Naruto: Uchiha Youngjo's Konoha Spring

Chapter 286 On the verge of breaking out

On the front lines of the Land of Hot Springs, the armies of Konoha and Kumogakure have clashed. In their initial encounter, both sides exercised restraint, resulting in minimal casualties.

However, when Killer Bee was forced back by Uchiha Shisui's Susanoo and left the battle line of the Land of Water to come to the front, although he had not yet made a move, Aburame Shiki, who was in charge of command here, could clearly feel that the morale of the Cloud Village side was rising.

At the front-line command post, the commanders and staff of the three armies facing the Land of Lightning held a video conference after everything was ready.

"Just as you predicted, Shikaku, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki has apparently appeared on our side of the battlefield," Aburame Shiki said.

“Hmm.” Nara Shikaku nodded. “Judging from the initial direction and intensity of the Cloud Village’s attack, their plan was to occupy the entire Land of Water as quickly as possible and then attack us from both sides. To this end, they did not hesitate to expose the chakra cannon they had been researching, in order to quickly defeat or even kill Commander Fugaku, who had the ability to counter Jinchuriki, so that the Eight-Tails could attack without restraint. However, they did not expect that in addition to the Hokage, Commander Fugaku, and Commander Kakashi, there was another Mangekyou Sharingan in the village.”

"Rumor has it that the current Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails is highly compatible with the Eight-Tails. If I were to show up, they might still dare to take a gamble. As a non-Uchiha Mangekyou Sharingan user, I can't directly control the Tailed Beast with genjutsu. However, Shisui's Susanoo, which they've never seen before, completely disrupted their plans," Kakashi said.

“I didn’t expect that just having Susanoo appear on the battlefield would have such a good effect,” Shisui said at this moment. “However, if we really face that guy, I can’t say what the outcome will be.”

“However, since the Eight-Tails’ Jinchuriki is in the Land of Hot Springs, do you need me to come and provide support?” Kakashi said. “Lady Tsunade said that Fugaku will need at least 15 days to fully recover. In large-scale battles, the role of the Jinchuriki is still too important.”

“No need,” Shikaku shook his head. “According to the Hokage’s strategy, the battlefield in the Land of Water must be advanced slowly. If we advance too quickly, it will give the Southern Mist Village an opportunity to grow stronger. So it’s best to use this battlefield to deplete the manpower of the two Mist Villages. Therefore, the village must have someone with influence there to oversee things. And before Commander Fugaku recovers, that person can only be Commander Kakashi.”

"Okay." Kakashi nodded.

"Moreover, we do have our own Jinchūriki," Inuzuka Jacques said. "The vice-head of the Uzumaki clan will make a move then."

"Karin isn't a perfect Jinchūriki," Kakashi said, frowning slightly.

“However, she is currently the person in the village with the highest level of sealing techniques besides the Hokage,” Aburame Shiki said.

“Our plan is to find an opportunity to lure the Eight-Tails' Jinchuriki into a trap and eliminate him in one fell swoop,” Shikaku said at this moment.

"I understand." Kakashi nodded, then continued, "I'll launch a counterattack on Water 7 tomorrow, and I expect to retake it within three days, allowing Takagi Seiman to return to the throne with the Daimyo of the Land of Water. At the same time, we'll control the ports on the west coast of the Land of Water. How are your naval forces preparing?"

"The warships are ready and can depart at any time," Inuzuka Jacques said.

"Let's leave it at that for now. We'll launch a full-scale attack once we get news from Sasuke," Kakashi said.

"Understood!" The people in the command posts of the three camps nodded in unison.

……

Compared to the battlefield in the Land of Lightning where they clashed immediately upon meeting, the battlefield in the Land of Earth saw both sides exercise restraint. Under the command of Hiashi Hyuga and Asuma, who came to provide support, the Konoha army set up camp 10 kilometers away from the Land of Earth's troops stationed on the border of the Land of Grass. Throughout the entire process, the Iwagakure ninja did not come to harass them.

Furthermore, after arriving at their designated locations, the troops from the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain immediately set up camp, with neither side making the first move.

Just then, a large clay bird swooped down from the sky into Iwagakure, quickly triggering the village's alert.

