Turning the Tide

As the sun rises, the western Gorge Defense Line of the Land of Demons is faintly visible in the morning mist.

Taichi Matsushita, accompanied by Three Disciples, once again arrived at this strategic pass guarding the heart of the Land of Demons.

The four followed the makeshift passage, but what they saw along the way was quite different from what they had seen the day before.

The once orderly Camp now appears chaotic and crowded, with the wounded soldiers' camp even more overcrowded. Three temporary bunkers made of rubble have been added around the perimeter of the camp.

What drew even more attention were the gazes of the stationed soldiers and Rock Ninja. When Taiichi and his companions appeared, all eyes turned to them, their gazes filled not only with respect for the strong, but also with an almost fearful awe.

"Teacher!" Jiangtai lowered his voice, unable to resist leaning closer to Taiichi, "Aren't the way these people are looking at us a little too much?"

Yami frowned and looked around. "Do they recognize us? They look at us like we're monsters."

Before she could finish speaking, a Rock Ninja from Chunin them and instinctively took a half step back, nearly dropping the crate he was carrying.

Itachi's dark eyes swept across the Camp, finally settling on the direction of the canyon battlefield.

There, the entire canyon is enveloped in a dark red, glassy substance, creating a striking contrast with the bluish-gray rocks on the mountain walls on both sides.

If it wasn't formed naturally, it must have been scorched by a powerful Fire Style. But judging from the scale, does such Fire Style really exist?

Itachi looked up at his teacher beside him, pointed to the charred remains outside the valley, and said to Jiangtai and Yami, "Probably—"

It's because of that.

Taiichi followed Itachi's gaze, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

He offered no explanation, but simply continued leading his disciples toward the command tent.

Jiangtai finally couldn't hold back any longer. Under the watchful eyes of a group of Land of Demons soldiers who were resting, he asked directly, "Hey, why are you looking at us like that? Is there something on our faces?"

The soldiers exchanged glances. One of the older Samurai hesitated for a moment, then bowed deeply and said, "We dare not! Your Excellency—we witnessed your teacher's power with our own eyes yesterday. That is—that is the power of a god."

"Gods?" Jiangtai was even more confused.

Just then, Kitsuchi strode out of the main tent. This Iwagakure Jonin tired, but his Deity.

Upon seeing Taiichi, he immediately stepped forward. "Taiichi, you've arrived! I heard that at the Shrine Maiden Palace— "

"It's resolved," Taiichi said calmly. "The assassin is dead, and the Shrine Maiden's injuries have healed. Now my Shadow Clone and the Nine-Tails Fox are guarding the palace to ensure everything is safe."

Kitsuchi let out a long sigh of relief, his tense shoulders Matsushita: "That's great----that's great----" He looked at the three boys behind Taiichi, his gaze pausing slightly when it met theirs, before returning to normal, "You three have worked hard too."

The Camp has prepared rest areas and Resupply for you.

"Thank you, Senior Kitsuchi," Itachi replied politely.

Taiichi did not immediately enter the tent, but turned to face the scorched canyon, his eyes gradually becoming deep.

Memories flooded back like a tide; they were memories transmitted back before the Shadow Clone dissipated.

Yesterday.

Taiichi's Shadow Clone unfurled pale blue Chakra wings, like a streak of light piercing through the dark clouds above the canyon.

He flew against the direction the Ghost Legion was advancing, with Clay Puppet covering the mountains and plains below.

Those Puppet made of rocks and mud moved slowly but tirelessly, leaving withered vegetation and lifelessness in their wake.

After flying for about fifteen minutes, the terrain gradually opened up. We were now close to the border between the Land of Demons and the Land of Swamps. What should have been a fertile hilly area had turned into a barren, purplish-black wasteland.

A strange stench, a mixture of evil and decay, filled the air, and even the sky was tinged with an ominous dark purple.

Such destruction is no longer just an enemy of humanity; it is the common enemy of all life in the Ninja World.

Finally, not long after crossing the border of the Land of Demons, Taiichi found it.

In the center of that boundless Ghost Legion, lurked a monster beyond description.

It stands a hundred meters tall, its body as bulky as a mountain, covered in purplish-black scales, with a dark red sheen flowing between the scales.

What's most suffocating is its head; five ferocious dragon heads protrude from different parts of its torso, each head adorned with curved horns, and its eye sockets burning with eerie green soul fire.

Even from thousands of meters away, the oppressive aura emanating from that monster was suffocating.

Taiichi hovered in mid-air, his Chakra Perception fully activated. With just one sweep, Taiichi knew that this was not a simple physical creature; it was more like Tailed Beast, a materialized manifestation of Negative Energy.

