Naruto: Uchiha Youngjo's Konoha Spring

Please retell Chapter 287.

The Sulfur Canyon of the Land of Hot Springs, a region renowned throughout the ninja world for its steaming hot springs, has now become a battlefield of carnage. The hot spring canyon that once healed travelers has been transformed into a furnace of flesh and blood. The unique sulfurous smell of the hot springs that usually permeates this area, combined with the pungent scorching and intense stench of blood, creates a stench that can make anyone vomit at the slightest touch.

One by one, the ninjas from both sides fell amidst blood and fire. The battle lasted from dawn until noon, until Konoha's reinforcements arrived. Darui, who had failed to achieve his strategic objective, could only grit his teeth and lead the remaining troops in a retreat.

The arriving reinforcements were about to give chase when the chakra armor on the already dead Cloud Village ninja in the canyon exploded violently, blocking the Leaf Village's pursuing forces.

After the smoke and dust from the explosion dissipated, the troops that Cloud Village had participated in had disappeared from everyone's sight.

After the enemy withdrew, Inuzuka Kaze, who had been fighting on the front lines, breathed a sigh of relief. He deactivated his secret transformation technique, and after the man and dog separated, his face was full of exhaustion. Ignoring the bloodstains all over his body, he sat down on the ground. Kuromaru, who was next to him, also removed his armor and was panting heavily.

Aburame Shihai came to his side, helped him up, and looked at the corpses lying haphazardly around him. Inuzuka Kaze sighed heavily, stood up with some difficulty, and then gave the order, "Everyone, assemble the team, count the number of people, and rescue the wounded."

After his subordinate ninjas had finished their work, Inuzuka Kaze, supported by Aburame Shihai, arrived at a slightly cleaner place and said, "I didn't expect that Kumogakure also had a similar chakra armor technology. I originally thought that with our ambush, we should be able to take them down with minimal losses, but the result was like this."

"Reporting to Major Inuzuka, in this operation, 91 were killed, 33 were seriously wounded, and 177 were slightly wounded." A lieutenant reported after the battlefield was cleaned up.

Upon hearing this, Inuzuka Kaze's expression darkened. Although he had achieved his strategic objective and defended the flank of the army, the casualties were a disgrace. This was the first clash of a hundred men between the two sides in this war, and the entire eastern front was watching this battle closely. He and Momo had greatly increased their strength by relying on the new equipment from the village's scientific ninja tool research institute, reaching the level of elite Jonin. They had thought they could show their prowess in this battle, but they had not expected to encounter such a tough opponent.

"Don't blame yourself. The chakra armor from Kumogakure was unexpected." At this moment, Shii Aburame, who had participated in Konoha's first Running Man event with Inuzuka Kaze, came to Inuzuka Kaze's side, handed him a water bottle, and said, "The most urgent thing now is to bring the information back. It's a pity that their chakra armor also has a self-destruct function, otherwise we could have brought a set back to the Ninja Tool Research Institute to study it."

"Send the wounded to the field hospital as quickly as possible. The rest of you, come with me to collect the remains of the fallen soldiers, compile a list, and then send their remains back to Konoha for burial," Inuzuka Kaze ordered.

"Yes!"

……

Soon, the General Staff received news that the Cloud Village's equipment possessed chakra armor that was no less powerful than that of the Leaf Village.

"Including the chakra cannons they exposed when they attacked our military base in the Land of Water, where did they get these things from? You know, according to Director Fang, there are only a handful of scientists in the entire ninja world capable of researching this kind of thing." Nara Shikaku frowned deeply after learning the news.

"Now is not the time to pursue this. Now that we know the other side has such methods, our battle plan needs to be adjusted." Kakashi said, walking to the map and staring at the map and sand table, lost in thought.

"Colonel Inoichi." After a long while, Kakashi suddenly raised his head and looked at Yamanaka Inoichi, who was coordinating supplies.

As soon as Yamanaka Ino heard Kakashi calling him, he immediately put down what he was doing, jogged over to Kakashi, and gave him a military salute.

“I’ve made the following arrangements; please take note,” Kakashi said.

Yamanaka Inoichi took out a notebook from his ninja tool bag, preparing to take notes. Kakashi, seeing that he was ready, looked at the map and slowly spoke.

"The First, Fourth, and Seventh Regiments, composed of members of the Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame clans, which were responsible for forward reconnaissance and delaying the defense line, were fully integrated and retreated to defend the entire line, relying on the Sulfur Valley, Drumstick Mountain, and Onsen Forest to build a defense line."

