Hoshino stood on the highest rooftop, the black command flag fluttering in his hand, his mechanical eyes flashing as he analyzed the data stream from every corner of the battlefield.
"Third squad reporting: West district lockdown complete."
"A Rain Ninja breakout team has been spotted in the East District; firefight is underway."
" The Rain Ninja reinforcements from the north have been intercepted."
Reports from each squad kept coming through the headset.
Hoshino nodded slightly.
This operation is not only to punish those forces that covet Sunagakure's technology, but also to declare to the entire Shinobi World.
The techniques of Sunagakure are not to be touched!
"Have Team B prepare to burn the town down. Set it on fire once our people have withdrawn," Hoshino whispered.
Rainwater mixed with blood flowed through the streets of Falling Rain Town.
The swarm of grayish-black insects wriggled like living creatures, emitting a chilling rustling sound.
Aburame Ryoma's expression changed drastically beneath his mask. He quickly Hand Seals, attempting to influence these mutated Kikaichū using the Aburame Clan's insect control secret technique.
"Insect Secret Technique: Dispel!"
The Chakra surged outwards, but the swarm of insects only paused slightly before attacking with even greater ferocity.
A Kikaichū crawled onto his arm, its sharp mouthparts instantly piercing through his protective suit, greedily sucking his Chakra.
"Impossible!"
Aburame Ryoma abruptly shook off the insect, his voice filled with unprecedented terror.
These insects were completely unaffected by the insect control technique; instead, they absorbed the Chakra he released as nourishment.
Are you kidding me? How did that bastard even do that research?
" Earth Release · Earth Style Wall!"
The Kitsuchi slapped the ground with both hands, and a thick earthen wall rose up, temporarily blocking the swarm of insects.
But just a few seconds later, countless tiny holes appeared on the surface of the earthen wall, and insects were gnawing at the Earth Release defense constructed from Chakra.
"Retreat! Everyone break out of town!"
Kitsuchi roared, cold sweat gradually seeping from his forehead.
As the son of the Tsuchikage, he has seen and experienced a great deal since childhood.
But this was the first time he had ever seen such a terrifying swarm of insects, completely different from the insect-controlling clan of Iwagakure.
It not only devours Chakra, but it can even gnaw on the physical structures created by Ninjutsu.
Whoosh--
Asuma Sarutobi's Chakra Blade drew a line of fire, temporarily forcing back the swarm of insects in front of him.
" Ryoma, where's the scroll?"
Aburame Ryoma instinctively reached into his robes, but found nothing. His face turned deathly pale.
"It's been stolen, you bastard!"
He turned his head sharply and saw a blurry figure rapidly moving away under the cover of several ninjas, who were entangled by the swarm of insects and unable to give chase.
At this moment, the swarm of insects had broken through the Earth Style Wall defense and surged in like a tide.
" Paper Release - Paper Rain!"
Konan's cold shout came from mid-air, and countless pieces of paper shot towards the swarm of insects like sharp arrows, each one piercing a Kikaichū with precision, but her face quickly turned ugly.
The pierced insects began to gnaw on her paper, then quickly regained their vitality.
" Konan, we should go. These bugs are strange!"
Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear breathed out flames, scorching large swarms of insects, and a hint of fear flashed in its green eyes.
As a ninja who had lived for nearly a hundred years, he had never seen such a bizarre creature.
At first, Fire Style alone could kill a large number of them, but Fire Style quickly became ineffective against them.
Unless you increase your Chakra output or use a more powerful Fire Release Ninjutsu.
Just like these insects, they can quickly adapt to various Ninjutsu attacks by absorbing Chakra attributes.
Konan said urgently, "Wait a little longer, I've already notified Pain, he'll be here soon."
With that, he flew at top speed towards Hoshino.
"How pathetic."
Hoshino said softly, "Traditional Ninjutsu is like a child's toy in the face of absolute technological superiority."
Swish--
A whooshing sound of paper wings cutting through the air swept overhead.
Hoshino raised his right arm without looking up, and three Chakra bullets shot out in a triangular pattern.
