The Battle Against the Mist Village (Part Two)
In the eastern part of the Land of Fire, the unfortunate Konoha squad Captain has already died, and now another person is fleeing ahead.
Kushimaru Kuriarare's idea was indeed very effective; they followed the fleeing ninja and ambushed and killed four Konoha squads.
There are Camp escort teams here, as well as ninjas patrolling the camp.
However, human desires are never satisfied, Seven Ninja Swordsmen, having already achieved four successful precedents, began to feel dissatisfied again.
"This is too slow, Kushimaru Kuriarare. Do you have any better ideas? I'm tired of these little bugs. They're not challenging at all." Munashi Jinpachi brandished his Blastsword, slashing irritably at the branch blocking his way.
That's true. They were Jonin, and Elite Jonin. They wiped out four squads in one day. If you don't count the supplies they were escorting, then the results weren't very impressive.
Little did he know that Kushimaru Kuriarare completely ignored him. He knew exactly what kind of person his old partner was; he was just itching to kill again and had nowhere to vent his frustration.
Their mission wasn't to kill a lot of Konoha ninja, but to sabotage Konoha's logistics and disrupt Konoha rear.
Aimless searching is ineffective. In the vast Land of Fire, how much area can seven people cover? It's better to use Konoha Ninja as bait; that way, they might find many other Konoha teams.
Didn't they wipe out two supply delivery teams?
"Munashi Jinpachi, put away your murderous intent. We are on a mission, don't do anything meaningless."
If you ruin the Mizukage's grand plan, I won't hesitate to cut off your head and use it as a chamber pot!
Suikazan Fuguki immediately rebuked him; his words carried considerable weight. Munashi Jinpachi merely pursed his lips in disapproval.
However, while the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had a good idea, the ninjas of Konoha weren't fools.
The ninja they were chasing was a smart man; he knew very well how terrifyingly strong the ninjas pursuing him were.
Now that he has been on the run for so long, yet they have only been keeping a distance and haven't caught up, the answer is obvious: this group wants to use him to lure other Konoha Ninja away.
The ninja felt a pang of regret as he recalled the distress Signal Flare his squad had sent out during the previous attack.
Looking back at the seven figures faintly visible at the end of his vision, the ninja gritted his teeth and made up his mind. He knew he had no chance of returning to the Camp, so why drag others down with him?
He silently adjusted his direction, no longer running in the direction where his companions might appear, but instead moving away from the battlefield.
About half an hour later, Jinin Akebino was running, was the first to notice something was wrong. He looked up at the sky and found that the Sun Barrier, which should have been directly in front of them, was now on the left, which meant that the group had changed direction without realizing it.
"Fuguki, we've been tricked! That guy ahead discovered our intentions and is leading us in the wrong direction."
They were all experienced Jonin, Jinin Akebino said that, they all immediately noticed something was wrong.
"Damn Konoha scum, how dare they play us!" Munashi Jinpachi, who was already seething with anger, immediately flew into a rage.
Without waiting for anyone else to speak, he darted away and disappeared into the woods in the blink of an eye.
Over here, the group who realized they had been tricked stopped in their tracks. Kushimaru Kuriarare wore a mask, so his expression was not visible, Jinin Akebino was clearly a taciturn person, so there was nothing unusual about him either.
The others didn't look too good, especially Suikazan Fuguki, who had just rejected Munashi Jinpachi's suggestion and was then thoroughly humiliated by the people of Konoha.
Now, seeing his obese body trembling, one can see how angry he was.
"What's next? Continue searching for the Konoha team?"
Raiga Kurosuki brandished his twin swords, occasionally sending up arcs of electricity. He glanced sideways at Suikazan Fuguki, deliberately provoking him by bringing up a sore spot.
Suikazan Fuguki glared fiercely at Raiga Kurosuki, only to be met with a disdainful sneer.
"Let's wait for Munashi Jinpachi to return and see if there's any new information."
Everyone fell silent and waited in place.
Munashi Jinpachi had rushed out, was filled with excitement. He licked his dry lips and soon spotted the Konoha Ninja still fleeing ahead.
"You little mouse, you're quite cunning, daring to deceive us. I'll cut you into a human stick and torture you properly!"
