Wild from the Start

The next morning, before dawn, the entire Konoha Camp had already awakened. The ninjas packed their belongings as quickly as possible, ready to retreat at any time upon orders from headquarters.

At this moment, Taiichi and the others also received orders from headquarters, but this time there were two orders.

Taiichi carefully put away his own order to act alone and handed the other order to Yohei.

"You'll be in charge of the team's next move, Yohei!" Taiichi patted Yohei on the shoulder solemnly. "Remember what I told you yesterday: ensuring the safety of the team members is the top priority. Don't be greedy for personal gain or act rashly."

Holding the mission briefing, Yohei couldn't help but feel uneasy again, not only because a great battle was about to begin, but also because from this moment on, the safety of his teammates rested on his shoulders.

"I will definitely bring them all back safely!"

Taiichi nodded heavily, but then, remembering something, he leaned closer to Yohei and whispered in his ear, "Never use the Mangekyo's Susanoo unless it's a matter of life and death. I suspect there's a third party on the battlefield. Remember that!"

Yohei was startled upon hearing this, but seeing Taiichi's serious gaze, he nodded in agreement.

Just then, orders came from the center of the Camp, and the entire Camp seemed to come alive. Groups of ninjas, some Lone Walk and some in teams, rushed out of the camp gates and scattered to the Camp areas.

Then the remaining ninjas in the Camp also left the Camp in an organized manner, and carts of heavy vehicles followed the ninjas out of the camp and headed towards the Land of Fire in the rear.

On the Sunagakure side, they had already pushed their frontline right under Konoha's nose. So, they received news of such a large commotion at the Konoha Camp immediately.

An emergency meeting of the highest-ranking officers at the front-line Camp was convened. As soon as the news of the Konoha Ninja leaving the Camp that morning to retreat to the Land of Fire was announced, all the high-ranking officers at the meeting immediately reached a consensus - to immediately send people to pursue them and kill as many Konoha's remaining forces as possible.

Such a rare unanimous consensus among the high command naturally resulted in astonishingly efficient action. Squads of Sand Village Ninja, organized by Jonin, coalesced into companies and battalions, and rapidly pursued the retreating Konoha Ninja.

The opportunity to strike a fallen foe is once in a lifetime, especially when the disparity in strength is so great and the enemy is still retreating. As long as you break their ranks, all that's left is to reap the rewards.

The experience of suppressing the Konoha Ninja for nearly half a month led all the Sunagakure Ninja to believe that the Konoha ninja were on their last legs, and that if they put in a little more effort, everything would be within their grasp.

Therefore, they were all excited, and they all rushed to be the first, as if if they were even a step behind, their teammates would steal the credit from them.

On Konoha's side, all the ambush teams and Lone Walk Jonin were scattered throughout the vast forest. Their mission was clear: to delay the Sand Village Ninja as much as possible.

Firstly, it made the retreat look more realistic, and secondly, it was indeed necessary to alleviate the Sunagakure's offensive, in order to prevent the retreating force from being truly crushed by the Sunagakure.

Taiichi was among these ninjas, and as Lone Walk ninja, his position was even closer to the Sunagakure's Camp.

Taiichi didn't have to wait Taiichi. The first team of Sand Village Ninja quickly appeared within his perception range. It was a Chunin squad, approaching him at an extremely high speed.

Immediately afterwards, the second and third teams of Sand Village Ninja entered his senses one after another. They maintained a certain distance from each other, so as not to affect each other but to be able to look out for each other.

Taiichi drew his Short Sword, locked onto the nearest group of Sand Village Ninja with his senses, and dashed over in Body Flicker. Thus, the hunt officially began!

With his continuous Body Flicker, Taiichi appeared like a ghost in the jungle, flashing past and appearing more than ten meters away. By the time the Sand Village Ninja spotted him, the exploding Flame Dragon was already roaring towards him.

The Bright Gold flames didn't need to be aimed at any individual; after striking the ground, the splashing flames spread out in a fan shape, engulfing everything in their path. Those who managed to escape far away were spared, but the three ninjas who were close by were instantly burned to a crisp.

At that moment, Taiichi, stepping on flames, Body Flicker Chunin up with the fleeing Chunin and, with incredible speed, pierced his heart with Short Sword without any fancy moves.

He glanced at the Chunin, who was clutching a Signal Flare in his hand, but he never had the chance to detonate it before he died.

Taiichi pondered for a moment how to eliminate and block the enemy to the greatest extent possible. Instead of going to them one by one, he decided to let them come to him.

Thinking this, Taiichi picked up the Signal Flare and deliberately detonated it towards the sky.

A crimson firework rose into the sky, leaving a long trail that could be clearly seen even from several kilometers away.

In Taiichi's perception, the various Sunagakure squads that were originally moving normally around him immediately changed direction and rushed straight towards him.

Taiichi smiled confidently, threw away the now useless Signal Flare in his hand, and charged towards the nearest group of Sunagakure.

