"Why is his chakra so abundant?"
Several sensory-type shinobi on the battlefield attempted repeated scans, yet all arrived at the same conclusion: Shiraishi's chakra level remained unnervingly stable.
Although it had declined somewhat after such an intense battle, compared to the rapid depletion suffered by Kurama Arashiyama, Shiraishi's consumption was shockingly low.
From the opening genjutsu clash to the later exchange of taijutsu and ninjutsu, Shiraishi had fought at full intensity the entire time—yet he still retained terrifying vitality.
The Kurama clan's genjutsu was indeed formidable, but even it could not withstand this kind of chakra endurance. That was precisely why Kurama Arashiyama had begun to falter when facing Shiraishi's relentless assault.
As the head of the Kurama clan, even after losing an arm to Shiraishi, Kurama Arashiyama's expression remained cold and grim. Lightning gathered in his palm, radiating a powerful sense of oppression.
But Shiraishi knew—
This was his limit.
Water Release · Flying Water Shuriken!
Countless shuriken transformed into streams of water and were hurled forward, tracing elegant arcs through the air as they shot straight toward Kurama Arashiyama.
At the same time, the six mirrors of the Scarlet Control Mirror spread open once more, clearly preparing for a second capture attempt.
Kurama Arashiyama's body was instantly wrapped again in surging lightning. Ignoring his wounds, he swallowed a soldier pill in one motion and leapt forward, smashing toward Shiraishi with a berserk punch.
The water shuriken shattered on impact.
Spraying water scattered into afterimages as Shiraishi's silver blade spun at high speed, shredding through the spray. Kurama Arashiyama gritted his teeth, sweeping a canvas with his remaining hand—
Black serpents surged forth.
Shiraishi gathered Gale Blades in his hand and fired them out, precisely shattering the snakes. But the canvas rolled forward again, attempting to seal Shiraishi within it.
"Break!"
An explosion tore the canvas apart. In the same instant, Shiraishi's silver blade pierced through Kurama Arashiyama's shoulder, carving a deep, bloody wound.
Kurama Arashiyama grabbed the blade with a feral roar, lightning erupting in all directions and surging straight into Shiraishi.
Midair combat—
Shiraishi instantly combined Dragon Flame Technique with chakra threads, igniting three towering pillars of fire in the air that intertwined into a blazing net, blocking the lightning assault.
Kurama Arashiyama shattered the fire net with a single punch.
But Shiraishi's blade was already descending.
Another slash tore across Kurama Arashiyama's body, leaving a fresh wound—yet the old man remained standing, twisting around and lunging at Shiraishi again.
Insufficient intelligence had caused the Kurama clan to suffer catastrophic losses this time.
Whether it was the Scarlet Control Mirror or Shiraishi's overwhelming chakra endurance—none of it existed in Konoha's original intelligence reports.
"The situation is deteriorating. The Kurama clan cannot afford to lose."
At the sensory command post, Nara Shikaku received the updates and fell into deep contemplation.
Minato Namikaze was currently locked in battle at the central front against Sunagakure's puppet divisions. Facing bizarre puppet techniques and relentless assaults, even Minato could not disengage easily.
The Kurama clan's genjutsu had originally been intended as a decisive suppressive force against Sunagakure. Instead, clashing head-on with Black Mist Shiraishi had resulted in devastating losses—far beyond Shikagawa's expectations.
The southwestern battlefield now placed him in a painful dilemma.
If it collapsed, the consequences would ripple across the entire warfront.
That outcome was unacceptable.
"Deploy the Aburame clan and the mobile units as reinforcement!"
Among the rear mobile forces, the Aburame clan was the ideal choice. After all, their most outstanding insect user of this generation—Aburame Tōzan—was present. There was no better candidate.
On the battlefield, seeing his father pushed deeper into danger, Kurama Murakumo attempted to rush forward—but was intercepted by Nagase Bizen and Hoshino Mai.
Hoshino Mai, in her gigantic form, moved with terrifying speed. Each swing of the Ox-Head Moon Halberd carried crushing pressure.
Kurama Murakumo's face turned pale.
The number of Konoha shinobi around him was steadily shrinking as Sunagakure's counterattack gained momentum. With the Kurama clan's main force in crisis, reinforcements were stretched thin—advance or retreat, neither option was viable.
Boom!
Another explosive impact sent Kurama Murakumo flying backward as Hoshino Mai followed up, sweeping her halberd in a savage arc.
At that critical moment—
A familiar figure wielding the White Fang blade appeared once more on the battlefield.
Kakashi Hatake.
He intercepted the halberd at blinding speed, lightning surging violently along his blade.
Lightning Cutter!
The attack was instantaneous—precise beyond belief.
Like a thunderbolt incarnate, Kakashi pierced straight through Hoshino Mai's chest, targeting her heart.
A single strike.
The battlefield froze.
Yet Hoshino Mai did not fall.
She grit her teeth, pain etched across her face.
"Damn… that hurts, you bastard!"
Due to her enlarged body structure, her heart was not positioned normally—it lay slightly to the right. Kakashi's strike failed to pierce it directly, though the damage was severe.
Hoshino Mai slammed down a retaliatory punch. Kakashi retreated instantly, drawing the White Fang blade into a streak of cold light and attacking again.
Nagase Bizen struck simultaneously.
Their blades collided midair.
Kakashi's swordsmanship proved superior—he blasted Nagase Bizen backward in a single exchange. At the same moment, a ghostly figure rose from the ground.
Morimoto Ryoji lunged with his sword.
Kakashi leapt skyward, descending in a flash of silver as the White Fang blade came down in a killing arc.
As Nagase Bizen and Morimoto Ryoji stalled Kakashi, Hoshino Mai activated medical ninjutsu on herself.
Seeing Kakashi plunge from above, she detached the horns from her halberd, transforming it into a long spear. With a powerful tail sweep, she joined Nagase and Morimoto, the three of them locking Kakashi in place.
Meanwhile, on Shiraishi's front—
Countless insects blotted out the sky.
This was nothing like his previous encounters with the Aburame.
The one who had arrived was a true master.
An eerie flute melody echoed.
A young man holding a short flute stepped gracefully onto the battlefield, surrounded by purple venomous insects—a clear mark of a non-mainline Aburame branch.
Aburame Tōzan.
Lowering the flute, he surveyed the battlefield with an aloof, superior gaze.
Poison insects?
"Senior Kurama," Tōzan said calmly, "I'm here to support you. Relax—he's my opponent now."
Swarms of venomous insects formed a wall, separating Shiraishi from Kurama Arashiyama. Tōzan spoke casually, as if the battlefield were his stage.
"The fight isn't over," Kurama Arashiyama growled.
Now regaining his composure, he had no intention of indulging in idle conversation before such a dangerous enemy.
At that moment, blazing fire engulfed vast swathes of insects.
From within the flames, Black Mist Shiraishi advanced—his form dissolving into shadow as he moved inexorably forward.
Today, he must kill Kurama Arashiyama.
The Kurama clan's genjutsu posed too great a threat to Sunagakure to be left alive.
"I already said it," Aburame Tōzan repeated coolly, "I'm your opponent now."
More insects surged forward to block the flames—
But Shiraishi vanished.
A mirage shimmered.
Through the Mirage Technique, Shiraishi appeared behind Aburame Tōzan, completely ignoring the Aburame clan's challenge as he charged straight toward the retreating Kurama clan.
This bastard…
Is he ignoring me?
Watching the battlefield—and the Kurama clan beginning to withdraw—Shiraishi's blood surged.
Blade in hand, he pressed forward without hesitation, continuing his relentless pursuit of the Kurama clan.
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