Chapter 235: Dark Owl's Power
From within one of her ice mirrors, Minazuki Saya saw them arrive.
Damn it! This operation was supposed to be a secret! Who leaked it? Her eyes instinctively shot toward Dark Owl.
But Dark Owl's tense posture told her she was just as surprised.
Then that only leaves... no. She would never. She's always been so loyal... Saya shook her head, trying to deny the suspicion forming in her mind.
But the sight of a graceful figure standing among the enemy's ranks shattered her last vestiges of hope.
"Mi-na-zu-ki... Sai-ran!!!"
The enraged clan leader spat out the traitor's name, each syllable dripping with venom.
Just then, a voice filled with killing intent hissed in her ear, pulling her attention back to the present.
"Found you." It was Munashi Jinpachi, his face a mask of fury.
He brought his sword down in a powerful arc. The numerous exploding tags on the blade of the Blastsword, Shibuki, detonated in a massive explosion.
"Blastsword Art: Erupting Heavy Death!"
BOOM!
With no time to dodge, Saya could only hastily form a thick layer of ice around herself. She was sent flying by the force of the blast, crashing to the ground in a bruised and battered heap.
"Useless," Dark Owl said coldly. But there was no time for recriminations. The immediate crisis had to be dealt with. Her presence here implicated her in the ambush. Not only the remaining Seven Swordsmen, but Hozuki Mangetsu and his men would not let her go easily.
To survive, she would have to fight with everything she had.
With Saya's defeat, the secret world of the ice mirrors began to dissipate. The three remaining swordsmen emerged from the swirling shards of ice.
"Well, well, if it isn't the esteemed Dark Owl. I didn't realize you were a part of this," Munashi Jinpachi said, his voice dripping with scorn.
"You were all defeated by him," Dark Owl replied, her voice warped by a strange, violent emotion. "If he could defeat you, then so can I."
The highly integrated Hashirama cells in her body had already pushed her chakra to a level far beyond what it had once been. As she unleashed her full power, the sheer pressure of it shocked everyone present.
"Wood Release: Tree Binding Eternal Burial!"
Vine-like saplings shot up from the ground, growing at an incredible rate. In a matter of seconds, they had not only trapped the three stunned swordsmen, but also blocked Hozuki Mangetsu's path, preventing him from joining the fray.
"Wood Release?! Who the hell are you?" Biwa Juzo's question was on everyone's mind, including Minazuki Saya's.
But Dark Owl had no intention of answering.
She charged toward the three men, who were now completely surrounded by a dense forest of massive trees.
"Bold!" Jinpachi sneered, but his movements were swift and precise. He used his Blastsword to clear a path through the encroaching trees and, with a burst of chakra, lunged at the charging Dark Owl.
"Die!!!"
BOOM!
A cloud of smoke and debris billowed out from the explosion. The other two swordsmen smiled cruelly. To them, her actions were suicidal. The destructive power of the Blastsword was something even they were wary of. A foe who charged in empty-handed was as good as dead.
But Jinpachi did not share their confidence. Just as his blade was about to connect, a brilliant white light had flashed before his eyes. He had felt the impact. His attack had been blocked.
His first instinct was to retreat, but in that split second, he made the fatal mistake of looking at his opponent's face.
Those eyes... how is that possible... The terrified thought had barely formed in his mind before it was too late.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan." The Mangekyo in Dark Owl's eyes blazed, and Jinpachi's body went rigid.
With her enemy trapped in the illusion, Dark Owl's will became reality. The arm of her white Susanoo rose and fell in a single, devastating blow.
With a sickening crunch, Jinpachi's body was crushed into a paste.
Munashi Jinpachi was dead.
"Hehehe... is that all the power you have?" Dark Owl's low, insane laughter echoed from behind her eerie mask.
Before the other two could react, a spiritual entity shot out from her body and dove into Kuriarare Kushimaru.
"The blunt sword, Kabutowari... I wonder how it feels to smash yourself with it," a chilling, otherworldly voice said, coming from Kushimaru's own mouth.
Before Biwa Juzo could even react, "Kushimaru" raised the massive axe-and-hammer weapon and swung it at his own body. The blunt sword, which could shatter any defense, proved just as effective against its own wielder.
Dark Owl had claimed another victim.
This spiritual attack... it's even more useful than I anticipated, Dark Owl thought, feeling no joy in her victory, only a cold, analytical curiosity. But it does leave my body vulnerable. It's good for a surprise attack, but not in a direct confrontation. Her spirit flew back to her own body.
With five of their number now dead, only Biwa Juzo remained. The thought of revenge had been completely extinguished from his mind.
This enemy is a monster. I have to get back to the village... no, I can't go back to the village. The terrified swordsman turned and fled in the opposite direction. He knew that even Hozuki Mangetsu was no match for this foe. The Mist Village would soon fall into the hands of the Minazuki. To return would be suicide. The life of a rogue ninja was not ideal, but it was better than death.
Dark Owl did not stop him. She knew that a man that broken would never return to the Mist.
She turned to face the Hozuki clan, who had finally broken through the forest. She said nothing. Her actions would be her answer.
The white skeleton of her Susanoo materialized once more and, with a single punch, charged toward her new enemies.
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