Spectator, Survivors

The next day, before dawn, Taiichi was awakened by a torrent of memories.

It turned out to be Shadow Clone monitoring the Cloud Village. Upon discovering that the Cloud Village had begun packing up its camp in preparation for departure, it immediately deactivated itself and notified Taiichi.

I checked the time; it was only around 4 a. m. These Cloud Ninja are really diligent.

Taiichi didn't dare to be negligent. After washing up, he quickly ate something, left three Shadow Clones, and then his main body disappeared into the tent.

They reappeared in the heart of the Land of Wind.

In the distance, the caravan had finished packing and was about to set off.

Taiichi followed far behind them, waiting for that opportune moment to arrive.

Perhaps it's because the Kumogakure is indeed powerful now, or perhaps these Cloud Ninja are simply not worried about their identities being exposed.

Taiichi, who was following behind, found that the behavior of this group of Cloud Ninja was simply arrogant beyond belief. They walked openly across the desert, their group scattered and not trying to hide at all.

If Sunagakure hadn't stopped sending out squads of ninja on solo missions, they would have been discovered by Sunagakure long ago, given their current state.

Actually, Taiichi was somewhat wrong about the Cloud Ninja. When they first arrived in the Land of Wind, they were very cautious and were prepared to take immediate action to deal with Sunagakure scout ninjas they encountered.

But as time went on, they were surprised to find that there were hardly any ninja squads outside the Sunagakure Village. Perhaps they were just lucky, but at least they didn't encounter any.

Now that their mission is almost complete, they no longer worry about being discovered by the Sand Village Ninja, so they can act more recklessly.

So Taiichi followed the group for another day, watching them swagger through the Land of Wind without encountering a single Sunagakure Ninja. He wondered if they were lucky or Taiichi was unlucky.

Helpless, Taiichi could only patiently continue to follow the team.

Hard work pays off.

Finally, on the evening of the third day, as the caravan regrouped, what was bound to happen did happen.

Fukuhara, the Jonin Captain of this Sunagakure squad, and his squad left the village a month ago to carry out a mission in the eastern coastal city of Monsoon City.

Now, the mission has been successfully completed, and they are on their way back to the village to prepare for the upcoming war against Konoha.

Although he had been away from the village for a long time, he was still aware of the situation regarding the war. The current battle situation was not favorable for Sunagakure, which made him eager to return to the village as soon as possible and contribute his own strength to the village.

Just as their team was hurrying along, they crossed a tall sand dune, and what suddenly appeared before them took them by surprise.

A team of about twenty people had just started to form, and more people were joining them.

Fukuhara noticed the problem with this team at a glance. Not only were they all ninjas, but the way they were moving was clearly how a team would assemble after a mission.

This is the heart of the Land of Wind, how could there be so Cloud Village ninjas dressed as Cloud Village ninjas? Anyone with a sound mind knows there's definitely something wrong here.

However, the distance is just too close right now.

The three teammates beside him all turned to look at Fukuhara, awaiting his orders.

"If a fight breaks out, I'll hold them off here for a while. The three of you split up and run back to the village as quickly as possible, then report the situation to the village!"

Having said those words, Fukuhara was already prepared to die in battle. There were more than twenty ninjas there, including two Jonin. Each of these ninjas possessed a single Ninjutsu, which would be enough to give him a hard time. He wasn't even sure how long he could hold out.

Meanwhile, the Cloud Village members also noticed the Sunagakure team that had suddenly appeared. After confirming that it was just a four-person Sunagakure team, cruel grins appeared on their faces.

They never expected that even as they were about to leave, prey would come knocking on their door. This was what all the Cloud Ninja present were thinking.

"Toroi, take your men and wipe them out. Kazuda, take your men and flank them, don't let them escape."

"Yes, Lord Shiru!"*2

However, the moment the Cloud Ninja made a move, Fukuhara knew that a battle was inevitable. He decisively ordered his men, "Retreat!"

He then rapidly Hand Seals.

Wind Style: Great Sabaku.

A fierce wind, accompanied by yellow sand, swept towards the Cloud Ninja, obscuring everyone's vision in a hazy yellow haze.

Wind Style: Great Kamaitachi.

Under the cover of the Sabaku, the overwhelming scythe-like Wind Blade continued to sweep across everything in sight, threatening to slice all the Cloud Ninja into pieces.

However, although the attack came suddenly, the Cloud Ninja were not to be trifled with. Two thick Earth Wall rose up from the ground, blocking the path of the Kamaitachi's storm.

Then, the two teams of ninjas bypassed the Earth Wall from the left and right. One team attacked Fukuhara, while the other team went directly past Fukuhara to pursue the three fleeing Sunagakure Ninja.

