Naruto: From Novice to Grave

Chapter 70-070 Counterattack Against the Hidden Mist II

Once the battle begins, there's no longer any way to sneak around and happily make dumplings.

From now on, each wave of enemies will likely be a tough battle, and it will only get tougher.

But is that really the case?

Konoha's defensive perimeter on the eastern front was very large, almost encompassing the entire southeastern coastal region. Therefore, the defensive network was sparse, with each point consisting of a small squad. Their role was not to defend against the enemy, but to act as eyes and spies, forming a chain of surveillance networks to prevent enemy attacks.

If there are few enemies coming, fight them; if there are many, retreat. Use space to buy time for the main force to arrive. Konoha has the Byakugan, so as long as we don't act recklessly, we can keep playing this game.

But Kirigakure is different. As a perfect springboard for invading the Land of Fire, the Land of Whirlpools is a long and narrow peninsula, and the ninjas built by Kirigakure are much denser inside the defensive line.

They are the invaders, with little room to retreat. If they retreat to the sea, what is the point of this invasion?

When the battle began and the first line of defense was in ruins, the Mist Ninja in the rear knew what had happened: the damned Konoha had attacked.

This time it's not just a small-scale harassment by a few ninjas during the previous standoff, but a decisive battle. It seems the time has come for both sides to decide the victor.

They immediately used various methods to transmit the intelligence to the command post further back, while simultaneously signaling to gather their comrades and prepare to work together to block the enemy.

This allows for effective cooperation against the enemy, preventing them from being divided and annihilated, and also slows down the speed of the Konoha ninja's attack, giving the rear time to organize a large force to meet the enemy.

Now, time is life.

When Higashino Makoto's 7th Assault Force broke through the first warning line and reached the second line of defense at top speed, they were met with a blocking force composed of many Mist Ninja.

Thick, chakra-infused mist concealed them within, and similar phenomena occurred along the entire defensive line. They resembled clusters of white fortresses, where skilled hunters lurked, waiting for their prey to enter their nets for them to slaughter at will.

However, as a long-time rival, Konoha already had countermeasures in place.

In Higashino Makoto's team, there was a Wind Release ninja who used ninjutsu to disperse the Hidden Mist Technique, but this time the situation was different from what he encountered when he came to the Eastern Front.

Back then, the dozen or so Kirigakure ninja used the Kirigakure technique only to cover their own escape. But now, the Kirigakure ninja in front of them are determined to keep them here, so someone inside is constantly maintaining the Kirigakure technique.

Wind Release can only disperse the fog on the outer perimeter; there is always a large area inside where the fog is thick, and when Wind Release ends, the fog begins to spread outward again.

It seemed that the fog would cover the battlefield again in just a little while, but that little time would be enough.

Countless kunai with explosive tags were thrown into the thick fog, launching a saturation bombardment before the situation was clear.

Under the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan, no fog is impenetrable. Those unlucky souls who used the Mist Concealment Technique were given special attention and were blasted into a panic.

Most of the temporary traps set up in front of the position were also destroyed by the bomb.

In war, it's that difficult to fight against someone with X-ray vision. So you can imagine how envious and jealous the other ninja villages are of Konoha. They've always wanted to get a pair of Byakugan just for fun, no matter what means they used.

Fortunately, the Hyuga clan has the Caged Bird Seal for protection, which has largely prevented the Byakugan from leaking out.

Although this seems somewhat unfair to the Hyuga branch family, the entire Hidden Leaf Village benefited, so the higher-ups naturally didn't say anything.

Most of the Hyuga branch family members actually didn't have much of a problem with the Caged Bird Seal, and they understood that it was a form of protection for themselves. What they hated was not the Caged Bird Seal itself, but the unfairness and the fact that the main family had turned the Caged Bird Seal into a means of controlling the life and death of the branch family members.

As the fog dissipated, the battle officially began. For a moment, ninjutsu flew wildly from both sides, but most of them were fire and water jutsu.

The clash of the two ninjutsu techniques thickened the fog on the battlefield, but no one cared anymore as the two sides were already entangled in a chaotic melee amidst sporadic screams.

Aside from a few freaks, no ninja can use ninjutsu from beginning to end in a single battle. On the battlefield, using taijutsu in combination with weapons is the most chakra-efficient way to fight.

Because you don't know how long the battle will last, you must carefully calculate every bit of your chakra.

Even someone with a large amount of chakra like Higashino Makoto doesn't like to waste it. Otherwise, why would he go to the trouble of developing highly efficient killing methods?

Following the crowd, the four members of Team 3 also charged into the Mist Ninja.

In the chaotic battlefield, swords fly wildly in the hands of kunai, and if one does not pay attention to any movement around them, they may be injured or even lose their lives.

Suddenly, Higashino Makoto, who was moving forward, raised his left hand and caught a shuriken without even looking at it. He added some substance to the shuriken and then casually returned it to the person.

The sword in his hand, imbued with a bit of wind-attribute chakra, shot back along the same path at an even faster speed with a whistling sound.

"what!"

One of the unlucky ninja from the Mist who tried to approach their squad was shot through the body and lay on the ground groaning, before being finished off by Hayate Gekko.

As for whether he shot that shuriken, who has time to care about that right now?

Uzuki Yugao clashed with an adult Mist Ninja in swordsmanship, but the difference in strength between the two was too great. After two strikes, she was knocked open at the center, revealing a huge opening. The adult Mist Ninja laughed maniacally, preparing to enjoy the cute sight of the little girl's head falling off.

But the moonlight flashed by, and the sharp ninja blade lightly grazed his neck.

Mist Ninja felt a chill on his neck, and then saw the little girl rush in front of him and stab him in the heart again.

One stab to the heart, one stab to the throat; even Tsunade would shake her head in disbelief.

Hopeless.

The third squad worked together seamlessly, protecting each other while efficiently eliminating the enemy.

Soon, the Mist Ninja resistance force gathered on the second line of defense was broken through by the Konoha ninja. Except for a few clever ones who abandoned their teammates and ran away when the situation turned bad, the rest were lying on the ground.

Therefore, one must never lose one's temper on the battlefield. One must calmly observe the situation and choose a strategic retreat if the situation is not right in order to survive in the long run.

As for why the strategic shift is in the opposite direction? Don't worry about that. Just tell me whether I've shifted or not.

The fog dissipated with the wind, and the screams grew fainter.

Uchiha Sousuke glanced at the battlefield and ordered, "Quickly, check the battlefield, watch out for the traps on them, and finish off any surviving Kirigakure bastards."

Treat the wounded, bandage them on the spot, and leave those seriously wounded who cannot continue fighting or those who have died in place for follow-up troops to take over.

"Yes!" The surrounding ninjas quickly carried out the order.

"Are the sensory ninjas here? Are they still alive?"

"Here!" Higashino Shin and a young Hyuga ninja with a high ponytail responded quickly.

Higashino Makoto recognized this guy; his name was Hyuga Hinata, he was two years older than him, and they were in the same grade as Anko. Because Higashino Makoto was a sensory expert in this team, they only brought one Hyuga ninja.

There aren't many Hyuga ninjas on the eastern front right now; other areas need the Byakugan's help even more.

Not far away, people playing with dogs and insects were gathering here.

Uchiha Sousuke instructed the group, "Search immediately for any hidden enemies and ensure this area is absolutely safe."

"Yes!" The men dispersed after receiving the order.

Ninjas are a profession that excels at hiding. There are always some people who possess strange and unusual skills and can appear behind you when you're not paying attention to stab you in the back.