Five nights later, Tōka let out a long breath, grinning so widely he could barely close his mouth as he held three Sealing Scrolls.
"I'm not a one-shot man anymore! This time, I'll make you feel amazing!" Tōka's eyes gleamed, and a strange smile curled across his lips.
The three Sealing Scrolls contained three shots of All-Killing Ash Bones: Earth Spear Pierce.
The bone spears pierced everything within a hundred-meter radius. Releasing one would clear out a hundred-meter area.
Sealing Scrolls had both advantages and disadvantages. Their advantage was that, in theory, they could store an unlimited number of ninjutsu. They only needed to be released in battle, without consuming vast amounts of chakra.
Their drawback was equally obvious: Sealing Scrolls were incredibly inconvenient.
Moreover, aside from someone like Tōka—whose chakra was at the level of a Genin but possessed the power to instantly kill opponents of any rank—they were practically useless to everyone else.
Genin with insufficient chakra naturally lacked attack power. Even if they stored some ninjutsu in advance, it would not be very powerful.
Jonin with sufficient chakra had enough offensive power, but forming hand seals themselves was much faster than using a Sealing Scroll.
What was more, battles between experts were often decided in an instant.
By the time victory or defeat was determined, chakra would not even be exhausted. Rather than waste time releasing a ninjutsu from a Sealing Scroll, they might as well rush in and slash their opponent.
Tōka did not intend to use these three scrolls in battle either. Even if he had to use them, he would hide somewhere and do it secretly.
The density of ninjas on the battlefield was enormous. A wide-range technique like All-Killing Ash Bones: Earth Spear Pierce could kill a whole swath of people with a casual throw.
Screeeech!
Suddenly, a strange, piercing sound rang throughout the entire camp.
"A rally signal?" Tōka's expression shifted slightly. Had the Sunagakure Shinobi attacked? Why would the rally signal sound?
After a brief moment of confusion, Tōka flashed toward the center of the camp.
No matter what, he would find out once he got there.
After a few leaps, Tōka arrived outside Tsunade's tent.
There were thousands of Konoha ninjas, a dark mass of shoulder-to-shoulder figures.
Tōka was too short to see what was happening ahead.
The camp was somewhat noisy. It seemed that no one understood why they had suddenly been summoned in the middle of the night.
"Looks like no one has slacked off over these five days!" Tsunade nodded in satisfaction. Gathering everyone within a minute truly deserved to be called elite.
Facing Sunagakure alone, everyone in the Konoha Main Camp aside from Tōka was at least a Chunin.
Their reaction speed and battlefield discipline were naturally exceptional.
Hearing Tsunade's voice, everyone gradually quieted down.
"Then, we set off!" Tsunade waved her hand and shouted.
"Set off? Where are we going?"
"Princess Tsunade, what are we going to do?"
For a moment, everyone was utterly bewildered by Tsunade's words.
Jiraiya, standing nearby, said solemnly, "We're heading to Kikyo Mountain to wipe out the Sunagakure Shinobi!"
"What?!"
"Didn't you say seven days later?"
"Did I remember the date wrong?"
At once, the crowd erupted into noise again.
Tsunade raised her hand, signaling for silence.
"I did say seven days that day, but that was for certain people to hear!" Tsunade paused, a cold smile appearing on her lips.
Then she continued, "The real attack time was five days later—meaning now!!"
The Sunagakure Shinobi had abandoned their military fortress as soon as they accepted the challenge, instead stationing their entire army atop Kikyo Mountain.
In other words, the Sunagakure Shinobi held the advantageous terrain.
However, all of this had been within Shikaku Nara's calculations.
"But isn't this a little inappropriate?"
"Yeah, after all, we agreed on seven days later."
Just as the murmurs rose, a cold, sinister aura suddenly spread through the area.
Orochimaru licked the corner of his mouth, his face full of contemptuous mockery.
"Fools! There is only victory and defeat in battle, yet you still yearn for fairness?"
His green snake eyes swept across the crowd, and everyone held their breath.
Compared to Orochimaru's chilling presence, Tsunade was much gentler. At the very least, she was much more pleasing to look at.
"Lord Orochimaru is right. If we're talking about fairness, then the three great hidden villages of Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and the Stone Ninja joining forces to attack us isn't fair either, is it?"
Shikaku Nara stepped forward at the right moment to give the pre-battle rallying speech.
That was right. The three great ninja villages had already joined forces, so why should they bother talking about fairness with them?
Seeing the indignation on everyone's faces, Shikaku Nara added fuel to the fire and shouted, "Have you all forgotten how Lord Sakumo died?"
"How could we forget?"
"Kill those Sunagakure bastards!"
"That's right, destroy Sunagakure!!"
Just two simple sentences instantly ignited the fury in everyone's hearts.
