Chapter 78

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As Toshiro concentrated, his senses expanded over the battlefield, quickly identifying the incoming enemies.

"Judging by the chakra strength, it's a temporary team led by a Jounin," he noted. As his perception deepened, he could clearly discern the chakra signatures: one Jounin, three special Jounin, and several Chuunin.

Slowly placing his hands behind his back, Toshiro made a few deliberate gestures and prepared himself. His assessment indicated that this was an elite Iwa Ninja team, undoubtedly targeting people like him.

While chakra strength doesn't always reflect a ninja's true power, having this general information was fortunate. Toshiro held his breath and waited quietly, not making any rash moves. He sensed the Iwa Ninja group passing less than twenty meters from his position.

As he became more proficient in Sage Mode, Toshiro could better blend with nature, effectively concealing his aura. Despite the presence of sensory ninjas among the Iwa Ninja, they failed to detect him. His scent, chakra, and body temperature were hidden flawlessly, making him as unnoticeable as a rock in the environment. Even if someone passed by him, they wouldn't detect his presence unless they saw him directly.

This was the frontline of the battle between Konoha and Iwa Ninja. Just a few kilometers away, explosions and massive summoning beasts could be seen amidst fire and screams.

Toshiro's elders were engaged in the main battle, while he and others guarded the flanks or the camp. It wasn't cruelty that sent young Uchiha to the battlefield early; it was necessity. The garrison position assigned by Konoha Command was vast, and the Uchiha clan alone couldn't match the entire Iwa Ninja Village.

Despite their efforts, the number of Iwa Ninja only seemed to grow, driven by the desire to avenge their fallen comrades.

"Everyone, listen up. Our intel suggests a group of Uchiha brats are stationed here. With our strength, we should be able to take them down easily, maybe even crush them completely," the leading Jounin, a short but sturdy Iwa Ninja, encouraged his team.

A typical ninja team consists of three members, with occasional four-member squads for added strength. However, frontline battles were no place for rookie teams, even if led by elite Jounin. In such harsh conditions, either the Jounin would sacrifice themselves to protect their disciples, or all would perish.

The team this Jounin led was composed of elite Iwa Ninja, making it easy to hunt down a group of young Uchiha. Despite the Uchiha's reputation, they were still newcomers to the battlefield. Crushing these privileged children and hearing their cries of fear, pain, and regret before death was an appealing thought to the Jounin.

He relished the idea of torturing his targets to death, venting his frustrations over the negative comments he received in his village. This sturdy, square-faced Jounin, wearing a red shirt with a khaki Iwa Ninja vest, wore a cruel smile.

"Oh! Kill these brats and avenge our fallen comrades," he shouted.

A unified response echoed at the forest's edge. Some Iwa Ninja, with numb expressions, mechanically followed their teammates, while others, eyes red with excitement, resembled beasts ready to feast.

"Captain Genji, there's something up ahead," the team's sensory ninja, a young man who appeared no older than sixteen, reported.

"What is it, Kirito? Something wrong in the forest?" Genji, halting and looking at the junior he was optimistic about, inquired.

Genji had already noticed the grove. As a thirty-year-old Jounin, his eyes never left it. It was the only terrain that could hide the young Uchihas, allowing them to set traps. He had previously motivated his team to intimidate the possible hidden enemies, hoping to force some mistakes.

"It seems our targets are cunning. Despite being young, they know how to take advantageous positions for an ambush."

"Ha! Ha! Ha! So, the Uchiha aren't that impressive after all!" Genji laughed, gesturing to Kirito to point out the enemies' locations and signaling his team to prepare for an attack.

These newcomers were his favorite type of prey: inexperienced and nervous, their thoughts easy to read. They weren't yet aware of the brutal reality of being ninjas and often made mistakes out of emotional attachments.

"The fourteen targets are all hidden at the forest's edge, less than fifty meters away. Judging by their chakra, only two are special Jounin," Kirito reported while launching a large shuriken towards the detected positions.

Sensory nijas are a crucial part of the ninja system, proving invaluable in actual combat. Most sensory ninjutsu share a common characteristic: they require intense concentration and the use of chakra to enhance one's natural abilities. This focus allows a ninja to extend their perception range and detect enemies earlier.

When employing sensory techniques, one typically needs to remain still and mobilize the chakra. This maximizes the perception's range and accuracy, as constant sensing over large areas is otherwise impossible except for nearby disturbances.

Both Toshiro and Kirito, the Iwa ninja, were using their sensory abilities to detect anomalies.

As Kirito pinpointed suspicious locations, the hidden Uchihas finally revealed themselves. With their positions compromised, they opted for an open confrontation, launching a barrage of shurikens, kunai, and explosive tags. The Uchiha ninjas, mostly around twelve years old, with the eldest being fifteen, were at a significant disadvantage.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Among these brats, there are two with the Sharingan. Excellent! I'll have two more valuable pairs in my collection!" exclaimed the veteran Jounin, Genji. Despite the sudden attack, he remained unfazed. Lowering his eyes to avoid the Sharingan's illusion, he reminded his comrades, "Everyone, avoid looking into the eyes of those with the Sharingan. Be wary of their genjutsu!"

