Once they agreed on the plan, they quickly slipped into the forest, found a safe, wind-sheltered spot to stop, and Inaba and Anko began treating Kou Uchiha’s injuries.
Throughout the process, Shisui watched anxiously from the side, occasionally muttering to himself in agitation.
“Senior, you have to hang in there.
It’s going to be fine!
We’ve already performed a great service for the village.
We will definitely make it back.” It was clear that even though Shisui’s mind was filled with the village, he still deeply cared for those around him.
*This is much better than a certain filial clan-slayer of the future,* Inaba smiled inwardly.
He was about to tell Shisui to be quiet, but when he casually looked up, he suddenly froze.
Shisui himself probably hadn’t even realized that the three tomoe in his eyes were spinning rapidly clockwise, already showing a faint trend of merging together.
*Is he about to awaken the Mangekyo?* Inaba was surprised at first, but then he felt a sense of understanding.
He recalled that in the original work, Shisui had indeed awakened his Mangekyo during the Third Shinobi World War.
Calculating the timeline, this wasn’t entirely unexpected.
But then, a thought occurred to him out of nowhere: *If I hadn’t transmigrated, would Kou Uchiha have died here in the original timeline?* It seemed highly likely!
In the anime, it was said that Shisui had awakened his Mangekyo after witnessing the death of a close comrade on the battlefield.
Looking at it this way, Kou’s place in Shisui’s heart was indeed significant.
*So, by saving Kou, did I just do Shisui a massive favor?* Inaba mused with a silent chuckle.
While his hands never stopped performing medical treatment, Inaba’s mind drifted with idle, disjointed thoughts.
At this moment, he felt a bit of envy, but also a trace of melancholy.
Shisui’s eyes were on the verge of evolving, but what about his own?
Of course, Inaba would never have guessed that the opportunity for his own eyes to evolve was already on its way!
After ten-odd minutes of emergency treatment, Kou’s condition had improved significantly.
Though still weak, with a pale face devoid of color, he could at least stand up on his own without having to lean on Shisui.
Anko then released her Summoning Jutsu, sending the venomous snakes draped over Kou’s upper body back to Ryuchi Cave.
They didn’t have any anesthetics on hand, so they had Anko summon a group of snakes with paralyzing venom.
Biological anesthesia—completely reliable.
Seeing Kou still swaying slightly, Captain Tomoe asked, “Can you keep up?” Kou nodded stubbornly without saying a word.
A proud Uchiha would never admit defeat, even on the verge of death!
“Alright, let’s go.” Everyone packed up the bandages and other supplies, quickly cleared their tracks, and prepared to set off.
But right at that moment, an abrupt voice rang out, cold as ice, pouring down upon them like a bucket of freezing water.
“Keke, leaving?
Not so fast, little prey!” *Damn it, Kirigakure!
How did they get here so fast?!* Theoretically, Captain Tomoe’s calculations had been correct.
It should have taken about two hours for the main Kirigakure force to rush back from the front lines.
The problem was that certain elite squads didn’t have to move with the main army.
When these elite hunting squads roamed alone, their speed was incredibly formidable!
And Kirigakure just so happened to have a squad that was notoriously bloodthirsty, famous throughout the Ninja World, and loved nothing more than leaving the main army behind to hunt on their own!
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen!
Back in the town, Inaba had heard the defending Kirigakure ninja mention them.
He hadn’t expected to meet them in person less than half an hour later!
The one who spoke was Kushimaru Kuriarare, one of the infamous “Merciless Duo” of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, known for his cold-blooded cruelty.
He was the wielder of Nuibari!
Even more terrifyingly, as Kushimaru spoke, the figures of the other Swordsmen began to appear one by one on the surrounding branches!
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, gathered in full!
“I heard from the guys back there that the attackers were Sunagakure, but to think we’d catch Konoha rats instead.
Well, it doesn’t make a difference!
You’re all prey worth impaling!” Kushimaru smiled with sheer cruelty.
He had already sealed off the entire area with his wire strings!
Next up was his delightful hunting time!
In contrast, the Konoha shinobi looked incredibly grim.
None of them had expected the enemy to catch up so quickly after just a brief delay.
The battlefield was such a place—filled with unexpected dangers and the unknown!
No one could calculate everything…
Now was not the time to argue about calculations.
Without blaming anyone, the silent Rinfu Gekko was the first to charge toward the enemy.
He was quiet, decisive, and unwavering!
Captain Tomoe also shed his usual lazy and exhausted demeanor, his face hardening with unprecedented resolve.
“Break out with everything you’ve got!
Inaba, Anko, Shisui, you three leave first!” At the critical moment, this middle-aged man of the Senju Clan chose to give the younger generation the chance to escape!
“Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu!” He remained behind, immediately launching a massive, wide-range offensive ninjutsu to sweep all Seven Ninja Swordsmen into his attack!
At this moment, even though Inaba was a rebellious transmigrator who had never felt any real sense of belonging to the village, he couldn’t help but be moved by his teammates’ Will of Fire.
Perhaps the ones who truly kept the fire burning were never the silver-tongued orators who constantly preached about the “leaves dancing” and the “Will of Fire.” It was these Konoha shinobi who were truly willing to burn themselves out on the battlefield for the sake of the next generation!
Rinfu Gekko never spoke of falling leaves or fire.
Sometimes he couldn’t even squeeze out three sentences a day.
Yet right now, he was the first to clash with Kushimaru Kuriarare, dancing amidst the razor-sharp wires as his saber clashed violently against Nuibari!
As the last remaining descendant of the Senju Clan in their squad, even if Tomoe survived and fled back to the village alone, no one would have blamed him.
Yet he still chose to cover their retreat, leaving Inaba with only one final instruction.
“Inaba, protect Anko!
Bring her back to Orochimaru!” Orochimaru had shown him great kindness by recognizing his worth, and Tomoe didn’t want to see Orochimaru lose a second disciple.
After Nawaki’s death, Orochimaru had grown gloomier by the day, and Tomoe had witnessed it all.
As for Kou Uchiha, he had no intention of leaving either!
“Inaba, we only came here because of your words!
Bring Shisui back alive…
I beg of you…” This proud Uchiha, who refused to back down even when he could barely stand, begged Inaba in the most humble tone he had ever used.
In the next instant— “Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!” He leaped into the air, using his Fire Style to target the Seven Ninja Swordsmen who had jumped to evade the Great Waterfall.
After exhaling the flames, he didn’t forget to laugh mockingly, “Come and kill me!
Let’s see who the real prey is, you Kirigakure scum!!” At that moment, Inaba’s heart was flooded with a complex swirl of emotions.
Intense feelings bubbled up like boiling water, crashing against his mind.
He wanted to yell in anger, *Are you guys insane?!
Why are you dumping all your final wishes on me?!
Am I your babysitter?!* But the words caught in his throat.
His nose stung, and his vision grew slightly blurry.
In his daze, the black hole in the center of his pupils became even more pronounced, and the blue starlight outside his pupils shone even brighter and more dazzling!
His eyes were undergoing another drastic transformation!