At the entrance of Hanawan Ichi-cho, Kakashi held Puta Kanon's neck with a kunai and observed the surroundings. At that moment, a gust of wind blew, and a stern face appeared on the ground. The part of Putian Yilang's soul that was outside appeared somewhat despondent. When he saw the woman Kakashi was holding, his expression twisted:
"Konoha! You are indeed a bunch of despicable people! Let her go. What kind of ability is it to bully a woman?"
"I've been waiting for you for a long time. If you release my teammates, she will be safe too," Kakashi said calmly.
"Impossible! They have to atone for their sins! They must go to hell to repent for their actions! The war started because of you! Even if you capture my relatives, my faith will never give in."
"A wolf..." Putian Kanon called out to her brother sadly. The face on the ground twitched, and Putian Yilang's eyes were conflicted, but in the end, he remained indifferent and resolute.
Kakashi knew that such negotiations would lead to no results, so he took a step back and said, "Let me in, and I'll let her go. Then we can either escape or die in battle; it all depends on our abilities."
"Good."
Putian Yilang was silent for a moment and, this time, did not refuse Kakashi. The light curtain of the barrier trembled, revealing an opening just large enough for a person to pass through. Kakashi wanted to make some small movements to loudly remind his teammates to escape, but Putian Yilang's gaze was fixed on him.
"We can only go in and take risks," Kakashi said helplessly. He decisively loosened the restraints on Putian Kanon and jumped into the barrier in one go. Putian Kanon's body trembled, and she knelt on the ground.
"Sister, run away. The farther, the better. I don't need you to find Hanzo-sama. I just want you to live your life in peace. No war, no ninja—just be an ordinary person."
Putian Yilang's voice gently echoed on the ground in front of Putian Kanon, and his face quickly disappeared. With tears in her eyes, Putian Kanon reached out her hand to tentatively touch his face, but she could only feel the hardness of stone.
The barrier was sealed again, and at the last moment, the soul of a wolf from Putian slipped in.
In the lobby on the first floor, the previously dull Tin Man's eyes suddenly flashed with a shrewd look. Dieyi Wasi, Hemao Kawasaki, and Jia stood back to back. They were all injured to varying degrees, but fortunately, they were still able to hold on. At that moment, they clearly felt that the Tin Man, who had seemed to be offline before, had regained consciousness.
"Be careful; its attacks were disorganized before, and now something seems wrong," Dieyi Wasi observed, warning her teammates. She had a bad feeling, as if something crucial had returned to her from the enemy in front of her.
"Now that the fish are hooked, let's begin. Scorched Earth warfare!"
A large flame appeared on the Tin Man's chest, and flames also blazed on his iron fist as he scanned the surroundings. Kakashi Hatake appeared at the gate, with light and shadow playing across his face like a savior.
"It's Captain Kakashi!" Dieyi Wasi exclaimed, surprised to see Kakashi at the door.
Hemao Kawasaki and Jia turned around and also showed joy on their faces. Kakashi was the only one with cold sweat dripping from his forehead. The Sharingan in his left eye twitched wildly, scanning the barrier for the source of the chakra.
Kakashi knew he had no chance of fighting against Putian Yilang here; the only way to survive was to escape. He had ventured in solely to get his teammates out.
There was no point in being stubborn with a wolf and a dead man from Putian. They would be doomed no matter what.
"Team leader?" Dieyi and Vasi also noticed something was wrong. She and her two teammates tried to get closer to Kakashi but suddenly felt the ground shaking violently.
As the earth trembled, the Tin Man looked at the ground below in disbelief. "Impossible, I clearly didn't..."
A beam of tragic white light suddenly erupted from beneath Hanawan Town. Fang Yuan appeared on the second-floor platform, spreading his arms and looking down at the people below with cold eyes.
"Everyone, let's watch the fireworks together."
Everyone looked up in shock. Before they could react, a buzzing sound filled their ears, followed by an explosion that shook the world. Hanawan Ichi-cho was like a balloon that had finally reached its critical point. The roofs were instantly reduced to powder, and a huge mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
The shock wave was like a Category 12 hurricane sweeping across the ground. Not only did Hanawan-cho disappear from Tansho Street, but houses on several other streets were also razed to the ground. Countless figures were blown away by the strong wind, some even flying hundreds of meters away, including many warriors who had rushed to the scene.
This was a serious terrorist attack!
The explosion began in Hanawan-cho and destroyed several streets in succession. The death toll was still unknown. Amid the ruins, a space vortex spun, and Kakashi, half of his body burned, emerged from Kamui, pulling on his armor. Even now, he was still frightened and completely disoriented. If he hadn't sensed a strong sense of crisis at that moment and desperately activated the Sharingan's light technique, he would not have survived.
"Captain, Dieyi and Hemao..." A fell to the ground in disarray, sobbing weakly. Kakashi looked at the devastated landscape in silence and lowered his head, deep in thought.
"The mission was successful. We should go back."
"Team leader..." A looked up suddenly.
"They can't survive an explosion of this magnitude."
Kakashi hadn't anticipated that the enemy would be so ruthless as to choose to die with their plan. This was the outcome he had least wanted to see. But what he didn't know was that the instigator of all this was not Putian Yilang, but Fang Yuan, who was hiding in the shadows.
Putian Yilang had originally placed 30,000 detonating tags merely as a deterrent. He himself used the immortality of the soul to strategically manage Kakashi and the others, so there was no need for a deadly confrontation. But Fang Yuan made that choice for him.
Kakashi and Jia left with heavy hearts. If they had stayed, they would have encountered the samurai who came to investigate. They wouldn't have been able to explain themselves, even if they were right, and this would only deepen the conflict between the daimyo and the village.
However, in a forgotten corner, a piece of debris blown by the wind on the ground began to grow wildly. It was as if an invisible law was being enacted. Backtrack! The debris seemed to reverse time; more and more pieces flew around and reassembled, and in an instant, Fang Yuan's complete form emerged.
"The changes of the Spring and Autumn Cicada are truly powerful. Even at this level, I can restart myself?" This was another form of immortality! As long as Fang Yuan had the opportunity to go back every day, he could use the Spring and Autumn Cicada to restart himself and eliminate all damage or unfavorable factors!