Almost Died by a Hair's Breadth

The mobilization assembly shifted into high gear as soon as the Hokage finished his speech. Within minutes, the troops began forming up and setting out.

Just as Aburame Tetsumaru had guessed, Jonin Jiraiya was leading them. Their destination was the front lines in the Land of Rain, where they would serve as reinforcements.

Aside from the oversized battalion made up of recent graduates, there was also a standard battalion. It consisted of over a hundred Genin older than thirty-five, ninjas with combat power below five—fodder among fodder.

There were also Chunin requisitioned from various departments. These Chunin had not fought their way up; they were clerical ninjas who had earned their ranks through seniority. Their combat ability might have been a little better than that of Genin.

There was also a good chance they were worse than the graduates. After all, they had not carried out missions in years. Their skills were bound to be rusty.

The force of nearly five hundred joined up with a supply unit outside the village, bringing the total number past six hundred.

The newly promoted Genin felt reassured by their numbers and gradually became livelier.

But the veteran ninjas were all furrowing their brows in worry. Jiraiya was nearly in tears. There were too many complete novices, plus the supplies. The column that needed protection stretched for two kilometers.

On top of that, there were barely any experienced hands in the entire force. There was simply no way to look after everyone.

The Chunin were under even greater pressure. Each had to organize and manage more than thirty Genin, leaving not a single person to spare. The scouting teams could only have scouting ninjas serve as temporary captains.

There was no other choice. They could only gather the Genin with scouting talent: three from the Inuzuka clan, four from the Aburame clan, and two Genin with a little sensory talent. Paired with several Genin whose combat ability was passable, they formed nine scouting teams.

Only after Jiraiya deployed the scouting teams ahead of the main force and along both flanks did he relax slightly.

With scouts capable of detection keeping watch around the perimeter, attackers would have a hard time bypassing them and striking the main force directly. As long as there was warning, Jiraiya would have a chance to intercept them on the way.

It was not a guarantee that they could stop the enemy, but it at least reduced the danger to an acceptable level. The greatest risk had simply been transferred to the twenty-seven Genin in the scouting teams.

Among the more than five hundred people present, the most promising and valuable elites were basically all in the scouting teams. A small number of elites protecting a large number of mediocre people—that was Jiraiya's philosophy.

If it had been Orochimaru, he would most likely have formed the less promising ones into teams and scattered them outward, using their lives to protect the elites.

Neither approach could be called right or wrong. Only after an attack would it become clear which method had preserved more combat power, and that would be the right choice at the time.

After six days of marching, they approached the frontline headquarters. Signs of battle grew denser along the way, and the atmosphere of war became increasingly intense.

Jiraiya and the Chunin grew more and more tense. The Genin stopped talking as well, focusing only on trudging forward.

Aburame Tetsumaru walked along the right side of the main force, keeping a distance of roughly one hundred and fifty meters. Since the army was moving slowly, Tetsumaru only needed to release his Kikaichū to form a semicircular insect formation extending over a hundred meters ahead, serving as an early-warning scouting measure.

At greater distances, he had his own unique scouting method: the visual scan of the Eye of Truth. But since he had yet to experience war, Aburame Tetsumaru was not entirely confident either.

Suddenly, the snail-shaped Eye of Truth warned him that it had been locked onto by someone's gaze. With a thought, Aburame Tetsumaru switched the snail to infrared vision and immediately discovered four clusters of infrared radiation sources concealed one hundred and fifty meters away.

To avoid alerting the enemy, he did not dare stop. He sent the Kikaichū rushing forward while pulling a signal flare from his ninja tool pouch.

Aburame Tetsumaru fired the signal flare first, then flung the Locusts attached to his right arm at three of the radiation sources. Those three people were hiding behind bushes and in the treetops, without sufficiently broad and solid cover.

Once thrown, the Locusts spread their wings and accelerated on their own. Powerful Chakra drove their wings into rapid motion, and the buzzing of their wings mixed with the tearing whistle of high-speed flight into a piercing shriek.

