"Lord Zabuza!!"
Haku cried out in alarm.
A massive, razor-sharp earth spear had pierced straight through Zabuza's abdomen, impaling him in place. Blood gushed from the wound as he let out a miserable scream, still clinging to life.
"It's over."
The phantom afterimages disappeared.
Kurenai's expression remained calm.
Although her Red Eye couldn't see chakra pathways like the Byakugan, making it difficult to distinguish genuine Shadow Clones from the original, ordinary Water Clones were completely transparent to her.
"Lord Zabuza... wait for me..."
Desperation filled Haku's face.
Ignoring everything else, he formed a one-handed seal and rushed forward.
Double-Headed Wolf: Fang Wolf Fang!
Inuzuka Hana merged with Gray Fang, transforming into a ferocious two-headed wolf that charged forward at terrifying speed.
Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!
Haku's eyes sharpened.
An enormous ice mirror instantly appeared beside Zabuza.
Boom!
Rocks exploded in every direction as the already devastated ground collapsed even further beneath the impact.
Haku vanished from his original position and emerged from the ice mirror beside Zabuza, narrowly avoiding Inuzuka Hana's attack.
Konoha Sword Style: Oboro Moonlit Night!
Uzuki Yugao leaped into the air.
Countless sword shadows surrounded her blade, converging into the image of a dazzling full moon that made one's vision blur.
The next instant, she slashed downward.
Clang! Clang!
Ice Release: Ice Prison Dome!
A massive spherical barrier of ice instantly enveloped both Haku and Zabuza, blocking Yugao's deadly strike.
Crack!
Haku severed the earth spear pinning Zabuza down and quickly pulled the heavily wounded, powerless man free.
"Haku... leave me... Run!"
Zabuza coughed up mouthfuls of blood. His face was deathly pale as he gripped the Executioner's Blade and urged Haku to flee.
"Please don't speak, Lord Zabuza. I'll get you out of here immediately."
Haku refused to abandon him.
Clenching his teeth, he supported Zabuza with one arm while rapidly forming hand seals with the other.
"You're not going anywhere!"
The gigantic two-headed wolf formed by Inuzuka Hana and Gray Fang lunged at them once more.
Ice Release: Exploding Ice Crystals!
Determination filled Haku's eyes.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The ice dome shattered.
Countless razor-sharp ice needles burst outward like a violent storm, raining mercilessly upon Uzuki Yugao and the relentlessly pursuing Inuzuka Hana.
Both of their expressions changed.
"Ahhh!"
Unable to evade in time, Uzuki Yugao and Inuzuka Hana were riddled with ice needles like porcupines.
Blood sprayed everywhere as their bodies became horribly mangled.
"Kurenai! Yugao! Hana!"
Kurenai's expression changed as she rushed forward.
However, Haku had no intention of fighting.
Throwing down a smoke bomb, he attempted to escape with Zabuza.
Suddenly—
A sharp pain erupted through his chest.
Crack...
The world around him shattered like broken glass.
The Zabuza he had been supporting vanished.
A cold katana had pierced straight through his heart.
"Gah—"
Blood poured from Haku's mouth as he stared at Kurenai in disbelief.
"...A genjutsu? When...?"
The Uzuki Yugao who had supposedly been riddled with ice needles now stood behind him, her katana thrust completely through his chest.
Meanwhile, the real Zabuza still remained impaled on the giant earth spear where he had fallen earlier, all signs of life long gone.
Inuzuka Hana stood safely beside Kurenai, completely unharmed.
"From the moment your thoughts descended into chaos after Zabuza was injured..."
Kurenai looked quietly at the androgynous youth, whose mask had already fallen away.
"You were a truly loyal subordinate..."
"Farewell."
In the end, they stood on opposite sides.
She would show him no mercy.
"Lord... Zabuza..."
Looking toward Zabuza's distant corpse, the pain gradually faded from Haku's face.
A faint smile of relief appeared.