Hearing the commotion behind him, the Konoha Ninja running ahead realized that his intentions had been exposed. He decided to stop running, escaped Kunai his kunai, and turned to charge at the enemy.
Giving up and waiting to die is not Konoha's style; he'd rather fight to the death. That was his thought at that moment.
The idea was grand, but the reality was harsh.
A huge gap in strength cannot be bridged simply by having ideas.
The moment they clashed, the Kunai in his hand was knocked away by the Blastsword, and the nearby Explosive Tag blasted him into a dusty mess.
Before he could even react, a sharp pain shot through his right arm. It turned out that Munashi Jinpachi had severed his arm with a single stroke while he was distracted.
"Ah!" A shrill scream rang out, but Munashi Jinpachi did not stop for a moment. With another swing of his Blastsword, the Konoha Ninja's other arm fell to the ground.
At this point, Munashi Jinpachi stopped what he was doing. He didn't interrogate him for information; he just closed his eyes and listened to the screams, looking quite pleased with himself.
Only after his perverted hobby was satisfied did Munashi Jinpachi remember that he still had a mission to do. With a swift swing of his Blastsword, he severed both legs of the Konoha Ninja.
Munashi Jinpachi step forward, ignoring the Konoha Ninja's screams, grab his clothes and drag him back, leaving only a long trail of blood and lingering screams in the air.
When Munashi Jinpachi returned to the group, half an hour had passed. Seeing him throw the Konoha Ninja, who had been slashed into a human stick, at him, Suikazan Fuguki's forehead veins throbbed.
"Didn't you interrogate him? Why did you bring him back?"
"I'm not good at interrogation, and I was afraid of killing him, so I brought him back for you to torture."
This is clearly an excuse. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen are all masters of interrogation, and besides, looking at the Konoha Ninja on the ground, barely clinging to life, what could they possibly extract from him?
Just as Suikazan Fuguki was about to erupt in anger, Juzo Biwa stepped forward and plunged his Greatsword into the chest of the Konoha Ninja, ending his life instantly.
"Since I'm not expecting to get anything out of him anyway, there's no need for torture. My Greatsword is just short of blood, so I'll use this to replenish it."
With Juzo Biwa's interruption, everyone finally turned their attention away from the dead Konoha Ninja.
What to do next? Should they continue searching for the Konoha Ninja, or advance into the heart of the Land of Fire to create even greater chaos? These are questions that Suikazan Fuguki must decide.
"Let's go back----"
Suikazan Fuguki had only spoken halfway when Hikaru suddenly turned to the side of the woods, and the others followed suit, looking in the same direction a second or two later.
A knowing yet cruel smile spread across their faces. "What good luck today! I thought I'd been let off the hook like a dog, but I've run into another unlucky fellow."
Frontline Camp, Central Command Tent.
Tsunade sat confidently in the main seat, a stark contrast to her frustrated demeanor at the casino.
Taiichi stood beside her. Although there was no seat, the position seemed quite intimate, and no one present would be foolish enough to think that Taiichi, who was standing, could be disrespected.
Before even entering the tent, Shizune had Teuchi to the Medical Camp to work as an assistant; this level of meeting was not something a little girl like her could "intervene in."
However, during the years she wandered with Tsunade, her Medical Ninjutsu became quite remarkable, making her more than capable of helping out at Medical Camp.
--
Next, the leaders of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans sat at the head of the table on the left and right, respectively, while the other clans and former Jonin the Camp sat in order behind them.
Tsunade surveyed the entire room with an air of authority, and the previously noisy scene quickly quieted down. Seeing this, she didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.
"I don't need to elaborate on the importance of this battle. Those present are either high-ranking members of their clans or Jonin from the village, so they must all be aware of it."
Now that we're on the battlefield, there's no such thing as clan ninjas. Everyone here is Konoha Ninja, a comrade-in-arms and partner to whom we can entrust our juniors. Don't bring the ways of the village to the battlefield.
I'm warning you now: if I find any ninja making this kind of mistake later, don't blame me for being ruthless.
Tsunade knew that these ninjas, most of whom were trained and dispatched by their clans, were heavily influenced by the clans' internal ideologies. If she didn't give them a warning at the beginning, they would definitely cause trouble later.
Upon hearing this, many Ninja Clan representatives expressed their willingness to follow Commander Tsunade's instructions and to instruct their clan members to do everything possible to defeat the Mist Village.
