Facing Yamashi, Jubei, the master swordsman from Sunagakure, was no stranger to the kenjutsu styles of Konohagakure. He recognized the technique being prepared: Konoha-ryū: Crescent Moon Dance.
As Yamashi made his move, Jubei responded by sliding his blade back into its sheath.
Konoha-ryū: Crescent Moon Dance.
Ittō-ryū: Godslayer Slash.
In the next instant, both shinobi struck at once. Steel flashed. Shadows weaved through the battlefield in a blur of lethal precision.
Clang. Boom.
Yamashi's two shadow clones were cleaved apart by Jubei's slash, dispersing into puffs of smoke. One of Yamashi's arms was severed mid-air, spinning before hitting the ground.
"Aaagh!"
A cry tore through the sky as blood arced in a crimson spray. Yamashi, teeth clenched in agony, clutched his stump and let out a muffled groan through a twisted expression of pain.
At that moment, Jubei stood motionless, until blood erupted from his chest. He crumpled, lifeless, to the earth.
Yamashi had paid for victory with the loss of an arm, but Jubei lay slain on the battlefield.
"Yamashi-senpai!"
Veigar called out in alarm, cutting his way through the chaos to Yamashi's side, cutting down a pair of Sunagakure shinobi as he ran.
Moments later, Veigar stood at Yamashi's flank, shielding him from further attack.
"Are you okay, Yamashi-senpai?!"
Enduring the pain, Yamashi growled back through gritted teeth, "I'll live."
Veigar turned to the gathering Konoha shinobi, shouting, "Who knows medical ninjutsu?! Treat Yamashi-senpai, now!"
"I can!"
A chūnin stepped forward, kneeling beside Yamashi and beginning immediate medical treatment.
Veigar nodded and, once assured Yamashi was in good hands, turned back to the battlefield, his blade raised.
"The rest of you, follow me! Press the attack!"
"Yes!"
"Kill them all!"
With Veigar leading the charge like a sharpened spearhead, he drove straight into the heart of the Sunagakure ranks. Wherever he passed, bodies fell.
Across the battlefield, Masaka, the commander of the Suna forces, scanned the chaos. His troops were faltering, and with one arm lost, his expression turned grim.
Rage and despair boiled inside him.
"Retreat!"
Masaka's command came bitterly, but watching his troops being slaughtered left him no choice.
"We're pulling out!" he barked to his remaining guards, his gaze burning with hatred as it landed on Shikuro across the battlefield.
"Yes, Captain!"
Though Masaka was retreating, Shikuro made no move to intercept. He knew better than to waste lives pursuing an enemy still flanked by elite guards. Killing Masaka now was far from guaranteed.
"Run!"
"Hurry!"
"We've lost!"
"Please, don't kill me!"
As Masaka's retreat order spread, panic overtook the Sunagakure ranks. Shinobi screamed, fled, and scattered in all directions.
"Chase them down!"
"Don't let them escape!"
Some Konoha shinobi surged forward, blades drawn, ready to pursue. But Shikuro's commanding voice cut through the battlefield.
"Hold! Do not pursue too far! Let them go!"
He knew better than to let the surviving Konoha ninja exhaust themselves or fall into a potential trap. Most were wounded, their chakra nearly spent. Any deeper pursuit could end in disaster.
Right now, saving lives and stabilizing the front line took priority.
Konoha shinobi paused, tense bodies finally relaxing as the last of the Suna forces vanished beyond the horizon. They gasped for air, drenched in sweat and blood.
"We won… We actually won."
"We defeated Sunagakure!"
As the realization sank in, Shikuro called out once more:
"All units! Triage the wounded. Clear the field."
Those still able to stand began combing the battlefield for survivors, dragging comrades out from under corpses, and binding open wounds.
Joy? Triumph? Grief?
None of the above.
What appeared on their faces now was the stunned expression of those who had survived death.
"Yes, sir."
Veigar joined the efforts, kneeling beside the wounded and lending what help he could.
In this clash alone, over 260 Suna shinobi had perished, more than half of them by Veigar's own blade. The rest had fallen to coordinated strikes by the remaining Konoha forces. Around seventy Konoha shinobi had died in return, and the survivors were all wounded to some degree.
But while Veigar's unit had secured victory, elsewhere the battle still raged.
At the front lines, Dōzan led a separate Suna force trying to break out of an encirclement.
"All units, fall back! Break through to the Land of Rivers!"
Under Dōzan's orders, the surrounded Suna shinobi pivoted, pushing hard against their northern flank in a desperate breakout attempt.
"Kill them!"
"Cut them down!"
"No mercy!"
Driven by desperation and fear, Suna's forces unleashed everything they had. Each shinobi fought as though one heartbeat slower meant death.
"Forward! Don't be afraid!"
Six or seven hundred Suna shinobi charged with all their might. The three hundred Konoha ninja forming the outer ring of the encirclement couldn't hold them all. Bit by bit, the Suna forces broke through.
From behind, Hizashi led a fierce pursuit, his Byakugan illuminating enemy positions and weaknesses. Konoha shinobi struck the rear of the fleeing enemy, cutting down any who lagged behind.
"For our fallen comrades, avenge them!"
"Don't let any of them escape!"
Eventually, Dōzan and a large group of Suna shinobi burst through the blockade. Relief began to bloom on his face.
But then, he saw him.
A figure stepped from the trees, blocking their path.
Orochimaru. One of the Legendary Sannin.
"That face… It's him!"
"Why is Orochimaru here?!"
A name whispered in fear, a shadow that chilled even battle-hardened veterans.
The mere sight of him made the Suna shinobi hesitate, panic gnawing at their resolve.
But Dōzan's will to survive burned stronger.
"We outnumber him! He's just one man!"
"If we break through, we live!"
With a desperate cry, the Suna troops surged toward Orochimaru.
But that sinister smile never left his face.
He began weaving hand seals.
Ten Thousand Snakes Wave.
Before they could reach him, Orochimaru dropped low to the ground, mouth gaping wide.
From his throat burst a flood of snakes, fangs glistening as they struck out toward the onrushing shinobi.
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