Encirclement and Annihilation!

Nawaki's squad consisted of one Jonin and three elite Chunin, making them an elite unit even among hunting squads.

Their captain, Kazuya, was well balanced in ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu. He had rich experience in combat and command, along with a powerful battle instinct.

Their member Chiku excelled at ninjutsu and reconnaissance, while Yuta specialized in Taijutsu and traps, and Nawaki rounded them out as the more all-purpose fighter.

Their lineup's advantage was that they could attack when advancing and escape when retreating.

They had been carefully selected by Orochimaru, each one an elite at their own level.

They could provide Nawaki with a certain degree of guidance and protection as he grew.

Two days passed just like that. During that time, Nawaki's squad clashed several times with Rock Village reconnaissance and hunting squads. Sometimes they won; sometimes they were surrounded and pursued.

Fortunately, their captain was experienced, and there were no casualties.

This also gave Nawaki a much clearer understanding of slaughter on the battlefield.

Every second truly counted. A single lapse could lead to his own death or that of a teammate.

The pressure on his mind was enormous!

He finally understood why his teacher and sister had always refused to let him go to the battlefield.

That evening, their squad pursued a Rock Village squad they had detected.

Tsunade and Orochimaru, who were secretly protecting them, also followed.

However, along the way, the two of them, with their rich combat experience, clearly sensed that something was wrong.

This Rock Village squad seemed to be deliberately guiding Nawaki's squad.

But Orochimaru and Tsunade did not pay it much mind, treating it as a lesson for Nawaki.

With the two of them there, even if something unexpected happened, they could rescue them in time.

They were too confident!

After tracking them for a while, Captain Kazuya called a halt in time. He had also noticed that something was off.

After a brief clash, this squad had seemed to flee because they could not win, but their speed was not slow, and Nawaki's group had never managed to catch up.

Instead, they had kept dangling far ahead of them.

Although it was discovered in time, the Rock Village's preparations were already in place.

The great net had begun to tighten, and Kazuya's squad would find it very hard to escape, because the surrounding Rock Village ninja had long since been mobilized and had formed an encirclement.

The Rock Village's eight-man elite Jonin squad was also already in position.

At a signal from Kazuya's eyes, Chiku began investigating with all his strength and instantly discovered some enemies hidden in the distance.

He immediately reported to Kazuya that there was an ambush and suggested they retreat at once.

Just as Kazuya made the decision to retreat, the Rock Village squad that had originally been fleeing saw them stop and begin scouting, then turned back and pressed in directly.

They clearly did not want to give them a chance to escape.

Orochimaru and Tsunade also realized something was wrong. There were more and more Rock Village ninja around them!

And they were coming from every direction, forming an encirclement!

If not for the two of them being there, Kazuya's squad would definitely die!

At this moment, the two of them had no time to think further and immediately leapt toward Nawaki not far away!

"Trying to leave? Did you ask us?" The Rock Village ninja pressed forward and clung tightly to Kazuya's squad.

The two Rock Village squads hidden not far away also rushed over to support them.

"Earth Release, Earth Dragon Spear!" A two-meter-long earth-yellow spear burst out of the ground and stabbed toward Nawaki.

"Water Release, Water Bullet!" Nawaki used a Body Flicker Technique to dodge at high speed, then countered with a Water Release.

Smack! A section of wooden stake fell in place, while the Rock Village ninja appeared several meters away, also dodging Nawaki's attack.

"Ninja Art, Cracked Earth Turning Palm!" The ground beneath Nawaki's feet split open in an instant, and a stone pillar smashed toward him.

"Water Release, Water Severing Wave!" Nawaki leapt high, avoiding the range of the ninjutsu, and rapidly formed hand seals.

A stream of high-frequency vibrating water instantly cut toward the Rock Village ninja.

This was the Second Generation Tobirama Senju's S-rank ninjutsu, but Nawaki was not very skilled with it yet. Its speed was not fast enough, and its power was far from sufficient.

