A minute passed in the blink of an eye.
Everyone remained on high alert, their eyes fixed on Uchiha Shinji, fearing he might swing his blade once more.
But this time, Shinji made no move.
Someone gathered their courage and stood up, surprised to find they hadn't been forced to their knees again.
"I-Is it over?"
"Is that Konohagakure ninja done for?"
"Finally, we don't have to kneel anymore!"
Down in the valley, Uchiha Fugaku stood up expressionlessly, his face a mask of calm as if nothing had happened.
Yahiko and Konan quickly helped Nagato to his feet, the three of them still watching Shinji warily.
Konan whispered, "Is it over?"
Shinji shrugged, a hint of regret in his voice. "It's over. This technique can only last five minutes at a time. Whether I can use it again next time is uncertain."
To everyone listening, this sounded like the strange Ninjutsu had severe limitations and would be difficult to replicate in the future.
Fugaku secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, no other Uchiha clan members were present, or his dignity would have been utterly shattered.
As for Shinji... he'd need to have a serious talk with him later about keeping this quiet.
"Let's retreat quickly," Shinji suggested.
The proposal was met with unanimous agreement.
For Nagato and Yahiko, Konan had been rescued, and with the enemy outnumbering them, retreat was the wise choice.
For Shinji and Fugaku, there was no need to get entangled with the Amegakure forces. As for Danzo, he was, after all, a Konohagakure advisor. That score could be settled in the shadows later.
Konan looked at Nagato's injured leg and couldn't help but say, "Let's go. Nagato needs treatment urgently."
Just as Yahiko was about to nod, deafening battle cries suddenly erupted from the cliffs surrounding the valley.
"Kill him!"
"Don't let that Konohagakure ninja leave alive!"
"Break his legs!"
From both sides of the valley cliffs, countless ninja leaped down, their target clear: Shinji in the valley below.
Shuriken, kunai, explosive tags, and various Ninjutsu rained down like a torrential storm.
The expressions of Fugaku and the others changed drastically. They retreated hastily in unison, putting distance between themselves and Shinji, fearing they'd be caught in the crossfire.
"Damn it!" Shinji cursed under his breath, his hands flying through a series of hand seals, his chest heaving violently.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Three orange-red fire dragons covered in scales roared skyward, instantly colliding with the onslaught of attacks.
A violent shockwave sent rocks and dirt flying, and dust instantly enveloped the entire valley.
Seizing the moment before the smoke cleared, Shinji immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to vacate his position.
"What the hell? Did I just pull all the aggro onto myself?"
A wave of regret washed over him. He shouldn't have played around for so long. Was making a bunch of people kneel to him really worth getting this carried away?
Wouldn't it have been better to just rescue Konan and retreat immediately?
Shinji mentally berated himself.
Alright, fine. It felt way too good. He couldn't help himself.
But more and more Amegakure ninja had locked onto his position, closing in layer by layer. Their numbers exceeded two hundred.
His face darkened. Gripping his short sword tightly, he swung it horizontally, instantly dispatching the two ninja charging at the front.
"Phantom Body Flicker!"
The Sharingan activated once more. Over a dozen illusory, hard-to-pinpoint figures weaved effortlessly through the enemy ranks.
Shinji channeled the Lightning Release Chakra of Chidori into the Chakra Metal short sword. Thunderous crackles immediately erupted from the blade.
Every flash of lightning was accompanied by a shrill scream and a spray of blood.
Before long, the area around Shinji was cleared out. No one dared to approach him recklessly anymore.
The Amegakure ninja understood clearly: getting close meant certain death.
Seeing this, Fugaku immediately moved to rush forward and provide support.
But a sharp wind blade suddenly shot toward him!
Fugaku barely dodged sideways. The wind blade grazed past him, cleanly slicing a large boulder in front of him in two.
His face darkened. He turned and glared fiercely at the newcomer, snarling, "Danzo, are you looking to die?!"
Danzo, accompanied by several dozen Root ninja, slowly closed in, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Clan Head Fugaku, it would be best if you didn't make any rash moves."
He glanced toward Shinji, who was surrounded by the crowd, a trace of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.
As long as he kept Uchiha Fugaku occupied, that arrogant brat would be dealt with for good before long.
...
On the other side, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were also fending off sporadic attacks from ninja.
Since the vast majority of the hostility was focused solely on Shinji, the pressure on them wasn't too overwhelming.
Yahiko kicked away a ninja who got too close, his gaze involuntarily drifting toward Shinji's location.
"Such formidable strength. Is this what a Konohagakure ninja is like?"
He truly hadn't expected this seemingly somewhat frivolous Konohagakure ninja to be so ferocious once he started fighting.
Nagato also watched intently, his brow tightly furrowed. The intense pain from his legs kept him exceptionally alert at this moment.
"Strength?"
He could clearly sense the confidence emanating from Shinji. Even surrounded and outnumbered, Shinji still seemed to handle the situation with ease.
And what about the three of them?
If Shinji hadn't suddenly intervened, faced with Hanzo's killing intent, either Yahiko or Konan would surely have died.
Perhaps they would have been wiped out entirely.
For the first time, Nagato's heart was shaken violently.
The idea of achieving peace in the Shinobi World without relying on force... that notion seemed far too naive.
Without power, you didn't even have the right to speak to others as equals.
The situation didn't last much longer.
Hanzo finally couldn't hold back any longer. He leaped down from the high point of the valley.
"I'll deal with this brat myself. The rest of you, take care of those three—Yahiko and his companions."
The Amegakure ninja acknowledged the order and surged toward Nagato and the other two.
Hanzo hooked the chain with his left hand, gripped the scythe tightly with his right, his entire body radiating surging killing intent as he charged straight at Shinji.
The chain-scythe two-stage attack—this was his signature swordsmanship, the technique that had made him renowned across the Shinobi World.
The scythe rose high, whistling through the air as it swung down diagonally. He would personally slaughter this brat who had forced him to kneel in humiliation, not once, but repeatedly.
...
The Amegakure ninja swarmed forward.
The pressure on Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan instantly skyrocketed.
Nagato's legs were severely injured, rendering him almost immobile. Yahiko and Konan could only desperately defend while protecting him.
Although the two of them weren't weak, facing the endless stream of attacking ninja, they gradually began to struggle.
Yahiko swung his kunai to parry an enemy's attack, but two dark figures suddenly darted out from behind him.
Blades mercilessly sliced across his shoulder. Blood instantly welled up. He staggered, enduring the sharp pain, and forcefully turned to counterattack.
Konan shielded Nagato fiercely with her body, her hands moving rapidly as countless paper shuriken shot out.
She supported Yahiko while barely repelling the approaching enemies, but her Chakra and paper were being consumed at an alarming rate.
The gaps in their defense were slowly widening.
"An opening!" An Amegakure ninja's eyes flashed with wild joy. He immediately signaled his comrades, and they pressed forward together.
Nagato's heart sank deeper and deeper into despair.
That familiar sense of helplessness overwhelmed him once more.
"No good. If this continues, Yahiko and Konan won't hold out."
"I'm just a burden to them!"
A faint purple glimmer flashed briefly within the Rinnegan of his eyes.
Nagato called out to the two of them, "Yahiko! Konan! Get out of here! Don't worry about me!"
"No! We leave together or not at all!"
Konan gritted her teeth, mustering her last ounce of strength to hold the line. But the next second, three blades were already closing in, aimed directly at her vital points.
"Konan!"
Nagato's pupils contracted sharply. An astonishing aura erupted from within him.