The group received the command without any objections.
They first approached the Mist Village's defensive line as covertly as possible. When they confirmed they would be detected if they advanced further, they didn't hesitate. All at once, they launched a full-scale assault, charging ahead.
Leading the team were the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans.
Akimichi Choza glanced back at his most trusted companions and said, "Shikaku, Inoichi, I'm starting!"
"Understood."
Hearing his words, Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi both gave serious nods.
Without slowing down, Choza reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out a small medicine box as he ran.
Opening it revealed three pills in green, yellow, and red.
These were the Akimichi clan's secret medicine pills.
The green pill, known as the "Spinach Pill," could unleash 30% of the body's latent physical potential for a short time, increasing strength to over three times the user's limit. The yellow pill, called the "Curry Pill," bolstered the user's stamina and vitality, allowing them to sustain their enhanced state for longer. The red pill, the most dangerous of the three, was the "Chili Pill." It instantly multiplied the user's strength a hundredfold and drastically amplified their chakra, causing it to manifest as butterfly-shaped energy. This was the origin of the Akimichi clan's "Butterfly Mode."
However, the power of these pills came with significant drawbacks.
The Spinach Pill caused excruciating pain upon consumption, making it usable only by those with immense willpower. The Curry Pill led to complete physical exhaustion, leaving the user defenseless after its effects wore off—essentially a death sentence in battle. The Chili Pill had the most terrifying side effects. By forcing the body to exceed its limits, it placed an immense strain on the user, with a high probability of death. Even if the user survived, they would suffer prolonged weakness and a significant reduction in their lifespan, making it a last-resort measure.
At this moment, Choza took out the pills, not intending to use the Chili Pill—this wasn't yet a life-or-death situation. Instead, he chose the green Spinach Pill, the one with the least severe side effects.
Confident in the strength the pill would provide, Choza was determined to break through the Mist Village's defensive line and carve out a path for his comrades.
Without hesitation, he swallowed the green pill.
Instantly, veins bulged on his temples, and his normally composed expression wavered, a slight twitch appearing at the corner of his eyes. Even for him, the pain was impossible to ignore.
Taking a deep breath, Choza forced himself to focus.
At that moment, he felt a surge of power coursing through him.
Wasting no time, he retrieved a roll of steel wire from his ninja pouch. He unwound it and pulled out a storage scroll, producing dozens of kunai, which he quickly threaded onto the wire.
Then, wrapping the wire and kunai around his body, he nodded to Shikaku and Inoichi before performing the hand seals for his Partial Multi-Size Technique.
With a loud "BOOM," Choza's body expanded, his frame becoming spherical, covered in steel wires studded with kunai, resembling a spiked ball.
He activated another secret technique, retracting his limbs and head into his body while rapidly growing and hardening his hair to cover his entire form. This significantly enhanced his defense.
Next, large amounts of chakra erupted from his limbs like rocket boosters, propelling him forward at high speed while spinning wildly. He launched himself toward the Mist Village's defensive line.
All of this happened in mere seconds.
On the Mist Village's front line, some ninjas noticed the massive surge of chakra from Choza after consuming the Spinach Pill. Before they could react, they saw a spinning ball of death hurtling toward them, followed by dozens of Konoha ninjas.
They quickly realized these were the same Konoha ninjas who had attacked their base earlier.
The Mist ninja immediately went on high alert. The front-line defenders began launching kunai or activating jutsu to counter the attackers, including Minato Namikaze and his group.
However, with Choza leading the charge, the others didn't need to act just yet.
The Mist ninjas' attacks bounced off Choza's armored form, barely slowing him down.
Just as he was about to crash into their formation, a Mist Jonin stepped forward.
The Jonin quickly formed hand seals, crouched, and slammed his palms to the ground, activating a familiar technique: Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
With a rumbling "BOOM," a massive earth wall rose from the ground, blocking Choza's path.
With a loud "THUD," Choza's spinning form collided with the wall, followed by a screeching sound as the steel wires and kunai tore into the earth.
Chunks of dirt and stone scattered everywhere, forming a pile at the wall's base. Choza left a deep gouge in the wall before reverting briefly to his human form.
Surveying the situation, Choza transformed back into his spinning form and launched himself over the wall, crashing into the Mist forces behind it.
Screams of pain filled the air.
Wherever Choza went, blood and chaos followed. Mist ninjas, regardless of their strength, were left maimed or crushed, leaving a trail of carnage in his wake.
Terrified by the scene, many Mist ninjas began to scatter, plunging their ranks into chaos.
Some Mist Jonin prepared to retaliate, but at that moment, Minato and the others arrived.
Nearly twenty Konoha Jonin attacked simultaneously, wreaking havoc.
The Mist Jonin had no choice but to focus on Minato's group, abandoning their pursuit of Choza.
Above the battlefield, Seimei observed the chaos, taking advantage of his aerial position to unleash jutsu that further disrupted the Mist formation. This ensured the weaker Mist ninjas couldn't join the fight.
As the saying goes, "Thousand`s ants can kill an elephant."
Even if these weaker Mist ninjas couldn't defeat Minato's group, they could delay them long enough for the stronger Mist Jonin to dominate. Worse, reinforcements from nearby areas could arrive, turning the tide of battle.
Seimei wasn't about to let that happen.
(Chapter End)