Encircling the Cloud Ninja

A mountainous region along the eastern coast of the Land of Lightning.

The twelve Iwa ninja were gathered together discussing tactics.

The commander of these twelve was Yuki Haku!

The twelve people were divided into three teams: one Anbu Squad led by Haku himself, and the other two regular teams were led by Fujii Kusaka and Kamizuru Tsuruhime.

In this way, the three comrades fulfilled their wish to fight side by side again.

At this moment, Kamizuru Tsuruhime was conducting intelligence analysis. "The enemy outnumbers us, about twenty or so. The Little Bee reports that the Chakra of these Cloud ninja is weak."

"Since we defeated the Cloud ninja, they have been scattered and hiding. It's rare to see so many powerful ninjas gathered together like this."

"The other side must have one or two powerful or high-ranking ninjas."

"Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to gather so many people."

"We are not strong enough to deal with them. I suggest we contact other nearby raiding teams for help."

Fujii Kusaka nodded and said, "I agree, but we need to keep an eye on the area around these Cloud ninja first. They are too powerful; other raiding teams have almost no chance of survival if they encounter them."

Bai said, "That's settled then, Tsuruhime. Use your Little Bee to keep watch around the area and prevent other raiding teams from getting close to those Cloud ninja."

After saying this, Bai instructed one of his subordinates to send a message to Command Center requesting backup.

Just as everyone was waiting for reinforcements from the Command Center, Kamizuru Tsuruhime suddenly stood up.

She said anxiously, "Two squads are approaching this area."

Bai hurriedly said, "Get them moved quickly."

Kamizuru Tsuruhime said, "It's too late. They didn't hide their tracks when they came, and the Cloud ninja will definitely have discovered them by now."

"If they suddenly turn around at this moment, the Cloud ninja will definitely notice something is wrong."

Bai gritted his teeth and said, "Although the Cloud ninja have the advantage, they are also afraid of being exposed and may not necessarily make a move."

"And even if they do take action, they'll definitely choose to finish quickly; I reckon they'll opt for an ambush."

"We'll sneak over and form a larger encirclement around them!"

"Once their attention is drawn to those two squads, we'll launch a surprise attack from behind, aiming to eliminate a large number of Cloud ninja in the first round of attacks."

Both Kamizuru Tsuruhime and Fujii Kusaka nodded.

Then Kamizuru Tsuruhime controlled the Little Bee to closely monitor the movements of the twenty-odd Cloud ninja.

"There are twenty-three people in total. Judging from their speed of movement, only two Genin; the rest are at least Chunin."

The Cloud ninja did indeed discover two Iwa ninja squads approaching the area.

The Cloud ninja didn't choose to wait foolishly; they acted decisively and immediately decided to wipe out both Iwa ninja squads in one fell swoop.

However, their actions allowed Kamizuru Tsuruhime's Little Bee to more clearly determine their numbers and strength.

Bai glanced at the ninja beside him, his heart sinking!

The Anbu led by Haku are quite strong; they are all elite Chunin, and they can hold their own against Jonin for a while.

However, Kamizuru Tsuruhime's team was just an ordinary team. Although her team had been formed for quite some time, all three members were still Genin, only having passable combat experience.

Fujii Kusaka's three subordinates were all rookie Genin, while her three subordinates were all trainee Guardian Ninja.

The three were all quite talented among the many prospective Guardian Ninja, but they only graduated this year.

The two sides are too far apart in strength; this battle will be difficult.

After thinking for a moment, Bai said, "Kusaka, Tsuruhime, have your subordinates stay here. The five of us will go and provide support."

This time, Haku intends to ambush the Cloud ninja from the opposite direction, as the six Genin) could easily expose their whereabouts.

Fujii Kusaka and the other man had no objections. After exchanging a few words with their subordinates, they set off with the White Team.

Meanwhile, the Cloud ninja, who were on their way, stopped at a Kajiyamari.

After a short while, the group split into two groups. One group of fifteen people went into the larger hillside on the left, while the other group of eight people went into the right side to hide.

The Cloud ninja chose this mountain hollow as their ambush point based on the routes taken by the two Iwa ninja squads.

Kamizuru Tsuruhime, who had been secretly observing the movements of the Cloud ninja, quickly received the intelligence.

Fujii Kusaka asked, "Shiro, should we launch a surprise attack on one of the enemies on one side first?"

