The battlefield smelled of blood and smoke. Broken kunai, shattered earth, and scorch marks stretched across the ruined camp that had once been Konoha's foothold in the Land of Hot Water. Now it was just a graveyard where both sides clawed at each other in desperation.
Dan Kato's blade slammed against young Ay's forearm, sparks leaping as the flickering Lightning Armor sputtered like a storm lantern about to die. young Ay's breathing was ragged now, his chest heaving. Each step seemed heavier than the last, but his eyes—those sharp, predatory eyes—were still locked onto Dan.
Dan was, in an even worse situation, pale with fatigue. His chakra was stretched thin from summoning his Spirit Transformation jutsu again and again, sending his spectral form darting through the battlefield to harass Kumo shinobi while his real body fought young Ay. He knew he was gambling with every use. But if he didn't keep pressure on young Ay, Konoha's line would crumble.
"You're slowing down, Raikage's son," Dan panted, his sword steady but his arms trembling slightly. "All that lightning isn't infinite. Once it's gone, you're just another brute with fists."
Ay smirked through the exhaustion, his voice hoarse. "And you're just another man… who talks too much." He lunged forward, his fist whipping past Dan's guard with a burst of sparks. Dan barely managed to twist aside, the blow grazing his shoulder and tearing fabric. His arm went numb for an instant.
They circled each other, predators both too tired to strike cleanly but too proud to yield.
--
The East Flank
On the east side, Killer Bee was equally worn down. Now, eight of Gyūki's tails twitched behind him in partial manifestation, each sizzling with chakra burns left by Renga's earlier teleportation. Unlike 900 Konoha shinobi they fought, this 800 elite Konoha shinobi with a commander posed more greater danger.
Inoichi Yamanaka's forehead glistened with sweat. He had threaded his Mind Body Switch jutsu into the melee again and again, forcing Bee to stumble or miss a beat. Choza stood beside him, already expanded into his massive Multi-Size form, fists like boulders swinging in heavy arcs to pen B in.
"Choza, left flank!" Inoichi shouted, eyes narrowed as his chakra threads lashed out.
Bee ducked low, rapping nonsense even through clenched teeth. "Yo, yo, too slow, here I go—!" He skidded under Choza's arm, one tail smacking upward to knock the giant fist away. The impact shook the ground, dust exploding outward.
Choza winced tiredly. "He's still fast, Inoichi. We can't let him keep slipping through, he'll break our line if he gets loose."
"I know," Inoichi said gasping grimly, "but look at him. His movements are lagging. His chakra flow's uneven. He's running on fumes."
And it was true. Killer Bee's breathing was shallow, his shoulders hunched. Every time he lashed out, his recovery was a little slower. Every counter took just a heartbeat longer to prepare. He was down to conserving chakra using Gyūki's tails defensively instead of attacking wildly.
For a moment, the three of them stood in a grim stalemate, neither side able to break the other.
--
Meanwhile, across the broader battlefield, the shinobi of both villages were tearing each other apart.
Konoha's chunin and genin pressed in hard, refusing to give Kumo time to breathe. They knew their only chance was to smother the enemy before reinforcements could arrive. Explosions ripped the earth, kunai strings and paper bombs weaving traps through the ruins.
But Kumo fought like wolves. Their endurance training under the Third Raikage riege had forged them into soldiers who knew how to grind wars into attrition. Even tired, even wounded, they struck with precision.
A young Konoha genin vaulted forward, kunai aimed for a Kumo jounin's throat only for a lightning-coated tanto to pierce his chest midair. He fell before he could scream. Elsewhere, a pair of Aburame unleashed clouds of kikaichū, only for a Kumo sensor-nin to scatter them with a wide-wave lightning release, frying the insects in an instant.
Still, Konoha's desperation lent them ferocity. For every Kumo jonin that cut down a genin, two more Konoha shinobi lunged at his back. Blood soaked the ground as both sides refused to break.
--
Dan's Spirit Transformation lashed out again, his chakra form plunging straight into young Ay's chest. He staggered, grunting as the spectral blade tore through his arm. But young Ay didn't fall. With a roar, he backhanded the spirit with lightning, forcing Dan's projection to flicker and snap back into his body.
Dan staggered, gasping. "He's… pushing through it? Impossible—"
young Ay's armor flickered, sparks crawling across his shoulders. His knees buckled for a split second, then straightened. He spat blood and glared. "Your tricks won't stop me. A wall doesn't bend... it breaks what collides with it."
Dan gritted his teeth. He was nearing his limit, but so was young Ay. Every swing now was slower, every dodge sloppier. It was a contest of who would collapse first.
~~
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