"Hyuga Squad, use the Byakugan to penetrate the forest and fog, monitor the large-scale troop gatherings of Kumogakure, chakra flow, especially high-energy reactions, be vigilant about the movements of Jinchuriki and small infiltration units, and establish an early warning network."

"The Oil Women Squad will release special parasitic insect swarms along key routes, at water sources, and in forests to construct an invisible biosensor network to detect stealth units and sense chakra anomalies. They will also set up highly toxic or paralyzing insect traps along pre-planned retreat routes and at strategic passes."

"The Inuzuka Squad is responsible for patrolling the pre-established warning line, using the ninja dogs' sense of smell to track down infiltrated elite Cloud Village squads, conduct small-scale skirmishes and drive them away, and provide additional early warning in foggy weather or at night."

"The ninjas in the Seventh Division who are proficient in Earth Release, Water Release, and explosive tags, with the assistance of the three clans, have pre-planned battlefield construction and a system for delaying operations. They have deployed a large number of complex traps, chain explosive tag arrays, disguised earth flow walls, swamp and poison fog devices, and binding water release mechanisms in the possible main attack directions of Kumogakure, forest passages, and canyon entrances."

"The objective is not to annihilate them, but to delay, disperse, and deplete the vanguard of the Cloud Village to the greatest extent possible, disrupt their offensive rhythm, and lure them into the pre-designated 'pocket' area. In addition, I will allocate four more squadrons of sensory ninjas to the detachments to guide the triggering of the traps."

"When the time for a counterattack arrives, the Second and Fifth Regiments, responsible for the frontal assault, will be composed of ninjas skilled in defensive ninjutsu, group ninjutsu, and mid-to-long-range attacks. They will be responsible for guarding key points, conducting frontal defense, and establishing a solid defensive line based on strongholds such as narrow canyon exits, high ground, and fortified hot spring fortresses."

"The 6th and 12th Regiments, skilled in Wind Release, and the 9th and 15th Regiments, specializing in Taijutsu and formed to counter the Cloud Village's army of ninja and taijutsu, attacked the Cloud Village's position from two directions. The 8th Regiment, which is composed of the Sarutobi clan and is skilled in combination ninjutsu, split into two groups to provide them with long-range fire support."

"In addition, keep the sealing team on standby at all times, and the Flying Thunder God Squad will provide support once the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki appears."

"Finally, I will personally lead the 10th, 13th, and 14th Regiments to launch a frontal attack on the Cloud Hidden's positions."

Kakashi made a series of plans, and Nara Shikaku's pen never stopped, recording them at lightning speed.

Seeing that Yamanaka Inoichi had stopped writing, Kakashi looked at him and said seriously, "Recite it for me."

After Yamanaka Inoichi recounted Kakashi's plan word for word, Kakashi nodded.

"Commander Kakashi, when should we launch the attack?" At this moment, Inuzuka Jacques asked.

"Once Sasuke, who has already infiltrated the heart of the Land of Lightning, sends back good news, we will launch an attack immediately," Kakashi said.

The Land of Thunder, the Cloud-Gathering Mountains.

Sasuke, leading 12 elite Jonin, moved nimbly through the dense forest under the moonlight. "Captain Sasuke, we have reached the designated location," said Sasuke's second-in-command, an elite Jonin from the Hyuga branch family who had just been freed from the Caged Bird Seal, after using his Byakugan to survey the surrounding terrain.

"Have we finally arrived? Rest here and prepare traps." Sasuke calmly gave the orders. "Kazuki, you and Yoshiki take turns using your Byakugan to scout. Report back to me immediately if you spot any enemy traces."

“Yes!” Hinata Kazuki nodded.

“Uncle Seiichi, try to use fewer explosive tags in your traps and use more trigger traps that seal wind-style ninjutsu,” Sasuke said, looking at Seiichi Nagai.

"Don't worry, Captain Sasuke." The veteran Jonin, Seiichi Nagai, smiled and gave Sasuke a thumbs up.

For Sasuke's special raiding unit, Tokō Uchiha specifically arranged for the veteran Jonin Seiichi Nagai to join. After pondering Tokō Uchiha's intentions for a moment, Seiichi Nagai understood that the Hokage wanted him to protect Sasuke Uchiha, the Hokage's personal disciple and the young head of the Uchiha clan.

Therefore, when he set off, Seiichi Nagai was already prepared to protect Sasuke with his life in case of an emergency, in order to repay the kindness of Toko Uchiha.