No wonder they can't be killed. As long as there is intelligent life in the world, Negative Energy will continue to flow, and the Moryo will never be killed.

"This is the Moryo!" the Shadow Clone whispered.

Just then, the five dragon heads of the Moryo suddenly turned in unison, and its ten eerie green eyes locked onto the tiny figure in the air.

Seemingly provoked by Taiichi's Scout, the Moryo opened its five enormous mouths simultaneously and roared!

That wasn't an ordinary sound; it was a roar that directly shook the soul.

The sound waves spread out in visible ripples, cracking the ground and shattering rocks wherever they passed, and forcibly tearing a hole in the dark clouds in the sky. The Shadow Clone Taiichi felt his Chakra wings tremble violently and had to increase his output to stabilize himself.

Even more terrifying are the mutations that arise from the roar.

A large amount of purplish-black mist escaped from the body of the Moryo. The mist was so thick that it was almost tangible. After landing, it quickly condensed and deformed, turning into hundreds or thousands of small monsters.

They are about the size of a human, resembling miniature dragon heads, without complete bodies, only a ferocious head trailing a misty tail, floating and swimming in the air.

"The earthen Puppet weren't enough, now you've added these Resentful Spirit?" Taiichi's face darkened. "The Akatsuki— "

You've really prepared a great gift for the Ninja World.

Just as Taiichi frowned, a voice resounded directly in his mind. "Spy—I can sense the immense power within you. Unlike those ants, you are worthy to stand before me."

The voice was ancient and hoarse, with multiple echoes, as if five heads were speaking at the same time.

Taiichi sneered, "Moryo, a legendary ancient demon. What, you've only just been released after being sealed for a thousand years, and you're already in a hurry to find someone to be your subordinate?"

"Subordinates? No—collaborators." The Moryo's voice was seductive. "I can see through your essence. You crave power and seek a realm beyond the mortal. Cooperate with me, and I can grant you an immortal body and share the supreme power I gain after devouring this world."

Those ants who call themselves "Akatsuki" only see me as a tool—but you are different; you are strong enough.

"What promises did the Akatsuki make to you?" Taiichi asked casually. "They didn't help you break the seal just to do a good deed."

"A promise?" The Moryo roared with deafening laughter, its five heads shaking simultaneously. "They promised to help me break free from the Shrine Maiden's seal, and promised to provide me with nourishment for growth—fear, death, war, these negative emotions are my food."

In exchange, I need to restrain the power of the Five Great Nations for them at the right time.

Shadow Clone Taiichi a sudden thought, "The right time? When?"

"I don't care about that. In my eyes, they're all the same." Moryo didn't seem to mind revealing this, casually answering Taiichi's question.

"Are you willing to be used?" Taiichi Shadow Clone, probed.

"Use?" The five eyes of the Moryo simultaneously flashed with sarcasm. "Once I have absorbed enough Negative Energy and fully recovered my power, no one in this world will be able to seal me away again."

"Then, this entire world will become my nourishment. What do you say, humanity? Cooperate with me, and you can avoid that fate."

The Shadow Clone Taiichi shook his head. "Sorry, I have no interest in becoming someone else's 'reserve nourishment.' And—"

His eyes sharpened. "You seem to have misunderstood something. I'm not here to negotiate, but to determine the best way to put you back into the seal."

"Arrogance!" The Moryo's roar echoed again, this time filled with genuine rage. "You will regret this, human! When my legions trample your homeland, when your loved ones turn into vengeful spirits in their wails, even you will become the source of my power."

"Then let's give it a try." Taiichi stopped talking nonsense, flapped his wings, and quickly escaped the Moryo's observation range.

At this time, the Scout should be on intelligence gathering, not on fighting the Moryo.

He unleashed his full Chakra Perception, surveying the entire occupied area, but what he discovered next made him even more disheartened.

The members of the Akatsuki have completely vanished, as if they had never been in this area.

Only a few Moryo Rogue Ninja and wandering Samurai, bewitched and manipulated by demons, are scattered throughout the Puppet Legion as a strike force.

After the search was completed, Taiichi turned back.

Time is running out; we must inform the troops at the front.

As dusk approaches, at the front-line Camp.

When Taiichi returned to the Gorge Defense Line, the scene he saw made his heart sink.

The situation on the battlefield has taken a sharp turn for the worse. The newly appeared dragon-headed monsters, mixed among the Puppet Soldier, have completely disrupted the defending forces' rhythm.

These spirits have no physical form; soldiers' swords can only cause minor damage, not even slow them down. Only Ninjutsu attacks can inflict effective harm on them.

The problem was that the incident happened too suddenly, and the ninjas had no time to adjust their tactics. Ordinary soldiers were also helpless against these spirits. Several gaps were torn in the defensive line, and the earthen Puppet poured in like a tide.

