Liberation, Gáe Bolg: Soaring Spear of Striking Death

Although Gekko Nobuhiko had defended himself and avoided his vital points, the enemy's desperate strike still inflicted severe injuries upon him.

Worse yet, there was neither time nor place for him to receive medical treatment in the center of the battlefield.

Surrounding them were a furious Iwagakure Ninja jonin and a group of chunin, all watching them like tigers eyeing their prey.

"It seems this is as far as I go. I will have to leave the rest to you, Iori."

Gekko Nobuhiko gritted his teeth and struggled to hold his body upright. His abdomen was drenched in blood; the Iwagakure Ninja's attack had grazed his side, tearing away a large chunk of flesh.

Blood loss and the trauma to his internal organs had robbed him of most of his combat capability.

"Don't say such discouraging things, Teacher. Didn't we say that everyone is going to make it back alive?"

Iori gripped his long spear, his expression turning solemn.

"Please watch me, Teacher. I will use this power to protect Konoha."

Protect my Konoha, he added in his heart.

Iori erupted with chakra and began to brandish his spear.

The spear shadows were dense and impenetrable, blocking the kunai and explosive tags fired by the enemy.

He then scooped up his teacher, used Fire Style to forcibly cauterize the wound, and quickly moved to rendezvous with Akimichi Doto and Inuzuka Gaku.

Akimichi Doto and Inuzuka Gaku were fighting three opponents while simultaneously dealing with the interference of the enemy chunin.

Although they held a slight advantage, they were unable to break the stalemate. Seeing Uchiha Iori arrive with Gekko Nobuhiko, a look of relief appeared on Akimichi Doto's face.

"Well done. Since you've taken out two of their jonin, you should withdraw first. I will cover your retreat," Akimichi Doto said in a deep voice.

Their strategic objectives were largely met, and the enemy had suffered significant losses; it was time to consider retreating or shifting to a defensive position.

"Senior, please help me protect my teacher. I have a wide-range attack."

"The enemy's formation is currently chaotic, yet they are relatively concentrated. It is the perfect opportunity for me to unleash its power."

Iori had not unleashed his Noble Phantasm earlier because the enemy's command system was still functional, and a wide-range attack would surely have been countered by organized evasion and retaliation.

Now, the enemy's command structure had fallen apart, and their jonin were being kept busy; even if they tried to retaliate, the intensity would be far lower than at the start of the battle.

"Are you sure?" Akimichi Doto looked at him deeply.

Based on the current situation, Uchiha Iori did not seem like the type to speak empty words.

Although he didn't know why Iori possessed such strong confidence, he chose to trust his comrade.

Akimichi Doto fired a signal flare into the sky.

Shortly after, Minato Namikaze rushed back from the battlefield.

He had no wounds, but he was panting heavily; the prolonged combat had drained him significantly.

"What happened? Why did you signal for me to come back?"

Minato Namikaze asked while catching his breath. Although he was slightly dissatisfied at being called back without an emergency, he was not angry and asked gently.

Uchiha Iori explained the situation point by point, his intense confidence infecting the others.

After listening, Minato Namikaze nodded and said gently, "Then leave the withdrawal to me. Feel free to use your secret technique."

"Even if the effect isn't ideal, I can still bring you back. Don't feel pressured; our objective for this sortie has basically been achieved."

Minato Namikaze's voice was gentle yet firm.

He was truly worthy of being called the "Little Sun." Even in such a tense battle, he never forgot to look after his teammates' emotions.

With that, Minato Namikaze used the Flying Thunder God technique to transport Inuzuka Gaku and the others to the rear, then quickly returned to Iori's side.

"Do you need any help?" Minato Namikaze asked with a smile.

"No need. Please just watch my performance," Uchiha Iori replied confidently. It was time for his show.

With Minato Namikaze's departure, the Iwagakure Ninjas gradually regained their command and slowly began to regroup.

