https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-630-Yamato-s-Windfall-and-a-New-Perfect-Skill/12566288/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-632-A-Necklace-Worth-Three-Mines/12571882/
Chapter 631: Defeat, Ambush from Three Sides
Chapter 631: Defeat, Ambush from Three Sides
"We've fallen into a trap! Quick, fire the signal flares!" Mito Menyan quickly ordered.
Despite the predicament, Mito remained calm and collected. Panic would not solve anything; a qualified ninja should keep a cool head and think of a way out.
Whoosh! Bang!
The Konoha ninjas, following Mito's command, swiftly fired the highest-grade signal flares.
"Move towards the north!" Mito immediately instructed.
Chen's team was not far from their location.
If they could join forces with Chen's team in time, they could not only escape the crisis but also potentially turn the tables on their enemies.
"I won't let you come and go as you please." Kuju Yagura, wielding an iron rod, charged at Mito.
The elite Kirigakure ninjas behind Yagura also sprang into action, clearing the way for their boss.
"Let's see if you can stop me," Mito said as he opened the large roll of paper hanging from his chest and swiftly performed hand seals to gather his chakra.
"Weapon and Projectile Strike!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dozens of kunai knives shot toward Yagura at incredible speed.
Instead of swinging his iron rod to deflect the kunai, Yagura gathered chakra and stretched out his right hand.
"Water Style: Clear Mirror Technique!"
A large volume of water appeared and swiftly formed a giant circular mirror in front of Yagura.
Boom!
The kunai, with explosive tags cleverly hidden on them, struck the water mirror, causing a series of explosions that made the mirror undulate violently.
Although Mito had concealed the explosive tags well, Yagura detected them.
Whoosh!
In the instant he blocked the explosions, Yagura dismissed the water technique and rushed toward Mito, brandishing his iron rod.
At this critical juncture, Mito performed a summoning technique, bringing forth an iron rod of his own, which he used to block Yagura's rod with full force.
Clang!
The crisp, loud clash of metal rang out as the two rods collided violently, sending tiny sparks flying where they met due to the considerable force exerted by both sides.
Screech!
Unfazed, Yagura pressed down on Mito's rod, causing it to slide along his. The end of his rod was specially designed with an iron hook.
With Yagura's immense strength, the hook slashed toward Mito's head at lightning speed.
Mito channeled his chakra and twisted his rod, diverting Yagura's attack.
He had learned this rod technique from Sarutobi Hiruzen, and it was one of his most proficient long-handled weapons.
Huff! Huff!
Thud! Thud!
The two combatants moved with steady, powerful steps, their weapons slicing through the air and leaving silver arcs. Their strength and speed were evenly matched, and it was difficult to determine a clear winner at this point.
Realizing that the close-quarters combat wasn't yielding results, Mito suddenly burst into action, creating distance as he swung the rod in his hand like a spear and hurled it at Yagura. He then resorted to using his summoning scroll again.
A large bow and several arrows appeared before Mito.
With lightning-fast movements, Mito nocked an arrow, imbued it with wind-attribute chakra, and released it. He repeated this action, firing two arrows in quick succession.
Yagura raised his hand once more, using his water technique to defend against the incoming projectiles.
The first arrow sank into the watery mirror but failed to penetrate it, only creating ripples on its surface.
Swish!
The second arrow pierced through the constantly undulating mirror surface.
As the arrow broke through the mirror, the resulting splash of water struck Yagura's face, stinging his nerves.
In this moment of extremity, Yagura jerked his head to the side, and a bloodstain appeared on his cheek.
"Underestimated this guy. Those arrows are so fast and accurate!" Yagura's heart pounded as he felt the moisture on his face.
At this moment, his previously overconfident heart steadied.
It was no wonder that Mito occupied a high-ranking position in Konoha; his strength was not to be underestimated.
"What a pity." Mito exhaled softly and retracted the bow into his scroll.
That move had been intended to catch his opponent off guard, and its failure meant it would be of little use for the rest of the battle.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
Mito withdrew a giant shuriken from his scroll and hurled it at Yagura. Then, he swiftly performed a series of hand seals.
Under the influence of chakra, the giant shuriken split into two and then into four.
"Water Mirror Technique!"
Yagura created another water mirror, but this time it wasn't for defense; it was for offense.
A clone of Mito, identical to the original, leaped out of the water mirror and also employed the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique.
Thud! Thud!
The four giant shuriken collided with each other, canceling each other out. The replicated Mito continued to charge at the real Mito, engaging in a brief exchange before vanishing.
"Water Style: Water Cannon Technique!"
