While Kai and Ryuji fought for their lives inside the barrier, the battlefield outside was just as intense.
Kunai clashed, wires tightened, explosions echoed.
The remaining Yamigawa shinobi threw everything they had at Serena, Jasper, Sienna, Kenshiro, and Aiko.
Serena weaved through enemies with lightning-fast kicks, her movements fluid and precise.
Jasper fought with sheer brute force, dodging kunai and punching a shinobi so hard his body flipped mid-air.
Sienna moved like a ghost, striking pressure points and breaking limbs in an instant.
Kenshiro remained untouchable, his kunai flashing as he deflected every attack with deadly efficiency.
Aiko, though tense, held her ground, protecting the Landlord and the child.
BOOM!
A paper bomb detonated nearby, sending a shockwave through the battlefield.
Jasper, wiping blood from his lip, grinned.
"This is insane!"
Serena snorted.
"What, finally impressed by shinobi combat?"
Jasper huffed.
"Tch. It's alright."
Sienna, adjusting her gloves after snapping a shinobi's arm, sighed.
"We should focus."
Jasper, as expected, ignored her completely.
"Oi, Kenshiro! Can't we just break that barrier and end this?!"
Kenshiro, still moving effortlessly between enemies, spoke calmly.
"No. That's not an option."
Jasper scowled.
"Why the hell not?!"
Kenshiro's eyes never wavered.
"Because if we interfere now… Daimyo will stop playing with them."
Aiko inhaled sharply.
Serena's smirk faded slightly.
Even Jasper, for once, went quiet.
Inside the barrier, Daimyo was toying with them.
If they broke it—he would stop holding back.
And that would mean instant death for Kai and Ryuji.
Jasper gritted his teeth.
"Then they better win."
Kenshiro simply nodded.
Inside the barrier—
Daimyo smiled.
"Now, let's get serious."
Ryuji gritted his teeth, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. His arms felt heavy, his movements slower. He had taken too many hits already.
But there was no way in hell he was going to back down.
He brought his hands together, fingers forming the familiar hand seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
POOF!
A smoke explosion erupted around him—
And when the air cleared, ten identical clones stood beside him.
They all grinned, cracking their knuckles in perfect synchronization.
"Alright, you masked bastard! Try handling all of us!" Ryuji shouted.
All ten clones charged forward.
They moved like a storm of fists and kicks, overwhelming from all sides—
And Daimyo—
Didn't move.
He stood still, watching them approach with cold amusement.
Then—
He lifted one hand.
Kai, watching from behind, narrowed his eyes.
His Yamigan pulsed, absorbing every movement, tracking every shift in Daimyo's stance.
"Left foot slightly forward. Hand rising. Counterattack incoming."
"Timing: 0.3 seconds."
"Danger level: Lethal."
"Move!" Kai shouted—
But it was too late.
Daimyo's fingers curled into a fist.
And then—
He vanished.
BOOM!
The ground where he had been standing exploded outward, dust flying as his speed shattered the air.
Ryuji barely had time to react before—
SLASH!
A single, brutal swing of Daimyo's arm cut through every single clone in an instant.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Within a fraction of a second, all ten Ryuji clones were gone.
The real Ryuji staggered back, his heart pounding.
"What the hell?!"
Daimyo glanced at him, unimpressed.
"Is that all?"
Ryuji's blood boiled.
"Hell no!"
Kai saw his opening.
With a flash of movement, he formed hand seals.
"Lightning Style – Thunder Fang Jutsu!"
Electricity crackled through his hands, forming two jagged spears of lightning.
He flung them forward—
Lightning ripped through the air, arcing toward Daimyo's exposed back.
Then—
Daimyo lifted his hand.
"Earth Style – Titan's Guard."
BOOM!
The ground exploded upward, forming a solid wall of rock in front of him.
Kai's lightning spears struck—
But the attack was completely absorbed.
Kai's eyes widened.
"No damage?!"
Before he could react, Daimyo turned toward him.
"Too slow."
And then he moved.
Kai barely had time to lift his arms before—
CRACK!
Daimyo's fist slammed into his ribs, sending him flying across the battlefield.
"GAH—!"
His body skidded across the ground, rolling to a stop as he clutched his side in pain.
Ryuji charged again.
"FIRE STYLE – ASH DRAGON JUTSU!"
A massive serpentine dragon made of ash and embers erupted from his hands, roaring forward.
Daimyo raised his other hand.
"Water Style – Ocean's Judgement."
A torrent of water crashed into the ash dragon, smothering it instantly.
Ryuji's eyes widened.
"No way—"
Daimyo appeared in front of him.
Before he could react—
CRACK!
A brutal knee drove into his stomach.
Ryuji gasped, his entire body locking up from pain.
Then—
Daimyo grabbed his arm and twisted.
SNAP!
Ryuji screamed.
Pain exploded through his shoulder.
His arm was dislocated.
Daimyo tossed him aside like trash, sending him crashing into the dirt.
He sighed, rolling his shoulders.
"You're both weaker than I expected."
Kai, struggling to push himself up, gritted his teeth.
"He's barely trying… and we're already broken."
Daimyo cracked his knuckles.
"Now, let's break the rest of you."
Outside the barrier, everyone had noticed.
Kenshiro's jaw clenched.
"They're losing."
Jasper, his hands tightening into fists, cursed under his breath.
"Damn it."
Aiko yelled into the barrier.
"KAI! RYU! GET UP!"
Sienna, still locked in combat, typed furiously into her wristwatch.
"Their vitals are dropping."
Serena, dodging a kunai, growled.
"We have to break that barrier!"
Kenshiro's expression darkened.
"No. Not yet."
Aiko spun toward him, furious.
"NOT YET?! THEY'RE GETTING SLAUGHTERED!"
Kenshiro's voice was low.
"If we interfere now… they'll never grow stronger."
Jasper, still watching, clenched his jaw.
His heart pounded.
"Damn it, Kai. Get up."
Inside the barrier, Daimyo raised his foot, preparing to stomp Ryuji's ribs.
Kai forced himself up, blood running from his mouth.
His Yamigan flared.
"Not yet."
And then—
His eyes changed.