"Yes, Genji-san!" responded the team, taking cover behind an earth wall created by their companions.

"Be careful; their shuriken technique is exceptional. Watch out for those with explosive tags,"

Genji cautioned, recalling past encounters. He deftly redirected several airborne kunai, ensuring they didn't reach the earth wall. These were lessons learned through bloodshed.

In previous skirmishes, some of Genji's companions, hiding behind similar earth walls, had let their guard down, only to fall victim to the Uchiha's shuriken techniques. The explosive-tagged kunai had caused severe casualties, tipping the battle in the Uchiha's favor. Genji had narrowly escaped with his life, but the memory of his fallen comrades haunted him.

"Switch to combat plan two! First, exhaust their chakra from a distance, then engage them in close combat!" Genji ordered. He had observed that the young Uchihas had limited chakra. Prolonged skirmishes would eventually leave them vulnerable.

"Earth Release: Rock Cannon!" he commanded. Nearly twenty Iwa ninjas formed hand seals simultaneously, spitting out man-sized rocks infused with earth chakra. These rocks quickly transformed into fist-sized projectiles, hurtling towards the young Uchiha.

This was a standard Iwa tactic: create defensive positions using earth release, then bombard the enemy with low-cost, long-range attacks. The more ninjas involved, the more powerful the assault. Their confidence lay in their ability to break any fortification, given enough time.

Nearly twenty massive stones flew through the air with a deafening roar, covering tens of meters in seconds.

"Everyone, dodge quickly!" shouted the lead Uchiha, a female ninja, with urgency. She unleashed a powerful Fireball Jutsu, hoping to slow the incoming stone projectiles and buy her comrades some time.

The large stones were troublesome. Their size and momentum made ordinary C-rank fire jutsus and shurikens ineffective. Even the fireballs could only slow them down rather than destroy them. Using powerful fire jutsus to counter these attacks was impractical given the chakra cost. The leader realized that exhausting her chakra here would put them at a severe disadvantage in the ensuing battle.

Among the five elements, the earth attribute is particularly well-suited for large-scale combat.

Ninjas from Iwa are generally short and stocky, with robust physiques and a strong, cohesive nature. When these rock ninjas form a sizable group, they become formidable opponents, largely due to the unique characteristics of the earth element.

They often take cover behind earth and stone barriers created by their ninjutsu, launching rock cannon attacks from a distance. Many of your attacks are easily blocked by these earth constructs.

And that's not the worst part!

When you try to get close, you'll encounter swamp areas they've created, forcing you to tread carefully to avoid falling into the muck. Even if you manage to get past the swamp, an earth wall typically blocks your path, making it difficult to engage them directly.

If you navigate around the earth wall, you might face detonating tags or three large enemies waiting for you. Even if none of these hazards materialize and you manage to engage in close combat, the enemy might retreat to a more advantageous position—the very earth beneath your feet!

Iwa ninjas excel at earth release jutsu and hiding using them, making pursuit a challenging task without advanced sensing abilities. Detecting an enemy hidden underground is tough, and engaging them on their home turf is risky.

As the Iwa ninjas' rock iron cannons struck, the once peaceful grove became a scene of devastation. Smoke and dust filled the air, and when it cleared, the area was riddled with holes, fallen rocks, and broken trees. The attack hadn't hit any nimble enemies, but the trees and ground bore the brunt of the damage. Only a few giant trees remained standing, while the rest were reduced to debris.

The ground was pockmarked by the rock cannons, and flying debris occasionally injured Uchihas who couldn't dodge in time.

"Don't stop! Kirito, keep monitoring their movements!" Genji ordered, seeing one or two injured by the rocks. He had no intention of ceasing the attack until the enemies had exhausted at least half of their chakra. Any unfortunate ones hit by the projectiles would make the task easier.

Just twenty meters away, Toshiro, who had been lying low, realized he could wait no longer. His comrades were struggling to withstand the barrage of rock cannons. Each attack covered a vast area, and even if the rocks didn't directly hit them, the resulting debris was a constant threat. If Asuka and Kirishima didn't use fire jutsu to slow the rocks, their companions might not dodge in time.

However, the heated rocks became more dangerous, increasing the splintering effect. A few more rounds like this, and the team leaders would be nearly incapacitated, compromising their ability to fight in close combat. The younger ninjas, inexperienced in battle, would be drained from dodging.

Toshiro knew he had to act. Observing the positions of the Iwa ninjas, the three black tomoe in his eyes began to rotate. Forming seals with his hands, he gathered chakra in his chest and released it.

"Fire Release: Pheonix Flower Flame Bullets!"

A large ball of chakra transformed into a basketball-sized fireball, which exploded into thirty smaller, spinning fireballs, each the size of a table tennis ball, and shot towards the Iwa ninjas.

The Iwa ninjas, unaware and with their backs turned, were unprepared. Toshiro had only used his peripheral vision to target them, fearing they might detect any direct gaze.

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