Konan spun rapidly in mid-air, shattering the shield made of paper pieces into pieces.
" Hoshino of Sunagakure!"
Konan hovered in the rain, her cold eyes fixed on Hoshino. "Do you know the consequences of disrupting the black market?"
Hoshino raised his head slightly and replied, "Consequences? All I know is that from today onwards, the entire Shinobi World will remember that Sunagakure's techniques are not something anyone can tamper with."
With a wave of the flag, tens of thousands of Kikaichū suddenly surged out from the cracks in the bricks, like a black wave crashing towards Konan.
The paper scraps collided with the swarm of insects in mid-air, making a teeth-grinding gnawing sound.
Not far away, the post station had been completely devoured by the insect swarm. The wooden structure was rapidly decaying and collapsing in the insect tide, and screams of agony echoed throughout the area.
Black market traders and ninjas fell one by one, turning into dried-up corpses.
"Lord Hoshino, reinforcements from the Rain Ninja are approaching from the northwest, numbering approximately two hundred."
At that moment, a ninja from the Inspection Department appeared on the rooftop in Body Flicker Technique.
"Have the third squad proceed as planned, leaving no one alive, with a focus on the target carrying the scroll."
Hoshino clashed with Konan while waving his black flag, he took in the chaos of the entire battlefield.
"Yes!"
The ninja from the Inspection Department quickly took out a walkie-talkie from his pocket and transmitted the order through the short-range communicator.
Hoshino's gaze was fixed on the blurry figure weaving through the chaos.
It was the ninja who stole the missile scroll.
The opponent was agile, moving quickly under the cover of the swarm of insects and buildings. As for the ninjas around him, they had all been devoured, leaving only him.
"Trying to escape?"
Hoshino smirked and unleashed a swarm of Kikaichū toward Konan, while he himself shot out like an arrow.
Through the rain, the figure seemed to sense danger and suddenly accelerated towards the edge of town.
Hoshino's prosthetic eye quickly analyzed the opponent's movement trajectory and predicted three possible escape routes.
"First and second squads, block the exits of the east and north areas."
Hoshino gave the order over the walkie-talkie, while his right arm armor transformed, and the three gun barrels rotated to lock onto the target.
Bang bang bang--
Three metal bullets were fired in a triangular pattern, blocking the enemy's retreat.
The figure was forced to turn around, revealing its true face—it was none other than Darui from the Kumogakure!
"It really was you."
They're quite the thieves, aren't they?
As expected of the infamous Kumogakure in the Shinobi World.
Hoshino swooped down, his left arm flashing out a bone blade, aiming straight for his opponent's throat.
Clang--
Darui hastily raised his knife to parry, the sparks from the clash of metal particularly glaring in the rainy night.
" Hoshino of Sunagakure..."
A resolute glint flashed in Darui's eyes. He suddenly retreated, pulled a specially made smoke bomb from his pocket, and threw it to the ground.
Bang--
Thick smoke instantly filled the air.
However, Hoshino's Sharingan pierced through the smoke and clearly saw Darui's location.
In the ruins of the post station.
Aburame Ryoma leaned against a crumbling wall, panting. His right arm was crawling with Kikaichū, and the Chakra meridians beneath his panel were being devoured.
Asuma!
He roared as he ripped off his insect-infested arm guards, "This isn't a trade fair at all, it's a trap set by the Sunagakure!"
Asuma Sarutobi's Flying Swallow streaked across a line of fire, temporarily forcing back the swarm of insects in front of him.
He then wiped the rain off his face and looked at Kakuzu, who was being attacked from both sides by the Inspection Department ninjas.
The Akatsuki's financial expert was frantically reaping heads on the battlefield, storing the heart of each ninja killed into the Earth Grudge Fear.
"We can't leave now; the entire town is surrounded by swarms of insects." Asuma gritted his teeth and said, "Send a message to Danzo and Jiraiya, and tell them to find a way to rescue us."
Boom--
A loud explosion came from the south of the town, and the towering Kakkō illuminated the rainy night.
The plan to burn down the town of Sunagakure has begun.
