When it came down to raw strength alone, there was no denying that Keshi Nara was no match for A, the Raikage's heir. So from the very beginning, he had made up his mind—he couldn't afford a direct fight and had to rely on clever tactics instead.
So, Keshi Nara didn't hesitate to burn through his chakra. After hiding himself in a concealed spot among the buildings on the ground, he immediately created several shadow clones to test A, who was charging straight at him.
But two of the shadow clones were instantly destroyed by A, and the backlash sent sharp pain through Keshi's head, even drawing blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Looks like this won't work."
After sending out a third shadow clone to distract A, Keshi began thinking about alternative strategies.
From experience, when he rushed into the city and claimed the high ground, he had already roughly estimated how many Kumo ninja were present.
"About four hundred."
Although this number was smaller than the full-strength five hundred Konoha ninja force, the problem with ninjas was never just about numbers—especially considering the overwhelming presence of A himself. Based on Keshi's two previous attempts, none of the Konoha ninja currently engaged would probably last more than a few exchanges against him.
Under these circumstances, continuing the confrontation made no sense.
Thus, Keshi first pulled out a large bottle of specially made Military Rations Pills and swallowed them all. Then he quickly used a secret technique to refine and restore his chakra. Soon after, he created another shadow clone and sent it to hide at another location before intentionally letting it appear panicked and exposed, drawing further attention from an increasingly enraged A.
Meanwhile, Keshi performed a Transformation Jutsu, disguising himself as a common-looking chunin, and began moving toward the city wall.
There was no point in continuing the fight—so why not cause some massive destruction and make a victorious retreat!
"Haaargh!"
After obliterating the third shadow clone, A, furious at being tricked again and again, let out a roar: "Drive them back! Kill them all!"
[Haa!]
Inspired by their leader's command, the Kumo ninja grew bolder. They pushed every ounce of chakra they had left into their attacks, unleashing their best ninjutsu techniques against the invading Konoha forces!
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
The Konoha ninja naturally refused to back down either, responding with counterattacks using their ninjutsu or taijutsu. The battlefield erupted into chaos as both sides launched furious counterattacks with ninjutsu and taijutsu, and the city itself was rapidly reduced to ruins!
Damn it!
After breaking free once more from Keshi's Shadow Secret Jutsu, A's emotions reached the brink of explosion.
While Keshi's abilities were practically negligible to A, he was slippery like an eel. Despite repeated attempts to corner him, A had only managed to capture mere shadow clones!
This feeling drove A crazy, as though he were nothing more than a monkey being laughed at and toyed with!
But since Hakone Prefecture city was a city located within the Land of Lightning, he couldn't risk causing unnecessary destruction that might harm relations between the village and the daimyo's courtiers.
"Sensor ninja, get over here!"
A forced himself to regain control and quickly devised a strategy.
Although the Kumo ninja were locked in fierce battle with the Konoha forces, A had no time to assist them now.
All he could think about was making that despicable weasel Keshi Nara pay with his life!
At his command, three Kumo sensor ninja swiftly *Body Flickered* to his side, immediately beginning their secret techniques under A's protection to locate the elusive Keshi Nara!
"Got it."
As soon as Keshi Nara saw the sensor ninja arrive, he knew things had turned bad.
No matter how well he hid, against these special ninja there was no escape.
So the plan must start early!
Still disguised as a regular Chunin, Keshi Nara immediately formed a shadow clone and handed it two signal flares.
A shadow clone naturally understood its creator's intent without further instructions. Holding the flares, it instantly *Body Flickered* out of the city.
"Found him yet?"
Without interest in pursuing escaping Konoha ninja, A simply glanced at this seemingly fleeing Konoha Chunin before continuing to urge the sensor ninja onward.
"Almost there! We've scanned half the area already!"
Sweating profusely, the three sensor ninja wiped nothing away, desperately pouring chakra into their techniques to unearth the missing Keshi Nara!
"Huh!"
Less than three minutes later, one of the sensors detected something unusual: "There's a ninja underground about three meters down in the 43-degree east direction!"
