Battle

Dan Kato, having transformed into a spirit, sneered coldly at the five remaining Hidden Sand jonin. He surged toward one of them, carving a luminous arc through the air with incredible speed. The kunai of the shinobi passed straight through his body, leaving Dan completely unscathed.

"Ah!" The Hidden Sand jonin let out a shrill cry as Dan's form flashed through him, moving on to the next target without a moment's hesitation.

"Get back! It's a spirit!" one of the jonin shouted. Alerted by his comrade, the others scrambled away, narrowly dodging Dan's assault.

The Spirit Transformation Technique was a forbidden soul jutsu developed by the Second Hokage, allowing the user to detach their soul from their physical body and manifest as a living spirit. Dan's spirit could fly with the speed of a Body Flicker, traversing distances to assassinate enemies, possess bodies, or enter mental realms to replenish another's chakra. While the spirit was immune to conventional attacks, the technique's drawbacks were the vulnerability of the user's physical body and the massive chakra consumption. Once the drain exceeded a certain threshold, the user had to return to their body.

"Everyone, be careful! Don't let him touch you! Your soul will be killed instantly," the jonin warned, and the group braced themselves as if facing a mortal threat.

"Standard attacks are useless against him. We need barriers and high-level sealing jutsu to deal with him."

Dan's spirit vanished, reappearing instantly before the jonin who had issued the warning. "Too fast!" The Hidden Sand jonin instinctively dodged, but Dan's hand grazed his shoulder. The shoulder remained physically intact, yet the man suddenly lost all sensation in it. Much like Orochimaru's arms after being sealed by the Third Hokage, the soul within the man's shoulder had been wounded by Dan.

"Damn it, he can't maintain this technique for long! Fall back! Get away from him!" The Hidden Sand jonin yelled as he retreated in a panic.

"Trying to run? Fire Style: Great Flame Bomb!" Just then, two Konoha jonin charged from the side, cutting off the path of the remaining four. The Konoha jonin quickly formed hand seals, spewing a massive torrent of flame.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!" The Hidden Sand ninja reacted swiftly, raising a wall of earth to block the inferno. The flames engulfed the barrier, heating the stone until it glowed red.

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!" another Hidden Sand jonin countered, though the lack of a nearby water source significantly weakened the technique. Still, a circular wall of water managed to extinguish the flames.

"Konoha ninja, die! Wind Style: Pressure Damage!" The third Hidden Sand jonin leaped into the air, exhaling a violent gale. The wind expanded into a massive, high-pressure sphere that spread rapidly, growing larger by the second.

"Boom!" The high-pressure sphere shredded everything in its path, pulverizing stone and tearing trees apart. The two Konoha ninja were sent sliding backward, nearly swallowed by the turbulent winds. They leaped repeatedly to evade the wide-range wind attack, leaving a clearing in the forest where the trees had been ripped to pieces. One Konoha jonin failed to dodge in time, his shoulder pierced by flying debris.

"Hmph! Taste this! Wind Style: Wind Scythe!" The Hidden Sand jonin seized the momentum, releasing chakra to form several blades of wind that flew toward the injured Konoha ninja, threatening to slice him to ribbons.

"Did you forget I was here?" A voice echoed beside him. The Hidden Sand jonin turned in terror to see Dan's spirit dive into his chest, passing straight through.

"Ah!" With a final scream, the Hidden Sand jonin collapsed. There were no wounds on his body, but his soul had been extinguished by Dan.

"Krol!" his companions cried out. The wind blades vanished, and the Konoha jonin took the opportunity to rescue his wounded comrade.

Dan checked his flickering spirit form. "Is my chakra at its limit? I have to retreat; the rest is up to you!" His spirit flashed, streaking into the sky like an arc of light.

"Understood, we'll handle it!" Hyuga Nichigetsu said confidently as he landed. Beside him, Aburame Shino, Choza Akimichi, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Hyuga Mizuki touched down simultaneously.

The enemies within the camp had been largely wiped out. Dan and the two Konoha jonin had held the line until Nichigetsu and the others arrived after clearing their own sector.

One Konoha jonin and six chunin surrounded the three remaining Hidden Sand jonin. One of the Sand jonin quickly opened a scroll to summon three human puppets; he had been fleeing since encountering Dan's spirit and had only now found the chance to deploy his weapons.

The Konoha jonin addressed the group: "My teammate is injured. It's up to me and you six chunin now; these enemies won't be easy."

"Don't worry, leave the one using Water Style to me. We'll take care of the other two jonin. Follow the plan!" Shikaku said with calm assurance.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio moved to intercept the Earth Style-using jonin, while Shibi, Mizuki, and Nichigetsu engaged the puppet master.

"Hmph! What are a few lowly chunin supposed to do? Don't look down on us, Konoha! Sending such small children to fight—is Konoha truly out of men?" the puppet-using jonin sneered.

"We chunin are more than enough to deal with you!" Nichigetsu replied confidently.

"Brat! Die!" the puppet master cursed, his fingers dancing to control the chakra threads.

