Endurance and Reversal

The main force of the Sunagakure's pursuit force was now receiving a constant stream of intelligence reports from all directions, including reports of battle achievements, requests for cooperation, and requests for support.

Overall, however, the situation is developing in a direction that benefits Sunagakure.

Although Konoha also deployed a blocking force, and these forces did indeed eliminate many Sand Village Ninja.

But these were just a drop in the Sunagakure. Moreover, Sunagakure had also wiped out a considerable number of Konoha's blocking forces, all of whom were elite troops.

At that moment, another intelligence report arrived. Aokawa in charge of intelligence work, Jonin forward, took the report, and read it carefully. In just a moment, his expression turned extremely ugly.

Commander Shamon saw his expression and knew that something bad might have happened, but he wasn't too anxious. At worst, it would just mean more deaths; war always involves death.

"Lord Shamon, a troublesome Konoha Ninja has appeared. Judging from the description, it should be Taichi Matsushita, that genius ninja from Konoha recently. He has single-handedly wiped out nearly 15 ninja squads on our flank, including 2..."

A Jonin."

Shamon's expression changed slightly, but he remained relatively calm. "It's alright. Gather the ninjas and keep a close eye on him. Don't let him act so recklessly again—"

Before he could finish speaking, another intelligence report was sent in.

The same procedure, the same expression, only the content was slightly different. "Another Konoha Ninja, judging from the intelligence, it should be Minato Namikaze. Preliminary statistics indicate that he has already wiped out nearly 20 ninja squads, including at least two Jonin."

If his expression had only changed slightly before, Shamon's face was now as black as the bottom of a pot. Two mere people had wiped out more than 100 Sunagakure ninjas. Did they really think that Sunagakure's ninjas were mass-produced and trained for free?

"As for the Puppet army, send a portion of its forces to wipe out these elite Konoha. We can't let them continue to wreak havoc like this."

"But this would reduce the size of our main force attacking Konoha, and if they manage to escape, then—"

This time, Aokawa's words were interrupted, but seeing the expression on the face of the ninja who came to deliver the information, both Shamon and Aokawa had their own guesses.

Without waiting for Aokawa to read it before reporting, Shamon took the intelligence himself and quickly skimmed through it, but his expression grew increasingly worse.

"No need for further discussion. Immediately detach half of the Puppet force to cooperate with the other ninjas in encircling and wiping out those Konoha scum who are blocking our way."

"Yes!" This time, Aokawa stopped arguing and immediately accepted the order to carry it out.

With the addition of the Sunagakure Puppet Master Unit, the pressure on Konoha's blocking ninjas increased dramatically, resulting in a continuous rise in casualties.

Don't ask Taiichi how he knew. He had already encountered Puppet Master Unit twice. Although he was quite good at both Ninjutsu and Taijutsu against these Puppet, he couldn't withstand their numbers. Taiichi could only temporarily repel them and then turn and run away.

During this process, Taiichi encountered the corpses of Konoha Ninja more than once. In such a vast battlefield, how many Konoha Ninja were there in total? The fact that Taiichi managed to encounter corpses twice shows just how many elite soldiers died for this ambush.

Taiichi fled, he searched for his prey, but by now, the easy-to-hunt squads had been mostly killed, leaving only the tougher targets.

If I waste too much time fighting them and get caught up by the pursuers, I'll be the one in trouble.

Looking at the time, they realized it was almost noon. According to the pre-battle agreement, the blocking force only needed to fight until this time before returning to rejoin the main force, as they were about to reach the ambush location.

Having confirmed the time, Taiichi no longer hesitated, turned around, and sped towards the Land of Fire, much faster than before.

As the blocking forces withdrew one after another, Sunagakure received the news immediately. Without Konoha's interference, their speed naturally increased.

As noon approached, Taiichi and the other snipers who had gone out to intercept the enemy finally returned to the main force one after another.

There were about 100 ninjas when they left, but now fewer than 60 have returned.

