Surprises on the Journey Home

Sabaku was rapidly approaching from afar. The sky was already dark, and the howling wind, carrying sand and gravel, lashed at everyone, turning their exposed skin red.

Taiichi and the others, being ninjas, quickly gathered Chakra to cover their bodies in order to protect themselves. However, ordinary delegations did not have this ability.

If they are left exposed to the Sabaku, the entire delegation will likely be wiped out by the time Sabaku ends.

This is where it really shows how valuable it is to have a ninja skilled in Earth Style in the team.

Captain Yamaguchi quickly Hand Seals and Earth Style Release: Earth Style Wall.

A half-meter-thick Earth Wall rose up in front of everyone, blocking the delegation from the Sabaku. As Captain Yamaguchi Chakra unleashed his chakra, another Earth Wall rose up on each side of the original Earth Wall.

Three Earth Wall sheltered the group in the middle, and the heightened and thickened Earth Wall blocked most of the strong winds, finally bringing some comfort to the delegation.

At that moment, the Sabaku arrived. The sky was instantly swallowed up, and the blazing sun was obscured by the rolling sand and mist, leaving only a blurry outline in the dimness. The sand dunes seemed to writhe like living things, and the fine sand on the surface was ripped up in large swaths, turning into a chaotic mass that blotted out the sky.

The horse was startled, neighing and rearing up, but Taiichi reacted quickly and pressed it down. The gust of wind that leaked in tore the carriage curtain to shreds.

Everyone could only squint to avoid getting sand in their eyes. In just a moment, the swirling sand had already covered their calves, and a continuous crackling sound echoed from the Earth Wall behind them, as the thick Earth Wall was being continuously destroyed by the Sabaku.

Captain Yamaguchi, as expected of a practical ninja, clearly excels in Earth Style combat. He is tough but lacks flexibility. The square Earth Wall stand upright on the ground, solid as they are, but their large surface area exposed to the wind prevents them from being properly integrated.

Taiichi looked at the gale and sand blowing in from the edge of the Earth Wall. Although it had been blocked once, it still made the delegation extremely disheveled.

Seeing this, Taiichi forward, Hand Seals, and pressed them against the Earth Wall created by the Captain. As Chakra was injected, the Earth Wall gradually deformed, the gaps between the walls gradually closed, and the windward side slowly tilted.

When Taiichi withdrew his hand, the entire Earth Style Wall was like a hemisphere placed on the ground, with no more sand or dust blowing into it except for a deliberately left opening.

"Taiichi, how did you do that? What kind of Ninjutsu is that? I've never seen it before!" Yohei asked, expressing the doubts on everyone's minds.

"It's not some kind of Ninjutsu, it's just an alternative application of Earth Style Wall." Taiichi waved his hand dismissively. "The Captain uses Earth Style as his main fighting technique, so his Earth Style is more suitable for actual combat."

I don't primarily use Earth Style, so I usually focus more on developing the variations within Earth Style Release. That's how I've managed to do this; it's just that each has its own strengths."

Yohei nodded thoughtfully, but it was unclear whether he had actually understood.

Only Captain Yamaguchi, who was skilled in Earth Style, understood that although Taiichi's Earth Style technique was not particularly strong, there were very few people in Konoha who could use Earth Style in such a variety of ways.

This requires not only a certain level of Earth Style Nature Transformation ability, but also an extremely high level of Chakra Shape Transformation ability and superb Chakra Control, which is a comprehensive manifestation of a ninja's basic qualities.

A moment of silence fell over everyone in the protective enclosure. They listened intently to the howling wind outside the walls and peered through the opening at the darkening sky.

The horses stopped neighing and quietly ate the bean cakes that had been prepared for them. The "crunch" of their chewing sounded especially peaceful at this moment.

The guards also tidied up the messy luggage; in their haste, various packages had been blown everywhere by the wind.

"Taiichi, where are you going?" Saori's voice broke the silence.

It turned out that Taiichi was getting up and walking towards the cave entrance.

"It's not easy to encounter a Sabaku, I'm going out to see it for myself. Don't worry, nothing will happen." Taiichi didn't turn around, but simply waved his hand behind him to reassure everyone.

His figure then disappeared into the swirling yellow sand, leaving everyone looking at each other in bewilderment.

As soon as he stepped out of the cave, a violent hurricane lashed at Taiichi skin sting. He quickly gathered Chakra to protect his body, closed his eyes, and moved through the Sabaku relying solely on his senses.

He walked step by step to the top of the hemisphere formed by the Earth Style Wall, sat cross-legged on it, and instantly released his Chakra to its fullest extent, with his spiritual power also surging out.

In an instant, all the scenery within a radius of a kilometer appeared in Taiichi's mind, from near to far.

The Sabaku swept across like a raging beast, with towering walls of sand engulfing the entire sky. In the dim, chaotic haze, the sun was reduced to a halo, its outline no longer discernible.

The gale, carrying sharp sand and gravel, roared across the dunes, hurling everything on the ground into the air. Only a deafening roar remained between heaven and earth, as if a thousand warhorses were galloping through the clouds.

