Naruto: From Novice to Grave

As it turns out, Kirigakure wasn't foolish; when faced with the ninja army, no one dared to stay behind as the sixth man.

Those who sensed something was wrong had already fled and disappeared without a trace.

Who would stay and seek death? If the higher-ups want to hold us accountable, we might as well become rogue ninjas. That's the integrity of us Kirigakure ninjas.

After clearing the battlefield, the 7th assault force continued its advance eastward.

They are the spearhead of this counter-offensive. As long as the nearby friendly forces do not send a signal and do not need support, their mission is to advance, advance, and keep advancing.

Currently, it seems that the other teams on both sides are progressing smoothly and have not encountered any strong resistance that requires assistance.

According to intelligence, the Mist Ninja have set up at least four lines of defense along this route.

But Higashino Makoto followed the troops all the way and found that apart from the various traps left behind by the newcomers, there was no one at all in his perception of the two lines of defense behind them; they had all run away.

It's unclear whether the Mist Ninja intends to concentrate their superior forces for a final battle against Konoha, or if they're simply trying to escape.

Playing traps in front of the White Eye is pointless; even the explosive rune arrays hidden in trees and rocks can be seen clearly by the X-ray vision.

After dismantling all the traps along the way, the 7th Assault Force, led by Higashino Makoto, arrived at a large stronghold.

They had encountered a similar outpost before, but like the defensive line, it was unmanned.

But this outpost was different; its location was unique, built on a protruding hillside, with an almost vertical cliff on the other side.

Many enemies were hiding in the forest outside the base. Although they concealed their presence well, they could not escape the detection of Higashino Makoto, Hinata, and the Aburame clan.

The Inuzuka clan was crying in the toilet. Sometimes, for ninjas, smell is the easiest thing to deal with. Even if they can't get rid of it, they can use a more pungent smell to confuse the overly sensitive noses of some animals.

Having a sensitive nose isn't always a good thing; poor Kiba Inuzuka was knocked out of his mind by Naruto's fart.

Relatively speaking, tiny and ubiquitous insects are more difficult to prevent.

The cliff was not an obstacle for ninjas, but attacking it would mean taking a hit from the sky, resulting in too much loss.

The only way is to force our way up the hillside.

If there's a master like Hashirama or Madara in the team, it's simple. Just walk up in a Gundam or wooden dummy. Even the Third Hokage's Five Elements Great Barrage can manage to wipe out the enemy.

Orochimaru could have summoned Manda to swim around in the water.

Unfortunately neither.

Orochimaru is now hopelessly addicted to experiments, and who knows what he's doing at sea these days.

Uchiha Sousuke asked, "How many enemies are in the forest on the hillside?"

Higashino Makoto: "There are fewer than us, about 150 Mist Ninja hidden among them."

In order to push the invading Kirigakure back to their homeland in one fell swoop, Konoha has gathered about a thousand ninjas. Apart from leaving behind the necessary forces to protect the Wave Defense Line and the command camp, this is the largest force that can be gathered.

These people were divided into more than ten units. The Seventh Assault Unit had the largest number of people, about 200 ninjas. After breaking through two lines of defense, they had about 180 people left after deducting the dead and wounded. This loss was quite small.

The village is in a difficult situation. Konoha needs protection, the western front needs to guard against Sunagakure's defection, and the northern front is embroiled in a protracted war with Kumogakure and Iwagakure. There is simply no spare capacity to support the eastern front.

Higashino and his group were the last line of defense. Pushing them any further would only force the lower-grade students of the Ninja Academy to graduate, which would be tantamount to sending them to their deaths.

Some Jonin, including Gekko Unmi, suggested, "Why don't we wait for other teams to arrive? When the disparity in strength between the two sides is too great, we might be able to persuade them to surrender."

Uchiha Sousuke knew this was the best option, but he didn't want to wait.

This is the best opportunity for the Uchiha clan to show their skills, prove their strength, and earn credit for their clan leader.

The seventh assault team he led was assigned a large number of tribesmen, wasn't it for this very moment?

He waved his hand and said, "No need to wait any longer. Our assault team's mission is to clear all obstacles ahead. The Uchiha ninjas will charge ahead and sacrifice themselves. It's time to prove why we are the strongest clan in the ninja world."

