Time advanced to August.
After more than a month of offensive and defensive battles, Sunagakure and Konoha temporarily fell into a stalemate.
More accurately, Konoha held the upper hand.
Because Sunagakure had a thousand more ninjas than Konoha.
Six thousand against five thousand, fighting to a draw—it went without saying who had the advantage.
War was the fastest way for a ninja to make a name for themselves.
Among the five thousand ninjas of Konoha, the one whose fame skyrocketed the most was undoubtedly Tsunade.
Before this, Tsunade's fame mainly came from her identity as Senju Hashirama's granddaughter and Sarutobi Hiruzen's student.
Besides that, it was the title of Konoha Sannin after the battle concerning the annihilation of the Uzumaki clan, and the capture of Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law.
But now it was different.
Because Sunagakure's battlefield commander was Chiyo, who had been famous for a long time, serving as the Kazekage's advisor and the number one puppet master in Sunagakure.
Tsunade's ability to contend with her for so long naturally proved her capabilities.
Stepping on Chiyo's fame, she also became famous in the ninja world.
Similarly, there were Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
They resisted Hanzo of Amegakure without falling into a disadvantage, and their fame was gradually spreading in the ninja world.
Besides Tsunade, Natsuki also gained fame.
Ever since going to the battlefield, his main attack method had become the bow.
It couldn't be helped. The bow was indeed very useful on the battlefield.
With a range of up to four kilometers, coupled with power not inferior to B-Rank and A-Rank ninjutsu, it truly held every advantage.
However, Natsuki hadn't earned a specific title yet. It was just that everyone in Sunagakure knew there was a ninja highly skilled in archery.
In the open space outside the tent.
Natsuki watched Nonou not far away.
She was practicing Soru.
After more than a month of learning, her Soru was already taking shape.
Natsuki nodded slightly and projected a Kurosawa.
He hadn't been idle this past month and a half either. He had unlocked Armament Haki.
[Congratulations, Host. You have unlocked Shuzo Template Ability 5: Armament Haki.]
Its unlock condition was to defeat five Tokubetsu Jonin or Jonin using taijutsu.
Natsuki had already mastered Soru, Geppo, and Shigan.
Especially Shigan, which could pierce the human body.
He specifically sought out five Sunagakure Tokubetsu Jonin as enemies and defeated them using taijutsu, quickly fulfilling the condition.
Armament Haki!
The Kurosawa in Natsuki's hand was instantly coated in an invisible armor, increasing both its defensive and offensive capabilities.
He previously always felt that Broken Phantasm lacked power.
Now with Armament Haki, its power could reach a higher level.
There were three ways to apply Armament Haki.
One was Hardening.
Natsuki had just used Hardening to strengthen Kurosawa.
It could also be used to strengthen the body.
The second was Emission.
Simply put, it was using Armament Haki like chakra.
It could be emitted as a shockwave to attack enemies.
It could also be emitted as a protective barrier to protect oneself.
The third was Internal Destruction.
This application could be considered an advanced version of the second method.
Emitting Armament Haki to hit an object, penetrating it, and destroying it from the inside.
It sounded somewhat like Broken Phantasm.
For Natsuki, the most useful was undoubtedly the first method.
After all, it could strengthen Broken Phantasm.
However, he couldn't test it right now, so he put Kurosawa away.
"Come eat."
Natsuki glanced at the sky and called out.
Nonou stopped her training and walked up to him.
Beads of sweat were faintly visible on her fair, tender skin, and her blonde hair stuck together, giving her a special kind of charm.
"Take a bath first."
Natsuki thought for a moment.
During a mission, one logically shouldn't waste time taking baths.
But this was a war that could drag on for half a year or more. Not bathing for such a long time would be unreasonable.
Therefore, dedicated logistical personnel prepared tents for bathing.
Simply put, it meant bathing in wooden tubs.
Nonou nodded.
The two arrived in front of the bathing tent.
Nonou went in to bathe, while Natsuki waited outside.
After a long while, footsteps sounded.
Natsuki turned his head and saw Nonou, wearing fresh clothes and with slightly damp hair.
The two returned to their tent.
"Here."
Natsuki took out a bento box.
Nonou took the bento box.
