In the Mist Hidden Village at this moment, fighting erupted everywhere, creating utter chaos.
Due to the disappearance of Mizukage Mei and Ao, the remaining Mist ninjas were in a state of panic, unable to organize themselves.
Fortunately, the number of curse spirits and mutated rats had also drastically decreased, so even fighting individually, they wouldn't be routed in the short term.
Furthermore, without Tuogen present, these Mist ninjas could finally unleash their true strength.
However, if this continued, it was uncertain how much morale would be left.
At this moment, spatial distortions suddenly appeared where Tuogen's domain had been expanded. A hunched figure appeared alone, seemingly carrying a corpse in his hand.
"Tuogen is gone, cough cough… He must have pulled them into his domain. It seems it will end soon."
"It's just strange, why didn't that rat take this opportunity to clean up the mess?"
Tuogen scanned the battlefield and drew these conclusions and questions.
As he appeared, the domain behind him vanished.
This meant that all the Mist ninjas he had pulled into his domain earlier had been annihilated without a single survivor!
However, if one looked closely, his current condition wasn't good either. Many of the pustules on his body had burst, leaving few intact.
This showed that even within his domain, the dying struggles of those Mist ninjas had caused him considerable trouble.
If Ao hadn't been killed right at the start, there might have been a turning point.
What a shame…
At this moment, someone finally noticed him, and the corpse in his hand.
"Lord Ao is dead?!"
This exclamation drew the attention of almost everyone around. Then, following his gaze, they saw Ao's corpse casually thrown at Tuogen's feet.
"Surrender, humans."
"Otherwise, your only path is death."
The Mist ninjas' already dwindling morale suffered a severe blow!
Even Lord Ao was killed, and the situation of the Mizukage was unknown. Was it really necessary for them to fight to the death?
Many eyes showed confusion, and a sense of defeat began to spread.
However, at this moment, someone unexpected stepped forward.
"Lord Mizukage will surely win! And I will defeat you all to avenge Lord Ao! To avenge all our fallen comrades!"
In the eyes of everyone, the shy and often insecure Chōjūrō stood before them all, his face flushed red as he roared at the enemy.
Suddenly, the battlefield fell into an eerie silence.
But soon, a few people forcefully tapped Chōjūrō's head, stepped past him, and stood at the front.
"Hahaha…"
"This is really troublesome. At a time like this, why are there still brats trying to play the hero?"
"Exactly. Shouting about avenging 'Lord Ao and our comrades,' aren't you ashamed?"
"Kids should play the role of kids and stay behind honestly."
"This is why I hate children."
Hearing these words, Chōjūrō became even more enraged, "You guys…"
"Hey, kid, listen up! Avenging Lord Ao and all those who died isn't something for a brat like you to be at the forefront of."
"But when we're all dead… we'll leave it to you."
Only then did Chōjūrō understand that their earlier words weren't meant to mock him. His eyes welled up with tears.
"Don't underestimate the will and determination of adults, kid!"
"Huh? Didn't your legs turn to jelly just now?"
"Get lost! When the enemy attacked, you were the fastest to run. Did you think I didn't see that?"
"Alright, stop arguing and making a spectacle. The rest of the fight is up to us. It's time to pass on the Will of Water."
One by one, figures bickering with each other stepped past Chōjūrō.
As they said, until they were all dead, it wasn't a genin brat's turn to steal the spotlight and play the hero.
Even if he was a highly valued young genius in the village, it wouldn't do!
Tuogen didn't know why these humans had suddenly become so high-spirited…
No, the glint in their eyes was clearly a death wish filled with all kinds of emotions!
Burning their bridges, charging forward, unrepentant even in the face of death!
Their country, their village, their homes—they would protect them themselves.
At least until the Mizukage returned, they would never surrender!
The two sides instantly clashed again, and the battle was even more brutal than before.
"Is it because of that human brat?" Tuogen stared at Chōjūrō, scratching his itchy arm.
What a shame, he had consumed a lot of curse energy earlier, and he couldn't activate his domain again today.
"I should leave here first. It's the rat's turn next. He should really like this environment (a ground full of corpses)."
But just as he turned, Tuogen discovered a human figure not far ahead.
Logically, there shouldn't be any living people in that direction.
He then noticed that all curse spirits and mutated rats, the moment they approached that human, were instantly sliced into pieces!
Upon closer inspection, he realized that red threads were surrounding the human. Moreover, these threads were not only extremely sharp but also seemed to be 'alive'?
Perhaps his observation was too undisguised, causing the human's gaze to lock onto him.
Crack, crack, crack…
His arm felt increasingly itchy, and Tuogen scratched faster and faster.
He had to leave quickly!
But when he looked up again, the human had disappeared…
Disappeared?
He froze for a moment, then noticed something around his neck.
Hidden Strike!
Decapitation, execution!
Puff!
Shiji lightly dragged the Executioner's Blade, effortlessly severing the guy's head.
He was even surprised by how smoothly it went.
But the next moment, a frantic sense of crisis surged through his brain, making him retreat backward at top speed without hesitation, while all the blood around him condensed into a shield in front of him.
Slap!
Just as Tuogen's head was severed, all the remaining pustules on his body burst simultaneously.
Bodily fluids containing a large amount of deadly bacteria and viruses instantly splattered outwards.
A few rats' eyes were splashed directly, and in the next moment, their entire bodies were covered in sores, transforming into grotesque lumps of flesh.
"Damn it!"
Shiji couldn't help but curse upon seeing this.
He had activated Hidden Strike without hesitation precisely because he had recognized the guy's peculiarity, intending to strike first and kill him instantly.
But as it turned out, he had just popped a "urine bag"?
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