Upon hearing Jiraiya's name,
Yuu, Kurenai, and Asuma exchanged glances, their expressions immediately turning solemn.
Intelligence arriving from him at a time like this was most likely related to Wildfire City's movements. It might even mean the enemy was already heading this way. If so, their mission was about to begin.
Sure enough.
After Orochimaru opened the scroll and glanced over it, a cold smile appeared on his face. He casually tossed the scroll into the campfire, watched it be swallowed by the flames, then turned back.
"Wildfire City is ready to move. If nothing unexpected happens, Sunagakure's main force will appear here by tomorrow morning at the latest.
"Go wake the others. According to the personnel assignments and positions arranged earlier, enter your preset hiding spots immediately and maintain silence. We may only have one chance, so no one is to act before I give the signal. Do not be careless."
"…Yes!"
Yuu and the others immediately stood and returned to the nearby stone chambers and tents to wake everyone.
Soon,
Kakashi, Obito, Maruboshi Kosuke… over twenty Konoha ninja had gathered.
After briefly understanding the situation, everyone moved by squad, racing through the rugged mountain paths under the moonlight. They concealed themselves in the previously surveyed high ground, passes, rock crevices, deep bushes, and other locations.
Everyone suppressed their chakra fluctuations as much as possible, made one final check of their ninja tools, adjusted their condition to the best possible state, and locked their gazes onto the winding road below that led into the U-shaped valley, waiting for the decisive battle to arrive.
…
At this very moment,
around Wildfire City,
the night was being torn apart by firelight and the glow of ninjutsu.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Burial!"
Rasa pressed both hands to the ground. As his chakra surged, the solid earth seemed to turn into a boiling sea. Massive amounts of gold dust were drawn up by him, raising giant waves over ten meters high. Then, with the momentum to crush everything in their path, they surged madly toward the Konoha ninja's position.
Across from him,
with a flash of smoke, a huge toad as large as a small mountain descended from the sky. Its nearly twenty-meter-tall body was like a moving fortress wall, blocking the space between Konoha and the Suna ninja. Facing the surging wave of gold dust, it sprayed thick smoke while drawing its blade and slashing.
"Toad Short Blade Slash!"
Clang—!
At that instant, a gigantic short blade taller than a house sliced through the air, carrying a piercing shriek as it slashed hard into the golden raging tide!
Boom—!!!
A deafening collision resounded into the sky. The gold dust wave was forcibly split open, creating a massive gap. Golden "spray" scattered in all directions and smashed into the ground like a downpour, making dull thudding sounds. Gamabunta was also pushed backward by the impact, sliding a distance before barely regaining his footing.
"Jiraiya!"
Gamabunta growled.
"Yeah!"
At this moment, Jiraiya was standing on Gamabunta's head, his clothes snapping loudly. Man and toad exchanged no unnecessary words. Relying purely on instinctive cooperation, they immediately raised their hands and formed seals.
One released Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, while the other spewed a huge amount of thick, flammable toad oil from his mouth.
"Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"
Whoosh—!
The oil fueled the fire, forming a giant purple-red dragon burning with terrifying heat. It roared toward the Sunagakure position.
A huge sand wall rose from the ground and blocked the fire dragon for a moment.
The one who acted was a brownish-yellow-haired woman: Karura, a Sunagakure jōnin and Rasa's wife. She was also among the named strong fighters in Sunagakure at this time. However, against Jiraiya, her ninjutsu was still somewhat insufficient. After blocking for only a few seconds, her defense was broken through.
But at that moment,
several puppets dressed in white charged out from the rear and blocked the space between Karura and Jiraiya. Among them, the three puppets "Buddha," "Dharma," and "Monk" formed a triangular formation and activated Three Treasures Suction Crush, swallowing the Toad Oil Flame Bullet that was comparable to Madara Uchiha's Great Fire Annihilation.
In the end, only a lingering burnt smell and faint sparks remained in the air.
