True S-rank Ninjutsu

"Hoo..." Shuichi sigh of relief.

Although the accident didn't cause a long delay, it depleted a lot of chakra, so I need to rest for a while.

"Captain, what should we do with this Iwagakure?"

The Sensory Ninja, Koshi, has been knocked down by Gentle Fist and Kikaichū and is now unconscious.

"What do you think Iwagakure's purpose is in sending a skilled fighter to the border of the three countries?" Before taking any action, Shuichi felt it was best to analyze the other side's behavior.

Aburame Shihei said, "Judging from this position, it's unlikely they're targeting Sunagakure. And the intelligence about our large-scale advance can't be kept secret, so they're probably trying to cause trouble for Konoha, ideally making Konoha and Sand Village fight to the death."

"That's for sure, but the problem is that there are too many Rogue Ninja gathered in Iwagakure. They've already robbed quite a few refugees, and this is right next to our Land of Land of Fire." Shuichi reminded him of Iwagakure's strange actions; their efficiency was simply too high.

"You mean there's Iwagakure spy within our Konoha?" Hyuga Akiha realized, "And most likely one of the teams that were searching this area back then. What should we do now?"

"Interrogating this Iwagakure will be time-consuming and laborious; we have important tasks to complete." Shuichi believed they didn't have time to waste here. "Send him back and let the Yamanaka Clan handle it."

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A giant python appeared and swallowed it whole. At the same time, Shuichi provided Orochimaru with a battle report for his reference.

Because his chakra was quite depleted, the group rested for most of the day before setting off, traveling westward along the northern border of the Land of Rivers.

A day later, the three were about to arrive at the border of the three kingdoms of Wind, Rain, and River. The terrain began to change from complex to flat, and the air was also slightly dry. It was clear that the vast desert of the Land of Wind had a great impact on the surrounding environment.

"Captain, the probability of encountering Sunagakure has increased significantly recently. It seems the enemy hasn't reduced their defenses, but rather tightened their control range."

Their most important task was to conduct reconnaissance deep behind enemy lines, so they focused on avoiding the Sunagakure squads when they encountered them on the road.

"Yes, that's right. Teacher Orochimaru also sent me the latest information." A Little White Snake crawled out of Shuichi's shirt and spat out a small roll of paper.

"Great news!" After opening the report, he encouraged his teammates, "The capture of the Iwagakure was a huge gain for the village; they're planning to keep causing trouble for Konoha after the war starts."

"Our actions not only thwarted their plot, but also uncovered quite a few Iwagakure. The village has already given us a great reward." The implication was clear: following Shuichi would bring rewards.

Aburame Shihei adjusted his sunglasses. "Is there any bad news?"

"..."

"A little," Shuichi a hint of helplessness. "The Sunagakure's aggression remains very strong. They've developed multiple codes and constantly change their patrol areas, making it much more difficult for Konoha to infiltrate. If we head south later, we might face quite a few challenges."

After some calculations, it's estimated that Konoha will launch a full-scale attack in a few days. If Sunagakure faces significant pressure at the front, the infiltration team will have an easier time.

"Alright, we can't just wait passively. Let's go to the border of the Land of Wind and observe firsthand; perhaps we'll find a better way."

As the saying goes, "A general in the field may disobey orders from his lord, "Shuichi decided to act in his own style, since he could contact Orochimaru at any time anyway.

The three continued their journey towards the Land of Wind. At this time, the clouds in the sky gradually thinned out, and the azure sky gave people a sense of peace and tranquility. However, for those traveling on the ground, the situation was not so comfortable.

"It's so hot!" The usually Aburame Shihei spoke up first, as the desert region was extremely unfriendly to their tribe.

After serving as a full-fledged ninja for a long time, Shuichi recalled a detail.

Before the Fourth Great Ninja War, even ninjas from allied nations could not cross borders at will, so most of the missions in the original Hokage series took place in small countries.

Therefore, this was the first time their team had personally experienced a desert environment. It was summer, and under the midday sun, the temperature in the Land of Wind was probably above 40 degrees Celsius.

Of the three, Aburame Shihei, was the most miserable. To hide the insects, she wore a coat, which made her whole body as hot as an oven. It's amazing that she didn't faint while wearing a cotton-padded coat in the middle of summer.

"I have a new idea now." Shuichi's forehead was also sweating. "It seems much easier to infiltrate the enemy from the Land of Wind than from the Land of Rivers."

Upon hearing this, Aburame Shihei felt a sense of despair. Before he could speak, Hyuga Akiha: "There's a small team approaching us about 1 kilometer ahead at the 2 o'clock position."

Encountering Sunagakure here is commonplace; we've run into many enemy squads before, and they all chose to avoid them.

Shuichi and decided that since the environment was unfamiliar and the team members were not used to going any further, they should stay where they were for now.

After examining the terrain, I chose a suitable location and cast "Earth Release: Earth Core!"

The three of them hid directly in a small ditch, waiting for the Sunagakure group to pass by before making further plans.

