Counterattack Against All Odds

The atmosphere was heavy inside the cave at the temporary outpost.

Members of both teams gathered here.

Taiichi alone deep inside the cave he had created, healing Hatake Sakumo's wounds.

First, there was the most serious penetrating wound in his shoulder. The Chakra Scalpel precisely removed the already necrotic flesh. Every operation was performed with care, yet with unwavering decisiveness.

The shimmering green light from the Mystical Palm Technique followed closely behind, promoting rapid cell division and accelerating wound healing.

At this moment, all that talk about "consuming life potential" is utter nonsense. Only by living can there be a future.

With the largest injury treated, Taiichi dared not catch his breath, and even though sweat soaked his hair, he didn't have time to wipe it away.

He immediately turned to the numerous wounds, large and small, covering Sakumo's entire body. These wounds had worsened due to prolonged neglect, and many were already red, swollen, and festering, emitting a nauseating stench. If left untreated, he might die from infection, which would be a joke.

While Taiichi was receiving treatment, outside the cave, Captain Yamaguchi, Minato, and the others were also busy. They gathered all the supplies and set up traps of all sizes around the temporary Camp, hoping to delay the enemy's advance.

Minato even buried several Flying Thunder God Kunai around the cave, hoping to give the enemy a surprise.

"Minato, how is Sakumo- Senior's injury?" Captain Yamaguchi asked worriedly, looking at the cave entrance that was now hidden by a concealment Barrier.

"It's very serious. I examined Sakumo- senpai when Taiichi and the other Senior brought him back. Ordinary Medical Ninja couldn't heal that kind of injury. I just don't know how good Taiichi's medical skills are."

Minato was equally worried. If White Fang of Konoha were to die in this battle, Konoha would suffer a tremendous loss.

Captain Yamaguchi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Minato's reply. He had witnessed Taiichi's Medical Ninjutsu skills firsthand. Minato's description of Hatake Sakumo's injuries clearly indicated that he was not in a life-threatening condition, so it wasn't a big problem for Taiichi.

"Then there's no need to worry. Taiichi's Medical Ninjutsu can even save people on the verge of death," Yamaguchi reassured Minato.

Minato was also hearing about Taiichi's medical skills for the first time, and he was very surprised, but he was also relieved.

After setting up the traps, everyone found a place to rest. They all knew that there would be a tough battle ahead, so they were making the most of the remaining time to recover their strength and Chakra.

"Boom!"

A deafening series of explosions shattered the silence, Kakkou soared into the sky, and smoke filled the air! The pre-set Explosive Tag trap had been triggered.

The loud noise instantly startled the resting group. They quickly formed a battle formation as agreed, with the two Captain in front, Yohei behind in the middle, and the other four guarding the cave at the back. Inuzuka Makoto's three large dogs roamed around the perimeter.

As the explosion subsided, 15 figures emerged from the dense forest, but four of them walked unsteadily, their clothes torn and charred, clearly indicating that the explosion had had a significant impact on them.

The people from Konoha and Cloud Village stood facing each other, about twenty meters apart, neither making the first move or speaking.

At this point, the Cloud Village's Anbu were in a very bad mood. Not only had their teammates died before, but now, before they had even officially engaged in combat, four more of them had been injured by a trap.

Although it wasn't a fatal injury, it certainly weakened their fighting ability significantly, especially the impact on morale.

Looking at the Konoha members who were standing ready ahead, the squad Captain understood. It seemed they were buying time to treat Hatake Sakumo. In fact, they knew that after chasing Hatake Sakumo for several days, they knew how badly he was injured.

Without the rescue by these Konoha Ninja, even without their intervention, Hatake Sakumo would have been a corpse sooner or later.

The Cloud Village members carefully examined the Konoha group and gradually noticed something amiss. It seemed that neither Jonin the two Jonin leading the group were the Jonin Taijutsu and swordsmanship, as they had previously speculated.

The leading Cloud Jonin Cloud Village glances, understanding each other's meaning— Konoha still had hidden forces; they needed to be careful.

"Konoha ninja, hand over Hatake Sakumo! He assassinated a high-ranking official of our village. We are here to apprehend him on the orders of the Raikage." The squad Captain, trying to intimidate his opponents, immediately launched into a scathing attack.

"It seems there's a serious problem with your village's intelligence transmission!" Minato retorted without backing down, "If we don't get back today, all the shady dealings that Cloud Village did will be exposed to the Ninja World. We'll see how you handle that then. I advise you all to go back and consult with your superiors first."

