A few seconds later, the Konoha Ninja burst into a roar of laughter. Meanwhile, the thousands of Kirigakure Ninja wore bizarre expressions, shifting their gazes between the Third Mizukage and the Hozuki Clan Leader.
It was the first time anyone had seen someone point at an enemy commander's nose on a battlefield and curse him out so mercilessly. There was no restraint, no dignity just a barrage of the most colorful insults imaginable.
The Mist Ninja watched the Third Mizukage closely. They wanted to see how the man they held in such high esteem would retaliate. It was one thing to be criticized by Tsunade, but to be pointed at and berated by a ten-year-old child without a response? That would change the entire atmosphere of the war.
"You..."
With thousands of eyes fixed on him and Rong Lin's relentless mockery ringing in his ears, the Third Mizukage's face turned a deep, mottled red, and the veins in his neck bulged. Fortunately, he was still relatively young; had he been as old as Onoki, he surely would have been hyperventilating with rage.
"Look at that. See how much the Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village can endure? I'm practically poking him in the eye with my insults, and he hasn't even let out a peep."
As he spoke, Rong Lin intentionally arched an eyebrow at Tsunade.
"Pfft—!"
Despite the tension of the impending slaughter, Tsunade couldn't help but laugh. The thousands of Leaf Ninja behind her followed suit, and even the poker-faced Fugaku Uchiha and Hiashi Hyuga struggled to maintain their stoic expressions.
Laughter rippled across the battlefield. The Konoha side was in high spirits, while the Kirigakure side stood with dark, sullen faces, unable to find a comeback. Their previously high morale plummeted instantly.
"Bastard!! Kill him! Kill him now!!!"
The Third Mizukage was nearly driven to a faint by Rong Lin's words. His finger trembled as he pointed at the boy, his voice cracking with fury. He was a man of action, not a man of words; competing in a battle of wits against Rong Lin was a tragedy in the making. Some things, like the profound "literature" Rong Lin employed, were simply beyond their comprehension.
"Hmph!" Tsunade let out a cold snort and shouted, "Brothers and sisters of Konoha, drive these Hidden Mist invaders back into the sea! Konoha shall prevail!"
"Victory! Victory!!"
Thousands of Konoha Ninja roared and charged forward. Unlike the demoralized Mist forces, the Leaf Ninja were brimming with battle intent, charging like wild horses unburdened by their reins.
Before the two sides even closed the distance, various Ninjutsu were hurled back and forth like they cost nothing. For a moment, the entire battlefield devolved into absolute chaos. Watching from above, Rong Lin felt a genuine sense of shock. He hadn't expected a clash between ten thousand people to be this spectacular; it was far more grand than the battles in the Land of Rain or against Sunagakure.
"Uchiha Rong Lin!"
The Third Mizukage's roar echoed across the field. It seemed he was determined to have a life-and-death duel with the boy.
"Lord Mizukage!"
The subordinates around the Mizukage were alarmed. For a Kage to engage in a one-on-one duel in the middle of a chaotic battlefield was unbecoming of their status. A group of them immediately jumped out to object.
"You, fall back," Tsunade said, grabbing Rong Lin as he moved to intercept the Mizukage. Her voice was low and serious. "Don't fall for his trap. Your role on this battlefield is greater than just fighting him."
"But I really want to slaughter him..." Rong Lin muttered.
"..."
Killing the Third Mizukage was exactly what Rong Lin was thinking. Imagine the glory of slaying an enemy Kage on the open field.
"Fine, I get it. Victory first."
Rong Lin didn't want to make things difficult for Tsunade. He ignored the Mizukage's challenge and dove into the thick of the battle. For someone with his speed, crossing the distance was merely a matter of a few uses of the Body Flicker Technique.
"Wind Release: Tornado Hurricane!"
Rushing into the enemy ranks, Rong Lin led with a massive, wide-range Ninjutsu. This particular Wind Release technique was many times more powerful than when he had used it back in the Land of Rain.
"Defense! Defend!!"
A person like Rong Lin was a high-priority target no matter where he went. Seeing him unleash a technique, numerous Mist Ninja immediately coordinated their efforts, erecting defenses to withstand the howling gale.
Once a large-scale Ninjutsu like this erupted, it became a nightmare for anyone caught within its reach. The violent hurricane swept up dozens of Mist Ninja. The fierce winds acted like invisible blades, capable of slicing a human body into pieces with ease.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
After releasing the initial attack, Rong Lin didn't stick around to watch the results. To him, the more people the enemy committed to stopping his attacks, the more openings his fellow Konoha Ninja would have to strike. No matter how he calculated it, Konoha came out on top.
"Roar!"
Black Scale, whose wounds had finally healed, was summoned once again. Its massive body appeared with a thud that made the ground tremble.
"You scum of the Hidden Mist, your Lord Black Scale is back!"
Having been besieged by the Mist Ninja previously, Black Scale had been harboring a belly full of rage. Now, that fire could finally be unleashed.
With a thunderous roar, Black Scale didn't even wait for Rong Lin's orders. It charged directly into the most crowded part of the enemy lines. Many Konoha Ninja took the opportunity to follow in the snake's wake, reaping the lives of the enemies distracted by the massive beast.
With Black Scale's appearance, the enemy's attention was inevitably drawn to it first. That was the opening they needed.
The battlefield was chaotic. Thousands of people were split into dozens of small skirmish zones. Every second, lives were lost. The lucky ones left behind a whole corpse; the unlucky ones were blown into red mist and fragments.
"It's that damned snake again!"
Seeing Black Scale crash into the fray, many Mist Ninja felt their eyelids twitch. They knew things were about to get ugly.
"Die, all of you!"
Sure enough, a moment later, Black Scale opened its massive maw and sprayed a torrent of venom from its fangs. The purple, highly corrosive poison spread through the air like rain.
Anyone touched by the liquid screamed in agony, falling to the ground and clawing at their own flesh as it began to melt. The blood-muddled mess and the curdling shrieks were enough to make anyone's hair stand on end.
The Konoha Ninja who had planned to follow Black Scale for an easy kill were startled and quickly retreated. They thanked their stars they hadn't charged too far ahead, or they would have ended up just like those poor wretches.
Black Scale's venom didn't care about allegiances. It didn't matter if you were friend or foe if you were touched, you were done for.
"Watch out for the venom! Surround it!"
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