CHAPTER 132
Five minutes later.
The battlefield was covered with Iwagakure shinobi lying in every direction.
Some writhed on the ground in agony.
Some had already lost all signs of life.
The few surviving Iwagakure shinobi stared at the green figure standing in the center of the battlefield with eyes filled with terror, as though they were looking at a monster.
Every trace of their fighting spirit had vanished.
Without another thought, they scrambled to their feet, turned around, and fled in panic.
"Trying to run?!"
Guy's eyes sharpened as he bent his knees, preparing to pursue them.
"Guy, don't chase them."
Uchiha Shisui's calm voice rang out.
With a Body Flicker Technique, he instantly appeared beside Guy, blocking his path.
"We're too close to Iwagakure's territory."
"There could be enemy reinforcements or an ambush at any moment."
His gaze shifted toward the two battered Konoha Chunin.
Then it rested on Asuma and Kurenai, whose Chakra and stamina had nearly been exhausted.
"Our priority is escorting them safely back to camp."
Hearing Shisui's reminder, Guy quickly calmed down.
He knew Shisui was right.
This wasn't the time to hunt down fleeing enemies.
Safely withdrawing Kurenai and the others from this dangerous area came first.
Taking a deep breath, Guy forcibly suppressed the battle spirit and killing intent surging inside him before slowly turning around.
His eyes immediately met Kurenai Yuhi's.
At that moment...
Kurenai was already looking at him.
Her pale face had regained a trace of color.
Those beautiful crimson eyes overflowed with countless emotions.
There was the joy of surviving certain death.
There was disbelief.
There was lingering fear after escaping disaster.
But above all...
There was a blazing warmth that could no longer be hidden.
Without blinking, she quietly gazed at Guy's face.
As though she wanted to engrave that familiar green figure forever into her heart.
Beside them, Asuma Sarutobi silently curled his lips and looked away.
However...
The shock within his eyes couldn't be concealed.
His gaze swept across the devastated battlefield.
Among the fallen Iwagakure shinobi...
At least ten had been defeated by Guy alone.
Just five minutes earlier...
The instant Guy had descended from the sky and shattered the Earth Dragon Bullet with a single kick...
Asuma already knew they had been saved.
What he never expected...
Was that the battle would end in such an overwhelming fashion.
After landing...
Guy had drawn his nunchaku.
As he swung them at incredible speed...
A translucent golden bell formed around his body.
Fire Release Chakra continuously burned across its surface.
It was the Golden Bell Revolving Heaven Strike.
Protected by that golden bell, Guy completely abandoned defense and charged straight into the ranks of the Iwagakure shinobi.
He attacked relentlessly without slowing down for even a moment.
His fists...
His kicks...
His elbows...
His knees...
Combined with the constantly changing trajectories of his nunchaku...
Every strike landed with terrifying precision and overwhelming force.
Each blow accurately targeted joints, vital points, or weapons.
Within only two minutes...
Screams continuously echoed across the battlefield.
One Iwagakure shinobi after another collapsed.
Some died instantly.
Others suffered shattered bones and completely lost the ability to continue fighting.
The scene was horrifying.
"...It's only been a little over a year..."
"...How has this guy become this strong already?"
"This is already the combat power of an elite Jonin..."
"He's a complete monster..."
Asuma's thoughts were in complete turmoil.
Admiration...
Shock...
And a trace of indescribable bitterness all mixed together.
He had believed that after spending more than a year fighting on the front lines of the Land of Rice Fields...
Training tirelessly...
And mastering two B-rank ninjutsu...
Other than Kakashi...
He should already rank among the strongest of his generation.
Yet reality had mercilessly shattered that confidence.
However...
It wasn't only Guy.
Asuma's eyes slowly shifted elsewhere across the battlefield.
There...
Two other familiar figures were still fighting.
Ebisu.
Shiranui Genma.
They had arrived only a few minutes after Guy entered battle.
Each wielded a massive replica of the twin swords Hiramekarei.
Blue Chakra flowed faintly across the surfaces of the blades.
The two coordinated with flawless teamwork.
One attacked from the left.
The other from the right.
Their swordsmanship alternated between slashing, sweeping, thrusting, and smashing.
Occasionally, they combined it with ninjutsu.
The attack range of the twin swords was astonishing.
Their destructive power was equally impressive.
Although they weren't nearly as outrageous as Guy...
Their combined lethality was still frightening.
Several Iwagakure shinobi who attempted sneak attacks were immediately cut down or driven back by the pair.
"When did those two..."
"...Become this strong?"
"And what exactly are those swords?"
Asuma couldn't help feeling another wave of frustration.
The gap he believed he had widened...
Didn't seem nearly as large as he once imagined.
He even had the vague feeling...
That if Ebisu and Genma fought him together...
He might actually lose.
Was his own progress too slow?
No.
It wasn't that he had become weaker.
It was simply that these three had become far stronger than anyone could have imagined.
Just then...
The deep green steam surrounding Guy rapidly dispersed.
The redness covering his skin also faded away.
Maintaining the Fourth Gate of the Eight Gates Formation for several minutes placed an enormous burden upon the body.
The accumulated backlash surged through him all at once.
An overwhelming wave of soreness and exhaustion flooded every muscle.
His body swayed.
His knees weakened.
He staggered forward.
"Guy!"
Seeing him lose his balance, Ebisu's expression changed dramatically.
He instinctively rushed forward to support him.
However...
The instant he took a step...
Genma grabbed his arm.
Still biting his senbon, Genma silently gestured with his eyes toward the opposite side.
Over there...
The moment Kurenai saw Guy begin collapsing...
She cried out instinctively.
"Guy!"
Ignoring her own exhausted body...
She rushed toward him without hesitation.
Guy stumbled forward.
Almost by coincidence...
He fell directly into Kurenai's embrace.
A faint fragrance drifted into his nose.
Guy unconsciously sniffed.
It smelled pleasant.
It was warm.
It was soft.
Kurenai's body immediately stiffened.
Feeling Guy's slight movement, her heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably.
A crimson blush spread across her delicate face.
Even so...
She didn't move away.
Instead...
She gently reached up and carefully wiped away the sweat and dust covering Guy's face.
Seeing this scene...
Ebisu and Genma silently exchanged glances.
Without saying a word...
The two immediately looked away with perfect tacit understanding.
Together with Shisui, they quietly began cleaning the battlefield and collecting any documents or intelligence that might prove useful.
Asuma watched them.
The corners of his mouth twitched repeatedly.
In the end...
He simply sighed helplessly before silently joining the cleanup.
Just then...
Several figures rapidly descended from the surrounding trees.
The sound of bodies cutting through the air echoed continuously.
Guy, who was still leaning against Kurenai, suddenly opened his eyes.
However...
After recognizing the newcomers as Inoichi Yamanaka and the reinforcement squad...
He couldn't help curling his lips.
Reluctantly...
He lifted his head from Kurenai's embrace.
Then he slowly stood up.
Although he looked somewhat pale after opening the Fourth Gate...
He was still far from being unable to stand.
Watching him get up so naturally...
Kurenai's face instantly became even redder.
She secretly glanced at Guy.
Her lips pouted ever so slightly.
Then, in a voice only he could hear, she softly muttered,
"...Bad guy."
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