As the dust from the explosion cleared, everyone saw in the center of the battlefield that the Third Raikage's right hand had pierced through Lie Kai's heart. Yet he himself was completely motionless, with no sign of life remaining—had they both perished?
The entire battlefield fell into stunned silence. Nearly everyone stood frozen in place, uncertain what to do.
Shou Kari was the first to regain his senses. He dashed desperately toward Lie Kai, tears welling in his eyes as he stared down at him. Sighing, he closed Lie Kai's eyelids and shouted, holding back his grief, "We did it! The Raikage is dead!"
"Won?" A ninja from Iwa muttered, unable to believe it.
Only after more Iwa ninja realized the victory was real did their suppressed emotions erupt into loud cheers, quickly followed by waves of sorrow for their fallen comrades. At that moment, they felt both sorrow and relief all mixed up inside.
By now, this battle had truly reached its climax—neither side had gained much advantage. One side had taken heavy losses—thousands of ninja killed and countless more wounded. The other side had permanently lost their Kage.
After Lie Kai's death, the soul fragment controlled by Anya returned to her own body. Occasionally, memories of her time with Deidara flickered across her mind, and strangely enough, she even began to feel like he really was her own son.
Indeed, the Spirit Control Technique had flaws. Once the duration of soul control became too long, it easily led to assimilation—for instance, Lie Kai's intense emotions toward Deidara had affected Anya.
It looks like in the future, unless absolutely necessary, using the Spirit Control Technique on others must be avoided—the Sharingan alone should be sufficient.
Anya silently left the scene after completing her mission.
A new day dawned, and waves of shock rippled throughout the Ninja World. News of this brutal battle quickly reached the leadership of every hidden village, deeply affecting them all.
When news reached Kumo, A and Killer Bee—who had shone brightly on the Kumo battlefield—refused to believe it at first. After confirming the report multiple times, they immediately chose to return to their village, significantly easing pressure on Konoha's forces there.
Moreover, Konoha once again gained the upper hand on the Iwa battlefield as well. This one victory set off a chain reaction—Konoha, once trapped between three fronts, now gained the upper hand in the war.
Of course, the benefits from this battle weren't limited to Konoha alone; Kirigakure also reaped gains. During the Third Battle, they had only intervened once.
Inside Kirigakure at this moment, Master Gen summoned the village's elite squad—the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist.
All seven stared eagerly at Master Gen, their intentions obvious from their expressions.
"All right, I understand your thoughts," Master Gen chuckled dryly. "After being restrained for so long, it's time our blades tasted blood."
Biwa Juzo spoke first, "Exactly, Elder Master Gen. My blade has been aching for battle."
Westfang spoke next, "Just say the word, and we'll march to the battlefield and wipe out every enemy."
Master Gen leisurely pulled out a map. Different colors marked various factions upon it. The tangled lines and symbols on the map made it clear—Master Gen had been watching every move of the Third Battle very carefully.
Master Gen pointed at the various color-coded positions on the map and said, "This is the current situation of the Third Great Ninja War. The major nations are clashing, and the battlefield is in total chaos. Even if we decide to get involved, we must formulate a solid plan, choose the right target, and strike precisely."
Hozuki Kisaragi smiled and said, "Since Elder Master Gen has summoned us, I imagine you've already chosen a target."
Master Gen nodded but didn't give an answer. Instead, he asked, "Do you have any targets in mind?"
The seven exchanged glances and almost spoke in unison: "Konoha."
A few years ago, that Uchiha boy from Konoha had given them a humiliating defeat, especially with his unpredictable sword techniques.
Over the past few years, all seven had devoted themselves to studying swordsmanship, eagerly waiting for a chance at revenge.
"Hehe," Master Gen, who had already expected this, chuckled. "Looks like we're all thinking the same thing. That's right—Konoha."
"Once the strongest ninja village, Konoha was even infiltrated by Sunagakure. This clearly shows how weak it has become. Plus, now Konoha is under attack from three sides and cannot possibly focus on us. The time has come. I order you seven to act as the vanguard. Set out secretly, establish a stronghold in Konoha, wait for the main force to arrive, and then destroy Konoha together."
The seven responded bloodthirstily, "Yes, sir."
Eager to carry out their orders, the seven set off immediately. Master Gen then began organizing the village's ninja and Anbu, assigning tasks, distributing supplies, and building up logistics. Various groups of ninja departed in an orderly fashion, everything proceeding smoothly.
Just as Master Gen was deeply immersed in planning the war, Ao, who had a single white eye, came looking for him.
"What's wrong?" Master Gen noticed Ao looked troubled.
Ao hesitated, then let out a sigh. "A few days ago, an Anbu member was ambushed and had to hide. When he finally escaped, his clothes, mask, and ninja blade were all gone."
Master Gen frowned slightly. "It seems there's an Undercover Agent from another nation. But wait, since they've already acted, why didn't they kill him? Leaving this Anbu alive isn't like..."
Halfway through his sentence, Master Gen noticed Ao's hesitant look and suddenly gasped, "Where's Terumi Mei? Is she still in the village?"
Ao shook his head with a bitter smile.
Case closed—it could only be her. She must have discovered the information about the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist attacking Konoha and sneaked into the Anbu group to follow them.
After several years, she still hadn't forgotten that damned Oub.
While Master Gen was both furious and worried, he knew there was no way to chase after her now. Oub was undeniably that girl's personal curse.
She'd been training relentlessly, and with her natural talent, her strength had soared. As long as she didn't run into the top-tier elites in the ninja world, she shouldn't be in danger. But that Oub fellow remained unpredictable. Let's just hope this girl knows when to cut her losses.
On the Iwagakure battlefield, Anya looked at an intelligence report in her hand with a playful smirk. With the battlefield pressure easing, the consequences of Fugaku's refusal to obey orders back then and his insistence on keeping Shisui were finally coming to light.
The Third Hokage ordered Shisui to return to Konoha to handle security, subtly expressing his displeasure. But he didn't demand Shisui's immediate return, giving the Uchiha clan a graceful way out. That move was pure genius—a warning hidden behind a perfectly measured order. Even Anya couldn't help but admire it. What a sneaky old fox.
As Anya set down the intelligence report, a Scroll bearing [Sasori's Mark] suddenly appeared out of thin air.
Anya was startled. If it wasn't for critical information, Sasori wouldn't have used Mabui's Heavenly Transfer Technique. He quickly opened the Scroll. After reading each and every word with painstaking attention, a sharp, piercing gleam flashed in Anya's eyes.
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