Then he slowly collapsed to the ground.
"Senior Kurenai... your genjutsu is terrifying."
Inuzuka Hana sighed in admiration.
The young wielder of the Ice Release bloodline was undoubtedly gifted.
At only twelve years old, he could already perform one-handed hand seals.
He was a genuine genius.
Unfortunately...
He had chosen the wrong person to follow.
"It's nothing."
Kurenai smiled modestly, without the slightest arrogance.
She knew very well that without Akira Ren's help, even with Inuzuka Hana and Uzuki Yugao fighting beside her, defeating an elite Jonin like Zabuza would never have been so easy.
Schlick.
Yugao withdrew her bloodstained sword.
Her gaze shifted toward the fierce battle raging in the distance between Anko and Black Hoe Thunder Fang.
"Then only Black Hoe Thunder Fang remains."
"Not yet..."
Seeing that Anko was currently at a slight disadvantage, Kurenai made no move to assist.
Instead, she stopped Inuzuka Hana and Uzuki Yugao as they prepared to rush over.
"Anko doesn't like other people interfering in her fights."
"..."
Uzuki Yugao and Inuzuka Hana exchanged helpless glances before looking at the unfathomably powerful Kurenai.
Suppressing the urge to help, they could only continue watching the battle while remaining on guard, ready to intervene at any moment.
Crackle! Crackle!
Boom! Boom!
Rocks exploded everywhere as terrifying lightning ravaged the battlefield, continuously tearing apart the surrounding terrain.
Black Hoe Thunder Fang darted across the battlefield like a bolt of lightning, effortlessly avoiding the incoming wind blades.
When he noticed that the battle on the other side had already ended—and that both Zabuza and Haku had fallen—his face darkened.
"What the hell, Zabuza..."
His eyes blazed with fury and killing intent.
"You're completely useless!"
"Then I'll kill every last one of you Konoha bastards myself!"
Crackle...
Violent lightning wrapped itself around his body.
Black Hoe Thunder Fang plunged both Lightning Blades into the ground.
Thunder Burial: Lightning Banquet!
Crackle! Crackle!
Boom! Rumble!
The sky instantly turned a blinding white.
Bolt after bolt of lightning crashed across the earth.
Countless massive arcs of electricity, like gigantic venomous serpents, surged in every direction, annihilating everything in their path.
Boom! Boom!
The already devastated battlefield was torn apart again and again as the earth split open beneath the relentless assault.
The attack was overwhelming.
Nor was it aimed solely at Anko.
Kurenai, Uzuki Yugao, Inuzuka Hana, and everyone else had also been caught within its range.
Everyone's expressions changed.
"Hm?"
Kurenai narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched several enormous lightning bolts racing toward them.
Under the astonished gazes of Uzuki Yugao and Inuzuka Hana, who instinctively prepared to evade, Kurenai calmly formed a series of hand seals and exhaled sharply.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
Whoosh—!
A violent hurricane erupted like an unstoppable tempest, crushing everything before it.
It slammed head-on into the gigantic lightning serpents.
Boom! Boom!
Blinding flashes erupted as deafening explosions echoed throughout the battlefield.
The raging gale swept across the area so violently that it was difficult even to keep one's eyes open.
"It blocked it!"
Watching the thunder-speed lightning attack forcibly halted by the violent storm, Uzuki Yugao and Inuzuka Hana both let out sighs of relief.
Then they stared at Kurenai in utter disbelief.
Was this really the same Yuhi Kurenai they knew?
Not only had she mastered Fire Release and Earth Release...
She had mastered Wind Release as well.
Judging by how effortlessly she used it, her mastery was already remarkably high.
It was simply unbelievable.
But in the very next moment, both women's expressions changed dramatically.
They hurriedly looked toward Anko.
"This is bad!"
"Anko!"
"Senior Anko!!"
Compared to them, Anko was Black Hoe Thunder Fang's true target.
Could she really withstand such an overwhelming attack?
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