Taiichi sat cross-legged in the Sabaku, his robes fluttering in the wind. He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking through the protection of Chakra at the distant horizon, at the sandstorm that was powerful enough to tear steel apart. Every grain of sand carried the most primal brutality of the desert.

As time passed, about an hour later, the Sabaku gradually subsided, and the sun's rays shone brightly on the earth once more.

[Comprehend Nature, Wind Release Nature Transformation +1000]

Nature truly is the best teacher. Observing the power of a Sabaku firsthand gave Taiichi a profound understanding of wind. What is cutting, what is tearing, what is raging—all of this was summarized in the panel prompts.

"Quite a haul, huh!" Captain Yamaguchi's voice rang out behind Taiichi. It turned out that the Captain had come out to look for Taiichi since he hadn't returned for Taiichi long time. Seeing Taiichi contemplating nature, he took on the role of guardian to prevent any accidents from happening.

"Thank you for taking care of me, Captain," Taiichi said sincerely. "It's been a very rewarding experience to see such a violent wind for the first time."

Even without being told, it's obvious that Taiichi is surrounded by a gentle breeze, with tiny Wind Blade occasionally forming and cutting into the Earth Style Wall beneath his feet. This is due to his long-term understanding and transformation of wind attributes; he'll be able to control it once he gets used to it.

At this moment, Yohei and Saori also ran up, and were speechless with surprise at the phenomenon surrounding Taiichi. Yohei even regretfully sighed, "If only I had come up to see the Sabaku, I might have been able to learn the Wind attribute's Nature Transformation."

The Captain and Saori, standing to the side, kept rolling their Byakugan; not everyone has Taiichi of understanding.

The mission packed up and continued their journey home. However, compared to when they arrived, the three envoys, who were usually very particular about their appearance, now looked quite disheveled.

The once magnificent carriage is now in ruins, with only the frame remaining relatively intact. The luxurious decorations and expensive fabrics on it were torn to shreds by the fierce winds during the previous Sabaku.

The blazing sun shone through the tattered curtains and ceiling into the carriage, and those outside could occasionally hear the messengers' complaints from inside.

Naturally, the speed of the return journey increased continuously until it reached the limit of the guards' travel speed.

However, their good fortune was short-lived. The smooth journey they had taken seemed to have used up all their luck. Just half a day after encountering the Sabaku, Taiichi, as usual, used his Chakra Perception to discover that there was a ninja monitoring the delegation on a distant sand dune.

Taiichi initially thought it was just routine surveillance by Sunagakure, but as time went on, more and more people joined the ninja's group. Taiichi realized that this time they were probably in real trouble.

"Captain, there are ninjas gathering about a kilometer ahead. There are already six of them, and it doesn't seem like a routine surveillance operation by Sunagakure."

Captain Yamaguchi frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "All personnel on high alert! Yohei, Saori, make sure to protect the envoy."

The mission was still moving forward, but its pace had slowed significantly, and the guards had been notified and were on high alert.

After walking for some time, they sensed that the other side not only did not restrain itself, but was getting closer and closer to the delegation.

"Captain, the enemy has added another member, and they're now forming a fan-shaped encirclement, only 700 meters away."

Taiichi maintained his senses; the Short Sword had already been drawn from behind his back, and his fingertips unconsciously caressed the hilt.

Yohei's Sharingan involuntarily activated due to his emotional excitement, staring at the unknown enemy in the distance. "Passive defense is too frustrating! Let's take the initiative and attack."

Captain Yamaguchi and Taiichi exchanged a glance, both seeing the attraction in each other's eyes. It was clear that the other party was still waiting for someone, and they couldn't wait any longer for them to gather more people.

"In that case, Taiichi and I will leave Shadow Clone to confuse the enemy, while our main bodies will sneak in and launch a surprise attack. Yohei and Saori, you two stay behind to protect the delegation." Captain Yamaguchi decisively gave the order.

Yohei looked dejected, but he carried out his Captain's orders without hesitation.

During the brief intervals between their patrols, Captain Yamaguchi and Taiichi used the carriage as cover to create Shadow Clone, while their main bodies used Earth Style: Subterranean Voyage to sneak up on the ninja ahead.

Meanwhile, the delegation was surrounded by ninjas in a fan shape.

"Captain Yanping, when do we move? I think they've spotted us." One of the team members put down his binoculars. He had just seen that Miyo's delegation had clearly tightened their formation and even slowed down their movement.

"We're waiting for that guy Ishikura to arrive. We've spread out too much while searching for this delegation." Yanping also picked up his binoculars, keeping an eye on the Konoha delegation's movements. "These guys are really alert; they spotted us from this far away."

"So what if they find out? Do they still dare to come and attack?" Yanping said smugly. He was Jonin, and he had six Chunin his command. His side clearly had the advantage in numbers. If Ishikura came, there would be two Jonin. It would be safest to act then.

The team member who was asking the question wanted to say something more, but before he could speak, two sounds of sand exploding came from the left and right sides in a fan shape.

By the time the two of them turned their attention to that side, one ninja had already fallen on each side.

"Damn it, they actually dared to come and attack!" he said angrily, heading towards the side to provide assistance.

