Heaven and Earth Bridge

In the Land of Grass.

Within the damp, dark forest, countless shinobi shadows moved and leaped at high speed, until a piercing ray of sunlight finally appeared before them.

"The Heaven and Earth Bridge is up ahead."

As they emerged from the damp forest, the Konoha shinobi saw a wide, reinforced concrete bridge.

The words 'Heaven and Earth Bridge' were written in large characters on the vermilion bridge piers.

A wide rift, hundreds of meters deep, roared with water below, creating gusts of wind in its turbulent flow.

"Alert!"

Under Jiraiya's serious tone, the thirty Konoha shinobi behind him immediately became tense and vigilant.

This terrain was the easiest place to set an ambush.

Byakugan - Activate!

Without a moment's hesitation, the Hyuga Clan members in the squad quickly formed hand seals and activated their Byakugan, veins bulging on their temples as they warily scanned their surroundings.

Suddenly, Hizashi Hyuga seemed to discover something and urgently exclaimed, "Everyone be careful, there are Exploding Tag traps on the bridge!"

"There are a large number of chakras in the forest opposite!"

Instantly, the Hyuga shinobi in the squad shouted, and in a flash, everyone drew their kunai and ninja swords, preparing for battle.

And the white-haired Jiraiya, leading the group, let out a hearty laugh amidst the solemn and serious atmosphere, simultaneously forming hand seals and unleashing a Summoning Jutsu.

As the white smoke dissipated, a giant toad, crimson with black stripe patterns, appeared.

Jiraiya stood on the toad's back and proclaimed with a flamboyant laugh:

"Haha, the Great Toad Sage from Mount Myōboku has already found you!"

His comical and playful demeanor left them speechless. Uchiha Yoru and the other shinobi exchanged knowing glances and Uchiha Yoru coldly demanded:

"Direction!"

Hizashi Hyuga pointed directly at a section of the forest and shouted, "The largest group is at ten o'clock!"

Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique

Instantly, Uchiha Yoru formed hand seals and spat out large fireballs from his mouth, which flew in all directions towards the distant forest.

At the same time, the surrounding Konoha shinobi also shouted, some unleashing Fire Style ninjutsu, while others threw kunai attached with Exploding Tags.

"Damn it, we've been discovered!"

"Curse it, it's Konoha's Byakugan again!"

Under the sudden barrage of ninjutsu and Exploding Tags, the shinobi in the forest cursed, and then began to dodge or defend themselves.

Rumble!

Instantly, the opposite forest erupted in flames. However, the moment these shinobi jumped out, the previously comical Jiraiya's eyes flashed with killing intent, his hands already forming seals.

"Not good! It's Konoha's elite Jonin, Jiraiya!"

One of the opposing shinobi clearly spotted Jiraiya among the Konoha shinobi and cried out in alarm, but Jiraiya's prepared ninjutsu had already been unleashed.

Fire Style: Toad Oil Flame Bullet

The toad spat oil, Jiraiya spat fire, and this combined ninjutsu struck instantly.

The terrifying Fire Style power of the oil and fire mixture was accompanied by explosive adhesion, and its temperature was even higher than that of ordinary Fire Style ninjutsu.

From the very beginning, their plan to lure out the enemy was to prepare for Jiraiya's summoned toad to use this jutsu.

The direction the shinobi were trying to evade became the area of large-scale attack.

Instantly, screams echoed from the forest, and at the same time, they prepared to counterattack.

Rumble!

The Exploding Tags shot by both sides detonated, raising clouds of dust on both sides of the bridge.

As the dust settled and the shinobi on the opposite side of the bridge were revealed, the Konoha side gasped in shock.

"Lord Jiraiya, this is the infamous mercenary ninja corps from the Land of Lightning."

A Jonin, seeing the mostly dark-skinned, strong shinobi opposite them and the character 'Plunder' printed on their forehead protectors, exclaimed in surprise.

Furthermore, there were too many enemy shinobi, over eighty figures in total.

Jiraiya, seeing the grim expressions of his shinobi, laughed heartily:

"So it's the infamous bandits and mercenaries from the Land of Lightning. But why have they brought so many useless people this time?"

Among the eighty-plus shinobi, only just over thirty wore forehead protectors signifying their status; the rest were clearly temporarily hired rogue ninja or traitors.

"Kushina!"

Within their own ranks, Minato Namikaze suddenly exclaimed. Uzumaki Kushina's pupils were dilated, her eyes filled with bloodshot veins, staring intently at a figure in the distance.

"I know them! These are the ones who invaded my homeland and killed my family!"

The moment she saw the figures opposite, Uzumaki Kushina's face contorted with unprecedented rage, her mind replaying the tragic destruction of the Land of Whirlpools.

"Everyone be careful, I've already called for reinforcements!"

Jiraiya shouted, seemingly giving the Konoha shinobi confidence. However, the enemy shinobi opposite them bared bloodthirsty smiles.

Upon hearing this, the mercenary ninjas on the other side sneered and scoffed. Reinforcements? Even if they did arrive, the time it would take would be more than enough for them to finish this fight.

"Kill! Kill the Konoha shinobi and collect our bounties."

"These are big targets this time, these brats are all children of Konoha's prominent clans."

"Kill!"

In an instant, over eighty shadowy figures charged forward. The shinobi battle had erupted.

"Kushina! Since they're our enemies, let's kill all these black demons."

Uchiha Yoru drew his ninja sword, and simultaneously, a one-tomoe Sharingan appeared in his eye sockets.

In that instant, the surrounding scenery slowed down. Countless kunai, which were mere black dots to the naked eye, became clearly visible with their trajectories revealed by the Sharingan.

"Kill!"

RUMBLE!

With the clash of various ninjutsu and taijutsu, Heaven and Earth Bridge instantly transformed into a battlefield.

The intricate coordination of ninjutsu, psychological tactics, and taijutsu among the shinobi turned the area into a chaotic melee. A battle involving over a hundred shinobi was incomparable to one-on-one fights or even small squad battles.

In a free-for-all, you could be attacked at any moment by kunai, shuriken, or even ninjutsu coming from unexpected directions.

"Give me back my parents!" a low, hoarse voice emanated from Uzumaki Kushina. As she looked up, her eyes had transformed into a pair of blood-red, ferocious demonic pupils.

"Not good!"

"This is!"

With their enhanced senses, all the shinobi instantly perceived a terrifying chakra that felt like an omen of disaster.

The sheer terror of the Nine-Tails Chakra was palpable, even to those who weren't sensory ninjas.

The moment this aura leaked out, animals in the distant forest began to flee in panic, birds took flight in alarm, and fish in the water scattered in disarray.

"It's already leaking out at this point!"

Jiraiya, who was locked in a fierce battle with two enemy shinobi, suddenly saw his pupils contract. His peripheral vision caught sight of the figure behind him leaking red chakra.

"Parents! Family!"

At this moment, substantial, visible red chakra emanated from around Uzumaki Kushina. As she looked up, her eyes were blood-red, her pupils transformed into demonic orbs, and a pair of sharp canine teeth appeared.

Uzumaki Kushina gazed at the group of dark-skinned ninjas in the distance, her heart filled with naked killing intent and rage. She roared:

"Give me back my family!"

Her furious roar echoed through the forest, sending ripples through the air.

Uchiha Yoru, who had personally experienced the terror of a Jinchuriki, was visibly shocked.

So this is a Jinchuriki!

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