Grass Country Front

Following the Anbu, he quickly arrived at the Hokage's Office. Before he could even speak, the Third Hokage immediately said, "There's no time to explain. There's an urgent mission. You must depart immediately for the border of the Land of Grass. The details of the mission are in this Scroll."

Shuichi: "..."

Without even having a chance to speak, he could only take the Scroll, turn around and go back home to get his travel gear, then rush out of the village like lightning and head straight for the front line.

"It seems the Iwagakure's offensive has intensified significantly, and the front lines are under some strain," Shuichi thought to himself, as he opened the Scroll to review the mission details.

In the previous months, during the great battle with Sunagakure, the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning maintained a wait-and-see attitude, clearly hoping to reap the benefits.

Orochimaru, through Shuichi's infiltration and Tsunade's healing abilities, led the Konoha Ninja to quickly repel the Sunagakure, breaking the stalemate in the war.

Although Sunagakure's defeat was unexpected, their decision to retreat on a large scale shows that as long as Iwagakure and Cloud remain inactive, Sunagakure will no longer actively engage in a bloody battle with Konoha.

This was a very rational decision; they did not rush to seek revenge because of the loss of the Medical Unit.

"Fortunately, the rivalry between Iwagakure and Cloud is even greater, and the two have always been competing with and wary of each other." Shuichi learned from intelligence that although the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning are somewhat far apart, there are many islands and landmasses scattered across the northern sea, with many resource-rich areas, which the two sides have been fighting over for a long time.

Currently, these two villages have begun a two-pronged attack. After the Land of Grass was invaded, it immediately sought help from Konoha, Daimyo mobilized a large amount of funds to issue war missions.

Due to a shortage of manpower in the village, only elite teams are taking on the missions. Currently, Konoha and Kusagakure are joining forces to fight against Iwagakure.

Recently, Iwagakure suddenly intensified its offensive, advancing into the Land of Grass via multiple routes. To avoid excessive casualties among the village's ninja, Konoha immediately dispatched reinforcements upon receiving the news. In addition to Shuichi, many other squads were also heading in that direction.

Intelligence indicates that one front is in dire straits, with the combined forces of Konoha and Kusagakure facing encirclement. Shuichi's mission is to support the allied forces there; otherwise, Konoha will suffer heavy losses if they are completely wiped out.

"Hopefully we can make it in time." Shuichi began to consider how to proceed. "No wonder the Third Hokage sent me. If the other teams get there, they'll probably be too late. Let's get to Kannabi Bridge first and then make a decision!"

Relying on his powerful regenerative abilities, he ran continuously day and night, crossing the Land of Fire Border and entering the Land of Land of Grass directly.

"What a huge tree!"

Ninjas need to constantly observe their surroundings, as a battle is about to break out, and they also need to analyze how to make good use of the terrain in combat.

Even if you have some impression of this from the original work, you will find that there are still some cognitive biases after seeing it in person.

The flora and fauna of the Land of Grass are perhaps mutated species; the largest trees in the Forest of Death are everywhere here, which would have been ancient trees thousands of years old in my previous life.

Some trees even had mushrooms the size of houses, and all around were huge, strangely shaped rocks. Every ninja would be very careful when they saw this.

"Such complex terrain, incredibly deep, it severely tests a ninja's spatial awareness." He could see tree branches several meters wide just by looking up; it could even serve as a small dueling arena. "Perfect, it's perfect for me."

After passing through this area, the surroundings suddenly turned into a large bamboo forest. After running at full speed in this relatively open area, Shuichi leaped out of the forest and appeared on the riverbank.

Standing on the side and looking down, he saw a huge river nearly 50 meters wide. He knew that this river, called the Hiratsugawa River, ran through the entire Land of Grass, completely dividing it in two.

Looking to the right, there was a huge stone bridge, the very Kannabi Bridge mentioned many times in the original work.

"Indeed, this bridge is of great strategic importance. To sustain the consumption of multiple large armies, it is necessary to transport supplies through this place; otherwise, only a small number of Elite Force can be sent across the river to fight." Shuichi came to the bridge and gestured. Its length spans the entire river, and its width is about 20 meters, with a suspended area of several tens of meters below.

After checking off this famous location, he took out a strategic map. Iwagakure hadn't attacked this place yet, but they might encounter the enemy not far after crossing the river, so he needed to formulate an action plan immediately.

After frowning and considering for a moment, Shuichi immediately took action, "Summoning Jutsu!"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"Ninja Technique· Super Beast Imitation Drawing!"

The Shadow Clone took the Scroll from the main body, a small snake attached to its body, and leaped onto the Ink Bird, heading straight to the side. The main body paused for a moment before continuing forward. "I hope my decision was right. I've already used up a lot of chakra before the fight even started. Fortunately, my Explosion Release has improved somewhat, and my chakra has increased significantly."

Somewhere in the Land of Grass, a small team of several dozen people from Iwagakure Village) were on guard. Some hid behind trees, others concealed themselves beside rocks, each not far from the others. This was Iwagakure's unique tactical approach.

Not far away, a figure ran quickly towards them. "Captain Ishida, the reconnaissance of the area from 1 o'clock to 4 o'clock has been completed, and no trace of anyone passing by has been found."

"Very good!" Ishida said in a deep voice, "Now our encirclement is complete. Once we detect that the Konoha Ninja are trying to break out, we will proceed according to plan."

"Yes!"