Watching the gathering Iwagakure Ninjas, Iori took a deep breath. The chakra within his body surged rapidly, and a massive amount of energy accumulated at the tip of his demonic spear.

Seeing Iori's actions, the Iwagakure Ninjas halted their advance.

"Team 1, cast Multiple Earth Wall for defense! Team 2, use Earth Cannon Technique to disrupt him!"

Although Anzan was furious, he remained rational and quickly issued orders.

Even though he didn't know Iori's specific intent, this massive chakra reaction could not be underestimated.

"Too late! Die, Gáe Bolg: Soaring Spear of Striking Death!"

Iori leaped high into the air, dodging the incoming stones.

He concentrated all his chakra into the spear in his hands, veins bulging on his arms as he threw the weapon with all his might.

Like a crimson meteor streaking across the sky, the demonic spear plummeted from above.

Like divine retribution, it easily shattered the Multiple Earth Wall.

The semi-enclosed space only intensified the power of the explosion, and the gale of the blast, mixed with the scent of blood, swept across the entire battlefield.

As the smoke cleared, nothing remained before them but severed limbs and wreckage; the violent explosion had left many without even a corpse to bury.

Of the dozens of Iwagakure Ninja who had gathered earlier, only a few jonin had survived.

All the other ninja had perished in the blast.

Even the surviving jonin were all heavily wounded, having lost their ability to fight.

Seizing the opportunity, Minato Namikaze brought the exhausted Uchiha Iori back to the rear.

He then used the Flying Thunder God again to enter the battlefield, easily reaping the lives of the remaining jonin.

"I have already witnessed your power. It is an honor to be your teacher, and I am very fortunate that you are a ninja of our Konoha."

Gekko Nobuhiko said to Iori, his eyes shimmering with gratification and pride.

"This level of power is already no less than a Tailed Beast Bomb. In the future, I might be able to brag that I once taught a man who shook the ninja world."

"Haha, compared to a Tailed Beast that can release Tailed Beast Bombs infinitely, I still have a long way to go."

Uchiha Iori smiled modestly; he still possessed some self-awareness. Currently, he only had the strength for one or two strikes, and his chakra volume remained a fatal flaw.

He still needed to utilize genetic technology to achieve atavism and obtain the physique of the Senju clan.

The Iwagakure Ninja were routed after the explosion; having lost their command and nearly half their combat strength, their vanguard had ceased to be a threat.

And by the time their reinforcements arrived, Jiraiya and the Konoha support troops should have already reached the scene.

The first battle between Konoha and the Iwagakure Ninja ended in a complete victory for Konoha.

Upon returning to the camp, the several jonin and Uchiha Iori were welcomed like heroes.

Faced with the Iwagakure offensive, everyone had originally prepared themselves for sacrifice, but thanks to their efforts, Konoha had suffered almost no casualties.

Although it was still wartime and inappropriate to celebrate, the atmosphere in the camp was no longer as heavy as it had been before.

"Everyone, do not relax just yet. Although we have routed the vanguard of the Iwagakure Ninja, it is still unknown when their reinforcements will arrive."

"It will not be too late to celebrate once the support troops led by Master Jiraiya arrive."

Minato Namikaze began to maintain order. He had sustained almost no injuries in the battle, and as the current supreme commander, he had to step forward to keep things in check.

Akimichi Doto, Inuzuka Gaku, and Gekko Nobuhiko were all sent to the medical tent, as they had all sustained significant injuries during the fight.

Worried about Gekko Nobuhiko's condition, Iori followed them there.

"There is no major danger; the internal organs were only affected by the shockwave."

"However, the flesh on his abdomen was first gouged out and then scorched by Fire Release, so he must rest quietly for a period of time," Rin Nohara said sternly.

Hearing this, Iori rubbed his nose in embarrassment. After all, he did not know medical ninjutsu, and relying on that method was the only way he could stop the bleeding quickly.

Thinking of this, Iori suddenly remembered something, left the medical tent, and returned to his quarters.

Hall of Heroes, activate.