After several days of relentless downpour, the rain finally eased, though the sky remained overcast.
The damned weather of the Land of Rain had already left Leaf Village's ninja unaccustomed to the climate.
Now, it had become the Rain ninja's natural cover.
At the frontline camp, a piercing alarm tore through the curtain of rain.
One red signal flare after another rose from the watchtowers, signaling full-scale engagement.
"Enemy attack! Assaults from every direction!"
"The Rain ninja main force is raiding the eastern defensive line!"
"Elite ninja have appeared on the western side!"
The entire camp instantly erupted into action. Ninja rushed out of their tents and quickly assembled in the mud.
They hurried toward their respective defensive positions, the air thick with the scent of rain and earth.
Hyuga Tianyi closely followed Nawaki and Moonlight Kaede out of the tent.
His Byakugan had long since been activated. Within his field of vision,
countless chakra points surged in from three directions like a tidal wave.
Moonlight Kaede's expression was grave, his right hand already resting on the hilt of the short blade on his back.
"Hanzo finally couldn't sit still."
"The front lines aren't our concern. Our mission is to protect the Medical Corps!"
Tianyi spoke quickly, and the three of them swiftly headed toward the medical area.
Along the way, wounded Leaf Village ninja were continually brought over, supported or carried by their companions.
The stench of blood mixed with the rain, sharp and nauseating.
Just as they reached the outskirts of the medical area, violent explosions rang out ahead.
The ground shook. Through the Byakugan, several enormous summoned beasts could be seen fighting amid the rain.
"That is..." Tianyi's pupils contracted.
Even from several kilometers away, his Byakugan could clearly detect those four massive chakra signatures.
Like four moving hills, every collision between them shook the earth and mountains.
Katsuyu, Gamabunta, Manda, and the Ibuse beneath Hanzo's feet.
As time passed, Leaf Village gradually gained the upper hand.
Even though the Rain ninja held the advantage of terrain, before Leaf Village's overall strength
and tactical coordination, that advantage was being worn away bit by bit.
But everyone knew that the true outcome would be decided by the clash between the higher-ups in the distance.
"Give up, Hanzo!" Tsunade's clear voice pierced through the battlefield.
"Today, you will never get past us! You've lost!"
Hanzo, who was being held back by Tsunade and the others,
curled his lips beneath his mask into a cold smile.
"Hehehe..." He gave a hoarse laugh and took out a dark purple signal flare, firing it into the sky.
At that moment, in a rain-flooded depression in the southeastern corner of the battlefield,
five Rain ninja who had long been lying in wait swiftly took their positions.
They formed a circle around the center of the ground,
where a complex summoning array had already been drawn.
"Summoning Technique!"
Bang!
White smoke burst forth, and an Ibuse nearly ten meters long appeared within the array.
Its skin was a sickly purplish black, while the poison glands on its back pulsed violently with gurgling sounds.
In the distance, the Little Sansho Fish raised its head and opened its jaws wide.
Thick, dark purple poisonous mist surged from its mouth!
It covered the center of the battlefield, engulfing all the Leaf Village and Rain ninja locked in chaotic combat!
"Poison mist! It's Hanzo's deadly poison!"
"Retreat! Retreat now!"
The Rain ninja had already put on gas masks and rapidly withdrew toward the outskirts of the battlefield.
But the poison mist was far more potent than anyone had imagined. Even with masks on,
many Rain ninja still began coughing violently.
As for Leaf Village...
"Cough, cough—"
"My eyes... they hurt so much!"
"My chakra... I can't circulate it..."
Large numbers of Leaf Village ninja fell in rows like harvested wheat.
They clawed at their throats in agony, their skin blackening at a visible rate.
Chakra ran rampant through their bodies, completely out of control.
The center of the battlefield instantly became a scene from hell.
Tsunade's eyes split with fury as she turned to rush over.
"Your opponent is me!" Hanzo sneered.
The giant Ibuse's tail lashed out like an iron whip, forcing Tsunade to turn back and block.