One puppet fired long blades from its arms, skidding across the ground with a rhythmic clack-clack as it lunged at Nichigetsu. The other two puppets attacked Mizuki and Aburame Shibi respectively.

Meanwhile, the Konoha jonin clashed with the Water Style user. They traded fierce taijutsu blows, and the Hidden Sand jonin quickly found himself on the defensive.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio confronted the Earth Style user.

"Multi-Size Technique! Human Bullet Tank!" Choza's body expanded instantly, his limbs retracting as he curled into a massive sphere and rolled toward the enemy.

"Hmph! Earth Style: Earth Wall!" The Human Bullet Tank slammed into the rising wall, but Choza didn't stop, spinning his massive body to smash through the barrier with full force.

"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Technique!" Inoichi leaped to the side of the earth wall, attempting to use his secret technique, but the enemy sensed it in time and dodged. The Mind Transfer Technique only worked if the target was caught in a straight line.

Is this the Konoha Ino-Shika-Cho formation? It's too dark for shadows, so I can ignore that Nara brat. I must be careful of the one from the Yamanaka clan, but the main threat is that fat one from the Akimichi clan! The Hidden Sand jonin quickly formulated a strategy.

By then, Choza's Human Bullet Tank had shattered the wall and was rolling toward him. The jonin had no choice but to leap high into the air, letting Choza pass beneath him.

He began forming seals in mid-air: "Take this! Earth Style: Earth Dragon Spear!" Sharp stone spikes erupted from the ground beneath the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, forcing them to jump and roll to avoid the attack.

At that moment, Shikaku leaped several times, landing near the Earth Style user.

It's so dark, how can that Nara brat mimic me without a shadow? the jonin thought with disdain, quickly forming more seals. Since you came here to die, I'll finish you in one blow!

Just then, Choza threw a small sphere he had prepared into the air. It exploded, emitting a blinding light. Under the intense glare, the earthen pillars from the Earth Dragon Spear and the figures nearby cast long, distinct shadows.

"Now! Shadow Stitching! Strangle!" Shikaku completed his seals instantly. Under his control, the shadows that had appeared surged forward, a dozen tendrils erupting from the ground.

The Earth Style jonin, still mid-seal, was shocked. "No! A flash bomb! Was the Nara kid the main attacker all along?!" The shadows gave him no chance to react, piercing his body from all sides until he looked like a pincushion.

The light faded, and the dozen black shadows embedded in the jonin vanished. He collapsed to the ground, blood spilling from his wounds as he gasped for air. "Careless... damn Ino-Shika-Cho!"

"Multi-Size Technique!" Choza jumped above him, landing with the weight of a mountain. The battle was over.

On the other side, "Water Style: Water Wave!" the Water Style jonin attacked first, spitting a torrent of water at the Konoha captain.

"Hmph! Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bomb!" The Konoha jonin exhaled a massive fireball that expanded into a roaring torrent of flame, swallowing everything in its path as it surged toward the enemy.

The water wave evaporated into steam upon contact with the flames, and the Fire Dragon Flame Bomb continued unabated toward the enemy.

"Damn it! Water Style: Water Formation Wall!" A ring of water rose around the Hidden Sand jonin, but it evaporated before it could hold back the heat, forcing him to leap away. Using Water Style in an area without a water source was already a disadvantage, and having his shoulder numbed by Dan earlier had severely hampered his mobility.

Suddenly, a foot appeared, closing in on his chin.

"Shadow Leaf Dance!" The Konoha jonin had used a Body Flicker to reach him, delivering an upward kick that sent him flying.

"[Fire Style: Great Flame Bomb]!" The Konoha jonin seized the opportunity to spit out a mouthful of fire. The Water Style jonin screamed in agony as he was scorched, collapsing to the ground unable to rise.

As for Riyue, he spent his days training against wooden dummies, having already shattered nearly a dozen of them with his fingers and palms. Combined with his Byakugan, he could clearly see the vital joints and mechanical linkages that allowed the puppets to move. Thus, Riyue found fighting puppets to be easy and enjoyable.

The moment a puppet charged, Riyue made his move. He dodged a slash with a flash of speed and used a Body Flicker technique to appear behind the puppet. "Bang! Bang! Boom!" He used the Gentle Fist to rapidly strike the puppet's joints, dismantling it in a few hits. Fearing the puppet jonin might still be able to control the scattered limbs, Riyue delivered a few more palm strikes to shatter the puppet completely.

Sasori of the Red Sand must still be a child at this point; no wonder these Hidden Sand puppets are so pathetic. Riyue felt the puppets' combat effectiveness was extremely low.

The puppet attacking Shibi was dodged with ease.

"Heh heh! Kill the little girl first!" the puppet jonin sneered, his fingers twitching as he manipulated the chakra threads.

"[Secret Technique: Poison Needles from Mouth]!" The puppet attacking Mizuki suddenly spat poison needles from its mouth. Mizuki dodged in a panic, but the puppet seized the chance to slash her shoulder!

