Countless explosive tags, like a barrage, shot out from the detonating cannons, exploding in brilliant sparks on the fortresses built by the Iwagakure shinobi. What they brought was not a beautiful sight, but a brutal, terrifying color of death. Amidst the roar of explosions, the frontmost fortress couldn't withstand the force and quickly collapsed by half. The screams of the Iwagakure shinobi hidden behind it were also drowned out by the sound of the explosions.
The Iwagakure shinobi in the rear were waiting for the Konoha shinobi to attack, but they didn't expect to hear a series of roars instead. They looked up in surprise; being further back, they hadn't yet seen the sight that those in front had. But as the fortress collapsed, they too saw the bursting firelight rushing towards them.
"Wh-what is this?"
"Explosive tags? But how are they so dense, and how is their throwing speed so fast?"
"They're coming! They're coming this way!"
Amidst the surprised, confused, and terrified cries of the Iwagakure shinobi, the explosive tags completely destroyed the front fortresses and began to fall deeper. Unlike at the beginning, even the sturdiest rock walls could not withstand such dense fire-style bombardment, and soon they began to totter.
Upon seeing the formation of the Konoha shinobi unit, Iwagakure had temporarily mobilized a samurai army. They had intended to launch an all-out assault when the enemy's offensive slowed and their chakra was depleted, to eliminate a large number of Konoha shinobi. However, they hadn't even achieved their initial goal before their own side began to suffer losses.
Compared to the more dispersed Iwagakure shinobi, the samurai army was very concentrated. This was the basis for their ability to fight against shinobi; without sufficient numbers and well-coordinated formations, it would be impossible to contend with shinobi. However, precisely because of this, they were about to suffer even greater losses, because when the rock walls collapsed, it would be more difficult for them to evade than for the agile Iwagakure shinobi.
Watching the sudden collapse of the rock wall, the samurai army immediately panicked. A huge shadow enveloped them as they hastily began to retreat. At this point, they no longer cared about maintaining formation, only wanting to escape as quickly as possible. The originally neat and orderly ranks immediately became chaotic, resulting in mutual crowding that hindered their escape speed. A large number of people were buried under the collapsing rock wall, their fate obvious.
"Quickly, support the collapsing rock wall!" Shima, the experienced Iwagakure shinobi in charge here, was initially shocked by the enemy's fierce firepower, but quickly calmed down and began to command, ordering the Iwagakure shinobi to use Earth Style to support the collapsing rock wall. This way, the losses could be mitigated to some extent.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Rock Wall." Hearing the command, the Iwagakure shinobi quickly used Earth Style together to support the collapsing rock wall. Despite this, the bombardment from the detonating cannons continued, and the Iwagakure shinobi immediately realized the enemy's strength, quickly contracting their defenses and concentrating their efforts.
At this moment, the Konoha shinobi squads on both flanks received the signal from the frontal combat unit, knowing it was their time to act. The positions detected by the Hyūga, Aburame, or other sensory shinobi were relayed through the Yamanaka clan's mind-transfer jutsu to the Konoha shinobi squads on the flanks.
The moment Hatake Sakumo received the order, he immediately said to the people around him, "Let's go!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he leaped out from his hiding place, and Asuna and the others around him immediately followed, including the other squad members of the First Squad, who also rushed out from their hiding places.
Hatake Sakumo's squad led the charge, arriving at the weakest point of the enemy's rock wall chakra based on the intelligence provided by their side—no matter how you look at it, a rock wall is ultimately made of chakra, and its solidity depends on the amount of chakra, which cannot be evenly distributed. The main target of the frontal combat unit's detonating cannons was also observed by the Hyūga clan's Byakugan to be the weakest point of the chakra—then he drew his short sword, infused it with powerful lightning-style chakra, formed a single-hand seal, and thrust it out.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Lance." Accompanied by Hatake Sakumo's shout, the lightning on his short sword rapidly expanded, thrusting out like a spear. Immediately following was a huge explosion. The leaping electric light easily tore through the rock wall, leaving a path for the First Squad to pass through.
At the same time, Yamanaka Risa, who was in the rear, used the Mind Body Transmission Jutsu to send the number and locations of the enemies she sensed into the minds of her comrades at the front. Hatake Sakumo's mind quickly displayed the enemy positions sensed by Yamanaka Risa. Combining this with his own judgment, his speed did not decrease at all, but rather became faster and faster.
An Iwagakure shinobi who came to block them didn't even have time to react before a flash of lightning appeared before his eyes. A chill ran down his neck, and then he lost consciousness. Just as this Iwagakure shinobi was decapitated, Asuna and Maki from the rear also rushed in. Asuna then used Wind Style, and Maki used Fire Style, releasing them towards both sides. The double enhancement of Fire Style and Wind Style immediately enveloped the Iwagakure shinobi who were rushing over from both sides.
