Konoha Notes

Chapter 238 Retreat

After unleashing the massive water blast, Shuji temporarily deactivated his Sage Mode. At the same time, he created a wooden clone, which he then patted, and the wooden clone remained beside Nara Shikaku.

“Although it’s not as bad as a natural disaster like yours…” Shikaku said, “I haven’t reached the point where I need special protection, Shuji.”

“I’m not here to protect you, Mr. Shikaku.” Shuji’s gaze remained fixed ahead. “I’m just keeping a backup plan.”

Just then, the area of ​​placer gold that had been soaked by the water began to move.

The placer gold, saturated with water, churned violently, as if vomiting, separating the mud and water mixed within.

A purer, more radiant dark gold sand was extracted from it and floated around Luo Sha.

He was slightly out of breath as he refined the gold dust, removing the impurities that had adhered to it by water. It took him a lot of chakra, but it was still better than forcibly controlling the gold dust that had become several times heavier due to absorbing water.

The Fourth Kazekage stood ready. As Shuji's black-haired figure charged forward, the plants beneath the earth awoke, and sturdy trees burst forth from the muddy ground, transforming into spears that pierced towards Rasa.

Having anticipated this, Feng Ying used the sand-gold beneath his feet to retreat swiftly, narrowly avoiding the underground attack.

He made a grasping motion with one hand, and the suspended purified gold dust instantly coalesced, crushing the incoming wooden spear to dust like a millstone.

"Disperse!"

Luo Sha murmured.

At the same time, another portion of the gold dust exploded outwards, turning into a dense barrage of golden shrapnel that rained down on Xiu Si!
Xiu Si's momentum did not diminish, and a thick tree root suddenly rose from the ground beneath his feet, like a shield blocking his way.

"Puff puff--!"

The refined gold dust was much more powerful, instantly piercing through the wooden shield and leaving countless holes. However, after penetrating the shield, the gold dust's speed and power were greatly reduced, rendering it powerless to threaten Xiu Si behind it.

"Tsk."

Luo Sha frowned as a small team of four puppets silently slid up behind him.

Shuji pushed off with his feet, his figure lunging forward again, closing the distance. He clenched his right fist, chakra instantly gathering, and punched at the massive wave of gold dust that was shooting towards him once more.

With the force of the punch, the heavy gold dust was scattered and flew everywhere, creating a gap in the hole.

Xiu Si's figure leaped out from the gap, his gaze piercing through the flying gold dust and straight at Luo Sha.

"Lord Kazekage," his voice cut through the sounds of battle, "does your confidence stem from the Sky Ninja?"

"Or rather, what exactly are you waiting for?"

Luo Sha remained silent, merely manipulating the gold dust to re-condense it into several enormous golden hands, which slammed towards Xiu Si from different directions. At the same time, the puppet squad beneath his feet slid backward with him, maintaining a constant distance.

Another elite squad, armed with three-star fans, also assembled on the flank, ready to be deployed.

Shuji weaved through the gaps between the golden giant palm strikes, sometimes using Wood Release: Root Technique to block, sometimes using his monstrous strength to meet the blows head-on. His attack rhythm was extremely fast, forcing Rasa to concentrate fully on defense and counterattack.

The Fourth Kazekage knew that Konoha's forces deployed here were inferior to Sunagakure's. As long as he could hold this strongest point firmly, Konoha would find it difficult to break through the defenses due to their fortifications and numerical superiority.

At this moment, the earth beneath Luo Sha's feet trembled violently, and several wooden roots broke through the soil.

"Wind Release: Kamaita no Jutsu!"

The Wind Release squad, waiting on the flanks, immediately attacked, their sharp wind blades crisscrossing and slicing through the emerging tree roots, instantly shattering them. However, the tremors of the earth did not cease; instead, even more tree roots emerged from all directions, coiling towards the Wind Release squad's location.

Rasa had to distract himself, manipulating the gold dust to create a flowing barrier, covering the Wind Release team's retreat and evasion. Almost simultaneously, a puppet beside him tugged at his sleeve, narrowly avoiding a sharp wooden spike that suddenly shot out from under his feet. Shuji watched the smooth cover and coordination between the Sand Village troops, his brow twitching slightly.

Have they already figured out a set of tactics...?

The problem is that they don't yet have a system that can cooperate with them.

It can only be said that Konoha's first Wood Release user was too strong, and did not need anyone's cooperation at all.

The battle continued amidst the clash of mud and gold.

Relying on its pre-built fortifications and numerical superiority, Sunagakure's defenses, like a resilient reef, withstood Konoha's fierce offensive.

As the sun began to set, painting the sky and the ravaged earth a weary orange-red, the Konoha ninjas finally retreated in an orderly fashion, like the receding tide, leaving behind only crisscrossing ravines, shattered puppet remains, and solidified dark red.

Luo Sha returned to the main camp.

He slowly sat down, feeling the soreness and exhaustion that his body was giving him, a pain that seemed to seep into his very bones.

This level of consumption...

Even when he was in the northern border of the Land of Wind, confronting and dealing with those equally troublesome Iwagakure ninjas for a long time, he had never felt so physically and mentally exhausted.

Although the loss of the Wind Country's home ground and the sandy terrain were factors, the fact that he was so passively beaten by an opponent whose total strength was far less than his own and whose age was much younger than his own was far beyond his worst expectations before he decided to send troops to the River Country.

The Fourth Kazekage looked at the map spread out in front of him, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the winding line that represented the current battle line.

This line... I'm afraid we'll have to give up.

"Give the order." He summoned the ninja, his voice hoarse with exhaustion. "Rear troops, accelerate the construction of the second line of defense. Deploy in echelons and prepare to support the retreat of the forward troops."

"Yes!"

After the ninja left, Rasa stood alone facing the map, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

The current losses are still within an acceptable range. The most urgent task is to ensure that the grain already purchased and stockpiled from various parts of the land of rivers can be successfully transported back to the village.

There's no need to stay in the land of rivers any longer.

At worst, we can withdraw, bear the subsequent condemnation and economic sanctions from Konoha, and give back all the mission shares we had previously obtained.

Anyway, the most crucial food supplies have been secured. With these provisions as a foundation, and if I put in a little more effort and make some private exchanges with Iwagakure, I should be able to find a way to overcome this crisis.

The remaining power and technical data of the Kongren have been absorbed, but they need time to digest them.

After a while, the technology for the Dragon Vein Puppet will be finalized.

Sunagakure still has a chance to make a comeback.

Once he had settled his mind, his will to fight a few more battles weakened considerably. He summoned the messenger ninja again and issued an order to expedite the transfer of supplies, especially food.

However, deep in his heart, a seed of doubt had already been planted and was quietly growing.

Is time... really still on their side?
The power of Konoha, in these seemingly peaceful years, seems to have grown stronger than he expected.

　I'm putting pressure on myself; there should be a third chapter, but it'll be tonight. I got up at 5 a.m. this morning to write it. The third chapter will be tonight.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)