https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-564-Encountering-the-Swordsmen-of-Mist/12944367/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-566-The-Power-of-the-First-Shinobi-s-Deep-Emotions/12944369/
Chapter 565: Tsunade: The Cruelty of the Great Shinobi War!
Chapter 565: Tsunade: The Cruelty of the Great Shinobi War!
After parting ways with Kiba and the others, Yecheng quickly arrived at the location where Might Dai had encountered the Swordsmen of the Mist, thanks to his "Aura Sense" ability.
The signs of battle were evident all around; not only was the ground riddled with craters, but countless felled trees lay scattered about, testifying to the intense combat that had taken place.
Following the trail of destruction, Yecheng tracked the battle for several kilometers until he finally found Might Dai, barely clinging to life and lying on the ground in a chaotic forest of rocks.
The extent of the battle's destruction was astonishing. The so-called chaotic forest of rocks had been formed by powerful taijutsu that had ravaged the terrain, and the small lakes surrounding the area were clearly remnants of water ninjutsu.
Might Dai lay on the ground, accompanied by two other ninjas wearing Mist Hidden Village headbands. Including the two ninjas Yecheng had encountered earlier, the 'Swordsmen of the Mist' had been reduced to three by Might Dai's relentless pursuit, which had spanned nearly ten kilometers."
Yecheng paid no heed to the fallen Swordsmen of the Mist, nor did he pursue the fleeing enemy. Instead, he rushed to examine Might Dai's condition.
Having awakened the Bloodline Wood Style, his medical ninjutsu skills had surpassed even Tsunade's, and he possessed a certain level of Yang-attribute chakra.
However, as he leaned over to assess Might Dai's condition, he realized he was too late. Might Dai's body was almost entirely consumed by burning chakra, and his heart had nearly stopped beating.
Years of rigorous training had already left Might Dai with numerous hidden injuries, and the activation of the Eight Trigrams Divine Art: Death Gate had completely destroyed his chakra pathways.
Injuries of this severity were beyond the scope of even Yecheng's abilities. Even Naruto Uzumaki, with his Yang-attribute chakra and the Sage Mode Orb, would have struggled to save him.
"His body is severely burned, his chakra pathways are destroyed, and his heart has stopped beating. Such injuries are almost impossible to recover from. It's not your fault that you couldn't save him.
This is the reality of the Great Shinobi War; countless ninjas die on the battlefield, and Might Dai is not the only one."
Tsunade, who had arrived shortly after Yecheng, sighed deeply as she watched him cradling Might Dai's lifeless body.
As a master of taijutsu herself, Tsunade was familiar with the Eight Trigrams Divine Art. However, she was surprised to learn that someone, especially a lowly Konoha genin, had managed to cultivate this technique to the level of the 'Eight Trigrams Formation'.
Unlike other ninjutsu, the Eight Trigrams Divine Art offered little in the way of shortcuts. Might Dai's achievement was a testament to his years of relentless training and accumulation.
"Even without opening the Death Gate, Might Dai's strength went beyond that of a mere genin.
The reason he remained a genin for so long in Konoha was not a lack of skill but his reluctance to use his power against his fellow villagers. He believed it was a force meant for protection.
Facing the Swordsmen of the Mist, he single-handedly eliminated more than half their number and pursued them relentlessly for nearly ten kilometers. It seems he never intended to survive."
Yecheng, too, felt a deep sense of regret for being unable to save Might Dai. However, as Tsunade had said, countless tragedies occurred during the Great Shinobi War, and Yecheng, as Senju Yecheng, was not a savior who could rescue everyone.
Moreover, Yecheng noticed that this Great Shinobi War had already deviated from the plotline he was familiar with, indicating that changes had occurred in the timeline.
Yecheng was aware that Might Dai had opened the Death Gate and fought the Swordsmen of the Mist, a battle that should have taken place towards the end of the Third Great Shinobi War.
If this battle, which should have been one of the final ones, has already occurred, then could the Shinju Bridge battle, a pivotal event that could shape the future, have also happened earlier than expected?
With this possibility in mind, Yecheng quickly collected Might Dai's body into a scroll and rushed towards the location of Shinju Bridge without delay.
As for whether the Mist Village would launch an attack after the Swordsmen of the Mist, that was a headache for the Third Hokage to deal with.
Land of Fire, Konoha Village, Hokage Tower.
When the Third Hokage learned from Kiba's report that the Mist Village had indeed attacked, he became deeply concerned.
However, upon hearing from Ebizo and Konoha Genma that Yecheng had successfully persuaded Tsunade to return, the Third Hokage couldn't help but breathe a huge sigh of relief.
This was the only piece of good news he had heard since the start of the Shinobi War.
Setting aside the situation with the Stone and Kirigakure, the battle against Sunagakure was putting Konoha in a difficult position.
The new Fourth Kazekage, Raiga, turned out to be a capable leader. As expected, Granny Tsunade, the legendary shinobi from Sunagakure, had joined the battle as a ninja and used poison.
Jiraiya's unit had medical ninjas, but their skills couldn't compare to the legendary Granny Tsunade.
Many Konoha ninjas had been poisoned on the Sunagakure front, and if it weren't for Jiraiya's strength, the battle line would have collapsed long ago.
For this reason, when the Third Hokage heard that Tsunade had returned, he was both excited and delighted.
As long as Tsunade, the "Granny Tsunade's Nemesis," led the forces on the Sunagakure front and Jiraiya and Yecheng were sent to deal with the Mist Village, the current crisis could be stabilized.
However, when the Third Hokage sent the Konoha Anbu with his appointment scroll to the location where Kiba had encountered Yecheng, he was baffled to find that Yecheng and Tsunade had already disappeared, leaving behind only a scene of destruction.
On the other side, when Yecheng and Tsunade finally arrived at Shinju Bridge after their rapid advance, they found it in ruins. Not only was the bridge broken, but there were signs of battle everywhere, and many Stone Village ninja corpses were scattered around.
"Yecheng, your objective is Shinju Bridge, which means you're concerned about the Stone Village ninjas?"
Seeing Yecheng's regretful expression, Tsunade couldn't help but look puzzled. During their journey, she had noticed that her disciple seemed to have a specific target in mind as he intervened in the Shinobi War.
"Shinju Bridge is a crucial supply route for the Stone Village. I came here to prevent a tragedy that could change the future of the Shinobi World, but now...
Wait, it might not be too late. There are only Stone Village corpses here, which means Kakashi and Rin have only been taken away.
As long as the First Emotional Ninja doesn't witness the tragic death of Haruno Rin, there's still time.
From the battle traces and chakra remnants here, they shouldn't have left long ago."
(End of Chapter)
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