The northern VIP room of Heiya gambling house was an extravagant space exclusively reserved for distinguished guests by Heiya Ichiji. Ornately decorated, every piece of furniture within the room was worth a fortune.
Now, Shisui and Black Hawk's [Firestorm] had transformed the entire room into an open north-south layout. Countless kunai and shuriken had utterly shattered the decorative items and furniture inside.
In just a few breaths' time, the once opulent mansion had become a chaotic ruin. Sword marks scarred walls and pillars, and five or six corpses lay scattered across the floor among charred remains of unknown valuables.
Howling cold winds rushed in, failing to extinguish the raging flames but instead fueling the thick black smoke. This forced Shisui and Black Hawk, who had just stormed into the room, to squint their eyes and hold their breath.
Whoever remained after enduring waves of Ninjutsu and ninja tools was undoubtedly formidable.
They naturally knew entering the room was still dangerous, but no one from the Shadow Guard Team possessed the Secret Jutsu to extract intelligence from the dead. Thus, they needed to keep Murakumo Kurama alive for interrogation — long enough to get Danzo's whereabouts before he dies.
Shisui and Black Hawk's judgment was correct — the room was still perilous. As soon as they entered, they felt intense heat closing in.
Before they could think further, a hail of shuriken came flying straight at them.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!——
Dodging or blocking, the two effortlessly deflected the first wave of attacks.
Hardly had they begun to relax when two silvery arcs of blade light flashed through the air, carving crescents mid-flight toward them.
The timing and angles chosen by these two samurai were practically flawless, yet their speed lagged slightly behind that of Black Hawk and Shisui.
Clang! Clang!
Weapons clashed as the four figures darted past each other. After crossing paths, the two samurai collapsed to the ground after only a few steps.
Seeing his guards fall, Heiya Ichiji immediately declared, "Hisanobu, Saito, we retreat!"
As his words rang out, the head guard standing before him led the remaining two guards leaping out through the breach previously created, with Heiya Ichiji following closely behind.
Realizing this escape attempt, Shisui quickly hurled dozens of kunai to intercept them.
Spotting the threat, Monk Hisanobu raised his palms together, forming a protective barrier behind them.
[Welcome Ascension – Thousand Hands Carnage!]
A golden spiritual figure emerged from his body like a divine projection.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!——
This golden Bodhisattva image shielded Hisanobu completely, blocking all the kunai thrown by Shisui.
Though surprised by this unusual Ninjutsu, Shisui did not stop moving, instantly unfurling a scroll and summoning more kunai.
Before Shisui could launch another attack, the golden Bodhisattva manifestation surrounding Hisanobu shifted into a crimson wrathful Myō-ō deity.
Then came the roaring crimson Chakra fist!
Boom! Boom! Boom!——
Under this unrelenting onslaught, even Shisui found himself unable to advance any further.
Standing at the edge of the hole, Monk Hisanobu bowed deeply to the two before following Heiya Ichiji.
On the second-floor balcony—
The battle chamber was only dozens of meters away from Aozora and the other two. It was nothing for regular people to cross — even less so for them, with their exceptional eyesight.
Aozora's cigar had already fallen to the ground. With one hand holding snacks and the other a beverage, he had entered full spectator mode.
Since the Konoha ninjas held the upper hand, Tsunade and Shizune also relaxed.
Initially somewhat reserved, the two women couldn't help grabbing some snacks from Aozora's hands when they heard the crunching sounds. As elite medical ninja, they weren't worried about him poisoning the food.
While Aozora and Tsunade watched silently, Shizune—who hadn't seen many battles—was constantly startled.
Seeing the old monk manifest the holy form of Guanyin, Shizune was so shocked she forgot how to crack her sunflower seeds, her mouth hanging wide open.
"Guanyin! That's Guanyin!"
Ninja were beings who mastered supernatural energies, so many among them believed in deities and Buddhas.