Taking advantage of the opening, Gourd Jiraiya, with his distinct weapon, stepped forward. He formed his two palms into the shape of guns and fired several liquid bullets at Mito.
"Water Style: Water Fang Bullet!"
On the other side, Mochizuki Kawazawa also quickly performed hand seals, forming a large number of water bullets in front of him, which he fired at Mito Menyan.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
Gouryuu Yagura expended a large amount of chakra to create an incredibly thick water dragon.
Suddenly besieged by three fairly strong ninjas, Mito found himself injured despite the protection offered by the Konoha ninjas.
Mito retreated, his eyes constantly observing the battlefield.
"This doesn't bode well," Mito frowned. "I'm afraid most of the Kirigakure ninjas are here."
As the strongest fighter, he was on par with Gourd Yagura, but looking at the entire battlefield, Konoha was at a clear disadvantage. The idea of fighting and retreating at the same time seemed unrealistic.
"Should we just break through desperately?" Mito hesitated.
If he sacrificed most of his team, he was confident he could escape with a handful of elites.
However, that would mean the mission would fail, and they might lose six to seven hundred ninjas.
"No, we have to hold on," Mito quickly performed hand seals, summoning a large number of kunai that he threw at the surrounding Kirigakure ninjas.
He didn't want to abandon the seven hundred ninjas here.
Aside from the fact that most of them were Chunin, even if they were seven hundred qualified Genin, it would take a lot of effort to train them.
Konoha was already stretched thin fighting on multiple fronts, and he couldn't give up so easily.
Although Mito displayed unwavering fighting spirit, it did little to change the tide of the battle.
He and Gourd Yagura were evenly matched, and Mito was at a disadvantage due to his injuries. Additionally, Gourd Yagura had more elites on his side than Mito.
As the number of Konoha ninjas dwindled, Mito's heart wavered.
It wasn't that he was afraid of death, but if he didn't choose to sacrifice most of his team to break through, they might all die here.
"Wood Leaf Dragon God!"
Just as Mito was about to make a desperate break, a green dragon broke through Kirigakure's encirclement, and a powerful storm swept up the Kirigakure ninjas, tearing them apart.
Along with this came a large number of ninjas wearing Konoha uniforms.
Mito's face lit up with joy, and he quickly shouted, "Chen, let's break through together! Don't get caught up in the fight!"
The Kirigakure offensive was more intense than he had imagined.
Now that he was badly injured and his team had suffered losses, it wasn't suitable to engage in a major battle with Kirigakure.
"It would be great if he had split his forces into three groups," Gourd Yagura said with a disappointed expression.
If the number of Konoha ninjas had been reduced by a third, he would have wiped out Chen's team as well.
"Pursue them! Try to eliminate as many Konoha ninjas as possible!" Gourd Yagura ordered.
It wasn't realistic to wipe them all out, but they could still take out a portion of the Konoha ninjas.
The two forces chased each other until the Konoha ninjas reached the central-northern region, where Gourd Yagura finally gave up the pursuit. Continuing further would risk his own troops, especially since this was the Land of Fire, and Konoha had the home field advantage.
Gourd Yagura eagerly sent news of his great victory back to Kirigakure.
Upon learning of Gourd Yagura's success, the Third Mizukage first convened a meeting to commend him and then sent six hundred Kirigakure ninjas to the Land of Waves.
With the situation looking so favorable, the Third Mizukage wanted to see if they could maintain this advantage. If they could, he would increase their investment and achieve their war goals in one fell swoop.
While Kirigakure rejoiced in their victory, Konoha grieved over their defeat.
Konoha Hospital.
In a high-level ward, Mito lay in bed, his face filled with apology.
Tsunade Xiao Chun sat on the bed next to Mito, hesitating to speak.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window, smoking.
An eerie silence filled the ward.
"He actually lost and caused nearly three hundred ninja casualties and over five hundred injuries..." Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned as he recalled the battle damage report.
This was beyond his expectations. He had thought that with Mito's abilities, even if he couldn't quickly eliminate Kirigakure, he would at least be able to gain a steady advantage and gradually defeat them.
He never expected to receive such devastating news, especially since they were fighting on their home turf.
"Has it been too long since he last fought on the battlefield? But even so, it shouldn't have been this bad," Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Mito lying in the bed, confusion clouding his eyes.
In the past, casualties of this magnitude wouldn't have been a big deal. With only three hundred ninjas sacrificed and most of the five hundred injured ninjas suffering non-critical wounds, the loss wouldn't have been significant.
But currently, Konoha was in a critical period, not only engaged in intense battles with Kumogakure but also with Iwagakure lurking on the sidelines, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
In such a situation, a sudden defeat could trigger a chain reaction.