"…Old hag Chiyo, as expected, it's you!"
Jiraiya roared.
"Hmph. You young Konoha brat, you truly don't know the immensity of heaven and earth. You don't put me in your eyes at all! Let this old woman Chiyo test how much your strength has improved over the years!"
Under Rasa's cover, Chiyo controlled the Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets and attacked Jiraiya. Countless mechanisms and poisoned blades flew through the air, only to be blocked by Jiraiya's Needle Jizō. In the blink of an eye, the battle became fierce.
At the same time,
the other battlefields around Wildfire City were also extremely brutal.
After all, Konoha was indeed at a numerical disadvantage.
Although Jiraiya served as their front-facing pillar and provided the most important Kage-level combat power in a Ninja World War, the enemy was not without powerful fighters either.
Chiyo and Rasa were both Kage-level, and the former's strength was barely below Jiraiya's. Rasa was slightly weaker, mainly because of insufficient experience, but his kekkei genkai, Magnet Release: Gold Dust, was indeed extremely versatile, integrating offense and defense and capable of almost anything.
Below them, people like Ishikawa Tetsuiwa, Karura, and Pakura all possessed elite jōnin-level strength. Ordinary Konoha jōnin could not gain any advantage against them. Only a small number could fight them head-on.
After days of bitter fighting, both sides had long since been pushed beyond their limits, physically and mentally. At this time, people began falling one after another, and blood dyed the ground a vivid red.
"…We can't keep clashing like this. If we do, Konoha's losses may exceed what we can bear. Even if we win this battle, we'll be badly weakened."
Standing on Gamabunta's head and watching casualties continue to appear around him, Jiraiya felt his heart bleed. He immediately leapt down from high above, dodging the charge of several puppets, then slammed both hands onto the ground.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Rumble!
With Jiraiya at the center, the solid ground within nearly a hundred meters instantly softened and collapsed, becoming a huge, viscous swamp. The charging Suna ninja were pulled into it, and their aggressive offensive stalled.
Afterward, Jiraiya shouted loudly, informing the Konoha ninja to retreat.
This process was half acting and half real. After the bloody battle just now, this withdrawal looked rather miserable and frantic. Many fallen Konoha ninja corpses could not be taken away and had to be temporarily abandoned on the battlefield. Weapons and ninja tools were scattered everywhere.
"Trying to run?!"
Rasa narrowed his eyes, killing intent surging. While controlling gold dust to form a sturdy platform and rescue the Suna ninja trapped in the swamp, he prepared to personally lead troops in pursuit.
"Rasa! Wait!"
Chiyo called out and stopped Rasa. "Jiraiya is Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciple, one of Konoha's Sannin, and he once fought Hanzō of the Salamander. This retreat may be a trap. We need to be careful and absolutely must not be careless!"
"Elder Chiyo, you are being too cautious!"
Rasa smiled, assuming the posture of a victor giving strategic guidance.
"What Sannin? Nothing but empty fame! Back then, the three of them had to work together just to barely survive against Hanzō of the Salamander and were granted the title of 'Sannin.' To put it plainly, they were defeated generals. How can they have the face to boast?
"Are you saying that I, Rasa, together with you, Elder Chiyo, and Karura, cannot face that Hanzō? Sunagakure's momentum is currently sharp and our morale is like a rainbow. This is precisely the time to pursue the enemy and completely annihilate Konoha's remnants. If we let the tiger return to the mountain and allow them to catch their breath, the future damage will be endless!"
Chiyo was stunned by Rasa's words.
No…
Where did this brat learn so many idioms? One after another, and now he was pretending to be cultured in front of her?
But after thinking about it, although Rasa's words were arrogant, they were not entirely unreasonable.
Hanzō of the Salamander was mainly powerful because of the salamander poison, but that ability had once been countered by Chiyo and Tsunade. Under those circumstances, the Konoha Sannin had still nearly been forced into total annihilation, which showed that Jiraiya had indeed been quite a bit weaker than Hanzō.