Bai mentally reviewed the terrain of the area and then said, "We won't go to that mountain pass; we'll go around the Cloud ninja and continue forward."

"Tsuruhime, notify those two squads to slow down and buy us some time to move."

Kamizuru Tsuruhime nodded, then had the Little Bee notify the two teams of Iwa ninja.

Those two teams of Iwa ninja recognized Little Bee; after all, everyone in Iwagakure knew about the characteristics of Yichen's many disciples.

When they heard that their whereabouts had been tracked by more than twenty Cloud ninja, the eight members of the two teams were somewhat flustered.

Fortunately, the two squad leaders were experienced and knew that they couldn't run away at this time.

Furthermore, the fact that Kamizuru Tsuruhime Earth Shadow's disciple is quite convincing.

So when the Little Bee told them they needed their cooperation, both team leaders immediately agreed.

The two teams slowed their pace and sometimes deliberately conducted thorough checks on both sides.

The Cloud ninja lying in ambush didn't suspect anything; they simply assumed that the two small teams might have discovered some clues.

As long as the eight people didn't send a signal for help and were still slowly approaching their ambush zone, the Cloud ninja commander didn't pay much attention.

But when the eight men were only a dozen meters away from their ambush zone, someone suddenly noticed something was wrong and the eight men turned and ran.

The Cloud ninja were nervously waiting for the Iwa ninja to enter the ambush zone; they were still figuring out how to end the battle silently.

Lightning Release is too dazzling to use; Taijutsu or swordsmanship are better.

We also cannot allow the Iwa ninja to have a chance to use Ninjutsu; we must constantly interfere with their Iwa ninja Hand Seals using Kunai, Shuriken, and the like.

But at that moment, the Iwa ninja suddenly chose to flee in unison.

Cloud ninja was caught off guard and reacted a beat too slow.

The leader was still subconsciously trying to figure out where things had gone wrong.

By the time he realized what was happening and ordered everyone to give chase, the Iwa ninja had already run dozens of meters away.

The Cloud ninja still haven't used any Ninjutsu. The Iwa ninja haven't made much of a commotion yet, so the Cloud ninja are still planning to fight silently.

The fifteen people on the left slope of the Cloud ninja were the first to rush out, while those on the right were a little slower because they received the order.

Therefore, the Cloud ninja's pursuit team was divided into two echelons, one in front and one behind.

The Cloud ninja were generally faster than the Iwa ninja. Although the Iwa ninja started running, they gradually closed the gap after about a hundred meters.

Just as the Cloud ninja were about to connect with the Iwa ninja.

A buzzing sound, like a swarm of bees, suddenly erupted from both sides of the eight Cloud ninja in the rear formation.

Accompanying the sound of the Little Bee were several Area of Effect Ninjutsu.

Clusters of small flames densely covered the eight Cloud ninja from one side.

At the same time, countless Ice Style: Ice Needles were fired at the eight Cloud ninja without restraint.

The three of them immediately unleashed their most powerful wide-range attacks.

Especially Haku, who immediately unleashed a B-rank Ice Release, with power comparable to A-rank Ninjutsu.

Meanwhile, Bai's three subordinates set their sights on the dozen or so Cloud ninja charging ahead.

The Ninjutsu of three Chunin was naturally incapable of causing any harm to these dozen or so powerful Cloud ninja.

The three's objective was merely to temporarily prevent the first wave of Cloud ninja returning to reinforce.

The two squads of Iwa ninja who had been chased so far that they could escape quickly stopped and launched a large number of hidden weapons behind them.

Their goal was the same as Bai's subordinates: to entangle these Cloud ninja.

White plans to wipe out the eight Cloud ninja were lagging behind in this first wave of surprise attack.

Haku is confident in himself; he, Fujii Kusaka, Kamizuru Tsuruhime are all Elite Jonin.

Under the combined attack of the three, the eight unprepared Cloud ninja could not possibly escape.

After taking down these eight, the Iwa ninja will no longer be at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, so there's still a chance to fight.

The Land of Lightning is currently under the control of the Iwa ninja, and many Iwa ninja squads are carrying out missions to eliminate the Cloud ninja.

Once the commotion here is established, reinforcements will arrive quickly.

But what happened next was beyond Bai's expectations.

