Faced with the Nine-Tails' refusal to cooperate, Kushina Uzumaki was furious. Her red hair stood on end behind her as she roared, "If I die, you'll die too!"
Looking at her burning with rage, the Nine-Tails showed a sly, almost human smile and bargained, "Release the seal, and I'll lend you all my power."
"Don't even think about it," Kushina immediately rejected. "Since you won't help, then we'll die together."
"Tch," the Nine-Tails coldly snorted. "There's no danger. I've already sensed an extremely powerful dark chakra approaching."
"What?" Kushina hadn't even reacted yet.
Then they heard someone in the real world cry out, "Po." [*Break.*]
The blade sang as the Blade of Indifference unsheathed. Its curved edge traced an arc through the air, its graceful sword light resembling a maiden's freshly drawn brow. The mirror-like blade surface reflected layers of lightning. This thunderous energy, carrying immense power, condensed into a single point and pierced straight into the center of the sandstorm created by the Suna Ninja.
The massive sand particles instantly turned to nothingness. The arcs of electricity, following the chakra within the sand, brought a numbing effect.
Anya's Shadow Clone flashed with electricity. [Phantom Sword Art] activated. In less than the blink of an eye, the attacking Suna Ninjas had all collapsed, no longer breathing.
That was close. I almost didn't make it in time.
Seeing Mikoto safely out of danger, Anya relaxed.
Two Anbu recognized the arrival and simultaneously called, "Night."
Anya ignored the two and walked directly in front of Kushina, questioning sharply, "Why didn't you use your full strength just now? If I had arrived any later, you both would have been dead, do you understand?"
From that voice, Kushina instantly recognized him. Already furious from her argument with the Nine-Tails, she immediately snapped, "You little—"
"Now now," Mikoto, clearly recognizing the masked Anya, stepped in to mediate. "Kushina already did her best. She just saved Itachi too."
"Good afternoon, Foster Father," the young Itachi ran out from among the Anbu. Just moments ago, he had truly been terrified. It was in that instant that he suddenly understood the meaning of life—perhaps it was simply about protection. He would guard his village and family, ensuring they would never again experience the horrors of war.
Now that he'd been recognized, Anya no longer hid and spoke plainly, "Mikoto-nee, your chakra is nearly depleted. You can't continue fighting. I'll set up a barrier here—don't leave, neither of you."
Mikoto willingly agreed. "Okay."
After setting up the barrier, Anya turned to the two Anbu and said, "You're responsible for guarding her, right? Then fulfill your duty properly—stay inside this barrier with her and don't go out."
Having said that, Anya completely ignored the fuming Little Pepper and walked away without looking back.
Another Shadow Clone was locked in a fierce battle. The Sand Ninja's main offensive had actually focused on the Ninja Academy, where a group of freshly graduated young ninjas were defending. Clearly, Rasa's intentions were extremely sinister.
Anya was the first to spot Red Yuhi's figure. Although his genjutsu skills were strong, they had limited effectiveness during large-scale combat. Moreover, genjutsu couldn't kill instantly and thus couldn't efficiently eliminate enemies. Therefore, wielding his blade, he engaged in close-range combat, his body already stained with blood—whether it belonged to enemies or himself, no one could tell.
Kurenai Yuhi, Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and others were all fighting against the Suna ninja but clearly found themselves at a disadvantage.
Fortunately, Anya's shadow clones arrived just in time. Using The Supreme Blade's eerie attack patterns, they worked together with the Konoha ninja to barely maintain a stalemate. However, continuing this battle would soon drain the clones' chakra reserves, after which the tide of victory would immediately shift.
It had to be admitted that the Suna ninja currently held an overwhelming numerical advantage.
"Boom."
A tremendous explosion rang out as multiple Sunagakure ninja performed hand seals, raising a small mountain before crashing it down toward the academy. Countless boulders flew like bullets at high speed toward the Konoha ninja below, completely leveling the battlefield surrounding the school.
Such a massive area attack tipped the balance of the battlefield. Red flashed a glimmer of despair in her eyes.
[Sword Art: Draw Technique]
Another arriving Shadow Clone soared into the air, selecting a position before charging energy and unsheathing the Blade of Indifference. The blade carried immense cutting power straight toward the incoming rocks.
Blades of light, lightning, and stone intertwined midair before dissipating into dust, creating a stunning scene in the sky.
Among them, Kurenai looked upward in surprise, whispering joyfully to herself, "Is that Anya? You've finally arrived."
She then turned to glance at her father beside her, asking shakily, "Father… is it him?"
Since the beginning of the Third Battle, Kurenai hadn't seen Anya even once.
"Yes," Shinku Yuhi confirmed. "Only the White Fang's sword techniques have ever been this sharp. In all Konoha, it can only be him." He hadn't personally witnessed Anya's full strength for quite some time, never expecting how quickly he'd grown—it was clear that this single strike had surpassed his own limits.
"It really is him!" Excitedly, Kurenai prepared to call out to him.
"Don't." Her father shook his head. "He's wearing an Anbu mask now; don't reveal his true identity."
"Oh, right." Suppressing her excitement, Kurenai could only gaze longingly at Anya's silhouette.
After landing a blow, Anya arrived directly in front of Shinku Yuhi. Nodding slightly, he asked, "What's our current situation?"
"There are approximately over a hundred Suna ninja. We're defending with only thirty ninjas, including several untested genin who've never experienced war." Shinku Yuhi's voice carried anger as he looked downward at the fallen Konoha ninja lying on the ground.
As Anya scanned the surviving Konoha ninja, he noticed that aside from Shinku Yuhi, most of them were only chunin and genin. At that moment, their bodies trembled while despair filled their eyes. Yet when they saw Anya descend like a divine warrior fallen from the skies, hope and reliance flared back to life within them.
"It seems they were protected by Red, which is why these battlefield greenhorns have survived until now. But only Konoha could pull off something like this. In other villages, these rookies would be the best cannon fodder." Anya knew Red wouldn't abandon them. But with so many ninja approaching, even the chakra from these two Shadow Clones wasn't enough anymore.
"Then I've got no choice."
Determined, Anya spoke to Red: "You take these ninja and get out of here. I'll handle them."
"Are you insane? That's way too dangerous — you're on your own here! There are a hundred ninjas out there!" Red shook his head in refusal.
"Master, do I look like someone who'd act recklessly without confidence? Besides, right now I'm just a clone anyway." The masked Anya smiled, took The Supreme Blade from another clone, then dispelled one of the Shadow Clones.
"Wait... So that Anbu operative we saw earlier was also created by you..." Kurenai finally understood after witnessing this.
"Mm-hmm," Anya nodded.
"Already this strong... All right, promise me you'll stay safe."
Kurenai Yuhi immediately decided to withdraw. She gave one last lingering glance at Anya before reluctantly turning away.
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