Taiichi, using his Subterranean Voyage, arrived beside the ninja. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the two ninjas on the other side were merely Chunin.

Now that Taiichi was more at ease, he moved a little closer to the two Chunin. When the time agreed upon with Captain Yamaguchi arrived, he suddenly leaped out from underground and, with lightning speed, severed the neck of one of the ninjas.

Only then did the remaining Chunin realize what was happening, roaring as he charged forward to retaliate.

But no Chunin could Chunin Taiichi's sword, especially one that had lost its composure.

Kunai swung by his opponent with his Short Sword. Using the opponent's momentum, he Taiichi disrupted his opponent's balance. He skillfully adjusted the blade in his hand, and without Taiichi exerting Taiichi effort, the enemy's neck crashed into the blade on its own.

Taiichi pausing, and ignoring the unwilling ninja standing there, Taiichi lunged straight at the next Chunin not far away.

Their fan-shaped encirclement formation is perfect for taking them down one by one. As long as we kill them quickly enough, we can eliminate them one by one before they can support each other.

Meanwhile, the Chunin facing Taiichi was already panicking. He had come to provide support, but his comrades hadn't even lasted that long before they all died, leaving him alone to face this god of death.

The more the Chunin thought about it, the more panicked he became, and subconsciously used his best Ninjutsu, Earth Style: Flying Gravel.

Instantly, the yellow sand on the ground rapidly condensed under the influence of Chakra, turning into flying stones that hurtled towards Taiichi.

"Oh, Earth Style, that's a rare Ninjutsu." While mocking his opponent, Taiichi didn't stop his feet, rapidly gathering wind-style Chakra on his sword, quickly forming a sharp Wind Blade.

Her figure moved nimbly through the flying stones like a butterfly flitting among flowers. When she couldn't avoid them, she would swing her scalpel, and the Short Sword wrapped with sharp wind Wind Blade would easily split the flying stone in two.

Taiichi smoothly passed through the range of the Ninjutsu's attack; the dense flying pebbles posed no obstacle to him.

Seeing that his Ninjutsu was ineffective, the Chunin immediately changed his tactics and retreated, while simultaneously Hand Seals, attempting to continue using Ninjutsu to block Taiichi.

But Taiichi didn't give him a chance. With his empty left hand, he symbolically formed a few hand seals, and dense Phoenix Sage Fire formed around him. Then, like a shooting star, it drew different arcs and Chunin towards the Chunin.

Taiichi's Hand Seals were too fast, and the Phoenix Sage Fire was flying very quickly. The Chunin had to distract himself and dodge the incoming Fireball before he could even finish his hand seals. This made his hand movements even slower.

With the interference of the Phoenix Sage Fire, Taiichi finally caught up to the attack range. He extended his Short Sword forward, activated his Body Flicker, and in the blink of an eye, Taiichi was in front of the Chunin.

At that Chunin had just dodged the last Fireball, and his hand seals were complete. It seemed that as soon as he turned his hand, he could unleash the Ninjutsu.

A Short Sword suddenly appeared before him and plunged into his heart without any resistance.

Blood spurted from his mouth. The Chunin raised his hand, attempting to grab the Konoha Ninja in front of him, but his strength had already been quietly drained, and in the end, he could only close his eyes helplessly.

Taiichi drew his Short Sword with force, but his gaze was fixed on Captain Yamaguchi.

The Captain, who was skilled in Earth Style, did not have the Taiichi high burst damage as Taiichi. After Taiichi had dealt with three enemies, the Captain was still entangled with the second enemy.

At this moment, the enemy's last two remaining ninjas arrived to provide support, creating a three-on-one situation. As they made their move, Taiichi noticed that one of the two reinforcements was a Jonin.

After understanding the situation, Taiichi didn't dare to stop. After catching his breath, Body Flicker teleported to Captain Yamaguchi's side.

This was the most critical moment for Captain Yamaguchi. He had just taken down one enemy when reinforcements arrived. To make matters worse, one of them was Jonin.

Fortunately, he came for him; if this Jonin to support Taiichi, Masasuke Yamaguchi didn't even want to think about what the consequences would have been.

Just as he glanced at Taiichi, he discovered that Taiichi had finished off three opponents and was heading towards him. His expression immediately became incredibly interesting.

"It seems I underestimated Taiichi!" Masasuke Yamaguchi thought to himself, and quickly rallied his spirits to deal with the predicament before him.

Meanwhile, the three enemy ninjas had already noticed Taiichi's arrival and couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Damn this intelligence! There's not just one Jonin, there are clearly two, and each one is more powerful than the last."

If they had known this would happen, they wouldn't have approached rashly. Now look what happened; they tried to steal a chicken but lost their rice instead, and they probably won't even be able to save their own lives.

With both sides intensifying their attacks and defenses, the situation became even more urgent.

Taiichi also saw the urgency of the situation. As he sprinted, Fireball quickly formed around him and then, as if they were free, continuously rained down on the three attackers, aiming to provide a large and satisfying barrage.

This saturation bombardment was also very effective; the four people engaged in the fight quickly retreated and dodged the attacks from the Phoenix Sage Fire.

The siege was neutralized by Taiichi's brute force.