What can others say? You're the commander, so you can do whatever you want. They've put their own people at the forefront, what else can we say?

Higashino Makoto shook his head after hearing this. Were the Uchiha clan reliable? Brave? Willing to fight?

That's for sure, no one will doubt it.

But Lord Sousuke, if you do this, even if you win, no one will be grateful to your clan!

Those ninjas who died on the way to the attack, who do you think their families will blame after they find out what happened today?

Why would they know? Yes, brother, they definitely do. The power of public opinion in the village isn't in the hands of the Uchiha.

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A fierce battle broke out again.

Except for a few people who left behind to flank the enemy and prevent them from escaping, everyone charged up the hillside under the leadership of the Uchiha clan.

As both sides closed in on the attack range of the throwing blades, the metal objects such as kunai, shuriken, and fuma shuriken collided in the air, creating a dense clanging sound.

Countless hidden weapons, mixed with countless explosive tags, blasted a clearing in the forest between the two sides.

Konoha ninjas advanced under heavy fire, and as the distance closed again, a clash of ninjutsu began.

Taking advantage of their high position, the Mist Ninja on the hillside launched a combined Water Release technique, unleashing a variety of attacks including "Water Shock Wave," "Water Chaos Wave," and "Exploding Water Shock Wave."

The floodwaters surged down through the gaps between the giant trees in the forest, creating a powerful and impressive sight.

On Konoha's side, the Uchiha clansmen at the front were using either the "Great Fireball Technique" or the "Great Fire Annihilation Technique," while other ninjas were also using various ninjutsu to assist them.

The two waves of collective ninjutsu collided, producing a tremendous roar. Dense fog billowed into the sky along the battle line, quickly spreading throughout the entire battlefield.

Although Konoha was at a disadvantage due to the terrain, they managed to hold off the enemy. Next, they rushed in and engaged in a brutal close-quarters battle.

"Boom!"

But at that moment, an even louder sound came from the hillside. A group of highly skilled Kirigakure ninjas, having exhausted all their chakra, joined forces to unleash the [Water Release: Great Exploding Water Wave].

Higashino really didn't know how spectacular Kisame Hoshigaki's "Great Explosive Water Wave" would be with the help of Samehada, but he figured it would be about the same as it was now.

The massive flow of water merged with the water gathered earlier using Water Release techniques, carrying large trees and broken rocks, and using the terrain from above, it crashed towards the Konoha ninja with unstoppable momentum.

Faced with this tsunami-like attack, everyone was stunned. How could they possibly block it? The Uchiha clan wasn't good at defense either.

Not all ninjas are the same. Most ninjas in this world only have enough chakra to cast a few "Earth Release: Earth Wall" spells.

But no matter how many "Earth Flow Walls" there are, they are useless against this gravity-enhanced, natural disaster-like Water Escape technique.

Higashino was speechless; he knew this would happen.

The defensive Mist Ninja only need to use Water Release to charge down from a high place, but the offensive Konoha Ninja have to consider many things. They have to dodge projectiles, counter ninjutsu, and only then can they possibly reach the enemy.

There was no other way; he had to go all out. He couldn't just watch his allies get scattered by water-based attacks.

For the first time since joining the war, Higashino Shin used hand seals to perform ninjutsu. He instantly entered Sage Mode, absorbing a large amount of white natural energy and mixing it with his own chakra. He squatted down and slapped his hands on the ground.

[Immortal Technique - Earth Escape - Super Earth Flow Wall]

Two massive earthen walls, joined at an obtuse angle, rapidly rose in front of the Konoha ninja, protecting everyone inside.

The earthen wall was wide and thick, and its height even exceeded that of the surging group ninjutsu "Great Exploding Water Wave". The two collided and produced a deafening sound.

But the super-flowing wall remained unmoved, guiding the tsunami-like water flow to both sides, which quickly flowed into the forest below the hillside.

Now, it was the Hidden Mist's turn to be stunned.

Those Mist Ninja experts whose chakra had been drained lay on the ground, looking at the tall earthen wall below the hillside, and a sense of foreboding suddenly rose in their hearts.

Damn it, the combined ninjutsu that was hoping to make a name for themselves failed. Could it be that they've encountered a god-like figure from Konoha, just like their own Seven Ninja Swordsmen?