Nara Shikaku withdrew his shadow, standing up drenched in cold sweat. The muscles in his arms and calves trembled uncontrollably, and he nearly collapsed on the spot if not for Yamanaka Inoichi catching him from the side.
"I'm fine. That guy's strength is just ridiculous. But after taking a hit from Chōza, he should be seriously injured too."
"Don't let your guard down."
Orochimaru landed beside them, breathing heavily.
"That monster… has an immortal body."
"An immortal body?"
Nara Shikaku raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Suddenly, the sound of rubble shifting came from the dust in the distance. Then a massive sphere burst through the haze and came hurtling toward the three of them.
"Chōza?!"
Orochimaru hastily formed hand seals and summoned several giant snakes, weaving them into a net that stopped the rolling Akimichi Chōza.
Chōza's body rapidly shrank back to its normal size. He rubbed his backside and waved his hand.
"I'm fine, just banged my butt a bit."
"Heh, your Konoha secret techniques are really something else."
Akashō's teasing voice came from within the dust. Moments later, the haze gradually cleared, revealing him standing upright, looking at the four of them.
Turning people that big—just like a Titan transformation. And there's also that technique like a radio, plus the one that manipulates shadows.
Especially the shadow manipulation—it's insanely strategic. Used well, it could absolutely be called the ultimate support ability.
"Kokushibo…"
Nara Shikaku's expression darkened as he stared at Akashō, his mind already racing again.
"His swordsmanship is different from the White Fang style. It has a wider range and longer reach, but its single-target damage isn't as strong."
Orochimaru suddenly leaned closer to Nara Shikaku.
"Also, his defense is very strong. More importantly, his recovery is like an immortal body—even poison has no effect."
"My attacks can't deal effective damage to him. At best, I can only restrict him a little. And my chakra is already down to half."
Orochimaru poured out all the information he had along with his current condition. He understood that in this situation, the only chance of turning things around lay with Konoha's strategist.
"Well, I had a lot of fun. I guess that's enough for now."
But before Nara Shikaku could even process everything Orochimaru had said, Akashō was already smiling as he dispelled the Blade of Living Flesh in his hand.
He's… not fighting anymore?
Nara Shikaku exchanged a stunned glance with Orochimaru, unable to understand his intention.
"What kind of joke is this? You killed so many of Konoha's people, and now you're just walking away?"
Nara Shikaku was about to stop him, but Orochimaru had already spoken out in dissatisfaction.
Nara Shikaku rubbed his forehead helplessly. These powerful types—when they cooperate, they're incredibly reliable, but when they don't listen, they're just as troublesome.
Still, Kokushibo clearly had the advantage yet chose to retreat. Was there something here they could exploit?
"Want to keep fighting? Sure, I don't mind. But can you handle it?"
A mocking smile curled on Akashō's lips as he looked at Orochimaru.
"Want to see how many hours it takes me to wipe out all your subordinates?"
Orochimaru's pupils shrank, and he fell silent.
Even though Nara Shikaku suspected there might be exploitable information behind the retreat, he didn't dare gamble anymore.
The corpses covering the ground… they were all real people.
They had come to this foreign battlefield to fight, to protect their village and their families—not to throw their lives away.
"You can go, Kokushibo."
Nara Shikaku let out a weary sigh.
Akashō cheerfully walked over, patting him on the shoulder.
"Don't sound so unwilling."
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance for revenge."
He stated the location he had previously told Han.
"Tomorrow at three. Be there or be square."
"If you don't come, I'll come invite you again. And don't even think about moving your camp—otherwise, I'm sure the Stone Village would be more than happy to tell me your new location."
"If you don't show up, I'll chase you to the ends of the earth—unless you retreat all the way back to Konoha."
"But I doubt you'll do that."
Akashō grinned smugly. Then, without waiting for any response, he turned and left the Konoha camp filled with corpses.
"What should we do? Go or not?"
Yamanaka Inoichi frowned slightly, his eyes filled with worry. "This feels like a trap."
Akimichi Chōza stood beside Nara Shikaku, still rubbing his backside, silently waiting for his decision.
Orochimaru also looked toward Nara Shikaku. Though he considered himself strategic, he couldn't grasp Akashō's true intention and could only wait to hear Shikaku's thoughts.
Nara Shikaku sighed and scratched his head in frustration.
"Don't all look at me. My mind's a mess too—this is such a pain."
"In short, if we go, I don't know what will happen. But if we don't, the outcome is already obvious—it'll only get worse than now."
Looking exhausted, Nara Shikaku turned to Orochimaru.
"One option carries huge risk. The other has a known outcome. What to do… that depends on you, the one in charge."