The situation was far from optimistic. Although Hane Genma had taken the initiative to intercept Uchiha Tajima, the current reality was that he was the one being pinned down by Tajima.
The Firefly organization had absolutely no reinforcements; they could only grit their teeth and withstand the enemy's onslaught.
Even assuming Senju Tobirama had received Genma's message in time and launched the operation exactly as predicted, it was impossible for the elite squads of the Senju Clan to teleport instantly to the Hagoromo Clan's village... This meant Firefly had to hold out until daybreak before the Senju assault would begin.
The difficulty was simply too high.
The non-combatant members of the organization had evacuated first, and the few shinobi capable of trading blows with the enemy could not afford to remain inside Kikyo Castle.
The enemy, of course, would not simply let them leave, but retreat was mandatory.
This was not a refusal to fight; the logic was simple: one does not fight a positional warfare battle against an enemy with absolute superiority in power.
Although Firefly was more familiar with Kikyo Castle, they held no significant geographical advantage. Fighting a positional battle would only mean higher casualties, especially since they couldn't possibly hold the line.
Only by staying mobile would opportunities arise—at least, more opportunities than fighting a stagnant battle.
Genma could not continue to stall Uchiha Tajima here. If he wanted to quickly break free from this predicament, he could no longer afford to think about conserving chakra.
Couldn't he see that Uchiha Tajima was already using the second stage of Susanoo?
If an enemy with absolute overall superiority was going this far, Genma, who was being forced into a desperate corner, had even less reason to hold back.
He took a deep breath and infused a massive amount of chakra into the earth beneath his feet.
"Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique."
Genma plunged his hands into the ground and exerted sudden, immense force with his arms, instantly lifting a massive section of the earth that had been lightened by the jutsu.
With no regard for chakra consumption, a gigantic bowl-shaped crater was instantly gouged out of the city, its deepest point reaching over twenty meters.
After hurling the massive clod of earth toward Uchiha Tajima, Genma immediately released the Light-Weight Rock Technique.
Uchiha Tajima was naturally dismissive of such an attack. Earth was just earth; what lethality could a large pile of dirt possess?
Massive amounts of chakra gathered in the Susanoo's hands, instantly forming a gigantic chakra longsword. With a casual swing, Tajima slashed the falling earth into scattered debris.
At the same time, Genma charged at Uchiha Tajima again.
Directionally, he was rushing toward Tajima. Topographically, he was charging toward the bottom of the crater.
Uchiha Tajima controlled the Susanoo to dive downward as well. Maintaining this state was draining; he didn't want to waste too much time.
Seeing this, Genma exhaled softly. Just as intended, Uchiha Tajima had walked right into the pit he had prepared.
Genma hadn't lifted the ground to attack, but to alter the terrain... In fact, if he could use Earth Release ninjutsu like the "Mobile Core," he wouldn't have needed to expend so much effort, but he didn't know that technique.
Boom!
The Susanoo's massive chakra sword slashed straight toward Genma, but it only grazed his side before smashing violently into the ground.
Under the effect of the Light-Weight Rock Technique, Genma's incredibly light body was launched into the air, practically riding the shockwave generated by the Susanoo's strike.
He ascended rapidly along the spine of the great blade, leaped high, and arrived upside down directly above the Susanoo's head.
Simultaneously, his hands completed a plain, unremarkably simple seal. It looked like a Water Release seal, but not entirely.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave — Boil Release Variant."
In an open environment, the acidic mist of Boil Release would diffuse endlessly, leading to insufficient lethality. This issue was actually quite easy to solve: simply contain it, increase its density, and thereby enhance its killing power and corrosiveness.
So, Genma dissolved the acidic mist into water and fired it at high speed.
Physical penetration combined with chemical corrosion—few Susanoo users had likely ever received such treatment... It was worth noting that in a confined space, the acidic mist of Boil Release alone could corrode a Susanoo, and at a frightening speed.
The slender water blade, like a strip of white silk, whipped down from directly above onto the Susanoo... With such a large target, it would have been harder to miss.
Immediately, the sound of lard dripping onto a hot iron plate filled the air. As the Water Severing Wave sliced downward, hissing white smoke poured continuously from the Susanoo's body.
almost effortlessly, Genma severed one of the Susanoo's arms as he flipped and descended.
Good, it works!