"I'm sorry, I let you all down." Mito Menyan took the initiative to break the silence.
If you lose, you take the beating and stand straight. He wasn't the type to make a thousand excuses for himself.
"Menyan, was there some hidden powerful ninja among the Kirigakure forces this time?" Tsunade Xiao Chun couldn't help but ask.
"No, it was a mistake in my decision-making that ultimately led to our defeat. In terms of overall strength, my team should have been stronger." Mito shook his head in response.
"This..." Tsunade didn't know what else to say.
After all, since Mito had admitted it himself, she saw no need to make further excuses for him.
"Let Mu Yue go. Currently, he's the most suitable person in the village for this task." Mito said, looking at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Although Konoha had Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, her efficiency in killing enemies on the battlefield was far inferior to Mu Yue's, making her not a suitable choice.
Moreover, Tsunade herself was quite resistant to the idea of returning to the battlefield.
"I was thinking the same." Sarutobi nodded.
Although he wanted to give Mu Yue more time to cultivate, plans often couldn't keep up with changes.
If Mu Yue didn't go, then they would either have to recall Jiraiya or have Sarutobi Hiruzen go personally.
Recalling Jiraiya would be like robbing Peter to pay Paul, easily leading to trouble with Iwagakure.
As for Sarutobi Hiruzen, as the Hokage, his every move affected the entire village, so he couldn't act rashly, leaving Mu Yue as the only viable option.
After all, this mission was relatively safe. It was a domestic operation within their own country, and the opponents weren't overly powerful.
If they were facing opponents like the Third Tsuchikage or the Third Raikage, Sarutobi Hiruzen would choose to keep Mu Yue in Konoha and go to the battlefield himself.
Facing such powerful opponents, the risk of something going wrong would be significant, and he couldn't let Mu Yue, who had the potential to reach Hashirama Senju's level, take such a risk.
...
Land of Earth, Iwagakure.
"They refused again. It seems like there's a fundamental problem." As he looked at the message from Oonoki, Daiamomaki wore a disappointed expression.
It was impossible to form a joint ninja force with the Ninja Sect to intimidate Konoha in the Land of Rain. Unless Daiamomaki first defeated the ninja forces in the Land of Rain, he had no leverage.
But that wouldn't make sense, and he would be unnecessarily creating another enemy for himself.
Just then, there was a hurried and urgent knock on the door.
"Come in."
An Iwagakure Anbu swiftly entered the office and reported, "Third Tsuchikage, we have important war intelligence regarding Konoha!"
Daiamomaki immediately became alert and took the intelligence from the Anbu, quickly scanning through it.
"Kirigakure has defeated the Konoha ninja force led by Mito Menyan in the Land of Fire." Daiamomaki was slightly surprised.
Among the achievements, defeating a Konoha ninja force outside the Land of Fire, breaking through the defenses of the Land of Fire, and then defeating a Konoha ninja force within the Land of Fire, the last one was undoubtedly the most impressive.
And it wasn't just any Konoha ninja force that Kirigakure had defeated, but one led by Mito Menyan, a high-ranking member of Konoha.
"Perhaps Konoha isn't as strong as I imagined." Daiamomaki fell into deep thought.
As a master schemer, he felt it would be a waste not to get involved in the turmoil currently unfolding in the Land of Fire.
"Notify the high-ranking officials to assemble in the conference room." Daiamomaki instructed the Anbu.
He had the intention to dispatch troops, but this decision wasn't his alone to make, and a meeting was necessary.
When the latest intelligence from the Land of Fire was presented to the Iwagakure high-ranking officials, their reactions mirrored Daiamomaki's earlier one.
"We've suffered quite a few losses at the hands of Konoha during this war, and we can't just let it go. I think we should take this opportunity to dispatch our forces." The Iwagakure elder, Zhong Jing, proposed.
"I think we should give it a try." Daiamomaki expressed his agreement.
Soon after, the leader of the Iwagakure upper ninja, Terumi, also showed his approval.
Finally, the high-level meeting unanimously passed the resolution to dispatch a ninja force to Konoha.
After some discussion, they decided that the person to lead this ninja force would be Iwasaki, the captain of the Iwagakure Blast Corps.
The blame for the previous defeat lay mainly with the deceased Iwagakure ninja, Iwakura, and the now-missing Murasaki. Iwasaki, on the other hand, had returned to the village early due to his injuries and thus hadn't been affected negatively.
Of course, the main reason was that there weren't many other suitable candidates, as some lacked sufficient qualifications, while others lacked the necessary strength.
PS: Still managed to crank out 8k words. Please consider a monthly ticket...
(End of Chapter)
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