"The chakra signature matches Keshi Nara!" another sensor quickly confirmed.
"That's him!" shouted the third sensor ninja excitedly.
"Good! Keep tracking him! I'll be right back!"
Upon hearing the good news, a cruel smirk spread across A's face.
"Whoosh!"
Just as A *Body Flickered* toward Keshi Nara's hidden location, another red signal flare burst into the sky above Hakone City.
Though still daylight, the flare exploded into the sky with such intensity that it momentarily dyed the heavens red!
"Quick! Use fire release techniques!"
The moment this flare appeared, senior Konoha Jonin engaged against Kumo forces immediately commanded their subordinates to set fires.
According to the original plan and standard Konoha directives, this flare signaled that the commander had ordered a strategic withdrawal—first inflicting maximum damage to delay enemy pursuit and ensure a safe retreat.
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!]
[Fire Release: Dragon Fire Bullet!]
[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!]
At the coordinated commands of seven Jonin leaders, the Konoha ninja abandoned their fights, pulling away from combat even through injury, and immediately unleashed fire techniques on the city itself.
With a violent chakra explosion, Hakone Prefecture instantly fell into absolute chaos!
Fire gained strength from the wind, and the wind fanned the flames!
Although the Kumo ninja desperately tried to intercept, the endless barrage of Fire Release techniques, amplified by Wind Release, spread like snakes of flame in all directions, quickly engulfing the entire area.
Even among their ranks were Kumo ninja skilled in Water Release who attempted to extinguish the flames, but hindered by renewed attacks from Konoha ninja, they could only fight desperately while watching helplessly as the fire consumed the city.
And this was the true might of ninja—colossal, unfiltered, and merciless!
To ordinary civilians and even noble warriors, ninja were like walking natural disasters, terrifying beings beyond comprehension!
"I!"
Seeing the city turn into an ocean of fire, A halted mid-charge, his intent to capture Keshi Nara shattered in an instant.
The fury on his face gave way to a chilling calm.
While it was indeed against protocol for ninja to be stationed in civilian cities, and while hiding the Ninja Force among common folk was morally questionable,
Wasn't Konoha equally at fault?!
If not for Konoha's assassination of the Kumo infiltrators heading south, A wouldn't have had to conceal his retaliation within mundane settlements!
This was pure massacre—setting ablaze an entire city teeming with innocent lives!
No, the true culprits weren't Kumo—they were Konoha, the village that claimed to be the moral beacon of the Ninja World!
"All of Konoha's beasts must perish!"
The words practically spat out through clenched teeth.
A chilling killing intent surged forth, almost tangible.
Then, no longer holding back due to concerns for civilians, A unleashed his ultimate technique—
[Lightning Release: Chakra Mode]!
Crackling with fierce electricity, eyes blazing, A took a deep breath before launching forward like lightning, slicing straight through three Konoha ninja—a literal piercing strike!
[Dual Iai: Penetrating Strike!]
Just as A slightly slowed to adjust his angle for another strike, the three Konoha ninja he had passed erupted midair into a fine mist of blood!
"Hiss!"
A collective gasp escaped the lips of the Konoha ninja who had witnessed the carnage!
What kind of speed was that?! Was he even human?!
Kumo might not have recognized those three fallen Tokubetsu Jonin, but their fellow Konoha ninja knew them all too well.
The three slain ninja had been renowned Tokubetsu Jonin famed for their mastery of Taijutsu, handpicked elite warriors in the Ninja Force!
Normally, a single Tokubetsu Jonin already represented elite-level strength within a unit. Now, three of them had just been effortlessly eliminated?
Instantly, panic began spreading among the Konoha ninja.
Meanwhile, the Kumo ninja experienced exactly the opposite reaction.
Now that A—the living thunder god—had abandoned his slippery target, Keshi Nara, and officially entered the battlefield, the previously desperate Kumo forces fighting tooth and nail against the Konoha invaders suddenly found their morale soaring, swiftly overpowering the now faltering Konoha ninja!
But at that very moment, yet another green signal flare erupted from the wild outskirts of the city!
