Chapter 305 – The Ashura's Battlefield (Part IV)
"Originally, I didn't plan to deal with you first…"
Kei's voice was cold, his Sharingan glinting like burning coals behind the mask.
"But you just keep throwing yourself into danger, don't you?"
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze locking on Terumī Mei.
That woman was becoming a nuisance.
Not because of her raw strength — she wasn't on his level —
but because of her jutsu.
That boiling acid of hers… even one drop could dissolve a man alive.
If it touched him, the result would be catastrophic.
He didn't have the luxury of Susanoo's full armor yet.
And unlike Madara, his partial form wasn't meant for endurance.
Which meant only one thing — she had to go.
Kei's eyes narrowed, his tone darkening into something lethal.
"...Tch."
In the space between heartbeats, his form blurred —
and the afterimage he left behind flickered out like mist.
He was already at Mei's side.
The air cracked as black skeletal armor erupted around him once more —
but this time, not just ribs.
A massive, spectral arm formed, wreathed in shadowed chakra.
Kei tossed his sword upward — and the skeletal hand caught it mid-air.
Instantly, the blade thickened with layers of black chakra,
the edge elongating into a monstrous extension of energy.
Without giving the Mist shinobi a chance to react,
the arm swung.
The swing didn't just cut — it devoured the space before it.
A crescent of obsidian chakra swept through the fog,
engulfing Mei and the soldiers around her.
Their screams tore through the battlefield.
Those caught in the arc were shredded instantly —
their bodies torn apart by force and flame alike.
Only Mei survived, saved at the last second as several of her comrades
threw themselves in front of her, pushing her clear.
Kei frowned faintly.
Brave — but foolish.
The men who saved her were now nothing more than mangled remnants,
black fire licking at their remains.
But Kei didn't feel satisfaction.
If anything, it annoyed him.
He wanted her.
"Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"
A surge of water erupted beneath his feet —
the ground itself turning fluid, swirling upward into a spiraling barrier.
It trapped him in a shimmering sphere of water.
Kei paused only for a breath.
Then he stepped back lightly — his Susanoo arm still holding the blade —
and with a single motion, he shattered the watery sphere like glass.
As several Mist shinobi rushed him,
he swung the sword horizontally —
the shockwave sent them flying, crashing through the flooded ground.
His right hand crackled with electricity,
bright blue lightning gathering around his fingers.
Water conducts lightning.
He smirked under his breath.
"Since you love your Water Release so much…"
The sound of thousands of birds crying filled the air.
Chidori.
Kei's body became a streak of light.
He moved too fast for the naked eye —
and with the aid of his Sharingan,
every enemy's movement was laid bare before him.
Thunder and screams mingled as he tore through the ranks.
Each strike was clean, efficient — merciless.
The Mist squad, already separated from their main force,
had no hope of regrouping.
Their reinforcements were still trapped behind a wall of Amaterasu's black fire.
That meant this division was isolated —
and Kei had all the time in the world to dismantle them.
How ironic, he thought.
These men fought so desperately,
believing the Fourth Mizukage would arrive to save them.
If only they knew…
That Mizukage was his mission objective.
His leverage.
His way out.
They were fighting for a hope that didn't exist.
The slaughter continued.
Every second, more Mist shinobi fell.
Even so, they refused to retreat.
They fought harder — not for victory,
but to protect Mei and Ao.
Kei found it almost admirable.
They weren't cowards.
They knew they'd die — yet they stood anyway.
He gave them a silent, fleeting respect.
Then he decided to make their sacrifice meaningful — to him.
He'd use it to send a message.
He moved again.
A blur of black chakra and lightning.
Within a heartbeat, he was beside Mei once more.
His Ashura-like Susanoo swung its massive, flame-wreathed blade,
sending several shinobi flying with the sheer force of the impact.
In that instant, Mei lunged.
Her eyes blazed with defiance.
With a snarl, she drove her kunai into his chest —
directly into the ribcage armor of his Susanoo.
The metal rang — but didn't yield.
At the same time, Ao and several others seized the moment,
launching a coordinated assault.
They had failed again and again to harm him,
but they refused to stop.
Even now, with their numbers dwindling,
they would rather die trying than let him leave unscathed.
To them, letting this intruder walk away
would stain the pride of Kirigakure forever.
Kei exhaled slowly.
"Hmph."
Their determination was… admirable.
But no amount of resolve could close this gap.
He glanced down at Mei's kunai —
it had barely scratched his Susanoo's armor.
Then his eyes flicked toward Ao,
whose right hand glowed with that same disruptive chakra.
Kei remembered the last time —
when that strange technique had shattered his Susanoo's ribcage.
Not this time.
His Mangekyō spun violently.
With a twist of his body,
he lashed out —
His leg snapped out like a whip,
slamming into Mei's stomach.
The impact echoed like thunder.
Mei doubled over, a cry tearing from her lips as she flew backward,
crashing hard into the mud.
Kei didn't spare her a glance.
His focus was already on Ao.
He raised his right hand —
and in a blur, caught Ao's wrist mid-thrust.
Their chakra clashed, lightning and vibration colliding.
Kei's grip tightened — then twisted.
The sickening crack of breaking bone echoed across the field.
Ao's face contorted in agony,
but before Kei could finish him,
several Mist shinobi rushed in,
forcing him to disengage.
Not far away, Mei was already back on her feet,
blood on her lips, hands flashing through seals again.
Kei's eyes narrowed as he saw the chakra gathering around her.
He released Ao's arm instantly,
jumping back a step.
