The two hundred Konoha troops who had ambushed the Konoha from the mountainsides on both sides of the valley were gradually routed by the Sunagakure's Puppet Corps. Many were paralyzed, lying on trees, tree roots, and the ground, their bodies stiff and completely unable to move.
The Konoha ninjas, carrying their wounded comrades, were unable to rescue some and could only watch as they were captured by the Sunagakure. Their defeat was very obvious!
Shinichi witnessed his men being killed one after another by the Sunagakure, his heart ached as if it were being torn apart, bleeding profusely. After a moment of silence, he raised his head again, his eyes filled with a death wish. "Retreat! All members of Team B, retreat out of the valley! Break through the Sunagakure's blockade, return to the Konoha Village base, leave this valley... The entire army, retreat!"
A firework shot straight up from the ground and into the sky, exploding in a spectacular display!
Green fireworks signal retreat.
Upon receiving this information, the two hundred Konoha Ninja on both sides of the mountain quickly retreated out of the valley, leading their wounded teammates and using various Ninjutsu to repel the pursuing Puppet Corps. Shinichi's men remained in the southern part of the mountain, providing rearguard cover for the troops.
However, the fifty Konoha Ninja in the valley, protected by Sato Hideaka's Crystal Giant Dragon, almost blocked all the previous attacks. Only seven ninjas were killed by the Fourth Kazekage's golden fist.
With this casualty rate, it's several times better than the flanks!
Upon seeing the green fireworks signal above, a Konoha Ninja in the valley shouted loudly beside Sato Hideaka, "Green fireworks! It's a retreat signal! Lord Ao, it seems Shinichi Shinichi's forces have suffered a setback... Should we retreat?"
Sato Hideaka watched the Fourth Kazekage and Karura beside him with wary eyes.
"Now, everyone, obey Shinichi's orders and retreat... Quickly, evacuate this place!"
The Konoha Ninja nodded from several dozen meters away and began to organize the remaining forty-odd Konoha Ninja to retreat. They dared not get too close to Sato Hideaka, because the Fourth Kazekage was confronting Sato Hideaka, and if they rashly went forward, they would be the first to die.
Upon receiving orders from Sato Hideaka, the forty-odd Konoha Ninja in the valley swiftly withdrew!
The Fourth Kazekage watched as the Konoha ninjas, who had transformed into afterimages and leaped through the mountains and forests, trying to escape the valley and flee the danger, roared, "You think you can just leave so easily after a mere two hundred Konoha Ninja have trampled on the dignity of a Kage? How laughable... You damned bastards!"
[ Magnet Release: Gold Sand Shuriken ]
Gold Sand began to condense in the air, forming countless sharp golden Shuriken, densely packed in mid-air, which began to spin rapidly and fly towards the Konoha Ninja, creating a series of whooshing sounds.
Sato Hideaka's expression hardened. He completed a hand Hand Seals and said calmly, "Tch, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa...? Your weakness is your arrogance. Don't you know who your opponent is? I am... the Blue Asura of Konoha!"
The earth began to tremble, and suddenly a Crystal Giant Dragon emerged from the soil, twisting and coiling its body to block the golden sand Shuriken. The two collided with a series of clanging sounds, and the sharp Shuriken only caused a few scratches on the dragon's scales, nothing more.
The lifelike dragon head slowly rose, Sato Hideaka stood on top of it, his arms crossed over his chest, looking down at the Fourth Kazekage Rasa with his blue eyes.
A raging green aura burned fiercely around him, and his aura, like the surging waves of the Qiantang River, relentlessly crashed against Rasa's body, causing his clothes and head to flutter wildly in the wind—a pure provocation.
How dare they look down on me from above?
Rasa's face turned bright red; he felt an unprecedented humiliation.
As the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure, his status was supreme, even on par with the Hokage. Yet, how dare this Anbu member speak to him in such a tone and manner?
Golden sand swiftly gathered, forming an island at Rasa's feet. The island rapidly rose into the air, reaching a height of eleven meters. There, Rasa crossed his arms over his chest, looked down at Sato Hideaka standing atop the dragon's head, and said calmly:
"Oni, while your Lava Release Ninjutsu is impressive, you should know I'm a pure Kage Level fighter! Do you want to die... Oni!"
A mocking smile appeared on Sato Hideaka's lips. This Fourth Kazekage was excessively proud, accepting being only a few heads taller, as if his heart were as fragile as glass. One must know that anger can cloud judgment.
Slowly shaking his head, Sato Hideaka, " Kage Level shinobi? Is your mere Kage Level strength enough to warrant such arrogance? What a narrow-minded and short-sighted view! Even if you were to obtain the title of Fourth Kazekage, what makes you think you can lead Sunagakure to power?"
"How dare you... do this! The title of Kazekage is a symbol of strength! You've completely enraged me, you'll kill me... I must kill you!"
Rasa's face contorted with rage, veins bulging. The title of Fourth Kazekage was his responsibility and pride. To question or even deny his ability to shoulder this responsibility was undoubtedly to question his capabilities and the title of Fourth Kazekage, which was absolutely intolerable.
