"Veigar, are you alright?"
Shinji leapt in front of Veigar, shielding him from Hiroshi's deadly advance, his voice tinged with concern.
"I'm fine, just burned through a lot of chakra."
Though Veigar had rapidly restored his stamina after absorbing the Life Essence from Ryōsuke, the chakra he'd consumed hadn't regenerated as quickly.
Hearing this, a wave of relief swept through Shinji. Somewhere along the way, he had subconsciously started prioritizing Veigar's safety above all else.
But truth be told, Veigar had earned that protection. So far, he'd taken out nearly a third of the Suna-nin in this battle, with an entire squad of puppet masters among the fallen.
"I'm going to kill you all."
Hiroshi's eyes burned with madness, fixed solely on the small figure behind Shinji—Veigar.
As long as Veigar lived, Hiroshi would know no peace.
Shinji tensed, instantly sensing something was off with Hiroshi's aura. The murderous intent radiating from him was intense, overwhelming, even.
In sheer presence alone, Shinji was already at a disadvantage. If it came to a direct fight, he feared he wouldn't survive.
Still, he didn't flinch. Muscles coiled tight, he prepared for the inevitable clash.
"Shinji-senpai, let me handle this one."
"Go support the others."
Veigar stepped calmly out from behind Shinji, eyes locked on the deranged Hiroshi.
"Veigar, you—"
Shinji tried to protest, but Veigar cut him off.
"No problem. Leave this to me."
Hiroshi's rage erupted at the sight of Veigar's composed expression. His chakra flared violently as he launched himself forward.
Sand Flow: Sand Slash.
In his frenzied state, Hiroshi held nothing back. His attack was wild, unrestrained, and far more dangerous than usual.
Ittō-ryū: Iai Slash.
Clang!
The two blades clashed, sparks scattering from the impact.
Behind them, Shinji exhaled sharply, watching Veigar engage Hiroshi head-on. Then, without hesitation, he turned and rushed off to support the rest of the battlefield.
"Veigar… you better not die."
Steel clashed steel, each strike deadlier than the last.
Hiroshi's onslaught had abandoned all defense, driven purely by vengeance, for Ryōsuke, and perhaps for his own redemption. Even if it meant his own death, he no longer cared.
Was Veigar unaware of Hiroshi's suicidal intent? Did he not see the grim finality behind each blow?
No. He understood completely.
But that wasn't a reason to back down.
This was war. Victory and death came hand in hand.
Fully focused, Veigar unleashed his own ferocity. When it came to pure offense without defense, he was fearless.
Sand Flow: Sand Binding Scroll.
Ittō-ryū: Iai Slash.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Two figures, one tall and one small, exchanged a relentless flurry of strikes. Their blades rang out again and again, bright and piercing.
"Die! Just die already!"
"Go to hell!"
Both fighters were riddled with cuts, their bodies etched with crimson lines. But neither yielded.
Killing intent boiled between them like a storm surge. The battlefield around them faded, only death remained in their eyes.
Clang!
Another violent impact. Their weapons couldn't take the strain.
Both blades shattered in mid-air.
Veigar was left with nothing but a broken hilt. Hiroshi still had one-third of his ninjatō intact.
"Die!"
With a roar, Hiroshi slashed down, confident Veigar couldn't block him now.
And he was right, Veigar couldn't stop it.
Only holding a hilt, he had no way to defend.
Whoosh—
The blade cut into Veigar's side.
But that was all, it only struck Veigar's body.
Because in the next instant, Veigar vanished.
Only the broken hilt clattered to the ground.
Flying Raijin Technique.
A wound carved across his chest, Veigar reappeared, above Hiroshi.
A ghostly violet orb spun in his hand.
Phenomenal Evil Rasengan.
With a roar, he slammed the chakra sphere down on Hiroshi's back.
At the same time, his other hand snatched the falling blade from the air and drove it downward, straight through Hiroshi's skull.
BOOM!
The impact cratered the earth beneath them, blasting up a thick cloud of sand.
Hiroshi was dead.
As the dust settled, Veigar stood calmly atop the fallen Suna-nin, cold and deadly.
...
Back at the Konoha front lines.
Under the command of Hizashi, the Konoha forces were steadily pushing back the Suna-nin led by Dōzan.
At this rate, the battle would be over soon.
But Hizashi's gaze lingered on Dōzan's unusually calm face, and a cold dread curled in his gut.
"Kill them. Use full force."
"End this quickly."
The moment he finished speaking, that sense of unease turned real.
"Kill them!"
"Kill every last Konoha shinobi!"
Suddenly, from the flank of the Konoha formation, a reinforcement squad of nearly five hundred Suna-nin surged forward in a violent assault.
Hizashi's eyes widened in shock.
"What… how is this possible?"
Even he was caught off guard. The rest of the Konoha ninja were stunned into hesitation.
Their momentary lapse cost them dearly; missed kills, grievous wounds, and even deaths.
"Kill! Don't let a single one escape!"
Seeing his long-awaited reinforcements arrive, Dōzan raised his voice.
"Slaughter them all!"
His gaze settled on Hizashi, not as an opponent, but as a dead man walking.
He had no doubt: not a single Konoha ninja would leave this battlefield alive.
He had prepared a full pincer assault. Even if Hizashi tried to retreat, the backlines were already sealed.
Now, Dōzan was already thinking ahead, to how he would fortify the Konoha front line once it was theirs.
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