Even considering that seven or eight years had passed, and the now thirty-something Jiraiya had improved compared with his younger self during the Second War, surely he could not be as absurd as his disciple Namikaze Minato, right? After all, Jiraiya did not know Flying Thunder God.
Besides, the chakra consumption in that battle just now was real. Chiyo herself had consumed quite a bit of chakra, so Jiraiya definitely was not in peak condition either. At most, he should have fifty or sixty percent of his combat power left.
If he truly was retreating in defeat, then now was the best time to kill him. If they missed this opportunity, they might not get such a good chance again for the next ten years. Sunagakure's foundation was inferior to Konoha's to begin with, which was why they needed to dare to place bets at critical moments. Take a gamble, and a bicycle might become a motorcycle!
"Fine. You're right. But remember, we absolutely cannot lower our guard. If there is anything abnormal, withdraw immediately."
Chiyo changed her position.
"Of course."
Seeing that he had persuaded Chiyo, Rasa became even more self-satisfied.
"By the way, where is Pakura? How badly damaged is her vanguard unit?"
"Lord Kazekage, she is over there."
As they spoke, Rasa and Chiyo turned back and saw Pakura leading a dozen or so subordinates, staggering toward them. Her orange hair was already stained with blood and dust, and there were many wounds on her arms and back, but her back remained straight.
At once,
Pakura took a deep breath, looked coldly at Rasa, and spoke in a deep voice.
"Acting Kazekage-sama. Wildfire City has been taken. Are there any other missions?"
"…Heh."
Rasa looked at Pakura and the miserable state of her subordinates, then waved his hand with feigned generosity.
"Pakura, you led the assault on Wildfire City and made great contributions. There is no need to trouble you with a minor matter like pursuing a defeated enemy. Stay here and rest, clean up the battlefield, and treat the wounded.
"Elder Chiyo and I will personally lead people to pursue and kill Jiraiya, completely ending this war!"
"…"
Pakura sneered inwardly.
When it came time to attack a fortified position, he had made her charge at the front. Now that they had gained the advantage, he wanted her to stay behind and rest. His intention to suppress her was already overflowing.
Objectively speaking, though, she was indeed close to spent. If she did not rest properly, she would not be able to participate in battle again. And for the sake of the village's overall situation, she could not openly argue with Rasa either. That would have a very bad effect on Sunagakure.
Because of this, Pakura bowed slightly and gritted her teeth.
"As you command, Acting Kazekage-sama."
Beside them, Karura looked at Pakura with some worry, then looked toward her husband. Her lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing.
"Very good!"
Rasa nodded in satisfaction. He stopped looking at Pakura and turned to Karura.
"Karura, you stay behind and organize everyone's rest together with Pakura. Elder Chiyo, Jōnin Ishikawa, and I will go personally."
Then he turned toward the gathered Sunagakure main force and raised his arm, shouting,
"Warriors of Sunagakure! Jiraiya has fled in panic, and Konoha's defeat is certain! Please follow me in pursuit and end the title of Konoha's Sannin! Win the final victory for Sunagakure! Kill—!"
"Kill!!!"
Amid earth-shaking battle cries,
Rasa left behind Pakura's battered unit and the other wounded, then led about seven or eight hundred elite Suna ninja in decent condition together with Chiyo and Ishikawa Tetsuiwa, pursuing in the direction of Jiraiya's "retreat."
Not long after the Sunagakure army set out,
several tiny flying insects, almost blending into the night, silently flew back from a dark tree canopy several kilometers from the battlefield and landed in the palm of a ninja wrapped in black skintight clothing and wearing an animal mask.
Aburame Ryōma, one of Root's top elites and Danzo's right-hand man.
At this time, Danzo and Orochimaru were still in a relationship of half-cooperation and half-guardedness, with cooperation taking up more of the balance. The Root ninja who had come this time were responsible for helping Orochimaru obtain intelligence and cooperate with his actions. That was why this scene was happening now.