The mist thickened.
The battlefield hummed with chakra once more.
"Persistent," Kei muttered,
his hand tightening around his sword.
The black fire on its edge flared alive again,
casting a crimson reflection across his spinning eyes.
"If you insist on courting death—"
He lifted the blade.
"—then I'll oblige you."
Lightning crackled to life in Kei's palm once more.
Chidori.
With a sharp thrust, he drove his hand clean through the chest of a Mist shinobi — lightning bursting from the man's back in a spray of blood and thunder.
At the same moment, his partial Susanoo raised its massive blade — the spectral hand gripping the burning weapon — and swung it down toward Terumī Mei's position.
"Mei!"
Ao rolled to the side, just in time to avoid the arc of the flaming blade.
The cut tore through the mist, scorching the ground and vaporizing everything it touched.
The screams of his comrades echoed around him — one after another falling to the black fire and blinding light.
Ao clenched his teeth, his Byakugan still tracking every motion of that dark figure.
This wasn't a battle anymore.
It was an extermination.
Who was this man?
No matter how calm or disciplined he tried to remain,
the dread seeping into his heart was undeniable.
This wasn't a fight they could win.
It was survival — barely.
For the first time in years, Ao felt despair.
A grim premonition gnawed at him —
he might not leave this battlefield alive.
He inhaled deeply, forcing the thought away.
He was a shinobi of Kirigakure.
He had long since accepted the possibility of death.
But as he raised his head,
watching Mei charging toward the black-clad enemy despite her injuries,
a new thought surfaced.
If one of them had to die here today—
then it would be him, not her.
With resolve burning in his chest, Ao surged forward.
Lightning and mist flashed as he accelerated — faster than his battered body should've allowed.
If he could buy her just a few more seconds…
if he could hold the enemy long enough for the Fourth Mizukage to arrive—
then maybe, just maybe, Mei could live.
Because in his Byakugan's sight,
he could already see it — the Fourth Mizukage had entered the battlefield.
He had forced his way through the Amaterasu wall,
using a specialized sealing squad to suppress the flames.
Ao gritted his teeth.
"All I have to do… is stall him."
That was enough.
Ignoring the pain in his shattered right arm,
he threw himself between Kei and Mei.
The moment the Susanoo's blade came down,
Ao met it head-on — with his left hand, his sword raised in defiance.
The impact sent a shock through his entire body.
He heard the sickening crunch of his own bones.
It didn't matter.
He didn't yield.
Mei froze for an instant —
then comprehension dawned in her eyes.
She began to form hand seals,
chakra swirling around her.
Their teamwork wasn't perfect, but it was enough.
Even Kei noticed it —
and his eyes narrowed with dark amusement.
He could see what Ao was doing —
throwing his life away to shield her.
That suited Kei just fine.
Killing Ao first would be simple…
but Mei's bloodline ability could make things messy.
If he struck without caution, he might be bathed in acid before he could blink.
So he made a choice.
The Susanoo's arm disintegrated into smoke,
its skeletal form collapsing in on itself.
The great blade fell, and Kei caught it one-handed,
its black edge gleaming in the mist.
Ao stumbled forward, suddenly free of pressure —
but before he could recover, pain exploded in his abdomen.
Kei's sword had already pierced straight through him.
Ao coughed blood, the shock freezing his breath.
But instead of retreating,
he tightened his grip on his own sword and slashed wildly upward,
catching Kei across the shoulder.
The blow barely grazed him —
but it was enough to draw Kei's ire.
Kei snarled and drove his foot into Ao's stomach,
kicking him back with crushing force.
Ao's body flew — crashing into Mei,
who had just completed her jutsu seals.
Both tumbled to the ground.
"Captain!" Mei gasped, struggling to stand.
But when she saw the blood soaking through her clothes — not hers, but his —
her heart sank.
Ao was already trying to rise,
his left hand pressed hard against the gaping wound in his abdomen.
"Don't speak," he rasped, coughing.
"Listen carefully."
His voice was hoarse but steady.
"Head southwest. The Mizukage's inside the barrier now. I'll… hold him here."
"Captain—!"
"Shut up and go!" Ao roared, his voice filled with desperate authority.
If his right arm hadn't been broken,
he would've shoved her away himself.
He knew his end was already written.
But if she survived, then this fight wouldn't be for nothing.
He thought bitterly of what might have been —
if his arm hadn't been shattered,
he might've been able to grab that cursed blade,
or even drag the black-clad stranger down with him.
But that was fantasy.
His body was failing,
his chakra nearly spent.
All he could do now was buy time.
Mei hesitated, torn between duty and grief.
"Captain… if I run now, then you—"
Ao didn't let her finish.
"You'll go."
His one good eye hardened with conviction.
"Your talent… surpasses everyone in this generation. You are Kirigakure's future."
He turned slightly, facing Kei's advancing silhouette.
"And you know this man's power now. His abilities, his style — you must deliver that intel to the Mizukage. If he escapes, the village will be in danger."
He smiled faintly, blood trickling down his chin.
"He stays here. Even if I don't."
Mei's eyes trembled —
then hardened.
"I understand, Captain," she said quietly.
"I'll take the intel to the Mizukage."
Her hands clenched.
"And I swear… I'll make sure he never leaves the Land of Water alive."
Kei watched her stand, lightning and acid mist coiling around her again.
He couldn't help but smile —
not mockery, but genuine interest.
"A vow of vengeance, is it?" he murmured.
"Then come, girl. Let's see if your resolve can match your words."