Since the previous attack had only used Wind Release and Fire Release without oil to intensify it, Haseo's combined Sage Art technique naturally wasn't as powerful as Jiraiya's Five Crow Toad Elder Dance Formation, which involved one human and two toads executing three techniques at once.
Still, the power behind Haseo's Sage Arts was more than enough for this situation. More importantly, it covered an enormous area.
Set everything on fire and burn it all to the ground—that was more than enough.
Yet after unleashing such a large-scale attack, the sage markings on Haseo's face immediately faded… In fact, most of his Sage Chakra had already been consumed by that massive [Earth Release: Uka no Mitama no Kami]. What little remained had now been completely drained by those two wide-range techniques.
Under normal circumstances, stepping down from a stronger battle mode would cause Haseo's condition to decline, reverting him into "Haku." But such an emotional shift didn't apply here—against Nawaki, he needed neither Sage Arts nor Kinjutsu.
He didn't even need Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, or Taijutsu.
Haseo simply wanted the other side to reflect properly—on what the so-called might of the Senju truly meant, and whether Nawaki could still casually say afterward, "It's simply because I am a Senju."
Carefully avoiding the flames around him—they wouldn't spare him just because he was the one who started them—Haseo pressed forward step by step through paths cleared by earlier destruction.
After gradually passing through the sea of fire, Haseo saw Nawaki limping away—cutting and running was indeed the right move. Charging straight toward Haseo would've been suicide.
At this moment, however, Haseo hesitated slightly. Fortunately, someone else helped resolve his dilemma—just as he was about to catch up with Nawaki, another ninja suddenly appeared between them.
"Lord Nawaki, hurry and escape. I'll hold him back…" Possibly sensing Nawaki hadn't fully grasped the urgency, the Senju ninja added urgently, "Do not return to Konoha."
Konoha was out of bounds.
Haseo stopped in his tracks. Clearly, he placed special importance on this ninja blocking his path.
"If things are like this, it seems your operation in Konoha hasn't gone smoothly."
It wasn't just "not going well"—for the Senju, things were probably already hopeless.
Haseo tilted his gaze upward—the sky was finally lightening at this point. The surrounding flames evaporated the persistent drizzle while reflecting upward, giving the heavens an eerie red glow.
"I wonder if you realize—ambitions or ideals… maybe you think you're rebelling against Konoha's system, but in truth, you've always been tools manipulated by parts of that same system. Used by a fragment to attack the whole, I believe you already know exactly what you're doing."
The Senju were too impatient, so they trusted Danzo Shimura. After all, Danzo was once a disciple of the Second Hokage. If he played his cards right, he could indeed gain people's trust. And trusting Danzo only made them even more restless... It was almost certain that every restless member of the Senju participated in this operation.
Looking back at past Rebellion in Konoha, things always seemed to go that way. For example, the Uchiha clan, who possessed both power and determination, had also been mysteriously erased.
Haseo's words left the Senju clan's ninja in silence.
"Lord Haseo… Is there truly no Senju anymore?"
In the end, the ninja asked bitterly with confusion.
Haseo merely gazed calmly at him. "No Senju? What nonsense are you speaking? Haven't the Senju already disappeared fifteen years ago?
That was a choice made by every one of you. Yet now you act as if everything that happened was forced upon you, treating the retreat of the Senju as a mistake and blaming it all on one woman... But it was your decision—each and every one of you made that choice. You simply forgot far too easily."
Some Senju had already begun living peacefully, continuing their lives as Ninja—but only as Ninja of Konoha. Meanwhile, another group had awakened from a decade-long dream. These people forced a grim ending on the Senju, who could've faded into legend as heroes deservedly remembered.
The ninja remained silent for a long time until those behind him had completely vanished. Only then did he speak up.
"Perhaps our efforts were all in vain, yet even failed endeavors leave a faint echo.
Lord Haseo, you're truly unique. There are some things you just won't let go of. So following that logic... what comes next has nothing to do with your strength, but rather, your will."
His words caused Haseo to shake his head—not in disagreement, but—
"If you guys can judge things so accurately, why would you still do something so foolish?"
The other did not reply, simply pursing his lips before rushing toward Haseo... The battle resumed.
There's no need to describe the fight in detail—it was an intense exchange, evenly matched, lasting for quite some time. In the end, the enemy finally collapsed before Haseo.
Haseo raised the long blade in one hand and plunged it down sharply. The sharp edge pierced through the enemy's heart from behind. Blood burst forth from the body, gradually soaking the dry land around them, which had been scorched by flames.
Blood surrounded the fallen like a ring, soon beginning to lose its moisture; even the smell of blood didn't linger much... Regardless of anything else, this marks the end.
This was where the Senju met their end.
Not long after, several Anbu finally arrived at the scene.
"Lord Haseo, Nawaki of the Senju clan..."
"He escaped," Haseo said, pointing in the direction Nawaki fled, continuing, "Go chase him. But better assign part of your team here to control the fire before it spreads into the village... I should return to check what's happening."
Several Anbu glanced at each other, and finally they nodded in agreement. "Yes, Lord Haseo."
Lord Haseo was better suited for tracking down the "fugitive"—judging merely from the battle traces left at the scene, the opponent was no run-of-the-mill opponent but an exceptionally "skilled" fighter. Yet no one had the authority to force Lord Haseo into doing something like this.
Besides, that wasn't part of his official "duties" either.
As Lord Haseo left the scene and made his way back to Konoha, he noticed that, even without his prompting, some ninja were already hard at work trying to contain the fire.
From the looks of it, the fire was going to keep blazing for a while longer.
Lord Haseo gave a silent nod. He had thought ahead—for instance, before setting the fire, he'd shaped a wide, thick strip of earth all around Konoha to stop the flames from spreading.
Inside Konoha, scattered skirmishes were still flaring up, though these fights no longer affected the overall situation.
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