Chapter 118: The Great War Resumes

After Bruce finished presenting his viewpoint, a profound silence descended upon the palace. After a long while, Ichiro Yamamoto stood up abruptly and summoned the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Ninja Corps, ordering him to contact the relevant departments of Yanxia and inform them of Xiao Yu’s actions in the Sakura Kingdom.

Did the high-ranking officials of Yanxia truly not know what Xiao Yu was doing in the Sakura Kingdom? That was, of course, impossible. From the moment Xiao Yu set foot in the Sakura Kingdom, the Yanxia leadership had been well aware of his intentions. However, since the two nations were currently in a ceasefire phase, Yanxia was forced to make a show of sending a small team of martial arts experts to the Sakura Kingdom. As for whether the orders received by this team were to apprehend Xiao Yu or something else entirely, that was a secret known only to the Yanxia high command and the team members themselves.

Sakura Kingdom, Mount Fuji.

At this moment, Xiao Yu and Feng Qingge were still locked in a fierce battle. The surrounding mountain ranges of Mount Fuji had been razed to the ground by the residual power generated from their clash, a testament to the terrifying heights their strength had reached.

Tojo and his subordinates had been monitoring the duel closely. Just then, a whistling sound cut through the air, and a moment later, a dark figure appeared beside Tojo.

"My lord, the Imperial forces have mobilized. Artillery units have surrounded Mount Fuji, and the Imperial Ninja Corps is on its way. Among them are five Ninja Emperors, over twenty Ninja Kings, and a multitude of Chunin and Jonin!"

The newcomer looked at Tojo with great respect as he reported his findings. This man was a priest from the Shrine, and one of even greater power than Sakai Masamasa and his peers.

"Artillery units? Does Ichiro Yamamoto intend to destroy Mount Fuji? Or is he planning to wipe us all out in one fell swoop?" Hearing the report, Tojo frowned and muttered to himself. Just then, a group of figures clad in samurai attire came racing up from the mountain base, while several silhouettes appeared in the void above, flying toward the scene.

The sudden appearance of these forces naturally caught the attention of Qinglong and his companions. Seeing the Imperial Ninjas, their expressions shifted; they exchanged a brief look and immediately charged toward them.

Once they engaged, they realized the sheer scale of the Imperial Ninja Corps' deployment. On the mountain path, waves of black-clad figures were surging upward. These were mostly Jonin and Chunin, accompanied by a dozen or so Ninja Kings. As for the Ninja Emperors, they were already capable of traversing the air and did not need to resort to the arduous climb.

Qinglong turned to look at Gouchen, Baihu, and the others, his expression stern. "Leave these to you. I will handle the Ninja Emperors; Huofeng and the others will deal with the rest."

With that, Qinglong brandished his spear and vaulted into the sky. Huofeng and the others nodded at Baihu’s team before leaping into the air as well, immediately confronting the Ninja Emperors. As for Baihu and the others, they were far more direct; drawing their weapons, they let out a thunderous roar and charged into the ranks of the ninjas.

The great battle began.

Baihu, wielding his iron staff, took the lead, plunging into the crowd. His staff danced with ferocious intensity, weaving through the masses and sending scores of weaker ninjas flying. Gouchen was no less formidable, employing fluid, graceful footwork as his curved blade claimed the lives of several ninjas in an instant.

Though these ninjas were not particularly strong individually, their "human wave" tactics left Baihu and his comrades struggling to keep up. Seeing the relatively stronger Baihu and Gouchen, the dozen or so Ninja Kings used teleportation techniques to split into two groups and assault them. Under the relentless barrage of the Ninja Kings, the two men were quickly drawn into a desperate struggle.

However, Baihu and his companions were battle-hardened veterans. Their ferocious fighting style left the Ninja Kings reeling, yet the ninjas were strictly trained; through high-level coordination, they gradually stabilized their position. Both Baihu and Gouchen began to suffer deep gashes, their bodies stained with blood.

In the distance, Tianhou and the others, noticing that Baihu and Gouchen were nearing a breaking point, began to launch long-range attacks to disrupt the Ninja Kings, granting the two men a brief moment to catch their breath.

*Squelch.*

A flash of white light streaked past, and a Ninja King succeeded in a sneak attack, slashing Baihu across the back. Baihu gritted his teeth, spun around, and swung his iron staff with immense force, smashing it into the attacker. The Ninja King spat blood as he was sent flying, crashing to the ground and drawing his last breath.

Seeing Baihu’s raw ferocity, the surrounding Ninja Kings were visibly shaken, some even forgetting to attack.

"Come on! If you have the guts, come again!" Baihu roared at the stunned ninjas, who stood frozen. "Weren't you here to kill us? Come on..."

Before long, two of the Ninja Kings shook off their shock. Gripping their long blades, they vanished and reappeared in mid-air, raining down lightning-fast strikes toward Baihu’s head. As they attacked, two more Ninja Kings lunged toward Baihu’s lower body.

Witnessing this, a bloodthirsty smile crept across Baihu’s face. He pushed off the ground with his right foot, leaping high to meet the two in the air. As the blades closed in, he swung his iron staff with a deafening clash against the swords. Mid-air, he executed a spin and struck the two Ninja Kings in the chest with his staff, sending them plummeting.

Baihu landed, but the two Ninja Kings on the ground had already launched their assault. He tried to dodge, but despite his speed, one of them managed to leave a deep wound on his arm.

Just then, the surrounding Ninja Kings let out a collective shout and lunged at Baihu with their weapons. As they were about to surround him, a terrifying pressure descended from the sky, slamming into the ground and blasting the encroaching ninjas away.

A towering figure holding a long spear stood before Baihu. It was Qinglong of the Twelve Heavenly Descents. Having just slain his own opponent—a Ninja Emperor—he had sensed Baihu’s peril and rushed over without a moment’s hesitation.