The next moment, Ao's pleasant dream shattered. Around him, the advancing ninja suddenly began convulsing and fell to the ground unconscious, with absolutely no warning.
Ao came to a sudden halt in shock. After observing the expressions of those fallen ninja, he quickly realized something was wrong. "This is... genjutsu? How is that possible? When did he even cast it?"
Ao formed hand seals and activated his Byakugan [White Eye—a powerful visual ability].
His menacing white eyes pierced through layers of trees until finally spotting a ninja in the distance who possessed a Sharingan.
"That's him—the one whose name became famous across battlefields, Shisui Uchiha."
Before setting out, Master Gen had shown Ao several of Konoha's elite prodigy ninja. Yet he never expected Shisui could reach such an unbelievable level—able to put all these subordinates under genjutsu from this vast distance away. How could they possibly fight against this? What chance remained?
Ao released his Byakugan, breaking into a cold sweat as he gave the order, "That man ahead is Shisui. We're no match for him. Retreat."
"Hmph, running away before even engaging? That won't do at all." A cold snort reached Ao's ears.
Ao immediately looked toward the source of the voice in surprise. "Honored Lord Hozuki Kisaragi? Why are you here? Shouldn't you be on the frontlines?"
Naturally, it turned out to be Anya. Having used Transformation Jutsu, he gripped both blades of Hiramekarei, visibly displeased. "I didn't trust your capabilities. As expected, just one ninja has already frightened off our entire force. How shall we explain that to Elder Master Gen upon returning to the village?"
Ao gave a bitter laugh. "It isn't cowardice—I assure you! It's simply because that man ahead possesses an extremely powerful illusion technique. Actually, Master Gen specifically instructed us before departing that whenever facing Yellow Flash or Shunshin Shisui on the battlefield, retreat while preserving our strength would be permitted."
"I see." Anya inwardly felt startled. It seemed like despite Mist's minimal combat participation recently, they still maintained keen awareness about overall battle situations. This long-distance genjutsu ability clearly showed how much Shisui had improved lately.
After silently marveling within himself, Anya spoke again, his expression severe. "Leave him to me. You continue forward without hesitation or concern."
Seeing such confidence radiating from Hozuki Kisaragi, Ao gritted his teeth and replied, "Understood."
Without hesitation, Anya rushed straight towards Shisui wielding both blades.
Meanwhile, remaining rooted where he stood, Shisui activated his Three-Comma Sharingan—this time unleashing an even stronger genjutsu directly at approaching Anya.
Knowing firsthand better than anyone else how visual-based illusions worked, Anya immediately closed his eyes while still advancing forward. Instead, he observed movement using spiritual perception alone. The round holes on both blades of Hiramekarei released gas, causing them to glow brightly. They transformed into concentrated chakra masses. Then explosive chakra spheres burst forth. Controlled by Anya, each orb possessed immense destructive power, covering every possible evasion angle where Shisui might dodge—forcing him to take direct hits.
"What fast attacks," commented Shisui, surprised yet calm. Instantly activating his renowned Shifting Body Technique, he simultaneously formed hand seals. Using Sharingan abilities, multiple afterimages appeared beside his real body. Following chakra flow dynamics, both clones and original struck synchronously together, precisely deflecting every incoming orb launched by Anya without exception.
With the ability to freely switch between physical form and illusions, Shisui Uchiha was quite impressed by Anya's excellent Shunshin technique. She swung her twin blades and charged directly into Shisui Uchiha's illusion formations, swiftly eliminating two of them.
Oh wow! That's impressive!
Feeling the pressure, Shisui Uchiha drew his tanto, and both his real body and illusions launched attacks simultaneously. From a distance, it seemed as if a crowd was surrounding and attacking one person, with continuous clashing sounds of weapons ringing out.
Since she needed to conceal her identity, Anya chose not to use any special sword techniques. Holding twin blades, she simply executed basic sword forms one after another. Even so, Shisui Uchiha still felt immense pressure.
This opponent had achieved complete mastery over swordsmanship—simple techniques in her hands became miraculous. Each strike would often halt Shisui Uchiha's assault, making him feel extremely restricted and completely throwing off his rhythm.
The only one capable of surpassing such mastery over swordsmanship could probably only be their captain himself. Recognizing the gap, Shisui Uchiha recalled Anya's usual teachings and decided not to prolong the fight. His real body quickly retreated while forming hand seals: "Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu."
Anya's eyes gleamed slightly with admiration. Not bad—knowing when to retreat. Looks like you didn't waste all that training. She threw her hands up in front of her chest, forming a chakra barrier that blocked the fireball.
By the time the flames dissipated, Shisui Uchiha had already vanished.
Ao, who arrived hurriedly at the scene, spoke with deep admiration toward Anya: "You're truly too strong. Seems like even Konoha's ninja aren't as formidable as imagined. This time, we'll definitely succeed in our surprise attack on Konoha."
Anya chuckled lightly and ordered Ao: "A surprise attack is no longer possible—Shisui has escaped to report back. We must act immediately. Move forward at full speed now."
"Understood." Without hesitation, Ao loudly commanded, "Everyone, no need to hide anymore—we're pushing forward at full strength from now on. Prepare for combat immediately. Move out!"
As soon as all Mist ninja rushed ahead, Anya released her Transformation Jutsu, summoned her puppet, and carried Terumi Mei closely behind.
At this moment, Konoha had already learned about the incoming enemy forces. A large group of Konoha ninja had assembled at the main gate, adopting defensive formations.
Ao had received prior instructions from Master Gen before arriving, immediately directing the Mist ninja to perform the unique village ninjutsu.
[Hiding in Mist Technique!]
Thick fog rolled in, reducing visibility to almost nothing across the entire Konoha village. Nearly all defending Leaf ninja instantly became blind amidst the heavy mist, causing panic within the village.
"Stay calm. Everyone remain at your posts—they're just defense duties," the Third Hokage, dressed in full battle gear, appeared at Konoha's main gate. His composed voice reassured the Leaf ninja. Beside him stood none other than Uchiha Shisui, who had just returned to the village—he wore a serious expression, steadfastly guarding right next to the Third like a loyal protector.
Though thick fog could block sight, it couldn't mask chakra presence. Witnessing this, Anya couldn't help but feel surprised—never imagining the deep respect Shisui held for the Third. Judging by his demeanor, he seemed determined never to leave the Hokage's side.
Shisui wasn't even this loyal to his own captain—could it be some form of mind control?
No time to think. After initiating the [Hiding in Mist Technique], Ao began commanding the Mist ninja to launch an attack. Konoha's barrier shattered right after, and a new round of the Konoha Defense War erupted.
Using the thick fog as cover, Anya easily led Terumi Mei into the village. As for participating in the battle itself, she had absolutely no interest.
The outcome was never a question—the Mist Village was doomed to lose.
The Mist Village's current lineup wasn't even as strong as Sunagakure Village's during their previous attempt. At least last time, Sunagakure had two Kage-level experts—Rasa and Chiyo—and the Shukaku of the Sand, plus Sasori's puppet army. Even that powerful combination still ended in defeat. Now, with the Mist Village having already lost the [Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist] before this battle even began, their defeat in this battle was inevitable.
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