Chapter 218: Rain of Broken Loyalties

Tenten wanted, more than anything, to force a smile onto her face and say something like that. But she never said it. She never even managed to smile. A complete failure.

"Summoning Technique!" BOOM! A massive ant appeared in the rain, its body warped and unnatural, its mandibles razor-sharp. Panic erupted among her allies. One of them was dragged down and devoured without resistance.

Tenten unfurled a scroll. From it, a giant axe descended from the sky. It struck the ant down and carved a deep crater into the ground along with it. You really tamed something like that as a summon. Tenten, I thought you were different from them.

"What the hell is that giant ant?!" A survivor cursed in fury.

Tenten unfurled another scroll and stepped forward. "This place is mine. Ajisai specializes in summoning beasts, only I can defeat her. Everyone else, break out from another direction!" "Ah! As expected of the captain! We're counting on you!"

Her teammates scattered to other fronts. The battlefield quieted. Only Tenten and Ajisai remained.

Tenten spoke. "It's been a long time, Ajisai." Her voice trembled as if she were about to cry.

Ajisai answered calmly. "So this is how you're trying to understand our village?" Her tone was not sorrowful. Her pale yellow eyes were the same as the day Tenten first met her, bright, unwavering, resolute.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, in the next instant, water arrows fell from the sky, sweeping away a portion of the allied shinobi forces. An incomplete dual-blade sword style unfolded across the battlefield. With that red hair and crimson attire, she looked like a human harvesting machine.

Karin isn't the strongest, but her power stands at the very peak of the ninja of Amegakure. That was Sasuke's judgment. He elevated the concept of ninja combat beyond human limits.

Then, he released the Susanoo. BOOM! Karin had seen Susanoo before. Uchiha Itachi's was larger, stronger. But whether it was that one or Sasuke's, she didn't believe she could break either. Still, she had no choice but to move forward.

Before she could, someone grabbed her. Suigetsu's tense, irritated face appeared in front of her. He had already joined the battle from the start, fighting for hours. Even if not completely exhausted, he was near his limit. "Are you trying to die?! That's Susanoo! You can't break that with your ability! Fall back, I'll cover the rear!"

"It doesn't matter if I can't break it. This is entrusted to me by Sister Kita and Sister Konan. I won't run. Suigetsu, I'm sorry!"

She stepped forward. Dual blades unfolded. Thick chakra chains erupted from her body. Her long hair whipped in the wind, robes fluttering. Karin stared directly at the deep violet Susanoo without a trace of fear.

Water chakra coated her blades. Against such a colossal weapon, she was nothing more than a moth flying into fire. And yet, she charged.

BOOM! Her strike collided with Susanoo's weapon in an explosion of sound.

Suigetsu watched her back. A faint, relieved smile formed at his lips. Forget it. This is exactly the kind of woman she is. "That's my woman." He murmured softly.

Suigetsu's body expanded into a massive water-like monster. Still small compared to Susanoo, but he still threw himself forward, crashing directly into its body. "Hey, idiot, don't get too emotional. Just accept you owe me your life already!"

For once, the usually cowardly and unreliable Suigetsu looked dependable. Karin glanced at him from the corner of her eye. For the first time, she didn't think his sharp teeth looked ugly.

This was exactly what it meant to fly into fire like a moth. Under Susanoo, all attacks were meaningless. No matter how refined the taijutsu, no matter how strange the techniques, when ocular power surged, weapons fell from the sky. Water monsters, jutsu constructs, all turned into nothing but illusions.

The gap the allied shinobi had failed to open was instantly turned into ruins. The army surged forward. Where they passed, blood spread across the ground.

Sasuke stepped forward. His gaze landed on the legendary blade in the woman's hand. Such a divine weapon should not be left to the weak. He bent down and picked it up. The blade was straight, sharp, perfect. The moment it struck Susanoo, he could feel its exceptional quality. His previous blade was replaced.

As he walked, his steps grew heavier, more grounded. He glanced downward. A red-haired woman lay at his feet, defeated. "Damn it, I won't let you pass." A dying struggle. Nothing more.

Sasuke's gaze remained steady. No emotion. No ripple. He slowly drew the sword from his waist.

At that moment, from afar, Wind Release: Rasenshuriken erupted once again. That "dead-last" had already used it three times since breaching the village. He couldn't waste any more time with these minor obstacles. He struck.

Not a scream. Not a groan. Only silence.

"Damn it!!!" Suigetsu roared. His body lay prone, face twisted in fury.

Sasuke glanced at him sideways. His eyes were cold like he was looking at a dying animal. Then he moved on. A flicker of lightning formed at his fingertips. The chidori pierced through the ninja's body in an instant. Less than three seconds. No hesitation. No pause. Then he continued walking. Toward what he had to do.

So cool. As expected of Sasuke-sama. That's the legendary Blood Lightning, so amazing, so stylish. Whispers were swallowed by the roar of war. Whether Sasuke heard them or not no longer mattered.

The battlefield continued. The dead continued to rise in number. Both the Allied Shinobi Forces and the rain-soaked village itself.