harleyscars Chapter 279 The Battle of the Hidden Mist
Chapter 279 The Battle of the Hidden Mist
Chapter 279 The Battle of the Hidden Mist (Part Two)
In the eastern part of the Land of Fire, the unfortunate Konoha squad leader has already died, and now a different person is fleeing ahead.
Kushimaru Kurihara's idea was indeed very effective; they followed the fleeing ninja and ambushed and killed four Konoha squads.
There are supply escort teams here, as well as ninjas patrolling the camp.
However, human desires are never satisfied, and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, having already achieved four successful precedents, began to feel dissatisfied again.
"This is too slow, Kushimaru Kurihara. Do you have any better ideas? I'm tired of these little bugs. They're not challenging at all." Jinpachi Munashi swung his blasting sword, slashing irritably at the branch blocking his way.
That's true. They were Jonin, and elite Jonin at that. They wiped out four squads in one day. If you don't count the supplies they were escorting, then the results weren't very good.
Little did he know that Kushimaru Kurihara completely ignored him. He knew exactly what kind of person his old partner was; he was just itching to kill again and had nowhere to vent his frustration.
Their mission wasn't to kill a lot of Konoha ninjas, but to sabotage Konoha's logistics and disrupt their rear.
Aimless searching is ineffective. In the vast Land of Fire, how much area can seven people cover? It would be better to use Konoha ninjas as bait, which might lead to the discovery of other Konoha teams.
Didn't they wipe out two supply delivery teams?
"Wu Li Shen Ba, put away your murderous intent. We are on a mission, don't do anything meaningless."
"If you ruin the Mizukage's grand plan, I won't hesitate to cut off your head and use it as a chamber pot!"
Suigetsu Hobutsu immediately rebuked him, and his words carried considerable weight. Murei Jinpachi, upon hearing this, merely pursed his lips inwardly without offering any rebuttal.
However, while the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had a good idea, the ninjas of Konoha were not fools.
The ninja they were chasing was a smart man; he knew very well how terrifyingly strong the ninjas pursuing him were.
Now that he has been on the run for so long, yet they have only been keeping a distance and haven't caught up, the answer is obvious: this group wants to use him to lure other Konoha ninjas away.
The ninja felt a pang of regret when he thought about the distress flare his squad had sent out during the previous attack.
Looking back at the seven figures faintly visible at the end of his vision, the ninja gritted his teeth and made up his mind. He knew he had no chance of returning to the camp, so why drag others down with him?
He silently adjusted his direction, no longer running in the direction where his companions might appear, but instead moving away from the battlefield.
About half an hour later, Tongcao Yeren, who was running, was the first to notice something was wrong. He looked up at the sky and found that the sun, which should have been directly in front of them, was now on the left. This meant that the group had unknowingly changed direction.
"Pufferfish Demon, we've been tricked! That guy ahead has figured out our intentions and is leading us in the wrong direction."
They were all experienced Jonin, and as soon as Kusano Erin said that, they all immediately noticed something was wrong.
"Damn Konoha scum, how dare they play us!" Jinpachi Munashi, who was already seething with anger, immediately flew into a rage.
Without waiting for anyone else to speak, he darted away and disappeared into the woods in the blink of an eye.
Over here, the group who realized they had been tricked stopped in their tracks. Kushimaru Kurihara was wearing a mask, so his expression was not visible. Kushimaru Toussagi was clearly a taciturn person, so there was nothing unusual about him.
The others didn't look too good, especially Suigetsu Hozuki, who had just rejected Jinpachi Munashi's suggestion and was then thoroughly humiliated by the people of Konoha.
Now, seeing his obese body trembling, one can see how angry he was.
"What's next? Continue searching for the Konoha team?"
Raiga Kurozuki brandished his twin swords, occasionally sending up arcs of electricity. He glanced sideways at Sushiyama Fuguki, deliberately provoking him by bringing up a sore spot.
Suigetsu Hozuki glared fiercely at Kurosuki Raiga, only to be met with a disdainful sneer.
"Let's wait for Wuli Jinba to return and see if there's any new information."
Everyone fell silent and waited in place.
The rushing out was filled with excitement. He stuck out his tongue and licked his dry lips. Soon he saw the Konoha ninjas still running away ahead.
"You little mouse, you're quite cunning. You dare to deceive us. I'll cut you into a human stick and torture you properly."
