"What do you mean by that, Arakawa Maru?"
Shikasa snapped immediately, stepping forward in anger. He had disliked Arakawa Maru ever since that incident where he deliberately lowballed Shiraishi during the Fire Spark evaluation. Hearing such words now only deepened his disgust.
"Given Shiraishi's status, joining the rescue will only cause unnecessary complications."
The Sandblood Three Veins feared that Shiraishi—closely aligned with the Elder Council—might collude with Iwagakure to harm the Kazekage. Because of this, their internal orders were to monitor and restrict Shiraishi's movements closely .
Arakawa Akita's actual instruction had merely been to observe Shiraishi.
But Arakawa Maru went further—openly declaring that Shiraishi was unfit to participate in the rescue.
That statement alone was enough to fracture Sunagakure's already fragile internal structure publicly.
"Move."
After signaling Shikasa to calm down, Shiraishi looked directly at Arakawa Maru. His gaze carried no emotion whatsoever.
That calm terrified Arakawa Maru.
Memories of being effortlessly suppressed by Shiraishi flashed through his mind, and he instinctively took several steps back.
"Damn it! You arrogant brat!"
Seeing Arakawa Maru retreat in fear, a jōnin from the Arakawa clan cursed inwardly and stepped forward instead, blocking Shiraishi.
"You killed so many of our own people—do you feel no remorse, acting so brazenly?"
"Coming from you," Shiraishi replied flatly,
"The word comrade sounds laughable."
At this point, Shiraishi had abandoned all illusions about these clans. When personal grudges were placed above the survival of Sunagakure itself, their so-called loyalty became meaningless.
In truth, this mobilization to rescue the Kazekage should have been the perfect chance to ease internal tensions. With Iwagakure and Konoha looming as military threats, unity was vital.
But for Shiraishi, this mission had a clearer priority—
saving his students.
Their lives mattered more to him than Rasa's.
"Did you hear what I said, brat?!"
The Arakawa jōnin reached out—
Only for Shiraishi and his two companions to dissolve into countless shimmering bubbles, vanishing from sight.
"What—?!"
The Mirage Illusion had already been activated.
Shiraishi's squad was long gone.
Furious, the jōnin rapidly pinpointed their chakra signatures and hurled a kunai—
Only for it to be shattered midair by an invisible wind blade.
Wind Release?
It was a Spiral Wind Blade, executed with exquisite precision.
The kunai fragmented into metallic dust.
The jōnin froze.
The surrounding Sandblood clan ninja stared blankly as Shiraishi's squad disappeared.
That single technique alone was enough to display the terrifying depth of Shiraishi's current strength.
As they moved at high speed, Shiraishi studied the terrain map of the Enlightenment Mountain Range, deducing Rasa's likely position.
Behind them, the atmosphere at the rally point grew awkward and tense.
Arakawa Maru cursed himself silently.
One sentence—and he had only deepened the rift between Shiraishi and the Sandblood clans.
Inside the canyon of the Enlightenment Mountains, Rasa's situation was dire.
Iwagakure had committed fully to annihilation.
The assault was ferocious, with Rasa's Sand Release bearing the brunt of the pressure.
Fortunately, the narrow mountain path limited enemy movement. Sand barriers blocked most projectiles, forcing the battle into a prolonged stalemate.
Even so, after hours of fighting, Rasa was nearing his limit—especially with Ōnoki repeatedly applying Weighted Boulder Technique.
Meanwhile, Nagase Bizen, Morimoto Ryōji, and Hoshino Mai, now newly promoted chūnin, formed a triangular formation—
Only to encounter Gari and an entire Explosion Release squad once more.
Explosions rocked the battlefield.
As more comrades fell wounded, Mai retreated, her ox-head crescent halberd shifting into spear form. She tore through traps with savage momentum.
Then—
She activated her secret art.
Her small frame began to swell, muscles bulging grotesquely. A pair of distinctive horns emerged from her head.
Bathed in the stimulation of her ox-beast summoning's natural energy, Mai's physical power skyrocketed.
The transformation closely resembled Orochimaru's cursed seal states.
With a thunderous roar, her hardened body shrugged off explosions without a scratch.
The Ox-Horned Demon Woman charged forward like a living meat grinder.
Even Gari—who already feared her—instinctively stepped back.
Mai smashed a single punch into the canyon wall.
The mountainside collapsed.
Iwagakure's formation wavered.
Such monstrous strength…
Ōnoki glanced back—
And Rasa seized the opening.
Golden sand surged forth, raining down like a storm of needles upon Iwagakure's rear forces.
As the needles pierced flesh, Rasa formed seals—
The sand infused into their blood detonated violently.
"Kazekage… you're not entirely incompetent."
Ōnoki split into multiple Stone Clones, surrounding Rasa as the two Kage clashed anew.
At the same time, Hoshino Mai encountered Kitsuchi of Iwagakure.
Earth Release · Fist Rock.
A massive stone fist slammed down.
Kitsuchi, an elite jōnin, struck with overwhelming force, suppressing Mai's berserk state as enormous rocks rose around her in a sealing formation.
"A prodigy girl, is it…? This ends now."
Just as the crushing stones were about to bury Mai—
A familiar voice cut through the battlefield.
"Wind Release · Multiple Spiral Wind Blades!"
Hundreds of meters away, countless roaring wind blades tore through the rock mass, shattering Kitsuchi's attack entirely.
Who—?
Wearing a Sunagakure forehead protector, unmistakably young.
Without his glasses, Kitsuchi failed to recognize him at first glance.
Seizing Kitsuchi's momentary distraction, the Scarlet Control Mirror activated behind Shiraishi.
Chakra threads snapped out, yanking Mai backward and saving her instantly.
"Trying to escape?!"
Kitsuchi gathered another massive stone fist—
But as it descended, Shiraishi and the surroundings dissolved into bubbles.
From the moment he arrived, Shiraishi had already been operating within a Mirage Illusion.
Kitsuchi had lost the initiative without realizing it.
At the same time, large-scale Sunagakure reinforcements finally arrived from all sides of the Enlightenment Mountains.
Ōnoki's expression changed sharply.
Why did Sunagakure arrive so fast?
By all calculations, their main force should have taken at least another hour to reach the battlefield.
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