The giant earth pit was the terrain preparation; the special Water Severing Wave was the preliminary experiment. Now that everything was proven to work, Genma formed seals again:
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave."
A volume of water resembling an inverted sea poured down from mid-air in an instant. Under the dual pressure of the water's gravity and impact force, even the Susanoo was suppressed at the bottom of the pit for a moment.
As the water continued to pour, the azure liquid suddenly began to smoke and bubble. As the water level rose, it emitted a constant gurgle-hiss sound.
Soon, the water turned a grayish-white color, filled with flocculent floating matter.
Genma had prepared an acid pool for the Susanoo—neither too big nor too small, just enough to bury it.
One had to remember that the Susanoo was hollow; it could block neither air nor water.
He wasn't finished yet. Standing outside the acid pool, Genma alternated between the Light-Weight Rock and Added-Weight Rock Techniques, once again lifting a massive chunk of earth and slamming it down over the acid pool like a pot lid... If this didn't cook him, nothing would.
After doing all this, Genma's body couldn't help but sway; his footing seemed unstable... He had nearly exhausted his chakra.
At that exact moment, four ninja from the Hagoromo Clan attacked Genma from the front, back, left, and right. In an instant, four long swords pierced through Genma's chest.
It was unclear if the commotion just now had drawn them in, or if they had been lurking nearby waiting for Uchiha Tajima to falter before choosing to strike.
"Cough, cough cough..."
Blood seeped from the corner of Genma's mouth again, and his neck twitched involuntarily.
"I have to thank you. Do you know why?"
Disregarding his own injuries entirely, Genma's hands moved with lightning speed, clamping around the throats of two enemies. Simultaneously, using his remaining strength, he snapped out four rapid kicks, shattering the knees of the other two.
The ninja couldn't be blamed for their slow reaction; who could have predicted that a dying man would struggle so violently?
Moreover, the moment they approached Genma, they were immediately subjected to the slowing effect of the Added-Weight Rock Technique. Their suddenly heavy bodies made it impossible to dodge in time.
In a flash, the steam that was about to extinguish on Genma's body began to boil once more.
Feeling their chakra being rapidly drained away, the enemies finally understood where Genma's gratitude came from.
Two plus two. After replenishing his chakra, Genma didn't forget to finish the job. Like smashing watermelons, he kicked their heads until they—exploded.
At this point, Genma stopped pretending. He ran straight toward several specific locations in the city where a few White Zetsu were hiding.
After eliminating five White Zetsu in succession and absorbing their chakra completely, Genma's reserves had recovered to about seventy or eighty percent.
He then incinerated the White Zetsu corpses and rushed out of the city.
However, just as he left the city limits, a loud explosion reached his ears. The sound came from the exact direction where he had set up the acid pool.
"Still not dead..."
After hesitating for a few seconds, Genma decided not to go back to finish him off. He had more important things to do.
During the battle just now, Genma had caught a glimpse of Nanami being chased in a wretched state. The reason she hadn't intervened in the fight between Genma and Uchiha Tajima was that she was too busy trying to save herself.
After running for a while, Genma felt a ceaseless stinging pain in his chest. His breathing grew heavier and rougher, sounding like broken bellows... It seemed the wounds from earlier refused to heal.
He looked down, only to realize that the four swords were still stuck in his body...
The swords haven't even been pulled out; it'd be a miracle if the wounds could heal.
In truth, the battle had become so chaotic that both sides were in disarray. This minor stupidity on Genma's part was nothing significant, other than wasting a good portion of the chakra he had just collected... Healing penetrating chest wounds required a massive amount of chakra, after all.
Genma pulled out the long swords, struggled to identify his direction, and continued running into the night.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Tajima slashed open the acid pool and the "pot lid." When he surfaced, the battle-damaged Susanoo was reduced to almost nothing but a head.
Tajima crawled onto the ground with difficulty, gasping violently. By now, the skin on half his body was gone, and his internal organs had suffered chemical burns. The intense pain, both internal and external, nearly caused him to faint.
Yet, he had escaped.
It is well known that if one can develop the Susanoo to a high stage—becoming a true "Gundam"—a pentagonal enclosed space, the true "cockpit," appears on the forehead.
In that moment of life and death, Uchiha Tajima had subconsciously forced the power of his Sharingan. Although he hadn't fully manifested the third stage or higher, he had at least evolved the Susanoo's self-preservation functions to an advanced level... After all, he was fighting for his life, and the Uchiha Clan excelled at breaking limits during combat.
