Although Zoro's mission this ti was to support the front lines while drawing the enemy's attention along the way, trying to influence an entire battlefield through the strength of one person alone was far easier said than done.
Of course, Zoro naturally had his own thod.
The reason he had deliberately allowed those fleeing Iwa ninja to escape earlier was simple—he intended to make use of the fear surrounding his reputation.
The title "Three-Sword Death God" alone was already enough to make countless Iwagakure ninja wary of him.
From now on, every ti they stepped into Konoha's territory, they would constantly wonder whether that death god-like figure might suddenly appear behind them at any mont.
But even that level of deterrence was still not enough.
Zoro needed to magnify his presence even further.
And the best way to accomplish that—
was to destroy Kannabi Bridge.
Once Kannabi Bridge was destroyed, the psychological pressure placed upon Iwagakure would imdiately increase several tis over.
With their supply routes severed and reinforcents cut off, the Iwa ninja who had already entered the borders of the Land of Fire would beco trapped prey.
Turtles trapped inside a jar.
Fish lying helplessly on a chopping block.
At that point, their destruction would only be a matter of ti.
Thinking this far, Zoro's gaze gradually sharpened.
His speed increased once again.
Powerful bursts of movent caused his figure to leave behind faint afterimages as he raced across the grasslands, carving a long trail through the wind.
The scenery around him flashed backward rapidly.
The surrounding trees gradually beca enormous, their trunks covered in giant mushroom-like branches that gave the forest a bizarre and almost unnatural appearance.
These strange trees were one of the distinctive characteristics of the border region near the Land of Fire.
"Hmm?"
A trace of doubt suddenly flashed through Zoro's eyes.
The aura of the Uchiha Clan?
He had kept his Observation Haki active the entire ti, so there was no possibility he would mistake the unique aura produced by the Sharingan bloodline.
Could another Uchiha have arrived here?
Zoro quickly shook the thought aside.
That aura also carried a strangely familiar feeling.
Still, none of that mattered right now.
His priority remained reaching Kannabi Bridge as quickly as possible.
Kakashi was the only jōnin among their group.
Although Zoro had warned him in advance, and Kakashi would likely choose infiltration instead of a direct assault, once they were discovered, a fierce battle would still be unavoidable.
"Soone's coming?"
Hidden behind a massive tree trunk, a blond Iwagakure shinobi rapidly ford hand seals.
His body leaned slightly sideways as he looked down toward the Konoha ninja rushing below.
Because of Zoro's earlier warning, Kakashi had avoided this route entirely and chosen a more concealed path instead.
As a result, he never encountered this Iwagakure jōnin who specialized in Shadow Clone techniques.
That's right—
This Iwa ninja knew the Shadow Clone Technique originally developed by the Second Hokage himself.
More than twenty shadow clones were currently hidden across the surrounding tree trunks.
That was also the reason he had been assigned as a frontline reconnaissance shinobi.
"He's charging straight through?!"
Mahiru's pupils contracted slightly.
Was this guy an idiot who only knew brute force?
Or did he simply possess overwhelming confidence in his own strength?
Regardless of the answer, as a jōnin, Mahiru reacted instantly.
Several shuriken flew from his hand toward Zoro's position.
Clang! Clang! Clang!!
Sharp tallic sounds echoed throughout the silent forest.
!!!
Mahiru's expression imdiately changed.
What the hell?
He was absolutely certain he had not seen wrong.
Those shuriken had definitely struck Zoro directly.
So why had they sounded like tal colliding against steel?
Unable to believe it, Mahiru imdiately threw another wave of shuriken.
This ti was different.
All twenty shadow clones attacked simultaneously.
Dense waves of spinning shuriken rained downward like machine-gun fire, instantly sealing off nearly every angle around Zoro.
"Damn it… is this guy made of iron or sothing?"
Mahiru's mouth twitched uncontrollably, his face looking as though he had just seen a ghost.
"This is getting annoying."
Zoro glanced at the specially tailored cloak covering his body. Several cuts had already appeared where the shuriken had sliced across the fabric.
His expression darkened slightly.
Originally, he had not intended to waste ti dealing with the hidden ninja lurking in the trees.
That was why he had simply coated his body in Armant Haki and intended to force his way through directly.
