NABC Chapter 278 The Battle of the Hidden Mist
Chapter 278 The Battle of the Hidden Mist
Chapter 278 The Battle of the Hidden Mist (Part 1)
In the forest to the east of the Land of Fire.
Two Konoha ninjas were fleeing desperately, their faces filled with terror, their clothes tattered and torn. As they ran, they kept looking back as if some ferocious beast was behind them.
"Captain, you go first. I don't have the strength to run anymore," one of the ninjas said, panting heavily.
"Narita, hang in there a little longer. We might run into some Konoha ninjas up ahead." The ninja captain grabbed his teammate's hand, trying to help him escape. However, he knew in his heart that the nearest outpost was still half a day's journey away in this vast forest.
Narita broke free from the captain's grasp and said with difficulty, "Captain, can't you see? Those monsters are just toying with us. They could have killed us long ago, but they're not killing us now because they want to see us run away in a sorry state. I'm out of strength. Rather than die such a cowardly death, I'd rather fight one last time. Captain, you should go. I can still buy you some time."
As he spoke, Narita stopped walking and leaned against a tree trunk to rest.
Upon hearing this, the captain paused slightly, but seeing Narita's resolute expression, he stopped trying to persuade him. He quickened his pace and left the area, hoping to encounter a fellow villager so that even if he died in battle, he could still pass on the information.
Narita, who remained where he was, didn't rest for long either. He was right; the ninjas chasing them were indeed just playing with them.
Otherwise, at their speed, they would have been caught up long ago.
About 5 minutes later.
"Oh, the little mouse isn't running away anymore!" A teasing voice came from afar.
"Prey that has given up struggling is worthless; it's better for it to disappear sooner rather than later." Another voice rang out.
"Hurry up and deal with it, there's another rat waiting for us to catch up ahead."
Narita looked up and saw seven strangely shaped ninjas walking towards him in the distance. Not only were their appearances unusual, but even the weapons they carried were extraordinary.
"Damn it, you monsters, die!" With his last bit of strength, Narita instantly rushed towards the group, his kunai aimed straight at the heart of the first man.
However, courage is just courage and cannot be converted into actual combat power. Without these people making any move, a thick bolt of lightning descended from the sky and struck Narita, who was running.
Before he could even dodge, Narita was struck by lightning and fell to the ground, his body charred black. He twitched slightly twice and then lay still.
Until his death, Narita posed no threat whatsoever to these Mist Ninja.
"Kurosuki Raiga, you're too fast. I wanted to play with him a little longer before blowing him to pieces." The speaker had a ponytail and a wild smile on his face.
"Muri Jinpachi, now is not the time to play around. We've already wasted a lot of time. Let's hurry up and catch that rat and interrogate him to get information about the surrounding area," said Biwa Juzo, carrying a guillotine and grinning with his large mouth full of sharp teeth.
Wu Li Shenba curled his lip in disdain, but didn't say anything more.
"What's the point of interrogating him? Just look at that Konoha ninja. We might as well just follow that little mouse. He'll naturally lead us to a place where there are Konoha ninjas nearby." Kushimaru Kurihara, wearing a Kirigakure ANBU mask, said in a gloomy voice, looking in the direction the Konoha ninja had fled, and brandishing a weapon that looked like a long needle in his hand.
Everyone else's eyes lit up when they heard this. What a great idea! Instead of aimlessly searching for Konoha ninjas, why not do what Kushimaru Kurishari suggested and throw out the bait and wait for the fish to bite?
Everyone turned their attention to Suigetsu Hozuki, who was walking in the center. As the captain of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, he was the one who needed to make the decision.
"That's a good idea. We've already cleared out the nearby outposts. We'll really have to rely on these guys to lead the way for the rest. Let's follow them for half a day and see. If it doesn't work, we'll change our plan."
Since the team leader, Suigetsu Hozuki, agreed to the plan, no one else objected. Kirigakure's rules and their style were as ruthless as ever, and the hierarchical relationship within the team was particularly obvious, allowing no room for dissent.
Seven figures leaped forward, chasing after the Konoha ninja who had fled.
The fleeing squad leader was completely unaware that he had transformed from a helpless mouse into a freely moving bait, with the aim of luring out other Konoha ninjas nearby.
In the vast forests of Konoha, a force of over a thousand men was rapidly marching eastward. This was a reinforcement unit that had set out from Konoha and was heading towards the east coast.
At the center of the group, and also at the very front, stood three ninjas. Judging from their attire, the one on the left was an Uchiha, the one on the right was a Hyuga, and the one sandwiched between them was a ninja who looked young but was actually even younger.
