dmims Chapter 128 Xi Yan is Severely Injured
Chapter 128 Xi Yan is Severely Injured
Qingwu cautiously watched Lao Zi laughing wildly and quietly stopped the great elf's ranged attack.
If he had a choice, he would rather face the lucid Old Purple.
If such a terrifying "nuclear weapon" as a Jinchūriki gets out of control, all people and things in the entire base will probably be reduced to ashes.
The old purple man, whose roots were entangled, stopped laughing and slowly raised his head to look at the boy.
The boy stood atop one of the withered wooden guardians, and despite possessing such terrifying power, he remained calm, quiet, and at ease.
At that moment, Lao Zi had a sudden realization.
"I……"
He murmured, "Why should I fight?"
"For the village that uses me as a weapon? For this bound body? For a war that was never mine?"
"Why, why..."
Qingwu's heart stirred, and she spoke softly:
"Strength should not be a shackle, much less a heavy burden. No one belongs to anyone else; everyone should belong to...themselves!"
"Belongs to...myself!" Old Zi was suddenly stunned.
He slowly lowered his head, and the Lava Release chakra on his body gradually cooled down like magma.
When he looked up again, the boy seemed to blend into the surrounding world, the trees, and the wind.
Not living for... anyone!?
It was strange; Lao Zi couldn't understand how such a temperament could appear in a boy whose voice was still so immature.
but……
That was a state he had never reached in his entire life.
—Freedom, a truly free spirit!
He suddenly laughed again.
A laugh filled with desolation, a laugh filled with liberation...
"I see……"
"So... I've never lived for myself... not even for a single day!"
He gazed at the distant, rolling mountains and forests, and the fierce aura emanating from him gradually dissipated.
Seeing the opportunity, Qingwu manipulated the withered tree guardian to retract the roots that had been entangled with Lao Zi.
despair!
Old Zi stepped on the ground.
"you……"
Old Zi looked at the boy, wanting to say something, but in the end said nothing.
He turned around, not glancing at the Konoha camp again, nor looking in the direction of Iwagakure.
Tell Onoki!
"I won't argue with him anymore!"
Old Purple's voice drifted away on the wind; he knew that there were Iwa ninja waiting outside the base to cooperate with his operation.
As if using all his strength, he shouted:
"Old Purple—I'm never going back!"
"I will not become a jinchūriki, a weapon, or... a ninja!"
"From now on, I, Lao Zi, am just a wandering ascetic monk."
The hem of his purple robe fluttered in the wind, like a monk's robe.
The sound faded away.
He walked slowly, disappearing into the night...
……
Nara Shikaku arrived belatedly.
Today, the commander also donned his combat uniform, accompanied by two old teammates who had fought alongside him: Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza.
"Feel sorry!"
As soon as Shikaku approached, he immediately apologized to Kakashi, his tone sincere and without a trace of the airs of a commander:
"We're late. Your Shadow Guard had to face the Jinchuriki alone. Well done!"
As he spoke, he looked around and the stronghold did not seem to be as damaged as he had imagined.
"Where is the Jinchūriki?" A hint of doubt flashed in Shikaku's eyes.
Kakashi looked up at his teammate standing atop the withered tree guardian and slowly said, "The Jinchuriki has been repelled."
"What?"
"impossible!"
Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza, who were standing beside Shikaku, were both taken aback and spoke up subconsciously.
Kakashi didn't offer any further explanation, but simply gave a quick recount of the intense battle.
At this moment, Qingwu, who had put away the withered wood guards, also walked over quickly. His face showed no joy at defeating a powerful enemy; instead, his brows were full of urgency.
"How are Tianzang and the fox?"
Shikaku, Inoichi, and Choza all turned to look at him.
Qingwu gave a slight bow, disregarding everything else, and continued to look at Kakashi, waiting for the captain's answer.
Kakashi sighed:
"The logistics department's medical team leader has checked on him. Tianzang is alright; the wooden ingot wall's defenses are excellent. Only a few of his ribs were broken by the impact. As for Hu..."
"What's wrong with Xiyan?" Concerned, Qingwu even called out Xiyan's real name.
"Her physical strength wasn't that high. She tried to launch a sneak attack, but was countered by the tailed beast's chakra."
Kakashi paused, then said in a heavy tone, "Countless bones in his body are broken, and his internal organs are also damaged. Although he survived, I'm afraid..."
It's probably ruined. Kakashi didn't finish his sentence, but everyone present understood the meaning behind his words.
The atmosphere was terribly oppressive.
"..."
Lu Jiu was silent for a moment, then walked over and patted Qing Wu on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, we're late."
Yamanaka Inoichi sighed regretfully and explained on behalf of his old friend:
"You must be wondering why we couldn't come to our aid. Just now, Iwagakure's commander, Huang Tu, personally led a large number of Iwagakure ninja to launch a strong attack on our defenses."
Kakashi looked over and realized that Iwagakure was using the same old trick again, still trying to completely cut off Konoha's supply line on the west side.
Choza Akimichi added:
"Huang Tu went all out this time, mobilizing most of Iwagakure's elite forces on the front lines. It took us a lot of effort to repel the Iwagakure ninja. Shikaku immediately brought us here, fearing that something might have happened to you, but unfortunately it was too late..."
Qingwu remained frozen in place, without saying a word.
Shikaku, Kakashi, Inoichi, and Choza exchanged glances, a knowing look flashing in their eyes—anyone would find it hard to accept seeing their comrades-in-arms end up like this.
They assumed that Qingwu was overwhelmed by grief and self-blame and couldn't recover for a while.
Shikaku soothed him gently:
"Don't worry too much. Since there's no danger to her life, after the medical team has done their best to treat her, you should take her back to Konoha. There might be a chance for things to turn around."
These words were less to appease Qingwu and more to give Lu Jiu a pretext.
As for a turning point... Shikaku didn't really have much hope.
Having spent so many years on the battlefield as a commander, he had become numb to such things.
Some words of comfort are merely the most powerless yet most necessary form of dignity on the battlefield.
Qingwu felt extremely frustrated; this was the first time he had ever encountered a teammate so seriously injured.
However, contrary to what Lu Jiu and the others thought, his silence was never due to sadness or self-blame, but rather because he was constantly thinking about how to save Xi Yan.
Water-based magic [Healing] is probably not an option. It has been proven multiple times that the basic magic [Healing] can only treat superficial wounds and has little effect on broken bones.
And intermediate-level purification is even less reliable.
But then he thought of someone…
"Where is Lady Tsunade? Is there any way to contact her in the village?"
Qingwu snapped out of her daze and asked anxiously, "Lady Tsunade, she can definitely heal Yugao, right?"
Looking at Qingwu's expectant gaze, Lu Jiu remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking:
"You're right. When it comes to medical ninjutsu, no one in the entire ninja world can compare to Lady Tsunade. If we could get her help, Yugao would indeed have a chance to be cured, but..."
"But what?"
"As you all probably know, Lady Tsunade left the village many years ago, and her whereabouts are unknown. No one can be sure where she is..."