"You've become stronger compared to last time!"
The first time, Kohachi had the advantage with his Ninjato, and they were evenly matched.
The second time, Kohachi lost to Kakashi, who wielded the Sword of the Thunder God.
But this time, Kohachi could feel that Kakashi had become stronger compared to their last encounter.
Kohachi looked around.
Ameyuri was injured and had returned to the village.
Kisame needed to hold off Orochimaru.
Thus, the younger generation of Hidden Mist Village had no one left who could stand against Kakashi.
"I'll handle it!"
Kohachi turned at the sound.
He saw Zabuza approaching slowly.
"Zabuza?"
"You're no match for him!"
Kohachi had heard of Zabuza.
A genius skilled in Water Release and assassination techniques.
One who seemed to be somewhat similar to himself in type.
Before obtaining the Blade of Destruction, Kohachi knew that his talent was not comparable to Zabuza's in the eyes of others.
But with the Blade of Destruction, things were different.
Zabuza had never been a match for Kakashi before.
Now that Kakashi had evolved, Zabuza was even less likely to be his opponent.
"Whether or not I'm a match, we'll find out through battle."
Zabuza looked at Kakashi.
"Hatake Kakashi, come and fight!"
Kakashi glanced at Zabuza calmly.
In the next moment, he suddenly moved.
"Hatake Style Kenjutsu, Second Form, Kenrai, Swirling Wind!"
Kakashi's figure began to spin at an incredibly high speed, each rotation leaving a streak of blade light in its path.
The blade light and lightning flickered and intertwined.
Zabuza felt as if he was being attacked by countless opponents all at once.
There was more than just Kakashi in front of him.
The attacks were overwhelming, like a torrential storm.
Zabuza could not block them.
"Boom!"
Zabuza's body was violently thrown backward.
He had numerous cuts and gashes on his body.
His clothes were tattered.
There were clear traces of blood.
Before Zabuza's body even hit the ground, Kakashi had already caught up.
Kakashi's lightning sword descended upon Zabuza once more.
Kohachi and Mangetsu were unable to assist in time.
Moreover, in their current state, even if they could assist, it wouldn't make much of a difference.
"Ding!"
"Ding!"
"Ding!"
Kakashi suddenly noticed that the figure in front of him had changed.
It had turned into another person.
All of his relentless, impenetrable, lightning-fast attacks were blocked completely.
Firmly blocked.
"Who are you?"
After the flurry of attacks ended, Kakashi did not hesitate and quickly retreated, looking at the newcomer.
Hoshigaki Ryukame glanced at the Broad Sword in his hand.
It showed some noticeable marks from Kakashi's attacks.
A Skillful Grade Sword, a Ninjato personally crafted by Uehara Soma.
But, after all, it was made from ordinary materials.
Facing the Sword of the Thunder God and Kakashi's attacks, it still wasn't enough.
But if this weren't a Ninjato personally crafted by Soma, but rather one produced by Land of Iron, the damage would have been much more severe, possibly even broken.
"Hidden Mist Village, Stable Rock Style, Hoshigaki Ryukame!"
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