Using the same method, the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet a path, killing as many as it could. Then, it stepped onto the fire, wielding its Short Sword and slashing down with horizontal and vertical cuts. In just one or two moves, another Chunin to report to the Underworld.

Just then, another Signal Flare went up into the sky; it was the last remaining ninja who pulled the fuse.

But this did not affect Taiichi at all. He did not even raise his head. Cold energy condensed in his left hand, and three Ice Kunai shape. He then flung them out and Body Flicker rushed forward behind Kunai.

As the Sunagakure Ninja swung his weapon to deflect the Kunai, Taiichi had already closed in, his Short Sword piercing the Ninja's neck first.

He drew the Short Sword, flicked the blade lightly, and the bloodstains slid off, restoring the blade to its original shine.

As two Signal Flare were launched into the air, more Sunagakure Ninja squads were drawn to the scene.

Taiichi's lips curled up, revealing a wicked smile.

"That's right, that's it! Everyone come this way!"

Meanwhile, in the distant sky, Sunagakure Ninja Signal Flare from several different directions rose one after another. These were launched by other Sunagakure Ninja who were being held back by Konoha Ninja. It was unknown what their situation was.

Will they crush Taiichi like this, or will they encounter an insurmountable obstacle and be annihilated by the enemy?

This is war, a war of life and death!

Taiichi stopped lamenting, selected another Sunagakure Ninja, and charged forward with his sword drawn.

Over the next half hour, along Taiichi's line, a Signal Flare was launched every six or seven minutes, continuously spreading towards the heart of the Sunagakure front.

At this point, there were already seven or eight Sunagakure squads following Taiichi, including several Jonin.

Meanwhile, ahead of Taiichi, Sunagakure Ninja Jonin had received advance notice had already organized an interception team, intending to attack Taiichi from both the front and the rear.

But none of this could be hidden from Taiichi's perception.

Just as Taiichi was about to make contact with the enemy, he launched a Fire Dragon Flame Bullet from afar, aiming at the densest part of the crowd. Then, he made a 90-degree turn and fled the scene without even checking the result.

Over there, at the Sunagakure Ninja's ambush site, just as they were about to catch their prey, a Bright Gold fire dragon soared into the sky, and at its highest point, it plunged headfirst into their ambush point.

The Sand Village Ninja scoffed. Although they were surprised that Taiichi had spotted them ahead of time, they thought, "Who do you think you are, releasing Ninjutsu from such a distance? Who can't dodge it?"

Sure enough, the fire dragon crashed to the ground without hitting a single person. However, Taiichi's fire dragon did not rely on direct attacks to kill enemies. The fire dragon shattered upon impact, scattering countless large and small golden Fireball in all directions.

Within a radius of twenty meters, any enemy touched by the Fireball could, if lucky, use the flesh and limbs to isolate themselves from the burning flames; if unlucky, and hit in the torso or vital areas, they would die instantly.

"Damn it, what kind of flame is this? It's so powerful, I can't even touch it!"

"Damn it, quick! Leave some to rescue people, the rest of you, follow me and we have to kill that bastard!"

At this moment, Taiichi sensed that his best period of rampage had passed. If he paused even slightly, the pursuers would immediately catch up and surround him.

But isn't this exactly what I wanted?

Taiichi tightened his grip on the Short Sword, knowing that the next battle would be the most intense one since the start of the war.

Looking up, although Konoha still had the upper hand in small-scale local battles, there weren't many Lone Walk ninjas like Taiichi and Konoha teams, but most of the others were able to hold back more enemies than themselves.

However, given the overall situation, the main force of Sunagakure continued to pursue the retreating forces of Konoha, and it was only a matter of time before the two forces met.

However, these are not Taiichi needs to worry about right now. His only task is to do everything he can to eliminate more Sand Village Ninja.

Carefully assessing the strength of the Sunagakure Ninja he sensed, Taiichi selected the Sunagakure team he would intercept next. To avoid being caught in a pincer attack by pursuers from behind, this time the opponent couldn't be too strong.

After all, once he had dealt with them, Taiichi would have to turn around and fight a major battle with the pursuers.

A Chunin squad had entered Taiichi's perception range; their strength was not great, making them a suitable target for this mission.

Taiichi changed direction. The two-kilometer distance would only take three or four minutes. When he got close to the enemy, Taiichi created two Shadow Clone so that he could kill them all as soon as possible.

They dashed forward in Body Flicker, this time without using Ninjutsu, but instead conjured dozens of Ice Kunai and threw them at the ninja squad. With their incredibly fast hand speed, the three of them created an attack that was just as effective as Ninjutsu, but the key was that the attack speed was fast and it saved Chakra.

Sure enough, two ninjas in the group were Ice Kunai, and it was clear that they were doomed.

The other two dodged the Kunai's attack, but when Taiichi and his two Shadow Clone closed in with Body Flicker attack, they couldn't even last two seconds before falling to the blades.