Accompanied by a series of screams, Asuna and Maki quickly followed Hatake Sakumo at the front, and the other squad members also entered one after another. Thus, the First Squad successfully broke through the enemy's left flank, and the Konoha shinobi squad on the right flank also broke through, beginning to advance deeper.
Under the enemy's firepower, the Iwagakure shinobi were completely unable to organize an effective counterattack and could only use Earth Style to block from the rear. At this moment, Shima received a report that Konoha shinobi squads had entered the defense line from both flanks, and he felt his head swell. The number of shinobi he could mobilize was limited, and the majority had to be here to resist the enemy's bombardment, otherwise—
"Send the Third Squad to the left flank, and the Fifth Squad to the right flank. Tell them not to necessarily eliminate them, but to fully block their advance. They absolutely cannot be allowed to get any closer." Shima hesitated for only a moment before making a decisive command.
After the Iwagakure shinobi who received the order left, Shima redirected his attention to the front, silently watching the unceasing explosions of firelight. Although he didn't know how the Konoha Hidden Village could throw explosive tags so quickly and tirelessly, he suspected it had something to do with the special ninja tools coming from the front. Human power has its limits, and even if it didn't, the number of explosive tags couldn't be endless. In other words, the enemy's outpouring of firepower would surely ease at some point. At that time, they would have to find a way to deal with those special ninja tools.
"Don't be too careless, Konoha shinobi." The Iwagakure shinobi nearby could hear Shima's gritted teeth. "We won't let you act so recklessly anymore."
At this moment, the Iwagakure shinobi in charge of communication suddenly frowned, as if he had heard some incredible news. He quickly looked up and said to Shima, "Captain Shima, I've received an important piece of intelligence."
"What?" Shima turned his head, staring at the Iwagakure shinobi, and asked.
"There is a very troublesome Konoha shinobi on the left flank. He uses Lightning Style, and the short sword he holds flashes with an unusual white light. Some comrades suspect that this person is Hatake Sakumo, the student of the Third Hokage of Konoha Hidden Village." The Iwagakure shinobi immediately replied.
"Hatake Sakumo?" Shima was startled. Upon hearing that the Konoha shinobi held a short sword flashing with white light, he determined that this intelligence was very likely true. During the first joint Chunin Exams that year, Hatake Sakumo, as the victor, was considered a rising star of Konoha Hidden Village and widely known within Iwagakure Hidden Village. Shima had also heard about this matter, and later, among the information collected by Iwagakure Hidden Village, Hatake Sakumo's distinctive features were his use of Lightning Style, his white hair, and a short sword that flashed with an unusual white light.
He hadn't expected this person to be here. Shima felt very excited. Now that the opponent had directly rushed into the left flank, he clearly believed in his own strength, but such an action also came with risks. This was clearly a very good opportunity. However, Shima hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should try to deal with Hatake Sakumo. He glanced at the battlefield ahead, and after an internal struggle, he ordered: "Mobilize the Second Squad to the left flank, primarily to capture Hatake Sakumo. If he cannot be captured alive, kill him without mercy."
"Lord Shima, if we transfer the Second Squad as well, the pressure here will become very great." The Iwagakure shinobi nearby asked worriedly.
"I know, but taking a risk is still worth it. Hatake Sakumo is extremely talented. If we let him continue to grow, he will eventually become a major threat. There are already signs of it now. We finally have an opportunity, how can we let it go?" Shima rubbed his hands, his mood also uneasy. "We will hold out here. Use as many soldier pills as possible. Once the results from the left flank and those things in front are in, I will decide the next step."
Under Shima's command, three Iwagakure shinobi squads quickly concentrated on the left flank, joining the existing Iwagakure shinobi squad to collectively block the attack of Konoha's First Shinobi Squad. As a powerful Lightning Style user, Hatake Sakumo had a significant advantage here; almost no one was a match for him in a single encounter. He led his squad forward for a considerable distance, and then he noticed something unusual.
Hatake Sakumo had only slightly widened the distance between himself and those behind him when a huge rock wall suddenly rose between them, isolating the two. Before Hatake Sakumo could turn and pierce through the rock wall, a person lunged from the air, holding a sword and swinging it forcefully at Hatake Sakumo.
Hatake Sakumo immediately recognized that the sword's surface was coated with wind-style chakra. He had practiced countless times with his sensei, Fumori Masaki, on how to deal with wind-style users. Instantly, he took a step forward, his short sword not colliding head-on with the opponent's, but deflecting the sword with a sideways strike.
