The Arsonist Who Set Hearts Ablaze

The two sides fought fiercely. Because the five ninjas Konoha had sent were all powerful, they had drawn away most of the Cloud Ninja forces.

Combined with the initial effects of the Explosive Tags, which caused the surrounding stone peaks to collapse one after another, Muzan successfully blended in amid the swirling dust.

It was not that no one noticed him, but most of those who did were Chunin. With Muzan's current strength, he could crush Chunin head-on!

The moment he emerged from the dust, several Chunin spotted Muzan and immediately attacked him.

However, the taijutsu they took such pride in gave them no advantage before Muzan. Once they exchanged blows, they discovered that Muzan's taijutsu was even stronger than theirs.

In just a few turns, several corpses were left on the ground.

As for the main battlefield, Aburame Koji adopted a riskier method in order to forcibly break through the enemy blockade.

"Bang!"

Two consecutive explosions rang out. This mission had been supplied with a large number of Explosive Tags, so they simply had a Jonin ignite them all at once.

The scene instantly descended into chaos, leaving many ninjas seriously injured.

However, Konoha's situation was not looking good either. Aburame Koji hesitated for a moment. If they still could not break through the enemy line, he would have to consider retreating.

A shadow crossed Dodai's eyes. He wanted to help with the deaths caused by the explosions, but he understood Konoha's true objective even more clearly.

"Aburame Clan! I will personally collect today's losses from your Konoha on the battlefield!"

To keep the explosions from reaching the supplies in the rear, Dodai expanded his ninjutsu.

A layer of yellow rubber appeared around the area. Whether explosions or ninjutsu, everything was absorbed by it.

He knew that the enemy's full-force assault would only last a few minutes. If they failed to destroy the supplies within that time, Konoha would retreat immediately.

"Ninjas in the rear! Protect the supplies at all costs! We cannot let Konoha's plan succeed!"

The Earth Release ninjas in the group unleashed their techniques together, causing the ground to collapse and successfully blocking the lingering force of the explosions.

But they overlooked a figure in the smoke and dust. Muzan had also been caught in the blast. After hearing the explosion, a shockwave came crashing toward him.

His body was swept uncontrollably through the air by the blast, and his back was soaked in blood. But having paid such a price, he naturally gained a considerable reward.

The Cloud Ninja also saw Muzan. Instinctively, they assumed he had been caught in the explosion. Flesh and blood could not withstand Explosive Tags.

One should not underestimate the power of Explosive Tags. Even a Jonin would suffer serious injuries if they took an explosion head-on without any protection.

Yet Muzan rose to his feet and charged toward the nearby supplies without hesitation.

A Cloud Ninja saw a dark figure racing toward their supplies and thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. How could anyone survive an explosion of that magnitude?

"Quick, quick! Someone's charging toward our supplies!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? Nani! Holy shit!"

"Stop him! Don't let him set the supplies on fire!"

The Cloud Ninja who had been fighting on the front line were drawn by their companions' shout from behind. By the time they turned around, it was already too late to stop him!

"Fire Release! Fireball Jutsu!"

The most useless ninjutsu in Naruto, one that had never burned anyone to death, was having its moment in the spotlight today!

The consumption of a C-rank ninjutsu was nothing to Muzan's current chakra reserves. He could spit them out as freely as he pleased!

And so, a bizarre scene unfolded. Muzan continuously spewed flames from his mouth, like an upgraded Torchwood Peashooter!

"Bastard! If you spit out another fireball, I'll kill you!"

"Despicable Konoha! We are irreconcilable enemies!"

"Kill that bastard!"

Aburame Koji, who had been held back by Dodai, heard the commotion in the rear. With smoke blocking his view, he could not see what was happening inside.

But the chaos benefited Konoha, so he immediately had the two people beside him make a breakthrough.

Charging at the front was a ninja from the Sarutobi Clan. He had obtained a powerful Fire Release ninjutsu from the Third Hokage, gathering a massive amount of chakra as his hands rapidly formed seals.

"Fire Release! Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

Three fire dragons slammed into the earthen wall. The full-force attack of a Jonin made Dodai, standing above it, turn grim.

The heat generated by the rising flames created convection currents that swept away the smoke and dust blanketing the area.

Only then did everyone see what was happening in the rear. A plume of smoke rose in the distance, a sign of incomplete combustion.

"Who the hell did this..."

Could Lord Sakumo have sent other powerful ninjas? But why hadn't he informed me? Could it be that Lord Sakumo didn't trust the five of us?

Aburame Koji instinctively did not think of Muzan. On a battlefield like this, a talented Genin rushing in would be useless. A genius who had not grown up was forever weak.

"It seems to be Muzan..."

The Sarutobi Clan ninja beside him looked at the dark figure fighting the enemy. He had seen Muzan before, and added uncertainly.

"I think so."

At the reminder, Aburame Koji directly threw off his sunglasses. His pupils constricted as he feared missing even the smallest detail.

"Hahaha! It really is Muzan!"

"Everyone, change strategy! Hold back the Cloud Ninja powerhouses! Don't let them interfere with Muzan!"

The positions of the attackers and defenders silently reversed, all because of Muzan.

Because the strongest batch of ninjas from the Hidden Cloud Village were all busy blocking Konoha's powerhouses, only a handful of insignificant fighters had been left in the rear.

Now it was the Cloud Ninja's turn to suffer. Dodai wanted to rush over and kill Muzan, but Aburame Koji would not give him the chance.

Aburame Koji released all of his Parasitic Destruction Insects, forming a barrier across the battlefield.

Anyone who approached the barrier without effective protection would have all the chakra in their body devoured by the insects.

"Idiots! Ignore that brat and put out the fire!"

Dodai had not been this furious in a long time. He frantically poured out chakra and forcibly tore open a gap.

"Fire Release! Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

Two elite Jonin surrounded Dodai, preventing him from breaking free to support the rear.

In the rear, Muzan became an arsonist who set hearts ablaze. Every Cloud Ninja remembered his face!

It was branded into the minds of those ninjas!

If given the chance, they would surely kill Muzan at any cost to avenge today's humiliation!

"What a pity..."

After setting several fires, Muzan saw several figures running out through the rubber passageway. He did not need to think to know they had come to stop him.

It was a pity he had not gotten enough enjoyment out of this fire. Some of the supplies were piled beneath the others and had not yet been touched by the flames.

The several ninjas who rushed over did not target Muzan immediately. They had more important matters to handle.

"Water Release..."

As they desperately tried to save the burning supplies, Muzan took the chance to slip away, only to feel something sticky beneath his feet.