She walked to the opposite side of Natsuki, lightly pressed her clothes with her hands, and sat on the carpet.
Unlike Natsuki, who sat cross-legged, she sat very elegantly.
Her long legs were bent together, her fair, smooth calves straight, and her jade-like feet resting on the carpet.
Nonou opened the bento box, placed it on her lap, and picked up chopsticks with her right hand.
Natsuki glanced at her.
From his angle, he could see the smooth curves of her legs.
Natsuki took out another bento box and began to eat.
As he ate, he pondered which ability to unlock next.
Now that he had Armament Haki, he could try to unlock Tekkai.
Besides that, there was the Bickslow template's Doll: Baryon Formation, which required defeating five Jonin.
During a war, although there were many Jonin, they weren't that common.
Fortunately, he had already defeated four Jonin and only needed one more.
The Bickslow template's Figure Eyes was also almost complete.
Its unlock condition was to learn five control-type ninjutsu.
After learning Might Duy's three taijutsu, Natsuki had been learning the three genjutsu.
Now he was only short the C-Rank Demonic Illusion: Sly Mind Affect Technique.
The only thing Natsuki felt regretful about was that he had made no progress on the Gordon Agrippa template.
Leaving aside the Curse-Breaking Poison Recipe, which he couldn't concoct yet.
Dwelling of the Poison Cloud required poisoning thirty targets at once.
Recently, the battles between Konoha and Sunagakure had all been small-scale skirmishes. Battles involving more than ten people were very rare.
Poison-to-Medicine Conversion required saving three Jonin using Poison Magic.
In Natsuki's squad, only Maruboshi Kosuke could be considered to have Jonin-level strength.
But their recent missions hadn't been particularly difficult, so he didn't need saving.
After eating, Natsuki continued to practice the C-Rank Demonic Illusion: Sly Mind Affect Technique.
Another week passed, and he finally learned the Demonic Illusion: Sly Mind Affect Technique.
[Congratulations, Host. You have unlocked Bickslow Template Ability 6: Figure Eyes.]
Figure Eyes, simply put, was casting genjutsu through the eyes.
With his current strength, he could easily control ordinary Genin and Chunin.
But Jonin were hard to say. Even if controlled, a Jonin would quickly break free.
However, in combat, even a momentary control could play a significant role.
Right at that moment, an ANBU ninja appeared before him.
"Is there a new mission?"
Natsuki was slightly taken aback and took the initiative to ask.
Although their squad had just completed a mission and the permitted one-day rest was only half over, war was unpredictable like this.
Often, they would receive a new mission shortly after resting.
Being able to rest for half a day was already quite good.
"Lady Tsunade wants you to go to her tent."
The ANBU ninja replied.
"I'll go right now."
Natsuki nodded, informed Nonou, and went to Tsunade's tent.
Tsunade had her own tent.
As for the main tent, it wasn't used for sleeping or resting, but for meetings and assigning missions.
"Teacher Tsunade."
After getting permission, Natsuki walked into the tent.
What caught his eye was Tsunade's completely ungraceful sleeping posture.
She was lying on her side on the carpet, her long, straight legs drawn together, her mature figure displaying wonderful curves.
Especially her skewed clothes.
Natsuki blinked, feeling that she already had eighty or ninety percent of her outline from the original work.
Tsunade had always been like this in front of him.
Probably because they were very familiar with each other, and he was young.
"You're here?"
Tsunade sat up and yawned.
As the commander, although she rarely went out on missions, her physical and mental exhaustion was no less than any other ninja's.
After all, she had to oversee the overall situation.
"Ever since the war with Sunagakure started, I've been trying to find a way to get Chiyo's poison."
Tsunade began. "But so far, she hasn't personally made a move."
"Is there some conspiracy?"
Natsuki asked upon hearing this.
"We just received a piece of intel related to her."
Tsunade nodded. "Chiyo is making a new poison. She plans to poison us."
"How will she poison us?"
Natsuki asked again.
Chiyo's poison was generally used on puppets, but the area of effect of a puppet was very narrow.
Even if she controlled ten puppets in combat, she could only poison a few ninjas.
"I don't know."