"Damn it, you Cloud Ninja, are you trying to start a war between Sunagakure and Cloud Village?" Fukuhara roared angrily. He was a Ninjutsu- type ninja, and close combat was not his forte. Now he could only retreat while forming hand Hand Seals and using some minor Ninjutsu to hinder the Cloud Ninja from getting closer.

"Haha, war? This Sunagakure ninja, it seems you struck first, how can you turn around and blame me?"

Toroi, leading the team, teased Fukuhara with great interest, occasionally throwing out a Lightning Ball or two to disrupt his opponent's escape and spellcasting. At the same time, he didn't forget to direct his subordinates to flank and attack with Ninjutsu from a distance.

In just one exchange, the Sunagakure's Jonin went from being able to both attack and defend to only being able to defend. If this continues, defeat is only a matter of time.

While Fukuhara was entangled, his three subordinates were also caught up by the ninjas led by Kazuda. Facing the Jonin of Cloud Village, these three Sunagakure Ninja, who were only Chunin level, did not even last a few minutes before dying.

If the Cloud Ninja hadn't wanted to take down these Sunagakure Ninja with zero casualties, the battle would probably have ended long ago.

Meanwhile, Taiichi, hiding in the back, quietly watched the battle he sensed, a strange smile playing on his lips. When he saw the first Sunagakure from Chunin die, he knew it was time for him to make his move.

He got up and circled around to the direction the Sand Village Ninja had come from. He took off his Konoha Headband, put on the Sunagakure Headband he had prepared beforehand, Taiichi. At this moment, the second Sunagakure Chunin had also lost his life.

Taiichi started running, accelerated, and as he got closer, he seized the opportunity to shout loudly, "Stop! You traitors from Cloud Village!"

Immediately, his figure was spotted by the Cloud Ninja. At that moment, the last Sunagakure Chunin was killed. The Cloud Ninja who killed him cruelly pulled out the Kunai that was stuck in the Sunagakure Ninja's chest and turned his head to reveal a ferocious smile.

But suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his chest, and when he looked down, he saw that he had been pierced through by Short Sword.

"How could it be so fast!" That was the only thought left in his remaining consciousness, and the Sunagakure Ninja who had suddenly appeared had already passed him by.

"Damn it, attack together!" Kazuda was furious when he saw one of his men killed in the blink of an eye. He had killed three men without any losses, but he never expected to be ambushed like this.

He was completely unaware that the newcomer was not one of the small fry he had dealt with before.

After killing one person, Taiichi was completely excited. Looking at the group of people surrounding him, he symbolically formed hand Hand Seals as he ran.

Wind Style: Great Breakthrough

Immediately, Taiichi blew out a violent hurricane from his mouth, which was mixed with a large number of dense wind Wind Blade.

The two Cloud Ninja at the front of the charge didn't even have time to dodge before being hit squarely by the gust of wind. Their bodies were instantly cut open and covered in blood, and it was clear they were going to die.

The few Cloud Ninja were lagging behind reacted quickly, using their Body Flicker to avoid the Wind Blade from the front and intending to approach Taiichi from the side.

Taiichi for them. He poured a surge of wind-attribute Chakra into the Short Sword in his hand, and the blade immediately glowed with a bluish light.

Facing the charging ninja, Taiichi swiftly dispatched the Cloud Ninja with a few swift strokes of his sword.

At this moment, only the lone Jonin remained in front of him, and now it was the Cloud Village's turn to Jonin.

He retreated rapidly towards the main force, simultaneously forming hand Hand Seals and releasing a series of Lightning Ball in an attempt to hinder Taiichi's advance.

However, he clearly underestimated Taiichi's Ninjutsu skills. You might be able to hold your own in close combat, but Taiichi isn't afraid at all when it comes to long-range Ninjutsu exchanges.

Hand Seals, Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere.

Countless compressed air projectiles spewed out from Taiichi, like a machine gun firing continuously. Before the incoming Lightning Ball could even get close, it was shattered by countless Vacuum Sphere without even making a splash.

The remaining large amount of Vacuum Sphere did not dissipate after shattering the Lightning Ball, and continued to fly towards the direction of the Cloud Ninja.

This terrified Kazuda. He continued Hand Seals while shouting for help, "Captain, help! The enemy is too strong!"

Just as Taiichi's Ninjutsu was about to be completed, he finally finished his last hand seal, slammed his hand on the ground, and an Earth Wall immediately rose up.

Just by looking at the style of the Earth Wall, one could tell that Earth Style was not Ninjutsu he was good at.

Naturally, such Earth Style could not possibly withstand Taiichi's Wind Style.

