Chapter 67: Battle to the Death
An Anbu shinobi interrupted Chiyo's thoughts: "Elder Chiyo, the enemy's combined ninjutsu is too powerful. It's likely an attack from a Kage-level shinobi. What should we do?"
Chiyo paused, quickly trying to deduce which Kage-level shinobi from Konoha excelled at Fire or Wind Release. Many Kage-level shinobi were proficient in multiple chakra natures, and nearly all of Konoha's Kage-level ninja could perform either wind or fire techniques. But now wasn't the time to deliberate—immediate action was required.
Without hesitation, she released more than a dozen puppets simultaneously. These puppets quickly unleashed powerful Wind Release ninjutsu, forcibly countering the enemy attack.
This was the hidden trump card of Chiyo, a Kage-level puppeteer—puppets that could unleash sealed Wind Release techniques. In fact, calling it "performing" ninjutsu wasn't entirely accurate; the puppets merely released previously sealed ninjutsu, similar in concept to Ishiro's earlier experiments with C-rank sealing scrolls.
Although Ishiro didn't understand the exact mechanism, he realized one thing: this was Chiyo's strongest card. If Konoha launched another similar attack, Suna would have no effective means to defend itself.
Even this single exchange had exhausted a huge amount of chakra. Although Suna had barely withstood Konoha's attack, their chakra reserves had already plummeted—most shinobi had less than ten percent remaining.
Immediately after the ninjutsu exchange subsided, close combat began. Yet unexpectedly, instead of an intense, drawn-out battle, a white-haired figure flashed rapidly through the battlefield. Before several Suna Anbu could react, they had already fallen dead.
Chiyo instantly recognized the attacker, shouting angrily, "White Fang!"
In a fit of rage, she disregarded all else, directly maneuvering her puppets to attack White Fang, intent on settling new grudges alongside old debts.
Meanwhile, four Konoha Anbu squads positioned toward the Land of Earth, after their initial ninjutsu attack, awaited intelligence from the Aburame Clan shinobi. The Aburame shinobi released numerous insects but, after some time, found no trace of the two previously departed Iwa Anbu squads.
Reporting back, he said, "Those two Iwa squads vanished. I've checked a few kilometers around, found no bodies or trails—they must have retreated underground."
The squad leader frowned and immediately ordered, "Contact the Hyūga clan. Have them focus underground and thoroughly search for Iwa shinobi." An uneasy feeling rose in his chest.
Normally, an Anbu squad wouldn't exclusively consist of shinobi capable of earth infiltration techniques. Just as with Konoha and Suna's current battle, both sides had temporarily increased the proportion of ninjutsu specialists to execute their initial attacks. But why had Iwa seemingly done the same? Could they have anticipated Konoha's moves? Or worse—was this entire situation an Iwa setup?
Regardless, this was extremely troubling. Suna's unexpectedly large deployment, combined with Iwa's suspicious movements, worried him greatly. However, the main Konoha force had already engaged Suna directly; retreating now was impossible. The choice wasn't even his to make.
Clenching his teeth, the Anbu captain decided, "Forget about Iwa for now. Support White Fang-sama first and eliminate Suna quickly!"
He immediately led eleven Anbu toward the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the two missing Iwa Anbu squads had joined Ishiro and the others hiding underground. After briefly reporting to Ōnoki, they moved aside to await further orders. The intelligence they brought wasn't new; the underground sensory team had already informed Ōnoki.
At this time, Ishiro and several sensors were reporting the situation above ground. The massive chakra exchanges had temporarily disrupted Ishiro's sensing, but now clarity had returned.
"Tsuchikage-sama, both sides have engaged in close combat," Ishiro reported. "The initial exchange didn't cause direct casualties for Suna, but their chakra reserves have drastically decreased—most shinobi have less than ten percent left."
Suddenly, Ishiro felt a tremor. "Four Suna shinobi just died instantly. Same attacker, incredible speed!"
Ōnoki pondered briefly and concluded decisively, "It's Konoha's White Fang!"
Currently, few Konoha shinobi specialized in high-speed assassination techniques. The most famous, undoubtedly, was White Fang. Other Anbu shinobi nodded in agreement.
Though Ishiro had heard of White Fang's reputation, he wasn't clear about his fighting style. His first thought had been of the "Yellow Flash," but he quickly recalled that Minato Namikaze should be around Ishiro's age or slightly older, far from his peak.
