Chapter 298

Kasamo, the prodigy of Kumogakure and someone with Storm Release Kekkei Genkai, had met his end. From start to finish, he was utterly crushed and eventually killed by Nawaki.

"Kasamo!"

The other Kumogakure participants rushed to his side, staring at his lifeless body with a chest completely caved in. The sight made them gasp in horror, and their expressions quickly turned to anger.

"You've gone too far!"

One of the ninjas glared at Nawaki, his voice filled with fury.

But Nawaki merely shrugged, his tone calm and indifferent. "He tried to kill me, so I killed him instead. How is that overstepping?"

"You—"

The ninja clenched his fists, about to attack, but his companion grabbed his arm, holding him back.

"Don't be reckless. We're no match for him."

"Damn it!"

Despite their anger, the Kumogakure ninjas refrained from taking action.

The earlier battle had made it abundantly clear: Nawaki was far stronger than Kasamo, and Kasamo was already leagues above them.

Above the canyon, the Jonin who had accompanied the participants observed the scene in silence. The atmosphere was tense and heavy. Many turned their gazes toward the Kumogakure elite Jonin and, occasionally, to the shadow avatar of Hui.

The shadow avatar showed no concern, watching everything unfold below with an expression of mild amusement.

The Kumogakure Jonin, however, couldn't maintain his composure. His breathing grew heavy, and his face darkened.

Yet, he neither acted nor spoke up.

Though Kasamo was a rare talent in Kumogakure, he was not their only hope. Moreover, even if the Jonin wanted to demand justice, there was little he could do.

The one who had killed Kasamo was a Konoha ninja.

And Kumogakure… was in no position to provoke Konoha.

It had been only eight years since the end of the last Great Ninja War, and the terror instilled by Hui during that war still lingered. 

Kumogakure remained overshadowed by his legend.

Having witnessed the events unfold, the Kumogakure Jonin understood that Kasamo had instigated the conflict. Konoha was not in the wrong.

All he could do was endure.

Seeing Kumogakure, infamous for its fiery temperament, fall silent and not dare to raise a complaint, the other Jonin present couldn't help but feel a pang of pity. At the same time, they sighed inwardly.

If the roles were reversed and their village's prodigy had been killed, they too would be unable to say anything.

Konoha's current strength made them untouchable.

…

Back in the canyon, silence reigned once more.

The blue faction, which had barely begun to show signs of unity, was now thoroughly fractured by Kasamo's death.

It was a stark contrast to the red faction.

On their side, Kei Yuki had delivered an impassioned speech, igniting the morale of his team.

Though his talent and strength were inferior to Ranzuki's, his leadership and charisma far surpassed the latter's, making him the natural leader of the red faction.

"Let's go! Together, we'll claim victory in this faction battle!" Kei Yuki's rallying cry was met with enthusiastic shouts of agreement.

In the crowd, Minato and Kushina exchanged glances, both looking somewhat resigned.

Among all the red faction participants, only they hailed from Konoha.

Minato, lacking a reputation or significant influence, had no chance of becoming the faction's leader.

"Hmph. They're just relying on numbers to overwhelm us," Kushina muttered, her dissatisfaction evident.

"It's fine. There's always another way," Minato reassured her. 

He had faith in Nawaki's abilities and believed the blue faction wouldn't be defeated easily. This gave them ample opportunities to make their mark.

"Move out!" Kei Yuki commanded, leading the red faction as they charged toward the blue faction's location.

He wasn't oblivious to the possibility that the blue faction might have organized themselves. However, he had gathered intelligence on Kasamo and knew his personality well.

With Kasamo in the blue faction, Kei Yuki was confident they wouldn't be able to unite quickly.

And he was right.

In the blue faction, the remaining ninjas were silent, unsure of what to do.

Some had considered attempting to rally everyone, but seeing Nawaki's lack of interest in leadership, they gave up.

Their earlier analysis suggested the red faction wouldn't risk a direct confrontation so soon, so they decided to wait, hoping the situation would stabilize before attempting to regroup.

But their hopes were quickly dashed.

The faint sound of footsteps and rustling reached their ears, growing louder with each passing second.

"What's that sound…? Is the red faction already here?!" someone asked, panic creeping into their voice.

"They're here! The red faction is coming!" a sensory ninja confirmed, his tone filled with alarm.

"Damn it! What do we do now?!"

"They're too fast! We're not ready yet!"

Faced with the incoming threat, panic spread among the blue faction ninjas.

"It's too late to organize now. Just adapt to the situation as best as you can," one of them said, his voice firm despite the despair in his words.

Some chose to retreat, unwilling to participate in what seemed like a hopeless battle. They hoped to find another opportunity to shine later.

"Now what?" Konan asked Nawaki, standing beside him. She wasn't particularly concerned about becoming a Chunin and was willing to follow Nawaki's lead.

Nawaki glanced at the dwindling number of ninjas around him and smirked.

"Let's defeat the red faction and end this game early," he said confidently.

Konan nodded. Though the red faction was formidable, she trusted Nawaki's strength completely.

Soon, it was just the two of them left.

While a few ninjas had initially planned to stand with Nawaki, they ultimately fled, unwilling to risk themselves.

The red faction finally arrived, stopping a short distance away from Nawaki and Konan.

"Shinobi of Konoha, Nawaki. I didn't expect you to stay behind to cover your comrades' retreat," Kei Yuki said, assuming Nawaki had chosen to sacrifice himself for his teammates.

But before he could finish his sentence, his eyes widened in shock.

There, not far from Nawaki, lay Kasamo's lifeless body.

"Who said I was here to cover anyone?" Nawaki replied, a smirk playing on his lips.

His words left the red faction stunned.

"So, why are you here?" Ranzuki asked, breaking the silence.

"To win this battle," Nawaki said, his tone cold and domineering. "Or, more accurately, to end this boring game once and for all."

The confidence in his voice was palpable, and the atmosphere grew tense.

"You're strong, but thinking defeating all of us by yourself is unrealistic," Kei Yuki said, narrowing his eyes as he tried to gauge Nawaki's intentions.

Even Ranzuki nodded in agreement.

"Oh? Then why don't we test that theory?" Nawaki said, forming a hand seal.

"Have you heard of Wood Release?"

The red faction members froze, their eyes widening in disbelief.

Moments later, massive trees erupted from the ground behind Nawaki, twisting and roaring to life.

"Wood Release: Nativity of the World of Trees!"