Ryoma and Yan have made their move!
"Now!" Baki's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "The arrow has been drawn, 'Anvil' crushes! Full speed ahead! Target: the largest cave directly ahead! Kill!"
The eleven people no longer concealed their whereabouts. Like a pack of wolves finally baring their fangs, they burst forth at top speed, rushing towards the location they had pre-judged as possibly the Iwagakure front-line command post or an important assembly point!
The roars, footsteps, and the rustling of clothes in the wind merged into a desperate charge!
Their arrival immediately caused chaos. Some Iwa ninja, stunned by the attacks from the east and west, hastily engaged in battle, but their scattered resistance was instantly crushed by this elite Jonin -Jonin counterattack force, which was determined to fight to the death.
This is the consequence of Iwagakure's pursuit of quantity over quality.
Shira in the middle of the group, her sword flashing. Each strike was smoother than the last. Her perception of the airflow allowed her to anticipate the incoming Shuriken and dodge them with minimal movement or parry them with her sword.
He tried to direct more "intention" and "qi" to his left arm and the blade at the moment of drawing his sword.
Although it was muffled and difficult, the sound of the sword cutting through the air seemed a little sharper, and the resistance when it pierced the Earth Release defense of the Iwa Earth Release seemed a little lighter.
"Enemy attack! It's Sunagakure's main counterattack!"
"Stop them! Send the signal!"
Shouts and alarm whistles echoed through the stone forest. More rock ninjas poured out from their hiding places and from the rear, attempting to intercept this audacious assault team.
The battle escalated instantly, transforming from a covert assassination into a head-on clash!
A Special Jōnin Iwagakure roared and blocked the way. He swung his hammers, creating a fierce gust of wind that Genin back two Sunagakure genin who were charging ahead. One of them coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground.
"Get out of my way!" The Sunagakure Jonin, roared and charged in from the side, engaging the twin-hammered Iwa ninja in battle. Rock against rock, they produced a dull, resounding crash.
Shira was entangled by three other Iwa ninjas—two Chunin and one Genin —who worked together seamlessly. Asuka and Sasori were also separated by other enemies.
"Take care of this sword-wielding kid first! He's fast!"
A Chunin from Iwagakure Chunin, and three people surrounded them in a triangular formation, attacking from different angles with Kunai, short swords, and earth spikes.
The pressure suddenly increased! Shira's eyes narrowed, and her brain calculated at lightning speed.
We cannot afford a prolonged battle; we must achieve a rapid breakthrough!
He parried the Kunai thrusting at him from the front and dodged the earth spikes from the side, but a third short sword was already slashing towards his waist and abdomen! He didn't have time to completely dodge it!
Now!
Shira roared inwardly, and the rhythm of her First Activation breathing, which she had been maintaining, suddenly changed! It became deeper and more violent!
The intention, like an invisible awl, pierces deeply into the sensations of the legs, directing more energy towards them!
"Boom!"
An explosive force, even stronger than that of the First Activation state, erupted from beneath her feet! Shira's figure slid half a step to the side and back with near teleportation speed, narrowly avoiding the slash to the abdomen!
Moreover, the powerful gust of wind from his sliding step whipped up sand and gravel from the ground, striking the Iwa ninja wielding a short sword and disrupting his vision and subsequent movements.
"What?!"
The three Iwa ninja were all taken aback, not expecting that Shira could still unleash such speed under the siege.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Shira's left-hand longsword emerged like a poisonous dragon from its lair, thrusting straight at the short-sword Iwa ninja whose movements were slightly hampered by the sand and stones blinding him!
This time, as he drew his sword, he frantically directed his intention and "qi" towards his left arm holding the sword and the tip of the sword!
Condensate! Penetrate!
"Pfft!"
The longsword pierced through the opponent's Hardening skin using Earth Release techniques without any resistance, passing right through his chest! The Iwa ninja's eyes were filled with disbelief and horror, as if he couldn't understand why the opponent's sword had broken through his defense so easily this time.
Shira drew his sword, turned around, and faced the two remaining horrified Chunin. He was slightly out of breath, and his spirit was clearly exhausted; those two attacks had taken a toll. But the effect was exhilarating!
"Monster... monster!" A rock ninja's voice trembled.
The other person, with clearly stronger mental fortitude, immediately gritted his teeth and Hand Seals: " Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
Several stone spears pierced out from beneath Shira's feet! But Shira seemed to have foreseen this, and just before the stone spears were thrust out, she used her faint perception of the ground tremors and changes in the airflow to leap lightly into the air, not backward, but forward!
While in mid-air, he slashed down with his longsword, carrying the momentum of his descent and the concentrated "ki" he had gathered, fiercely striking the Iwa ninja who Hand Seals!
"Clang!!"
The Iwa ninja Kunai, Kunai in two, but the sword's momentum remained undiminished, slicing a deep, bone-revealing gash across his chest. He screamed and collapsed to the ground.
The last Iwa ninja, having lost all will to fight, turned to flee, only to be finished Kunai Asuka thrown from behind by Asuka.
