The Third Tsuchikage's Deterrent Power

After quickly eliminating the group of Iwagakure, Shuichi released Chidori. There might be more battles afterward, so it's best to conserve some chakra.

Seeing the last Jonin Iwato, attacking him with a sword, he first calmly eased the pressure in his meridians, and then calmly dodged two consecutive slashes from the opponent.

In the rapid exchange of blows, seizing the moment his opponent froze as he sheathed his sword, Shuichi grabbed his wrist with incredible speed with his left hand, and immediately released his prepared Explosion Release chakra, "Pfft!"

"Ugh..." Iwato's face contorted in agony after being suddenly injured. He abandoned his grip on the knife and retreated hastily, glancing at his hands in the process.

The middle of my forearm was a purplish-red patch, with flesh and blood fused together. My hand was completely numb. Even if this kind of injury is cured, it will leave sequelae.

"That's Explosion Release? How is that possible? So that's how Captain Ishida fell for it, damn brat!" Iwato a little incredulous; the intelligence didn't indicate that Takeda Shuichi could use Explosion Release.

"Well, you caught me. I was planning to keep sneaking around." Shuichi quickly caught up, intending to finish this guy off with Taijutsu. "You know too much, so just die!"

Iwato, wielding a sword in one hand, tried to put up a final stand, but the clone of Shuichi was still there. With his chakra nearly depleted, Shuichi charged directly at Iwato's location, disrupting him for a moment before his main body Body Flicker Technique and stabbed Iwagen in the heart with a single finger.

"Bang."

Seeing Iwato fall, Shuichi Hand Seals his Sensory Ninjutsu, discovering that he could no longer detect the fleeing Iwagakure within several hundred meters. "There's nothing I can do. Their captain is really decisive. If he had chosen to engage me in a prolonged fight, none of them would have escaped."

After quickly cleaning up the battlefield, he darted off towards the direction of the Signal flare. "I wonder what the situation is over there. Hopefully, they can hold on."

In a battle zone on the front lines of the Land of Grass, dozens of Konoha Ninja looked serious, many of them wounded. Their recent breakout attempt had not been very successful, Iwagakure's Earth Release techniques had left them somewhat helpless.

"Seinichi, are you alright?" Mimura Hamaki was the captain of this Konoha squad, and he was very worried about their current situation. Every Jonin was extremely valuable, and they couldn't afford to lose any.

"I'm alright, I can still hold on," Mitarashi Kiyohi said through gritted teeth. He had been slashed in the abdomen, and although he had received emergency bandaging, he was still bleeding a little, and his condition was not optimistic.

Mimura Hamaki forced himself to calm down. They might only have one more chance to break through, and as the captain, he dared not take any risks.

"Captain, someone is approaching us, not far away!" the Sensory Ninja suddenly reported. "There's only one person there, we don't know what's going on."

"What? What's going on?"

"They're here, they're underground in that direction, very close!"

The Konoha members immediately took defensive positions, only to see a figure emerge from the ground not far ahead. The figure dusted off the dirt, saying, "After searching for so long, we found your team first. Looks like things aren't looking good."

"Shuichi-kun?" Mitarashi Kiyohi lit up with surprise. "You've arrived in the Land of Grass so quickly. It seems our breakout is on the horizon."

"Wait!" Mimura Hamaki remained cautious. "He could be Iwagakure in disguise, otherwise how could he have used Earth Release to infiltrate this location?"

"This..." Mitarashi Kiyohi's expression froze.

Shuichi. "Ninja Super Beast Imitation Drawing!" An ink rat leaped out and ran in front of the Konoha Ninja, then transformed into a pig's head on the ground. "This is my secret technique; Iwagakure could never imitate it."

The Konoha members breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this; it was definitely one of their own. The village's genius Jonin provided support so quickly. However, upon seeing the pig's head on the ground, their faces still darkened.

"Haha... he probably just scribbled randomly, don't mind it." Mitarashi Kiyohi to smooth things over, a little embarrassed. "By the way, Shuichi, how did you sneak in here? This is a surrounded danger zone!"

"I saw the Iwagakure Signal flare, then took out one of their squads before rushing over," Shuichi explained. "Time is running out. One of their Jonin escaped. On my way here, I detected two enemy squads nearby, so let's break out from the direction I came from; that's a safe zone."

"Hiss..." Upon hearing that he had single-handedly taken down an Iwagakure squad of more than 10 people, the Konoha Ninja gasped in shock, and then their will to survive was rekindled. With such a skilled fighter, their chances of survival increased significantly.

"Alright, let's move out immediately." Mimura Hamaki made a quick decision, summoning several birds using Summoning Technique. "I've already informed the other teams. Now we can only look after ourselves first. Hopefully, they can find an opportunity to escape in the chaos."

On the other side, riding the giant bird created with the help of his main body, Shuichi's Shadow Clone around in the sky, searching for the location of Konoha's main force based on the terrain map in his mind. Soon, he found a group of ninjas gathered in an open area.