Onoki, who remained in the village at that moment, immediately led his men to intercept them after receiving the news.

When Deidara saw his teacher arrive with his group, he also controlled the clay bird to land.

Onoki frowned as he watched Deidara, dressed in a black robe with red clouds, jump down from the clay bird, and then asked, "Why did you come back?"

"Old man, what are you thinking?" Deidara ignored Onoki's question and spoke first, "Go to war with Konoha? Are you crazy? Iwagakure doesn't have the strength to go to war with Konoha right now, okay?"

"What the village does is none of your business, you rogue ninja!" Onoki said in a deep voice, frowning.

"Old man, are you really going to start a war?" After seeing Onoki's attitude, Deidara thought for a moment, sighed, and said, "In that case, I'll go back to the village and join the war."

"Shut up!" Onoki's expression changed immediately upon hearing this, and he angrily rebuked Deidara, "You damned rogue ninja, do you think the village is a place you can come and go as you please? Now you're thinking of coming back, I bet you're just trying to steal information from the village!"

"Hey! Old man! Don't be ungrateful!" Deidara was indignant when he heard Onoki's words. He had already decided to come back and help his village fight, but this old man Onoki actually called him a spy. He had never been wronged like this before.

"Damn rogue ninja! Even if you were once my disciple, you dare to come back and disrupt my morale. I will make you pay the price!" Onoki roared and began to form hand seals. Dust Release crystals slowly gathered in his hands.

"Hey! Old man! Are you serious?!" Deidara was startled when he saw this and quickly jumped onto the clay bird and flew into the air.

"Dust Release: Particle Style: Detachment Technique!" Onoki raised his hands, and the Dust Release crystals gathered in his hands flashed with a cold light. A beam of light capable of disintegrating all matter shot straight towards the clay bird that Deidara was riding in the air.

Seeing that things were going badly, Deidara quickly changed direction and narrowly avoided the attack.

"Old man! You forced me to do this!" Deidara swallowed hard as he watched the Dust Release ninjutsu brush past him before shouting down.

But seeing that Onoki was already charging up his next Dust Release attack, Deidara had no choice but to turn around and run away without stopping.

"Hmph! He's lucky he ran fast!" After watching Deidara's figure disappear into the horizon, Onoki snorted coldly and dispelled the Dust Release technique in his hand. Turning around, Onoki sighed inwardly, "Why did that kid even come back?"

After running quite a distance and seeing that there were no pursuers behind him, Deidara slowed down a little, muttering curses under his breath: "That old bastard really doesn't know what's good for him!"

"You're back." After Deidara returned to the front-line camp in the Land of Rain, Konan saw his expression and knew that he had come back after being frustrated. So she couldn't help but say, "I told you long ago, your teacher can't be persuaded to come back with just a few words."

"Sigh." Deidara sighed, then said, "Nan-nee, why don't you talk to the Hokage and ask him to transfer me to the Land of Lightning? I feel a little reluctant to actually fight the people of Iwagakure on the battlefield."

"Okay." Xiao Nan nodded.

……

That night, after several small-scale skirmishes, the Hidden Cloud Village lost its composure and dispatched an elite force of about 3000 men, intending to cross the Sulfur Canyon of the Land of Hot Water and attack the flank of the Leaf Village's forces.

However, their supposedly well-hidden ambush failed to escape the White Eyes' detection; in the face of the White Eyes, the night was never any form of camouflage.

At Nara Shikaku's suggestion, Aburame Shii led a force of 3000 men, led by Inuzuka Kaze, to intercept them.

It's not that Konoha couldn't spare more troops, but rather that the terrain of the canyon could only accommodate a maximum number of people in a head-on battle.

Not long after Darui led his troops into the canyon, a massive combination of fire-style ninjutsu ignited the flames of war.

The battle is about to break out.

The towering rock walls on both sides of the canyon, once a tranquil barrier, have now become natural arena walls, tightly squeezing the two immense forces of the Cloud Village's lightning and the Leaf Village's raging fire into this boiling land of death.

"Crush them! Tear through Konoha's defenses!" After blocking Konoha's combined ninjutsu, Darui wiped the sweat from his forehead caused by the rising steam, and then roared loudly.

As his voice faded, the Cloud Hidden's charge began.