In just over ten seconds, two of the three Iwa ninja were dead and one was seriously injured!
Shira leaned on her sword, slightly out of breath. Her left arm trembled slightly from the excessive concentration of "qi" and exertion of force, but her eyes shone brightly.
The techniques, vitality, perception, and new insights of "guiding the flow of energy to the limbs and bones" have been initially integrated in actual combat, resulting in a significant increase in power!
However, there was no time to savor the moment. An even greater commotion erupted from the massive cave ahead, where even more Iwa ninja poured out, among them some with astonishing Chakra fluctuations.
Meanwhile, on the east and west sides, the chaos created by Ryoma and Yan seemed to be being suppressed, and enemy reinforcements were closing in.
Their "anvil" team is now surrounded!
"Gather together! Move closer to me!"
Baki's fierce shout rang out amidst the chaotic battlefield. He Hand Seals, and a massive Wind Release barrier temporarily blocked a large number of ninja tools and Ninjutsu coming from the front, but the barrier was on the verge of collapse.
Shira, Asuka, Sasori, and several other Sand Ninja struggled to reach Baki, each sustaining new wounds. There were too many enemies, and more Iwagakure Jonin and Special Jōnin, clad Jonin distinctive vests and Iwagakure powerful auras, had appeared.
"Damn it, is it a trap? Or did they always have this many troops here?"
The Asuka spat out the blood and foam from its mouth, its face turning pale.
Baki's eyes were cold as he surveyed the approaching tide of enemies. " Ryoma, Yan, it's time to retreat. We have to go too."
However, their escape route had been blocked. Several elite Iwagakure, Jonin their elite troops, had sealed off their retreat, their faces bearing cruel smiles like cats catching mice.
A Iwagakure from Jonin, seemingly the leader, with Chakra as vast as a mountain, stepped forward and sneered, " Baki? It's you! An elite Jonin Sunagakure, huh? I didn't expect you to walk right into our trap. Killing you would make Rasa regret it, wouldn't it?"
Despair has struck again.
Moreover, it was even more dangerous than last night. They had ventured deep into enemy territory alone, only to be surrounded by the enemy's elite forces.
Shira leaned against an injured companion, breathing heavily. An old wound on her chest had reopened, and blood was seeping out. Her right arm was weak, her left arm was sore, her Chakra was mostly depleted, and she was mentally exhausted.
He looked around at the densely packed, murderous Iwa ninja, at his comrades' wounded yet still upright backs, and at Jonin Baki's calm yet resolute figure.
I can't die here.
Captain Reppu's entrustment, the sacrifice of his comrades, the dignity of Sunagakure...
And there was also that tiny flame in his heart, which had just seen a higher view and was unwilling to be extinguished!
His hand slowly moved towards the pocket close to his chest.
The hard object, wrapped in coarse cloth, had a barely perceptible tactile feel even through the clothing.
Aunt Uzumaki, Karin, your "heartfelt wishes"...
Shira suddenly reached into her bosom, pulled out the small cloth bag, bit open the drawstring with her teeth, and without even looking at it, dumped all the dark red, shriveled pills inside into her mouth and swallowed them hard!
Taste? No taste. Just a rough, scraping sensation down your throat.
The next second--
"Boom!!!!!"
It was as if a dormant volcano had been detonated within his body! An unimaginable, extremely violent life force, mixed with a scorching and ancient strange energy, exploded from his stomach, instantly shattering his exhausted meridians and sweeping through his limbs and bones!
That wasn't the restoration of Chakra, but rather the frenzied burning and catalysis of the life force!
A tingling sensation spread through the broken bones, the torn muscles twitched and healed wildly, and the exhausted physical strength surged back like a tide. Even the mental fatigue was forcibly dispelled by a burning excitement!
"Ughh...
Shira couldn't help but let out a low growl that sounded inhuman. The blood vessels on his body bulged, his skin turned an abnormal red, and his eyes instantly became bloodshot. A terrifying aura that far exceeded his usual limits and was almost berserk, mixed with the scorching life fluctuations unique to the Seven Heavens Breathing Method, suddenly burst out from his body, blowing away the surrounding dust!
"What?!"
"What did this kid eat?!"
The nearest Iwa ninja, including the leader of the Iwagakure Jonin, were startled by this sudden turn of events and the dangerous aura emanating from Shira, causing them to pause in their movements.
Shira slowly raised her head, her bloodshot eyes fixed on the leader of the Iwagakure Jonin the densely packed enemies behind him.
His lips parted in a wide grin, a grimace a mixture of pain and extreme excitement.
Are there Sandstorm Barrage? No. In the current situation...
Shira slowly raised her sword. The trembling in her left arm had stopped, replaced by a sense of power so strong it was almost explosive.
The rhythm of the Seven Heavens Breathing Method became chaotic and hyperactive under the impact of this external, violent life force, as if it were about to break through a certain boundary at any moment.
Let's use you guys... to test my forced "explosive power"...
How severe can a sandstorm be?