Hatake Sakumo slid for a distance, looking at the Iwagakure shinobi appearing one after another around him, realizing that he had been surrounded by the enemy. Gripping his sword hilt tightly, he wasn't worried about himself, but about the First Shinobi Squad, who were separated by the wall, and the three girls in his own squad.
Seeing Hatake Sakumo's gaze involuntarily shift to the side, the Iwagakure shinobi who had rushed out first felt as if he had been underestimated. As one of the few who had mastered Wind Style ninjutsu and was considered a weapon against Lightning Style users, he had approached the duel with Hatake Sakumo with a high sense of honor. He hadn't expected the other party to have such an expression, which made him feel indignant.
"Hatake Sakumo, don't think you can return safely this time. In front of me, you can't be as arrogant as you used to be." The man pointed his sword tip at Hatake Sakumo and shouted.
Upon hearing this, Hatake Sakumo knew that the opponent was acting so boldly because he knew his identity. Judging by the number of Iwagakure shinobi around him, the scale of the Iwagakure shinobi deployed on the left flank would not be small. Facing such intense firepower on the frontal battlefield, it was clearly somewhat impulsive. Only by knowing his identity could the enemy commander risk such a gamble.
Hatake Sakumo said nothing, only his short sword emitted a strong electric light. Precisely because of this, he had to quickly deal with the enemies in front of him to help his comrades. He locked onto the positions of all the Iwagakure shinobi around him, then his figure flickered, moving like an afterimage in the eyes of ordinary people.
At the same time, the Konoha First Shinobi Squad, isolated on the other side of the rock wall, saw Hatake Sakumo's figure disappear for a moment and were slightly disoriented. However, under the control of each squad leader, they quickly stabilized. Then, Iwagakure shinobi emerged one after another. Although their numbers had a certain advantage, they didn't exceed Konoha's First Shinobi Squad by much. Moreover, the experts among them must have all gone to deal with Hatake Sakumo.
After losing their squad leader, Asuna, Maki, and Yamanaka Risa moved towards the Second Squad, supporting each other. Each squad assembled according to tactical formations they had practiced countless times, beginning to resist the Iwagakure shinobi's attacks. The Iwagakure shinobi's offensive was not very strong; their goal did not seem to be to completely annihilate Konoha's First Shinobi Squad. Nevertheless, they would not let go of any Konoha shinobi they could eliminate.
At this moment, the Iwagakure shinobi suddenly concentrated their strength to attack in the direction of Asuna and the others. Their target seemed to be Asuna and the others. After repelling the enemy's first assault, according to the analysis of the Second Squad leader, it was possible that the Iwagakure shinobi had suffered a loss on Hatake Sakumo's side, and therefore wanted to use Asuna and the others, as members of Hatake Sakumo's squad, to coerce him.
In response, all the Konoha shinobi scoffed. While it was true that as shinobi, any means were acceptable, including capturing someone important to the target for coercion, such methods were ultimately not honorable, especially now, when it seemed to be used by Iwagakure shinobi in a relatively advantageous situation, which made them look down upon it.
Everyone knew that Asuna and Maki were children of high-ranking Konoha shinobi. Many believed they were under the favor of Fumori Masaki, the Hokage, and Uchiha Kagami, the captain of the police force, and naturally would not allow them to be captured by the enemy. Under their full-force efforts, the Iwagakure shinobi's objective was never achieved. Instead, the morale-boosted Konoha First Shinobi Squad pushed forward a distance, even breaking through the obstructing rock wall.
After passing through the rock wall, the Konoha shinobi saw many Iwagakure shinobi corpses on the ground. Not far away, the sound of explosions could still be heard, and they could vaguely see the figures of the enemy and Hatake Sakumo intertwining, indicating that intense fighting was still ongoing.
At this moment, the Iwagakure shinobi once again launched an attack on Konoha's First Shinobi Squad. One squad of Iwagakure shinobi charged forward, the person at the very front facing the incoming kunai, surprisingly not dodging at all, but using his body to block it head-on. However, no blood splattered on the surface.
"What?" The Konoha shinobi who threw the kunai was greatly surprised. In that moment of dazed, the opponent quickly closed the distance and sent him flying with a punch, causing him to spit out a large amount of blood and feel as if his bones were broken. Before he was sent flying, he clearly saw that the opponent's fist was covered in a layer of earthy color, resembling the hue of brick.
Because of the gap created by the Konoha shinobi being sent flying, a small path opened up leading to Asuna and the others. This Iwagakure shinobi rushed forward without hesitation.