The loss of nearly half of the assets left everyone somewhat silent.

Don't underestimate Sunagakure Taiichi freely within their territory. After all, it's a major ninja village. They were causing trouble within their controlled area, which is like dancing in the hands of Death God. It's a combination of luck and strength that they managed to come back alive.

It's important to know that the team they sent out this time consisted of at least Chunin members, with most being elite Jonin squads.

With such heavy casualties, if Jiraiya's plan fails, even his status as Hokage's disciple won't save him.

"Taiichi, over here." A shout drew Taiichi's attention.

He turned his head to look in the direction from which the sound came, a smile spreading across his face. It was Yohei and the others he had been searching for.

A quick glance revealed Yohei, Saori, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin—all five were there, and Taiichi's smile grew even brighter.

Taiichi stepped forward, about to speak, but then noticed that the faces of the others were not good, especially Yohei, whose eyes still showed traces of blood and tears.

Taiichi's face darkened, and he grabbed Yohei and jumped onto a platform. Yang Release Chakra quickly filled his brain and seeped into his eyes.

According to Yohei's perception, both eyes were severely damaged, some capillaries had ruptured, and even his nervous system had suffered minor damage.

"If you keep pushing yourself like this, you'll really go blind!" Taiichi's words were soft, but to Yohei they were like a thunderclap.

Only!

"Sigh, I didn't want to either, but if I hadn't fought so hard, you might not have seen five people, maybe four, or maybe three!" Yohei's words were filled with helplessness. War is not something you can do as you please; it is often something you have no control over!

Taiichi's pupils contracted. Thinking of what had happened to him today, he stopped talking and focused on treating and soothing Yohei's eyes.

Finally, around 2 PM, about 20 kilometers from the border of the Land of Fire, Konoha's main force was intercepted by Sunagakure.

Without any pleasantries or shouting matches, the battle began the moment the two sides made contact.

One side wanted to annihilate all the Konoha Ninja, while the other side wanted to stabilize the situation and give the ninjas in the rear time to flank them.

The Sunagakure, as the attacking force, sent countless Puppet leading the charge towards the Konoha's camp, followed closely by melee ninjas.

Before the two sides even got close, a large-scale barrage of Ninjutsu, Shuriken, Kunai, Explosive Tag, and other ranged attacks enveloped the enemy.

Konoha had Jiraiya heard about the immense power of Taiichi's Fire Style techniques in Konoha, so he was assigned to the front lines to work with everyone to use Fire Style to stop the Sunagakure's Puppet.

When the Sunagakure's Puppet entered the range of the Ninjutsu, the Konoha Ninja on the front lines unleashed their respective signature Fire Release Ninjutsu.

Great Fireball, Great Dragon Fire, Great Fire Annihilation, Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet, Flame Bullet, Great Flame Bomb, Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.

Various Fire Release Ninjutsu, both familiar and unfamiliar, swept towards the charging Puppet.

Among the countless Fire Style, a patch of Bright Gold flames stood out the most.

Although Sunagakure's Puppet are afraid of fire, Sunagakure is aware of their Puppet's weakness and has therefore taken ample measures to prevent fire.

This resulted in the fact that although Konoha's Fire Style fierce, not many Puppet were actually completely destroyed, and a large number of Puppet were able to continue charging towards Konoha's formation while dragging their burning bodies.

But all of this was useless against the Bright Gold flames. Once touched by those flames, even the most powerful Puppet would be reduced to charcoal within a few dozen breaths.

Now, the flames were not just eye-catching, but extremely attention-grabbing.

Everyone near the battlefield looked toward the source of the flames, and then toward the caster of the Ninjutsu Taichi Matsushita.

The Sunagakure Village ninjas immediately adjusted their direction to avoid the area covered by the flames. Even fireproof Puppet couldn't withstand the scorching heat, so these mortals should stay as far away as possible.

The two battlefronts eventually clashed, with deafening shouts and the clash of weapons echoing across the entire battlefield.