At this moment, through the pheromones transmitted by the kikaichū, Aburame Ryōma clearly "saw" the direction and scale of Rasa's army's pursuit. He immediately bit his finger, formed seals with both hands, and pressed them to the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
Poof!
As white smoke passed, a small snake covered entirely in white scales appeared.
"Target scale: approximately eight hundred. Led personally by Rasa and Chiyo. They are moving at full speed toward Mount Kikyo. Estimated arrival time: two and a half hours."
"Go. Deliver this intelligence to Orochimaru!"
As Aburame Ryōma's words fell,
the white-scaled snake nodded. Its body twisted, then shot into the dark forest, racing toward Mount Kikyo…
A little later,
outside the entrance to the U-shaped valley at Mount Kikyo.
A transparent figure hidden deep within the bushes quietly raised its head, narrowing its eyes as it looked toward the crowd that had just passed through its field of vision.
It was the shadow clone sent out by Mikami Yuu.
Although Orochimaru had said he would signal when it was time to act, large-scale operations like this still required extra caution. So Yuu had sent out a shadow clone in advance, concealed by Transparent Escape, and had it race all the way toward Wildfire City.
Also, because of the visual sharing characteristic of the Clone Technique, Yuu's main body and shadow clone could share vision in real time. So he could clearly "see" Jiraiya leading the Konoha ninja in retreat toward this direction,
as well as the Sunagakure army that followed behind after Jiraiya passed.
To be fair, Sunagakure's sand-based kekkei genkai was quite useful. It was one of the few abilities in the ninja world that allowed flight. Gaara had once used sand to achieve levitation and flight, and as his father, Rasa had also mastered this ability.
Moreover, because Rasa's kekkei genkai was gold dust, it looked even more dazzling, as if he were stepping on a golden cloud and flying through the air. Behind him followed a large Sunagakure army, with puppets mixed among them and controlled by chakra threads. Blades reflected cold light under the moon, full of aggressive momentum.
"They're here!"
At the same time,
on Mount Kikyo,
Yuu, hidden behind a huge boulder, trembled slightly. A flash of sharp light passed through his black eyes, as if he had pierced through layers of mountain rock and seen the rolling golden flood of dust in the distance.
"Judging by the distance between the shadow clone and the valley, Sunagakure should arrive here in around forty minutes. Rasa and Chiyo are leading personally, but that woman actually isn't here… Did something happen, or is she simply being excluded?"
Yuu recalled Pakura, whom he had encountered before.
He had originally been thinking about whether he could capture Pakura again.
But looking at things now, that was probably not possible.
However…
if he could capture or kill Rasa, the effect would be even better.
After all, no matter what, Pakura was still only a Sunagakure jōnin. Her reputation and status were not that high. Rasa, on the other hand, was Sunagakure's acting Kazekage, and theoretically one of the weakest among Kage. In the original story, more than ten years later, he had been run over like a speed bump by Orochimaru and Kimimaro. Right now…
he would only be weaker than he was then.
Up to now, Yuu had never truly fought a Kage-level opponent. And if it were Kage-level people like Namikaze Minato or Jiraiya, who possessed several unique trump cards, fighting them would indeed be stressful. But if it was Rasa…
he could try.
"Hoo."
Yuu let out a long breath. Without changing his expression, he glanced at Kakashi, Obito, Kurenai, and the others not far away. Then he let his hands drop and slowly adjusted his condition, preparing to face the battle that would determine the fate of the southwestern battlefield.
Time passed second by second.
At a certain moment, everyone, including Yuu, heard the sound of the ground trembling. When they raised their heads, they saw the several hundred remnants led by Jiraiya enter the valley first. Then, Rasa's Sunagakure troops followed.
Orochimaru did not send the signal immediately.
He waited until most of the Sunagakure troops had entered before launching the signal flare.