Before Ishiro could ponder further, new developments unfolded.
"Shinobi who were ambushing our retreat path are moving toward the battlefield now, apparently to reinforce their comrades," Ishiro quickly updated.
Listening to the continuous flow of intelligence, the underground team analyzed the battle.
At this moment, Owl suddenly asked, "Ishiro, since the battle began, have Suna shinobi shown any signs of retreating?"
Ishiro was startled briefly, then quickly replied, "Captain Owl, no, they haven't. They've maintained a defensive formation, standing their ground."
Ōnoki's eyes sharpened. Turning to Owl, he questioned, "You suspect…?"
"Even though Suna defended against the initial attack," Owl explained gravely, "the situation is clearly unfavorable for them. The logical choice is retreat—not stubborn defense. Continuing this stance with their limited chakra will only result in total annihilation."
Ōnoki took a deep breath, acknowledging Owl's logic. "Then Suna must have a hidden card. We must strike immediately."
Ishiro felt puzzled. If Suna had hidden cards, wasn't waiting the better choice? However, it wasn't his place to voice such concerns.
Owl quickly assigned tasks. Shortly after, the four Konoha Anbu squads passing overhead suddenly encountered dozens of earth spikes and rock pillars erupting from beneath, courtesy of about ten Iwa shinobi—including Ishiro.
Unprepared, Konoha Anbu suffered immediate injuries. Ishiro himself scored his first direct hit with Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears, piercing an enemy Chūnin's leg.
Without high-level jutsu involved, casualties were minimal, but the surprise attack left Konoha Anbu in chaos. At this moment, Ōnoki created a path upward, allowing a dozen elite taijutsu specialists to charge into the fray. They swiftly overwhelmed the struggling Konoha shinobi.
With Owl's permission, Ishiro joined the fray, quickly targeting the wounded Chūnin he'd injured earlier. This shinobi had been rescued earlier by the Aburame captain, who was now busy battling two other Iwa Anbu—leaving Ishiro an ideal chance for real combat experience.
The wounded Chūnin was skilled in kenjutsu. Although his thigh injury significantly reduced his mobility, Ishiro remained cautious—knowing his recently acquired swordsmanship wouldn't permit carelessness.
The pressure from real combat was vastly different from training spars. Initially, Ishiro focused defensively, barely dodging multiple lethal strikes. Gradually, he adjusted, cautiously adding counterattacks, testing his growth.
Although the enemy's experience surpassed Ishiro's, making his attacks ineffective, the sparring-like exchange honed Ishiro's instincts for close combat.
Suddenly, Ishiro began deliberately provoking, baiting the enemy into reckless attacks, allowing him to better practice combat adaptability.
Soon, the Konoha Anbu were all eliminated, save Ishiro's opponent. Captain Owl intentionally prevented interference, curious about Ishiro's growth in swordsmanship—a decision directly supported by Ōnoki.
After several exchanges, Ishiro feinted toward his enemy's abdomen—a move he'd used repeatedly before. This time, unexpectedly, the enemy allowed himself to be struck, forcing his injured body to shift, positioning Ishiro between himself and Owl.
Realizing this was his only chance, the Chūnin threw his blade toward Ishiro, simultaneously drawing a kunai wrapped with explosive tags.
Momentarily panicked, Ishiro's blade slipped from his hand. Seeing this, the enemy was delighted—thinking victory was his.
Yet, in an instant, Ishiro's hands blurred, forming a single hand seal. "Mind Body Disturbance Technique!"
With perfect timing, Ishiro's genjutsu momentarily froze the enemy's consciousness. Exploiting this opportunity, he kicked the enemy backward.
Regaining consciousness midair, the enemy reached desperately toward Ishiro—but the explosive tags detonated instantly, obliterating him.
Caught by the explosion's aftershock, Ishiro was thrown back, landing awkwardly but unharmed. Despite his messy appearance, his eyes gleamed brightly.
In that instant, Ishiro understood. He now clearly saw his path forward—Ninjutsu-infused Taijutsu. A unique path combining swordsmanship to engage enemies in close combat, then swiftly using ninjutsu to end the fight decisively.
As long as his jutsu casting speed was fast enough, this path would undoubtedly lead him to new heights.
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