The smoke and steam raised by the explosion mixed into a chaotic barrier, winning precious breathing room for Wasabi Jirōchō.
He showed no attachment to battle, borrowing this chaos to quickly escape the front yard.
As soon as he retreated to the relatively safe corridor area, this Wasabi head immediately displayed his decisive side.
He forcibly suppressed the palpitations in his heart and grief at witnessing guards' tragic deaths, ordering: "Immediately carry down the severely wounded! Transfer through the prepared secret passage! All who can still move, prepare to evacuate!"
After arranging emergency evacuation, Jirōchō took a deep breath, changed out of blood-stained clothing, took a clean outer robe, his footsteps steady yet carrying a trace of imperceptible weight, walking toward that corridor half-hidden by bamboo shadows deep in the courtyard.
The golden-haired Senju princess sat cross-legged in the corridor's shadow, eyes slightly closed, expression calm.
Chakra through the slug on her shoulder continuously transmitted forward. Jirōchō respectfully stood aside, not speaking to disturb, until Tsunade slowly opened those amber eyes, her gaze falling on him.
"Tsunade-sama." Jirōchō bowed slightly, both hands returning that pure white small slug with movements carrying sincere gratitude. "Thanks to your aid, I return this to its rightful owner."
He then quickly explained the guards' injuries, emphasizing the eerie wounds caused by that terrifying black water: "...The wounds fester extremely fast, with creatures seemingly wriggling inside. Ordinary hemostatic powder is completely ineffective. Do you have any countermeasures? Even temporary relief would help."
Tsunade's brows furrowed slightly.
"That's not simple water."
"It's insects. Extremely tiny poisonous insect swarms. With the current intense battle situation, precise treatment is impossible."
She raised her hand pointing to an inconspicuous wooden cabinet in the corridor corner. "The cabinet contains emergency external medicine. As for wounds caused by that 'black water'..." Her gaze turned to a sealed ceramic jar beside the cabinet. "The left jar contains powerful insect-suppressing ointment. Remember, use clean cotton cloth or gauze to apply it—never directly touch the wound or ointment with bare hands!"
"Understood! Many thanks, Tsunade-sama!" Jirōchō thanked her solemnly, immediately calling servants waiting in the corridor, conveying the medicines and precautions one by one.
After finishing these tasks, he again turned to Tsunade, his voice dropping lower, carrying inquiry: "Tsunade-sama, in your view, the current situation... should the Wasabi family make worst-case preparations?"
"It depends on whether that Shuji fellow can return in time." Tsunade stated her judgment. "With only Shizune and those two kids, holding this place will be very difficult. Even if they can block temporarily, comprehensive protection is hard to guarantee."
This middle-aged man heard this and fell silent briefly.
"The Wasabi family has no reason to be reluctant about one estate." He said decisively. "I'll immediately arrange for all personnel to evacuate through secret passages, transferring to safe points outside the city!"
Bowing deeply to Tsunade, "Once again, thank you for your aid, Tsunade-sama. Excuse me!"
Jirōchō finished speaking, turned and strode away.
Finding the family elder directing wounded transfer, Jirōchō's order was concise: "Immediately execute evacuation plan! All wounded and women and children, evacuate to outside-city strongholds through secret passages! Move quickly!"
The elder heard this, reluctance appearing on his face: "Master, you..."
Jirōchō raised his hand interrupting, eyes sharp as blades: "I'm staying. Additionally, select several willing volunteers to remain with me for rear guard!"
The elder urgently said: "You are the Wasabi family's pillar! Rear guard duties should be left to this old one and the guards! You must..."
"Silence!" Jirōchō's sharp rebuke like thunder, carrying unquestionable authority, instantly suppressed the elder's persuasion.
He stared directly at the other, word by word, resoundingly: "This is a family head's responsibility! Do you want me to abandon subordinates, abandon guests who came to help, and flee first myself! If I die, naturally someone can replace my position!"
The elder looked at the unshakable determination in Jirōchō's eyes, his lips moving several times, finally becoming a heavy sigh, deeply lowering his head: "...As you command."
Jirōchō said no more, turning toward the weapon rack.
He took down a well-maintained hard bow, testing the bowstring's tension, then brought out a heavy sealed wooden case from the inner room. Opening the lid, inside neatly arranged dozens of explosive tags covered in sealing runes.
He personally distributed the explosive tags. "Follow me." He said lowly, leading several people quickly climbing a watchtower in the estate with relatively open view.
From here, they could vaguely overlook the front yard battle situation, and more importantly, it was the chokepoint blocking the path to the inner residence.
Front yard battlefield.
As Jirōchō led guards to retreat, the field instantly became much more spacious, also losing many constraints.
Anko panted roughly, the numbness in her arms slightly easing under the warm current transmitted by the slug, but the consumption from directly confronting Komainu remained huge.
Watching the samurai press forward again, fighting spirit undiminished in her eyes, she was about to grit her teeth and charge again.
"Anko, fall back! Let me!" Shizune blocked in front of Anko. She saw clearly—Anko's strength and weapons were at absolute disadvantage against the opponent. Continuing to fight head-on, the consequences were unpredictable.
As the older ninja in the team, she must now bear the greatest pressure.
"Shizune-senpai, I..." Anko felt somewhat unwilling, but seeing Shizune's serious eyes, ultimately understood this wasn't the time for stubbornness.
"That gourd cloak is yours!" Shizune spoke extremely quickly, her gaze sharply sweeping over Mizushoku who shouldered the gourd, his aura obscure under the cloak. "His technique is very strange, be extremely careful."
The opponents' attempt to switch didn't move Komainu in the slightest. His figure didn't move, but that mountain-like heavy killing intent simultaneously locked onto both Shizune blocking before him and Anko on the flank!
"Gaishoku!" Komainu's icy gaze fell on that man whose left arm bandages were soaked dark red with blood. "Don't let the rats escape! Chase them down, kill them all!"
Gaishoku's murky left eye like a dead fish slightly turned, lifeless gaze casting toward the direction guards evacuated—deep into the inner residence. His intact right hand again reached toward blood-dyed bandages, seemingly about to extract another deadly pale bone blade.
Just as Gaishoku's attention shifted!
A short figure actively charged toward Gaishoku!
A kunai with fierce breaking-wind sound directly stabbed toward Gaishoku's extended arm joint!
Gaishoku's movements slightly stalled, forced to withdraw his right hand, blocking that cunningly attacking strike.
The body is light, and using the Sharingan doesn't feel draining at all.
Can block this ninja.
Itachi was certain.
However, just as Itachi concentrated fully on intercepting Gaishoku, Shizune and Anko were restrained by Komainu's powerful aura, their vision also blocked by smoke and intense fighting—
That figure shrouded in wide oilcloth cloak, shouldering the massive brown gourd, like a ghost merging with shadows, silently retreated half a step. His shouldered massive gourd tilted slightly, an extremely thin black trickle almost merging with ground dust, soundlessly seeping from under his cloak hem, rapidly penetrating into cracks between flagstones beneath his feet.
And his body under the cloak, borrowing the chaos created by companions' combat and blind spots in vision, his figure like smoke scattered by wind, extremely eerily fading, disappearing, not causing any obvious chakra fluctuation or sound, as if never existing.
Chapters in advance there: patreon.com/Thaniel_a_goodchild