As a dazzling orange-red burst of fire exploded in the night sky, the entire U-shaped valley of Mount Kikyo instantly awakened from dead silence.
"Attack!"
Including Yuu, more than twenty Konoha ninja who had been gathering their strength for a long time burst out from the cliff walls, passes, and behind boulders on both sides of the valley entrance. They crossed several hundred meters at top speed and slammed into the tail end of the Sunagakure army.
Among them, Yuu directly activated Instant Hell Shadow Killing Formation. Cold blade light, accompanied by moonlight, exploded among the crowd! The surrounding Suna ninja did not even have time to fully scream before they were sent away one after another. Severed limbs and blood bloomed under the night sky.
Ordinary Suna ninja could not even see where Yuu was. Their eyes could only catch a blurry white shadow and a fleeting flash of blade light. Then they felt their heads or arms leave their bodies, completely unable to mount any effective resistance.
On the other side,
Obito, Kakashi, Maruboshi Kosuke, Kurenai, Asuma, and the others also attacked with everything they had.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Earth Release: Earth Rising Spears!"
"Water Release: Water Wave!"
Various elemental techniques were released from their mouths.
At the same time, hidden mechanisms, kunai, and shuriken that had been arranged in advance around the area were triggered one after another. They shot toward the Suna ninja with fierce whistling sounds. A few who reacted slightly too slowly did not even have time to raise their kunai before they were pierced through the chest and fell to the ground.
"…Damn it! It's an ambush! There are enemies behind us!"
"Stop them! Use Wind Release!"
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
In the brief chaos, several jōnin among the Suna ninja finally reacted and roared sharply. Several Suna ninja skilled in Wind Release quickly formed seals, trying to tear apart the fireballs with strong winds and scatter the water waves. Other Suna ninja worked together to raise earth walls, attempting to block Yuu's ghostlike blade light.
However…
such efforts were destined to be futile.
Kakashi and the others were one thing. After all, their strength was not yet that high. They needed to rely on movement to dodge the enemy's ninjutsu or find ways to circle around and attack.
But Yuu could directly ignore the enemy's attacks and defenses, "teleport" over, and follow up with a head-on slash.
With this kind of offensive method, as long as the enemy was weaker than him by even a line, or if their reaction speed was poor, the result was basically instant death. There wasn't even a phase of probing or pulling distance.
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
"Ah—!"
In just over ten seconds, more than half of the dozens of Suna ninja at the tail end had been wiped out. The thick smell of blood spread through the valley. Especially Yuu's efficient and cold killing speed—it made Asuma and Kurenai, who saw it for the first time, glance sideways.
So…
this was what Yuu was like on the battlefield?
This cold and efficient method of killing made people feel reassured, yet also inevitably a little frightened. Compared with the Mikami Yuu they usually saw and knew, it felt like two completely different people.
"Don't get careless! The real hard bones are ahead! Be careful, they may turn back to help at any moment! Prepare to face a stronger counterattack!"
Kakashi calmly reminded them, his gaze fixed on the massive Sunagakure main force deeper in the valley.
At the same time that Yuu and the others successfully cut off the tail of the Sunagakure army and divided the enemy's forces into two sections,
inside the valley, Orochimaru and the few Konoha ninja who had stayed behind suddenly triggered the remaining traps.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Rumble—!!!
A series of deafening explosions, as if about to overturn the entire valley, erupted violently from the ground near the entrance of the U-shaped valley!
Blinding flames shot into the sky like erupting volcanoes, instantly engulfing the frontmost section of the Sunagakure troops, including the core area where Rasa and Chiyo were located!
It was the explosive tag grand array carefully prepared by Orochimaru and personally arranged by Yuu and the others. The instant the flames erupted, dense black smoke rose like a vicious giant beast, covering the moonlight. Scorching shockwaves mixed with shattered stones, severed limbs, and the screams of Suna ninja swept madly in every direction!
~~~
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