One Man Holds the Pass Against Ten Thousand

The Land of Grass.

In the dense forest, Taiichi stealthily approached a small Iwagakure squad. The vast difference in strength prevented the squad from detecting Iwagakure 'Taiichi presence.

When the squad approached within 10 meters of Taiichi suddenly burst forth, Body Flicker passing through the squad. Along the way, he simply slashed with his Short Sword, slicing through their necks before they could react.

With his strength at this level, Chunin are no different from ordinary people in front of Taiichi. Without Jonin to restrain him, no matter how many Chunin no threat to him.

After dealing with this group of ninjas, Taiichi didn't waste any time. He flicked his Short Sword, shaking off the bloodstains on it, and then disappeared into the dense forest. In his Chakra Perception, there was more than just this one Iwagakure squad.

Silently, Scout teams were wiped out by Taiichi. When the sixth team died at Taiichi's hands, Iwagakure finally realized something was wrong.

A scarlet Signal Flare exploded in the sky, strikingly visible even in daylight.

The two Iwagakure squads, which were still wandering in Taiichi's perception, quickly retreated the moment the Signal Flare exploded, and soon escaped Taiichi's perception range.

Taiichi wasn't in a hurry. Since the Rock Ninja had already noticed something, he stopped chasing after those small fry.

He arrived at the only route the Iwagakure army would take, and buried many Flying Thunder God Kunai in some hidden places.

Then they flew directly into the sky, hiding above the clouds and waiting for the arrival of the Hidden Iwagakure.

About ten minutes later, the main force of Iwagakure finally appeared in Taiichi's field of vision. Compared to the ninjas from other villages, the Iwagakure force clearly resembled an army.

Even during their march, they maintained a neat formation, with vanguard, flanks, center, and rearguard all present, truly befitting their reputation as the most formidable ninja village in military campaigns among the Five Great Ninja Villages.

When the group arrived at the location Taiichi had designated, he folded his wings and plummeted downwards in a diving motion, simultaneously forming hand Hand Seals and channeling a large amount of Chakra.

Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame.

The Bright Gold flames, amplified by the speed, hurtled like a meteor shower, crashing directly into the center of the unsuspecting Iwagakure troops below.

A full third of the Iwagakure Ninja were engulfed by this Ninjutsu. Those ninjas who didn't have time to react were instantly engulfed by the flames and burned to death in less than two breaths.

Those who reacted quickly and were highly skilled either dodged or burrowed underground. A few powerful individuals even used Water Style submerge themselves, incidentally saving a few unlucky souls who couldn't dodge in time.

With just one Ninjutsu, Iwagakure suffered two hundred casualties. Commander Higashishinin, who was at the rear, witnessed this scene and his eyes immediately turned red. However, he suppressed his anger, maintained his rationality, and gave orders to his troops.

"Water Style ninja, extinguish the fire! Earth Style ninja, use Iron Cannon to crossfire on the aerial target!"

Immediately, forty or fifty ninjas skilled in Water Style began spewing Water Column into the sea of fire.

At the same time, a large number of Earth Style ninjas launched rock projectiles into the sky. These rock projectiles were not launched randomly; they formed a net that enveloped Taiichi, blocking all his evasive maneuvers and leaving him no choice but to withstand the attacks.

However, Taiichi was prepared for this. Just as the rock projectile was about to hit Taiichi, his figure vanished from the spot in an instant.

When they reappeared, they were already in the right wing of Iwagakure.

He drew his Short Sword and unleashed a sweeping slash, the Bright Gold Flame Blade Qi slashing out in all directions in a 360-degree arc.

Another wave of dead and wounded ensued.

Before his opponent could react, he vanished again, this time appearing at the front of the Iwagakure.

The same technique, the same Flame Slash, but this time the effect wasn't as good as last time. Except for a few unlucky ones who didn't react in time, the other Rock Ninja dodged it.

After all, such a wide-range attack has a long wind-up, and it is easy to dodge unless it is done unexpectedly.

Having succeeded in two sneak attacks, Iwagakure is now on guard. Taiichi, who is in the enemy's formation, does not want to fight Iwagakure to the death. He stops attacking and uses Flying Thunder God to leave Iwagakure's ranks, appearing at the forefront of the main force, away from Iwagakure's attack range.

The chaotic Iwagakure Ninja quickly spotted Taiichi ahead. Several Rock Ninja, blinded by rage, charged straight at Taiichi, as if they wanted to tear Taiichi to pieces.

However, all they received in return were a few slashes, a few Phoenix Sage Fire, and Flying Thunder God retreat from a greater distance, leaving only a few mutilated corpses behind.

"No pursuit! Form ranks!"

A roar amplified by Ninjutsu echoed throughout the entire Iwagakure unit. After a moment of stunned silence, all the Iwagakure Ninja reluctantly and quickly regrouped, though this time their ranks appeared even more scattered.