These eight backward Cloud ninja were not pushovers as Bai Zihua had imagined.

Three out of the eight managed to use Ninjutsu to defend themselves before the large-scale attack hit them.

Although the three of them only used low-level Ninjutsu, their speed was definitely that of Elite Jonin!

Three of the eight were Elite Jonin! Haku's heart sank.

Shiro, along with Fujii Kusaka and Kamizuru Tsuruhime, continued their attacks and launched another wave of attacks against the eight people.

However, the effect was worse than expected. After two rounds of attacks, four out of the eight people broke out of the three-person attack range.

Seeing that three Elite Jonin had escaped with a Chunin and reunited with the first echelon of more than ten Cloud ninja, all the Iwa ninja knew they were in trouble.

The Cloud ninja in the first wave were suddenly ambushed, and they instinctively chose to defend instead of retaliating, so the Iwa ninja suffered no casualties.

However, the sheer strength displayed by the first-tier Cloud ninja still surprised all the Iwa ninja.

Of those dozen or so Cloud ninja, at least half Jonin, and many of them were Elite Jonin.

Haku has really bitten off more than he can chew this time. This wave of Cloud ninja is definitely one of the largest forces after the destruction of Kumogakure.

After two rounds of combat, the Cloud ninja had a clear understanding of the Iwa ninja's strength.

In an instant, the roles reversed.

"Don't hold back, finish this quickly, then move on!" A furious low shout came from the Cloud ninja.

Then, all the Cloud ninja launched an attack on the Iwa ninja at both ends.

Upon seeing this, Bai immediately shouted, "Everyone, scatter and retreat!"

"Tsuruhime, Kusaka, come with me to cover the rear."

It was obvious that the Iwa ninja had no chance of winning if they continued fighting; it was better to run away than to fight to the death.

Bai's order was given promptly, but it wasn't very effective because the Cloud ninja's advantage was too obvious.

As the two Iwa ninja squads and Haku's three subordinates quickly retreated, many Cloud ninja immediately gave chase.

It's clear from their speed that the Cloud ninja who were chasing them were stronger than the Iwa ninja.

At this point, the two sides were not far apart, making it almost impossible for the Iwa ninja to escape.

The remaining Cloud ninja then charged towards Bai and his two companions.

Before Haku's side even engaged in combat, screams of agony from the Iwa ninja could be heard.

Bai's gaze turned cold, and he quickly Hand Seals. Knowing that he was about to unleash Kamizuru Tsuruhime immediately had the Little Bee surround the group for defense.

Meanwhile, Fujii Kusaka used Fire Release, creating another warning line within the Little Bee's defensive circle with a large number of small fireballs.

The Little Bee intercept Ninjutsu, and the small fireballs block the close-combat ninja's attacks. This was a tactic the three of them used to employ.

"One of them is Ice Release ninja, and the other is a bee-controlling ninja from the Kamizuru Clan."

"These three are Earth Shadow's disciple. Kill them to avenge everyone."

The distinctive features of Kamizuru Tsuruhime and Haku's fighting styles were too obvious, and some Cloud ninja had already identified them.

Cloud ninja's hatred for Yichen was so intense that it could be described in three days and three nights.

Two Raikage have been killed by Iwa ninja, and tens of thousands of their comrades have died at their hands in recent years. Even villages with decades of history have been conquered by Iwa ninja.

And all of this was caused by Yichen, the Tsuchikage.

When the others heard that this was a disciple of Yichen, their eyes turned bloodshot.

With the enemy right in front of us, when else would we fight to the death if not now?

Some took a few steps back to prepare advanced Ninjutsu, while others simply took out Exploding Tag and charged forward recklessly.

After the fall of Kumogakure, the Cloud ninja fled in all directions. Some went into hiding among the common people, some fled to other countries, and some were rescued by Kakashi's men and taken to the Land of Fire.

Those who remained in the Land of Lightning were all ruthless individuals determined to Iwa ninja to the death! They felt there was no hope for revival, and each harbored the idea of dragging someone down with them, even if it meant their own demise.

Therefore, the Cloud ninja went all out from the start, and some Cloud ninja Iwa ninja around and joined the attack after hearing about the identities of Haku and the other two.

The two melee Cloud ninja the Little Bee and charged straight into the Kamizuru Tsuruhime, a completely suicidal attack.