This group of Cloud Village members were all wearing sophisticated chakra armor, with crackling blue electric snakes coiling around their bodies.

At Darui's command, their chakra armor emitted a blinding blue light. The next moment, they moved with incredible speed, stepping on the scorching rocks burned by Konoha's fire-style ninjutsu, transforming into a blue torrent. They roared wildly, their cries coalescing into a deafening prelude to a thunderstorm, rumbling across the canyon as they charged toward the Konoha army, which was waiting in battle.

"That armor, its defense is so high?" Inuzuka Kaze, riding Sumeragi, stood at the forefront of the group, frowning as he watched the oncoming torrent of steel. He had originally thought that their combined fire jutsu, which they had prepared in advance, would at least reduce the enemy's forces by half, but the armor on the enemy's body perfectly blocked this wave of attacks for them.

"Check your ninja tools and prepare for close combat!" Inuzuka Kaze said solemnly as he turned around. After speaking, Inuzuka Kaze pressed a button on the collar of the character Sumeragi. After a series of clicking sounds of metal mechanisms, Sumeragi was covered in black metal armor.

"Shihui, you'll be in command from now on." Inuzuka Kaze stretched his body, formed hand seals, and used a family secret technique to merge with Sumeragi into a two-headed wolf covered in armor. He then turned around and said.

“Leave it to me.” Aburame Shikai nodded, and countless swarms of insects scattered from the surface of his body.

"All troops, attack!" Inuzuka Kaze shouted, then roared and charged out, leading the charge against the steel torrent of Kumogakure.

Before the two sides clashed, Aburame Shiki's voice rang in the ears of every Konoha soldier via a communicator.

"Earth Release team, use ninjutsu to weaken the opponent's impact!"

The moment the two sides clashed, Konoha's formation trembled violently under the initial, ferocious impact.

The Earth Release troops at the forefront were under the greatest pressure. The experienced Chunin and Jonin gritted their teeth, pressed their hands firmly to the ground, and poured out their chakra recklessly.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!" they roared, channeling their chakra to the fullest extent. The earth groaned as massive rock walls rose layer upon layer, attempting to weaken the unstoppable torrent of lightning.

However, with the support of the Cloud Village's new Lightning Release Chakra Armor, the impact of this elite assault force was unimaginable. Accompanied by a tooth-grinding sound of rocks crumbling, thick walls of earth collapsed like glass being hit by a giant hammer, instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and then collapsed with a roar.

Although the Earth Release team's ninjutsu didn't last long, it successfully weakened the opponent's impact. After the Earth Release-generated barrier shattered, Konoha's taijutsu ninjas, led by Inuzuka Kaze who had transformed into a two-headed hellhound, charged into the enemy's ranks and began real close combat.

"Contract! Reinforce! Fire Release: Cover! Medical Team, save people!" Shikai Aburame, lifted up by the swarm of insects, looked down at the chaotic battlefield from mid-air. His face was expressionless, only extremely focused and solemn.

His orders were precisely transmitted to the ears of every Konoha squad leader via the communication insects, like reins being forcibly tightened in a raging storm.

Following his command, Konoha's formation began to change in an orderly manner, and the surviving Earth Release ninjas quickly retreated to the second, pre-planned defensive line built against a steeper rock face.

At the same time, the Konoha Fire Release ninjas behind them chanted in unison, their chests bulging: "Fire Release: Great Fireball Barrage!" A barrage of massive, scorching fireballs roared past the shrinking Earth Release defenses, crashing down on the charging Cloud Village troops like an angry meteor shower. The fireballs struck the Lightning Release armor, exploding into a shower of flames. Meanwhile, the Konoha melee armored troops engaged in combat suddenly had a flash of azure light on their armor. The fireballs that had landed at their feet were quickly converted back into chakra by this special armor and absorbed into its storage.

"Die!" Inuzuka Kaze, transformed into a two-headed wolf, bit down on a Cloud Village ninja who had come to ambush him. Then, with a whirlwind of Haki-Wan, the captured Cloud Village ninja's body was reduced to minced meat in no time, and his chakra armor, forged from diamond, was also reduced to scrap metal by Inuzuka's sharp teeth.

(End of this chapter)