Bursting forward at tremendous speed, the three shrieking Locusts each traced an arc around the hard tree trunks, following the Kikaichū markers to strike three infrared heat sources.

They really were ninjas. Two of the ninjas hiding behind the bushes were struck directly in the torso. After entering their bodies, the Locusts broke apart and tumbled. At the same time, the high-speed airflow following behind them created horrifying cavities inside their bodies through the wounds. Finally, the large amount of Chakra contained in the broken Locust tails exploded.

The Locusts' destructive power was far beyond expectations. The massive wounds caused by the triple assault nearly severed the two ninjas in half. They undoubtedly died on the spot.

The third ninja was hiding behind a tree trunk. The Locust's chosen trajectory could not curve around the large tree, so it shot through the edge of the trunk.

After piercing the tree, the Locust's power and speed were greatly reduced, giving the ninja enough time to evade. The Locust only lodged shallowly in his calf.

Then, because the Locust exploded on the surface, the impact snapped his leg bone and blasted out a fist-sized wound.

He was an experienced ninja. His broken leg did not affect his counterattack in the slightest. Without making a sound, he pulled out a stack of Shuriken and threw them in rapid succession.

The fourth ninja remained hidden behind a large rock, but in the Chakra vision of Aburame Tetsumaru's snail, his Chakra began to boil.

By then, the Kikaichū had also marked the fourth ninja. Aburame Tetsumaru activated two more Locusts and fired them at him.

Then Tetsumaru began forming hand seals and used a secret technique against the third ninja who had launched the counterattack. The Kikaichū had already surrounded him.

Secret Technique: Insect Smoke

The Kikaichū converged on the third ninja's head, focusing their attack on his eyes and ears, disrupting his sight and hearing. The enemy struck by the secret technique had his eyes and eardrums bitten by the Kikaichū, and this intense pain finally made him scream.

But the secret technique was too slow. The enemy had already thrown all his Shuriken. Fourteen spinning Shuriken flew over, and their targets were not limited to Aburame Tetsumaru.

Only then did Tetsumaru's two teammates snap out of their stunned confusion at the sudden enemy encounter. As they hastily dodged, one of them was struck by a Shuriken.

The sight of his teammate's spraying blood ignited Aburame Tetsumaru's fear and fury. He doubled his Chakra output to drive the secret technique, commanding the Kikaichū to burrow into the enemy's mouth, nose, eyes, and ears, gnawing and tearing at him.

"Konoha insect wielder!" The fourth enemy saw the Kikaichū Secret Technique and recognized his opponent's identity.

Using the boulder for cover, he evaded the four Locusts. After forming hand seals, he leaped onto the top of the boulder, puffed out his cheeks, and blew.

Aburame Tetsumaru's snail caught the ninja's movements. His pupils contracted as he shouted, "Everyone, watch out!"

Wind Release: Thousand Face Wind

Countless wind blades came slashing in. The three freshly graduated Genin had no experience at all. One frantically formed hand seals, while the injured one jumped behind a large tree to hide.

Aburame Tetsumaru instinctively abandoned the secret technique and instead drew a massive amount of Chakra from the great circulation, gathering it around himself before crouching down and covering his head.

Under the assault of the wind blades, branches and leaves were shredded through the forest, and large trees toppled one after another.

Aburame Tetsumaru was actually covered in insects beneath his clothes—beetles with incomparably hard shells. His defensive crouch had him wrapping both hands around his head, protecting his vulnerable face and his precious snail.

In the storm, Aburame Tetsumaru was struck by at least seven wind blades. The impacts sent him rolling twice, but after the beetles absorbed a massive amount of Chakra, their defense increased tenfold. They completely withstood the wind blades' cutting force without even a scratch.

That-whatever-Taro, who had been standing in place forming hand seals, was cut open in seven or eight places. Blood sprayed a meter from the wound in his neck. An artery had clearly been severed. He was beyond saving.

The tree sheltering the hidden teammate was cut down by the wind blades, and he was crushed beneath it. Whether he was alive or dead was unknown.

A few seconds later, the technique's effect ended.

