Battle

Dan Katō, now a spirit, looked at the five remaining Hidden Sand elite jonin and sneered coldly. He charged at one of them, tracing a streak of light through the air at an unbelievably fast speed. Their kunai passed straight through him, leaving him unharmed.

"Ah!" The Hidden Sand jonin screamed. Dan flashed through his body and rushed without hesitation toward the next jonin.

"Get out of the way! He's a spirit!" one of the jonin shouted. At his comrade's warning, the jonin leaped aside, barely dodging Dan's attack.

The Spirit Transformation Technique was a forbidden soul jutsu created by the Second Hokage. It allowed the user's soul to leave their body and transform into a living spirit. Dan's spirit could fly as fast as someone using the Body Flicker Technique, travel any distance, and assassinate enemies. He could also possess and control another person's body, enter someone's spiritual world, or replenish their chakra. Spirits were completely immune to ordinary attacks. Their weaknesses were that someone had to protect the user's physical body and that the technique consumed enormous amounts of chakra. Once the chakra drain passed a certain point, the spirit had to return to its body.

"Everyone, be careful. Don't let him touch you! He can kill your soul instantly," one of the jonin said. The others braced themselves for a formidable enemy.

"Ordinary attacks won't work on him. We can deal with him using a barrier or advanced Sealing Jutsu."

Dan's spirit vanished in an instant, reappearing in front of the jonin who had shouted. "How fast!" The Hidden Sand jonin instinctively dodged, but Dan's hand brushed his shoulder. His shoulder looked perfectly fine, yet he suddenly couldn't feel it. Just as the Third Hokage had sealed Orochimaru's arms, Dan had damaged the soul in the man's shoulder.

"Damn it, his jutsu can't last long! Fall back! Keep your distance!" the Hidden Sand jonin shouted as he hurried backward.

"Running away? Fire Style: Great Flame Bomb!" Just then, two Konoha jonin rushed out from the side and blocked the four remaining enemies. They quickly formed Hand Seals and spewed a huge blast of flame.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!" The Hidden Sand ninja reacted quickly, raising a wall of earth to block the flames. Fire wrapped around it, turning the wall red-hot.

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!" another Hidden Sand jonin shouted, but there was no water nearby, greatly reducing the jutsu's power. A circular wall of water put out the flames.

"Konoha ninja, prepare to die! Wind Style: Pressure Damage!" A third Hidden Sand jonin leaped up to counterattack. He blew out a fierce gale that swelled into a huge, high-pressure ball of wind and rapidly spread outward, growing larger and larger.

"Boom!" The high-pressure wind ball tore apart everything in its path. Rocks flew and trees split as the two Konoha ninja slid backward, battered by the wind. The turbulent gusts were about to swallow them. They leaped repeatedly, trying to escape the wide-reaching Wind Release attack. The trees in front of them had already been ripped apart, leaving a clearing in the forest. One Konoha jonin failed to dodge in time and was pierced in the shoulder by flying splinters.

"Hmph! Try this! Wind Style: Wind Scythe!" The Hidden Sand jonin pressed his advantage, forming several blades of wind from chakra and sending them hurtling toward the wounded Konoha ninja, about to slice him to pieces.

"Did you forget I was here?" a voice said beside his ear. The Hidden Sand jonin turned around in terror, but Dan's spirit had already darted into his chest and passed straight through him.

"Ah!" The Hidden Sand jonin screamed and collapsed to the ground. His body had no wounds, but Dan had killed his soul.

"Krol!" his Hidden Sand comrades shouted. The wind blades vanished, and the Konoha jonin seized the chance to rescue his wounded comrade.

Dan glanced at his wavering spirit. "Have I reached my chakra limit? I have to retreat. The rest is up to you!" His spirit flashed and soared into the sky, leaving a streak of light behind.

"Sure, we'll handle it!" Hyuga Nichigetsu replied confidently as he landed. Aburame Shino, Choza Akimichi, Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Hyuga Mizuki landed beside him.

The enemy forces in the camp had been all but wiped out. Dan and the two Konoha jonin had held the enemy off here while Nichigetsu and the others eliminated the rest and hurried over.

A Konoha jonin and six Chunin surrounded the three remaining Hidden Sand jonin. One of the Hidden Sand jonin immediately opened a scroll and released three humanoid puppets. He'd been fleeing ever since encountering Dan's spirit and had only now found the chance to bring out his puppets.

The Konoha jonin said to Nichigetsu and the others, "My teammate's wounded. It's up to me and you six Chunin now. These enemies won't be easy."

"Don't worry. Captain, the one who uses Water Release is yours. We'll handle the other two jonin. Stick to the plan!" Shikaku said confidently.

Choza, Shikaku, and Inoichi moved to face the Hidden Sand jonin who used Earth Style. Shibi, Mizuki, and Nichigetsu took on the puppet-wielding jonin.

"Hmph! What are a few little Chunin supposed to do? Don't underestimate us, Konoha! Sending such young kids to fight—has your village run out of ninja?" the Hidden Sand puppet jonin shouted.

