Naruto's civilian cannon fodder starts with the three-body technique

Chapter 424 Explosion Squad
"Prepare for battle! Fire Release Squad, form ranks!" Hiruzen Sarutobi decisively gave the order.

The Konoha ninjas quickly formed a formation, with five hundred Fire Release ninjas simultaneously performing hand seals in batches, and intense chakra began to condense.

However, as soon as the battle began, Hiruzen Sarutobi sensed something was wrong!

These Iwa ninjas are far more powerful than ordinary Iwagakure troops. They are swift, well-coordinated, and incredibly strong. It seems they don't want to stop them, but rather to wage a war of annihilation.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"

Five enormous fire dragons roared out from the Konoha camp and charged toward the Iwa ninja, causing considerable chaos and casualties. However, the Iwa ninja quickly regained their footing and were not defeated as expected.

Then, a scene that sent chills down Hiruzen Sarutobi's spine appeared.

A large number of Iwa ninjas took out a strange clay and quickly shaped it into various small animal forms such as birds, spiders, and centipedes, then infused it with chakra.

With each low shout, the clay creatures seemed to come alive, some flapping their wings and taking flight, others running swiftly along the ground, surging towards the Leaf Village's position like a tide.

"What kind of ninjutsu is this?!" a Konoha ninja exclaimed in shock.

"careful!"

Boom! Boom! Boom—!!!
The deafening explosions rang out in quick succession, and the clay creatures exploded violently as soon as they came into contact with Konoha ninjas or reached their designated locations.

Its power far exceeded that of the explosive tags, and its sheer number covered almost the entire battlefield.

The elite ANBU were the first to be hit, suffering heavy casualties in the continuous explosions. The combined formation of the 500 Fire Release squadrons was also completely disrupted by the indiscriminate bombardment, and the ninjas were forced to scatter and fall into a chaotic situation of fighting on their own.

"Explosion Release Squad?! Wasn't your Explosion Release Squad wiped out?!" Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted angrily at the sky while swinging his extended golden cudgel to detonate the incoming clay birds. "Onoki! You actually had such a squad hidden away! How insidious!"

Onoki hovered in mid-air, releasing ninjutsu to restrain Hiruzen Sarutobi. His face was expressionless, and he did not explain that this was not a hidden Explosion Release unit, but a "Forbidden Technique Explosion Unit" that had been reorganized and trained after the opening of Iwagakure's forbidden techniques.

Although their combat experience and teamwork are still somewhat immature, this bizarre clay bomb, with its power and attack method, can play a decisive role on the battlefield.

"Attack with all your might! Annihilate them!" Onoki coldly ordered.

More clay bombs were dropped, and the situation in Konoha took a sharp turn for the worse.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi watched his five hundred Fire Release soldiers, whom he had painstakingly trained for many years, wail and suffer casualties in the explosion, his heart bled.

He knew that the Iwagakure Explosion Release squad was powerful and his defeat was inevitable.

"Retreat! The entire army must disperse and retreat! As many as you can take, do so!" Hiruzen Sarutobi issued this painful and humiliating order.

He now only hopes to preserve some embers for the Fire Release Battalion. The elite Anbu soldiers who died can be recruited again, but the Fire Release Battalion was built with countless efforts by his Sarutobi clan. If the losses are too great, the consequences will be unimaginable. Without this direct force, his position as Hokage will be even more unstable.

"Trying to escape? Too late!" Onoki sneered, his attacks becoming even more ferocious, the Dust Release barrier flickering in his hands.

"For today, I didn't hesitate to let that idiot Danzo Shimura invade my territory, just to capture you, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Then I'll turn around and cut off your supplies, and your main force on the western front of Konoha will be completely wiped out!"

As the 500-strong Fire Release squad was gradually wiped out, the Iwagakure Explosive Ninja, now free to focus their firepower, joined forces with Onoki to besiege Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Lord Hokage, let's go!"

"Let's cut off the queen!"

The remaining elite ANBU soldiers let out a desperate cry. Disregarding their own safety, they charged madly towards the Iwa ninja, even grabbing the enemy and detonating explosive tags, using their lives to carve a bloody path for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Under the desperate cover of Enma, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally broke through the encirclement with his overwhelming strength, covered in wounds and filled with endless regret.

But how could Onoki let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? He personally led a group of elite demolition troops, relentlessly pursuing Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Meanwhile, Shimura Danzo, who was deep in the heart of the Land of Earth and enjoying his looting spree, finally received the devastating news from his rear.

"What?! The reinforcements were ambushed and suffered a crushing defeat?! Monkey is missing?!"