Aburame Tetsumaru sprang up from the broken branches and scattered leaves, only to suddenly find the enemy already charging at him with a Kunai thrust forward.

Aburame Tetsumaru paid no attention to the Kunai. He swung a fist at the enemy's head while his other hand reached into his waist pouch and pulled out a Kunai.

The enemy's Kunai failed to pierce the beetles, while Aburame Tetsumaru's punch was dodged. The other man's Taijutsu was exceptionally skilled, definitely among the best of the Chunin.

Aburame Tetsumaru immediately counterattacked with his Kunai, only for it to be blocked by the enemy's Kunai. In a single breath, the two exchanged several rounds. Their Kunai clashed and crossed, throwing off brilliant sparks.

The enemy not only blocked all of Aburame Tetsumaru's attacks, but also launched attack after attack, striking Tetsumaru repeatedly.

Clink. Hit the abdomen. Failed to penetrate the armor.

Clink. Hit the base of the thigh. Failed to penetrate the armor.

Clink. Hit the wrist. Failed to penetrate the armor.

Clang~~. Slashed across the neck. Failed to penetrate the armor.

Clink. Hit the armpit. Failed to penetrate the armor.

A string of attacks struck vital points or vulnerable areas, yet none broke through the beetles' defense.

The masked enemy's expression could not be seen, but his eyes bulged wide. Aburame Tetsumaru's defensive strength and coverage far exceeded his expectations. Other than his face, there was not a single opening.

The enemy could only attack Aburame Tetsumaru's face. But that was a person's head—the fastest-reacting and most agile part of the body. How could it be so easy to hit?

Once the close-quarters fight began, Aburame Tetsumaru realized the enemy could not break his defense and started constructing Chakra Runes directly. The Chakra reactions from the beetles on his body were intense, and since he was not forming hand seals, the enemy noticed nothing.

Aburame Tetsumaru was still unskilled at constructing runes directly through Chakra, and the battle interfered with him. Only after being stabbed seven or eight times in vital areas, when the enemy froze in shock at his defense, did he complete the Chakra Rune.

The completed rune began operating as a ninjutsu. Tetsumaru attacked with both Kunai at once, splitting the enemy's attention.

The enemy easily blocked the Kunai. He stared at Aburame Tetsumaru's face, vexedly considering how to attack. Several consecutive attacks had failed to penetrate the defense, making him restless and impatient. He overlooked the subtle disturbance of ninjutsu activating.

Wind Release: Sandstorm

Blinded by the ninjutsu, the enemy fumbled in a panic. While blocking Tetsumaru's Kunai, he used the Substitution Technique and Body Flicker Technique in rapid succession to evade the attacks.

After repeatedly using ninjutsu, the enemy opened up some distance. But the continuous techniques inevitably threw his Chakra into disorder, leaving him briefly unable to act.

A ninja unable to use Chakra was as good as dead. Aburame Tetsumaru flung out two Locusts first, then chased after him and attacked with his Kunai.

The distance was too short for the Locusts to reach top speed. The enemy held a Kunai in each hand and blocked both Locusts, but their explosions blasted the Kunai away, and even both his hands were cut by Locust fragments.

Ignoring the pain, the enemy drew a short sword to block Aburame Tetsumaru's Kunai. The force of Tetsumaru's full-body charge knocked him back a step, his back pressing against a fallen tree trunk.

That was exactly the posture Aburame Tetsumaru wanted. He released his right hand and dropped his Kunai, aiming his palm at the incredibly seasoned Chunin. To the enemy's horror, he saw Aburame Tetsumaru form a hand seal.

A ninjutsu with just one hand seal should be nothing to worry about, right? That thought flashed through the enemy's mind. His right hand swung the short sword toward Aburame Tetsumaru's face, hoping to force him back.

Wind Release: Troubled Wind: Thirteen

Crystalline powder of neurotoxin splattered across the enemy's face. He was instantly paralyzed, maintaining his right arm's attacking posture as he fell stiffly to the ground.

Ten seconds later, the poison stopped his heart. In less than thirty seconds, he lost consciousness. A few minutes later, he died.