11 PM at the front lines of the Hot Water Country.
The joint ninja forces from Konoha and Yugakure were all resting.
Yet inside the command tent, four commanders remained wide awake.
Tsunade suddenly grew restless. She got up and started pacing around the tent, muttering under her breath: "Where is Yi? Is he going to attack us or not? I can't wait much longer."
Jiraiya promptly stood up and blocked her path: "Tsunade, if you're tired, why don't you go rest first? I'll notify you if anything happens."
Tsunade shoved Jiraiya aside: "How could I possibly fall asleep now? Yi obviously won't let this opportunity slip away. He's playing a psychological game with us!"
Seeing Tsunade's tense state, Jiraiya realized this couldn't continue: "Then I'll go check on the enemy camp myself."
"Jiraiya!" Sakumo blocked the exit, stopping his reckless move.
Orochimaru also stood up, putting a hand on his shoulder: "Don't fall for it. Yi isn't a simple-minded person."
Jiraiya lowered his head helplessly. Of course, he knew these things well.
But in such a frustrating and suffocating situation, it was extremely difficult for any passionate soul to simply endure.
"Sarutobi-sensei once said, 'A ninja is one who endures.'" Orochimaru, passing these words along to Jiraiya, stared directly into his eyes.
There was something in his gaze that sent a quiet wave of warmth through Jiraiya.
Waiting was long and drawn out, especially tonight.
After 3 AM.
Far away at the Lightning Country's border, Yi shook his head bitterly.
This delay before attacking was precisely meant to pressure the enemy psychologically.
From the brief fight against Konoha's three commanders earlier, Yi had realized an important truth—even the strongest individual could be overwhelmed and worn down on the battlefield.
With sheer numbers alone, even the most powerful ninja could be exhausted to death!
That was the lesson Yi learned after his previous defeat.
"All units, advance!"
At his order, numerous Kumo ninja hiding nearby surged forward together.
Crossing the border line, Yi's eyes turned sharp and piercing.
He led the mass of Kumogakure shinobi and openly slaughtered several Konoha ninja who had been sent to monitor his forces' activities.
Both sides understood that tonight would inevitably bring a fierce battle to the death. At this point, hiding or staying concealed no longer mattered much.
Moreover, Yi already made peace with dying.
Having walked through rivers of blood, when Yi saw the familiar trio plus a white-haired man ahead, he knew his goal had been achieved.
"The four Konoha commanders? Looks like my luck is good tonight!" [Pale Blue Lightning]
Sakumo swiftly unsheathed his long blade.
Two streaks of lightning—one white, one blue—clashed together violently.
"He wants to keep us occupied," Orochimaru figured out his plan instantly.
Yi aimed to hold back the four of them so the Kumo forces could act without worry.
"Not a chance!" Yi flashed in front of the three men, his chakra surging once again.
He didn't care if he died here—as long as it gave Kumogakure the upper hand, his sacrifice would be worth it.
Jiraiya, who felt respect for such behavior, wanted to fight to the death but couldn't abandon his comrades due to their opposing positions.
Dodging a sudden tanto attack from behind, Yi charged directly toward the retreating trio.
His eyes bloodshot, his body trembling from the stimulation of Lightning Release.
Yi was fighting four enemies alone, ready to sacrifice himself to secure a future for Kumogakure.
On the distant plains, fierce combat raged on.
The frontline was built only by sacrificing lives to gain advantage.
Already somewhat numb, Wenzhe swung his slender sword in an arc, splattering large amounts of blood onto the yellow earth.
After forming hand seals for the improved [Great Fireball] technique with one hand, he dashed forward toward four or five Kumogakure shinobi and spat out a massive fireball.
Caught off guard, those Kumo ninja were struck by the Great Fireball, then instantly cut down by the sudden slashes of the slender blade, losing their precious lives.
Panting heavily, Wenzhe quickly sat down on the spot to catch his breath after clearing this battlefield.
It had been less than five minutes since the battle began, and he was already running low on stamina.
Not far from here, Wuzhe had also cleared out a group of Kumo ninja.
His condition was better than Wenzhe's—after all, he was a taijutsu specialist.
However, intense combat still made him slightly out of breath.
After confirming there were no survivors left, Wuzhe proceeded to the next area.
Yi, who had taken injuries while holding back all four opponents, now resembled a human beast.
Every possible part of his body that could be used for attacking—he mastered them all.
The broken longsword on the ground had been severed by Sakumo.
The deep stab wounds littering his body were inflicted by Orochimaru.
And the bruises that covered him, along with countless pinprick slashes, came from Tsunade and Jiraiya.
Despite dragging on for nearly five minutes, Yi's movements hadn't slowed even slightly because of his injuries.
"Ugh!" After taking a heavy punch to the back, he spat out all the blood he'd swallowed earlier.
Without time to wipe his mouth, Yi grabbed the slim wrist behind him with one hand.
After being thrown harshly to the ground, Tsunade immediately got up. At the same time, she cooperated with Orochimaru to entangle both of his legs.
Seeing this, Jiraiya and Sakumo rushed before him without delay.
A large mass of flames followed closely by a white blade of light struck Yi's wounded chest.
"Roar!"
Kurenai staggered backward, and even Orochimaru, slightly shaken from the counterattack of the long blade, expressed shock at Yi's incredible willpower.
Fighting four opponents alone, suffering numerous critical injuries, yet still exuding such momentum.
With a soft plop, a lump of dark brown blood splattered onto the ground from the charred scar across Yi's chest where the blade had seared black.
His steps now unstable, he felt his eyelids growing heavier, as if they would shut any second.
"No… Not yet… I must not fall."
Determined, Yi blocked Sakumo—who had started retreating again.
"I'm here! None of you can go anywhere!" He roared, throwing a punch toward Sakumo, whose expression showed slight reluctance.
"Whoosh——"
Cold steel pierced Yi's abdomen.
Orochimaru retracted the chakra from the Extendable Kusanagi Blade, preparing to strike once more.
But he failed!
Yi's right fist, from which blood continued to flow, gripped the razor-sharp Extendable Kusanagi Blade with all his strength.
Before him, Sakumo hesitated as he lifted his Tanto infused with Lightning Release.
The descending blade was suddenly clutched in a thick, powerful left hand.
Yi, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, abruptly tightened his grip, pulling Sakumo close while tilting his head back.
With a "Clang!", their Konoha and Kumogakure forehead protectors smashed into each other.
A thunderous impact followed, hurling Sakumo backward through the air.
Yet before Yi could even turn around, his left hand was twisted into a fracture by a pair of slender arms.
Jiraiya, gripping a kunai tightly, glared and drove it into Yi's scorched lower left chest.
"Phut!" Yi gasped in agony, blood erupting from the wound in his chest.
"Cough... cough..." His vision fading, Yi forced out his final words: "Kumo... will surely... wipe Konoha off the map!"
Shaking, Jiraiya pulled the kunai from Yi's body.
He let the scalding stream of blood drench his face.
Orochimaru managed to reclaim the Extendable Kusanagi Blade and quickly went over to support Sakumo.
Tsunade suddenly clenched her fists and stared emptily at Yi's still-standing corpse.
In the end, Yi had achieved his goal—delaying all four of them for quite some time.
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