Seeing this, Taichi, who was standing next to Tsunade, Taiichi curled his lip. He clearly remembered that on the way here, Yuki Hyuga was still mocking the Uchiha, and now, he was the one who was most enthusiastically agreeing with them.
Raising her hand to signal everyone to be quiet, Tsunade addressed the Camp's former leader, "Mokujun Jonin, you know the situation here best. Please tell us about it."
The ninja named Mokujun was a middle-aged Jonin with a long scar running down his forehead. He exuded a fierce aura, far surpassing that of Yuki Hyuga within his clan.
"The Mist Village team that has landed now is their vanguard, mainly composed of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. This is an elite team of seven Jonin, and they are the ones who breached our outposts along the coast."
They have now penetrated deep into the Konoha Great Forest, continuously attacking our patrolling ninjas and Resupply teams, causing significant losses to our logistical Resupply.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen?
"A team of seven Jonin?"
Everyone present was surprised. Teams composed entirely of Jonin were very rare, usually formed temporarily to complete special missions. They had never heard of a team like Mist Village, which even had its own unique title, before.
"Do you have any more information about them?" asked Nara Kaoru, the Nara Clan's representative on this occasion.
"All we know is that each of them has their own unique Ninja Blade with its own characteristics, but we know nothing about their specific abilities. None of the ninjas who encountered them ever returned alive, and they were extremely cruel; many of their comrades were tortured to death."
"Those bastards from Mist Village deserve to be torn to pieces."
This was the anger of young ninjas, whose hearts still held qualities called justice.
"Without specific intelligence, this is difficult. Seven Jonin are a force to be reckoned with. Without a corresponding plan, we can only rely on more Jonin to suppress them."
This is the most cumbersome and wasteful method, and the key issue is that we don't yet know where they are, so we need to form several such sniper teams to make it work.
All eyes turned to Tsunade of the table, hoping she would offer an idea.
Ordinary ninjas wouldn't be able to deal with an enemy like this, but there just happens to be one here.
He excels in reconnaissance, maneuvering, and assault.
"Taiichi," Tsunade slightly.
"Yes, teacher." Taiichi stepped forward and answered decisively. At this moment, he had to help his teacher save face.
"How about I hand these people over to you?" The apprentice was capable, and the teacher didn't hesitate, giving the order directly.
"No problem, leave it to me!"
The two of them worked together seamlessly and quickly assigned the task.
The many Jonin below were also astonished. You two, master and disciple, really don't respect Jonin. That's a team of seven Jonin, and you only sent your disciple alone. Isn't that a bit too presumptuous?
If you're saying these are people who haven't witnessed Taiichi's true strength, then bring in the ninjas who fought alongside Taiichi, and they won't have these questions.
The gap between people can sometimes be greater than the gap between a person and a dog; it's hard for those who haven't experienced it firsthand to imagine.
Ignoring the astonishment of the ninja below, Tsunade directly changed the subject. "Mokujun, besides the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, what other information do you have about Mist Village?"
The scars on Mokujun's face twisted and turned, revealing at a glance that his heart was also in turmoil.
Hearing Tsunade's question, he composed himself and continued, "The main force of Mist Village hasn't arrived yet, but patrolling ninjas have spotted Mist Ninja on several larger islands at sea. I believe they will arrive in the next day or two."
Tsunade frowned. Lacking concrete intelligence about the enemy was truly painful; now she could only passively wait.
"Hyuga Elder, how many clansmen did you bring this time?"
"Including myself, there are a total of two hundred ninjas here," Yuki Hyuga said with considerable pride.
"Alright! Select 50 people, with Hyuga ninjas at the core, and form 50 reconnaissance teams. Distribute them along the Coastline. I need to know the movements of the Mist Village force as soon as possible."
He instructed them to focus solely on reconnaissance; once the enemy was spotted, they were to immediately signal, and not engage in pointless fighting.
Tsunade had no choice. The Camp was said to have 2,000 ninjas, but that included logistics and medical personnel. Only about 1,700 or 1,800 were actually available for combat.
Defeating Mist Village, who have devoted all their energy to Konoha, with such a small force is far more difficult than fighting other ninja villages. Therefore, for Tsunade, every single person is precious now, and there cannot be any unnecessary losses during the mission.