The thick green smoke lingered in the air, refusing to dissipate. The Rain Shinobi discovered a towering wall blocking their path, sealing off the top as well. It felt as though they were trapped inside a massive box.
"We can't retreat!" Kyusuke gritted his teeth.
The dense smoke obscured their vision, making it impossible to discern friend from foe. All they could hear was the sharp clash of weapons. A kunai suddenly sliced through the air, grazing Kyusuke's arm. The stinging pain forced a grimace onto his face.
"Brother Yahiko, Asahi, are you alright?" he called out, more concerned about his comrades than himself.
"Kyusuke, stay vigilant," Yahiko replied.
The enclosed space rendered any attempt to dispel the smoke with ninjutsu ineffective. Asahi deftly sidestepped a shuriken whizzing toward him and thought to himself that this might be an opportunity.
Even though they were initially close by, Yahiko could no longer see Konan. Suddenly, the green smoke surged before him, and an enemy charged straight at his face!
Startled, Yahiko raised his kunai to defend himself.
The assailant's attacks were relentless and wild, forcing Yahiko into a corner. The kunai in the enemy's hand seemed to blur into countless afterimages. In an instant, Yahiko found himself wounded in multiple places. Then, out of nowhere, a small flying rock struck his thigh with precision, making him stumble. Within his narrow field of vision, a glint of steel streaked toward his neck!
Shnk!
At the last second, Yahiko narrowly avoided the lethal blow. However, the attacker suddenly collapsed, impaled from behind by a spear formed from white paper. The blood-stained tip protruded from their abdomen.
"Konan's technique..."
Yahiko, still shaken, realized it was this precise attack that had slowed the enemy.
Whoosh—
The sound of paper fluttering filled the air, reminiscent of leaves rustling in the wind. But the thick smoke made it impossible to see.
"Thank you, Konan."
Floating in midair after dispatching another enemy, Konan was startled to hear Yahiko's voice from below.
Then, she too noticed the fluttering sounds surrounding her.
A paper shuriken flew past her, sharp and gleaming. Only then did she realize: It's him...
Gradually, the sound of paper slicing through the air grew sharper and more frequent. In the suffocating smoke, aside from Yahiko's earlier words, Konan could sense only his presence.
Her expression tightened, her eyes flickering. Pressing her lips together, she transformed into countless razor-sharp paper blades, diving into the smoke!
Despite the thick smoke, the Iwa Shinobi maintained an advantage in the battle. Standing their ground, they unleashed a barrage of Earth Release techniques, spitting out flying stones to cause widespread damage. While these stones lacked the lethality of shuriken, their impact inflicted significant injuries.
Suddenly, several Iwa Shinobi noticed strange movements. A wave of white shadows surged through the smoke, overwhelming their vision. Nearby, the screams of their comrades rang out. Turning to look, they saw spears and shuriken made of paper piercing through their allies' bodies. The sheer intensity of the attack left some pinned to the ground, lifeless.
Panic spread among the Iwa Shinobi. Some quickly performed Earth Release defensive techniques, creating sturdy walls of stone to block the assault.
But their defenses crumbled almost instantly. The paper weapons, as if guided by a will of their own, attacked from behind.
Screams echoed relentlessly. Realizing the dire situation, one Iwa Shinobi unleashed a large-scale Earth Release technique. The ground trembled violently, breaking apart the massive earthen cage. The green smoke rushed out through the gaps, dispersing rapidly.
As visibility improved, the battlefield came into view.
The Rain Shinobi had suffered heavy casualties, with half of their forces already fallen. However, the Iwa Shinobi fared even worse. Of their twenty-man team, only four or five remained standing.
Some had perished under the strikes of the giant snake-like beast Kyoso wielded, while others fell to the sword of Kosuke. But the majority bore wounds from the relentless paper weapons, their bodies riddled with holes.
"What happened...?"
For a moment, everyone on the battlefield was frozen in shock.
Kyusuke was the first to recover. Overjoyed, he shouted, "It's Konan! It's Konan's ninjutsu!"
Kyoso's deep voice cut through the chaos. "Leave no one alive!"
The Rain Shinobi rallied, their morale soaring. They surged toward the remaining Iwa Shinobi. Despite the formidable strength of these last few foes, the combined efforts of Kyoso and Kosuke alone were enough to overwhelm them.
Konan sped through the air, a pair of wings made entirely of white paper extending from her back. From above, she unleashed a relentless barrage of paper shuriken at the fleeing Iwa Shinobi.
Realizing the battle was lost, the remaining Iwa Shinobi scattered in retreat.
Yahiko, his leg injured and unable to walk properly, wanted to join the pursuit but found himself powerless. He gazed at Konan displaying her prowess in the sky, his eyes shimmering with admiration.
"Yahiko."
Asahi retreated to Yahiko's side. "How are you holding up?"
"I'll manage," Yahiko said through gritted teeth, though a bitter expression soon crossed his face.
Of the three, his strength was now the weakest.
Looking around at the injured and the fallen, Yahiko's heart grew heavy. Many of them were members of Akatsuki who had followed him into this battle, and now they lay lifeless on the battlefield.
Asahi went to check on the wounded. Meanwhile, Kyoso showed no intention of letting the Iwa Shinobi escape unscathed. The remaining Iwa forces, however, wisely scattered in different directions. Despite the combined efforts of Konan and Kosuke, two managed to escape.
Realizing the area was not safe for prolonged engagement, Kyoso decided against giving chase.
Returning to the battlefield, Kyoso surveyed the scene. His expression betrayed little emotion, though he let out a faint sigh before addressing Yahiko. "We need to retreat immediately. You can grieve later."
War was unforgiving. This was Yahiko's first time on such a brutal battlefield, and it was a small miracle that so many of them had survived.
Casting a glance at Konan, Kyoso marveled at her strength. He couldn't help but wonder what made Yahiko so special that someone with her power and even the wielder of the Rinnegan would follow him.
Turning to Kosuke, Kyoso said, "We owe much to you this time. Initially, I underestimated you because of your rank as a genin. I was wrong, and I'm ashamed of my oversight."
Although Kosuke was undeniably powerful, Kyoso knew there was something unusual about his status. If Konoha's genin were all this terrifying, there would be no need for a shinobi war.
To avoid further reinforcements from the enemy, Kyoso decided to leave the Iwa Shinobi's bodies where they fell. He ordered the Rain Shinobi to carry their fallen comrades back to camp.
On the way back, Kyusuke and Asahi took turns carrying Yahiko.
Yahiko remained silent, weighed down by the loss of so many companions. The others, too, held their tongues.
As they moved through the forest, Kyoso slowed his pace and spoke to Konan. "Your name is Konan, correct?"
Konan nodded lightly.
"You're strong. To take down so many Iwa Shinobi... I will report this to Lord Hanzō and recommend that you be promoted to jonin."
Konan hesitated at the compliment, her eyes instinctively drifting toward Asahi.
Among them, she was likely the only one who knew the truth: those Iwa Shinobi had fallen to Asahi's hand.
Why Asahi could use her techniques was a mystery she couldn't explain. Seeing that Asahi had no intention of speaking up, she decided to let it pass.
"Thank you, Lord Kyoso," Yahiko replied on her behalf.