"

Minato was simply bluffing the other side; even if they hesitated even slightly, he would still gain.

Seeing that his bluff had failed and that his own side had been shaken by the enemy's words, the Cloud Village squad Captain no longer hesitated. With a wave of his hand, four squad Captain led their men to rush towards the Konoha Ninja, while he stayed in the center to provide support and prevent the two hidden Taijutsu- type ninja from attacking.

On Konoha's side, Captain Yamaguchi, seeing the enemies charging at him, no longer held back, his hands instantly transforming into afterimages Earth Style Release: Earth Style: Earth Flow River.

The surging Chakra altered the structure of the land in front of him, turning into a torrent of mud that quickly covered a patch of land ahead. The five Cloud Village Chunin were charging ahead were unable to dodge in time and were trapped in the viscous mud.

At that moment, Captain Yamaguchi's hand seals changed again, and in an instant, he completed the Hand Seals, Earth Style: Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet.

A dragon head swiftly rose from beneath his feet, spewing out a barrage of earth bullets that hurtled towards the fleeing Cloud Ninja.

Meanwhile, Minato, not to be outdone, watched as Captain Yamaguchi unleashed Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet, and he tacitly completed the Hand Seals, Fire Style: Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet.

A torrent of flames spewed from its mouth, sticking to the Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet used by Captain Yamaguchi, instantly doubling their power.

The Cloud Village Konoha Jonin powerful attack right from the start. Fortunately, the four Jonin managed to dodge the Ninjutsu attacks in time.

But the Chunin were in trouble. They rushed in too fast, and wide-range Ninjutsu like Earth Style: Earth Flow River is not easy to dodge. The subsequent Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet and Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet were even more overwhelming for them.

Each of them had to resort to their most secret techniques, and even then, they all paid a considerable price to stay alive.

Yohei and Saori, standing behind, stared in astonishment at Captain Yamaguchi Kamui was displaying his power in front of them. Although they knew that the Captain was skilled in Earth Style, they never expected that Captain Earth Style were so formidable.

The Cloud Village Chunin decimated by the combined three Ninjutsu of Minato, temporarily losing their threat. However, the Jonin had broken free of the Ninjutsu and rushed forward. One of them engaged Minato and Masasuke Yamaguchi, while the other two bypassed them and charged straight at the Konoha Chunin group.

At this moment, the Cloud Village squad Captain no longer cared about the ambush. The loss of many people in an instant made him lose his temper, and he rushed towards Masasuke Yamaguchi, whom he considered the greatest threat, at full speed.

Cloud Village, who was originally engaged in Jonin battle with the opposing Jonin, suddenly felt the pressure increase when faced with the sudden attack of the Masasuke Yamaguchi squad Captain. Before long, he was already injured.

The situation was even more critical for the rear squad members. Although there were five of them, they were still in grave danger facing two Jonin. If it weren't for the three large dogs relentlessly supporting their attacks, there would probably have been casualties long ago.

Even so, both female ninjas, Saori and Nakamura Rei, had multiple injuries on their bodies.

Yohei was slashed in the back, the wound so deep that the bone was visible, but he still stood in front of Saori, because most of Saori's wounds were from shielding him from the knife.

The Futatsudomoe in his eyes spun wildly, clearly indicating that Yohei Ping was channeling his Chakra to the fullest extent, hoping to find some weakness in his enemy, but unfortunately, the difference in strength was too great.

As the situation grew increasingly critical, the Cloud Village Chunin had miraculously survived the Ninjutsu and struggled to escape were also wounded and prepared to join the battle with ferocious expressions.

An atmosphere of despair began to permeate the room.

At the critical moment!

Minato, Jonin in combat with a Jonin, vanished without warning.

The next instant, he appeared to the Jonin who was about to stab Inuzuka Makoto!

Minato held the Kunai in his hand to the neck Jonin the Cloud Village, and using the momentum of the Jonin's forward charge, the Kunai successfully pierced his neck.

"Puff"

The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh was so faint as to be almost inaudible, but at that moment it rang out like thunder in everyone's ears.

The Cloud Village's Jonin momentum came to an abrupt halt, blood gushing from his neck, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Where did he go?" This was the thought in the Jonin who was locked in combat with Minato.

"When did they arrive?" These were the last thoughts of the Jonin throat had been slit.

All the ninjas abruptly stopped what they were doing. What was going on? Even the Body Flicker Technique couldn't be that fast! A sense of unease settled over all the Cloud Ninja. Unable to understand the situation, they dared not make a move.