"Hold on! Third team, prepare Fire Style!"

The roar of the Kitsuchi echoed across the battlefield.

This Iwagakure Jonin stood at the forefront, patting the ground with both hands.

Earth Style · Earth Style Wall.

Three rock walls rose from the ground, temporarily blocking one wave of attack, but were quickly pushed down by subsequent Puppet.

Taiichi saw that even the soldiers and ninjas who were still able to move in the wounded soldiers' camp struggled to go to the front line.

A Chunin from Rock Ninja with Chunin leaning against the cover, releasing a tiny amount of Earth Spike with One-Handed Seal.

Outside the medical tent at the rear, several soldiers from the Land of Demons were transferring the seriously wounded to the back, each with despair written on their face.

The defenses could collapse at any moment.

There was no time to hesitate.

Taiichi transformed into a streak of light and flew across the battlefield, landing fifteen meters in front of the position. At this distance, he was already inside the Puppet Legion, and several dragon-headed spirits immediately shrieked and pounced.

"Kitsuchi!" Taiichi shouted without turning his head, "I'll clear a space for you. Take this opportunity to regroup! Those dragon-headed monsters are afraid of energy attacks, especially Fire Style and Lightning Style!"

Kitsuchi was taken aback, then understood what he was about to do. "Sir, your Chakra— "

He didn't believe that a single Shadow Clone could change the course of the battle under these circumstances; it was better to leave enough forces to cover the main force's retreat.

That's enough.

As soon as he finished speaking, Taiichi clasped his hands together, his Chakra surging wildly, and Natural Energy gathered from all directions.

Sage Mode activated!

Hand Seals.

Sage Art: Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame took a deep breath, his chest bulging high, and then—exhaled.

There was no flame; light appeared first.

Pure platinum-gold light burst forth from Taiichi. The next moment, the light transformed into a tangible flame, but it was no ordinary flame. This was an ultimate flame fused with Senjutsu Chakra, with a temperature far exceeding that of conventional Fire Style.

"Boom!!!

The flames surged forward like a tsunami.

It wasn't a pillar of fire, but a sea of fire, hundreds of meters wide, advancing along the canyon terrain.

Wherever the platinum-gold flames passed, the air was distorted and burned, and the ground rocks instantly melted into crimson magma.

The Clay Puppet didn't even have time to shatter; they began to melt the moment they came into contact with the flames, becoming limp and flowing like wax figures, eventually merging with the lava.

The Resentful Spirit let out a shrill scream, attempting to pass through the flames in Intangibility form, but under the flames of Senjutsu, they melted and evaporated like snowflakes encountering fire.

The high temperatures even affected the troops stationed in the rear.

Even from a distance of more than ten meters, the Rock Ninja in the front row still felt short of breath and experienced a burning sensation on their skin.

Kitsuchi had no choice but to order, "Retreat! Everyone retreat ten steps!"

The flames continued to advance, destroying everything in their path.

It burned through the entire Puppet Legion, burned through the middle of the canyon, and finally spewed out from the other end, turning into a wave of fire tens of meters in diameter, which swept everything in a fan shape.

The flames continued to burn at the end of the canyon, forming an insurmountable wall of fire. Any Puppet attempting to bypass the canyon would spontaneously combust once they got within a certain distance.

Inside the sea of fire, all the Puppet remains were being continuously burned and purified, and none could be restored.

Taiichi, having unleashed this attack, was completely depleted of his Chakra.

He turned to look at the dumbfounded guards behind him, a slight smile playing on his lips, and then with a "bang," he vanished into white smoke.

A brief silence fell over the battlefield.

Only the crackling of flames and the distant roars of the Puppet Legion being blocked could be heard.

Then a scream rang out. A soldier from the Land of Demons, distracted, had his arm slashed by a stray Puppet. The scream acted as a switch, snapping the defenders back to reality.

"What are you all standing there for!" Kitsuchi was the first to react, his voice trembling with excitement, "Counterattack! Now! Wipe out all the remaining enemies!"

"Kill!!!"

Morale soared to its peak at that moment. Ninjas Hand Seals and unleashed their last remaining Ninjutsu, Samurai wielded their swords to slay lone Puppet, and soldiers threw the remains of fallen Puppet into the flames, watching them turn to smoke and never rise again.

Awe was deeply planted in everyone's heart at that moment.

Now, in front of the main tent at the Camp.

Taiichi briefly explained the information he obtained from his Shadow Clone to everyone, naturally mentioning the tragic state of the canyon. Only then did the three little ones understand why everyone looked at them so strangely—it was out of genuine awe.

Itachi looked at the scorched earth, then at his master, and finally made up his mind. "Master, let me go to the front lines to fight!"