These were Matsushita Taichi, Uchiha clan head Fugaku, and Hyuga's main branch representative Yuki.
This strange formation was a reluctant compromise. The Uchiha and Hyuga clans disliked each other, and the other clans had neither the strength nor the will to fight against these two. In the end, they could only push Taichi to the front.
At least Taichi has a good relationship with both the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, and he is also very strong.
Taiyi, who occupies the absolute center position of the team, is calm and composed, showing no embarrassment at all for being in the core position.
The various clans spared no expense in this expedition, and he saw many unknown ninjas in the crowd who would become famous in the future, such as Uchiha Shisui, Hyuga Tokuma, and Yamanaka Inoichi.
In addition, Taiichi spotted Might Guy in the group. His green bodysuit was so eye-catching that Taiichi noticed him immediately in the crowd. He was also one of the few non-family ninjas in the group.
However, the group left in such a hurry that Taiichi didn't have time to say hello. But it was seeing Might Guy that reminded Taiichi of Guy, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
In the original story, Guy's squad was being hunted down by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist during the Third Shinobi World War. Might Guy arrived in time, opened the Eighth Gate, and sacrificed himself to save their lives.
Might Guy is currently in the team and doesn't know what Kai's situation is. Once he gets to the front lines, he needs to find out, so that such a tragedy can't be allowed to happen again.
"Taiichi, I hope you will take good care of my Uchiha clan members during this battle with Kirigakure."
As the head of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku had previously cooperated with Taichi, and with Yohei in his household as Taichi's teammate, his understanding of Taichi was naturally beyond what others could know.
His words naturally caught the attention of Hyuga Yuuki on the other side. He had heard a lot about Taiichi's strength, and he didn't know if it was exaggerated, but a person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. Since there were such rumors, his actual combat strength must not be underestimated.
But as the head of the Uchiha clan, is it too much of an overestimation to speak to a junior in such a "humble" manner and ask him to take care of the Uchiha clan? Moreover, it makes Hyuga Yuuki feel that the Hyuga clan has lost face.
"The Uchiha clan is becoming more and more degenerate. Instead of seeking strength for themselves, they seek help from an outsider. They have truly put the cart before the horse."
Hinata Yuuki mocked without any mercy. Although he didn't say it directly to Taiichi, it still sounded harsh to him.
He glanced at Hyuga Yuuki beside him without making a sound. This guy had an arrogant look on his face, as if he didn't care about anyone.
Taiichi thought to himself that there really weren't many people in the Hyuga main family that he liked.
Passing by Hyuga Yuuki, he saw Hyuga Hizashi following behind him, and he saw Hyuga giving Taiichi an awkward smile, as if to tell Taiichi not to mind.
Taiyi pursed his lips. If it weren't for your sake, he would have already retorted.
However, just because Taiyi doesn't say anything doesn't mean others won't.
Fugaku Uchiha wasn't a genuine nice guy. He was kind to Taichi because the two sides had a close relationship, but there was absolutely no need for that with Hyuga.
"Elder Hyuga is quite tough. If your Hyuga clan members are injured on the battlefield, don't let Taichi treat them. Leave that opportunity to my Uchiha clan. I will be eternally grateful."
Hyuga Yuuki was taken aback when he heard this. He then remembered that Taichi was not only powerful, but also famous in Konoha for his medical ninjutsu.
Even within the Hyuga clan, many ninjas had received his kindness.
"You—" Hyuga Yuuki was speechless, but as the head of the Hyuga clan, he certainly couldn't lose face. Once words were spoken, they were like water spilled. He couldn't admit defeat after being silenced by Uchiha Fugaku's words. "There are other medical ninjas in the camp. My Hyuga clan is not without its own resources."
At this point, Hyuga Hizashi, who was a step behind, couldn't listen any longer. Others might not know Taichi's skill level, but he certainly did. He quickly sped up and whispered to Hyuga Yuuki, "Elder, you mustn't—"
But before he could finish speaking, Hyuga Yuuki suddenly turned his head, his eyes wide open, glaring at him angrily: "Hizashi, don't think that just because you're the clan leader's younger brother you can boss me around. A branch family is a branch family. Just do your job as a member of the branch family."
A furious rebuke left Hizashi red-faced, but he ultimately held back, silently slowing down and returning to his proper place.
Taichi watched quietly from the side, his brows slightly furrowed. Although he knew before that the Hyuga clan's main family and branch family system was absurd, witnessing it with his own eyes was truly an eye-opener for him.