Flames spread rapidly along the specially prepared fuel, engulfing building after building.
Seeing this scene, Aburame Ryoma knew he couldn't hesitate any longer.
He immediately summoned a Root ninja and used Summoning Technique to report the situation to Shimura Danzō was far away in Konoha.
Damn it!
Kitsuchi Tu slammed his fist into the wall, and more than half of the Explosion Corps around him was already destroyed. The remaining ninjas formed a defensive formation back to back.
What's even more despairing is...
Those gray-black insects actually began to adapt to Earth Release Chakra, and could easily penetrate even the strongest defensive techniques.
"Let's cooperate! Killing Hoshino will definitely stop the swarm's actions!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Asuma Sarutobi and Aburame Ryoma exchanged a glance, both seeing a resolute look in each other's eyes.
Konoha agrees to cooperate.
Asuma said in a deep voice, and the Flying Swallow Chakra Blade in his hand ignited with even more intense flames.
" The Root agrees too!"
Despite the excruciating pain in his arm, Aburame Ryoma led the Root ninjas in a charge towards Hoshino.
Ahead, a dark gray swarm of insects blotted out the sky. Several Inspection Department stood behind the insect swarm, their Chakra guns aimed at the breaking-out team.
" Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"
Asuma Sarutobi Hand Seals, unleashing countless wind blades that blasted towards the swarm of insects, temporarily clearing a path.
But those insects were quickly replaced by swarms of insects that surged from behind, and they even began to adapt to the cutting force of the wind, flying even faster!
"These damned bugs, just wait until I get out of here..." Kitsuchi's face was grim, and he slapped the ground with both hands.
Earth Release: Earth Release: Earth Flow River!
The ground turned into mudflows, temporarily slowing the advance of the insect swarm.
But the ninja from the Inspection Department had already pulled the trigger, and blue Chakra beams rained down!
"Cover!"
Aburame shouted, Ryoma the Root ninjas behind him immediately Hand Seals.
" Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A gust of wind whipped up, disrupting the trajectory of the beam, but several Iwagakure Ninja were still struck, falling to the ground screaming in agony.
"Damn it! We're not going to get out of here at this rate!" Asuma gritted his teeth.
Just then...
"Get out of the way!"
A deep voice came from behind.
Kakuzu's figure flashed by like a ghost, and the five Earth Grudge Fear Masks simultaneously opened their enormous mouths.
"Combined Ninjutsu: Blaze Wind Wild Wave!"
boom--
The scorching flames, propelled by the fierce wind, instantly wiped out the swarm of insects dozens of meters ahead!
The charred insect corpses fell like raindrops.
As expected, as long as the power of the Ninjutsu exceeds the insect's tolerance limit, it can still be destroyed even if it has evolved.
However, after this, these insects' Fire Style adaptability will become even more terrifying.
"Walk!"
Kakuzu's green eyes swept over the crowd.
He wasn't trying to help out of kindness; he knew that if they didn't break through together, even an immortal ninja like himself would be worn down to death by these strange insects!
Without hesitation, Aburame Ryoma immediately led his men towards the breach.
The Kitsuchi Explosion Corps followed closely behind, constantly using Ninjutsu to block the swarms of insects coming from both sides.
In the distance, shrouded in smoke.
Lightning Release: Black Spotted Blade!
Darui crossed his arms, and the raging black thunder beast tore through the rain, barely forcing Hoshino's pursuit back.
Hoshino's bone blade grazed past his ear, carving a half-meter-deep trench in the wall.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~"
Darui was panting heavily, sweat pouring down his face. In his hand, besides the stolen missile scroll, he also had a scroll with unknown runes burned on it.
The Heavenly Transfer Technique.
The unique Space-Time Ninjutsu of Kumogakure is mainly used for emergency strategic relocation or the transport of critical items.
The method involves multiple Kumogakure working together to draw complex Lightning Release chakra arrays on the ground, and then activating a spatial portal using Lightning Release Chakra.
The scroll in Darui's hand was different.
This is a simplified version developed by the Kumogakure Research Institute, specifically for emergency strategic relocation.