Even so, against a Chunin, it was already strong enough.

"Earth Release, Earth Style Wall!" The Rock Village ninja formed seals and slapped both hands onto the ground. A thick earthen wall rose from the surface, blocking Nawaki's Water Severing Wave.

Using the blocked line of sight, he quickly used the Clone Technique, leaving a clone in place while his real body used Earth Release to burrow underground.

Nawaki's Water Severing Wave cut open the Rock Village ninja's earthen wall, but the Rock Village ninja's clone dodged it. It even pressed forward and attacked with Taijutsu.

The clone's purpose was to confuse and tie down Nawaki, giving the hidden real body a chance to kill him in one strike.

Fortunately, Nawaki was highly focused and was not fooled, but he was still wounded in the arm by the Rock Village ninja, greatly affecting his strength.

A young rookie like him, newly arrived on the battlefield, was bound to suffer badly once he ran into an old hand of the same combat level.

This squad of ninja was far stronger than they had shown before. Their strength and combat experience were not below Kazuya's squad at all!

The captain and his two companions had also been tied down by the Rock Village ninja and dragged into a bitter fight. They couldn't break free!

In just a few short minutes, they had fallen into the encirclement of several Rock Village squads and were in grave danger!

Tsunade and Orochimaru also quickly appeared near the battlefield, ready to rescue them.

But before they could make a move, eight Rock Village Jonin squads that had long been lying in ambush rushed over at top speed to intercept them.

"Wind Style, Wind Blade!"

"Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique!"

"Earth Style, Earth Dragon Spear!"

"Lightning Style, False Darkness!"

A huge wave of ninjutsu came sweeping toward Tsunade and Orochimaru, blocking them when they were only a stone's throw away.

"One Layer, Rashomon!" Orochimaru slammed both hands onto the ground, and a black-and-red gate with a demon face rose from the earth, blocking the barrage of ninjutsu.

"All of you, get out of my way!" Tsunade had no intention of stopping. She leaped into the air and thrust out her left leg in a Heavenly Lifespan Foot.

None of the Rock Village ninja blocking her dared to take it head-on. All of them used Body Flicker or the Substitution Technique to dodge.

Boom! The ground beneath Tsunade's foot was kicked into pieces. She really was frantic!

"It's my sister and teacher! They're here!" Nawaki heard the furious voice not far away and also saw the towering Rashomon.

The other squad members also knew Orochimaru had arrived, and the hope that had just died in them flared up again.

The brief but fierce clash had been extremely unfavorable for Nawaki and the others. All four of them were wounded, and the three squads surrounding and killing them were all elites!

On top of that, every one of them was fearless, trading injury for injury. No one knew why they were acting so madly!

Through Chiku's perception, more ninja were still arriving one after another!

The longer this dragged on, the worse it would be for them!

Seeing that Nawaki and the others not far away had already suffered wounds in many places, Orochimaru and Tsunade were enraged as well!

"Summoning Technique!"

"Summoning Technique!"

The two bit their fingers and formed seals in succession, summoning their assistants.

Because the eight Jonin of the Rock Village were no pushovers, and with their rich combat experience and tacit coordination, it was impossible to break through their obstruction in a short time.

After all, the title of Sannin did not refer only to them, but also to their Summoning Beasts!

But things were somewhat beyond Tsunade and Orochimaru's expectations.

Tsunade did not summon the enormous Slug. Instead, she only summoned a Slug clone as tall as a person.

Orochimaru also did not summon Manda, but instead summoned a comparatively weaker giant snake.

While they worked hard to change their fate, fate was also constantly adding difficulties for them.

Furious, Tsunade immediately questioned Slug, asking why the larger main body had not come to support them!

Orochimaru's Summoning Beast Manda being disobedient was one thing, but how could Slug also drop the ball at such a critical moment?

However, there was not much time to think. Nawaki and the others had little time left, and the Rock Village ninja were still arriving in an endless stream!

The situation was greatly unfavorable, hanging by a thread!