The Cloud Village Chunin who had just escaped their predicament gathered behind their Captain, and the scene fell into an eerie silence.

Before the battle, Minato gave everyone a Flying Thunder God Kunai, so that they could be used in crucial moments.

Fortunately, the move was indeed effective. It's not surprising that Minato didn't use the Flying Thunder God sooner, as he had only recently mastered it and wasn't particularly skilled at using it in actual combat. The fact that he was able to use it in a critical moment also had an element of luck involved.

Just as the scene was locked in a standoff again, the cave entrance, which had been hidden by Barrier, rippled, and the Barrier was suddenly removed.

All eyes were drawn to the changes at the cave entrance.

A figure slowly emerged from the dark cave. First, his feet were illuminated by the sunlight, then his figure held Short Sword, and finally, his white hair and sharp eyes revealed him. The one who stepped out of the cave was none other than "White Fang of Konoha," Hatake Sakumo.

"Sakumo- Senior, your injuries have healed." Minato, who reacted the fastest, Body Flicker appeared beside Sakumo, looking at Hatake Sakumo's upper body covered in bandages, and asked with concern.

Other Konoha ninjas also gathered at the cave entrance.

But at this moment, the Cloud Village ninjas were not in a good mood. The two Konoha Jonin present were not to be trifled with. They still did not understand how that blond ninja had killed their Jonin subordinate in an instant.

Now that Hatake Sakumo, whom they were chasing, is able to fight again, wouldn't they all have to perish here?

"Damn Konoha Ninja, they brought such a powerful Medical Ninja with them on this mission!"

Remembering the village's instructions to retreat if they couldn't win, the Cloud Village squad Captain decisively ordered his subordinates:

"

"Take the wounded and the dead—let's retreat."

The squad Captain, realizing the gravity of the situation, silently carried their wounded comrades away from the scene.

Seeing the Captain Yamaguchi Cloud Village was about to speak up to stop them when he received a look from Minato stopping him. Although he didn't understand why, he still chose to trust Minato's judgment.

Once all the Cloud Ninja had disappeared from sight, before Captain Yamaguchi could even ask a question, Hatake Sakumo had been standing upright, collapsed as if he had lost his support, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, and he was panting heavily.

Everyone then realized—that was just a bluff, a show of force risking their lives!

At this moment, Taiichi also came out of the cave. The long-term, high-intensity Medical Ninjutsu treatment had really exhausted his energy. At this moment, his condition was only slightly better than that of the collapsed Sakumo.

"Let's quickly replenish our strength and leave this place as soon as possible, in case the Cloud Village realizes something and attacks us again."

Minato helped the Hatake Sakumo to his feet and gave instructions to everyone.

The group remained silent, each taking a Military Ration Pill to speed up their recovery.

Taiichi couldn't rest yet. Although he couldn't use Medical Ninjutsu for the time being, he had prepared a lot of medical supplies. Apart from the two Jonin, even the three big dogs present were seriously injured.

Providing simple treatments to so many people is quite a workload.

When Taiichi treated Yohei, the usually jovial Yangping was deathly pale, his lips bluish-purple from blood loss. Looking at his back, Taiichi couldn't help but gasp. A slight misstep would have severed his spine, yet he remained silent.

"Well, Taiichi, this is my medal of honor!"

"If your medal were any bigger, I wouldn't need any more treatment."

Hearing that Yohei was still in the mood to joke at this time, Taiichi couldn't help but admire him, but his hands were not slow either, and he used the last bit of Chakra to perform the Mystical Palm Technique.

With injuries this severe, ordinary treatments simply won't work.

While Taiichi was busy treating everyone, Minato and Captain Yamaguchi were also discussing the details of the mission with Hatake Sakumo. How did the mission, which was originally going well, turn out like this?

After some conversation, everyone basically pieced together the complete picture of the mission.

First, Hatake Sakumo unfortunately encountered the Raikage and his Shadow Guard Unit while on a mission. Although he completed the mission, he was beaten so badly that he could only escape with serious injuries.

Then, they were relentlessly pursued by the Cloud Village Anbu, and this escape lasted for six days.

After checking the time, both sides were surprised to find that there was at least a two-day time difference. Logically, the Cloud Village Anbu should have received the order to retreat two days ago, but in fact, they were still pursuing them until just now.

This was clearly not a normal thing, and a suppressed anger was brewing in everyone's hearts.