While the numerous Rock Village Ninja were lying in wait, they did not notice anyone approaching from a short distance away.

"1, 2, 3,... 12." Shuichi squinted, a nearly invisible thread connecting him to the Ink Bird high above. "The standard composition of Iwagakure team, so there are probably 3 Jonin, and the rest are Chunin or Genin."

Iwagakure's team composition is unique among the five major villages, relying on combinations like a team of Jonin to gather intelligence for reconnaissance.

Battles involve multiple people working together, with Jonin controlling Earth Release techniques, Chunin and Genin act as tools to provide chakra. This kind of teamwork is very effective in head-on combat.

Time passed slowly in silence, with only a few ninjas responsible for reconnaissance and guard duty occasionally leaving for a while, while the others remained inactive.

"Call out..."

"There's movement!" Ishida looked at the distinctively colored Signal flare in the distance. "It's Kikuchi and his group. Looks like the Konoha Ninja have launched an attack, but they're not under much pressure. We'll continue to hold our ground..."

"Swish, swish..."

Before he could finish speaking, a barrage of ninja tools attacked them from the side.

"Oh no! There's an enemy! Find him immediately!"

The Rock Village Ninja were instantly alerted, but just as the few people on the ground were about to make a move, the powerful blast sent them flying.

"Boom boom..."

"Damn it!" Ishida shielded his teammates, conjuring massive rocks with both hands and hurling them forward. "Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!" Countless Shuriken struck the rocks without causing any damage.

The Iwagakure, protected by him, acted decisively, immediately using their Sensory Ninjutsu. However, the moment they formed hand Hand Seals, they discovered a chakra fluctuation right before their eyes. "This is bad..."

Shuichi, his short sword flashing silver as he slashed upwards, "Tear!" The Sensory Ninja's chest cavity and throat were ripped open, an injury that even a god could not save.

"What? Using Earth Release to sneak up on us in front of Iwagakure? That's incredibly audacious!" This thought flashed through Ishida's mind. With his experience, he turned around immediately, shrinking the rocks in his hands to a suitable size and smashing them directly at Shuichi.

The Iwagakure Jonin's Taijutsu was powerful and steady. His agile stone fists not only protected his vital parts but also covered the area where Shuichi's short sword was. With his small frame, he might be seriously injured if hit.

With lightning-fast reflexes Shuichi immediately discarded his sword and simultaneously shrank into the gap between the stone fists, unleashing a "Explosion Release: Heart Piercing Finger!"

"Sizzle..."

"So fast!" Ishida was large and strong, but he couldn't keep up with Shuichi's speed. He could only watch as Shuichi's fingers struck his abdomen. "Pfft!" It sounded like a soft explosion inside his body.

"Ouch..." A sharp pain shot through him; he felt a gaping hole punched into his organ. Simultaneously, due to the dense network of meridians there, his chakra briefly went out of control. "Damn it, this person is extremely powerful."

Chakra burst from Ishida's feet as he retreated rapidly. Two Iwagakure rushed at him as soon as Shuichi appeared, but they clearly did not expect that their leader, a senior ninja Jonin be injured in a single exchange.

"Come back quickly..."

Before they could finish speaking, their longswords had already crossed and were slashing at Shuichi. Just as they were about to succeed, a burst of lightning suddenly appeared before their eyes. "Chidori Stream!"

"Ah..."

As they were paralyzed, Shuichi slightly shifted his body to avoid the trajectory of the long sword, then simultaneously extended both hands, aiming straight for their hearts. "Explosion Release: Heart- Heart Piercing Finger!"

Despite the seemingly brief contact, Iwagakure's heart had already begun to Iwagakure profusely, and he was not far from death. After their brief encounter, his body fell from the tree trunk as if out of control.

"It's Konoha's genius, Takeda Shuichi; he's the only enemy."

Another Jonin Iwagakure Kotaro, shouted loudly, while another Jonin beside him was fiercely fighting against Shuichi's Shadow Clone.

Having caught his breath, Ishida immediately shouted out the team's code, "Cover our escape, then report back!"

"Captain..." Kotaro was still incredulous. They were going to run away after only a few rounds of fighting?

"Slap slap slap..."

Before Ishida could explain his serious injuries, Shuichi had already caught up, slicing through the rock on Chidori's fist with a swift, sweeping motion. He then closed in again with a thrust, "Pfft!"

Ishida, writhing in excruciating pain, completely lost consciousness. Another Jonin, Iwato, was struggling to fend off Shuichi's Shadow Clone's swordsmanship. "Run!"

Seeing that his captain had been killed so quickly, Kotaro came to his senses, gritted his teeth, and created two Shadow Clones to escape.

Many surviving Rock Village Ninja nearby wanted to use Earth Release to counterattack, but Shuichi's movements were too fast. They didn't even have time to Hand Seals, and their eyes couldn't keep up with his movements, so how could they use Ninjutsu?

"Ah..."

Seeing Kotaro begin to flee, the remaining few rushed towards Shuichi from all directions. They knew they couldn't escape at the speed of this Konoha Ninja, so they might as well risk their lives to buy time.

Shuichi's Chidori attack hadn't stopped; the Lightning Release Chakra in his palm almost condensed into a blade shape. He turned and flashed into the middle of the group, unleashing a series of slashes. Blood splattered wherever the white light touched, instantly taking several lives.

"Damn it!" Iwato sidestepped the Shadow Clone's attack, bracing himself for the wound as he charged towards Shuichi body. "Getting past me won't be that easy..."