Hanzō's eyes radiated a chilling gleam.
He knew, how could Shiratori possibly die so easily!
After all, he was his student!
[Reminiscence detected: Hanzō +5000 points]
[Energy transferred to Choso]
[Development progress: 53%]
Rasa's heart kept sinking.
If the Ame ninjas in the gorge had returned safely, then what about Pakura and the others?
He didn't want to imagine.
That brat was stronger than he had expected. He could actually summon such terrifying and powerful monsters.
What Rasa had to do was kill him before that genius fully matured.
Purple poisonous mist spread from Hanzō as its center, rolling and roaring like venomous snakes amidst the dark, heavy sandstorm.
Behind Rasa, the venom spewed from the salamander's mouth devoured everything at incredible speed, sand, corpses, Suna ninjas… even the air made sizzling, corroding sounds.
Gold dust gathered beneath his feet into a round platform, lifting him into the air. Around him, the gold dust surged like an ocean on the verge of a tsunami.
His face was getting pale.
Fighting Hanzō had drained far too much of his chakra.
Even with an antidote that could resist Hanzō's poison mist, defeating him would be difficult.
This Salamander had extremely rich battle experience, and his taijutsu was among the very best of all ninjas. His control over the toxins in his body was brought to perfection.
For a moment, Rasa was left with no way out. And behind him lurked Hanzō's ever-watchful summon beast.
That monster, summoned by the Ame ninja brat, was rampaging across the battlefield. At this rate, Suna would be doomed.
He could not lose. Otherwise, all the prestige he had built up would vanish into smoke. Not only that, but the Kazekage would never forgive him.
This time, he and Pakura had led quite a number of ninjas, and the Kazekage's goal was for them to end things quickly, preventing the Ame front from interfering with the Konoha battlefield.
They had to remember, Konoha was their real and most formidable enemy!
Rasa's breathing carried a faint heaviness.
He narrowed his eyes, searching the poisonous haze for Hanzō's vanished form. His pupils darted around, missing not the slightest movement.
To reverse Suna's decline, there was only one solution: kill Shiratori!
The remaining Ame ninjas could barely stand, much less keep fighting. Once he was killed, the monsters he controlled would vanish.
Suna would immediately seize the advantage.
[Killing Intent detected: Rasa +10,000 points]
[Energy transferred to Sukuna]
[Development progress: 97.6%]
Gold dust surged like rolling waves, blotting out the sky.
Hanzō's figure darted through the poisonous fog.
The air churned.
A massive shield of gold dust rose abruptly before Rasa.
Bang.
A scythe bit deep into the golden shield.
Sparks flew.
Hanzō and Rasa's gazes met, both brimming with murderous intent. Their figures shot through the toxic mist, clashing again and again. Every time Hanzō's scythe struck against the golden shields controlled by Rasa, a shower of blinding sparks erupted.
Rasa's lips were pale, chakra surging violently within him.
A raging gale burst out from his body, lifting the surrounding sand high into the air, an immense sandstorm swept across the battlefield.
The moon vanished behind thick clouds, plunging the field into darkness. The chaotic sandstorm blew the poison mist away. Within the storm, gold dust silently gathered, forming countless long spears in midair. It was as though a golden rainstorm had fallen upon the desert.
The densely packed golden spears whistled sharply as they tore through the air, endlessly shooting in all directions. The unrelenting barrage forced Hanzō to constantly dodge and block with his scythe.
And in the moment when Hanzō was fully occupied with Rasa's assault, Rasa, hidden behind the sandstorm, had already locked his gaze firmly on Shiratori in the distance.
Murderous intent boiled in his heart.
[Killing Intent detected: Rasa +5000 points]
[Energy transferred to Sukuna]
[Development progress: 97.65%]
Shiratori seemed to sense something and glanced over his shoulder. Even in the battlefield's darkness and chaos, he could see Rasa's bloodshot eyes.
It was clear, that guy truly wanted to kill him.
Rasa, don't stop now!
Let your emotions flow!
After all, to Shiratori, Rasa's emotions were solar energy.
Energy to replenish!
While Hanzō dealt with the golden spears from above, Rasa didn't slow down. His hands flashed through seals so quickly they left only afterimages.
The sea of gold dust around him roared again. In an instant, the gold dust compressed into a massive, sharply-edged golden pyramid. The pyramid began forming beneath Hanzō's feet, binding his limbs within.
Rasa knew the golden pyramid couldn't restrain Hanzō for long, he had to act in that brief window of time.
Kill Shiratori!
At this point, he was an even greater threat to Suna than Hanzō himself.
Hanzō's poison had already been countered by the elders, but the mysterious powers of this brat remained unsolved.
The golden pyramid carried a weight and density beyond human imagination. The instant it dropped, the ground shook violently as if struck by a massive hammer.
Hanzō felt his limbs sink into the seemingly soft gold dust. A strange suction from within the dust pulled him deeper into the pyramid. His eyes darkened as poison mist surged from every part of his body.
Inside, the gold dust was corroded by the thick toxin, hissing sharply.
At that moment, Rasa's figure vanished like a ghost from Hanzō's sight.
The moon slipped out from behind the clouds.
Cold silver light poured over the battlefield.
In that moonlight, Rasa moved like a stream of golden sand, cutting through the thick dust in the air to appear instantly behind Shiratori.
His speed had surpassed the limits of sight.
[Killing Intent detected: Rasa +10,000 points]
[Energy transferred to Sukuna]
[Development progress: 97.75%]
"Rasa-sama!"
"Kill him!"
"Kill that brat!"
"Rasa-sama!"
Countless Suna ninjas saw Rasa's actions, and the despair in their eyes began to fade.
