"Damn it!"
Shinji shouted inwardly as he watched Veigar plummet from the sky, having witnessed everything that had just transpired.
"Veigar must not fall!"
His heart racing, Shinji saw Ryōsuke and Hiroshi preparing to strike at the still-airborne Veigar. Without hesitation, he lunged at the two of them, shouting:
"Veigar just obliterated the entire Suna shinobi puppet division! Fellow shinobi of Konoha, the time to strike back is now!"
Shinji's rallying cry snapped the surrounding Konoha forces into focus. They now realized that the tremendous destruction from earlier was Veigar's doing, and that the puppet masters of Sunagakure had been annihilated in a single blow.
Morale surged.
"Charge!"
"Kill every last Sand ninja!"
Konoha's counterattack came like a crashing wave. In an instant, seven or eight Suna shinobi were cut down.
"Damn Konoha… damn that brat… damn that Hyūga..."
Ryōsuke clenched his teeth in fury as he watched the tide of battle shift against them.
"Hold the line! Do not panic! Kill them all!"
"This is just Konoha's dying gasp. Victory will be ours!"
Despite his attempt to stabilize the front, Ryōsuke's words lacked conviction. Even before his voice finished echoing across the battlefield, Shinji was already upon him and Hiroshi.
Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!
Shinji struck from the air, forcing both men to divert their attention from Veigar.
At that exact moment, Veigar flung his kunai toward Hiroshi.
Meanwhile, Masaka, commander of the Suna forces, was troubled. Despite their superior numbers and strength, they were being pushed back, subtly, but unmistakably.
It was infuriating.
Veigar's earlier strike, which had decimated their puppet corps, had shattered morale.
"Kill every last Konoha ninja. Victory will still be ours!"
Masaka's words carried more weight than Ryōsuke's, but his decision to divide his attention while clashing with Shikuro cost him dearly.
Secret Technique: Swarm of Carnivorous Insects.
The moment Shikuro released his insects, they surged forward like a tidal wave, drowning everything in their path.
Wind Release: Gale Surge.
Wind-style techniques were highly effective against Aburame's insects. Masaka unleashed a violent gust that blew the swarm back with brute force.
But the moment his jutsu dissipated, Shikuro's silhouette flickered into view on his right flank, and he launched a punch straight at Masaka.
Secret Technique: Flesh-Eating Beetles.
Masaka blocked the blow with his right arm. Then, pain.
A sharp, crawling sensation dug into his skin like something had bitten into his flesh. His eyes widened.
"Gah—!"
Masaka let out a strangled cry.
Before his horrified gaze, the flesh on his right arm shriveled and withered, eaten away from beneath the skin, and spreading rapidly.
Fighting through the agony, he did what had to be done.
With a swift motion, he drew a kunai and severed his own arm.
Gripping the stump to stop the bleeding, he stared at the dismembered limb before it hit the ground, what was once muscle and skin had become a shriveled, hollowed-out bone.
Such was the terror of the Flesh-Eating Beetles, Shikuro's hidden ace.
Had Masaka reacted even a second slower, or blocked with any limb other than his right, he would already be dead.
Though most Suna shinobi hadn't seen what happened, a few nearby had heard his cry. Realizing something was wrong, they broke off from their own skirmishes and rushed to form a protective line between Shikuro and their fallen commander.
"Stop!"
Shff, shff, shff—
Several Sand shinobi intercepted Shikuro, shielding Masaka with tense expressions.
"Captain Masaka! Are you alright?"
Their presence eased the pressure on Konoha's side. Yamashi and Shikatsu seized the moment.
"Now or never!"
Konoha Style: Crescent Moon Dance.
Secret Technique: Insect Sphere.
Fire Release: Meteor Flame.
On the other front, Hiroshi had dodged Shinji's blow but still hadn't given up on taking down Veigar.
Seeing Veigar fling his dagger toward him, Hiroshi swung his blade and deflected it, sending the weapon clattering near Ryōsuke.
Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!
Shinji tried again to intercept Ryōsuke, locking him into close combat. Desperate to break free, Ryōsuke was now solely focused on countering Shinji's palm strikes.
Veigar, still descending toward the ground, was now within Hiroshi's sights. His eyes sharpened. The killing intent surged.
Suna Style: Blade of the Dunes.
Clang—!
Hiroshi vanished, dashing toward Veigar like a blur. His blade swung downward just as Veigar was about to hit the ground, but in that split-second…
Veigar disappeared.
Hiroshi's heart skipped.
Earlier, Veigar's sudden disappearance had led to the annihilation of their puppet division.
And now?
Hiroshi's thoughts flashed back to the dagger he had deflected. His eyes widened in realization.
"Ryōsuke, behind you!"
He shouted, but it was too late.
Roughly dodging Shinji's attack, Ryōsuke had landed near the very blade Veigar had thrown.
And that's exactly where Veigar reappeared, thanks to the Flying Raijin Technique.
In one fluid motion, Veigar dropped low, grabbed the kunai with his right hand, and drove the one in his left straight into Ryōsuke's heart.
"Ugh—"
Ryōsuke looked down at the kunai in his chest, stunned. His eyes widened, then…
"Guh…"
…he collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.
Veigar hadn't even planned to kill him this way. Originally, he had intended to use the Flying Raijin to land behind Hiroshi and strike him instead.
But sometimes, fate had other plans.
This, truly, was an accidental strike that hit its mark.
"Ryōsuke…!"
Hiroshi landed hard, spinning around. His breath caught at the sight—Ryōsuke lay lifeless, a kunai piercing his heart.
"If only… if only I hadn't…"
His chest clenched with guilt.
If he hadn't deflected that blade toward Ryōsuke…
If he had just evaded it…
Then Veigar would never have been able to use it as a teleportation beacon.
Ryōsuke might still be alive.
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