Sakumo Hatake's death was a taboo in Konoha. At least until Sunagakure was crushed, it would remain the fuse of a powder keg.
One spark... and it would explode!
In terms of combat power, Shikaku Nara would not last ten moves against the Legendary Sannin. He might even be killed in a single strike.
But when it came to strategy, even the three Legendary Sannin combined could not compare to Shikaku Nara.
"Let's bring Konoha's hero home together!" Shikaku Nara raised both hands and called out.
Hearing this, everyone puffed out their cheeks, holding back a breath of anger.
There was only victory and defeat on the battlefield. Anyone who easily believed the enemy could only blame their own stupidity!
That was what it meant to say that all was fair in war!
"Then, we depart now!" Tsunade shouted, and the Konoha army officially set out.
To preserve the secrecy of the battle plan, Shikaku Nara only used Inoichi Yamanaka's secret technique to inform everyone once they had departed.
It was eight simple words.
Night raid, build momentum, encircle, annihilate!
Everyone was assigned detailed tasks down to the squad level. Shikaku Nara believed this battle would definitely make the Sunagakure Shinobi suffer!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!
Countless shadows left the Konoha Main Camp. With the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan serving as the eyes of the Konoha army,
they perfectly avoided the Sunagakure Shinobi's reconnaissance. Kikyo Mountain was right ahead...
Riiip!
Tōka tore open the secret letter Orochimaru had given him. There were two pages. One was meant to fulfill the earlier promise.
"The fundamental solution to insufficient chakra: first, Curse Marks; second, the Yin Seal." Tōka skimmed through it at a glance, and Orochimaru seemed to have guessed his choice.
The letter only included the cultivation method for the Yin Seal. As for Curse Marks, it merely explained the general principles to Tōka.
Besides, the Curse Mark at this stage was not perfect. It was the Earth Curse Mark.
Of the best methods to increase one's chakra reserves, the Yin Seal had long been the first choice.
"The Yin Seal?" Tōka pursed his lips, an unreadable glint flashing through his eyes.
It accumulated unused chakra onto the forehead. Once the technique succeeded, a diamond-shaped mark would appear.
The Yin Seal could finely regulate chakra, allowing instant healing, stronger attacks, and increased speed.
A skilled user could even use the low output and fine control of chakra within the Hundred Healings Mark to preserve their youth, enhance their physical functions, and keep their body at its peak condition.
The Yin Seal was a Sealing Technique, an auxiliary-type S-rank technique.
"Forget it, I'll keep it for now." Tōka was somewhat disappointed. After all, the Yin Seal was not suitable for him to train right now.
He already did not have enough chakra to use. Where would he get spare chakra to store?
As for what Orochimaru had traded with Tsunade to obtain it, that had nothing to do with Tōka.
After memorizing the Yin Seal's cultivation method, Tōka burned the letter and took out the second page.
The second page contained this mission's task...
"Survive, and you'll become a Chunin!"
Those brief nine words carried a deeper meaning.
Tōka stared at them expressionlessly. Survive...
"I wonder whose idea this was?"
First, he ruled out Orochimaru. There was no way Uncle Snake would do something so boring. Then Jiraiya? Even less likely. If it involved researching material together, perhaps there would be a chance.
"Tsunade, or the Third Hokage?" Tōka pinched his chin and pondered...
The Konoha army had only eight thousand people in total. Facing nearly twice as many Sunagakure Shinobi, they were at an absolute numerical disadvantage.
However, the weakest Konoha ninjas were Chunin. They had not sent large numbers of Genin as cannon fodder in this battle.
In other words, Konoha's four-man squads were all elite squads, composed of one Jonin and three Chunin.
The Sunagakure Shinobi held an absolute advantage in numbers, but their four-man squad formations were far inferior.
Most standard squads consisted of one Jonin and three Genin. Some were ordinary squads, made up of one Chunin and three Genin.
Ordinary squads were undoubtedly cannon fodder on the battlefield!
For this decisive battle against Sunagakure, Konoha had specifically and secretly recalled Orochimaru from the Land of Water battlefield in the eastern Land of Fire.
The goal was to seize the Sunagakure Shinobi with lightning speed, then turn toward the other two nations.
Tsunade remained at the rear, using Katsuyu to heal the wounded while gathering intelligence.
Shikaku Nara served as strategist, Inoichi Yamanaka transmitted messages with his secret technique, and Choza Akimichi guarded the commanders. Aside from the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and two elite squads protecting them, every other unit entered battle.
Konoha's various divisions had already infiltrated their designated positions beneath the cover of night...
Whoosh!!
At three in the morning, while the Sunagakure Shinobi were sleeping soundly,
a signal flare shot into the sky.
Boom!
The flare exploded, its blaze painting half the sky red.