Fortunately, the three of them had a two-layered defense, which allowed the two to Wind Release: Breakthrough the Little Bee's defenses, only to be hit head-on by several small fireballs.

The two Cloud ninja immediately let out a scream, as Fujii Kusaka's soul-scorching flames were completely undefendable.

The pain caused by a wounded soul cannot be overcome simply by having a strong will.

The two quickly collapsed to the ground, unable to ignite the Exploding Tag in their hands, and were then killed instantly by two Kunai from Kamizuru Tsuruhime.

But just then, three Lightning Release landed swiftly on the same spot in the Little Bee defense line, creating a huge gap in the line.

Immediately, a large number of Kunai and Shuriken shot in through the gap.

Fortunately, this wave of attacks was inaccurate, Kamizuru Tsuruhime rushed forward to block several Shuriken.

By the time the second wave of attacks from the Cloud ninja arrived, Kamizuru Tsuruhime had already plugged the gap.

At this point, all three of them had sustained minor cuts from the hidden weapons.

Boom! Two explosions rang out, and two waves of Exploding Tag blasted two huge empty areas in the Little Bee's defense line.

Seeing this, Kamizuru Tsuruhime and Fujii Kusaka stood on either side of the gap to block the incoming attack for Shiro.

Bai was alarmed upon seeing this. Both of them were ninjas who fought from a distance. Although they had never stopped their basic training at Yichen's request, their Chunin level.

It was impossible for the two of them to block the Cloud ninja's attack unscathed.

Sure enough, the next moment, soft popping sounds rang out from the two of them.

Both of them were infected.

As the two were hit, the two defensive barriers surrounding the three of them rapidly dissipated.

Cloud ninja were overjoyed and immediately launched an even fiercer attack.

And because the Little Bee that were blocking their view dispersed, the Cloud ninja's attack was no longer as inaccurate as before; they directly targeted Bai.

"Ice Release - Ice Release: Exploding Wind Ice Dragon!" Bai shouted.

Then a giant dragon head made of ice blocks quickly formed beneath their feet, lifting them up.

The ice dragon appeared just in time, taking the three of them into the air before the Cloud ninja's attack could even begin.

The Cloud ninja's attacks all landed on the Ice Dragon's massive body, only knocking off some ice shards.

"Damn it, this is at least an A-rank Ice Release, and its power is almost S-rank! Quickly use Area of Effect Ninjutsu to suppress it!"

"Such a massive Ice Release technique must consume a lot of Chakra. Hold on, wear him down!"

The domineering nature of Kekkei Genkai ninja was fully revealed in Haku.

The A-rank Ninjutsu that the Cloud ninja had also spent a lot of time Hand Seals to perform were easily smashed apart by the ice dragon's tail.

The power of the Ice Release exceeded the Cloud ninja's expectations; the ice Cloud ninja did not dissipate immediately but continued to attack them.

The white ice dragon wasn't a one-time use item; it was similar to the Iwa ninja's S-rank Ninjutsu, the Gōriki Shiki no Jutsu, allowing it to be controlled by the user in battle.

Moreover, this ice dragon was able to regenerate even after being broken by several powerful attacks from the Cloud ninja.

Bai continuously Hand Seals atop the ice dragon's head, controlling it to rampage and lash out, wantonly slaughtering the Cloud ninja.

Meanwhile, Fujii Kusaka was tending to Kamizuru Tsuruhime's injuries.

She herself was injured, but not fatally. However, Kamizuru Tsuruhime was not so lucky; she was hit in the internal organs by a Kunai and is now in critical condition.

Haku also noticed this, and while fighting, he used a portion of his Ice Release to freeze half of Kamizuru Tsuruhime's body.

This is not a long-term solution, but it can temporarily prolong the life of Kamizuru Tsuruhime.

Seeing this, Fujii Kusaka finally had time to treat her injuries.

Although their lives are no longer in immediate danger, the biggest crisis for the three is not yet over.

After the initial chaos, the Cloud ninja had adapted to the Ice Dragon's attacks. They scattered and no longer fought the Ice Dragon head-on.

Instead, they used Ninjutsu to slowly restrict the ice dragon's movements, intending to wage a war of attrition.

The Ice Dragon initially killed quite a few Cloud ninja, but its effectiveness has diminished significantly since then.

The Ice Dragon's main purpose is actually to buy time, preventing the Cloud ninja from attacking them.