"Us little Chunin are all it takes to beat you!" Nichigetsu replied confidently.

"You little brat! Die!" the puppet jonin cursed, his fingers rapidly manipulating the Chakra Threads.

Two long blades sprang from one puppet's arms. It skimmed along the ground with a clattering sound and slashed straight at Nichigetsu. The other two puppets attacked Mizuki and Aburame Shibi.

Meanwhile, the Konoha jonin and the Hidden Sand ninja who used Water Release clashed. They fought fiercely in hand-to-hand combat, and the Water Release user quickly fell behind.

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio faced the Earth Style jonin.

"Multi-Size Technique! Human Bullet Tank!" Choza's body swelled. His limbs drew in as he curled into a huge ball and rolled toward the enemy.

"Hmph! Earth Style: Earth Wall!" The Human Bullet Tank slammed hard into the wall as it rose, but Choza didn't stop. He spun his enormous body and rammed into it with all his might.

"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Technique!" Inoichi leaped to the side of the wall and used his secret technique on the enemy, but the man noticed in time and dodged. The Mind Transfer Technique only worked if its target was on a straight line.

"So this is Konoha's Ino-Shika-Cho team? It's too dark for shadows, so I can ignore that Nara brat. I need to watch out for the one from the Yamanaka Clan. The fat Akimichi is the main threat!" The Hidden Sand jonin quickly devised a strategy.

By then, Choza's Human Bullet Tank had broken through the wall, and the round ball of flesh came rolling toward him. The jonin had no choice but to leap high into the air, letting Choza roll beneath him.

Still in midair, he began forming Hand Seals. "Take this! Earth Style: Earth Dragon Spear!" Sharp spikes of earth erupted one after another beneath the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. The three hurriedly jumped and rolled to dodge them.

After a few leaps, Shikaku ended up close to the Earth Style jonin.

"It's so dark that the Nara brat has no shadow to imitate," the jonin thought disdainfully. He quickly formed Hand Seals again. "Since you've come to die, I'll finish you in one move!"

Just then, Choza threw a small ball he'd prepared earlier into the air behind the jonin. It exploded, producing a brilliant flash. Under the glare, long shadows appeared from the earthen pillars left by the Earth Dragon Spear, as well as from the people nearby.

"Now! Shadow Stitching! Strangle him!" Shikaku completed his Hand Seals in an instant. Under his control, the newly formed shadows streaked rapidly across the ground. More than ten shot up at once.

The Earth Style jonin, still forming Hand Seals, was horrified. "No! A Flashbang! That Nara kid's the real attacker?!" The shadows gave him no time to react. They shot into him from all sides, turning him into a human pincushion.

The bright light faded, and the dozen black shadows piercing the jonin's body disappeared. He collapsed to the ground, bleeding from wounds all over and gasping for breath. "I let my guard down... Damn Ino-Shika-Cho!"

"Multi-Size Technique!" Choza leaped over him and crushed him with a body slam, ending the fight.

Elsewhere, the Water Release jonin struck first. "Water Style: Water Wave!" He spat a surge of water at the Konoha captain.

"Hmph! Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bomb!" The Konoha jonin spat a massive fireball at the Water Release jonin. It rapidly swelled into a huge blaze, consuming everything in its path as it surged toward the enemy.

The water met the blaze and instantly evaporated into steam. The Fire Dragon Flame Bomb kept charging toward its target.

"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 flames for long. The Water Release jonin had no choice but to leap aside. Using Water Release Ninjutsu without a nearby water source was already a disadvantage. To make matters worse, Dan had struck his shoulder, and he still couldn't feel it, hampering his movements.

Just then, a foot came closer and closer to his chin!

"Shadow Leaf Dance!" The Konoha jonin used the Body Flicker Technique to appear in front of him and kicked him into the air.

"Fire Style: Great Flame Bomb!" The Konoha jonin took the opportunity to spit flames at him. The Water Release jonin screamed as he burned and collapsed, unable to get back up.

Over on Nichigetsu's side, he'd spent every day striking wooden dummies, poking holes in them with his fingers and smashing them apart with his palms. He'd broken nearly a dozen. Combined with his Byakugan, he could see every crucial joint and connecting mechanism that enabled the puppets to move. Fighting puppets was easy—and fun—for him.

Nichigetsu acted as soon as the puppet rushed him. He dodged its blade, used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind it, and struck. "Bang! Bang! Bam!" He used Gentle Fist to swiftly break the puppet's joints, scattering it in just a few blows. Worried that the puppet jonin could still control the scattered pieces, Nichigetsu followed up with a few more palm strikes and smashed the puppet to bits.

"Sasori of the Red Sands must still be a kid at this point. No wonder these Hidden Sand puppets are so lousy." Nichigetsu thought the puppet's combat ability was shockingly poor.

The puppet attacking Shibi missed as Shibi dodged out of its way.

"Heh heh! I'll kill the little girl first!" the puppet jonin sneered. He lightly moved the fingers connected to the Chakra Threads.

