"The objective of Cloud Village?" Though the man's words sounded a bit arrogant, Seiki didn't ignore them either.
Better safe than sorry.
"Thank you for the reminder. I will definitely be cautious," Seiki nodded seriously before continuing with sincerity, "We younger ones still lack depth in our understanding. If seniors like you have any insights, please inform us promptly."
Hearing how solemnly Seiki spoke, Southern Cross felt deeply moved.
Since joining this war, he had interacted with many Konoha ninja. Although they said nothing openly, he could still sense their disregard and contempt.
Truly worthy of being called the Light of Konoha! He even maintains humility and respect toward ninja from smaller villages like ourselves... Thinking thus, Southern Cross solemnly promised, "We shall certainly do our utmost!"
Soon afterward, Seiki and his team located several other scattered squads of Hoshigakure forces.
However, they weren't as fortunate as Southern Cross's squad.
With the involvement of Cloud Village, ordinary Hoshigakure ninja were no match at all—the battles were practically one-sided slaughters.
By the time they were discovered, heavy casualties had already been suffered.
"Damn those Cloud ninjas! I'll never let them get away with this!"
"We of Hoshigakure shall retaliate against Cloud Village!"
Tears of grief and fury streamed down Southern Cross's face. Today's losses were nearly equal to those suffered over the past two years combined.
After all, ninja wars usually revolved around small-unit reconnaissance skirmishes, rarely involving large-scale confrontations. Even those few massive conflicts were mainly centered around Konoha and Cloud Village.
Smaller Hidden Villages like theirs had never been the main focus of warfare.
If the damage had been that bad, they would've pulled out of this fight long ago.
"So relentless in hunting down Hoshigakure ninja—could it be an attempt to intimidate our allied nations?"
Seiki couldn't help but think along these lines. Compared to Cloud Village, more small countries stood on Konoha's side. If intimidation caused these smaller nations to withdraw from the war altogether, it would indeed benefit Cloud Village strategically.
"Still, Cloud has always been arrogant, not even respecting our Konoha sufficiently. The stance of several small nations shouldn't be significant enough to make them lose face… Could it be because of that meteorite or perhaps their aerial capabilities?"
As Seiki was pondering this, a commotion of battle echoed from afar.
...
Within the forest grove, a group of Hoshigakure ninja were desperately fighting against their enemies.
Unlike other fronts, this particular battlefield gained aerial support from a flying ninja, allowing the local Hoshigakure unit to actually gain the upper hand.
"Tch! This woman's strength is unexpectedly formidable. She doesn't even belong to the same level as other Hoshigakure ninja!"
"Indeed, she was that prodigy from the Chunin Exams two years ago. Having such power isn't particularly surprising."
"Right. Never expected the Chunin Exams to yield so many geniuses!"
"Everyone, hang in there a bit longer! Commander A and Commander B will arrive shortly!"
Natsuhoshi soared through the sky, her expression grim. If it was the AB brothers they were facing, her advantage in the air would be meaningless. The power gap was too vast — at best, she could only guarantee her own escape.
"Just wait a little longer! Don't come now!"
Unfortunately, things often went exactly as one feared.
In the next moment, the AB brothers appeared within her sight, leading more than ten Hidden Cloud ninja.
"Finished!" Natsuhoshi's heart turned cold. She shouted immediately, "Everyone, quickly scatter and run! I'll cover you!"
But A paid no mind to the Seinin on the ground, his gaze locked firmly on Natsuhoshi in the sky.
"Good luck — caught another one! B, prepare to fire!"
"Got it! Witness my ultimate Aniki Shuriken!"
As he spoke, B's right arm muscles bulged. He heaved A high into the air with explosive force.
[Thunderous whoosh!]
Electric arcs surrounded A's body. Like a lightning arrow tearing through the sky, he shot straight toward Natsuhoshi.
"What the heck is this?" Startled, Natsuhoshi had no time to react properly and could only barely twist her body sideways.
The lightning bolt slashed past her, shattering one of her Radiant Wings before continuing its unstoppable trajectory into the heavens.
One wing shattered, Natsuhoshi spiraled down toward the earth.
Fortunately, her Radiant Wings were chakra-based projections, quickly regenerating as good as new.
Still reeling, she finally understood — "Their target was me?"
Boom!
A plummeted straight from the sky, burying himself head-first into the ground.
Just as everyone wondered whether he'd been crushed to death, A emerged unharmed the next moment as if nothing happened.
"That one's got some sharp reflexes!" A narrowed his eyes. This was how he previously scored three kills against Seinin with nothing but headbutts.
But this time, his opponent had actually dodged.
"B, your turn now." A twisted his neck and rolled up his sleeves. "Summon more Bunshin — I'm launching a flurry of shuriken!"
B, however, turned serious eyes toward the left. "Trouble's coming."
From the dappled shadows between the trees, Seiki stepped forward with his squad and a large group of Seinin, their eyes burning with fury.
The scene fell silent. The Cloud ninja who had been fighting stopped immediately, cautiously retreating to stand beside A and B.
Almost every pair of eyes focused on Seiki and the AB brothers.
"Amazing!" Natsuhoshi's eyes sparkled with excitement. Just like two years ago — he always draws every eye.
"Is this the deterrent power of the Light of Konoha?" Southern Cross and the others felt deeply shaken. Naturally, they didn't believe their mere arrival had caused the Cloud ninja to back off.
To true experts, numbers no longer mattered.
Breaking the heavy silence, A couldn't help growling, "What? Want to fight?"
Calmly, Seiki replied, "You've probably already heard about our battle against the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist?"
"Trying to scare me off with that?" A's eyes brimmed with mockery. "Don't make me laugh! We're nothing like those seven useless trash!"
He and B were both high-defense, high-health stamina-type ninjas. The tactics used against the Mist would never work on them.
Seki didn't deny it. "That's right. I can kill them in a short time, but I can't take down either of you!"
"Then why say such nonsense…"
"But I can kill every last one of your comrades before you break through the barrier!"
"You…" A's eyes flared wide, steam blasting from his nostrils.
If it was just him and B alone, he wouldn't mind taking on the enemy head-on.
But under current circumstances, he really couldn't afford to keep fighting.
Seki whispered temptingly, "Look at the trusting gazes around you. Do you want to lead them all to their deaths?"
A quickly looked around at his comrades nearby. Though their eyes remained determined, they unavoidably revealed traces of hesitation and fear. Heaving with rage, he finally gritted his teeth and roared, "Everyone, retreat!"
Many young ninja—fresh recruits to the battlefield—watched the scene with great excitement. The legendary AB brothers of the Cloud cowered and fled after just a few words from Master Seki—how amazing!
However, Southern Cross and others couldn't help asking, "Why not keep them here?"
"He retreated because he doesn't understand the barrier's effect yet. In fact, our barrier can only trap him for about a minute, and that's nowhere near enough time for your evacuation. Once they escape, they'll definitely seek revenge on you. And since I'm alone here, I can't guarantee your safety."
After hearing Seki explain, Southern Cross muttered unhappily, "So we're really just dragging you down, aren't we?"
After the Cloud side had gone far enough, A cursed angrily, "Why does this bastard always show up? Can't he go plague the Mist instead?"
B sighed gloomily, "He just did!"
Thinking about the disbanded Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist, A's mouth twitched. "Though it's not perfect yet, we have no choice but to start early. Tell those sky ninja—it's time to prove their sincerity."
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