Konoha Notes

Chapter 86 Stop
The appearance of Wood Release completely disrupted the rhythm of Iwagakure.

The loess soil stood between the Han and the Xiusi, and the decision had already been made in their hearts.

Must retreat.

Not only did Roshi and Han lack experience in dealing with Wood Release, but Iwagakure's tactical plans also lacked an effective countermeasure.

If they continue fighting, both Jinchūriki may perish here.

The Iwagakure commander covered the hard rock with both fists and launched a fierce attack on Shuji, trying to buy space for the Five-Tails Jinchuriki to break free from contact.

On the other side, when Lao Zi saw that Han was freed, the tailed beast chakra around his body boiled even more, and his four huge tails danced wildly.

He opened his mouth, and Yin-Yang chakra gathered, compressed, and spun at an astonishing speed, quickly forming a black energy sphere exuding an ominous aura.

"Oh no!" Jiraiya's expression changed.

Gamabunta spewed out another Teppou-gyoku (a type of explosive weapon) in an attempt to interrupt.

But Old Purple, who had further transformed into a tailed beast, moved with astonishing speed, dodging to the side.

Just as the Tailed Beast Ball was about to reach its critical point, several vines suddenly shot out from under Old Purple's feet, wrapping around his limbs and torso.

The Tailed Beast Ball momentarily became unstable as it condensed. Rōshi suppressed the discomfort and swallowed the energy blast in one gulp.

Shuji suddenly pulled backward with one hand.

The vines wrapped around Rōshi exerted their force, pulling the Four-Tails Jinchūriki's body off balance.

boom--!
A torrent of pitch-black energy shot out from Lao Zi's open mouth, but because of this pull, its trajectory was changed, and it shot straight into the sky.

Even though the main body of the Tailed Beast Cannon shot into the sky, the escaping shock still spread outwards. Jiraiya immediately crossed his arms to protect himself, but was still pushed back several meters by the shockwave.

It's now!

The loess opened its mouth and fired several rock-iron cannons, severing the vines that were controlling Lao Zi's hands and feet.

The four-tailed jinchūriki, now free, seized the opportunity to stomp on the ground, using the force to leap backward and land heavily beside the loess.

Currently, the two Jinchūriki have finally managed to distance themselves from the enemy.

Huang Tu made a hand seal and patted the ground.

"Earth Release·Shantu Technique!"

The earth groaned under the strain, trembling violently.

At the center of the battlefield, two enormous hemispheres, comparable in size to small mountains, rose up from both sides and converged on Shuji and Jiraiya in the middle.

Just as Lao Zi regained his footing, he took a deep breath and unleashed a wide-ranging stream of lava, further compressing the enemy's evasive space.

"Tai Wentai, release the channeling."

The enormous Bunta could hardly dodge such an attack, and Jiraiya did not hesitate to send his comrades away.

"I'll leave the rest to you!"

A huge plume of white smoke exploded, and Gamabunta's figure vanished instantly, returning to Mount Myōboku.

Shuji and Jiraiya simultaneously pulled back to create distance between themselves and the two ninjas.

Taking advantage of the precious time gained, Huang Tu grabbed Han and Lao Zi, who were moving slightly slower due to their brief weakness, and with a burst of speed from his feet, his burly body rapidly retreated towards the rear of the Yan Yin position.

As soon as they returned to a relatively safe area, Huang Tu immediately growled to the messenger ninja beside him: "Send the signal! All troops, take turns providing cover, retreat!"

The unique low-frequency vibrations were transmitted throughout the entire Iwagakure front line via the Earth Release technique.

Upon receiving the retreat signal, the Iwagakure ninjas immediately understood. The front-line troops quickly withdrew, exchanging positions with their comrades in the rear, and the entire line began to retreat in an orderly fashion, like a tide.

As the commander, Huang Tu did not leave first. He stood at the relatively forward position of the battle line, his sharp eyes scanning the battlefield, while his hands formed a hand seal once again.

"Earth Release: Earthquake Core!" "Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"

"Earth Release: Rock Iron Cannon Technique!"

He personally led several elite Iwagakure ninja squads, constantly altering the battlefield terrain, erecting earthen walls and traps to hinder the pursuers, while continuously firing Iwagakure cannons to cover Konoha's pursuit path, buying time for the troops to retreat.

At the rear command center, Nara Shikaku immediately noticed the changes in the enemy forces.

"Iwagakure has begun an orderly retreat." He quickly issued the order, "Pass down the order: each unit, in squads, maintain formation and pursue in an orderly manner."

"Our primary objective is to capture the straggling and routed soldiers and clear the border! We must not allow these Iwagakure ninjas to spread into the Land of Fire and cause destruction and panic!"

"Notify the special tactics squads in the shadows that they must not advance recklessly or go off on their own; they must advance as part of the main force!"

With Nara Shikaku's adjustments, Konoha pursued with extreme caution.

The troops did not charge blindly in celebration of the victory. Instead, they steadily followed behind the retreating Iwagakure troops, constantly applying pressure and seizing opportunities to capture Iwagakure ninjas who had fallen behind due to injury or separated from the group.

This cautious pursuit continued all the way to the Kannabi Bridge.

The main force of Iwagakure was rapidly crossing the safe zone behind the bridge. However, just as Konoha's vanguard reached the bridgehead and prepared to continue their advance—

A small figure floated silently in mid-air on the opposite bank of the bridge, as if he had always been there.

The third Tsuchikage, Onoki.

He did not adopt any offensive posture, but simply watched the Konoha troops on the opposite bank.

Jiraiya raised his hand and decisively ordered, "Halt!"

The surging offensive from Konoha came to an abrupt halt before this short figure.

"Set up camp on the spot and build defensive fortifications!" The order was quickly relayed.

The Konoha ninjas moved swiftly and silently, digging trenches, setting up warning barriers, and establishing sentry posts.

At both ends of the Kannabi Bridge, the forces of Konoha and Iwagakure once again formed a clearly defined standoff, but this time, the initiative seemed to have quietly shifted.

After setting up the frontline sentries, Jiraiya led his ANBU squad back to the command center at the rear.

“Onoki himself has arrived,” Jiraiya said. “The battle lines can only stop here.”

Shikaku nodded: "As the highest leader of the village, he cannot personally risk entering the Land of Fire."

It's too dangerous; the visible benefits of this war aren't yet significant enough to justify it.

"But his very appearance has clearly conveyed Iwagakure's bottom line—at least for now, this is the front line they can accept."

Konoha is currently under pressure on two fronts and simply cannot spare more elite forces to attack the defensive line that a Kage is personally overseeing and determined to hold.

unless……

Shikaku looked at Shuji, who was wearing a mask and was now codenamed Mori.

Unless Sunagakure is willing to truly honor the alliance and launch a proactive attack on Iwagakure from the west.

They couldn't possibly be willing to do that. Shuuji knew his own limitations; his persuasive skills weren't up to the level of Naruto Uzumaki.

Gaara is no longer among the high-ranking officials of Sunagakure.

Theoretically speaking, there is another force on this battlefield. After all, the Land of Grass has a ninja village, namely the Hidden Grass Village.

However, with Onoki present and two Jinchuriki in the Land of Grass, there's no point in expecting them to make any impact.

The prestige Hanzo received was unparalleled in the ninja world.

Now, all Konoha can do is wait, wait for the outcome on the eastern front.

(End of this chapter)