Chapter 128: All of You — Go Scrub the Latrines
Darui caught his breath, watching the white ape across from him.
This was a problem.
Adamantine body. Nearly immune to Storm Release. And the thing was solid — he'd cut at its forehead and his blade had sparked. Actually sparked. Against a forehead.
If the terrain had been anything other than flat open snowfield, and if the creature had been any faster, Darui would have lost this fight to a summoning beast.
Enma checked on Kiba's group from the corner of his eye. Still moving. Too slowly.
They were each carrying an unconscious casualty. The pace wasn't going to improve. He wanted to go support Sakura — her opponent was the Raikage — but leaving now meant those three died.
His frustration was building when he caught movement in his peripheral vision.
Several figures, closing fast.
Konoha headbands.
One of them Enma recognized. Kakashi Hatake.
Finally. Reinforcements.
Though — it had taken them this long? How many days had passed?
Enma was relieved. He was also furious.
The moment this was over, he was going straight to Hiruzen to file a formal complaint about whoever was running this Konoha unit.
Darui had also spotted the incoming figures, and his reaction was somewhat different.
This is Kumogakure's operational territory. Why are there this many Konoha ninja in it?
How large are the holes in our defensive perimeter?!
Who is responsible for the defensive line?!
This cannot stand. Someone needs to be fired. Someone needs to be replaced by a person who is capable of doing their job—
...Oh.
That's me.
Darui mentally filed away several subordinates who'd been assigned defensive line duties. Once this situation was resolved, they were all getting reassigned. To latrine duty.
The entire army's latrines.
"Sensei!"
Kiba's face lit up the instant he saw the familiar red-clad figure.
"Kiba!"
Kakashi's group had already spotted them — and the white ape squaring off with Darui in the distance. That summoning beast's reputation preceded itself considerably.
"Sensei, please — Sakura needs help—"
Kiba found something to hold onto when he saw his teacher and his composure started to slip.
They'd heard the exchange while Enma was fighting. The man Sakura had chosen to hold off was the Fourth Raikage.
The silence that had followed that realization had been complete.
She'd blocked a top-tier enemy alone to buy them time. Called out Enma to cover their retreat even while fighting the Raikage herself.
The fact that Enma was still here meant Sakura was still alive. But the Raikage — if she couldn't hold him, or if she got captured—
Kiba didn't let himself finish the thought.
"Current situation. What's Sakura's status."
Kakashi's voice was measured. He looked at the boy who was barely keeping it together.
"Let me." Shino stepped in front of Kiba and delivered a rapid, clear summary to Kakashi's team.
The short version: destroying the supply depot had failed, but they'd captured the Two-Tails jinchūriki. The Raikage had come personally. Sakura was holding him. Her summoning beast was holding the Raikage's escort.
"What—"
Shirakumo stared at the unconscious woman on Kiba's back.
"That's the Two-Tails jinchūriki?"
"No time." Kakashi was already moving his eyes from face to face. "Kurenai — you and Himon stay here with Shino and Kiba."
"Shirakumo, with me. We help Enma finish the escort first, then we find Sakura."
Enma could sense Sakura's position through the bond between summoner and summons. He was the fastest path to her.
Kakashi glanced at the gravely wounded Sasuke on Shino's back, then turned and ran toward Darui with Shirakumo beside him.
"..."
Darui watched them coming and said nothing.
Kakashi was unmistakable. The Konoha tech specialist, Copy Ninja — a serious opponent by any measure.
The other one, Shirakumo — Kumogakure had files on the veteran jōnin who'd spent years on the border. Balanced, reliable, elite.
One versus Enma was already not going well. One versus Enma plus these two was not a calculation worth finishing.
The Raikage hadn't appeared yet, which meant the girl was still keeping him occupied. Given that she'd beaten Yugito in full tailed beast form, that tracked.
Darui looked one last time toward Yugito's unconscious form in the distance.
A hundred meters. It might as well have been a continent.
He turned and ran. No hesitation, no looking back.
He was a practical man. Doing something you knew was impossible wasn't courage. It was stupidity.
He needed to reach the Raikage, report the situation, and if there was still time — coordinate a combined push to capture the girl and use her as leverage to recover Yugito.
If there was still time.
"Kakashi. Follow me."
Enma swallowed his irritation about the delayed backup, got it down to one sentence, and said nothing else — just turned and ran toward where his senses placed Sakura.
Sakura walked backward through the snow, step by step, keeping Shi between herself and the Raikage.
The Raikage followed, step by step, eyes never leaving her.
A hundred meters. Constant. A strange, suspended equilibrium.
Shi could feel his tongue going numb.
Then — a flash of lightning behind her.
The balance shattered.
Darui. He'd come back.
Did Enma lose?
The thought appeared in her mind and she threw it out immediately. Enma didn't lose to Darui.
Her sensing confirmed it — Enma was moving toward her position right now.
But that didn't help with the blade of lightning currently screaming toward her back.
Darui moved like a leopard, sword blazing, coming down hard at her exposed back.
Sakura was calm. She vaulted lightly, planted one hand on Shi's shoulder, balanced her entire weight on it, and let the strike pass beneath her.
"Shi—?!"
Darui saw the familiar face where he'd expected an enemy and killed his momentum, pulling the blade back before it connected.
He gave her the opening.
She didn't waste it. Both hands locked onto Shi's shoulder and she swung him off the ground and threw him at Darui.
Darui couldn't cut his own teammate. He dodged.
And in the same instant, the Raikage had moved the moment Darui attacked.
"Lightning Plough Hot Knife!"
Searing lightning driving straight at her — she was still in the air, still holding Shi, no clean option—
And then two sounds split the air at once.
A thousand birds screaming.
Wind shrieking through a blade.
"Lightning Release — Lightning Blade!"
"Wind Release — Vacuum Sword!"
(Chapter End)
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