Chapter 351: Sage Anko Slays a Powerful Foe
Dragging his severely injured body, Might Duy returned to the camp and collapsed.
Although his body was charred black, he managed to survive thanks to the medical ninjas' prompt treatment. Of course, the fact that he hadn't used the full power of the Eight Inner Gates Formation also played a part. Otherwise, even with Kyosuke's medicine, he would have been crippled for life, if not dead.
Shortly after Duy's return, news of Watanabe's death spread. Although the Cloud ninja were shocked by the loss of their leader, their attacks became even more ferocious.
Their reasoning was simple: they wanted to annihilate the Northeastern Army Corps before Might Duy could recover.
Just as Yamato and the others were struggling to hold the line, reinforcements from Konoha finally arrived.
"Lord Third, you're here!"
"Haha! With Lord Third leading us, the Cloud scum are finished!"
Amidst the cheers, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had rushed to the front lines, checked on Might Duy's condition before immediately taking command. He began to direct the battles with orderly precision.
Once the situation had stabilized, Hiruzen personally went to Yamato's position, preparing to face Killer B head-on.
Meanwhile, the war in the Land of Grass had also begun.
Uchiha Shisui and Anko led the Northwestern Army Corps in a frenzied assault on Onoki's camp.
Leveraging the fact that the average strength of their ninja was far superior to the enemy's, the Northwestern Army Corps caught the unsuspecting Stone ninja off guard right from the start.
However, at this moment, the Ninshu member made his move. Single-handedly, he withstood the combined attacks of both Shisui and Anko.
Seeing this, Anko decided to temporarily stop attacking. Retreating a safe distance, she prepared to enter Sage Mode before re-engaging.
Deflecting Shisui's short sword with a backhand strike, the Ninshu man stared directly into Shisui's eyes. "The Uchiha clan are descendants of Lord Indra. Why do you oppose the Ninshu? Do you realize that this is akin to betraying your ancestors?"
Moving so fast he left afterimages, Shisui continued his relentless assault while replying calmly, "I apologize, but I don't know any Indra. I only know that I am a Konoha ninja, and the Uchiha are Konoha's Uchiha."
"...Since you are so stubborn, I'm sure the Lord won't blame me for killing you." As soon as the man finished speaking, he vanished from Shisui's sight. Even with the insight of his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, Shisui could barely catch a glimpse of the blur.
"Swift Release: Shadowless Flight!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A series of punches and kicks struck Shisui mercilessly. Only when the green light of the Susanoo appeared did the man cease his assault on the bloodied Shisui.
"Susanoo, is it? No matter how many times I see it, it is truly impressive." Although the man said this, the mocking smile on his face revealed he didn't think much of the Susanoo before him.
Ignoring the man's provocation, Shisui assessed his physical condition while analyzing the man's abilities.
"That speed is far beyond any ordinary Body Flicker Technique. And I didn't see him weave any hand signs... So, it must be some kind of Kekkei Genkai."
"Since I'm at a disadvantage in speed..." With that thought, Shisui's Mangekyo pupil power surged again. The skeletal Susanoo transformed once more.
"Susanoo: Third Stage."
Shisui decided to adopt a defensive strategy to stall the enemy. This was currently the strongest form of Susanoo he could manifest.
Although Shisui, having awakened the Eternal Mangekyo, possessed enough pupil power to manifest the Perfect Susanoo, his mastery over that power was still lacking. This was the exact opposite of Kyosuke's situation back then.
Kyosuke's pupil power had been refined to an extreme level through countless "blindings" in the system dungeons; he had only lacked the foundational strength. Shisui was the reverse.
However, if Shisui continued to train, the day he could wield the Perfect Susanoo wasn't far off.
Just as the Ninshu man was continuously attacking the Susanoo, Anko finally finished gathering natural energy.
Perhaps due to the Hashirama cells, Anko's Sage Mode was very different from Kyosuke's. If anything, she resembled Kabuto's Dragon Sage Mode, though without the horrifying appearance.
As an energy form closely related to natural energy, Hashirama cells possessed excellent storage capabilities. Although Anko hadn't mastered Sage Mode for long, its power was not to be underestimated.
Sprinting forward, Anko ignored Shisui's warnings and charged straight at the enemy.
Clapping her hands together, she spat out a white orb wrapped in a red snake-like aura.
"Sage Art: White Rage Technique!"
HMMMMM!
The orb emitted a blinding light and intense vibrations. The air around the three of them shook violently. Shisui felt as if every bone in his body was grinding against the others.
Under this sonic attack, Shisui couldn't even maintain his Susanoo. The Ninshu man fared even worse; his swift movements were rendered useless.
"Damn it! What is this jutsu?!" The Ninshu man covered his ears, enduring the agony as he tried to retreat.
With his hearing and vision impaired, he dared not continue fighting. If he stayed, he would die.
But Anko wasn't about to let him leave so easily.
Boosted by senjutsu chakra, Anko easily caught up to the enemy. With a flick of her wrist, several kunai pierced his chest.
Not stopping there, she circled behind him and clapped her hands again. Using an ability learned from Tagitsuhime, she opened a massive hole directly beneath the man's feet.
"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!"
Recalling how helpless she had been against the Ninshu woman earlier, Anko added a touch of ruthlessness to her attack.
"Since you are companions, you can pay her debt!"
"Die! Damn Ninshu scum!"
Clap! Changing her hand seals, Anko watched as the man fell into the hole. Just as he was trying to climb out, his vision shifted from blinding white light to abyssal darkness.
Massive spikes shot out from all directions, instantly turning his body into a pincushion.
"ARGHHH!!!"
The Ninshu powerhouse, who had been locked in a bitter struggle with Shisui, met a gruesome end at the hands of Anko's unexpected and brutal tactics.