The scroll already contained the complete jutsu structure burned into it using Lightning Release Chakra, saving the time of drawing runes on-site.
Meanwhile, the support jutsu in Kumogakure is also ready at any moment.
Next, he just needs to inject a large amount of Lightning Release Chakra and maintain it for ten seconds to successfully activate it.
Unfortunately, this scroll can only teleport small items or scrolls; it cannot teleport living people. Furthermore, the caster must possess extremely high proficiency in Lightning Release techniques, otherwise they will suffer a backlash from the spell.
Hoshino's prosthetic eye detected the scroll in Darui's hand and attempted to analyze the Chakra fluctuations within it.
Unfortunately, there are no high-level Sealing Jutsu or Space-Time Ninjutsu in Sunagakure, so it's impossible to analyze what it is.
However, judging from the other party's actions and considering their identity, it's highly likely they used the Heavenly Transfer Technique.
It seems the other ninja villages are starting to get involved.
The Kumogakure already possessed a technological foundation, and they never ceased their research on that Chakra Cannon.
It looks like they've even created quite a few derivative products.
"Want to teleport? Not so easy!"
Hoshino's left arm armor suddenly deformed, and three bone spikes shot out like javelins!
Darui gritted his teeth and Lightning Release Chakra into the scroll placed on the ground. The runes lit up one by one, emitting a dazzling blue light.
Just as the bone spur was about to hit the scroll, several Shuriken suddenly shot out from the side!
Ding ding ding--
The sparks from the clash of metal were particularly glaring in the rainy night. Three bone spikes were precisely deflected and embedded deeply in the ground beside Darui.
"Hmm?" Hoshino turned his head to look.
The Falling Rain Town, shrouded in rain, is now a ruin.
Swarms of gray-black insects surged through the streets like a tide, devouring everything in their path.
Explosions echoed in the distance, and the burning ruins of buildings hissed in the rain, sending up plumes of acrid black smoke.
On the left, the Third Squad of the Inspection Department is engaged in fierce combat with Root ninjas, with Chakra beams and various Ninjutsu intertwining in the rain.
In the ruins on the right, the Iwagakure Explosion Corps is setting up an array of Explosive Tag in an attempt to create a safe passage.
Directly ahead, Kakuzu is locked in combat with the elite of the Inspection Department. The ground is riddled with craters from the five elemental Ninjutsu. Aburame Ryoma is manipulating Kikaichū, while Hoshino's Kikaichū are tearing each other apart.
Further away, Konan chased after Kikaichū that blotted out the sky, while tattered pieces of paper fell like snowflakes.
"Your opponent is us!"
Asuma Sarutobi's Chakra Blade ignited with blazing flames and slashed down from the other side.
At the same time, Kitsuchi's Ninjutsu had also arrived.
Earth Release: Rock Collapse!
The ground shook violently, and countless rock spikes burst forth from the soil.
Hoshino leaped up quickly, his knee armor spitting out Chakra flames as he adjusted his posture in mid-air.
" Swift Release - Overclocking Mode!"
The armored body was operating at full capacity, instantly breaking the speed of sound, tearing a path through the waves of fire and rock spikes.
Darui took the opportunity to continue Chakra into the scroll, and the runes were already 80% lit up.
He then shouted to the arriving Kitsuchi and Asuma Sarutobi, "Give me ten seconds! I promise Kumogakure will share its missile technology with Konoha and Iwagakure!"
Upon hearing this, Kitsuchi shouted, "My fellow Iwagakure comrades, protect Darui and kill Hoshino!"
Several Rock Ninja quickly erected Earth Style Wall around Darui.
Asuma Sarutobi, leading the Anbu Ninja, charged towards Hoshino, his Flying Swallow swallow slashing down with a fierce wind pressure.
Whether Darui's request is true or false is no longer important.
If we don't take care of Hoshino today, none of them will be able to leave Falling Rain Town. They'll all be captured and taken to the Land of Wind, where they'll be blackmailed.
Surrounded by multiple attackers, Hoshino was instantly in a desperate situation!