"Attack!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!
From every direction around Kikyo Mountain, countless shadows darted upward like ghosts.
Pfft, pfft, pfft!!
The sentries around the Sunagakure Shinobi camp fell in response, and the battle began at that moment!
Tōka was part of the assault force. Strangely, he had not been assigned to any four-man squad.
Four-man squad formations were not particularly useful on the battlefield, but they at least allowed their members to look out for one another.
However, none of that was what Tōka needed to consider right now.
What he needed to consider was how he was supposed to survive!
After thinking it over and over, Tōka could not come up with a good solution.
"This is giving me a headache. That old bastard Ebizo has been keeping an eye on me!" Tōka glanced at the figures around him. Konoha's brothers were really far too straightforward.
They called it an assault force, but it would be more accurate to call it a suicide force.
Why not wait for the others to rush in and wear down a wave of enemies first, then follow after them to pick up kills?
Tōka gradually slowed down. Rush in first to deal damage, then let someone else take the kills?
What kind of international joke was that? Tōka could never be such a good person!
Besides, in the eyes of the Sunagakure Shinobi, Tōka was like a delicious bun. Whoever saw him wanted to take a bite.
The hundred-million-ryo bounty on the black market had not been posted for nothing. Tōka was ninety percent sure that old bastard Ebizo had issued it!
So, Tōka decided...
Rustle!
He pulled out the scroll tied to his pant leg, then quickly unfurled it. Before they came into contact with the Sunagakure Shinobi army, while his companions were still around to cover him,
"Let's start with a big move!"
Tōka spread out the scroll in his hand. After forming hand seals to activate the unsealing formula, he flicked his wrist and threw it toward the Sunagakure Shinobi camp like a grenade.
An aura of decay and death instantly spread outward.
"All-Killing Ash Bones: Earth Spear Pierce!!"
Pfft, pfft, pfft...
Within a hundred-meter radius, gray bones as thick as arms burst through the ground like bamboo shoots after rain.
Time seemed to freeze. Wherever the ash bones passed, all life decayed.
Hundreds of Sunagakure Shinobi were struck, turning into heaps of paper-like scraps that were swept into the distance by the wind.
The Konoha assault force froze briefly, then their morale surged as they charged forward even more fearlessly.
It was also because of Tōka's big move that the Konoha assault force was discovered while they were still more than thirty steps away from the Sunagakure Shinobi camp.
The first wave of the infiltration and assassination plan had only succeeded halfway!
"Tch, I'm really sorry!~" Tōka said he was sorry, but there was not the slightest trace of regret on his face.
Better a dead friend than a dead me. After tossing out one Sealing Scroll,
Tōka immediately dodged to the side, preparing to wait for an opportunity.
However, several powerful auras had locked onto Tōka the instant he threw out the Sealing Scroll.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!
As Konoha and the Sunagakure Shinobi clashed at close range, three Sunagakure Jonin abandoned the Konoha ninjas beside them and charged straight at Tōka.
"Holy crap!" Tōka was on the verge of collapse. He truly wanted to slap himself.
Why did he have to play the hero for no reason?
My brain must have short-circuited just now!
Tōka sped up beneath his feet. A chaotic melee was the deadliest kind of battle.
You could never know who, where, or when someone would stab you in the back.
"Should I fire another shot?" Tōka pinched the Sealing Scroll tied to his pant leg, weighing whether it was worth using against three jonin.
The thought had barely crossed his mind before he abandoned it.
Activating the Sealing Scroll took longer than using ninjutsu himself. Not only was it inconvenient, but the movement was far too obvious.
And the ones chasing him were Sunagakure Shinobi jonin. Tōka truly had no confidence that he could take them down.
"If that's the case, I'll switch moves!" Gritting his teeth, Tōka flung out several bone bullets in rapid succession.
He did not intend to hit the three of them, only to force them back and buy himself time.
With a whoosh, Tōka seized the moment while the three dodged the bone bullets and plunged headfirst into the depths of the forest.
Suddenly!!
Something thick, long, and soft dropped from above, landing right on Tōka's shoulder. It startled him so badly that he nearly used Hedgehog Style on the spot.
Looking closely, Tōka realized it was a Slug Clone!
"Lady Tsunade activated the Hundred Healings Mark?"
Tōka noticed that the other Konoha shinobi also had Slug Clones on them. After silently complaining about the waste, he wore an expression of sudden realization.
Tsunade had Hemophobia. This was different from the earlier mission to infiltrate and burn supplies.
In a bloody battle like this, she could not possibly take the field herself. Keeping her chakra unused would be a waste; supporting them from the rear and playing to her strengths was the best choice.
Feeling warmth spread through his body, Tōka narrowed his eyes.
With a slug around, he had far more options in battle! (To be continued)
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