https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-67-A-Gift-from-a-Shadow-Class-Powerhouse-/12832067/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-69-The-Border-Falls-The-Earth-Wind-Alliance-/12832069/
Chapter 68: Facing a Shadow-Level!
Chapter 68: Facing a Shadow-Level!
Hackle, hackle!
Coughing echoed through the dust and smoke.
"Even the heroes of the Sand Hidden Village resort to ambushes?"
To Hei struggled to his feet, secretly downing a vial of healing essence in the process.
At that moment, he felt incredibly grateful.
His clothing was made of heat-resistant material; otherwise, it would have been reduced to tatters by now.
In the real shinobi world, battles that leave the battlefield in ruins while the fighters come out unscathed were nothing but a fantasy.
"You dare to insult Lady Yukami!"
"Kill him!"
"Attack!"
...
Several Sand shinobi squads, surprised that To Hei had survived Yukami's Scorching Release, were now incensed by his insults toward their idol. They were all raring to attack.
However, they were held back.
"We are shinobi. What’s wrong with an ambush? Besides, you’re hiding too much, brat!"
Yukami didn’t seem angry.
Upon hearing her retort, To Hei felt a sense of "She makes a good point, and I have no counter-argument."
After all, shinobi were not samurai; an ambush was a smart move.
Wait!
To Hei suddenly realized something.
If she was a shinobi, why would she engage in a proper conversation, giving him the chance to heal his injuries?
Whoosh!
Intense flames burst from his hands, enveloping him in a fiery cloak. His hands moved in a chest-expanding rotation, spinning and leaping as if in a trance.
The flames on his body were drawn by his hands, intertwining and rising.
Golden Crow Fluid Technique: Demon Burn!
The original technique was somewhat weak, so To Hei had improved it by referencing the Hyuga clan’s ‘Heavenly Spin,’ using the movement to spin his chakra at high speed, creating a powerful defensive barrier.
Bang!
His right fist, enveloped in flames, collided with a figure falling from the sky.
It was Yukami!
She had attacked from the air at some point, and the one speaking to him must have been a Shadow Clone. That’s why there were no openings.
Thanks to his timely defense, he avoided a potential disaster.
As their attacks clashed, a face-sized fireball circled around from behind Yukami and struck To Hei’s waist.
Boom!
A burst of intense flames exploded.
However, this time, the attack was far less effective than the initial surprise assault.
While Demon Burn’s defensive power wasn’t as strong as Heavenly Spin, it was still formidable. Combined with To Hei’s unique advantage, he found it relatively easy to handle.
Fire Resistance!
This was crucial when facing Yukami’s ‘Scorching Release: Overheating Kill.’
The real danger of Scorching Release wasn’t the explosion or the flames but the evaporation of moisture within the body.
Without sufficient fire resistance and the protection of his Flame Cloak, To Hei would have been reduced to a mummy in the intense heat.
This advantage allowed him to struggle against Yukami.
Otherwise, facing a near-Shadow or even Shadow-level shinobi, he wouldn’t have survived.
Shadow-level shinobi are truly terrifying!
And this was with To Hei being able to resist her Bloodline Limit to a significant extent; otherwise, it would have been much worse.
Fortunately, he had a trump card.
Quack!
A loud call echoed from the sky, followed by a massive black shadow swooping down.
But before the shadow reached him, a barrage of fireballs rained down.
Boom, boom, boom!
Fireballs the size of cartwheels fell like rain, covering the entire battlefield.
The ground was shattered by the impact.
Amid the flames and smoke, a figure enveloped in flames leaped high into the air.
As he reached the apex of his jump, his hands and feet erupted with flames, increasing his height and allowing him to intersect with the giant crow.
Smack!
To Hei reached out and pressed his hand against the crow’s claw.
The claw was thicker than a human waist, so he couldn’t grip it; he could only press against it.
Yukami’s combat strength was indeed formidable.
But she couldn’t fly!
So when the flames dissipated, she could only watch as To Hei disappeared into the sky.
On the ground!
"Sir, are you alright?"
A Sand Shinobi, looking up at the sky, called out to Yakyura, his voice filled with concern.
"I'm fine," Yakyura shook her head and then fixed a sharp, blade-like gaze toward the Konoha camp. "Send the order to the entire army to accelerate. We must break through the Fire Country border camp today!"
This time, she was leading the vanguard of the Sand Shinobi army.
Her mission was to capture the border camp and clear all the outposts along the Fire Country border.
The Hidden Sand Village was too poor!
The mission shares were always being snatched by Konoha, and with the Third Kazekage's disappearance, they decided to go all in.
After all, things couldn't get much worse than they already were.
Was it better to die slowly or to take a chance while they still had the strength? Anyone would make the right choice.
So, even though they knew Konoha had nothing to do with the Third Kazekage's disappearance, the Sand Shinobi chose to use this as a pretext to launch their attack.
Faced with the choice of letting their village die or Konoha, Yakyura chose the latter and volunteered to lead the vanguard.
"Yes, sir!"
A Sand ANBU quickly left to relay the order to the rest of the Sand Shinobi army.
On the other side!
Tohei escorted the fat shinobi and his team back to the camp.
It turned out they were being pursued because they had obtained intelligence from a dying Konoha ANBU while on patrol, which led to several Sand Shinobi squads chasing them.
Soon, they arrived at the center of the camp.
Tenchinoya Ken first examined the seal on the intelligence scroll, confirming it was intact before using a special technique to break the seal.
If one didn't know this technique, even having the scroll wouldn't allow them to read it.
Of course, Tohei and his team turned and left.
They were just low-ranking chunin, and they had already reported the mission details. They had no place in the next steps.
After leaving,
"Say..."
Honda Taka was about to speak but was stopped by Tohei.
Was this something they should discuss? If they were jonin or affiliated with the Hokage, they could speak freely, but for them, loose talk could lead to trouble.
"Get ready for battle!"
Tohei quietly warned his comrades.
The border camp's defenses were indeed strong.
The problem was that this time, they were facing a large-scale attack, led by a Kage-level shinobi like Yakyura. Were they supposed to fight head-on?
Tenchinoya Ken was an elite jonin, and normally, he would be enough.
But in a full-scale war, he wouldn't stand a chance.
So, the camp would definitely be breached by the Sand Shinobi, and they needed to prepare.
Of course, they weren't planning to desert.
If the camp wasn't breached or they didn't receive an order to retreat, fleeing would be considered treason.
So, they could only prepare and do nothing else.
Tenchinoya Ken, after reading the intelligence, immediately called a meeting with the camp's higher-ups.
This showed his lack of decisiveness.
In such a critical moment, he should have made a decision—either fight or flee—instead of convening a meeting.
After all, Tohei and his team had reported clearly that the Sand Shinobi army was on its way.
Every second wasted was a crime!
But Tohei, a mere chunin, had no right to voice his opinion.
Fortunately, the meeting was quick, and a decision was made.
Hold the fort!
However, they would first send away the wounded, logistics personnel, merchants, and others.
This escort mission was far more dangerous than holding the fort.
If they were to escort these people, they wouldn't be able to move fast enough and would surely be caught by the Sand Shinobi.
Holding the camp had the advantage of terrain, and they could hold out for a few days until reinforcements arrived. But the escort mission lacked this advantage and required them to split their focus on protecting the group, making it incredibly difficult.
Soon, Tohei was assigned a task.
Very lucky, he 'won the lottery.'
(End of Chapter)
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