The puppet attacking Mizuki suddenly spat poison needles from its mouth. Mizuki dodged in a hurry, but the puppet seized its chance and slashed her shoulder!

"Mizuki, sis! Give me the antidote!" Nichigetsu shouted in alarm, charging furiously at the puppet jonin.

"Hahaha! My poison is deadly! You want the antidote? Dream on!" the puppet jonin laughed.

Just then, Shibi used his secret technique on the puppet attacking him. "Secret Technique: Insect Sphere!" Insects swarmed around the puppet, completely enveloping it. Kikaichū clogged its joints, instantly immobilizing it.

At the same time, the poisoned Mizuki suddenly dispersed into a swarm of insects that enveloped the puppet beside her.

"Sorry, you fell for it! This is the Secret Technique: Insect Clone!" Shibi said calmly. He didn't give the puppet jonin a chance to react. The insects controlling the clone quickly crawled into the second puppet and jammed it up. The last puppet was disabled too!

"What? Damn Chunin!" The puppet jonin moved his fingers, but his three puppets no longer responded. He realized Nichigetsu had only been putting on an act.

By then, Nichigetsu had already rushed up to him and raised a palm to strike. The puppet jonin panicked and jumped backward. Nichigetsu watched him leap, calmly lowered his hand, and smiled. "Aw, you fell for it again!"

"Could it be...?" The puppet jonin turned around and froze.

Mizuki's real body was waiting behind him. "Thump!" A Gentle Fist strike landed on his back, and he toppled to the ground. A puppeteer without puppets had the combat ability of a total weakling—barely a five out of a hundred.

"So the insect clone was the little girl's substitute, and her real body had hidden away already? That brat deliberately drew my attention while the girl waited behind me to ambush me?" The puppet jonin couldn't accept it.

Nichigetsu walked up to him with his arms folded. "You're only figuring that out now? Our abilities are the perfect counter to puppets."

The puppet jonin spat out a mouthful of blood, still indignant. He roared, "You brat! Fight me one-on-one if you've got the guts!"

"Idiot. If we can gang up on you, why would I fight you one-on-one?" Nichigetsu scoffed, then kicked him unconscious.

Nichigetsu's words were a fundamental truth of the Naruto world. The Konoha 12 basically won all their fights by ganging up on people.

Against Sasori of the Red Sands and Deidara, they split up and ganged up on them. Against Hidan and Kakuzu, they split up and ganged up on them. Against Kisame, they took turns beating him up. Against the Six Paths of Pain, the whole village ganged up on them. Against Kabuto Yakushi, the two brothers teamed up to beat him. Against Obito, the Allied Shinobi Forces ganged up on him, then the rookies piled on, and finally the Hokage joined in. Against Madara, the Allied Shinobi Forces ganged up on him and failed, so the Five Kage joined in. When they failed too, all the Hokage joined in. In the end, Naruto and Sasuke teamed up to beat him. Against Kaguya Otsutsuki, Team 7 and Obito ganged up on her without hesitation.

The power of friendship meant ganging up on someone!

For safety's sake, Nichigetsu also struck several of the man's chakra points, leaving his whole body paralyzed and unable to move. They tied him up and handed him over to a jonin from the transport team, hoping to get some useful information out of him. Not one of the attackers who had ambushed them escaped; they captured them all. The enemy hadn't planned to run, either. After failing to attack the transport team inside the Land of Fire, they would have been hunted down by Konoha ninja. And after such a disastrous failure, the Kazekage wouldn't let them live anyway.

By the end of the battle, the sky had begun to brighten. The battlefield was a mess. Most of the campfires had gone out, the earth had been scorched black, and blood stained the ground. Bodies and debris lay everywhere, while dark smoke drifted through the air and lingered. The Konoha ninja tended to the wounded and gathered the bodies of their comrades and enemies while guarding the supplies.

According to the count, the Hidden Sand had lost 322 ninja: seven jonin, 133 Chunin, and 181 Genin. Seven more had been captured. Konoha had lost twelve Chunin, nine Genin, and four noncombatants from the convoy. Many others were wounded.

Nichigetsu wasn't very disturbed by what he saw. In his previous life, he had witnessed too much death: patients who bled out on the operating table because a quack made a mistake, people who died in the emergency room despite attempts to save them, and civilians who died from famine, malaria, and war while he was part of an African humanitarian medical team. He had killed several people with his own hands the night before, but he hadn't been too shaken by it and had adapted quickly. This was war. If he wanted to live, he had to eliminate the enemy.

That was how the human world worked. Wherever there were people, there would be conflict and sorrow. In his previous life or this one, all Nichigetsu could do was try his best to help the innocent. It was the same in the Naruto world: become stronger, protect himself and the people who mattered to him, learn Medical Ninjutsu, and save as many lives as he could. As for the divine mission of maintaining world peace, he'd leave that to Naruto!

"Have they finished treating the wounded? Looks like I don't need to help. I'll rest for a while, then. Hopefully, we can get back on the road soon!" Exhaustion caught up with him, and Nichigetsu crawled into his sleeping bag.