Might Guy: "Sacrificing oneself to save one's village—this is the peak of youth!!!"
Temari: "Father, how could you just die like that?"
Kankuro: "This was too sudden. It didn't give anyone time to prepare mentally."
Onoki: "What are you lot getting all worked up for? The Ninja Villages have formed an alliance, and since Rasa is such a powerful combat asset, he will definitely be resurrected by the Second Hokage!"
Senju Tobirama: "Exactly. To deal with a situation that grows more dangerous by the day, every bit of combat power is precious."
Temari: "That's right! Why didn't I think of that?"
Kankuro: "Father, you can be resurrected!"
Rasa: "Actually... I'm not dead yet in the present."
[ Sizzle~
The sound of an Explosive Tag being ignited rang out as a spark flared on Rasa's chest.
A colossal beast foot crashed down, pinning Rasa beneath it.
Thump~
Two seconds later, a muffled bang echoed from under the foot, but the leg didn't budge an inch. Only a few wisps of black smoke drifted out from beneath the sole.
Thus, a generation's Kazekage fell!
News of the Kazekage's death did not immediately reach Sunagakure.
On the Desert sands, a significant number of Honkai Beasts continued to roam.
The Emperor-class Honkai Beast that had killed Rasa also lingered near the site of his death.
Time flowed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, the sun had begun to set in the west.
On the other side, the Jonin who had lured away portions of the Beast Tide shook off their pursuers after reaching the predetermined positions and gathered at the designated meeting point.
"Where is Lord Kazekage?"
"Has Lord Kazekage not returned yet?"
Baki looked around. Thanks to their superior agility, the Jonin had all returned safely.
However, the Kazekage alone was nowhere to be found.
"Lord Kazekage bore the greatest pressure. I'm afraid..." One Jonin's face was etched with worry.
"We didn't encounter the strongest Honkai Beast. That monster must have gone after Lord Kazekage."
"If that's the case, then Lord Kazekage is likely..."
In dire straits!
Though no one spoke the words, everyone knew just how slim the chances were of the Kazekage returning alive.
Baki looked around and noticed that almost all the Jonin bore signs of Honkai Energy Erosion.
On some, the Erosion had already spread to their necks.
Even an experienced veteran like Baki had been Eroded up to his arm, nearly reaching his shoulder.
Of course, the Erosion wasn't limited to the arms; it appeared on legs and, more severely, directly on internal organs.
That was the most critical type.
And this was exactly why this mission was called "ten deaths, no life"!
To lure the Honkai Beasts away, they couldn't rely on their own natural abilities to get far enough—they had to use Honkai Energy!
And once they used Honkai Energy, they subjected themselves to severe Honkai Energy Erosion.
This meant their lives had entered a final countdown!
Even if they could be resurrected via Reanimation Jutsu after death, dead was still dead. How could there be such a thing as a perfect Resurrection?
Baki: "Enough. Let's head back first. Sunagakure still needs our strength."
The Jonin had no objections; besides, they were anxious to know the current state of Sunagakure.
Thus, the group began the trek back to the village.
However, compared to when they set out, their expressions were far more haggard, and they carried an air of twilight usually found only in the elderly.]
Granny Chiyo: "Sigh... To protect Sunagakure, the village has truly suffered heavy losses this time."
Ebizo: "There was no other way, Sister."
Temari, Kankuro, and the others watched the Sky Screen with complicated emotions.
Seeing their father sacrifice himself should have made them sad.
But in reality, their father hadn't sacrificed himself yet.
Even so, the thought that the scene on the Sky Screen might repeat itself in the future made them feel sorrowful all over again.
Yet, even if their father died, he could still be resurrected by Senju Tobirama.
Consequently, their emotions were stuck in limbo—neither fully grieving nor fully relieved.
[ What they didn't know was that during the half-day since their departure, the portion of the herd that hadn't been lured away did show signs of dispersing, but small groups of Honkai Beasts continued to advance along the original path.
Unsurprisingly, they discovered Sunagakure.
The good news was that the number of Honkai Beasts that found Sunagakure wasn't too large—barely a hundred!
But even a hundred beasts still put immense pressure on Sunagakure.
With the Jonin currently away, it was difficult to find Ninja in the village capable of handling these creatures.
Faced with this situation, Temari and Kankuro, as the children of the Kazekage, had no choice but to step forward!
At dusk, the Ninja stood atop the walls of Sunagakure. Looking at the sandstorms billowing in the distance, the people of Sunagakure felt a knot of anxiety in their hearts.
Even though scouts had previously confirmed the number was less than a hundred...
...among those Honkai Beasts were three Chariot-class Honkai Beasts over fifty meters tall and over forty lightning-fast Archangel-class Honkai Beasts.
There were over a dozen Ballista-class Honkai Beasts capable of hurlimg bombs, over a dozen Templar-class Honkai Beasts, and roughly thirty Knight-class Honkai Beasts.
Was this a large number of Honkai Beasts?
Compared to the original herd of nearly ten thousand, it really wasn't!
But for Sunagakure, this number was already a force nearly impossible to oppose!
Especially those three massive Chariot-class Honkai Beasts!
They simply weren't something ordinary people could deal with.
Not to mention the smaller but even more troublesome Templar-class Honkai Beasts!
Among all Lower-class Honkai Beasts, aside from the Honkai Emperors, only these Templar-class Honkai Beasts carried a spear in one hand and a shield in the other.
In particular, their shields possessed defensive power even greater than the ten-meter-thick carapaces of the Chariot-class Honkai Beasts!
Furthermore, the spear in their other hand was incredibly sharp; even the sturdiest steel would be pierced through.
Combined with their ability to fly off the ground, they weren't restricted by terrain.
All of these traits made them the most difficult enemies in the herd to handle.
They were essentially the elite units among the Lower-class Honkai Beasts.]
Terumi Mei: "As expected, some of the Honkai Beasts still found Sunagakure."
Tsunade: "It's not surprising. With such a massive number of Honkai Beasts, it's only natural the village would be spotted."
Onoki: "But the question is, with Sunagakure's current military strength, can they actually handle these Honkai Beasts?"
Granny Chiyo: "If the village's Chunin and Genin have also learned how to use Honkai Energy to bolster their Ninjutsu, they should be able to hold the village."