Konoha Notes

Chapter 235 It’s You

The chaotic air currents finally subsided completely, and the turbulent currents that had once torn the sky apart disappeared without a trace, leaving only a few breezes passing over the mountains.

The Konoha ninjas straightened their steps forward, then quickly and orderly dispersed in small teams to begin clearing the battlefield.

Even the most ordinary aerial ninja are still trained ninjas. Falling from a height of fifty meters is usually fatal, but some manage to survive by luck or special force-dissipating techniques.

Shuji deactivated Sage Mode, and the mask faded. He fell from the high rock ledge, his feet landing on the ground covered with rubble and twisted metal.

"Lord Shuji," a ninja in charge of statistics appeared instantly, bowing his head to report, "Initial count shows that a total of 129 Sky Ninjas were shot down. Of these, 93 have been confirmed dead, 21 are seriously injured and incapacitated, and the rest who are lightly injured or unconscious have all been captured and are being held in custody."

"Transfer all prisoners, along with the remains of their equipment, to Mr. Shikaku for disposal." Shuji glanced around at the corpses being collected and the prisoners groaning in their death throes. "After cleaning up the battlefield, all units will regroup and stand by, awaiting further instructions."

"Yes!"

The objectives of the first round of operations have been achieved. It is unknown how many air ninjas remain, but at least in the short term, it will be difficult for them to organize a large-scale air raid.

Nara Shikaku witnessed the entire battle from the rear command post.

He quickly arranged the deployment of the main defense zone along the border. After the prisoners and some equipment wreckage with research value were delivered, he personally led the follow-up support and supply troops to find Xiu Si, who was taking a short rest under a leeward rock.

"To wipe out the attacking Sky Ninja in one strike, that's an amazing technique." Shikaku walked to Shuji's side and looked up with him at the sky that had just experienced an invisible storm. His tone was filled with emotion. "At my age, I thought it would be hard to be surprised by any ninjutsu anymore."

Shuji replied, "It just so happens to be the right medicine for the problem. The ability to create such a battle opportunity is due to your proper planning and coordination, Mr. Shikaku."

“There’s no need to be modest at a time like this. If we were two more years later, we could have a drink together to celebrate your technique.” Shikaku patted Shuji on the shoulder. “The threat from the Sky Ninja is temporarily gone, so we can’t give Sunagakure too much time to react.”

"You need to immediately lead the vanguard to march rapidly to Pre-established Point 3, where you can set up an advance base and initial defensive fortifications."

"I will coordinate the troops and supplies in the rear from here." Lu Jiu pointed to the valley area marked on the map. "The terrain there is relatively advantageous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the water source is also nearby. We must complete the deployment as soon as possible."
-
Rasa knew perfectly well what the weaknesses of the air ninja were. Sunagakure itself was not afraid of this kind of enemy who relied on external objects to fly, because they had the largest and most elite Wind Release ninja force among the five great ninja villages.

The combined Wind Release: Wind Dance technique, unleashed by multiple Wind Release ninjas, was enough to make the Sky Ninjas lose their balance and become disoriented in mid-air. Not to mention, the raging tornadoes created by the elite ninjas wielding the three-star fan were an insurmountable barrier for the Sky Ninjas.

However, he never imagined that Konoha also had such powerful Wind Release ninjas, whose scale even exceeded the upper limit that Sunagakure's conventional Wind Release tactics could achieve.

Through the vision captured before the Eye of Sand collapsed, and the figure leading the vanguard of Konoha as they moved swiftly through the forest, Rasa locked onto his target and began to speculate about the caster.

"Shushi."

He murmured the name. He had originally thought that after Nara Shikaku appeared, this young man would temporarily step down due to his seniority.

After all, outstanding performance in diplomatic settings is not entirely equivalent to having personal strength that can influence the course of a war.

It now appears he misjudged the situation. This young man is far more dangerous than the intelligence indicated.

"Order the First Puppet Squad and the Wind Release Assault Team to follow me into battle." Rasa ripped off his white Kazekage robe, a symbol of his identity, revealing a brown, tight-fitting ninja suit underneath for ease of movement.
-
Preset point number three, valley entrance.

As soon as Konoha's vanguard arrived and scouts were dispatched, a muffled rumble echoed from the ground. On the distant horizon, a golden wave surged in—not sunlight, but a sea of ​​death formed from countless gold dust, overwhelming everything in its path, swallowing up all vegetation and rocks, and sweeping towards the Konoha troops who had just begun to deploy and whose formation was not yet stable.

Xiu Si flashed and landed at the very front of the group, facing the roaring golden tide alone.

Slap your hands on the ground.

"Earth Escape: Earth Current City Wall!"

A deafening roar erupted from the ground directly in front of the vanguard as a massive, thick, and over twenty-meter-high earthen-brown wall rose from the ground, its unshakeable size forcefully blocking the golden sea of ​​sand.

boom! ! !
boom!
The massive wave of gold dust crashed violently against the suddenly rising earthen walls of the city, producing a dull, thunderous impact. Large amounts of gold dust splattered upwards at the point of impact, then cascaded down the walls like waterfalls.

However, Rasa's attacks did not stop.

One part of the golden sand sea rapidly climbed up the steep city wall, condensing into sharp gold sand spears, attempting to attack Shuji standing atop the wall; the other part, like a forked river, meandered to the left and right sides of the earthen city wall, trying to bypass this suddenly appearing obstacle and engulf the Konoha ninja behind it.

"Left and right flanks! Earthflow wall formation!" The vanguard commander reacted swiftly, shouting the order.

The Konoha ninjas on both sides of the formation simultaneously formed hand seals, and earth walls, though not as grand as city walls, were still continuous enough to break through the ground, forming temporary arc-shaped barriers on the flanks of the formation, barely blocking the diverted gold dust.

The shaman, standing atop the city wall, clasped his hands together.

The earthen city wall beneath his feet instantly cracked open with countless fissures, and a dozen thick tree roots burst forth, sweeping and piercing the gold-flecked spear, shattering and deflecting it into falling gold dust.

Riding on the waves of gold dust, Rasa, suspended in mid-air, could clearly see through the flying gold dust and smoke that the dark brown creation that broke through the earth wall and did not belong to any category of earth-escape techniques.

His eyes widened suddenly, his pupils contracted sharply, and for the first time, a crack appeared on his usually composed face.

"Wood Release...!"

For the past few years, there have been vague rumors in the ninja world about the reappearance of a Wood Release user in Konoha...

"It's you, Shuuji!"

His response was an even more powerful Wood Release ninjutsu.

"Wooden Release: The birth of the tree world!"

Rumble——!
Starting from the city wall where Xiu Si was located, the ground in the entire area in front of him suddenly cracked and bulged! Giant trees broke through the soil at a speed visible to the naked eye, their roots tearing through the rock layers, their trunks growing wildly, and their branches spreading outwards rapidly like the arms of giants!
The once surging golden sea of ​​sand was instantly struck head-on by this suddenly appearing primeval forest! Countless thick trees took root in the sea of ​​sand, entangled and collided with it!
Gold placer attempts to submerge the trees, but the trees stubbornly break free from its grasp and continue to expand their territory.

Gold and brown clashed fiercely at the entrance of this valley, as if two great forces of nature were engaged in a primal struggle.

(End of this chapter)