"A retreat signal!"
The thought immediately flashed through the minds of the Konoha ninja.
"Damn it! Why issue a retreat order at a time like this?"
Upon seeing the retreat signal rise into the air, one Jonin officer flew into a rage!
The tides of battle turned in an instant.
Just when Konoha ninja had gained slight advantage due to A being restrained, they were suddenly pressed back in a flash!
A, moving with the speed of thunder and lightning, was the decisive factor that completely tipped the balance between both sides. In just a blink of an eye, six more Konoha ninja were brutally turned into mangled corpses!
But under any circumstances, the retreat signal shouldn't have been fired so recklessly!
Fleeing without setting up rearguard units was a huge mistake — a major taboo in any ninja force's playbook!
Any slight mistake would lead to total collapse!
But before these cold-sweating Jonin officers could formulate proper reactions, the final straw arrived!
Right before their eyes, Sarutobi Kōhei, the Jonin officer leading the Seventh Battalion, stomped his foot and leaped backward, then immediately activated [Body Flicker Technique] toward the city outskirts as a counterattack!
"Cursed!"
Even Nara Keshi, who'd been ready to cut his losses and pull back with whatever forces remained, stood frozen in shock.
Even while retreating, how could things become so chaotic!
"Go!"
Before Keshi could react, the other six Jonin officers had already made quick decisions.
Suddenly, everything collapsed like a landslide!
The Konoha ninja were completely thrown into disorder by Sarutobi Kōhei's foolish action!
This wasn't just a defeat anymore — it had become total annihilation!
"Pursue!"
"Get them all!"
"No reserves, no prisoners! Every last ninja, advance full force!"
After killing several more enemies, A, covered head to toe in blood, roared loudly, "We must press forward relentlessly and wipe out Konoha's invaders! Let them tremble forever at the mere mention of our glorious Kumo!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The Kumo ninjas burst into jubilant cheers!
Then, led by A, the ninjas inside the city began hotly chasing down their prey!
"Scatter! All of you scatter! Don't cluster together!"
Though already exhausted and painfully drained after having several shadow clones shattered by A, Keshi still ran desperately. Regardless of the aftereffects of overextending chakra usage, he forced himself to summon another shadow clone and barked out orders: "Retreat in squad formations! Support each other at all costs! Do not..."
Before he finished speaking, Mū blurred past him in an instant, and his shadow clone dissolved into a puff of blue smoke!
"Phew!"
The backlash from losing a clone once again heavily impacted Keshi.
Now, he didn't care about anything else. He directly poured another bottle of Specialized Military Rations Pill into his mouth and desperately squeezed every last ounce of potential from his body, bursting forth chakra as he fled using [Body Flicker]!
Led by A, the Kumo ninjas, filled with surging morale, erupted into thunderous cheers. Without hesitation, they began hunting down the detested Konoha invaders in their sights!
"Lord Soushu, the thirteen stationed Jonin in charge of the ninja unit have all arrived."
Inside the temporary command center of the Daimyo's court in the Land of Rice Fields, a ninja from the Uchiha clan rapped gently on the door before stepping inside, bowing slightly as he delivered his report.
"Good."
Hyuga Soushu let out a quiet sigh but remained silent. He simply raised a hand, dismissing the Uchiha ninja with a subtle gesture.
Based on the belated intelligence obtained by Takahiro Uchiha, the unit led by Keshi Nara, originally tasked with launching a sudden northern offensive into the Land of Lightning, was likely about to meet serious resistance. Hyuga Soushu needed to make a swift decision—whether to reinforce their current position or strike first.
However, even the intelligence gathered by Takahiro Uchiha's network was vague. It failed to specify which high-ranking figures from Kumo would be leading the enemy forces. The estimate of enemy numbers—between four hundred and eight hundred—was merely inferred from an unusual spike in supply purchases by the noble families guarding Hakone Prefecture City.
Therefore, figuring out how to approach the coming battle remained a critical dilemma.
Yet, at this moment, Hyuga Soushu still hadn't decided.
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