Danzo's face was extremely ugly, his eyes filled with anger and killing intent.

Hatake Sagumo was also incredulous upon hearing the news: "The Hokage actually lost?! Does that mean our supply lines have been completely cut off by the Iwa ninja?!"

"What's the panic!" Danzo shouted sternly. "If our supplies are cut off, we'll fight to sustain the war! The towns of the Land of Earth are our granaries!"

Hatake Sagumo was not surprised by Danzo's ruthlessness, but he was more concerned about practical issues: "Food might be a problem, but what about ninja tools, medicine, and other military supplies? We can't just take them from the people of the Land of Earth, can we?"

Danzo was speechless and had no reply.

Aburame Ryoma, who was standing nearby, immediately offered a suggestion: "Lord Danzo, the weapons and supplies we carry with us can probably last for two more medium-intensity battles. If we use them sparingly, they might last for ten days to half a month."

Danzo's eyes flickered as he quickly calculated, then, as if grasping at a straw, he exclaimed, "Ten days is enough! Umino Sasuke and the Iron Wall Army should have already arrived in Konoha. They received the news and should be able to reach the front lines in five or six days at the earliest! As long as we hold on until the Iron Wall Army arrives, we can launch a pincer attack and perhaps even break the stalemate, or even launch a counter-encirclement!"

He now places all his hopes on Umino Sasuke, whom he both fears and has no choice but to rely on.

Just as Konoha's main force on the western front was in dire straits, Konoha Village was filled with an unprecedented scene of jubilation.

The grand ceremony of presenting prisoners had just ended, and the triumphant Iron Wall Legion was treated like heroes.

The streets were packed with people, and cheers and praises rose and fell, almost turning the entire village upside down.

The villagers' faces beamed with pride and joy as they eagerly watched the legion that had created this miracle. "Look! That's the Konoha demigod!"

Long live the Iron Wall Legion!

"Long live the Ninja World's Number One Army!"

The glorious achievements of successively conquering the Land of Wind, crippling the Hidden Mist Village, and annihilating the main fleet of the Hidden Cloud Village had already spread throughout the entire village, bringing the Iron Wall Legion's reputation to its peak.

More importantly, the ninjas of this legion received unimaginable rich rewards during the expedition, completing a large number of high-level missions. Coupled with the generous distribution of spoils, everyone in the legion became incredibly wealthy.

Now that I'm back in my long-lost hometown, with a bulging purse in my pocket, I naturally want to treat myself well and share the joy of victory with my family and friends.

In a short time, Konoha's business experienced an explosive boom.

A long line formed outside the barbecue restaurant run by the Akimichi clan, and the restaurant was packed with people, filled with the aroma of barbecue. The noise was deafening. The grand hotel owned by the Umino clan was completely booked, and even seats in the main hall were hard to come by.

Even such high-end establishments were packed with people, and the pubs, snack shops, ninja tool shops, and even brothels around the street were doing exceptionally well.

Roughly estimated, even if each Iron Wall Ninja only spends 10,000 taels, the direct consumption amount will be in the tens of millions of taels. In addition, when they invite friends and companions, the indirect consumption will be even more astonishing.

At this moment, Konoha was more lively than any festival, and the air was filled with the scent of money and victory.

As the commander of the legion, Umino Sasuke was naturally the center of attention. He patiently spent nearly an hour enjoying himself with the people, but he could no longer bear the overwhelming praise and enthusiasm that almost drowned him. He found an opportunity to quietly slip away and return to the relatively quiet Umino clan territory.

A sumptuous family feast had already been prepared in the clan's territory. Only after enjoying the long-awaited home-cooked dishes did Umino Sasuke's tense nerves relax a little.

"Everything is fine at home." Haiye Dalang's face was full of relief and pride. "Thanks to Erlang, in the past six months, the income of various industries under the family name has exceeded 80 million taels, setting a new record."

Sasuke Umino nodded, not surprised by the number. Given the Umino clan's prestige and influence, it was only natural that their commercial profits would rise accordingly.

However, he was more concerned about the foundation of the clan: "Money is important, of course, but we are, after all, a ninja clan. We should prioritize training ninjas. How is the training of the clan's reserve forces progressing?"

Umino Taro put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "Progress is very fast. According to the current trend, the clan is expected to add a hundred ninjas this year."

“A hundred?” Sasuke Unno was somewhat surprised, his brows furrowing slightly. “How come there are so many? Could they all have been spawned using the ‘Life Star No. 2’ secret medicine? We’ve already passed the initial startup phase where we desperately needed manpower. Now we should focus more on cultivating elites and solidifying our foundation.”