The battle lines between Konoha and Sunagakure were intertwined like jagged teeth, with Ninjutsu flying wildly in the sky and ninjas and Puppet Genin engaged in close-quarters combat.

The pressure on Taiichi's frontline position increased sharply. Although the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet he had just released cleared out a large number of Puppet in front of him, Puppet surging in from other directions immediately made up for the loss here.

"It's Taichi Matsushita with the golden flames!" Behind Sunagakure, frontline Commander Shamon stared intently at the source of the flames that was so conspicuous on the battlefield.

Thinking of the intelligence he had just received, he immediately issued an order, "Have the Puppet Master Unit send out men to eliminate this Taichi Matsushita. We absolutely cannot give such a talent any more time to grow."

As he spoke, he emphasized, "We must eliminate him at all costs!"

The order was given swiftly, and soon, three powerful Sunagakure Jonin cold eyes, like sharks smelling blood, silently broke away from the original battlefield and rapidly stealthily approached Taiichi from three different directions.

At this moment, Taiichi was swinging his fists, unleashing his Chakra Enhanced Strength, his figure flashing among the Puppet.

Every time he appears, he throws a punch, followed by a teeth-grinding, twisting and shattering sound as the Puppet is sent flying. Then he vanishes in Body Flicker, reappearing in front of the next Puppet, and so on.

Wherever Taiichi went, whether it was Puppet or ninjas, chaos ensued.

At the same time, his Fire Style was also unleashed. Without needing to Hand Seals, Bright Gold Phoenix Sage Fire condensed around him, continuously bombarding the ninjas who attempted to launch ranged attacks against him.

In an instant, on the small battlefield where Taiichi was located, golden Fireball streaked across the sky like dense meteors, accurately eliminating various threats and, if conditions allowed, even providing support to other Konoha Ninja;

He himself, while dodging and weaving, transformed into a terrifying crusher, shattering any enemy that got close.

Taiichi's formidable strength was a great inspiration to the Konoha Ninja, and he also shouldered most of the pressure for others. This allowed more Konoha Ninja on his front line to be freed up to support other precarious areas.

Such a remarkable record naturally fueled the killing intent of the Sunagakure. The three Puppet Masters had already closed in, forming a triangular formation that enveloped Taiichi's figure in a chilling killing intent; a deadly encirclement was about to erupt.

Meanwhile, Taiichi was observing everything around him with the awareness of his own perception, like a god. The three Puppet Master thought they were hiding well, but their actions of coming from the opposite direction had already attracted Taiichi's attention.

Just as they were about to surround them, Taiichi Body Flicker activated his teleportation ability and quickly approached one of the Puppet Master. As Puppet Master, instead of hiding in the crowd and under the protection of the Puppet, you went against the flow of people to approach them. I don't know if all the Puppet Master in Sunagakure are so arrogant, or if they really think they can't be found.

They were already close enough, but with this acceleration, Taiichi was right next to the Puppet Master in the blink of an eye. He raised his fist, and the Chakra he was gathering was visible to the naked eye. Taiichi could even read the despair of death in the Puppet Master's eyes.

A Jonin Puppet Master, his sneak attack failed and he was instead defeated. In order not to attract Taiichi's attention, his Puppet were scattered all around, leaving him completely unprepared.

Faced with Taiichi's fist, he could only gather all his Chakra and concentrate it on his arms, which he crossed in front of his chest, but all of this was in vain.

With a "crack," the crisp sound of a broken arm bone rang out, followed by a surge of force that slammed into his chest. He was sent flying like a cannonball, dying before even hitting the ground.

The incident happened suddenly; the death of an elite Puppet Master in the blink of an eye caught everyone off guard. Not to mention Sunagakure, even Konoha's own people didn't expect Taiichi to be so ferocious.

But then, Konoha's morale soared, and their previously crumbling defenses miraculously stabilized again.

