Chapter 233: The Tacit Withdrawal

Clang—

A huge crashing sound exploded in the night wind as Shisui's precise slash was blocked by Goro Kaguya.

The young Uchiha's expression was cold. He stepped on the bone pillar of the Kaguya clan leader, loosening his grip, and let the blade spin in mid-air, bypassing the obstacle, and driving it hard into the enemy's chest.

"Ugh..." Goro spat out a mouthful of blood. Last year, when he first fought Shisui, he was already outmatched and barely escaped after having his right arm cut off. Now, a year later, Shisui's combat skills had risen to another level, and within a single exchange, Goro was already injured.

As blood splattered, Goro's lips curled into a smile.

He knew that his injury had meaning.

"Up close, you really are quite a handsome boy. As expected of someone from the Uchiha clan..." Mei's teasing voice reached Shisui's ears, her tone lazy, evoking a sudden wave of heat.

This wasn't just a biological reaction—it was a real, tangible change in temperature!

Before Mei even spoke, she had completed a series of hand seals. Her lips pursed slightly, exhaling a cloud of gas that enveloped Shisui.

Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!

This was a powerful Kekkei Genkai combining fire and water nature chakras, not only possessing high temperatures but also capable of adjusting acidity— its potency even surpasses that of Lava Release.

The Sixth Mizukage, Terumi Mei, possessed two large-scale destructive Kekkei Genkai, talents that placed her at the pinnacle of the entire shinobi world.

However, unfortunately for her, the eyes of her opponent were the lightning rod atop that pinnacle!

The scalding acidic mist enveloped Shisui, but the anticipated screams did not follow. Instead, a series of creaking sounds filled the air.

Huge green ribs wildly grew around Shisui, completely blocking the dense Skilled Mist Technique. Even non-sensor type shinobi could feel the terrifying chakra, akin to that of the deep sea.

Shisui opened his eyes, his Sharingan transforming, the tomoe merging to form a four-pointed Mangekyo.

Susanoo: First Form!

'A remarkable technique, Boil Release, huh?' Shisui muttered softly, enduring the agonizing pain from the rapid chakra depletion. 'It can even melt Susanoo's bones.'

"What... is that?"

The sight of Shisui surrounded by the humanoid skeleton caused a stir among the Kirigakure shinobi. In the current ninja world, the Mangekyo Sharingan was a rarity, seen only once in decades. Few had ever witnessed the perfection that was Susanoo, a technique embodying both offense and defense.

Of course, Shisui didn't bother answering the enemy's questions. He simply knew he had to kill as many of them as possible before his strength gave out, so he removed his scabbard and tossed it aside.

The Konoha shinobi behind him received the signal and surged forward. For these elite warriors, a distance of two to three hundred meters was as close as face-to-face. In the blink of an eye, the two sides were entangled, unleashing ninjutsu with reckless abandon, painting the ground in a myriad of colors.

'Mizukage is a big problem, she needs to be dealt with first.' The thought flashed through Shisui's mind as he prepared to fully unleash Susanoo, the Mangekyo in his eyes deepening in hue.

At that moment, the red-skinned humanoid monsters sprang into action.

While the Konoha and Kirigakure forces clashed, these lava-spitting creatures had stood still, seemingly unaware the battle had begun. But as soon as Shisui lightly tapped the ground, they responded as if pre-programmed.

The monsters leapt forward, producing ear-piercing explosions as they collided with Susanoo's bones. Of course, their brute force was nothing compared to Tsunade's, and their self-destructive charges failed to shake Susanoo even a bit.

Blinding red light began to radiate from beneath their skin as their facial features contorted, bones swelled, and internal organs burned. A phenomenon resembling a volcanic eruption occurred within them. In less than a tenth of a second, lava spewed out, completely covering Susanoo.

'Hmm...?' Shisui paused slightly before moving forward again.

The self-destruction of these creatures was equivalent to a Jonin's full-power Fire Release. Although its power was considerable, it was still insufficient to breach Susanoo's defenses.

However, in the next moment, the fifteen-year-old leader of the Anbu realized something was wrong.

There were too few lava monsters in front of him.

He turned sharply to see many of the creatures charging toward the Konoha shinobi, and all those being targeted were Uchiha clan members!

—These creatures are attacking the Uchihas!

Boom, boom, boom...

A series of explosions roared around the outskirts of Kirigakure. Because the Uchiha hadn't severed ties with the village and still maintained good relations, many Konoha shinobi used defensive techniques to shield their Uchiha comrades from these kamikaze attacks. As a result, the death toll was kept below five, but this effort left most of the Konoha forces injured, including Ruri, who ended up looking quite disheveled.

Meanwhile, the scorched earth began to writhe as dozens of red, grotesque arms emerged from the soil, and more lava monsters clawed their way to the surface.

In an instant, Shisui made a judgment—

The enemy had set a trap targeting the Uchiha. These creatures not only fired lava projectiles but, upon seeing Susanoo, activated another function: homing in on the Sharingan's power and self-destructing!

'But even so, Kirigakure's forces can't stop us. Charging ahead without regard for losses would certainly allow us to kill the Mizukage. But if I do that, most of my clan members here, including Itachi, will likely all perish under these suicide attacks.'

'If I order the Uchiha to withdraw, it's unclear how the other Konoha comrades will react. Without the Uchiha's power, this vanguard force will struggle to breach Kirigakure. And at that point, I'll have to face all the explosions alone, which might prevent me from dealing with the Mizukage in time.'

'What should I do? Should we retreat? Return to camp and re-strategize? That's a good plan, but if we miss tonight, the Wind, Earth, and Lightning nations might interfere, and who knows how long it will take to destroy Kirigakure after that...'

Shisui frowned deeply, unsure of what to do. As the Anbu commander and a highly trusted Uchiha clansman, he was caught in a difficult position.

"Commander Shisui, please give the order to retreat." At that moment, a voice sounded behind him.

The speaker, sporting a short, upturned ponytail and two scars on his right cheek, appeared to be in his thirties. He was none other than Shikaku Nara, one of Konoha's two frontline Vice commanders.

"There's no need for unnecessary sacrifices," Shikaku made the tough decision for Shisui at this crucial moment. "Besides, Kirigakure clearly has some unknown means at their disposal. Advancing recklessly now would be the worst choice."

Surrounded by his green Susanoo, Shisui seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He looked at Terumi Mei and noticed that even in the depths of her pupils, there wasn't much determination to fight to the death.

Both sides tacitly understood each other—this was war...

With this thought, Shisui began to withdraw his Mangekyo's power.

"Notify our comrades at Shigeru Mountain, we'll retreat."

(End of Chapter)