Hearing the commotion behind him, the Konoha ninja running ahead realized that his intentions had been exposed. He decided to stop running and, after escaping with his kunai, turned around and charged towards the enemy.
"To sit idly by and wait for death is not the style of Konoha. Even if it means dying, we must fight to the death." That was his thought at this moment.
The idea was grand, but the reality was harsh.
A huge gap in strength cannot be bridged simply by having ideas.
As soon as they clashed, the kunai in his hand was knocked away by the explosive blade, and the explosive tags that exploded at close range blew him up, leaving him covered in dust.
Before he could even react, a sharp pain shot through his right arm. It turned out that Muli Jinba had severed his arm with a single stroke while he was distracted.
"Ah!" A piercing scream rang out, but Mushishi Jinpachi did not stop for a moment. With another swing of his explosive blade, the Konoha ninja's other arm fell to the ground.
At this point, Muli Jinpachi stopped what he was doing. He didn't interrogate for information; he just closed his eyes and listened to the screams, looking quite pleased with himself.
Only after his perverted hobby was satisfied did Mushishi Jinpachi remember that he still had a mission to do. With a swift swing of his explosive blade, he severed both legs of the Konoha ninja.
Mushishi Jinpachi then stepped forward, ignoring the Konoha ninja's screams, grabbed his clothes and dragged him back, leaving only a long trail of blood and screams lingering in the air.
When Mushishi Jinpachi returned to the group, it was already half an hour later. As he threw the Konoha ninja, who had been slashed into a human stick, at him, Suigetsu Hobuki's forehead veins throbbed.
"Didn't you interrogate him? Why did you bring him back?"
"I'm not good at interrogation, and I was afraid of killing him, so I brought him back for you to interrogate."
This is clearly a pretext. Among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, who doesn't have the skill to extract information through torture? Besides, looking at the Konoha ninja on the ground, who is barely breathing, what can they possibly extract from him?
Just as Suigetsu Hozuki was about to unleash his fury, Kizuki stepped forward and plunged his large sword into the chest of the Konoha ninja, ending his life instantly.
"Since I don't expect to get anything out of him anyway, there's no need to torture him. My sword is just short of blood, so I'll use this to replenish it."
With Juzo Biwa's interruption, everyone finally turned their attention away from the dead Konoha ninja.
What to do next? Should they continue searching for the Leaf Village ninja, or advance into the heart of the Land of Fire in hopes of causing even greater chaos? These are questions that Suigetsu Hobuki must decide.
"Let's go back—"
Suigetsu Hobutsuki had only spoken halfway when Hikaru suddenly turned to the side of the woods, and the others followed suit a second or two later.
Each of them wore a smile that was both amusing and cruel—what good luck today! They thought they'd been run into a dog, but instead they'd run into another unlucky fellow.
Frontline camp, central command tent.
Tsunade sat confidently in the main seat, a far cry from her frustrated demeanor at the casino.
Taiyi stood beside her. Although there was no seat, the position was quite intimate, and no one present would think that Taiyi, who was standing, could be looked down upon.
Before entering the tent, Tsunade had already sent Shizune to the medical camp to work as an assistant. This level of meeting was not something a "little guy" like her could get involved in.
However, during the years she wandered with Tsunade, her medical ninjutsu became quite remarkable, making her more than capable of helping out at medical camps.
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Next, the leaders of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans sat at the head of the table on the left and right, respectively, while the other clans and former Jonin from the camp sat in order behind them.
Tsunade swept her gaze across the room with an air of authority, and the previously noisy scene quickly quieted down. Seeing this, she didn't waste any more words and went straight to the point.
"I don't need to say more about the importance of this battle. Those present are either high-ranking members of their clans or Jonin from the village, so they must all be aware of it."
Now that we're on the battlefield, there's no such thing as clan ninjas. Everyone here is a Konoha ninja, a comrade-in-arms and partner to whom you can entrust your juniors. Don't bring the ways you live in the village to the battlefield.
"Let me make this clear: if I discover any ninja making this kind of mistake later, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Tsunade knew that these ninjas, most of whom were trained and dispatched by their clans, were heavily influenced by the clans' internal ideologies. If she didn't give them a warning at the beginning, they would definitely cause trouble later.
Upon hearing this, many ninja clan representatives expressed their willingness to follow Commander Tsunade's instructions and to instruct their clan members to do everything possible to defeat the Hidden Mist Village.