Upon seeing this, the other two Puppet Master immediately became wary of Da Sheng. They no longer hid, and the Puppet scattered around them gathered in front of them, some defending themselves and others attacking Taiichi.

Taiichi naturally dismissed this with disdain. He might have been somewhat wary of two ordinary Jonin, but he felt that his methods were far more effective against two Puppet Master than Taiichi 'Tsunade.

More than ten minutes had passed since the battle officially began, meaning that Konoha's main force had held out for so long against the Sunagakure Ninja, who clearly outnumbered them.

Looking across the entire battlefield, apart from a few areas where Konoha held an advantage due to individual strength, most other areas were clearly under pressure.

If it weren't for the Jonin (high-ranking ninja) Jonin everywhere, this battle would probably have already ended in defeat.

Now, even the Commander Jiraiya taken to the front lines to plug a gap that had been breached due to the Jonin.

At this moment, not to mention others, Jiraiya himself was sweating profusely. Between battles, he kept looking to both sides, hoping that reinforcements would arrive soon, because Konoha was now basically on the verge of collapse.

Behind Sunagakure, Shamon stood on high ground, gazing at the entire battlefield situation, his heart overflowing with joy.

So what if Konoha has many powerful warriors? Do you think they're all Senju Hashirama, capable of turning the tide of battle with their individual strength? War is ultimately about overall strength!

Just as he was basking in his smug satisfaction, he suddenly noticed unusual activity on both sides of the battlefield.

But before he could examine it closely, an intelligence ninja rushed up to him, his face filled with anxiety, fear, and even despair.

"My lord, a large number of Konoha are arriving on both flanks of the battle line. A preliminary estimate is that each side has approximately 500 men."

People."

A bolt of lightning struck from a clear Shamon, so powerful that the monk could barely stand.

"How is that possible? Where did they get reinforcements? Konoha didn't send any more troops!"

Shamon was now hysterical, his face contorted. He looked at both sides of the battlefield, where the Sunagakure Ninja were in chaos. Clearly, the sudden appearance of Konoha had disrupted all their plans.

Moreover, there were too many of these people; once they were all gathered together, their small-scale counterattack was easily wiped out.

Just as Shamon was about to do something, a Signal Flare was launched into the air from both the left and right flanks. These were not Signal Flare from Sunagakure, but from Konoha, intended to notify the central army that reinforcements had arrived.

Seeing this, Shamon was thrown into disarray. Desperate to preserve his forces, he issued an order he would regret for the rest of his life.

"Quickly, notify the retreat!"

At the front lines, the rising of two Signal Flare seemed to inject Konoha with adrenaline. All the Jonin knew it was a sign that reinforcements had arrived, and their morale immediately soared. While fighting, they shouted, "Brothers, reinforcements have arrived! We can counterattack now!"

One person's shout might be disbelieved, two people's shouts might be doubtful, but the shouts of all the Jonin (high-ranking ninja) would convince everyone that reinforcements had truly arrived.

Not only the people of Konoha believed it, but even their rival Sunagakure, became suspicious.

Just then, everyone felt the sky darken, followed by a huge rumble. When they looked closely, they saw a colossal creature appear on the battlefield.

That was Gamabunta, Jiraiya's Summoning Animal from Mount Myoboku.

The Konoha ninjas erupted in unprecedented cheers. Reinforcements had arrived, and a giant Summoning Animal had descended from the sky to aid them. Victory was within reach.

Meanwhile, Sunagakure, already dampened by news of Konoha's reinforcements, is now facing another behemoth, further damaging their morale.

Just then, three Signal Flare flares rose into the sky from behind, signaling the order to retreat.

Instantly, the already severely damaged morale collapsed like a flood.

The Jonin are alright, but there are only a few of them. The majority of those on the battlefield are Chunin and Genin; they are the main force on the front lines.

When the giant Toad and Jiraiya on its head unleashed their combined Ninjutsu, Toad Oil Flame Bullet, the defeat came so abruptly yet so naturally.