Tsunade shook her head. "I guess it's through logistics, most likely the water source or food rations."
Logistics included ninja tools, medicine, food rations, and water sources.
Sunagakure would have a hard time tampering with the first two.
The latter two were undoubtedly the easiest.
Of course, saying it was easy didn't mean it was actually easy.
Konoha would definitely strictly control the water source and food rations.
However, if Chiyo's poison was colorless and odorless, and a new type of poison, Tsunade might not detect it initially.
"Fortunately, we have another lead."
Tsunade stood up and unrolled a map.
Natsuki subconsciously looked at the map.
A red dot was marked within Sunagakure's area of activity on the map.
This red dot was located very far back, closer to the Land of Wind.
"This red dot is a Sunagakure logistics point."
Tsunade explained. "The intel we received indicates that this is also where Chiyo makes her poison."
"Are we going directly there to assassinate Chiyo?"
Natsuki raised an eyebrow.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes at him. "It's very close to their main camp. Unless you can instantly kill Chiyo, you'll be surrounded."
Instantly killing Chiyo was naturally impossible.
In this era, probably only Uchiha Madara could do that.
Natsuki coughed lightly. "Then are we sneaking in to steal the poison Chiyo is making?"
"That's my idea."
Tsunade nodded.
"I can try."
Natsuki immediately said.
Since Tsunade had called him over, it was highly likely she wanted him to do this mission.
However, to be fair, he was indeed quite suitable.
He had infiltration methods, concealment methods, and combat methods.
"This mission is extremely dangerous. I will send three Jonin with you to assist."
Tsunade paused. "I will also assign a mission to tie down the majority of Sunagakure's ninjas, buying you time."
Natsuki was slightly taken aback.
This sounded like all five thousand ninjas of Konoha were participating.
But considering the target was Chiyo's poison, it was worth it.
As long as her poison was deciphered, Sunagakure's defeat was only a matter of time.
After all, judging from the current situation, her poison was their only chance to turn the tables.
"The operation is tomorrow night."
Tsunade looked at him. "Get ready."
"Yes, Teacher."
Natsuki nodded.
"The reason I'm sending you is because you have the highest chance of success."
Tsunade reached out, rubbed his head, and said with some emotion.
Natsuki had only graduated half a year ago, but he was already an indispensable ninja for Konoha.
She originally didn't want him to take the risk, but after thinking it over, there was no Jonin more suitable than him.
Thinking back to when they first met and Natsuki was just an ordinary first-year student, Tsunade felt a sense of surrealism.
"I understand."
Natsuki actually felt it was fine.
Although dangerous, with Tsunade and the others stalling, and not needing to fight head-on—just grabbing the poison and running—it was manageable.
Time quickly advanced to the next night.
Entering the main tent, Natsuki heard Tsunade methodically assigning tasks.
He didn't interrupt, standing in place waiting for orders.
"Natsuki."
After assigning tasks, Tsunade looked at him. "You will depart in fifteen minutes."
"Yes, Teacher."
Natsuki nodded.
"Sakumo, you three will go with him."
Tsunade paused and emphasized. "He is the captain."
"Understood."
Hatake Sakumo had no objections upon hearing this.
But many Jonin in the main tent felt surprised upon hearing this order.
In terms of fame and strength, Hatake Sakumo was definitely above Natsuki.
The only explanation was that Natsuki was the primary executor of this mission.
The peaceful night became lively.
Chiyo and the others in Sunagakure completely didn't understand why Konoha suddenly intensified their attacks.
They could only heighten their vigilance while resisting Konoha's offensive.
Fifteen minutes later.
Natsuki and his team left Konoha's main camp.
The three Jonin Tsunade assigned to him were all very strong.
Hatake Sakumo needed no explanation.
The other two Jonin were a member of the Hyuga clan and a rare ninja skilled in sealing jutsu and barrier jutsu.
The Hyuga clan ninja also needed no explanation. He could fight, sense, and scout.
As for the other Jonin, his main task was to break Sunagakure's barriers.
The journey was relatively smooth, and they successfully passed through Sunagakure's ninja activity area.
"Further ahead is our target."
Hatake Sakumo said in a deep voice. "But Sunagakure's main camp is right next to it. We have a maximum of one minute of safe time."
