The plot developed exactly as it had in his previous life.
"Fox! You take the rearguard!"
After breaking through the Kumo-nin defensive line, the Black Gorilla Squadron Leader once again ordered Yōkō to cover the rear.
Yōkō turned, predicted the movements of two Kumo-nin, cut them down, and then warily watched the Kumo-nin squad leader not far away.
The Kumo-nin squad leader's attention was once again drawn to Yōkō.
He charged over, leaped, and brought his sword down in a slash.
The blade's motion changed mid-air, transforming from a downward slash into a horizontal sweep.
Clang!
The sound of clashing metal rang out.
Yōkō's ninja sword blocked the Kumo-nin's blade.
The Kumo-nin's expression changed dramatically. He practiced the Cloud-Style Sword Technique diligently every day; his strikes were deceptive and unpredictable. How could this Konoha Anbu block it so easily?
A horizontal sweep changed into a downward thrust.
Clang!
A forward thrust changed into an upward flick.
Clang!
His ears were filled with the sound of clashing metal. The Kumo-nin felt an odd fury.
Had this Konoha Anbu specifically studied him? Why was he so familiar with his sword style?
The fight was evenly matched; he wasn't at a disadvantage. Yōkō felt greatly reassured.
Do you know what clang clang clang is?
Clang clang clang means... I've seen through every one of your strikes.
Yōkō scanned left and right, looking for a hidden place.
When the Kumo-nin struck next, Yōkō didn't parry. He feigned retreat and jumped through the window of a house behind him.
The Kumo-nin was delighted. In a confined space, his Cloud-Style Sword Technique was even more effective.
His flexible joints and muscles were suited for small-scale evasion and maneuvering.
Without hesitation, the Kumo-nin also jumped through the window into the house.
Once inside, he saw the Konoha ninja forming hand seals.
Fast! He had to be fast! Faster than the Konoha Anbu's ninjutsu!
He thrust his ninja sword straight forward.
Unfortunately, the sword stopped just 3 centimeters from Yōkō's chest.
Inside the unseen interior of the house, cursed seals crawled up the Kumo-nin's legs, waist, and arms, locking all his joints.
The seal couldn't be maintained for long. Yōkō rushed forward, grabbed the sword he had just planted in the ground, and stabbed it through the Kumo-nin's heart.
Pulling out the ninja sword, Yōkō casually picked up a handkerchief from a nearby table and wiped the blood from the blade.
The feel under the handkerchief wasn't great. After clashing blades with the Kumo-nin, the edge had several nicks.
He needed to change his sword as soon as possible after this battle.
A major reason ninjas were poor was the cost of weapons. To survive, no one dared to save money on weapons.
A good ninja sword was expensive, costing tens of thousands of Ryo.
Kunai were much cheaper, only a few thousand Ryo each.
Ninja swords were weapons for rich ninjas; kunai were suited for poor ninjas.
The Kumo-nin were even wealthier than Konoha ninjas. It was outrageous.
Yōkō sniffed, catching a very fragrant smell.
He then turned to look at the room.
There were two corpses in the room, a mother and daughter.
Both had their throats slit, with large pools of blood on the floor.
The fragrance came from the stove.
A chicken was still stewing there.
Yōkō lifted the lid, and the aroma washed over him.
The broth had long dried up. The bottom of the stewed chicken was slightly burnt, but the top was fine.
Grabbing a chicken leg, he stuffed it into his mouth. What a treat.
Military Ration Pills were trash. Being able to eat hot chicken on the battlefield boosted his confidence considerably.
After eating half the chicken in the dark room and wiping the grease from his mouth, Yōkō finally jumped out.
He had killed three people, exceeding the task.
After emerging, Yōkō jumped onto a rooftop and assessed the battalion's situation.
The Yellow Dog Battalion had pushed even deeper and was engaged in a fierce battle with the Kiri-nin outside the Four Violet Flames Formation.
Those Kiri-nin were using Water Release to deplete the formation's energy, stirring up large amounts of mist.
Yōkō didn't head towards the Kiri-nin but dutifully stayed in the rear, clearing out the miscellaneous troops behind the Black Gorilla Squadron.
Whenever he encountered Kumo-nin, Yōkō would lure them into a house and kill them inside using the Self-Cursing Body Binding Seal.