As Iwagakure ceased their attack and reorganized their formation, Taiichi slowly approached the Rock Ninja.

He held his sword in one hand, the blade pointing diagonally at the ground, showing no fear in the face of the massive Iwagakure army. Reflected in the surrounding flames and howling winds, he exuded an aura of unparalleled strength, as if he were a one-man army that could hold off ten thousand.

At this moment, Higashi Higashishinin, the Commander of Iwagakure, along with several Jonin, arrived at the front of the group, and Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, was also among them.

Higashishinin looked around and, finding no other Konoha Ninja nearby, shouted, "Taichi Matsushita, do you think you can stop Iwagakure's advance all by yourself?"

Taiichi brandished his Short Sword, gestured around, and said with considerable disdain, "Isn't it obvious?"

"That was nothing but a sneak attack. Now that my army is in position, try to break in again if you dare!" Higashishinin retorted defiantly, loudly challenging Taiichi.

Without waiting for Taiichi's reply, he waved his hand forward, and the entire Iwagakure unit marched forward in unison. Their unified momentum was something that Taiichi alone could not withstand.

However, Taiichi was not discouraged. Instead, a smile appeared on his lips, which was exactly the effect he wanted.

Iwagakure's actions, how fast can you expect them to be? Trying to catch up with Konoha's forces is out of the question.

And so, the Iwagakure troops advanced step by step, while Taiichi slowly retreated. Whenever the Iwagakure sped up, the formation would become uncoordinated. At that moment, Taiichi would charge in and fight. He didn't seek to kill the enemy; he just wanted to intimidate them enough.

After a stalemate of half an hour, Iwagakure realized Taiichi's sinister intentions. This move was undeniably cunning, as Taichi Matsushita alone managed to hold off the entire Iwagakure force.

"Sir, what should we do? At this rate, we won't be able to catch up with Konoha's main force."

Higashishinin glanced Jonin the Jonin who had spoken, and his brows furrowed involuntarily. He wasn't blind; he naturally understood the current situation.

He glanced at the tall, imposing man beside him and couldn't help but say, "Han, why don't you go and distract him? I'll arrange for four Jonin to go with you; that way, we can ensure your safety."

Han knew he was in trouble when he saw the Higashishinin from the east looking at him, but he was relieved to hear that four Jonin had been sent to accompany him.

For some reason, ever since he met Taiichi last night, he felt an instinctive fear upon seeing him again, as if he had encountered his nemesis.

Han was unaware that this was actually the influence of the Five-Tails Kokuō, on him. Kokuō could sense that if they fought one-on-one, he would definitely die at Taiichi's hands. This fear affected Han, who was Jinchuriki.

"Alright, with four Jonin, we can ensure everything goes smoothly."

Thus, under the arrangement of Higashishinin, four Jonin accompanied Zhuo Han out of the Iwagakure army.

Without further ado, the group charged towards Taiichi, with Han immediately donning the Tailed Beast Cloak.

While Han and his men charged out, the Iwagakure behind them were not idle either. They quickly split into four large groups and marched rapidly, avoiding the areas where Han and his men were fighting.

This is because they have a large number of people, Taiichi is only one person. Even if they are divided into four groups, they are still not Taiichi can underestimate.

With Han and others also holding them back, Taiichi seemed to be truly blocked.

Looking at the Han who was fighting him, and sensing the Iwagakure Ninja scattering in all directions, Taiichi knew that he couldn't leave for the time being, but that didn't mean he had no way out.

Ram Seal a seal, four Shadow Clone appeared, and Taiichi distributed all his Chakra among Shadow Clone.

Although Chakra was completely depleted within the Yin Seal, Taiichi had Attribute Points. By consuming one attribute point, his Chakra was instantly replenished.

The four Shadow Clones had already fled at lightning speed, chasing after the scattered Iwagakure troops.

Han and the four Jonin to stop them, but were stopped by a golden chain as soon as they made a move.

The chains, like agile pythons, skillfully evaded the Rock Ninja's parries and were about to coil around their bodies.

However, the Rock Ninja were not stupid. They would not let Taiichi succeed with such an obvious intention, and they either dodged or blocked with Ninjutsu.

In his mental space, Kokuō directly warned, "Han, whatever you do, do not let those chains touch you! They are Sealing Chains; once you get entangled in them, it will be very troublesome!"

Han was alarmed and immediately told the other four the information he had learned from Kokuō. Upon hearing this, they became even more wary. How could Taichi Matsushita, one after another, each different?

Han is still very powerful, especially with the cooperation of other Jonin. Even Taiichi couldn't defeat him quickly.

However, his purpose was never to fight these people. In his perception, his Shadow Clone had already blocked the scattered Iwagakure troops.