"You guys wait for me here."
Natsuki paused. "If I am discovered, immediately throw a large number of smoke bombs."
"Be careful."
Hatake Sakumo nodded.
Shadow Assassin!
Natsuki dove into the shadows, speeding toward the far rear of Sunagakure's main camp.
It was late at night, and with the torrential rain, absolutely no one noticed the shadow on the ground.
"Can he really do it?"
The Hyuga Jonin spoke up.
Although Natsuki already had quite a bit of fame, infiltrating Sunagakure's main camp alone still made him doubtful.
"I believe in him."
Hatake Sakumo said in a deep voice.
As for the reason, he always had sharp intuition.
Hearing this, the Hyuga Jonin didn't say anything more.
Natsuki quickly arrived at the target of their trip—a giant tent.
Although the rainwater masked it somewhat, he still smelled a faint scent of medicine.
Obviously, this was where Chiyo made her poison.
Natsuki took a glance and instantly felt it would be troublesome.
A Sunagakure ANBU ninja stood at each corner of the tent.
The only good news was that there was only one squad, meaning four ANBU ninjas.
They probably felt that since this was their far rear, they didn't need too many ninjas for defense.
However, four ANBU ninjas were indeed enough.
Ninjas who could join the ANBU were at least Chunin, and not just ordinary Chunin.
Natsuki stroked his chin.
He decided to enter the tent from underground.
The only problem was whether there would be traps set underground.
But this was Sunagakure's far rear, so they most likely wouldn't set traps.
Natsuki couldn't help but sigh. If only he had the Byakugan, then he could easily see the situation underground.
He dispelled Shadow Assassin, used Presence Concealment, and then formed hand seals with both hands.
Earth Release: Underground Submarine Voyage!
This Earth Release ninjutsu was left by Natsuki's parents.
When he learned Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique earlier, he also learned this one because it was very useful.
Its effect was to turn solid ground into a fluid, allowing the user to move quickly underground.
Natsuki dove underground and swam toward the tent.
As he expected, there were no traps set underground, and he successfully entered the tent.
Natsuki poked his head out in a corner.
There was another medical ninja in the tent, but it wasn't Chiyo.
He leaped up without hesitation.
The medical ninja instinctively looked at him.
Figure Eyes!
Natsuki's eyes trembled, and he controlled her.
He stepped forward and knocked her unconscious.
Natsuki breathed a sigh of relief.
Medical ninjas were not combat ninjas and didn't have as much resistance to genjutsu—or rather, they couldn't react immediately to dispel the genjutsu.
Natsuki immediately got to work.
He didn't know which bottles and jars in the tent contained Chiyo's poison, so he simply packed them all up and took them away.
Natsuki put them into a storage summoning scroll and then threw it into his Shadow Space.
After doing all this, he used Earth Release: Underground Submarine Voyage again.
However, shortly after he left, the two Sunagakure ANBU ninjas at the door noticed something was wrong.
Because it was a bit too quiet inside the tent.
When medical ninjas conducted experiments, they made some noise, and the smell of medicine in the air had also faded considerably.
They immediately walked into the tent and found the unconscious medical ninja.
The two exchanged a glance and immediately shouted. "Someone broke in!"
The nearby Sunagakure ninjas moved upon hearing this.
Especially the sensory ninjas, who successively used sensory ninjutsu.
Underground, Natsuki's body stiffened as he sensed an invisible chakra fluctuation sweep over him.
He instantly knew he had been exposed.
Natsuki emerged from the ground without hesitation and used the Logia-Type Plume-Plume Fruit.
After he transformed into smoke, Hatake Sakumo and the others also threw a large number of smoke bombs as he had instructed earlier.
In an instant, smoke rose everywhere, obscuring the vision of the Sunagakure ninjas.
Natsuki, transformed into smoke, traveled through the smoke and eventually appeared before Hatake Sakumo and the others.
"How did it go?"
Hatake Sakumo asked.
Although they were very curious about this ninjutsu that transformed one into smoke, the priority was still their mission.
"Mission accomplished. Retreat."
Natsuki said swiftly and decisively.
Hatake Sakumo and the others nodded immediately.
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