The death of Hidetree threw the two Root Jonin into great anxiety, and Danzo's desperate situation made them even more frantic.
Seeing this, Black Hawk and Shizune immediately abandoned their reckless attacks, instead striving to keep their opponents occupied to create space for Shisui's techniques.
Hirano Haru casually hurled several shuriken at Black Hawk before charging straight toward Danzo, leaving his back exposed to Black Hawk.
Black Hawk naturally wouldn't allow him to pass freely. After dodging, he paused briefly, then lifted his legs to follow closely behind.
Hirano Haru listened to the footsteps behind him with secret delight. His hands moved ever so slightly before he suddenly flipped backward and spun around.
Just as Black Hawk took a step forward, he saw Hirano Haru retreating and forming the Tora Seal with his hands.
[Fire Release – Dragon Fire Technique!]
A straight stream of fire burst forth from Hirano Haru's mouth like a giant flaming arrow.
Though only a C-rank Fire Release technique, its speed and power were both formidable, striking head-on against approaching Black Hawk.
*Boom!*
Hirano Haru's earlier acting hadn't been convincing enough, which had already aroused Black Hawk's suspicion. Prepared in advance, Black Hawk instantly substituted himself to evade this ninjutsu attack.
With no choice available, Hirano Haru could only continue battling relentlessly with this senior opponent.
Black Hawk was experienced, but Shizune was still quite inexperienced.
Meanwhile, Chiaki Tachibana fired poison needles and poison kunai toward Shizune while rushing to reinforce Danzo.
Shizune was already outmatched by her opponent, yet stubbornly refused to give ground against Chiaki Tachibana. Careless in this moment, she inhaled the poison mist left by Chiaki Tachibana lingering in the air, then got struck again by Chiaki Tachibana's poison needles while feeling dizzy.
Tsunade had just started to steady herself against her fear of blood when she lifted her gaze to scan the battlefield, witnessing exactly how Shizune received the poison needle while unconscious.
Seeing this, she stamped her right foot and dashed directly toward Shizune, but Orochimaru instantly blocked her path.
*Boom!*
Orochimaru was sent flying backward instantly, his feet carving two long streaks across the ground.
His right arm twisted backward at a ninety-degree angle from the impact of Tsunade's punch. Anyone else would have suffered broken bones and dislocations accompanied by excruciating pain.
However, Orochimaru licked his lips with a grin as he remarked, "Still as powerful as ever!"
As he spoke, his fractured right hand swung around twice like rubber before returning to normal.
"Orochimaru!" Tsunade's eyes filled with anger. "You're going to block me?"
Orochimaru replied, "I accepted Danzo's mission in advance! A ninja must always keep his word!"
Tsunade clenched her fists furiously. "Orochimaru, you know Shizune is Dan's niece! How can you still hinder me!"
"So what if I do?"
As he spoke, his left hand transformed into a long snake that dragged over the dead body of Shimura Hidetree, lifting it up in front of him with one hand.
Looking at Tsunade burning with rage, Orochimaru continued, "Although I'd love to fight you, this time I really have a mission to complete."
Saying this, he pulled out the kunai from Shimura Hidetree's chest, then carved a deep wound across the corpse's torso.
Instantly, blood poured out!
The fierce expression vanished from Tsunade's face. She turned pale with horror, her legs involuntarily trembling.
"I certainly know Shizune is Dan's niece. And I still remember exactly what Dan's wounds looked like back then too!"
"Heart pierced by Aozora's Kunai, blood gushing nonstop!"
As he spoke, Orochimaru pried open Shimura Hidetree's wound, revealing the heart pierced by Aozora's Kunai.
In an instant, Tsunade collapsed onto the ground, her eyes losing focus as her body trembled violently, as if possessed.
"Shaking because of blood? Why have you become so fragile, you who is one of the Sannin?" Orochimaru said disappointedly.
Speaking, he casually tossed Shimura Hidetree aside and stepped out of the way.
If Tsunade had looked forward at that moment, she would've seen Shizune already knocked down by a single hand strike from Chiaki Tachibana.
Shizune tried desperately to stand back up, but her spine nerves had already been severed by the Scalpel, leaving her lower body completely numb. She could only use her hands to drag herself across the ground.
Aozora kept a sharp eye on the three-way battle.
Aozora hadn't expected Tsunade to collapse like that so suddenly. Previously, Tsunade had clearly alleviated some symptoms of her hemophobia, proving she still had fighting capability.
However, what surprised Aozora even more was Orochimaru directly recreating a classic scenario, instantly reverting Tsunade back to her broken self.
The only fortunate thing was that Orochimaru didn't follow up with further action.
Silently, Aozora moved silently toward Shizune, focusing chakra into his kunai.
Suddenly, Orochimaru turned his head toward Aozora, his snake-like pupils filled with warning: "I advise you not to interfere!"
Upon hearing this, Aozora immediately took several steps backward but didn't stop channeling chakra into his kunai.
Behind his sunglasses, Aozora's gaze swept repeatedly between Tsunade and Orochimaru, his thoughts tangled and impossible to untangle.
Orochimaru turned back toward Tsunade and said, "It seems Shizune has fallen."
Although trembling, Tsunade still managed to shift her gaze over.
At this moment, Shizune lay on her back, continuously pushing herself forward using her hands, while Chiaki Tachibana pulled out a kunai.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
It was Shizune who made the first move; she slightly opened her mouth, shooting out an extremely fast needle.
However, Chiaki Tachibana was a medical ninja—he knew that the brink of victory could just as easily become the onset of defeat, so he remained cautious.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
While dodging, Chiaki Tachibana blocked every attack, successfully avoiding Shizune's counterattack entirely.
He didn't step closer—instead, he threw a kunai straight at Shizune's heart.
Thud!
Even from afar, Tsunade still saw blood erupting from Shizune's chest.
Aozora saw it even more clearly—Shizune had quickly shifted slightly sideways at the last moment, avoiding a direct hit to her heart.
Even so, she had lost her ability to fight. Seeing this, Chiaki Tachibana wasted no time and charged directly toward Danzo.
Because right now, Shisui had already rushed toward the stunned Danzo, his long blade aimed at Danzo's heart.
Just as Shisui's sword was about to pierce Danzo, Shisui suddenly found himself unable to move.
A warm sensation spread through his chest as black cursed markings slithered outward, quickly engulfing Shisui's body.
"To think you actually managed to land a Genjutsu on me—I should commend you! However…"
Danzo's eyes had already regained clarity. "Your genjutsu is far too crude!"
Shisui's genjutsu skill was naturally at a high level. Although he had placed his Yin-natured Chakra inside a Phantom Clone, the genjutsu he displayed still belonged to the category of dojutsu techniques on par with the Sharingan.
A dojutsu could only be disrupted by another person interfering with the flow of Chakra.
Under normal circumstances, one body wouldn't possess two different Chakras, but Danzo was an exception—he held additional Chakra within his right arm.
"You're far too arrogant!"
Danzo said coldly, "Do you really believe your Body Flicker Technique is unmatched by anyone?"
He turned, gazing into Shisui's eyes, where the crimson Three Tomoe Sharingan stared back.
"Right when our fight began," Danzo continued greedily, "I noticed your beautiful eyes! My right hand told me—it craves these eyes! This is the first time I've ever felt its desire! If it weren't for my fear that you might damage the Sharingan itself, do you actually think you could've injured me?"
Finishing his words, he extended his clawed right hand toward Shisui's eyes.
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