Chapter 33: Stay

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After the smoke from the explosion dissipated, only scorched earth remained.

Had the ambush failed?

Tsuchiya Sanzou coldly stared at the vast courtyard, raising his arm to signal the surrounding ninjas to be on alert. His nose twitched slightly as he faintly detected a trace of blood mixed with the smell of burning, a cold light flickering in his eyes.

"Go!"

He commanded, showing no intention of giving Orochimaru's group any chance to catch their breath.

With his command, numerous enemy ninjas turned into shadows in the night, leaping over the high walls.

On the street outside the walls, Yoru clutched his bloodied, mangled right leg, his face contorted in pain. When Ye Zi saw the enemy ninjas jumping down from the wall and the change in Kureko's expression as she looked at them, she realized something was wrong.

In this planned ambush, Ye Zi, Kureko, Kushina, and Orochimaru had managed to avoid the attack through their quick reactions. However, Yoru and Shinboku were less fortunate. Their legs were severely injured, not due to a lack of physical strength, but because their reactions were not fast enough.

Orochimaru's eyes swept coldly over the advancing enemies, immediately suspecting that the ambush might have resulted from a leak in their information. But with no time for such thoughts, he glanced at the incapacitated Shinboku and Yoru, his brow deeply furrowed.

The most severe situation for a mission deep inside enemy territory was now upon them—being heavily surrounded with injured teammates. Generally, abandoning the wounded and escaping is the best choice, and he was having such thoughts at this moment.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The pursuing enemies quickly spotted the injured Shinboku and Yoru and immediately threw kunai without hesitation.

"Stick together."

Orochimaru barked, swiftly performing hand signs.

"Earth Release: Earth Barrier!"

A heavy earth wall erupted from the ground, forming a half-arc barrier that enveloped Ye Zi and the others. Numerous hidden weapons clanged against the earth wall, creating a cacophony of noise.

"Go quickly, don't worry about us." Shinboku gritted his teeth, looking at them. This time, they were truly done for. The enemies clearly knew about their presence and had prepared an unexpected ambush with Swamp of the Underworld and explosive tags. The goal wasn't to kill but to cripple. The enemies succeeded, so he had resigned himself to staying behind.

Yoru, drenched in cold sweat from pain, shuddered slightly upon hearing this, his eyes hiding a fleeting trace of panic. He didn't want to stay behind because staying meant death. His mouth moved soundlessly as he tried to speak.

If he spoke, he might drag the others down.

He didn't have Shinboku's resolute mindset and was terrified of death, but because he didn't want to drag others down, the words stuck in his throat.

Yoru's silence contrasted sharply with Shinboku's decisiveness.

However…

"No!" Ye Zi and Kotoe said in unison.

Kotoe couldn't possibly abandon her father, and Ye Zi wouldn't abandon Yoru.

Orochimaru looked at the earth wall and said coldly, "You want to stay and die together?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the protective earth wall suddenly roared with a tremendous noise and cracked apart violently.

Orochimaru's pupils contracted slightly as he looked at the leading Iwa ninja ahead, saying calmly: "Tsuchiya Sanzou."

Tsuchiya Sanzou coldly stared at Orochimaru, then turned his gaze to the injured Shinboku and Yoru, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. He said coldly, "I can't guarantee that I can keep you here, but they are definitely dead."

Orochimaru fell silent upon hearing this. If there weren't a figure like Tsuchiya Sanzou among the enemies, he might have had a chance, but seeing Tsuchiya Sanzou, he felt there was little hope.

The streets on both sides were now crowded with armed soldiers, while numerous ninjas gathered on the walls and rooftops. At this moment, they were like fish in a barrel.

Zzzzz…

A chirping sound suddenly echoed in the deep night.

Leafed with lightning, Ye Zi silently drew the blade hanging at his waist and pointed it forward. "Stay or leave?"

He was asking Orochimaru.

If Orochimaru said to leave, then they had to leave, because staying would mean death.

If Orochimaru said to stay, then they would stay, because death wasn't certain.

If leaving was the only option, he would unhesitatingly abandon Yoru, though he would feel regret. But compared to death, regret was merely a hollow fragment, not something significant.

Orochimaru didn't want the mission to fail, either. He looked at Ye Zi, his mind turning, and said in a hoarse voice, "Stay. Ye Zi and Kushina stay to protect. I will hold Tsuchiya Sanzou back. Ye Zi, go assassinate Haibara."

After a pause, he continued, "Don't push yourself too hard."

Ye Zi's eyes flickered with a trace of hesitation but quickly disappeared. He gripped his blade tightly, his form becoming like lightning in the night sky, piercing through the air and rushing toward the wall.

"Don't even think about it!" Tsuchiya Sanzou's eyes widened as he tried to stop Ye Zi, but then he saw Orochimaru bite his thumb, his expression changing. He ordered the other ninjas to stop Ye Zi and bit his thumb as well.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

"Summoning Jutsu!"

With the simultaneous sounds of the two summoning jutsus, a great cloud of white smoke erupted in the street. Two huge shadows emerged from the smoke.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind swept away the white smoke, nearly extinguishing the surrounding torches, caused by a massive snake flicking its tail.

That was Orochimaru's summoning beast—Manda.

On the other side, Tsuchiya Sanzou's summoning beast was a gigantic lizard covered in rock-like bumps.

The two stood on top of their respective summoning beasts, towering above.

The soldiers holding weapons on both sides of the street stared in fear at the enormous monsters, rooted to the spot.

"Orochimaru, it seems your situation is dire." Manda's cold eyes scanned the area, its greedy tongue flicking out as it said, "Don't forget our agreement. This time, I want double."

Orochimaru said calmly, "If you have the ability."

"Pfft." Manda snorted coldly, looking at the gigantic lizard.

Neither side immediately attacked, as the enormous size of the summoning beasts meant their movements could easily cause collateral damage to allies.

Tsuchiya Sanzou stood atop the lizard, arms crossed, coldly eyeing Orochimaru. "Haibara is protected by my three students. Are you sending that kid to his death alone?"

"Haha…"

Orochimaru's eyes glanced at Ye Zi advancing into the wall with anticipation. "Let's wait and see."

As Ye Zi entered the wall, a cold voice shouted, and the ground where he stood trembled.

Ye Zi's eyes widened, and he immediately leaped into the air. With a roar, several stone walls erupted from the ground where he had been standing, tightly entwined together. Had he been a moment slower, he would have been crushed into paste.

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

While Ye Zi was still in the air, the Iwa ninjas who received Tsuchiya Sanzou's orders arrived. Seeing Ye Zi leaping into the air to avoid the stone walls, they immediately launched their attacks.

Seven or eight dragon heads formed from earth and mud shot toward Ye Zi.

Ye Zi sheathed his blade, Raiga, calmly performing hand signs.

Boom!

The earth dragons bit into Ye Zi in mid-air, exploding into a rain of mud.

"Did he get hit?" The ninjas who launched the earth dragons stared at the falling mud, just as they heard a sizzling sound near their ears.

"Be careful!"

One ninja saw lightning flashing from the corner of his eye. Before he could shout out a warning, he was sealed with a cut.

After slicing through an enemy, Ye Zi's eyes shimmered with lightning. Once in close range, it was his domain.

"Scatter." Seeing Ye Zi's terrifying speed, the leading ninja gave the correct command. However, almost immediately, Ye Zi appeared before him.

"You…" The ninja's eyes widened in fear.

Ye Zi expressionlessly drove the blade into his heart.

Before dying, the ninja realized how strong this young man was, strong enough that they were powerless against him.

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