Although Taiichi's Shadow Clone are not as powerful as his main body, they are still not something that ordinary Jonin can easily deal with.

Especially when he wasn't thinking about fighting to the death, but was only using Ninjutsu and the Flying Thunder God Technique to slow down the Iwagakure army's march, the Iwagakure had even less of a way to deal with them.

The Iwagakure's signature Legion Ninjutsu couldn't hit the Shadow Clone who could retreat at any time. Once the Iwagakure moved, the Shadow Clone would move forward, and the Iwagakure wouldn't need any powerful Ninjutsu; they could just throw the Phoenix Sage Fire into the crowd.

Those Bright Gold flames, if they don't allow the Rock Ninja the slightest distraction, can cause anyone to melt and crumble at the slightest touch, even with just a splash of damage.

This forced the Rock Ninja to devote a great deal of attention to dealing with Taiichi's sneak attack, which naturally slowed them down.

The Shadow Clone were delaying the main force of Iwagakure, Taiichi's main body was not having an easy time either. Han had now Partial Tailed Beast Transformation, and his ferocious attacks never stopped.

The Five-Tails Kokuō, used its signature Boil Release Ninjutsu, throwing it at Taiichi every two or three seconds. Even Taiichi dared not touch the high-temperature steam.

Meanwhile, the four ninjas beside him, having become familiar with the attack rhythm of the Adamantine Sealing Chains, also took the opportunity to launch attacks on Taiichi from time to time.

Fireball, lightning, Wind Blade, Water Arrow.

Four different attacks continuously blocked Taiichi's movement space, and also made Taiichi experience the pain of being restrained.

He could have severed Han's shoulder with a single strike, but he had to turn his wrist to deflect two sharp Wind Blade that shot from the side.

The Flame Dragon, which could have severely damaged Han, is now charging at the incoming Water Dragon.

That's the advantage of having more people than you; it's a classic case of "two fists can't beat four hands."

Just as they were locked in a fierce battle, one memory after another flowed back into Taiichi's mind. It turned out that the Shadow Clone that had been blocking Iwagakure's advance had exhausted their Chakra and dissipated on their own.

Calculating the time already delayed, it's been almost an hour. Considering the speed of Konoha's march and the speed of support from the Border Troops, Taiichi estimates that if he can hold out for another 3 hours, he can finish the job perfectly.

He Body Flicker created distance, then performed the same operation, Hand Seals to summon Shadow Clone, consuming Attribute Points replenish his Chakra.

All the actions were performed in one smooth motion. By the time Han and the others realized what was happening and tried to stop them, the four Shadow Clones had already used the Flying Thunder God to return to the original battlefield.

Not to mention how devastated the Iwagakure troops were to see "Taiichi," who had finally disappeared, reappear.

Taiichi's actions truly provoked Han and the four Jonin. It was clear that he didn't take them seriously, wasting a lot of Chakra to delay the main force while fighting them.

It's said that even a clay figure has a temper, let alone a ruthless ninja. Han and the others reduced their defensive efforts while increasing the intensity of their attacks.

As for Nahan, he has now grown all five tails and is willing to endure the erosion of the Tailed Beast in order to gain more power to attack Taiichi.

Although his size hadn't increased, each of his attacks still possessed overwhelming power. Combined with Boil Release: Unparalleled Chakra Enhanced Strength, even Taiichi dared not let him touch him in the slightest.

Did you see those deep, huge craters on the ground? Those were all caused by Han's punches and kicks.

However, such attacks often only managed to hit the ground due to Taiichi's speed, while the Ninjutsu of the four Jonin could occasionally cause Taiichi trouble.

And so, one hour, two hours, three hours passed, and Taiichi consumed another 3 attribute points in exchange for three more chances to have his stats fully restored.

However, the Jonin of Iwagakure didn't have enough Chakra to keep Taiichi occupied.

After Taiichi seized the opportunity to kill a Jonin due to insufficient Chakra, Iwagakure promptly sent four more people to replace the original Jonin.

Only after Taiichi's Shadow Clone left behind by the main force dissipated, and news came that they had rejoined the reinforcements, did Taiichi disappear from the spot amidst the angry and helpless expressions of the Iwagakure.

"Is he really gone this time?"

The Iwagakure Ninja were driven to the brink of collapse by Taiichi. After four whole hours of this, they couldn't understand Taiichi Chakra got so much chakra. Could he be Jinchuriki too?

"This time he's really gone." Higashishinin sensed his surroundings and could already detect Han rushing towards him from afar.

"Sir, should we continue pursuing the Konoha forces?"

The Higashishinin glanced at the ninja who had spoken and said decisively, "Of course we must pursue them. Even if it's not to annihilate Konoha's main force, the Land of Grass is something we must retake."

"

That being said, looking at the troops whose morale had been shattered and demoralized, Higashishinin sighed silently. This battle was going to be tough!