Tsunade, with her extensive experience, immediately recognized Hisanobu's background and explained, "He's a warrior-monk from the Fire Temple. That holy image of Guanyin is the Fire Temple's secret technique, [Approach – Thousand Hands Kill]. It can block all attacks, and when struck, the holy image instantly transforms into Myō-Ō, Guanyin's wrathful form, counterattacking with [Crimson Chakra Fist]."
As Tsunade finished speaking, the holy figure on the battlefield transformed into Myō-Ō, Guanyin's wrathful form, and launched an endless barrage of [Crimson Chakra Fist].
Seeing that Hisanobu was covering Heiya Ichiji's retreat, Tsunade turned her head slightly toward Aozora and said, "Heiya Ichiji is running now. You can chase him."
Aozora suddenly remembered that he had claimed his target was Heiya Ichiji.
However, he remained calm, took a sip of his drink, and continued watching the fight.
"I'm not blind. I can't block that monk's Myō-Ō fist! Should I run over and get myself turned into meat paste? No, staying here is better. This battle is more exciting than the Five Great Ninja Villages' *Chunin Exams*!"
There wasn't the slightest trace of fear in Aozora's voice, but his words clearly implied caution.
Tsunade felt as if her punch had hit a cotton ball—utterly unsatisfying—and coldly warned again, "You'd better stay just watching. If you dare to make a move—humph!"
As she spoke, she threw another punch, creating a sonic boom.
Aozora nodded repeatedly, then returned his gaze to the opposite "stage."
The "stage" now only had five people left: two members from the Shadow Guard Team and three rogue ninja.
Shisui and Black Hawk suddenly felt the air around them heating up. The flames, previously flickering weakly against the cold wind, now roared to life, engulfing them completely in a raging inferno.
The searing heat caused huge droplets of sweat to immediately break out across their skin. Even more terrifying, their clothes caught fire almost immediately.
The roaring flames continuously scorched them, bringing searing pain directly onto their flesh.
They quickly realized they were caught in a *genjutsu*. One spun the tomoe in his eyes while the other formed hand seals to break free from the illusion.
In an instant, they escaped the burning hell—but the agonizing sensation of being burned alive did not decrease at all. Worse still, real burns began appearing on their bodies as the pain intensified.
Before Shisui and Black Hawk could even process what was happening, two rogue ninja standing before Murakumo Kurama had already charged forward.
Shisui and Black Hawk naturally possessed strength surpassing the two rogue ninjas. However, the excruciating pain of [Infernal Flame Consumption] plagued them, greatly weakening their abilities. As a result, they could only fight the two rogue ninjas to a stalemate, or even found themselves at a disadvantage.
Murakumo Kurama watched Shisui and Black Hawk gradually losing ground, sneering, "You two trash from the Shadow Guard Team actually dare to come after me? Do you really think you're Konoha elites?"
Black Hawk exchanged blows with his opponent, then leapt back and lashed out at Murakumo Kurama, "Traitor! The village raised you, yet you repay kindness with betrayal?"
Murakumo Kurama coldly chuckled, saying, "All my Ninjutsu came from my clan. What did Konoha ever give me?"
Shisui slashed his opponent away with a sword strike, saying, "Without the protection of the village, do you think you could have grown up safely?"
"Hahaha!"
Murakumo Kurama laughed out loud. "That's absolutely ridiculous! Was it the village's protection that sent me to the battlefield when I was only ten years old? Our Kurama clan has been physically weak by nature—what might be ordinary injuries for other ninjas could be fatal to us."
He paused before continuing, "The chaotic Warring States Era lasting hundreds of years didn't wipe out our Kurama clan, but in just fifty years since Konoha's founding, our clan is on the verge of extinction! Is this what you call the village's protection?"
The Kurama clan had once been a prestigious family within Konoha. At their peak, they had many Jonin, rivaling the Uchiha clan in power and influence. Yet now, due to unknown reasons, they had gradually declined, without any successor inheriting their Kekkei Genkai for a long time.
Caught off guard and under pressure, Shisui and Black Hawk fell silent for a moment.
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