"Indeed, most of them are accelerated by secret medicines and can become Chunin in a short time. Their potential is basically exhausted and it is difficult for them to improve much in the future. However, we have also preserved some good talents and have not let them take secret medicines to overdraw their potential."

"Oh? What are some promising talents?" Sasuke Umino became interested.

"Last year, when I returned to my hometown of Akikihara, I conducted a final large-scale gene sequencing. We did find quite a few talented clansmen, and some of them, if properly trained, should have the potential to reach the level of Special Jonin."

"Just a Special Jonin?" Sasuke Umino subconsciously revealed a hint of disappointment, but then he understood. Special Jonin level talent is already considered quite good among ninjas, and Jonin talent can be considered a genius among ninja clans.

Thinking of his Jonin talent, he asked, "How's Xiao Tie? How did he do?"

Mentioning Umino Tetsuya, Umino Taro smiled and said, "Chief Sagumo once praised Tetsuya himself, saying that he has the potential to be a Jonin and has an excellent talent for swordsmanship."

Sasuke Umino nodded, agreeing with the assessment; the White Fang of Konoha's judgment was indeed quite reliable.

After the meal, Umino Sasuke strolled to the clan's training ground. From afar, he could hear rapid breathing and sharp whooshing sounds coming from inside.

Umino Tetsuya was holding a short sword, charging up his strength to chop at a hard iron rock. He used all his strength in every strike, his whole body was soaked in sweat, his face was pale, but his eyes had an almost obsessive madness.

Finally, after another all-out slash, his body swayed and he fell straight forward, having fainted from exhaustion.

Sasuke Umino frowned, instantly appearing beside Tetsu Umino. He crouched down, his palms glowing with a soft blue chakra light, and cast the "Water Ring Healing Technique." Gentle water-style chakra slowly flowed into Tetsu Umino's body, repairing his damaged muscles and meridians.

"Hmm..." Umino Tetsu slowly woke up, his blurry vision gradually clearing. When he saw Umino Sasuke in front of him, he exclaimed in surprise, "Cousin?! When did you get back?"

Sasuke Unno was speechless. He had led the Iron Wall Legion to victory, a feat that had almost caused a sensation throughout Konoha. Yet this kid was oblivious to everything else and had only focused on his training to this extent.

"Kimoto," Sasuke Unno asked in a deep voice, his tone filled with concern and a hint of sternness, "is someone bullying you in the village? Why are you training so hard, neglecting your health?"

Upon hearing this, Kaino Tetsu quickly waved his hand and explained, "Cousin, you've misunderstood! Kakashi didn't bully me!"

"Kakashi?" Sasuke Umino was taken aback, a question forming in his mind. In his memory, Kakashi was a bit aloof, but he wasn't a bad person. He shouldn't be the type to bully his friends, right? Could it be that his appearance had caused a butterfly effect, turning Kakashi's personality astray?
It was only through Umino Tetsu's subsequent explanation that Umino Sasuke understood the truth.

It turns out that Kakashi wasn't bullying anyone, but rather that Umino Tetsu was shocked by Kakashi's amazing talent.

When they first met, Umino Tetsuya was able to hold his own against Kakashi thanks to his hard-earned swordsmanship. However, once Kakashi began his systematic training, his genius was on full display, and he progressed at an astonishing pace, quickly leaving Umino Tetsuya far behind.

Following Kakashi's departure for the front lines, Umino Tetsuya met Might Guy, who was known for his hard work. Seeing Kakashi's exceptional talent and Guy's inhuman effort, Umino Tetsuya, who had lost his mentor, became anxious and put all the pressure on himself, training almost to the point of self-torture, with a level of effort nearly no less than Might Guy's.

Unfortunately, Umino Tetsuya didn't have the freakish physical talent and regenerative ability of Might Guy. If it weren't for the Umino clan providing many secret medicines to nourish the body, his crazy training would have ruined his body long ago.

An ordinary person's body simply cannot withstand this level of intense training.

"Cousin, am I really useless? A piece of trash?" Umino Tetsu lowered his head, his voice choked with emotion and filled with self-loathing. "I'm not even as good as Kakashi, let alone Guy..."

Seeing his cousin's state, Sasuke Umino understood that he had been hit hard by both a true genius and a hard-working genius.

He reached out and gently patted Umino Tetsu's shoulder, his tone firm and powerful: "Tetsu, lift your head. You're not a waste. You're a genius, a genius who is no less than Kakashi and Guy."

(End of this chapter)