"Sister Mizuki! Give me the antidote!" Riyue shouted in alarm, charging furiously toward the puppet jonin.

"Hahaha! Once poisoned by me, you're as good as dead! Want the antidote? Keep dreaming!" the puppet jonin laughed.

At that moment, Shibi suddenly used a secret technique on the puppet attacking him: "[Secret Technique: Insect Sphere]!" The surrounding insects swarmed the puppet, encasing it completely. The Kikai Insects jammed the puppet's joints, rendering it immobile instantly.

Simultaneously, the poisoned Mizuki suddenly dissipated, transforming into a mass of insects that enveloped the nearby puppet.

"Sorry! You've been tricked! This is [Secret Technique: Insect Clone]!" Shibi said calmly. Shibi didn't give him any chance; the insects controlling the clone quickly burrowed into the second puppet, jamming it solid. The last puppet was also rendered useless!

"What? Damn Chunin!" The puppet jonin moved his fingers, only to find that all three puppets were unresponsive. He realized instantly that Riyue had been acting earlier.

By then, Riyue had already reached him, raising his palm to strike. Seeing this, the puppet jonin jumped backward in fright. Watching him leap away, Riyue leisurely lowered his hand, crossed his arms, and smiled faintly. "Sigh, you've fallen for it again!"

"Could it be..." The puppet jonin looked back and froze.

Mizuki's true form was waiting behind him. "Boom!" A Gentle Fist palm struck his back, sending him crashing to the ground. A puppeteer without puppets was nothing more than a weakling with a combat power of five.

Using an insect clone as a decoy for the little girl, while her real body was hiding all along? This brat intentionally drew my attention in front, while the girl waited behind to ambush me? The puppet jonin was filled with resentment.

Riyue walked up to the puppet jonin, crossed his arms, and said, "Only realizing it now? Our abilities are a hard counter to puppets."

The puppet jonin coughed up blood in anger. Refusing to accept defeat, he roared, "You brat, have the guts to fight me one-on-one!"

Riyue said disdainfully, "Idiot, why would I fight you one-on-one when I can gang up on you?" He kicked him unconscious.

Riyue's words were an absolute truth in the world of Naruto; the Konoha 12 basically won all their fights by ganging up on their opponents.

Against Sasori of the Red Sand and Deidara, they split up and ganged up on them; against Hidan and Kakuzu, they split up and ganged up; against Kisame, they took turns ganging up; against the Six Paths of Pain, the whole village ganged up; against Kabuto Yakushi, the brothers teamed up to gang up; against Obito, the Allied Shinobi Forces ganged up, then the Konoha 12 continued to gang up, and finally, the Hokage joined in; against Madara, the Allied Forces ganged up and failed, the Five Kage joined in and failed, then the Hokage joined in, and finally, Naruto and Sasuke teamed up to gang up on him; against Kaguya Otsutsuki, Team 7 plus Obito ganged up on her without question.

The power of comrades is meant for ganging up on people!

For safety, Riyue also struck several pressure points on his body, leaving him completely paralyzed and unable to move. He was bound and handed over to the transport team's jonin, with the hope that they could extract some useful information from him. Not a single enemy from this ambush escaped; they were all wiped out, as these people had no intention of fleeing—attacking a transport team within the Land of Fire meant being hunted down by Konoha ninjas all the way. Moreover, with such a heavy loss after a failed mission, the Kazekage wouldn't let them live anyway.

When the battle ended, the sky was already turning pale, and the battlefield was a mess. The fires in the camp had mostly died out, the ground was scorched black, blood stained the earth, and corpses and debris were scattered everywhere. Black smoke drifted slowly in the air, lingering for a long time. The Konoha ninjas were tending to the wounded, collecting the bodies of their comrades and the enemy, and securing the supplies.

According to the statistics, 322 Hidden Sand ninjas died in this battle, including 7 jonin, 133 chunin, and 181 genin, with 7 others captured. Konoha lost 12 chunin, 9 genin, and 4 non-combatants from the convoy, with many others injured.

Riyue looked at all of this without much discomfort. After all, in his past life, he had seen too much death: patients who died on the operating table due to malpractice or massive hemorrhaging, those who died in the emergency room despite resuscitation efforts, and civilians who died from famine, malaria, and war while he was with a humanitarian medical team in Africa. He had killed several people with his own hands last night, yet his heart remained calm, and he adapted quickly. After all, this was war; to survive, he had to eliminate the enemy.

The human world is like this; wherever there are people, there is conflict, and it is filled with sorrow. Whether in his past life or now, all Riyue could do was try his best to help the innocent. It was the same in the Naruto world: work hard to become stronger, protect himself and those important to him, master medical ninjutsu, and save as many lives as he could. As for the god-tier task of maintaining world peace, he would leave that to Naruto!

"Have the wounded been taken care of? It seems I don't need to step in. I'll get some rest then, hopefully we can get back on the road soon!" Overcome by exhaustion, Riyue crawled into his sleeping bag.