EBE Chapter 842 Water and Soil Mixing
Chapter 842 Water and Soil Mixing
Taking advantage of the chaos and obscured vision caused by the clash of water and soil, Ao led the remaining Mist Ninja troops into the depths of the forest without looking back. Their escape speed was even faster than when they came, clearly indicating that they were completely terrified.
"Don't let them get away! That's a dirty look!"
Several Jonin from the Hyuga clan's branch family, their eyes bloodshot with rage, disregarded the lingering effects of the flood and attempted to scale the earthen wall to continue their pursuit. It was a disgrace to the clan, one that had to be washed away with blood.
"Halt! Don't pursue a cornered enemy!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's authoritative voice stopped them in time.
"But Lord Hokage! That is..."
"I said, stop!" The Third Hokage stared intently into the depths of the forest where the Kirigakure ninja had disappeared, and said in a deep voice, "Since Kirigakure dared to launch a surprise attack of this scale, they certainly wouldn't have only prepared this one move. The terrain in the forest is complex, and no one knows if there are any ambushes or support troops. Now the village is vulnerable, and we cannot take any more risks."
Hearing the Hokage's stern order, the Hyuga clan members, though unwilling, could only stop in their tracks and watch helplessly as the Byakugan disappeared from their sight.
……
The battle ended quickly, just like the morning mist—it came suddenly and dissipated just as quickly.
Although he had repelled the powerful enemy, Hiruzen Sarutobi showed no joy as he looked at the devastated village entrance and the collapsed houses.
The reconstruction work had only just been completed after the last round of war, and now it had to be repaired again. This was undoubtedly adding insult to injury for Konoha, which was already facing financial difficulties and manpower shortages.
He took off his dust-covered helmet, revealing a wrinkled and tired face.
"Lord Hokage, the casualty statistics are in. Although most are minor injuries, but..."
"I see."
The Third Hokage waved his hand, interrupting the report from the Anbu. His gaze swept past the crowd, fixed on the distant border of the still-smoke-filled battlefield.
"The Hidden Mist Village... finally couldn't resist getting involved, huh?"
He sighed deeply, took out his signature pipe from his pocket, lit it, and took a deep drag. Through the swirling smoke, the old man's eyes were filled with worry.
Konoha was already facing a three-way attack from Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure simultaneously. Although the situation had eased slightly recently, they were still walking a tightrope. Now, Kirigakure, which had been holding back, has also broken off relations and officially joined this meat grinder-like war.
To the north lies Hidden Rocks, to the east Hidden Clouds, to the west Hidden Sands, and now to the south, Hidden Mist has been added.
Surrounded by enemies on all sides.
This is a desperate situation that Konoha has never encountered since its founding.
"Where the leaves dance, the fire will never die out..." The Third Hokage murmured these words left by the First Hokage, his eyes gradually becoming firm and resolute. "I hope this fire can withstand this unprecedented storm."
Deep underground, unknown to anyone, Zhang Hai was quietly watching all of this through the laboratory's monitoring screen.
"Surrounded on all sides, huh... Interesting."
He turned off the screen, glanced back at Mei Terumi sleeping peacefully in the treatment pod, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.
"But for me, the muddier the water, the better for catching fish."
Inside the Hokage Building, in an office.
A faint smell of tobacco filled the air. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the damaged but still standing Konoha Village, his brows furrowed.
"Lord Hokage, this is all the situation I encountered on the front lines."
Uchiha Shisui knelt on one knee, reporting solemnly, "That ninja wielding the twin swords Hiramekarei is incredibly powerful. Even in high-speed combat, he could still close his eyes and perfectly neutralize all my attacks through his senses. I have a feeling... he wasn't using his full strength at the time, and it even felt like he was deliberately guiding me to retreat."
At this point, Shisui's face showed a hint of confusion: "But the strangest thing is that during the subsequent large-scale siege, this strongman who should have been the ace completely disappeared. If he had been there at the time, cooperating with Qing's command, our defense line probably wouldn't have been so easy to hold."
The Third Hokage took a deep drag on his pipe and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke: "Wielding the twin swords Hiramekarei, possessing top-tier swordsmanship and sensory abilities... If I'm not mistaken, that should be the genius of Kirigakure known as the 'Reincarnation of the Demon'—Hozuki Chigetsu. It is said that he is also proficient in all ninja swords, and his strength is even above that of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
“But…” The Third Hokage turned around, his eyes flashing with doubt, “As the top fighter of the surprise attack force, why did he disappear at the crucial moment? Moreover, besides him, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist mentioned in the intelligence report are also all absent. This doesn’t make sense, unless…”
"Unless they are all dead or crippled."
A cold voice suddenly came from the shadows.
The Third Hokage and Shisui turned their heads at the same time, only to see Zhang Hai, wearing an Anbu mask, standing in the corner of the room, carrying a faint smell of medicine and blood.
“Zhang Hai?” A hint of appreciation flashed in the Third Hokage’s eyes. “You’ve returned just in time. This time, you were able to use your intuition to predict the movements of Kirigakure in advance and rush back to the village. I am deeply gratified by your strategic vision.”
"It's just my duty." Zhang Hai took off his mask, revealing a slightly pale but still calm face. "Moreover, I brought not only a prediction, but also concrete intelligence."
He looked at the Third Hokage and calmly dropped a bombshell: "The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist didn't come because they were ambushed on the way. As a result, four of them died on the spot, and three escaped with serious injuries. That so-called 'Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist' is now defunct in name only."
"what?!"
Even the Third Hokage, who had seen countless storms, was moved at this moment, and his pipe trembled slightly. "Four dead and three escaped? Who did it? Could it be you... No, if it were you, your injuries wouldn't be this bad."
“It wasn’t me.” Zhang Hai shook his head, the red figure reappearing in his mind, “It was a genin who was insignificant even in Konoha, named Might Guy.”
"Might Guy?" The Third Hokage paused for a moment, searching his memory for a long time before he could barely recall the "eternal genin" who always wore a green bodysuit and only did D-rank missions.
"To cover the retreat of his surrounded comrades, that uncle activated a forbidden technique." Zhang Hai's voice turned solemn, "Eight Gates Formation - Gate of Death."
"Eight Gates Formation... Gate of Death..."
The Third Hokage's pupils contracted sharply. As a disciple of the Second Hokage, a master of forbidden techniques, he certainly knew what this technique meant.
"Burning one's entire life force in exchange for power dozens of times greater than the Five Kage... I see."