"As for the others, set up traps with explosive tags on the perimeter. I might not be able to wipe out the enemy's logistics force immediately, so I'll need everyone's help to finish them off. It's best not to let a single one escape," Sasuke said.

"Uh, Captain Sasuke, we've all gone to scout and set up traps, so what about the front line?" At this moment, Seiichi Nagai also noticed a small problem in Sasuke's arrangements and hurriedly asked.

"Leave the direct confrontation to me," Sasuke said with a light laugh. "If you guys get too close to me, I won't be able to use my full strength."

“Uh, Captain Sasuke, maybe we should play it safe? This is your first time on the battlefield, and I understand your desire to make a name for yourself. However, the enemy's logistics units are definitely heavily guarded. We only have so many people. Wouldn't it be a bit too risky to just go and fight them head-on?” Nagai Seiichi then organized his thoughts, trying to calm Sasuke down a bit.

"Uncle Seiichi, just trust me." Sasuke smiled and said without waiting for a reply.

"Alright..." Seeing this, Seiichi Nagai could only nod, and the others naturally had no objections.

Soon, everyone set up the ambush according to Sasuke's orders.

Three hours later, heavy supply wagons covered with waterproof tarpaulins were pushed by the burly Cloud Village ninjas. The wheels rolled over gravel and shallow water, making a monotonous and dull rolling sound.

The ninjas, clad in dark armor, had expressions as hard as rocks, their sharp eyes scanning the surrounding dense forest, their hands gripping ninja swords crackling with lightning.

A tense and oppressive atmosphere permeated the group, and every slight movement made their muscles tense up.

At the head of the group, Ma Buyi walked steadily. Her Cloud-Hidden Headband reflected a cold, hard luster in the dim light. Her long, dark hair was tied into a neat ponytail, swaying gently behind her shoulders with each step. She seemed to be calmly looking ahead, but deep in her sharp eyes was a hawk-like vigilance, not missing the slightest fluctuation of chakra. The large, old scroll on her back, wrapped in specially made dark brown leather, weighed heavily on her shoulders.

Just then, an extreme, chilling silence descended without warning.

The sounds of wheels rolling over gravel, the screech of samurai armor, and even the suppressed breathing of people were instantly abruptly silenced. The entire canyon fell into a stagnant, lifeless stillness.

A cold, destructive wave of chakra pressed down from above without any concealment, as heavy as a solid lead block, slamming into the hearts of every Cloud Village ninja.

"Enemy attack! Above!" A sensory ninja roared hoarsely, his voice distorted with extreme horror.

All eyes instinctively looked upwards, gazing at the top of the giant tree above.

A blinding flash of purple lightning suddenly appeared, followed by a bolt of purple lightning that roared down from the cliff top like a giant python! It carried a terrifyingly high temperature capable of destroying everything, and let out a muffled roar, its target being the heaviest supply wagons in the center of the convoy!

"Lightning Release: Azure Dragon!"

The pupils of the woman in hemp clothing suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints. Almost instinctively, her hands began to form hand seals, moving so fast that they left afterimages. In an instant, she completed several complex and precise hand seals. The huge scroll behind her seemed to come alive, automatically unfurling in front of her with a "whoosh." On the ancient, yellowed paper, dense black sealing runes resembled countless wriggling ants, instantly illuminated by the injected chakra.

"Sealing Technique: Absorption Seal!"

The purple lightning dragon, capable of devouring everything, swooped down with earth-shattering force, but just before it was about to engulf its target, it was suddenly stopped as if bitten by an invisible giant jaw! All the lightning and raging chakra were forcibly pulled by a powerful suction force, surging wildly towards the center of the unfolded scroll.

The runes on the scroll shone brightly, like a greedy black hole, swallowing the massive lightning ninjutsu whole. The surface of the scroll bulged slightly before returning to calm, as if the destructive lightning dragon from before was just an illusion.

"Hmm?" Sasuke, who had just descended from the sky, frowned. This move by the opponent was indeed beyond his expectations. Logically speaking, the Hidden Cloud Village should not have such a sealing method.

As Sasuke landed, the hem of his clothes fluttered slightly in the lingering heat.

A pair of Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan slowly rotated in his eyes, coldly looking down at the team in front of him as if scrutinizing a group of ants.

"Who goes there?" Ma Buyi asked in a cold voice.

"Konoha genin, Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke said calmly.

That's right, he was a genin. Because he blew up the Valley of the End again, in order to teach him a lesson and prevent him from destroying the village's property again, Uchiha Touko directly removed Sasuke from the jonin rank that he had already obtained.

(End of this chapter)