Not far below, numerous Konoha Ninja were on high alert, also carefully watching the air around them. Soon, someone spotted him. "What's that? It could be an enemy! Go report it!"

Just as the large bird began to descend and everyone prepared to intercept it, Akimichi Choza, who was squinting, immediately spoke up to stop them, "This technique... it's Shuichi's, it's reinforcements from the village, don't make a move."

"What? So Konoha also has the Flight ability." Several ninjas were shocked. They had been fighting extremely frustratingly on this front because the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, was too much of a threat.

"It's Choza!" The Shadow Clone jumped down from the sky. After helping him complete the two tasks of finding people and conserving chakra, the giant bird dispelled the clone. "How's the situation now? This is Shadow Clone; the real body is supporting the surrounded team."

"Come with me quickly," said Akimichi Choza. "Lord Jiraiya and Minato are both here; they're very worried about what's happening over there."

Arriving at a temporary room behind the military base, they saw Jiraiya and Minato with solemn expressions, their expressions changing drastically upon seeing Shuichi.

"Shuichi, you've arrived so quickly," Jiraiya said in a deep voice. "This chakra... is it Shadow Clone?"

"Yes, my main body is supporting another location, sending this Shadow Clone is just to provide an opportunity for communication..."

The group immediately began exchanging information. The situation wasn't complicated, but it was extremely passive for the Konoha Ninja.

They were outnumbered on every front, and this was mainly due to Ōnoki.

"It's not that I don't want to go and support them, but I can't," Jiraiya said helplessly. "The Third Tsuchikage in the sky; our every move could be detected. We also dare not summon Gamabunta to launch a full-scale attack..."

Through Jiraiya's explanation, Shuichi now understands the current situation. During the previous stalemate in the war, Ōnoki's sudden entry into the war instantly changed the situation.

Although Konoha's numbers were not large, they were able to hold their own against Iwagakure Kusagakure. Now, however, they have to be very careful when mobilizing their forces.

The opponent's tactics were simple and brutal. They used Earth Release to change the terrain and restrict movement. When Ōnoki in the air seized the opportunity, he used Dust Release to wipe out the entire multi-person force. A large group of people had already been killed by it.

Konoha made timely adjustments, spreading out the formations of several teams, but this reduced their offensive power.

The only way to break through the Iwagakure defenses is through Jiraiya, but the giant Summoning Beast is no match for the Dust Release attack. After taking a hit, it doesn't even need to return to Mount Myōboku to recover; it is directly broken down into atoms and disappears from the world.

At the same time, troop movements are also restricted; sending reinforcements may require a long detour and there is also the risk of being intercepted by Ōnoki.

If discovered, these reinforcements will likely be wiped out, unless Jiraiya.

But this is where the main force is located. If he leaves, Minato will be unable to stop the Dust Release bombardment, and the casualties will be too heavy.

"Looks like I can come in handy!" Shuichi's Shadow Clone replied, "The main body left behind Scroll stained with blood and Summoning Technique; now we can inform them of the situation."

"Shuichi-kun, you must be extremely careful with your main body," Namikaze Minato solemnly reminded him. "Both you and I are being watched by Iwagakure. If Ōnoki discovers you're here, he might very well send someone personally."

Shuichi: "??"

"It's probably a matter of fighting style. Our speed-based style is very effective against them, and I suspect there are definitely Iwagakure spies within Sunagakure. Plus, your talent is even better than mine..."

After hearing this, Shuichi, because in the previous battles in the Land of Grass, Namikaze Minato had achieved a lot of results, and Ninjutsu Iwagakure Release Earth Release and Taijutsu of Iwagakure, which were known for their strength, posed no threat to speed-type ninjas.

In short, these Iwagakure Jonin met their match. Minato alone is giving them a headache, and in addition, they observed Shuichi's talent early on. He is a genius known for his speed and reaction, and he is so young that he will definitely be a huge threat when he grows up.

"So Iwagakure assassinated me right after the Chunin Ninja Exams? And the 60 million ryo was their doing too?" Shuichi was still a little panicked at the thought, and immediately said to them, "Oh no, I ambushed a team of Iwagakure, but one Jonin escaped. Ōnoki might very well go there himself."

Jiraiya and Minato's expressions changed slightly. "It seems that the team over there is in danger!" A shadow fell over their hearts; the Konoha Ninja might suffer heavy casualties.

"There's no other way, I can only notify the main body first." Shuichi immediately sent the little snake back to Ryūchi Cave. "This Shadow Clone can still be used, please take care of it."

"Be careful!" Jiraiya's tone was low, but with a hint of determination. "If necessary, you go yourself; the others will have to rely on luck..."

"Okay, I will relay this to the main body."

Jiraiya's meaning was clear: if the worst-case scenario occurred, Konoha's bottom line was to protect Shuichi, a genius, and leave the fate of the other ninjas to chance.