In short, he relied on the "Gundam cockpit" to escape the acid pool. Although he had suffered heavy damage, he ultimately hadn't turned into a pickled cucumber as Genma had hoped.
But regardless, Uchiha Tajima was no longer in any condition to continue fighting. However...
Shizuru had been thrown to god-knows-what era by Nanami.
The remaining three clansmen were likely all dead.
And she herself was in such a pathetic state...
Uchiha Tajima still possessed his pride; how could a Clan Head flee back to his clan in such disgrace?
He struggled to his feet and launched his pursuit of Genma once more.
It had to be said that the Uchiha personality possessed this specific facet: when they most needed to be rational, they often chose to act on emotion.
Uchiha Nanami was being pursued by six ninja led by the Hagoromo Clan Leader.
Frequent use of the Mangekyo Sharingan had nearly dried up her spiritual energy, leaving her with no choice but to flee, with almost no strength to fight back.
She had already mastered the duration control of her unique ocular jutsu, Umasuikashu. If she could just activate it one more time, she could easily shake off the pursuit. However, at this moment, she couldn't even open her eyes.
By the time she escaped to the outskirts of the city, she had sustained multiple injuries and looked utterly miserable.
Just as she was about to be overtaken by the enemy, Ran burst out from the flank, precisely intercepting the enemies.
"Sister Nanami, go! I'll hold them off!"
Ran was in much better condition than Nanami. Compared to Nanami, the wounds on her body were at most mere scratches.
"Okay... You... be careful..."
The words were spoken with great difficulty, even going against Nanami's true feelings, but she knew that staying behind would only make her a burden. She could only flee deeper into the forest while trying to recover her ocular power.
"Clan Leader, it's that nameless one. At least ten of our clansmen have already died at her hands."
The Hagoromo pursuit squad paused for a moment, harboring deep fear and immense hatred for Ran.
"You stay and deal with her. I will continue the pursuit." Hagoromo Kushi did not hesitate, immediately ordering the split.
Ran was indeed powerful, but the ninja personally led by the enemy Clan Leader were no fools.
In fact, if the enemies didn't subjectively wish to stay, she alone couldn't possibly stop five people.
These five stayed behind specifically to eliminate her once and for all.
Ran rushed toward the departing Hagoromo Kushi, attempting to stop him, but this time she was blocked by the other five enemies.
Hagoromo Kushi was able to continue his pursuit.
Nanami's escape speed grew slower and slower. In the dense forest, she was practically running with her eyes closed, tripping occasionally, looking extremely wretched.
Thwack!
The sound of something tearing through the air came from behind. Nanami didn't even bother to look, allowing the kunai to nail into her shoulder, causing her body to stumble.
"You can't escape."
The voice was filled with certainty, sounding as if it were right beside Nanami's ear.
However, just as Hagoromo Kushi closed in behind her, preparing to deliver the fatal blow, Nanami suddenly opened her left eye.
The pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan emerged once again.
Her figure instantly vanished into nothingness.
Hagoromo Kushi's attack hit empty air.
The Clan Leader was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage. One second! He was just one second away!
He knew this Uchiha Nanami could use some kind of space-time ninjutsu; if not for her frequently saving people on the battlefield, he wouldn't have even noticed her.
He had intended to finish her off while her ocular power was exhausted. Who could have known things would coincide so perfectly?
At the very last moment, her visual prowess had recovered.
How does one deal with an enemy hiding in space-time? Hagoromo Kushi had absolutely no method for it.
He could only stomp around in circles furiously before turning to leave.
However, Nanami had actually only hidden for ten minutes. Ten minutes later, she reappeared in the exact same spot... She knew that on such a complex battlefield, the enemy's supreme commander couldn't afford to stand there as punishment.
Facts proved her judgment was very accurate.
Nanami breathed a sigh of relief; she had finally escaped the fatal crisis.
Next, she planned to move deeper into the forest. She could only return to the battlefield after recovering at least a portion of her chakra.
However, before she had gone very far, the sounds of intense combat reached her ears again.
There was one voice she was very familiar with, one she could identify easily.
It was Chihori.
She was leading a group of ninja with almost no combat ability, having evacuated Kikyo Castle the moment the battle began.
Nanami unconsciously took a few steps forward, and then...
Stopped.
Turned around.
And ran toward the battlefield.
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