After dealing with the enemy, the two Shadow Clone didn't linger. They rushed into the forest and hid on the left and right, while Taiichi's main body stood still, calmly looking back at the Sunagakure Ninja pursuers who had just revealed themselves in the distance.

This marks the first formal meeting between Taiichi and the Sunagakure Ninja today, excluding the Sunagakure who perished under his blade.

More and more Sunagakure pursuers arrived, and they were both amazed and furious as they looked at the child who looked to be only about 10 years old just a few dozen meters away.

This brat wiped out seven squads of Sunagakure in just over forty minutes of fighting, and now he's even joined forces with ten squads and three Jonin to hunt him down. That's quite an honor for him!

The Sunagakure Jonin, seeing that his side had all arrived, felt that the situation was settled. Just as he was thinking about what to say to mock his opponent, the brat vanished in an instant, followed by a series of screams.

"That's an amazing Body Flicker!"

Taiichi wouldn't waste his breath arguing with these Sunagakure. He always preferred action to words. The reason he was standing there was simply to wait for the pursuers to gather.

Having more people has its advantages, but it also has its disadvantages, especially for ninjas whose strengths vary and who do not belong to the same team; their teamwork is therefore quite challenging.

He gathered Chakra in his feet and unleashed his longest-ever Body Flicker, rushing into the densest part of the crowd in the Taiichi.

Chakra gathered in his Short Sword, and Bright Gold flames converged on the blade. As Taichi danced, flaming Flame Blade were unleashed Taiichi. Although this move consumed a lot of Chakra, its effect was remarkable at this moment.

Before the surrounding Sunagakure Ninja could react, they were slashed by the Flame Blade Qi. Even those who hastily parried were injured by the residual blade energy because they used the wrong method.

In the blink of an eye, seven or eight rank Genin died at Taiichi's hands, and more than ten were injured.

In that instant, the remaining Sunagakure's eyes turned red. This was simply outrageous, especially those three Jonin; it was a blatant slap in their faces.

But when they thought about chasing after Taiichi, they found that this kid from Konoha was too slippery. He didn't confront them head-on, but instead moved among the chunin Genin, using them as shields while constantly killing Genin.

The three Jonin were now in a panic and quickly ordered the ninjas to retreat and not approach, only using Ninjutsu to assist in their attacks.

But Taiichi wouldn't let them have their way. With a thought, without even Hand Seals, he continuously condensed Phoenix Sage Fire around himself and then blasted them towards the retreating Sunagakure Ninja.

Although a single Phoenix Sage Fire is not large, it cannot withstand the Taiichi number of Phoenix Sage Fire from Taiyi. The continuous, machine-gun-like barrage of Phoenix Sage Fire overwhelmed the Sunagakure members, leaving them helpless.

As the Sunagakure Taiichi decreased, the three Sunagakure Ninja finally seized their opportunity.

The three Ninjutsu, Wind Style: Kazekiri, Wind Style: Great Kamaitachi, and Fire Style: Great Fireball, were unleashed almost simultaneously. The wind fueled the fire, and the fire borrowed the power of the wind. The already enormous Fireball instantly swelled several times in size, carrying Wind Blade as it rushed towards Taiichi.

Upon seeing this, Taiichi curled his lips in disdain. "I might be a little worried if you used other Ninjutsu, but Fire Style!"

With hands moving swiftly, he formed Hand Seals: Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.

The Bright Gold Flame Transformation a fire dragon, violently dispersing the incoming Fireball and sweeping towards one of the Jonin.

Seeing this, the three Jonin's faces darkened. They hadn't expected Taiichi's Fire Style to be not only powerful but also so concentrated; it felt almost like a physical attack.

But as if giving them no time to think, the three Jonin who had witnessed the splash damage of this Fire Style technique Jonin retreated frantically, not wanting to be entangled in the flames.

Meanwhile, two of the Jonin also took a detour, ceasing their Ninjutsu and preparing for close-quarters combat with Taiichi.

Taiichi for this opportunity. The three of them were separated and unable to reunite immediately. He quickly chose the Jonin who was approaching on the right, One-Handed Seal, and two Shadow Clone appeared beside him, accelerating towards his opponent.

At the same time, two other Shadow Clone that had been hiding earlier emerged from the forest, scattering large amounts of Phoenix Sage Fire among the scattered junior Genin.

This sudden scene not only startled the surrounding ninjas, who thought Konoha had sent reinforcements, but also attracted the attention of three Jonin.

In that instant, the two Shadow Clones that had just been created risked their own dissipation to restrain the Sunagakure Jonin's attack, while Taiichi's main body took advantage of their cover to successfully close in and easily slit the Jonin's neck with his Short Sword.

The entire scene froze for a moment. The remaining two Jonin immediately regrouped. They never expected that Taiichi would be so powerful, managing to kill one of their Jonin despite being surrounded by so many of them.

The two exchanged a glance, instantly understanding each other's meaning. At the same time, they reached into their pockets, took out their Signal Flare, and pulled the fuses into the air.