The instant the poison mist erupted in the distance,
Tianyi grabbed Nawaki and Moonlight Kaede and rapidly retreated.
"Fall back!"
But the poison mist spread far too quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it had filled the entire battlefield. Even the Medical Corps was not spared.
Tianyi's hand went to the tactical pouch at his waist.
There were still ten doses of antivenom serum inside.
But ten doses... for the dozens of fallen Leaf Village ninja, it was a drop in the bucket.
They had to deal with the source of the poison first. Otherwise, with the poison mist continuously pouring out, they would remain utterly passive.
"Nawaki, Moonlight Kaede, listen carefully." Tianyi spoke at a rapid pace.
"Drink the antivenom serum now. It will last for thirty minutes.
During that time, the Ibuse's poison will be ineffective against you.
But after thirty minutes, the effects will begin to fade. Keep track of the time."
He took out two doses of serum from his pouch and handed them over.
"You two go to the center of the battlefield and drag the fallen comrades to the high ground here.
Prioritize rescuing the Medical Corps personnel, especially Deputy Captain Mitarai Aoi and Aoi."
With that, he handed over another two doses of serum.
"These two are for them. Inject them immediately.
Remember, only if the Medical Corps survives can they save more people."
Nawaki accepted the serum, concern in his eyes. "Tianyi, you..."
"I'm going to deal with that Little Sansho Fish." Tianyi cut Nawaki off.
"Give me all the Explosive Tags you have on you."
Nawaki gritted his teeth and handed over all seven remaining Explosive Tags from his ninja tool pouch. "Be careful!"
Tianyi took the Explosive Tags without another word, then turned and stealthily headed toward the Little Sansho Fish.
The rain curtain was the best cover. He moved swiftly through the mud.
He arrived at the edge of the depression, one hundred and fifty meters away from the Little Sansho Fish.
Within his Byakugan's vision, five Rain ninja stood in a fan formation in front of the Little Sansho Fish.
One of them had powerful chakra fluctuations. Judging by the intensity flowing through his chakra pathways, he was likely a Jonin.
The other four were weaker, but still stronger than Tianyi. They were undoubtedly Chunin.
One Jonin and four Chunin—if he attacked head-on against such a lineup, Tianyi had no chance of winning.
He hid behind a tree that had been blown apart halfway up, his mind racing.
Seven Explosive Tags, three smoke bombs and three flash bombs still in his waist pouch.
Two grenades, several Kunai, and shuriken.
A direct confrontation was impossible. He had to outsmart them. His target was to kill that Ibuse, not the five ninja.
Tianyi moved quickly. He first took out an Explosive Tag,
set it as a tripwire trap, and concealed it beneath the muddy water.
Then, he tied two Explosive Tags to Kunai.
Finally, he took out a smoke bomb and tied it to the end of a Kunai as well.
Taking a deep breath, he calculated the angle.
"Whoosh—"
"Whoosh—"
The Kunai carrying the smoke bomb traced an arc through the air and flew toward the five Rain ninja.
Bang!
Thick gray smoke instantly erupted, obscuring their vision.
The Explosive Tag Kunai followed immediately afterward.
But the Jonin directly knocked them away with his Kunai.
Boom!
The Explosive Tags did not injure them.
"Enemy attack! Three o'clock direction!" the Jonin shouted.
The five reacted with extreme calm and did not rashly charge into the smoke.
Instead, they swiftly tightened their formation, shielding the Little Sansho Fish behind them.
The Rain Jonin formed hand seals. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A gust swept through, blowing away more than half the smoke.
Then they saw Hyuga Tianyi standing beside the broken tree, seemingly somewhat flustered.
"A Leaf Village Genin? And from the Hyuga Branch House?" The Jonin narrowed his eyes.
The Byakugan and the Caged Bird curse mark on his forehead were far too conspicuous.
"There's only one of him!"
"I'll take care of him!" A Chunin on the left volunteered.
"I'll go too!" Another Chunin followed.
The Jonin hesitated briefly, then nodded.
"Make it quick. Don't move more than a hundred meters away from the summoned beast."
"Yes!"
Before you continue