[ Magnet Release: Gold Sand Funeral ]
Countless Gold Sand rose up like ocean waves, reaching heights of over ten meters, rushing towards Sato Hideaka's giant dragon, obscuring the sun and casting a massive black shadow!
A red beam shot out from Sato Hideaka's right hand, connecting his Chakra with a spatial technique.
Suddenly, the figures of Crystal Dragon and Sato Hideaka vanished and reappeared twenty meters in the air, hovering in mid-air. Meanwhile, the massive waves of Gold Sand seemed to miss their target, crashing down and destroying rows upon rows of trees.
Although Rasa was furious, he hadn't completely lost his mind. After Sato Hideaka escaped his attack, he quickly regained his senses and assessed the situation. "This is... the Second Hokage's Space-Time Ninjutsu, the Flying Thunder God Technique? Was that Crystal Kunai just now the spatial node of the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
Faced with the agile Flying Thunder God Technique, Rasa couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache. Although the Gold Sand's attack was powerful, its high density and weight meant it wasn't very fast, making it difficult to catch up with the Flying Thunder God Kunai and intercept it.
At this moment, another island rose into the sky. This was the Sand Island controlled by Karura. She was half-crouched on the Sand Island, her eyes fixed on the flying dragon above, and said to Rasa, "I will control the Kunai he shoots to restrict his movements. You attack!"
When Rasa heard Karura's strategy, he felt a mix of emotions, both sad and happy. He was sad because he, a powerful Kage Level warrior, needed his wife's help to fight a demon. He was happy because Karura's sand was less dense and lighter, faster than Gold Sand, and much easier to restrain.
Upon seeing this, Sato Hideaka's expression darkened, then he threw his head back and laughed loudly, "Two Kage Level powerhouses are going after me alone? Is this what they call the Kazekage Sunagakure? Is this the style of Sunagakure?... How utterly ridiculous!"
Under the control of Chakra sound waves, these words could be heard by everyone in the entire valley. Rasa's expression suddenly darkened upon hearing them, while the Sunagakure looked on with strange expressions. It seemed as if their " Lord Kazekage " was bullying them because of their numbers, which seemed rather odd...
Karura saw her husband, Rasa, open his mouth as if preparing to say something, and quickly stepped in front of him, saying, "The ultimate goal of a ninja is to complete the mission. No matter what the process is like, as long as the mission can be completed efficiently and perfectly, that's the best way. Even Kage Level ninja must abide by the rules of the ninja, right? Blue Asura..."
Wow, this couple's teamwork is absolutely flawless!
Sato Hideaka originally intended to use reverse psychology to get Rasa to kick Karura out of the game, which would increase his chances of winning. However, he never expected that although Karura was kind, he was also very shrewd and quickly thwarted his reverse psychology.
Ninjas are not samurai who engage in serious duels, but Kage Level powerhouses are still ninjas!
During the standoff, the people that Sato Hideaka had been waiting for finally appeared.
The ninja forces on the Shinichi and north sides of the mountain, despite suffering heavy casualties, simultaneously retreated to the valley behind Sato Hideaka's Crystal Giant Dragon and quickly fled out of the valley.
Shinichi appeared at the very back of the army, holding off an attack from a Puppet Corps. He shouted to Sato Hideaka above, "Ao, this defeat was caused by my poor decision-making. Let me cover the main force's retreat! You get out of here quickly!"
" Shinichi, let us cover the retreat of the main force. You are the temporary commander of Team B, appointed by Lord Orochimaru. Without your command, the troops will definitely fall into chaos. You retreat with them, and we will cover the main force."
"Yes, yes, Shinichi. This misjudgment is a disgrace to our entire team. You must wash away this shame with your actions, lead the remaining troops away from the Sunagakure's encirclement, and let our lives form the last line of defense here!"
Behind Shinichi, his dozen or so Konoha ninjas, his elite troops, were fending off attacks from Puppet Corps coming from all directions. They were also trying to console their captain, saying that this was the courage of men when they were defending their dignity.
Shinichi blocked an arc-shaped gear that flew out from a puppet, roaring loudly, "I have no face to go back to my Konoha ninja brothers after causing this situation and losses. I have also failed Lord Orochimaru's entrustment. I can only atone for my sins by covering my teammates with my death. This mistake is not your fault... All of you, get out of here!"
" Shinichi, you and your team... leave quickly. I will hold off these thousand Sunagakure alone. You must know that I am the strongest talent of the new generation in a hundred years. A few Sunagakure... even if they are Kage Level, so what?"
Sato Hideaka stood atop the dragon's head, the blue fragments dancing in the wind. His arrogant voice echoed throughout the valley, causing the Sunagakure and Konoha ninjas who were fighting to all stop their injured movements, and the surroundings suddenly fell into a silent environment.
Someone actually dares to fight against a thousand single-handedly, even disregarding experts at the Kage Level?
Did I hear that right? (To be continued.)