Seeing this, Taichi, who was standing next to Tsunade, secretly curled his lip. He clearly remembered that on the way here, Hyuga Yuuki was still mocking the Uchiha, and now, he was the one who was echoing them the most enthusiastically.
Raising her hand to signal everyone to be quiet, Tsunade said to the former camp leader, "Jonin Momokazu, you know the situation here best. Please tell us about it."
The ninja named Mokujun was a middle-aged Jonin with a long scar running down his forehead. He exuded a fierce aura, far surpassing that of Hyuga Yuuki, a ninja who had long stayed within his clan.
"The Kirigakure team that has landed now is their vanguard, mainly composed of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. This is an elite team of seven Jonin, and they are the ones who breached our outposts along the coast."
They have now penetrated deep into the Konoha Forest, continuously attacking our patrolling ninjas and supply teams, causing significant losses to our logistical support.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?"
"A team of seven Jonin?"
Everyone present was surprised. Such a team composed entirely of Jonin was very rare. They were usually formed temporarily to complete special missions. They had never heard of a team like Kirigakure, which even had a special title, before.
"Do you have any more information about them?" asked Nara Kaoru, the Nara family's representative.
"All we know is that each of them has their own unique ninja sword, and these swords each have their own characteristics, but we know nothing about their specific abilities. None of the ninjas who encountered them ever came back alive, and they were extremely cruel; many of their comrades were tortured to death."
"Those bastards from Kirigakure deserve to be torn to pieces."
This was the anger of young ninjas, whose hearts still held qualities called justice.
"Without specific intelligence, this is difficult. Seven Jonin are a force to be reckoned with. Without corresponding arrangements, we can only rely on more Jonin to suppress them."
This is the most cumbersome and wasteful method. The key issue is that we don't know where they are yet, so we need to form several such sniper teams to make it work.
All eyes turned to Tsunade, who was at the head of the table, hoping she would offer an idea.
Ordinary ninjas wouldn't be able to deal with such an enemy, but there just happens to be one here.
He excels in reconnaissance, maneuvering, and assault.
"Taiichi," Tsunade called out her disciple's name, turning her head slightly.
"Yes, teacher." Taiichi stepped forward and answered decisively. At this moment, he had to help his teacher hold the fort.
"How about I leave these guys to you?" The apprentice was capable, and the teacher didn't hesitate, giving the order directly.
"No problem, leave it to me!"
The two of them worked together and quickly assigned the task.
The many Jonin below were also astonished. You two, master and disciple, really don't respect Jonin at all. It's a team of seven Jonin, and you only sent your disciple alone. Isn't that a bit too presumptuous?
If you're saying these are people who haven't witnessed Taiichi's true strength, then bring in the ninjas who fought alongside Taiichi, and they won't have these questions.
The gap between people can sometimes be greater than the gap between a person and a dog, something that is hard for those who haven't experienced it firsthand to imagine.
Ignoring the astonishment of the ninja below, Tsunade directly changed the subject: "Kimoto, besides the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, what other information do you have about Kirigakure?"
The scars on Kyoto Jun's face twisted and turned, revealing at a glance that his heart was also in turmoil.
Hearing Tsunade's question, he composed himself and continued, "The main force of Kirigakure has not yet arrived, but patrolling ninjas have discovered traces of Kirigakure ninjas on several larger islands at sea. I believe they will arrive in the next day or two."
Tsunade frowned. Lacking concrete intelligence about the enemy was truly painful; now she could only passively wait.
"Elder Hyuga, how many clansmen did you bring this time?"
"Including myself, there are a total of two hundred ninjas here," Hyuga Yuuki said with considerable pride.
"Alright! Select 50 people, with Hyuga ninjas at the core, and form 50 reconnaissance teams. Distribute them along the coastline. I need to know the movements of the main force of Kirigakure as soon as possible."
He instructed them to focus solely on reconnaissance, and to signal immediately upon spotting the enemy, avoiding pointless fighting.
Tsunade had no choice. The camp was said to have 2000 ninjas, but that included logistics and medical personnel. Only about 1,700 or 1,800 were actually available for combat.
Defeating Kirigakure, who have devoted all their energy to Konoha, with such a small force is much more difficult than fighting other ninja villages. Therefore, for Tsunade, every single person is precious now, and there cannot be any unnecessary losses during the mission.