Chapter 54: Azure Gale of Konoha
The war between Konoha and Kumogakure continued in a relentless struggle for dominance, and with each passing day, the intensity of battle only grew fiercer.
Due to heavy personnel losses from the fighting, Minato's team was once again disbanded. Each member was reassigned into different squads, leading separate missions on their own.
Before they parted ways, Minato spoke in a serious tone, "The previous war against Iwagakure ended abruptly because Kumogakure suddenly expanded its territory and attacked both Konoha and Iwagakure at the same time. The war in the Land of Grass ended in a rush. But this time, it will likely be far more difficult. Kumogakure ninja are aggressive and love battle. All of you must truly watch out for yourselves."
"I don't want Obito's tragedy to happen again."
Under the command headquarters' arrangements, Minato, Kakashi, and Izumo each led their own squads. Meanwhile, Rin was assigned to a medical logistics unit stationed at the rear lines.
Over the course of these three months of war, without Izumo even realizing it, his name had begun spreading among Kumogakure's shinobi.
As swift as a blue storm wind, killing without being seen—the "Azure Gale" of Konoha!
At the frontline camp one morning, the smell of gunpowder had yet to fully fade. Among the ruins of buildings destroyed in last night's battle, a thin layer of frost had settled.
Suddenly, three sharp alarm signals tore through the morning mist, shrill as steel blades scraping against stone.
A scout ninja stumbled into the command center. His forehead protector hung crooked across his face, and blood-tinged foam still stained the corner of his mouth.
"Kumogakure's main force is attacking! At least a thousand troops! The western defense line has been breached by Lightning Release ninjutsu! They're expected to reach the main headquarters in ten minutes!"
The expressions of the personnel inside the command center instantly hardened like frozen water.
As one of the strategic minds, Nara Shikaku exchanged a brief discussion with the other officers before issuing firm orders.
"All forces, assemble! Earth Release users to the front—build walls! Wind Release users provide protection and disperse incoming Lightning Release attacks! Ninja tool squads provide covering fire! Hold the camp's central node! Do not retreat a single step!"
As Izumo led his team toward the designated position, his pupils shrank.
On the distant horizon, a dark sea of Kumogakure ninja surged forward like storm clouds. Their black uniforms blended beneath the morning light, and the cloud-patterned forehead protectors on their brows reflected a cold gleam.
"That's… a lot of them," Izumo muttered, glancing at the Konoha ninja around him. Their numbers were clearly far smaller than the enemy's.
At that very moment, Konoha's defensive formation snapped into place.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Dozens of ninja formed hand seals simultaneously. Walls of earth rose from the ground one after another. Among them, one wall stood out the most—its structure unique, positioned firmly at the very front line.
Under the bombardment of Kumogakure's Lightning Release, although more than half of the walls had already been shattered, that particular wall still stood unshaken.
It was Izumo's creation.
Seeing the earth walls couldn't be easily breached, three Kumogakure jōnin led their forces and leapt over the barriers like three streaks of violet lightning, crashing straight through the defensive line.
Their ninja swords flashed as they struck. The cries of Konoha ninja rang out one after another. The once orderly defense line was torn open and gradually pushed inward.
"If this keeps up, our defense will collapse! We must cut down their jōnin core!" Nara Shikaku's voice echoed directly in Izumo's mind through the Mind Transmission Technique. "Jōnin Izumo, hold them back and eliminate as many enemy jōnin as possible. Disrupt their attack rhythm!"
"Understood!" Izumo replied silently.
That's right. Not long after arriving at the Kumogakure frontlines, Izumo had completed his evaluation and officially become part of one of Konoha's core institutions—the Jōnin Division.
As he activated the Body Flicker Technique, Shave activated simultaneously. The combination of Shave and Body Flicker created a blue-green shadow that tore through the morning mist, shooting toward the right side of the battlefield.
"Hm? The Azure Gale of Konoha?" A Kumogakure jōnin holding a ninja sword revealed a serious expression. Lightning instantly wrapped around his blade.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Fang Thrust!"
The ninja sword roared as it sliced through the air, cutting toward Izumo's face.
Izumo pressed lightly against the ground with his toes and twisted his body aside, throwing three kunai at the same time to force the opponent into defense.
As the kunai were deflected by the ninja sword, hidden steel wires suddenly became visible, already wrapped around the opponent's blade.
Izumo pulled sharply.
As the opponent lost balance, Izumo had already closed the distance. Chakra concentrated at his fingertips.
"Finger Pistol."
The thrust pierced straight through the opponent's throat with precise accuracy.
Blood sprayed. At the same time, Izumo stepped on the opponent's shoulder and leapt toward the next jōnin.
That jōnin was already forming hand seals.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Blast Technique!"
Five basketball-sized spheres of lightning shot forward with hissing sounds, crashing toward Izumo.
Izumo's waist bent sharply. Activating the Paper Art Technique, his body moved as though boneless, sliding through the gaps between the lightning spheres. The edge of his clothing was scorched black by stray sparks of electricity, but he didn't care in the slightest.
Using the cover created by the lightning spheres, he formed hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A half-body-high earth wall suddenly rose, blocking the opponent's vision for an instant.
In that moment, Izumo activated Body Flicker Technique and Shave simultaneously, circling behind the opponent. The kunai in his hand shot past the still-crackling lightning and pierced directly into the opponent's heart from behind.
In less than half an hour, Izumo's blue-green shadow had taken the lives of three jōnin on the right side of the battlefield.
As he leapt down from the final jōnin's body, the ranks of Konoha ninja erupted into cheers that shook the sky. The defensive line that had nearly collapsed sealed itself shut like a stitched wound, and the counterattack of ninja tools and ninjutsu grew even more ferocious.
Within Kumogakure's formation, a dark-skinned man lifted the sunglasses resting on the bridge of his nose. Behind the dark lenses, a pair of eyes stared sharply at the figure of Kamizuki Izumo.
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