Chapter 631: The Battle of Konoha (Part 2)
"Sakura-neesan! We're almost out of oil!" Konohamaru shouted over the din of the battlefield.
"How much is left?"
Konohamaru held up the wooden barrel, showing her it was only half-full.
"Leave it to me. Get ready to ignite it," Sakura said, weaving hand seals without further words.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A white water dragon coiled around the remaining oil and plunged into the main force of the White Zetsu army. Before they could react, Konohamaru threw a kunai with an explosive tag, igniting all the oil.
A dozen White Zetsu were instantly engulfed in the inferno, dying horrible deaths.
The Third Hokage couldn't help but cheer for his grandson's growth. But just as he did, a streak of lightning shot from the side, heading straight for Konohamaru.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!" Sakura, seeing the ferocious attack, could only use her strongest defensive jutsu.
"Using Water Release in front of a Kiri ninja? How bold!" Wielding two katanas, Ringo Ameyuri revealed a mouthful of shark-like teeth. The petite kunoichi tapped her right hand on the Water Formation Wall. The lightning accelerated the water, causing a large mass of it to surge sideways. The wall, meant to be a rotating defense, was pulled away from the front, and the water from the back hadn't yet moved up to replace it. A gap, wide enough for a person, appeared for a split second.
For a former Seven Ninja Swordsman, it was more than enough time.
"Die, Konoha ninja!" Seeing Sakura shielding the younger shinobi, she sneered, thrusting her blades at Sakura's heart.
But Sakura was no longer the weak girl who would cower and cover her head. She reverse-gripped her kunai and parried the thrust, catching the blades at their weakest point. Though the lightning coursing through the katanas made her body go numb and her arm muscles spasm, she gritted her teeth, refusing to back down.
Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi drew their kunai to help.
The gap between Udon, Moegi, and Ringo Ameyuri was vast. Sakura and Konohamaru were the main fighters.
Ino's teaching skills were average at best, but her spiritual realm was high. A few casual words from her were worth a month of hard training. Faced with a high-speed ninja like Ringo Ameyuri, most people would panic. But Konohamaru remained calm. Ino had taught him how to deal with such enemies and had even simplified two jutsu for him.
Seeing Ringo Ameyuri kick Udon away, Konohamaru immediately formed seals: "Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"
Ino had modified this jutsu: the hand seals were shorter, the area of effect was smaller, but the mud was deeper and heavier.
Caught off guard, Ringo Ameyuri was swept into the churning mud. She tried to struggle, but there was no footing, and her body sank immediately.
The next second, Sakura's hands flashed. She slapped a sealing tag onto Ringo's forehead. Freed from Kabuto's control, the reanimated ninja looked around. "What a mess. But... good job, kid."
"Konohamaru's timing, angle, and direction with that Earth Flow River were perfect. I can't believe that kid actually improved my jutsu," the Third Hokage said, delighted. He boasted to Danzō, "See? That's my grandson! He just took down one of the Seven Swordsmen."
Danzō ignored him completely, searching instead for Kotetsu Hagane's figure. He soon spotted his target. Good, the kid is still alive...
The enemy numbers were too great. Konohamaru's small team soon ran into another Swordsman: Fuguki Suikazan!
Originally, Tsunade had been fighting six of the Swordsmen alone. But when the reanimated Third Raikage joined the fray—another powerhouse—Tsunade, despite her strength, was struggling to hold him off. She could no longer handle all six Swordsmen, and inevitably, some slipped past her into the rear defensive lines.
Konohamaru's squad lasted only five exchanges with Fuguki Suikazan before they were overwhelmed. The man's 2.5-meter height was terrifying, his personality was cruel, and his strength was monstrous.
"Did Ino ever tell you how to deal with a powerhouse like this? Think, quick!" Sakura urged. The Earth-Style Wall she had recently learned from Kakashi was shattered by a single swing from the mutated "Watermelon." His strength was just too great.
Konohamaru looked devastated. "I haven't gotten to that part yet! Teacher kept emphasizing the basics!"
Sakura was speechless. They were beaten back, step by step.
"Sakura-chan, I'll help you!" Haku, dressed in white, wearing wooden clogs, and wielding the Kubikiribōchō (Executioner's Blade), charged in from the side, intercepting Fuguki Suikazan at the critical moment.
Haku's strength wasn't a good match for the massive blade, but he wielded it anyway, in memory of Zabuza.
When Jūzō Biwa (another reanimated Swordsman) had seen the Kubikiribōchō, he'd tried to take it, but he was defeated and sealed in a one-on-one fight with Chōjūrō.
With three Swordsmen now gone, Tsunade's pressure was halved, allowing her to face the Third Raikage with more confidence.
"Fu!" Danzō found an opportunity, slipping quietly onto the battlefield to find his right-hand man.
Yamanaka Fu, holding a tanto, had just sealed an Edo Tensei ninja. He heard the familiar voice and turned, his expression odd.
He stared for a long moment before giving a cold greeting. "Lord Danzō. You've returned."
This attitude isn't right. Danzō frowned. "Where are the Root shinobi? Have them disengage immediately and meet me at the back mountain."
Fu's attitude sent a chill down Danzō's spine. His next words were devoid of emotion. "My apologies, Lord Danzō. Root serves only one master at a time. That was your teaching. When you left the village, Root pledged loyalty to the new Head of the clan. We no longer take your orders."
"The Head? Is it Inoichi Yamanaka?"
"No. It is Lady Ino Yamanaka."
Danzō felt the situation spinning out of his control. "Yamanaka Ino? Where is she? I will speak to her myself."
Yamanaka Fu looked left and right, then suddenly pointed at the sky. "Right there. Look, the Head has joined the battle."
Ino had intended to chase Madara, but she felt she couldn't just perform these great deeds in secret. What if, when this was all over, the village elders—someone like Koharu Utatane—simply claimed Madara and the Ten-Tails never existed? If they refused to acknowledge her contribution, she'd be the one getting screwed.
You say you stopped the Infinite Tsukuyomi? Where's the proof? We were all strung up on the tree; we didn't see anything!
Since she'd already wasted this much time, she might as well waste a little more. Time to go back to the village and put on a show.
She stopped concealing her Rinnegan. Flying high into the air, she raised one hand toward the White Zetsu army below.
"Ice Release: Chibaku Tensei!"
She added Ice Release chakra to the standard Planetary Devastation. White Zetsu had low body temperatures and light bodies. As the high-density chakra ice-core began to spin, the Zetsu below were the first to be caught by the bone-chilling gravitational pull. Frost formed on their bodies, and soon they lost control, flying into the sky in dense, black swarms.
________________________________________
If you want more chapters, please consider supporting my page on Patreon. with 50 advanced chapters available on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/GirlsLove1