Chapter 15: Night Assault and Ambush
Late at night, a waning moon hid behind dark clouds, plunging the entire valley into pitch-black darkness where one could not see their own hand.
"Coo, coo" — several strange bird calls rang out. Sure enough, Iwagakure's assault force had crept forward under cover of night.
They thought they were moving undetected, unaware they had already stepped into the elaborate traps carefully laid by Konoha's ninjas.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!" A series of deafening explosions erupted suddenly.
Shattered rock and flames shot skyward; the dozen or so Iwagakure ninjas at the very front were instantly blasted—either killed or gravely wounded on the spot.
The explosive firelight illuminated the night sky and also revealed targets to the Konoha ninjas lying in ambush.
Seizing the moment, they unleashed a barrage of wide-area wind-fire combination ninjutsu.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"
In an instant, fire dragons intertwined with raging gales; blazing flames surged through the valley, completely engulfing Iwagakure's vanguard in a sea of fire.
Facing such ferocious attacks, Iwagakure refused to yield. They quickly organized Earth Release ninjas for defense.
"Earth Release: Ten Thousand Mile Mud Wall!" "Earth Release: Ten Thousand Mile Mud Wall!"
...
With Earth Release: Ten Thousand Mile Mud Wall activated, Iwagakure ninjas spewed massive amounts of earth from their mouths, instantly raising a long earthen wall in front of their formation. It blocked most of the flames and protected the troops behind.
Immediately after, Iwagakure ninjas performed "Earth Release: Split Earth Turning Palm," channeling chakra into the ground.
In a flash, the terrain ahead cracked and churned violently, as though plowed repeatedly by a giant tiller—soil and stones hurled high into the air.
Amid this earth-shaking upheaval, the explosive tags Konoha had pre-buried were triggered one after another in rapid succession.
"Report: Traps within 50 meters ahead have been cleared. Continue the advance?"
This time, Iwagakure's overall commander was Kitsuchi—he was the son of the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, standing 2.17 meters tall and weighing 120.5 kg, built like an absolute tank.
He stood atop the earthen wall created by Earth Release: Ten Thousand Mile Mud Wall, staring straight ahead, and waved his hand: "The explosions just now were too short in duration. That means the enemy didn't plant many traps—something's off. Be careful. Send some earth clones to probe first; main force follows slowly behind!"
"Understood!"
At the order, Iwagakure jōnin began forming seals to perform "Earth Release: Earth Clone." These clones could scout ahead and sense the situation; even if destroyed, no lives were lost. It was Iwagakure's standard reconnaissance method in unknown terrain.
The purpose of the first defensive line had always been to buy time and drain enemy chakra. Seeing Iwagakure deploy earth clones, Konoha's jōnin immediately used explosive-tagged kunai for targeted elimination.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!" Explosions rang out nonstop; hundreds of earth clones were blasted apart and vanished.
As the number of earth clones began to dwindle, Uchiha Sanpō let out a "coo coo" signal, indicating everyone should start withdrawing.
"Report: Group C earth clones—all destroyed 60 meters out!"
"Report: Group A earth clones engaged the enemy 100 meters out. The enemy appears to be preparing a new defensive line at that distance!"
Listening to continuous frontline reports, Iwagakure's overall commander Kitsuchi habitually rubbed his head, then turned to his female secretary beside him: "Hana Kiro, these Konoha ninjas are acting very strangely. Analyze it—what are they trying to do?"
Hana Kiro, though only 22 years old, was an experienced female jōnin. At this moment her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she calmly gazed at the flickering firelight in the distance.
"When we entered their first defensive line earlier, they used combination ninjutsu for a surprise attack. Judging by the range and power of those techniques, they must have deployed roughly 500 jōnin for the ambush. Now they're falling back to 100 meters out—clearly intending to fight us again there!"
Kitsuchi frowned in confusion: "But fighting us outnumbered like that—what advantage do they gain?"
Hana Kiro replied cautiously: "It's pitch black tonight—poor visibility—and we're fighting on their home turf. Deploying over 500 jōnin for ambush shows they plan to burn through elite strength in a war of attrition. If we push forward with mostly chūnin and genin, our casualties will be catastrophic. Their goal is likely to force us to commit our own jōnin and turn this into an elite-versus-elite clash."
Kitsuchi rubbed his chin thoughtfully: "I see… But even jōnin have limited chakra. Normally, one can only use 10–20 techniques continuously before running dry. What exactly are they aiming for by burning chakra so recklessly?"
Hana Kiro looked toward the shadowy battlefield ahead: "A jōnin low on chakra is only marginally stronger than a chūnin. If both sides engage in large-scale combat, casualties will be devastating on both ends. Perhaps they're trying to force us to retreat by this method. We cannot follow their rhythm. We need to organize elite jōnin to attack and tear open a breach—then we can leverage our numerical superiority."
Kitsuchi was only 25—young, hot-blooded, and full of vigor. Hearing Hana Kiro's analysis, he shouted: "Good! We'll do exactly that! I'll personally lead the elite jōnin charge. You stay in the rear and command the main force to follow up."
With that, he cracked his knuckles with loud pops. His excited eyes burned with fierce battle intent, like a giant bear about to pounce on its prey.
Beside him, Hana Kiro knew Kitsuchi's personality well—no one could stop him once he was set on something.
She sighed helplessly: "Understood! I'll issue the orders now. The moment a breach opens ahead, launch the full assault!"
With a series of commands issued, Iwagakure's ninjas quickly assembled.
Kitsuchi took the lead, charging with his elite squad straight toward the weakest point in Konoha's defensive line.
"Coo, coo, coo!" Urgent bird calls rang out—the emergency retreat signal for encountering strong enemies.
Uchiha Sanpō, ever bold due to his skill, rushed toward the source of the calls and soon met two familiar faces.
Uchiha Kusuri, retreating while speaking: "Sanpō, fall back fast! Iwagakure's overall commander Kitsuchi broke through the right wing with over a dozen elite jōnin—they're heading this way!"
The Sharingan could perceive chakra flow. Uchiha Sanpō looked toward the distant fighting and saw that Kitsuchi's chakra reserves were at least twice his own.
No wonder his Earth Release techniques were so overwhelmingly powerful.
After thinking it over, he realized he definitely couldn't beat the man right now. So he retreated together with Uchiha Kusuri and the others...
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