As time went by, his pale face lost all color.

Clearly, controlling this enormous ice dragon was a huge burden for him; as the ice dragon charged left and right, wreaking havoc, it was also draining his Chakra.

But he couldn't stop; if the Ice Dragon slowed down even slightly, the Cloud ninja's attack would come.

The Cloud ninja also noticed Bai's state, and they were all extremely excited. Victory was just around the corner, and they would be able to kill Yichen's disciple today.

Killing Yichen is hopeless, but killing his disciple should at least cause him pain.

"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!" Just then, a unified shout rang out from afar.

The voice sounded very familiar; it belonged to Neji's beloved yet exasperated older sister Uzumaki Riori.

"Run! It's Iwa ninja Uzumaki Riori, Elite Jonin Iwagakure!" someone among the remaining Cloud ninja shouted in alarm.

They all saw the flames that almost dyed the sky red, and the Cloud ninja were terrified.

Although both are Elite Jonin, Uzumaki Riori is considered by the Cloud ninja to be no less dangerous than Kage Level.

The Cloud ninja dared to outnumber the three White Ones, but none of them were willing to face Uzumaki Riori.

The Cloud ninja quickly scattered and fled, and those who were slow to escape were engulfed by the massive Great Fireball Jutsu.

The three of them stood atop the ice dragon's head, thus escaping the dragon's ravages.

Seeing that the Cloud ninja fled, Bai forced himself to relax, and the ice dragon beneath his feet shattered instantly, causing the three of them to fall from the sky together.

Fortunately, there Uzumaki Riori rushing down from below, and they managed to catch the three of them.

Upon seeing that Fujii Kusaka and Kamizuru Tsuruhime were injured, many of Uzumaki Riori clamored, "Hurry and save them!"

"Take them back to headquarters!"

"Let's go find Karin and Sakura!"

"Karin is at headquarters!"

Should we start CPR?

Uzumaki Riori came alone, without Shion by her side, so the scene was extremely chaotic at one point.

A moment later, under the command of Fujii Kusaka, the Uzumaki Riori, along with their two wounded and exhausted Shiro, quickly headed to the Command Center of the Land of Lightning to besiege the Cloud ninja.

Sakura and Karin are now the two most skilled in Medical Ninjutsu in Iwagakure.

The Land of Lightning is considered the front line of the battlefield, so the two take turns sitting in the front-line Command Center.

The person here today is Karin; she just used her Mystical Palm Technique to treat an injured person's arm.

Hearing some commotion outside, he came out of the tent.

Karin was shocked to see a large Uzumaki Riori rushing towards the makeshift medical station. She shouted, "Teacher Riori, stop! Dispel the Shadow Clone!"

After Uzumaki Riori released her Shadow Clone, the three people, including Fujii Kusaka, who were being carried, were all thrown to the ground.

Poor Kamizuru Tsuruhime, who had been stabilizing her injuries with her Ice Release and maintaining her life force, almost died from the fall.

Fortunately, it was Karin who was there. Without saying a word, Karin rolled up her sleeves and let Kamizuru Tsuruhime bite her.

If Sakura were here, Kamizuru Tsuruhime might not have been saved today.

A moment later, Kamizuru Tsuruhime, Karin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She glared at Uzumaki Riori while wiping the sweat from her brow.

Uzumaki Riori realized she had almost caused trouble, and feeling a little embarrassed, she stood to the side with her head down, not saying a word.

It was as if Karin was the teacher and she was the disciple.

Karin used Medical Ninjutsu to treat Fujii Kusaka and Haku before she had time to ask about their experiences.

Before Bai and the others could speak, Uzumaki Riori vividly described how she used her Shadow Clone and Great Dragon Fire Technique to wreak havoc on all sides.

Karin was somewhat speechless, but she still patiently listened to what Uzumaki Riori had to say.

Only after Uzumaki Riori finished speaking did Shiro have a chance to interject.

When Karin heard that Karin and his team had encountered so many formidable enemies, she was taken aback. She said, "It seems we really owe a lot to Teacher Riori."

"If it were someone else, even if they provided support, it might not be of any use."

Uzumaki Riori was delighted to hear this, and she quickly and cheerfully said, "Right, right? I'm the best!"

"Karin, would you like to reconsider learning the Great Fireball Technique?"