Clang...
The second clash between the Vacuum Blade and the Rasengan didn't shatter the blade outright, but it was deflected sharply to the side.
As a result, Ishigami found himself on a collision course with Veigar's Rasengan.
But a jōnin is still a jōnin, their skills are far beyond that of a chūnin or genin.
In the fleeting moment when the Vacuum Blade and Rasengan collided, Ishigami seized the minuscule window of leverage. It became his lifeline.
Just before impact, he twisted his body mid-air, narrowly redirecting himself past Veigar and to his rear.
Veigar was momentarily impressed by Ishigami's exceptional bodily control, but that didn't mean he would show mercy. Nor was he slower.
With a swift pivot, Veigar turned on the spot. In the instant the Rasengan in his hand vanished, a larger orb of energy materialized.
Great Phenomenal Evil Rasengan.
Before Ishigami could land, Veigar appeared beneath him like a phantom. The massive Rasengan in his palm surged upward, aimed straight for Hikaru's chest.
Boom.
Ishigami's pupils contracted. He stared in horror at the Rasengan cradled in Veigar's hand.
"Ah...!"
As the Rasengan launched him skyward, a cry of agony burst from Ishigami's lips.
At the peak of his ascent, Ishigami's body lost all control. His sternum was completely shattered, he could do nothing but watch helplessly as the ground raced up to meet him.
In that moment before death, fragments of his life flashed before him. He saw his wife and son, waiting for him back in the village.
"We'll be waiting for your safe return."
"Dad, when I grow up, I want to be a hero of the village, just like you!"
He could almost hear their voices calling out to him.
Thud.
In that bittersweet illusion, Ishigami crashed into the ground. His eyes, clouded with nostalgia, remained wide open. A peaceful smile graced his face.
But he was gone.
Dead.
Had there been no war, perhaps he would've lived. Perhaps he would've grown old with his wife, watched his son come of age.
But there are no "what ifs" in war.
This is war's cruelty.
It claims countless lives, shatters families, and grinds hope to dust.
The battle concluded. Veigar's squad, though weary and lightly wounded from chakra depletion, was otherwise unharmed.
The same couldn't be said for the Suna-nin.
Their squad had suffered a devastating loss: one jōnin and two chūnin were dead, and the last, a chūnin, had been captured, barely clinging to life.
After the battlefield was cleared, the injured Suna-nin who had been crippled by Nanaki Hyuga was tightly bound, despite being unconscious.
"Captain, what do we do with him?"
Veigar had never considered killing the captive. A live ninja was far more valuable than a corpse, especially for the intelligence they might provide.
Unfortunately, Veigar didn't have the means to properly interrogate him right now. If only he had learned that other technique from Orochimaru...
Only one choice remained.
He would send the captive back to Mount Kikyo for interrogation by the command corps.
"Notify command. Have them dispatch someone to retrieve the prisoner."
After a brief pause, Veigar issued the order.
Shikatsu Aburame, who was handling communications, immediately responded:
"I'll contact them right away."
Veigar nodded to him, then turned to Jun Inuzuka and Nanaki.
"There likely won't be any more Suna-nin for the time being. You two, rest up."
"Focus on recovering your strength and chakra as quickly as possible. I can handle the night watch myself."
Hearing that, Jun immediately protested.
"Captain! Why don't you rest? Let Benimaru and me handle the watch."
Unconsciously, all three had come to see Veigar as their pillar of support.
But Veigar left no room for discussion.
With a blur of movement—
Swoosh.
He leapt into the branches of a nearby tree, his voice drifting down:
"Go get some rest."
In truth, after the recent battle, and after absorbing Ishigami's Life Essence, Veigar felt no fatigue. If anything, he was more alert than ever.
Besides the heavy chakra expenditure, his combat capability remained largely intact.
Given his firm stance, Jun and Nanaki had no choice but to comply. They retreated to a hollowed-out tree to rest. After relaying intel back to Mount Kikyo, Shikatsu was also sent to rest.
The silent night dragged on.
Beneath the pale moonlight, Veigar remained perched in thought, strategizing his next steps.
Compared to Veigar's squad, the other two scout teams patrolling the border weren't nearly as fortunate.
They, too, encountered Suna forces.
The team to Veigar's left was utterly annihilated. Though they took two Suna chūnin with them, all four members fell on the frontier.
The team to Veigar's right managed to kill three enemy chūnin, but at the cost of two lives. The leading Suna jōnin escaped, albeit wounded.
This left a gaping breach in the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, where the fallen team once patrolled.
A surge of Suna scouts poured through that breach, fanning out to gather intelligence.
Dawn broke.
The dark night gave way to golden rays.
Suddenly, Veigar's senses flared.
"Someone's coming."
Back in the camp, Shikatsu, Jun, and Nanaki, though asleep, were all in a light state of awareness. At Veigar's warning, they jolted awake.
Jun and Nanaki, both chūnin, rushed out. Shikatsu remained to guard the prisoner. Veigar stayed hidden in the canopy, observing.
"They're here."
In unison, all four felt the presence, each silently mouthing the same two words.
Nanaki, still in a ready stance, suddenly relaxed and stood upright. Jun gave him a puzzled look.
"Nanaki? What's wrong?"
Before he could answer, Nanaki saw a silhouette emerge, one he knew all too well.
"They're not enemies... they're reinforcements."
As he spoke, a familiar figure stepped into view.
Swoosh.
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