As long as they killed Shiratori, all these other creatures would vanish!
[Killing Intent detected]
[Multiple sources: +10,000 points each]
[Total accumulated: 250,000 points]
[Energy transferred to Sukuna]
[Development progress: 100%]
[Sukuna Ryomen: Maximum level achieved]
[Copy Technique Template]
[Kugisaki Nobara - Straw Doll Technique: UNLOCKED]
[Copy Technique Template]
[Shigemo Haruta - Miracles: UNLOCKED]
[Copy Technique Template]
[Uro Takako - Sky Manipulation: UNLOCKED]
He struck it rich again!
Shiratori took a deep breath, feeling as if his entire body had become lighter.
This was exactly why he loved the battlefield.
Even though he was someone who had grown up in an age of peace, now that he was here, he had to strengthen himself to survive. No matter how cruel the path, he would walk it without hesitation.
Otherwise, the slaughter he dealt to others might one day befall him.
For him, being here meant there were only two paths, either he dies, or the enemy dies.
And since he still wanted to live… then it had to be the enemy who died.
Hanzō's pupils narrowed. He realized Rasa's true target. His breathing quickened.
No!
Whether for the sake of Ame or his own selfish reasons, Shiratori must not be harmed, absolutely not! He was Ame's last remaining hope!
Poison mist surged wildly from Hanzō's body, weaving through the gold dust like sulfuric acid. Wherever it passed, it gave off a sizzling, corrosive sound.
The gold dust encasing him gradually darkened, turning to black smoke that was compressed inside the pyramid. His breath grew ragged, but one arm finally broke free from the pyramid. He gathered all his strength into that hand.
A massive scythe shot from his grip.
In the blink of an eye, it vanished from his sight.
A blinding white flash swept past everyone's eyes.
The next second, the scythe, ripping through the air, reached Rasa's back. It covered several dozen meters in an instant, far faster than Rasa could move.
Sensing the rush of wind from behind, Rasa gritted his teeth, his pupils reflecting Shiratori ahead of him. He bit down harder; his body froze for just a moment.
The scent of blood quickly spread through the air. A massive, bone-deep gash appeared out of nowhere on his left shoulder, almost severing his arm.
Blood spurted out in an instant.
Rasa let out a muffled grunt, his face turning deathly pale, but the killing intent in his eyes toward Shiratori did not lessen in the slightest.
[Killing Intent detected: Rasa +5000 points]
[Curse Growth - Killing Intent: 0.5%]
Rasa didn't even glance back at Hanzō, who had broken free from the pyramid and was now chasing him. He ignored the hideous wound on his back. Right now, there was only one thing on his mind...
"Die!"
Rasa roared behind Shiratori, the murderous will in his voice instantly overpowering the clamor of the battlefield.
"Shiratori!"
"Watch out!"
"No!"
The fallen Ame ninjas had their pupils contract in horror. In their eyes was the sight of Rasa lunging toward Shiratori. Their eyes went wide with fury, yet their injuries made it impossible to stand. A crushing sense of helplessness surged in their chests. Blood vessels burst in their eyes, the red spreading as though they might weep blood itself.
[Killing Intent detected]
[Multiple sources: +2000 points each]
[Total accumulated: 28,000 points]
[Energy transferred to Guilt]
[Development progress: 46%]
The Ame ninjas could only watch as Rasa drew closer and closer to Shiratori.
The prolonged battle and continuous summoning of cursed spirits had placed unimaginable strain on both his body and mind.
Fortunately, the spirits had been leveling up all along, and his total cursed energy had been steadily growing, otherwise he might have collapsed long ago.
Even so, his expenditure was still enormous. His face was pale, exhaustion written plainly across it, his cheeks already noticeably thinner after only a few hours.
From behind him came an overwhelming wave of killing intent.
Shiratori's hair stood on end, his body reacting before he could even think. Even if Rasa was also worn down, he was far from an ordinary ninja. He was an elite among the jonin with strength far beyond the norm.
The pressure he exerted was on a whole other level.
He whipped around.
In his vision, Rasa was already within arm's reach.
Blood poured from Rasa's left shoulder, the gash left by Hanzō's scythe deep enough to expose bone, yet he moved as if uninjured, his gaze locked entirely on him. His uninjured right hand was raised high.
The gold dust swirling around him gathered in his grip, shaping into a spiral spear as thick as an arm and over a meter long.
Under the moonlight, the spear's tip gleamed with a blinding, icy light. He could feel the lethal chill that could so easily pierce straight through him.
Rasa's eyes were resolute, he would kill him in a single strike.
Shiratori admitted to himself: if he tried to take this hit head-on, he would be seriously injured at best, dead at worst.
There was still a gap between his true body's power and Rasa's.
But who said he planned to take it head-on?
Did he look like some battle maniac?
When it's time to strike, strike. When it's time to retreat, retreat. When it's time to call for help, call for help.
The golden spiral spear tore through the air with overwhelming force, thrusting toward his back.
The tip drew closer and closer, until time itself seemed to freeze.
Every frame slowed in the eyes of those watching.
The Suna ninjas stared wide-eyed, unable to look away. Even the cursed spirits that had been toying with them all stopped their movements in unison.
They stood still, unmoving.
Mahito stretched lazily, a smile curling on his lips.
"There's still one more who hasn't shown up yet~"
He playfully winked at the Suna ninjas, who now stared at him with a desperate glimmer of hope.
That one was far, far stronger than the rest.
On the battlefield, Rika roared with feral rage.
She charged straight for Shiratori, crushing a Suna ninja blocking her path into pulp with her palm.
At the same time, a purple vortex swirled into existence right behind Shiratori.