Kotoe's body had been found.
The meeting point was in a cave where Orochimaru was located, approximately two kilometers from Konoha, in the three o'clock direction relative to the village's main gate.
Estimating the speed of his wood clone, Ye Zi calculated that, considering its location within Konoha, it would take at least five minutes for it to reach Orochimaru.
"Five minutes. I'll stay five more minutes and then leave."
Ye Zi moved swiftly among Kushina's shadow clones, his black blade slicing through them with sharp arcs of power.
The golden chains crumbled effortlessly before his black lightning-infused blade, but the sheer number of chakra-powered clones still served as an effective means of restricting Ye Zi's movements.
After destroying another shadow clone, Ye Zi paused momentarily.
Seizing this opportunity, Shisui commanded his Susanoo, sending its massive spiral sword thrusting toward him.
The spiral sword's size dwarfed Ye Zi's entire body.
Ye Zi raised his blade and managed to deflect the sword to his right. The black blade scraped against the spiral sword's surface, sending sparks of green chakra flames flying as the sword's tip pierced deep into the tree roots below.
"What immense power!" Shisui's expression shifted slightly as Ye Zi forced the spiral sword aside. Susanoo's other hand clenched into a fist and swung down toward Ye Zi.
With a sharp burst of strength, Ye Zi pushed the spiral sword away and leaped backward, avoiding the massive punch. While in midair, he swung his blade toward Shisui.
Three bolts of black lightning detached from the blade, morphing into arrow-like projectiles that shot toward Shisui.
Zzz!
The three arrows struck Susanoo's green chakra barrier, with their tips slightly penetrating it before becoming lodged in place.
Seeing that Susano'o's defense had been breached, Shisui felt a heavy weight settle in his heart.
What kind of kekkei genkai is this black lightning? Its offensive power is astonishing.
The black lightning, infused with Sage Chakra, not only gained increased power but could also be condensed and shaped for greater impact.
Ye Zi landed gracefully on a stationary tree root, dodging a series of golden chains with deft movements. His blade swung with precision, cutting through the chains before breaking through their encirclement to strike down more of Kushina's shadow clones.
One by one, the shadow clones were eliminated, and Shisui's Susanoo attacks had little effect, as Ye Zi managed to block or evade them all.
Time continued to tick away. From the start of Kushina and Shisui's joint attacks until now, they had failed to inflict any damage on Ye Zi. However, the remnants of the Deep Forest Emergence, the tree roots, had suffered significant destruction.
"Four minutes left…"
"Three minutes left…"
"Two minutes left…"
"One minute left…"
Ye Zi silently counted down the time in his head.
Kushina and Shisui's combined efforts were ineffective in harming him, and Kushina's shadow clones kept him from focusing fully on Shisui.
If not for the interference of Kushina's clones, Ye Zi could have undoubtedly destroyed Shisui's Susanoo by relentlessly attacking it with his black lightning.
Realizing he couldn't contribute meaningfully at the moment, Obito chose to stay on the sidelines. If Kamui was the only way to harm Ye Zi, he would have to wait for the side effects of his Mangekyō Sharingan to subside before he could activate it again.
With more experience using the Mangekyō Sharingan, Obito's mastery of it would improve, and situations like this would occur less often. However, the side effects would become increasingly severe with prolonged use, eventually leading to blindness.
If he recklessly overused his eyes, he would soon lose their power entirely.
Unlike Obito, Ye Zi's Mangekyō Sharingan was supported by Hashirama's cells, allowing him to avoid these side effects.
When there was only a minute left, Minato returned to the battlefield using the Flying Thunder God Technique, appearing beside Kushina. Though his abdominal injury wasn't fully healed, it was no longer enough to hinder him.
Upon returning, Minato fixed his gaze on Ye Zi, who was radiating black lightning, his expression serious.
He wasn't surprised to see Obito or Shisui's Susano'o because, during his treatment by Kushina's shadow clone, the split-body slug had kept him updated on the battle.
Although he hadn't been present, he was aware of the general situation since his departure.
This time, Minato had activated Sage Mode before returning via the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Whoosh!
At that moment, Shisui clutched his eyes and dropped to one knee as the green chakra glow of Susano'o began to fade, dissipating like melting snow.
The combined strain of using Kotoamatsukami and maintaining Susanoo had pushed Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan to its limits, leaving his eyes bloodshot with veins.
Without Susanoo, Shisui's genjutsu was ineffective against Ye Zi, and his speed, swordsmanship, and strength couldn't match Ye Zi's. At this point, Shisui posed no threat to him.
Originally, Kotoamatsukami could have easily ended the fight, but Ye Zi had shattered it with his indomitable willpower. Reflecting on this, Shisui realized that genjutsu was ineffective against Ye Zi, likely due to his mysterious Mangekyō Sharingan ability.
"Shisui, fall back with Obito. We'll handle this," Minato said calmly to Shisui.
"Understood," Shisui replied.
Shisui endured the pain in his eyes and replied. He understood that staying any longer would be futile, so he decisively followed Minato's command.
At this level of battle, without Susanoo, there was nothing he could contribute.
Shisui used the Body Flicker Technique to move to Obito's side and said, "Obito, let's retreat for now."
Obito shook his head firmly and replied, "I can still fight."
His meaning was clear, he could still use his Mangekyō Sharingan. However, with Ye Zi present, he couldn't say this outright.
Shisui understood. After a brief moment of silence, he decisively used the Body Flicker Technique to leave and reappeared at the edge of the eastern district, beside Itachi.
"Shisui, are you alright?" Itachi asked with concern, noticing Shisui's strained expression caused by the side effects on his eyes and body.
Shisui forced a smile. "I'm fine."
He then looked back at the battlefield. Kushina and Minato stood side by side, facing Ye Zi, whose body was shrouded in surging black lightning.
Half a month ago, the three had faced each other in a similar standoff.
Now, however, the situation was no longer one-sided against Ye Zi. In just half a month, Ye Zi's transformation into a being of overwhelming strength had left a deep impression on their hearts.
At the same time...
Ye Zi's wood clone arrived at Orochimaru's location, carrying Kotoe's body and a young woman who was unconscious.
Seeing the wood clone, Orochimaru let out a cold laugh and began preparing to leave, taking the remaining Edo Tensei bodies of Sakumo Hatake and Dan Katō with him.
The primary objective had been achieved, and now they only needed to wait for Ye Zi to retreat.
If you want to read more...
Check out the patreon and get 55 chapters in advance -> SaintXI
Currently on Chapter 484 - The Snake Squad