Behind this time difference, whether it's a serious intelligence failure in Konoha or a blatant deception and attempt to silence witnesses by Cloud Village, the truth must be thoroughly investigated!

After a short rest, everyone gradually recovered, and even Hatake Sakumo regained his basic mobility.

After discussing it, they decided to set off immediately to return to Konoha. This place was really not a safe place to rest and recuperate; it was better to go home as soon as possible.

They advanced in a cautious formation, with Inuzuka Makoto leading the reconnaissance. He and Kuromaru used their abilities to eliminate dangers along the way. It would have been even better if the other three large dogs hadn't been injured, as their Scout capabilities were somewhat lacking in the current situation.

They didn't encounter any pursuing forces from Land of Hot Water until they reached the border of the Land of Cloud Village. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, as they were now close to the Land of Fire and far from the Land of Lightning.

After a long and tiring journey, and with most of them carrying injuries, everyone was eager to find a comfortable place to rest and recuperate.

As everyone gradually moved away from the border and their expressions relaxed,

"Boom!"

A series of explosions rang out ahead, and raging flames accompanied by violent shockwaves instantly engulfed Inuzuka Makoto and Kuromaru, who were exploring ahead.

The sudden explosion caught everyone off guard. Everyone stared blankly at the spot where Inuzuka Makoto had been standing, now only flames raged.

"No!" Yohei roared first, rushing headlong towards the Kakkou. Minato, who was behind, arrived first and completed the Hand Seals at the same time. A violent gust of wind dispersed the remaining flames.

Only two mangled and charred corpses, one large and one small, remained in the scene, clearly devoid of any life.

At this moment, more than a dozen ninjas surrounded them from all directions. They were dressed in Eight Gates and were clearly not under any one command.

"Haha, as expected, White Fang of Konoha is here. Just as the intelligence said, he's really badly injured."

"

"We wouldn't dare to mess with White Fang at his peak, but now that we have the numbers and the White Fang, it's not like we can't touch him."

"This escort team is full of wounded soldiers and a bunch of kids. The only capable ones are two Jonin, while we have six Jonin!"

"50 million taels! That's mine!"

Seeing the Bounty Ninja putting pressure on everyone with their back-and-forth banter, Minato, Masasuke Yamaguchi, and Hatake Sakumo, the Jonin, quickly calmed down. Taiichi also grabbed Yohei, who wanted to go forward for Yohei, to prevent him from doing something foolish in a moment of impulsiveness.

But when his eyes inadvertently glanced at Yohei's eyes, he was taken aback. The Sharingan that originally had two Tomoe had now become Three-Tomoe.

"There are too many enemies, Jonin. How do we fight them?" Captain Yamaguchi asked Minato and Sakumo.

Honestly, in this kind of close-quarters combat, it all comes down to raw skill. If Hatake Sakumo were at full strength right now, he might be able to take down all the enemies on the other side by simply moving around. But alas—

"Captain, their main focus is on the Jonin; they won't pay much attention to me and Yohei. This is an opportunity," Taiichi suggested. "Yohei has activated his Three-Tomoe."

Upon hearing this, both the Captain and Minato were shocked, their gazes towards Yohei filled with astonishment and pity. They were astonished by Yohei's extraordinary talent, having awakened the Three-Tomoe at such a young age, and pitied the grief in Yohei's heart; the death of his friend had been too much of a shock to him.

"We can give it a try." The three Jonin glances and all agreed with Taiichi's method.

Now that the decision has been made, it's best to strike first.

While these Bounty Ninja were still trying to put pressure on the Konoha Ninja, they didn't expect that the Konoha Ninja, who were clearly at a disadvantage, would make the first move.

Earth Style: Earth Style: Earth Flow River

Captain Yamaguchi first unleashed a wide-range restrictive Ninjutsu on the area where the Bounty Ninja were most concentrated, followed by his usual method: Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet to clear the ground. This maneuver attracted the Minato of two Jonin. Minato, however, didn't use any Ninjutsu this time, instead relying on his incredible speed to charge at one of the Jonin, and the battle between the two instantly reached its climax.

Despite his injuries, Sakumo also mustered his strength to entangle a Jonin, but the fight was quite intense.

Seeing the Konoha Ninja taking the initiative to attack, the Bounty Ninja, relying on their superior numbers, did not back down. Except for those who were entangled or trapped, the rest of them rushed madly toward their target, Hatake Sakumo.

I hope to first take down Hatake Sakumo and claim the 50 million taels bounty.