After killing three more Kumo-nin, Yōkō felt the Yellow Dog Battalion was moving too slowly. If the battle didn't end soon, he was going to... burst from overeating.
Besides the half chicken, Yōkō had already consumed a pot of spare ribs, three rice balls, and a basin of drunken shrimp.
The drunken shrimp in Uzushiogakure were quite good, though the liquor potency was a bit strong.
Additionally, he had scavenged over 500,000 Ryo, stuffing it into his ninja tool pouch. He needed money for a visit to the Tsurugetsu Izakaya later.
If he could loot Uzushiogakure, he could become instantly wealthy.
While Yōkō was letting his mind wander, he glanced back at the Yellow Dog Battalion and noticed that only the regular members were fighting; the Battalion Commander and Squadron Leaders weren't participating in the combat.
At this rate, when would they ever clear out the Kiri-nin near the barrier?
Compared to the Konoha Anbu, the Kiri-nin were fighting with a desperate, life-risking fervor. Having lost their Mizukage, they had the feeling of a grieving army likely to win, their combat effectiveness was very high.
Over ten minutes later, after killing another Kumo-nin with his sword technique, Yōkō heard a loud crash behind him.
The Four Violet Flames Formation around the Uzumaki ancestral shrine! It was broken!
The continuous Water Release attacks had finally depleted the formation's last reserves of energy.
The four Uzumaki ninja maintaining the corners collapsed, gasping for breath, their faces pale.
The Kiri-nin charged in and began slaughtering the Uzumaki clan's women and children indiscriminately.
One red-haired girl after another was cut down.
Some were still in their nightclothes; some little girls wore cute pink dresses.
In the eyes of the Kiri-nin, every red-headed Uzumaki was complicit in killing the Mizukage.
The figure of Uzumaki Yuka appeared. She summoned a Spear Egret and tied the crying Uzumaki Kushina to the bird's leg.
"Fly! Fly to Konoha!"
The Spear Egret took off swiftly, flying towards the northwest.
Battalion Commander Yellow Dog didn't immediately order a pursuit. Instead, he stood still, watching as the Kiri-nin not far away massacred the Uzumaki women and children.
The other ninja in the battalion also slowed their actions, allowing many Kiri-nin to enter the shrine.
This attitude... It seemed one of Battalion Commander Yellow Dog's tasks concerned those ordinary Uzumaki women.
Yōkō blocked a Kumo-nin's sword and, in return, used the Cloud-Style Sword Technique to stab the Kumo-nin to death.
He suddenly understood something.
For Konoha, what kind of Uzumaki Kushina was easiest to control?
Of course, one who was alone, the last Uzumaki in the shinobi world, was easiest to control.
If there were many Uzumaki left in the world, Uzumaki Kushina wouldn't stay wholeheartedly in Konoha; she would naturally lean towards her own clan.
The annihilation of the Uzumaki clan was not only necessary for the Kiri-nin, desired by the Kumo-nin, but it also now served Konoha's interests.
Konoha couldn't have a second Uzumaki clansman; the shinobi world shouldn't have a second Uzumaki clansman. This way, Uzumaki Kushina would have no other choice.
The Nine-Tails could then be safely entrusted to Uzumaki Kushina.
In the original story, Nagato and his parents were in the Land of Rain, and Karin and her parents were in the Land of Grass. It was possible that Uzumaki orphans within the Land of Fire had long been secretly eliminated by the Konoha Anbu.
The Spear Egret carried Uzumaki Kushina far away. One Anbu battalion gave chase.
Uzumaki Kushina carried a large scroll on her back, resembling Uzushiogakure's Book of Seals.
A Konoha Anbu battalion was the first to pursue Uzumaki Kushina.
Seeing the Uzushiogakure Book of Seals, the Kumo-nin also gave chase.
The Yellow Dog Battalion didn't move, still outside the shrine, engaged in a battle with the Kiri-nin that was neither intense nor easy.
The Kiri-nin at the front even rushed into the main hall of the shrine, killing indiscriminately.
A group of Uzumaki kunoichi formed up and also fled towards the northwest, among them was Uzumaki Yuka.
Only when the Kiri-nin pursued the group of Uzumaki kunoichi did the Yellow Dog Battalion follow.
...
Read 50 advance at patreon.com/CNBLUE
(Chapter End)