Fire Release Killed Someone

What happened?

Why are there so many red signals all of a sudden?

Many Sunagakure who were preparing to fight Konoha panicked. Some clever ones immediately connected the dots with the blue signals from before and guessed that the enemy had likely intercepted the Signal flare and deliberately fired them to disrupt their formation.

"But that's a lot. What's the situation in our rear?"

These red signals appeared behind many teams. If they were real, then they were surrounded by the Konoha army. But even if they were fake, it meant that enemy elites had penetrated deep into the area. This psychological pressure left many Sunagakure at a loss.

The Konoha faction doesn't care what the Sunagakure is thinking; their mission is to launch a full-scale attack on the enemy's positions, even if it means charging into heavily defended areas.

Therefore, the Konoha Ninja charged straight into the Sunagakure defenses with an indomitable spirit. When the two sides, whose fighting spirits were not equal, clashed, the Konoha army was slightly smaller in number, achieved a decisive victory.

As the battle situation was initially settled, Shuichi's squad intercepted and killed isolated Sunagakure while advancing towards the enemy's stronghold.

Thanks to the complex terrain of the Land of Rivers, there is a narrow passage just a few dozen miles from the Sand Village stronghold, with valleys on both sides and forests around for hiding.

If the Sunagakure wanted to retreat as quickly as possible, they would inevitably take two routes: the one that Shuichi would use to ambush them, and the other route that Nara Shikaku's squad would be responsible for.

The two Konoha raiding squads, having rested and prepared, planned to intercept and kill the fleeing Sunagakure, further weakening the Sunagakure's fighting strength.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

When signs of defeat began to emerge on the battlefield ahead, the Sunagakure commander decisively issued a retreat signal, and the teams that had not yet encountered Konoha Ninja began to return to their base.

"Captain, someone's coming!"

To ensure the operation went perfectly, Shuichi led his team to hide several hundred meters above the canyons on either side, using his Byakugan to scout out enemy movements while ensuring they wouldn't be surrounded.

"Shall we take action?"

"No rush." Shuichi already had a plan in mind. "I've calculated the number of Sunagakure. It's best to let a few teams pass through first, then select the most valuable teams to attack."

It's impossible for a single team to stop all the returning enemies, and the main force from Konoha won't arrive so quickly. Taking action rashly would leave traces of the battle, which is not a wise move.

Under the watchful eyes of Shuichi and his companions, several more Sunagakure teams followed.

Some teams knew that the terrain here might be ambush, so they carefully observed the surrounding environment and only sped through when they found nothing unusual.

"As expected, given this pass rate, many more people will apply."

It wasn't difficult for ninjas to traverse mountains and valleys, but they generally chose flat roads.

Besides saving time from ambushes, it also saves a lot of time, especially in the event of an emergency retreat.

"They're here. It's a mixed team of 11 people, Jonin about one or two Jonin!"

"Alright, everyone get ready to get started."

Shuichi selected several Ninjutsu -type members from his team, intending to perform a Combination Jutsu combo for Sunagakure to try.

At the foot of the mountain, the leader of the Sunagakure, seeing that the road was not wide, slowed down the group and began to observe whether there was anything unusual.

"There are no signs of battle; it seems the advance party has passed safely," a Sunagakure ninja reported.

"Okay, let's get back as soon as possible."

As they prepared to restart, the ground beneath their feet suddenly trembled.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow City Wall - Special Prison Version!"

Shuichi shot straight out from his hiding place, and before Sunagakure could react, he slammed his hands on the ground, causing the earthen wall, which had undergone a special Nature Transformation, to rise instantly.

"Boom!"

A cylindrical earthen wall with a radius of about 10 meters surrounded the Sunagakure members. It might be slightly less effective than the square Multiple Earth-Style Walls, but it was more than enough to hold off the enemy for a moment.

"Enemy attack! Watch out!"

The Sunagakure Jonin immediately began directing the battle, "Get out of here first. The enemy might use Combination Jutsu. Let's jump out from above quickly. Everyone, be sure to cover each other."

As Sunagakure prepared to escape from the earthen walls, they were unaware that they had already fallen into Konoha's trap.

"It's my turn to show off!" Mokui quickly Hand Seals. "Taste my invented, exclusive Ninjutsu, Earth Release: Heavenly Descent!"

"Whoosh!"

A giant green pot lid appeared in the sky, with a boar's head covered in tusks hanging from it. Then it fell down like a mountain crashing down on the Sunagakure members.

Thump!

The earthen pot lid and Shuichi's earthen wall fit together perfectly, trapping all the enemies inside and plunging them into complete darkness.

"So you're the Anbu who will attack the village with Pain in the future? Or is he someone you know?" Shuichi thought to himself helplessly.

Previously, Aburame Shihei said that Mokui was promoted to Jonin because he developed a special Ninjutsu and had enough battle achievements, and now it seems that this is indeed a bit of a "surprise".

"You're really creative, aren't you... a heaven-dropping Earth Release..." While thinking this, Shuichi didn't slow down either, immediately controlling the top of the earthen wall to create an opening, and then he jumped up.

Accompanying them were Mitarashi Kiyohi and another Konoha Ninja; the three of them stood on the wall and executed a perfect coordinated attack.

"Fire Release: Great Flame Technique..."

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

"Combination Jutsu: Earthen Pot Grilled Meat Technique!"

The two fires and one wind instantly transformed the interior of the earthen wall into a sea of fire, engulfing all the Sunagakure in flames. With nowhere to escape, they let out agonizing screams, "Ah..."

This Ninjutsu combo almost wiped out Sunagakure in one fell swoop. When Shuichi saw ninjas being burned alive by the continuous output of flames, he felt that he had vindicated the Fire Release.

After the earthen wall was removed, only three enemies, their bodies completely black and swaying precariously, remained on the field. To help them escape this unbearable state, the Konoha Squad decisively swarmed in and eliminated them.

"This location is too conspicuous; a second sneak attack might be difficult. We'll take the initiative now and eliminate the lone enemy squad."

Since it would take some time for the main force of Konoha to reach this place, Shuichi's squad used their Byakugan to roam around the area and capture people. They could avoid multiple groups of people in advance and specifically intercept and kill the Sunagakure who were outmatched by them.

The overall progress was roughly as Shuichi had predicted. This was the tactical arrangement for the second phase: the strongest elite squad would harass and intercept the retreating Sunagakure halfway through, further reducing the number of enemy ninjas.

On Nara Shikaku, the results were equally impressive. After the two raiding parties swept away several more enemies, they finally rejoined the main force of Konoha.

"Shuichi-kun, you all deserve a lot of credit for this victory. I'll be in charge of the next pursuit; it's the village's arrangement, and I hope you understand," Nara Shikaku said somewhat apologetically.

"It's alright, I have other tasks to complete anyway, so I'll leave my two teammates to you." Shuichi doesn't really need prestige right now; he'll have plenty of opportunities to gain it later when he's stronger.

"Don't worry, Shihei and Akiha are both outstanding young ninjas. It's only natural that we seniors would take on the task of leading the charge," Nara Shikaku replied solemnly.