Night Raid and Ambush

Late at night, a waning moon hid behind dark clouds, plunging the entire valley into pitch-black darkness.

Several strange birdcalls rang out: "Cuckoo, cuckoo." As expected, Iwagakure's raiding force had crept in under cover of darkness.

They believed they had gone unnoticed, unaware that they had already stepped into a carefully arranged trap laid by Konoha's ninja.

Boom! Boom! Boom! A series of deafening explosions suddenly erupted.

Rocks and flames shot into the air, and more than a dozen Iwagakure ninja at the very front were either killed or wounded on the spot.

The fiery blasts lit up the night sky and revealed the targets to the Konoha ninja lying in ambush.

Seizing the opportunity, they unleashed large-scale Wind-Fire Combination Jutsu in succession.

Fire Style: Majestic Fire Dragon Jutsu!

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!

Wind Style: Wind Cutter Jutsu!

For a time, fire dragons intertwined with violent winds. Blazing flames churned through the valley, completely engulfing Iwagakure's vanguard in a sea of fire.

Faced with such a fierce assault, Iwagakure refused to be outdone and swiftly organized its Earth Release ninja to defend.

Earth Style: Ten Thousand Mile Earth Wall!

Earth Style: Ten Thousand Mile Earth Wall!

As Earth Style: Ten Thousand Mile Earth Wall was unleashed, the Iwagakure ninja spat out vast amounts of earth, instantly raising a long earthen wall before their formation. It blocked most of the flames and protected the troops behind it.

Immediately afterward, the Iwagakure ninja used Earth Style: Earth-Splitting Palm, pouring chakra into the ground.

In an instant, the ground ahead split and heaved continuously, as though it were being plowed over and over by a massive plow. Earth and stone were hurled high into the air.

Amid the shaking earth and trembling mountains, the Explosive Tag traps Konoha had planted beforehand were triggered, detonating one after another.

"Report! The traps within fifty meters ahead have been cleared. Shall we continue the attack?"

Kitsuchi was Iwagakure's overall commander this time. He was the son of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. Standing 2.17 meters tall and weighing 120.5 kilograms, he was built like a monster.

Standing atop the earthen wall created by Earth Style: Ten Thousand Mile Earth Wall, he stared straight ahead and waved his hand. "The explosions just now didn't last very long. That means the enemy didn't set many traps, which is unusual. Stay alert. Send out some Earth Clones to probe ahead first, then have the main force follow slowly!"

"Understood!"

Following the order, Iwagakure's jonin began forming hand seals and using Earth Release: Earth Clone. These Earth Clones could sense the situation ahead, and even if they were destroyed, there would be no casualties. They were Iwagakure's usual reconnaissance method in unfamiliar terrain.

The first line of defense had been meant to stall for time and drain the enemy's chakra.

Seeing Iwagakure deploy Earth Release: Earth Clones, Konoha's jonin immediately used Explosive Tag kunai to clear them out with precision strikes.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosions rang out without pause as hundreds of Earth Clones were blown apart and vanished.

When the number of Earth Clones began to dwindle, Uchiha Sanpo made a series of "coo-coo" sounds, signaling everyone to begin withdrawing.

"Report! Group C's Earth Clones were completely destroyed sixty meters ahead!"

"Report! Group A's Earth Clones engaged the enemy one hundred meters ahead. The enemy appears to be preparing to establish another defensive line there!"

As reports from the front kept coming in, Iwagakure's overall commander Kitsuchi habitually rubbed his head, then turned to the female secretary beside him. "Hanakiro, these Konoha ninja are acting very strangely. Analyze it for me. What are they trying to do?"

Although Hanakiro was only twenty-two, she was an experienced female jonin. Her delicate brows were slightly furrowed as she calmly watched the flickering firelight in the distance.

Hanakiro

"When we entered the enemy's first defensive line, they used combination jutsu to ambush us. Judging by the range and power of those jutsu, they should have deployed around five hundred jonin for the ambush. Now that they've fallen back to one hundred meters away, it's obvious they intend to fight us there again!"

Kitsuchi frowned in confusion. "But what can they gain by facing a larger force with fewer men?"

Hanakiro replied cautiously, "The night is dark, visibility is poor, and we are fighting on their territory. They've deployed over five hundred jonin in ambush, so they clearly intend to use elite forces to wear us down. If we force our chunin and genin to fight head-on, the casualties will definitely be severe. Their goal should be to force us to send out jonin as well and fight an elite battle against them."

Kitsuchi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I see... But jonin chakra is limited too. Generally speaking, after using jutsu ten to twenty times in a row, a jonin's chakra will be exhausted. What exactly are they trying to achieve by burning through their chakra at any cost?"

Hanakiro looked toward the shadowy battle in the distance and replied, "A jonin without chakra is only marginally stronger than a chunin. If both sides engage in a large-scale battle, the casualties will certainly be devastating. Perhaps they want to force us to retreat this way, so we can't let them dictate the pace. We need to organize elite jonin to attack and tear open a gap in their line. That way, we can make use of our numerical advantage."

Kitsuchi was only twenty-five now, at the age of youthful passion and hot blood.

After hearing Hanakiro's analysis, he shouted, "Good! We'll do as you say! I'll personally lead the elite jonin in the charge. You stay behind and command the main force to follow!"

With that, Kitsuchi stretched his body, his knuckles cracking loudly. His excited gaze burned with fierce fighting spirit, like a giant bear about to pounce on its prey.

Hanakiro, standing nearby, knew Kitsuchi's personality well. She knew that no one could stop him now.

She could only sigh helplessly. "Understood! I'll issue the orders at once. The moment a breach opens up ahead, launch the full assault!"

As a series of orders went out, Iwagakure's ninja rapidly finished assembling.

Kitsuchi took the lead, charging with this elite squad toward the weak point in Konoha's defensive line.

"Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo!" Urgent birdcalls rang out. This was the signal for an emergency retreat upon encountering a powerful enemy.

Uchiha Sanpo was bold and highly skilled. He raced toward the source of the signal and soon encountered two familiar faces.

While retreating, Uchiha Yakumi said, "Sanpo, retreat quickly! Iwagakure's overall commander, Kitsuchi, has broken through the right-wing defense with more than a dozen elite jonin and is charging this way."

The Sharingan could perceive the flow of chakra. Uchiha Sanpo looked toward the distant battle and discovered that Kitsuchi had at least twice as much chakra as he did.

No wonder the Earth Release jutsu he used were so powerful.

After thinking it over, Sanpo knew he was no match for the enemy right now, so he retreated together with Uchiha Yakumi and the others...