But he had not expected this idiot to keep pushing his luck and pestering him nonstop.
You want to die?
Fine.
I'll grant your wish.
Zoro slowly stopped moving, completely ignoring the next wave of shuriken that was clearly intended to continue probing him.
Boom!!!
The instant Enma left its sheath, terrifying purple pressure exploded violently outward from Zoro's body.
The pressure condensed into a visible pillar of purple energy that surged into the sky.
The incoming shuriken were instantly blown away and scattered in every direction.
"Shit…"
Hidden among the trees, Mahiru's face imdiately beca drenched in sweat beneath the overwhelming pressure.
"I think I provoked the wrong person…"
At that mont, he could clearly feel the earth beneath him trembling unnaturally under the crushing aura radiating from Zoro.
"Damn it… what kind of monster is this?!"
Through the vision shared by his shadow clones, Mahiru saw deep purple slashes erupting from the blade in Zoro's hand.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
Towering trees collapsed one after another as violent destruction tore through the forest like a storm.
In the blink of an eye, over half of Mahiru's shadow clones had already been swallowed by the devastating sword attacks.
And when his gaze landed on the two remaining katana still hanging untouched at Zoro's waist—
Terror instantly spread across Mahiru's face.
"That guy…"
His lips trembled slightly.
"Could he really be Konoha's Three-Sword Death God?"
The more he looked, the more the figure before him overlapped with the intelligence reports he had morized countless tis.
Three swords.
Black clothing.
Terrifying swordsmanship.
And that overwhelming pressure that made even breathing difficult.
"Our superiors already warned us… if we encounter the Three-Sword Death God or Konoha's Yellow Flash…"
Mahiru swallowed hard.
"We're allowed to retreat imdiately…"
At that mont, all thoughts of battle vanished from his mind completely.
Without even the slightest hesitation, Mahiru imdiately fled toward the rear with everything he had.
His cheeks twitched violently.
Even the corners of his mouth trembled uncontrollably.
Because he understood sothing very clearly—
If he was even one second slower, death would catch up to him.
"You provoked …"
A cold, death god-like voice suddenly echoed beside Mahiru's ear.
"And now you think you can run?"
Mahiru's fleeing body froze instantly in midair.
"One-Sword Style:... Great Dragon Shock!!" (Ittoryu: Daishinkan)
In that mont, the entire world around him seed stained black.
Like a genjutsu swallowing reality itself.
Before his horrified eyes, a gigantic purple Asura carrying three swords slowly erged from the darkness.
Death.
At this mont, Mahiru understood one thing clearly.
The mont he chose to provoke Zoro earlier—
He had personally thrown away the tiny chance of survival he originally possessed.
Zoro showed him no rcy whatsoever.
Without even giving Mahiru an opportunity to speak, the blade in his hand descended rcilessly.
Boom!!
A violent slash tore through the air.
Monts later, silence returned to the forest once more.
After dealing with Mahiru, Zoro imdiately rushed toward the edge of the forest without stopping.
Soon, beside a narrow stream of flowing water, he discovered two familiar figures.
Uchiha Obito.
And Hatake Kakashi.
The mont he arrived, the first thing he heard was Obito's furious roar directed at Kakashi.
"Rin… what about Rin?!"
Obito grabbed Kakashi by the collar with reddened eyes.
"What are we supposed to do about Rin?!"
"We'll save Rin afterward."
Kakashi's voice remained cold and restrained, though exhaustion could faintly be heard beneath it.
"The enemy wants information about our mission, so they won't kill her imdiately."
"And Rin is a dical ninja. Even if she's captured, they'll keep her alive and treat her properly."
"Kakashi!!"
Hearing those words, Obito's anger exploded completely.
He yanked Kakashi forward violently, his fist already tightening as he prepared to punch him.
But before the blow could land—
A calm voice suddenly echoed beside them.
"Save Rin."
The two indifferent words instantly froze the atmosphere.
Obito abruptly turned his head toward the source of the voice.
The mont he saw Zoro standing there, delight imdiately appeared on his face.
"Zoro-niisan!!"
Kakashi, on the other hand, looked at the speaker in shock, disbelief written across his face.
For the first ti—
He began doubting whether the decision he had made earlier had truly been correct.
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