Takinawa leaned against a massive rock that had been pierced by a gold dust spear, its surface covered in spiderweb-like cracks.
He gasped violently, the tearing pain in his chest reminding him that he was too weak to fight any longer.
The light of the setting sun was about to fade.
Two days and one night of fighting had left him exhausted.
Even if they couldn't change the outcome of Sunagakure's victory, they would make Sunagakure pay a heavy price.
On the cold sandy ground, scattered limbs of Amegakure ninjas lay strewn.
Behind the rock cover, heavily wounded Amegakure ninjas let out suppressed groans.
A young Amegakure ninja's abdomen was sliced open by a wind blade, his intestines spilling out. He futilely tried to stuff them back in with hands covered in sand and blood, twitching in agony, his eyes unfocused.
There were countless Amegakure ninjas like him.
The Sunagakure ninjas were not much better off. Although they could still stand, they had sacrificed a large number of their comrades.
The dying counterattack of these Amegakure ninjas was truly a headache.
Rasa was entangled with Hanzo, his face grim. He had thought it would be easy to take down these Amegakure ninjas. He didn't expect the losses to be greater than he had imagined.
The remaining Amegakure ninjas, still clinging to life, hid behind cover, while in front of them, the Sunagakure ninjas, like hyenas smelling blood, re-formed their encirclement.
Even with heavy losses, the Sunagakure ninjas still held a decisive numerical advantage.
Great Sandstorm Technique!
The Sunagakure ninjas forming the encirclement simultaneously performed hand signs. Their roars echoed through the desert as Chakra surged wildly.
In an instant, countless gusts of wind erupted in front of them. The furious winds converged in the air, forming a colossal tornado.
The tornado, carrying the terrifying power to crush everything, let out a deafening shriek as it advanced towards the Amegakure ninjas hiding behind the rocks. Wherever it passed, the rocks were easily swept up and pulverized.
The air was violently sucked away, creating a powerful vacuum vortex.
Even a kunai, if caught within it, would be shattered into fragments due to the immense pressure.
Behind the rocks, the Amegakure ninjas couldn't even lift their hands to perform hand signs.
At this moment, their despair reached its peak. They could only watch helplessly as the sky-obscuring tornado roared towards them.
Takinawa glanced at his comrades around him, their young faces frozen in despair. A deep sense of powerlessness seized him.
He was not afraid of death. As he had told his comrades, he should have died long ago. He was just blaming himself, feeling unwilling. He dreaded the fact that he couldn't protect his comrades. He was too weak.
"It's over..."
An Amegakure ninja with a severed arm murmured, closing his eyes and giving up resistance.
"Hanzo-sama... I'm sorry..."
The young ninja who had been disemboweled lost focus in his eyes.
"I have no regrets."
"I wonder how Haruki is doing..."
"..."
The tornado crushed the rocks where the Amegakure ninjas were hiding.
Just as it was about to draw closer, an icy, bone-chilling cold descended without warning. Visible ice-blue cold air permeated the atmosphere.
To the shock of the Sunagakure ninjas, the tornado actually froze solid. The tornado was frozen in place, turning into an immovable ice sculpture.
A slender figure stood atop the ice sculpture of the tornado. The last sliver of twilight slid across his forehead, illuminating his Amegakure forehead protector.
[Ding!]
[System detected Suna Ninja A's killing intent value +3000]
[Ding!]
[System detected Suna Ninja B's killing intent value +3000]
[Ding!]
[System detected Suna Ninja C's killing intent value +3000]
...
[Currently collected killing intent value totals 450,000. Your Cursed Spirit Sukuna's rank has increased to 94.7%]
"Haruki!"
"It's Haruki!"
"..."
Takinawa stared blankly at the figure standing on the ice sculpture.
Jubilant shouts from the Amegakure ninjas sounded beside him but Takinawa felt no joy.
Why?
Why did Haruki wake up precisely at this moment?
Why did Haruki choose to go to the battlefield after waking up?
Doesn't he know...
No!
Takinawa realized with utmost clarity that Haruki knew the dangers of this battlefield, but he wasn't afraid.
Haruki turned his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over every scarred Amegakure ninja behind him.
His voice rang out, clearly reaching the ears of every Amegakure ninja, resounding across the battlefield.
"I said I would protect everyone!"
"I will fight alongside everyone!"
"Never leave a single comrade behind!"
"Now it's time for me to fulfill my promise!"
His words were like a heavy hammer, striking hard at the heart of every Amegakure ninja.
[Ding!]
[System detected Hanzo's affection value +10,000]
[Ding!]
[System detected Suzaku's affection value +10,000]
[Ding!]
[System detected Muteki's affection value +10,000]
...
[Currently collected affection value totals 616,000. Your Love Curse growth value has increased to 93.5%]
Tears streamed down the blood-stained faces of the Amegakure ninjas. They gazed at Haruki's figure, their eyes, once filled with despair, now seemed to have had a burning ember thrown into them.
A hot current surged up to the Amegakure ninjas' heads, and they actually felt warmth. Their bodies were warming, and their strength was gradually returning.
"Protect our comrades!"
"Protect Amegakure!"
The Amegakure ninjas let out heart-wrenching roars.
They forgot their pain, forgot their wounds, and charged recklessly towards the Sunagakure ninjas.
Roars echoed across the battlefield.
Amegakure ninjas who were so severely wounded they shouldn't have been able to stand actually erupted with astonishing power, their pupils burning with a destructive madness.
At the same time, the Sunagakure ninjas watched in shock as these opponents, who seemed to have crawled out of hell, approached. Even though they stood on opposing sides, at this moment, they still admired the enemy's will.
Countless Sunagakure ninjas fixed their gaze on Haruki. Not a single person underestimated him.
They all leaped up simultaneously, blocking all of Haruki's escape routes, and various ninjutsu roared towards Haruki, who was at the center.
[Ding!]
[System detected Suna Ninja A's killing intent value +4000]
[Ding!]
[System detected Suna Ninja B's killing intent value +4000]
[Ding!]
...
[Currently collected killing intent value totals 130,000. Your Cursed Spirit Sukuna's rank has increased to 96%]