"There are three of them, one Jonin and two Chunin, a standard configuration." The squad passed by about a hundred meters away, and Hyuga Akiha, as usual, reported the enemy's characteristics, "The Jonin has triangular eyes and a large nose, and is quite tall..."

"Hmm?" Shuichi, who hadn't paid much attention before, suddenly changed his expression. "Akiha, describe this Jonin's appearance in more detail."

After listening, he immediately said, "Let's attack and intercept this squad! This Jonin against me!"

"..."

"Of course, I won't let personal grudges cloud my judgment," Shuichi explained. "I've already planned our next move. This attack is also a test of Sunagakure. Don't worry! I'm very cautious!"

A hundred meters away, the Sunagakure Squad was unaware that they had been targeted by the Konoha Ninja, because this area had no strategic value and their patrols here were merely routine.

As they were moving, they suddenly heard the whooshing sound of a large number of ninja tools coming from the side. Looking over, they saw countless Shuriken rushing towards them.

"Enemy attack! Be careful!" Sunagakure Jonin Takichi quickly reminded his teammates, drawing his long sword from behind and slashing at the Shuriken.

"Ninja Art: Dance of the Sands!"

Gathering chakra in his hands, Takichi's slash brought up a whirlwind and sandstorm. What appeared to be an offensive move was actually controlled by him to form a perfect defense, with the side-spinning sandstorm drawing the Shuriken to both sides.

Hyuga Akiha and Aburame Shihei charged forward following a Shuriken. When their vision was obstructed, they threw a Shuriken that blended into the pile of knocked-down ninja tools.

"That's Byakugan, from the Hyuga Clan. They're Konoha Ninja." Takichi immediately reacted upon seeing them. "There can't possibly be only two of them. The enemy has someone hiding. You go first, I'll cover you from behind."

The three Sunagakure members took the initiative to advance, while two Chunin, carrying long swords, began a counter-charge. Takichi followed a few steps behind, ensuring he could be of assistance as soon as possible.

"Whoosh..." The moment the two teams made contact, Sunagakure was attacked from behind. "Wind Release: Vacuum Orb!"

Takichi reacted swiftly upon realizing he had been ambushed, as if he had anticipated the enemy's strategy. "This was a deliberate opening I created! Ninja Art: Gale Slash!"

With a series of rapid slashes, several Wind Blade sliced through the air and flew towards the attacker, annihilating the Vacuum Orb before it could even reach its target.

"Could you be the Gale Swordmaster?"

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Shuichi was struck by Wind Blade, "BOOM!"

"This is bad, this is a huge problem." Takichi's expression changed drastically. If even his Shadow Clone can use Advanced Jutsu, then the only remaining person from Konoha is definitely a top-tier Jonin.

"Whoosh!" Seizing the opportunity, Shuichi form emerged from underground, circled around, and burst from the ground, drawing his short sword and slashing directly at Takichi.

"Clang..." Little did he expect that his opponent was no pushover either. Skilled in close-quarters swordsmanship, his reaction speed was quite fast. Long-term combat had given him a beast-like instinct, and he turned around again to catch Shuichi's attack.

The two clashed with their twin swords, their strength clashing. Shuichi gradually fell into a disadvantageous position, but his expression remained calm. "I see. Your Wind Release slash doesn't seem to require Hand Seals, but it does require a few seconds to prepare chakra, essentially a delayed, concealed version of Hand Seals. That puts my mind at ease."

Shuichi initially thought this person was an exceptionally troublesome opponent, as even a casual wave of his hand could unleash a flying slash. However, after testing him, he quickly discerned his true strength.

"Chidori Stream!"

Just as he was about to be overwhelmed, a large amount of lightning erupted from Shuichi's body. "Ah..." Takichi was caught off guard and the feeling of numbness made him stiffen for a moment.

"Die! Taste my newly developed S-rank Ninjutsu, Lightning Release: Ten Thousand Year Kill!"

A dark shadow emerged from behind Takichi; it was a Shadow Clone that Shuichi had created underground. At this moment, he clasped his hands together in the standard Tiger Seal, with a large amount of Lightning Release Chakra at the tips of his fingers.

"Pfft..." The lightning finger gun pierced through the soft flesh between Takichi's thighs like a sharp knife. "Ah!!!"

Although his hands were already inside his intestines, the chakra output did not stop. A strange, burnt smell filled the air, and a reddish-brown liquid splattered onto the Shadow Clone's hands and upper body.

"Takiji, you can die in peace now, having suffered a death that feels like an eternity."

The excruciating pain kept Takichi while. His last thought flashed through his mind, "Takiji? My brother? What did you do in the village...?"

"Bang!"

Seeing Takichi's gruesome corpse lying on the ground, the Shadow Clone decided to immediately dissolve itself so that the real body could also enjoy the pleasure of this technique. "BOOM!"

"Hiss..." Shuichi's body immediately trembled, and he raised his hands shakily to look at it. "This is a genuine S-rank Ninjutsu. The user needs to master the ultimate Nature Transformation and have extremely strong mental fortitude. No problem!"