Konoha Accepts the Challenge

Upon hearing the alert from the Hyuga branch family ninja, all the surrounding Konoha shinobi felt a jolt of alarm and immediately broke into formation, gathering together in their respective squads.

Nara Suzaku, acting as the temporary commander, quickly moved to the center of the camp to organize the Konoha forces for a counterattack.

Just then, dozens of dark shadows flickered into view as a large number of Kirigakure Ninja appeared before the Konoha group.

Leading them was Terumi Mei, her crimson hair strikingly conspicuous. Standing at her sides were Ao and Uesugi Shinji; these three were the core figures of this Kirigakure force.

"The Byakugan is truly a strategic resource; even the most covert operations are difficult to hide from the detection of the Hyuga clan," Ao said slowly.

At this moment, the meridians around his right eye bulged. Although a black eyepatch covered the eye, it was not hard to tell that he had activated the power of the Byakugan.

The two Hyuga branch members from Konoha stared at Ao with furious, murderous glares. They knew that the Byakugan he possessed had been plundered from a member of their own clan. Ao was on Konoha's wanted list, and killing him to reclaim or destroy that Byakugan was an unshirkable duty for every member of the Hyuga.

Terumi Mei's sharp gaze swept over the Konoha group. Namikaze Minato, whom she was most concerned about, was not present. This confirmed the feasibility of what Uesugi Shinji had suggested—that Namikaze Minato had already used the Flying Thunder God technique to provide support at Kannabi Bridge.

She felt a secret sense of relief that she had taken Uesugi Shinji's advice; if their side had merely remained in a passive standoff, they would have missed this opportunity to wipe out this Konoha unit.

The Konoha side organized their formation with great speed, standing ready in just over ten seconds, a testament to the truly excellent quality of the Konoha shinobi.

Nara Suzaku, acting as the temporary commander, walked to the front of his team with his two partners, Akimichi Tōshi and Yamanaka Santen. He looked at Terumi Mei and Uesugi Shinji with a grave expression. Although he felt deeply uneasy, Nara Suzaku managed to maintain a facade of composure.

The Terumi Mei before them possessed an astonishing aura; standing there, she seemed to be the center of the entire battlefield, drawing everyone's attention. Uesugi Shinji, by contrast, appeared much more restrained. His aura was hidden, yet it made Nara Suzaku and the other Konoha shinobi feel even more threatened.

A person's aura is largely derived from their reputation. The fact that Terumi Mei and Uesugi Shinji could exert such immense pressure on the Konoha shinobi present was because both had displayed sufficient power during this war, and their names had spread throughout the shinobi world.

I didn't realize these two from Kirigakure were so terrifying when I was by Minato's side. It looks like today will be a bitter struggle!

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Nara Suzaku's forehead. He knew his personal strength could not rival that of Terumi Mei or Uesugi Shinji, but fortunately, he could form the "Ino-Shika-Cho" battle formation with his two partners, and he believed they still had the strength to fight.

"Terumi Mei, your Kirigakure is disregarding the peace treaty signed after the Second Shinobi World War and invading our country without cause. What is your objective? Does the Land of Water still wish to cross the ocean to swallow our territory?" Nara Suzaku demanded coldly.

Terumi Mei sneered at these words: "Is the strategy of my Land of Water something you could possibly understand?"

Although Terumi Mei did not agree with the Mizukage's plan to attack the Land of Fire, when facing enemy shinobi, she naturally had to fully uphold the Mizukage's strategic policy and project an image of Kirigakure being united against a common foe.

Nara Suzaku wanted to continue, but Uesugi Shinji, standing beside Terumi Mei, said indifferently: "Don't forget that the Yellow Flash could appear at any moment."

The implication of Uesugi Shinji's words was that Konoha might be stalling for time. They did not know how long the Yellow Flash had been gone, and the enemy could return here at any moment using the Flying Thunder God technique.

They needed to cut the Gordian knot now; every moment of delay increased the variables!

At these words, Terumi Mei's gaze turned icy, and she decisively gave the order: "Kill!"

As Terumi Mei's voice fell, the Kirigakure Ninja launched a collective attack on the Konoha side, and the Konoha shinobi did not back down, launching their own counterattack.

The situation of this battle was vastly different from their first engagement in the valley of the Forest Fortress. Back then, Kirigakure had occupied a massive environmental advantage, not only by setting an ambush to form a pincer, but more importantly, by utilizing the narrow terrain of the canyon to create a water-filled environment akin to a lake.

But the current battlefield was a wide forest. Even if the entire Kirigakure force used the Great Waterfall Technique to try to alter the environment, they could not succeed; the water would flow away and vanish quickly.

Even without Namikaze Minato, their strongest fighter, the Konoha side still possessed the strength to barely hold their own against Kirigakure!

In skirmishes, shinobi typically fight in small squads. Soon, the shinobi from both sides found their respective opponents, carving the forest into dozens of small battlefields.

Because the Konoha side had been reinforced by many newcomers, they actually held a slight numerical advantage over Kirigakure. Seeing that his side was not showing signs of defeat, Nara Suzaku felt much more settled.

He kept his eyes locked on Terumi Mei and Uesugi Shinji, who had yet to make a move, determined to pin them down and buy time for his comrades.

Unlike Nara Suzaku's display of facing a formidable enemy, Uesugi Shinji's expression was calm, and his gaze was not on his opponent at all.

"I am going to execute that mission."

Uesugi Shinji looked at a young female ninja in the distance as he spoke. This girl was none other than Nohara Rin of Team Kakashi.

Terumi Mei nodded and said: "With the Yellow Flash gone, this is indeed the best time to execute this mission. Leave this place to me."

No sooner had Terumi Mei finished speaking than Uesugi Shinji's figure vanished from his spot, moving rapidly in the direction of Nohara Rin.

Nara Suzaku felt a chill in his heart and immediately shouted: "Stop him!"

He knew that if a master like Uesugi Shinji were left unchecked, he would inevitably place immense pressure on the other Konoha shinobi, and his side would likely be picked off one by one.

As the temporary commander, this pressure had to be borne by him—or rather, by his squad!

Standing behind Nara Suzaku, the stout Akimichi Tōshi clasped his hands together and roared: "Multi-Size Technique!"

His body instantly expanded several times over. Most miraculously, his armor and the weapon in his hands expanded in the same proportion.

This was the effect of the Akimichi clan's secret technique, the Multi-Size Technique!

At this moment, Akimichi Tōshi was not only several times larger, but his weight and physical strength had also increased exponentially, making him look like a giant, mobile fortress.

"Die!"

Akimichi Tōshi bellowed, raising his massive, shovel-like weapon and swinging it violently toward Uesugi Shinji.

If that shovel were to land, let alone a human, even an elephant would be smashed to pieces on the spot, leaving nothing behind!