Those who branched out of the family have absolutely no dignity in front of the main family; they can be humiliated at will. And this is the clan leader's younger brother; one can only imagine how others would react.
"Alright, we're heading to the front lines to fight Kirigakure to the death. We're surrounded by comrades we can rely on. If Elder Hyuga wants to show off, please do so back at the Hyuga clan. The important thing now is to hurry on our way."
As Taiichi spoke, his aura surged. Although he didn't lock onto anyone, it made his attitude clear: ninjas still need to rely on strength. His mountain-like aura clearly told Hyuga Yuuki that this was not someone he could mess with.
Hyuga Yuuki glared fiercely at Hyuga Hizashi, then obediently shut his mouth. Taichi was even more displeased, thinking that this elder of the Hyuga clan was tough on his own but weak on the outside.
The minor incident did not affect the troops' march. By the afternoon of the second day, Taiyi and the others finally arrived at the front-line camp and joined the garrison troops there.
These were originally ninjas from various coastal outposts. To prevent them from being defeated one by one, the village gathered them together to perform only simple reconnaissance and warning tasks.
Upon arriving at the front lines, the first thing the group did was look for their commander, Tsunade. However, when they asked to see Tsunade, the ninjas stationed at the camp were completely baffled: Shouldn't the commander have come with the main force? Why do we have to ask them?
In an instant, everyone's eyes turned to Taiyi in the very center of the group. There was no other reason than that Taiyi was the most likely person to know Tsunade's whereabouts. Who else would they look at but him?
Taiyi was also very embarrassed at this moment. Wasn't it agreed that she would wait at the front line? It turned out that instead of her waiting for the troops, the troops had to come and wait for her first.
But Taiyi had been through so much experience, and his face remained expressionless. He closed his eyes and sensed the Flying Thunder God Kunai that Tsunade had placed there, and realized that its location was not far from the camp.
He then opened his eyes and said to everyone, "Lady Tsunade must have been delayed by something, but she is not far from here and will arrive today."
"Everyone, get the camp ready first. Set up the sensory and defensive barriers quickly, and send out all the patrolling ninjas. We can't let this place still be a mess when Lady Tsunade arrives."
Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't matter if they were a little late, as long as she came. Most of the people here were high-ranking members of their respective clans, so they were naturally aware of Tsunade's movements. They were genuinely afraid that Tsunade's appointment as commander was just an excuse for the village.
Reality did not disappoint. As evening approached and the sun began to set, Tsunade, accompanied by Shizune, arrived at the camp, led by a patrolling ninja.
Before they even got close, the shouts of the patrolling ninjas could be heard.
"Lady Tsunade is here! Commander, you've arrived!"
Instantly, the news spread like wildfire, and within minutes, everyone in the camp knew of Tsunade's arrival.
Taiichi, along with the leaders of his clan's ninjas, arrived at the camp entrance to greet their commander.
"Teacher, you've finally arrived!" Taiyi was the first to step forward, his voice tinged with a hint of resentment, though no one else could tell.
"Haha, just in time." Tsunade patted Taichi's shoulder, trying to hide the twitching corner of her mouth. She couldn't very well say that she couldn't resist taking another gamble; Tsunade still had her pride.
Looking at the ninjas who came out to greet him, he saw Uchiha, Hyuga, Sarutobi, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Nara, Inuzuka, Aburame—every clan he could name in Konoha was there.
It seems that Taiichi was not exaggerating at all. Konoha has indeed reached a point where it has no choice but to fight a desperate battle, and all the major ninja clans have put all their resources into this battle.
"Everyone, time is of the essence. I come from the Land of Waves, where a large number of Kirigakure outposts have already appeared, and I believe their main force will arrive soon as well."
Now, everyone, come with me to the central command tent to discuss how we should fight this battle.
Tsunade spoke with domineering confidence and decisiveness. With a wave of her hand, she led everyone toward the largest tent in the camp, her back view as dashing and carefree as could be.
When everyone saw this, they realized that Tsunade was indeed in charge; she had gone to the Land of Waves to investigate the enemy's situation. They were all immediately excited. With such a commander, how could the Hidden Mist Village not be destroyed?
Only Tai, who was following behind Tsunade, had his eye twitch involuntarily. He really put on a good show. Now everyone thought that Tsunade had come late to investigate the enemy's situation. Their recognition of her had risen to another level. Even he couldn't help but admire her. He realized that he still had a lot to learn.