Late at night, a crescent moon hid behind dark clouds, plunging the entire valley into pitch-black darkness.
"Cuckoo... Cuckoo... Cuckoo..."
Several strange bird calls echoed, and the Iwagakure assault force, as expected, crept up under the cover of night. They thought they were moving undetected, but little did they know they had already stepped into a trap meticulously laid by the Konoha ninjas.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of deafening explosions suddenly erupted.
Rocks and flames shot into the air, and over a dozen Iwagakure ninjas at the forefront were instantly killed or wounded.
The explosions' firelight illuminated the night sky, also serving as a target for the Konoha ninjas ambushing in the dark. They seized the opportunity, continuously unleashing large-scale Wind and Fire Release combination Ninjutsu.
Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!
Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!
For a moment, fire dragons intertwined with fierce winds, and the valley was engulfed in raging flames, completely submerging the Iwagakure vanguard in a sea of fire.
Facing such a fierce offensive, Iwagakure was not to be outdone and quickly organized Earth Release users to set up defenses.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
...
With the deployment of Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall, the Iwagakure ninjas spewed out a large amount of mud, instantly erecting a long earth wall in front of their formation. This blocked most of the flames, protecting the rear forces.
Immediately after, the Iwagakure ninjas then performed "Earth Release: Fissure," injecting Chakra into the ground.
In an instant, the ground ahead continuously cracked and churned, as if repeatedly plowed by a giant plow, with mud and rocks thrown high into the air.
Amidst this earth-shattering commotion, the explosive tag traps pre-buried by the Konoha ninjas were triggered, exploding one after another.
"Report, traps within 50 meters ahead have been cleared. Should we continue the assault?"
The overall commander for Iwagakure this time was Kitsuchi, the son of the Third Tsuchikage Onoki. He stood 2.17 meters tall and weighed 120.5 kg, an imposing figure.
He stood on the earth wall created by Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall, looking straight ahead, and waved his hand, saying, "The duration of the explosions just now was a bit short, which means there aren't many enemy traps. This is a bit unusual. Be careful, send out some Earth Clones to scout first, then the main force will slowly follow."
"Understood!"
As the order was given, the Iwagakure Jonins began to form hand signs to use Earth Release: Earth Clone. These Earth Clones could sense the situation ahead, and even if destroyed, they would not cause casualties, making it their usual reconnaissance method in unknown terrain.
The purpose of the first line of defense was to delay time and consume the enemy's Chakra.
Seeing Iwagakure ninjas deploy Earth Release: Earth Clone, the Konoha Jonin immediately used explosive tag kunai for targeted clearing.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions continuously rang out, and hundreds of Earth Clones were blown away, disappearing.
Seeing the number of Earth Clones starting to decrease, Shun made "cooing" sounds, signaling everyone to begin retreating.
"Report, Group C's Earth Clones were all blown up 60 meters out!"
"Report, Group A's Earth Clones have engaged the enemy 100 meters out. The enemy seems to be preparing to set up a new defensive line 100 meters away!"
Listening to his subordinates continuously relaying front-line intelligence, Iwagakure's overall commander, Kitsuchi, habitually rubbed his head, then turned to his female secretary beside him and asked, "Hana, these Konoha ninjas are acting very strange. Analyze this for me, what are they trying to do?"
Although Hana was only 22, she was an experienced female Jonin. At this moment, her delicate brows were slightly furrowed, and she calmly stared at the flickering firelight in the distance.
"When we entered the enemy's first defensive line just now, they used a combination Ninjutsu to ambush us. Judging from the range and power of the Ninjutsu, they likely deployed about 500 Jonin for the ambush. Now they've retreated 100 meters away, it's clear they want to fight us again there."
Kitsuchi frowned in confusion and asked, "But how can they gain an advantage by being outnumbered like this?"
Hana cautiously replied, "Tonight is dark, visibility is poor, and we are fighting on their territory. The enemy deploying over 500 Jonin in ambush clearly intends to use elite forces to wear us down. If we push hard with Chunin and Genin as our main force, casualties will definitely be very heavy. Therefore, their intention should be to force us to also send out Jonin for an elite showdown with them."
Kitsuchi stroked his chin, lost in thought. "I see. But a Jonin's Chakra reserves are also limited. Generally speaking, a Jonin's Chakra will be depleted after using Ninjutsu 10 to 20 times consecutively. What are they trying to achieve by consuming Chakra so recklessly?"
Hana looked at the shadowy battle in the distance and replied, "A Jonin lacking Chakra is only marginally stronger than a Chunin. If both sides engage in a large-scale battle, casualties will definitely be severe. Perhaps the enemy wants to force us to retreat through this method, so we must not follow their rhythm. We need to organize Elite Jonin to attack and tear open a gap in their line, which will allow us to leverage our numerical advantage."
Kitsuchi was only 25 at the time, in the prime of his youthful vigor.
After hearing Hana's analysis, he roared, "Good! We'll do as you say! I will personally lead the elite jonins in a charge, and you stay behind to command the main force to follow up."
With that, Kitsuchi stretched his limbs, his knuckles cracking. His excited eyes revealed a burning battle intent, like a giant bear about to pounce on its prey.
Hana, standing nearby, knew Kitsuchi's personality well and understood that no one could stop him now.
So, she sighed helplessly and said, "Understood. I will relay the order immediately. Once there's a breach in the front, we will launch a full assault."
As a series of orders were given, Iwagakure's ninjas quickly assembled.
Kitsuchi led the charge, taking this elite squad and fiercely rushing towards the weak point of Konoha's defensive line.
"Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo!"
Urgent bird calls rang out, a signal for emergency retreat when facing a strong enemy.
Shun, with his exceptional skill and daring, sped towards the source of the sound, and soon encountered two familiar faces.
Yakumi said while retreating, "Shun, retreat quickly. Iwagakure's overall commander, Kitsuchi, leading over a dozen elite jonins, has broken through the right flank of our defensive line and is heading this way."
The Sharingan could perceive Chakra flow. Shun looked at the distant battle, realizing that Kitsuchi's Chakra reserves were at least double his own. No wonder the Earth Release Ninjutsu he used was so powerful.
After some thought, he knew he couldn't defeat the opponent right now, so he retreated with Yakumi and the others.
***
40 Advanced Chapters on
patreon.com/alex_1000