Before the Cloud Village Jonin relax, the Earth Wall was pierced by a dense barrage of Vacuum Sphere. The Jonin hiding behind the Earth Wall Jonin, and more than a dozen piercing wounds appeared on his body, with blood gushing out.

On this side, the Cloud Village Captain and Kazuda heard Taiichi's shout at almost the same time, but seeing that there was only one person, they didn't take it to heart.

But before he could even turn his attention back, Kazuda was already calling for help. When he turned back to look, Kazuda's squad, including himself, had already Yomi.

"Damn it, a powerful expert has arrived! Everyone, stop watching and take care of this Sunagakure immediately!"

After saying that, he picked up Kunai and joined the battle against the previous Sunagakure Jonin. He wanted to deal with one of them first, and then concentrate his strength to find trouble for the other.

But Taiichi was more than happy that Cloud Ninja done this. Otherwise, he wouldn't know how to continue this charade.

Now that's great! Taiichi no longer needs to hold back his speed and can rush towards the Sunagakure at full speed, shouting, "Brother, hold on, I'm coming!"

Fukuhara really wanted to hold on. Seeing how strong his new comrade from Sunagakure was, he knew he could be saved if he held on for just a little while longer.

However, there were simply too many Cloud Ninja, and two Jonin. He really couldn't hold on any longer!

Just as Taiichi was only 10 meters away from him, the Cloud Ninja Captain's Kunai had already pierced his heart. Looking at Taiichi, who was furiously forming hand seals, Fukuhara revealed a sad smile. He hadn't been able to hold on after all!

Over here, Taiichi saw that the Cloud Ninja had killed the Sunagakure Ninja Jonin immediately became "enraged". Hand Seals and Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves.

A continuous barrage of energy blades erupted from Taiichi, covering a vast area that included all the Cloud Ninja in the attack.

"Everyone be careful, this guy is very strong in Wind Style. Anyone who knows Earth Style, get in!"

Immediately, eight Cloud Ninja stepped forward, including the Jonin named Toroi. They Hand Seals together, and Earth Wall rose from the ground. Although they couldn't perform a combined technique like those of Iwagakure, the eight Earth Wall stacked together were still quite thick.

The Vacuum Serial Waves swept across the Earth Wall, and the first three sections immediately collapsed. As the air blade swept back and forth, the collapsed Earth Wall was also cut into pieces.

But these eight Earth Wall ultimately blocked Taiichi's Wind Style.

Just then, seven or eight ninjas emerged from each side of the Earth Wall, wielding various weapons and attacking Taiichi under the leadership of Jonin.

Clearly, they preferred close-quarters combat with Taiichi to Taiichi Ninjutsu.

Taiichi showed no fear in the face of this. The Short Sword glowed blue again, and Taiichi charged toward the enemy on the left. With two slashes, he felled two Cloud Ninja. His third slash was blocked by Cloud Village Jonin. Then, the Cloud Ninja around him immediately prepared to surround him.

Toroi grinned menacingly, as if he could already foresee Taiichi's death.

He was about to make a sarcastic remark when he saw Taiyi take Taiichi deep breath and unleash Wind Style: Great Breakthrough.

"How is that possible? Doesn't he need to use Hand Seals?" Toroi cried out in his heart.

But there was no way anyone could respond to him. At such close range, it was practically Wind Style released right at his face; how could he possibly dodge it?

As Taiichi shook his head, the ninjas surrounding him were immediately blown away. Each of them had at least a dozen wounds cut by the Wind Blade. The Jonin, in particular, was covered in wounds, and his head was unrecognizable.

The Cloud Ninja who had originally intended to rush forward all stopped in their tracks. They were terrified. Of the original twenty-odd people, only nine remained, including two Jonin who had been killed in battle.

Are the few people they have left enough to kill this Sunagakure Ninja? When did such a powerful Wind Style ninja appear in the Sunagakure Ninja?

Seeing that Taiichi was closing in step by step, the leader of the Cloud Village Cloud Village shouted Jonin, "Escape! Scatter and escape! Regroup at point A after you escape!"

After saying that, he quickly Hand Seals, and a large amount of Lightning Net enveloped Taiichi. As soon as he finished releasing the Ninjutsu, he turned around and fled into the distance without looking back. At the same time, a Signal Flare was launched into the sky to notify the Cloud Ninja who had not yet returned to evacuate immediately.

Taiichi his hand and unleashed another Great Breakthrough, shattering the vast Lightning Net. Watching the fleeing Cloud Ninja, he gave chase for a brief moment, then killed a few more Cloud Ninja were lagging behind before stopping.

He certainly couldn't kill all these Cloud Ninja, otherwise who would go back to report to Cloud Village?