"Boom!!!"
Amid the continuous explosions, blood sprayed wildly through the air.
Akashō and Han clashed relentlessly—injuring each other, recovering, and clashing again—locked in what seemed like an endless battle.
As they fought, their positions kept shifting. Under Akashō's deliberate guidance, the battlefield gradually drifted toward the Iwagakure camp.
"That's… Lord Han!?"
Before long, the Iwagakure ninja in the camp noticed the two figures fighting with earth-shaking intensity—especially the five tails behind Han, which they knew all too well.
"Who's the enemy? Someone who can fight Lord Han to a standstill?"
"Yeah, even in his partial tailed beast state, Lord Han is struggling this much…"
"That guy—why does he have six eyes?!"
"And he's not wearing a headband… is he not a Konoha ninja?"
"No idea, never heard of him. Where did he come from?"
Several Iwagakure ninja watched the battle nervously, shocked that this unknown figure could match Han blow for blow.
As the battlefield drew closer to the camp, more and more Iwagakure ninja gathered.
"Hey, is it really okay for us to just watch? Shouldn't we go help Lord Han and surround the enemy?"
"If you want to go, go ahead. With that kind of power, you'd be dead in less than a second."
"This is a Kage-level fight. Didn't your teacher tell you never to interfere in battles between Kage-level fighters? If you want to die, go die alone—don't drag me with you."
At that moment, several Iwagakure jonin arrived. Looking at the six-eyed man constantly unleashing purple blade winds, they exchanged frowns.
"That person… is Kokushibo, right?"
"Yeah. The Tsuchikage mentioned him before—definitely Kage-level strength."
"But Han isn't an ordinary Kage-level fighter. And Kokushibo can still hold his ground against him?"
"Not quite. It's obvious Kokushibo's injuries are much more severe than Han's. It's just that his recovery ability seems far stronger."
"That wasn't mentioned in the intel. It only said his appearance is unusual and his swordsmanship is extraordinary. I thought he was like Hatake Sakumo."
"Kokushibo's attack and defense are both inferior to Han's. He's only holding on through sheer regenerative ability. Whatever that ability is, Han is the Five-Tails jinchūriki—he fears prolonged battles the least. If this drags on, Han will definitely win."
The Iwagakure jonin who knew Kokushibo's intel analyzed the situation.
Meanwhile, Akashō glanced around as the battlefield shifted fully into the Iwagakure camp, with more and more ninja gathering. A faint smile crept onto his lips.
The timing's just right.
Seeing that sudden smile, Han felt a chill of unease.
"You dare lose focus in a fight with me!?"
Steam burst from Han's elbow as his massive fist slammed hard into Akashō's head.
With a crack, Akashō instantly knew—his neck had snapped, half his skull nearly shattered, brain matter spraying out. His body flew dozens of meters through the air like a severed kite.
Heh, that's exactly what I wanted!
Midair, Akashō's broken neck and shattered skull rapidly regenerated. Twisting his body, he slashed out several blade winds toward the watching Iwagakure ninja. Several of them were cut down instantly.
"Kokushibo, how dare you!?"
Han immediately understood Akashō's intention, his shock turning into fury.
"You think I wouldn't!?"
Akashō ignored him completely, diving straight into the panicking Iwagakure forces and beginning a brutal slaughter.
"Kokushibo!!!"
Han roared as he charged forward, but Akashō refused to engage him, not even bothering to dodge his attacks.
There were simply too many Iwagakure ninja. No matter where he was blasted to, he remained within their ranks. As for the injuries Han inflicted—he recovered in a single breath, springing back up to continue killing.
"Spread out! Everyone, spread out now!!"
Han and the jonin shouted repeatedly as the clustered ninja began scattering in all directions.
But gathering was easy—dispersing was not.
In the chaos, many were shoved down by their own comrades, only to be trampled to death beneath countless feet.
"Ahhh!!!"
Han's eyes nearly split from rage. He stopped mindlessly attacking and instead grabbed Akashō's arm, swinging him down toward the ground to restrain his slaughter.
But midair, Akashō didn't hesitate—he severed his own arm, flipped, and unleashed several more blade winds. By the time he landed, the arm had already regrown.
"You can't stop me."
Akashō sneered at Han, then turned and decapitated an Iwagakure jonin who had rushed him in blind rage.
At this moment, Akashō was like a predator loose in a flock of sheep—and Han, despite being a terrifyingly powerful shepherd dog, could do nothing to stop him.