Chapter 169 - Success

"Captain! Save me…"

"Captain Gangshan!"

At this moment, Captain Gangshan, hearing the screams of his teammates before their deaths, couldn't help but twitch his eyes, even though he was used to seeing life and death.

He did not expect that what he thought was a sure-win hunt would undergo such a drastic change in an instant.

Although these attacks did not affect him much, they were not easily countered by the Chunin.

Despite his utmost efforts to block the fireballs, several of his subordinates still perished, and many more were injured, some even severely.

However, before he could focus more on his subordinates' situation, the opponent's next wave of attacks already followed closely.

And from the corner of his eye, he noticed that the other side was still forming seals, seemingly preparing for a third wave of offense.

"Damn! This sneaky assailant really leaves no room to breathe!"

Before he could think of a way to counter the attack, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

A large swarm of kunai rained down, enveloping the area where they were, targeting those rock-ninjas who were still unsteady after dodging the fireballs.

Unless a miracle happens, the Jonin might be fine, but these limited-capacity Chunin could suffer heavy casualties in this wave.

"Earth Release: Multiple Earth Walls!"

Gritting his teeth, he quickly formed hand signs to perform the convenient and straightforward Earth Wall Jutsu in this crucial moment.

He couldn't just create a single earth wall because their numbers were too great to effectively shield from the attack. 

He managed to block most of the incoming kunai!

It made the leading Jonin slightly relieved.

Faced with the unknown ninjutsu from the opponent, he had no good countermeasures for the moment.

The opponent's surprise attack was too sudden!

The three waves of attacks connected seamlessly, as if rehearsed countless times, completing within three to five seconds.

He couldn't deploy more powerful defensive jutsu after blocking part of the attacks.

Moreover, the opponent was exceptionally vigilant!

Even the fastest-response Special Jonin in his team failed to land a counter-attack from underground, as the opponent dodged skillfully.

"Hmm!"

"Humph!"

The anguished moans reaching his ears made the already irritable Captain Gangshan even more frustrated.

Those who cried in pain were the ones who evaded the fireballs but were far from his protection range.

Though he quickly erected a multiple earth wall, he couldn't cover all his comrades.

Some still bore several kunai; two unfortunate fellows lay in pools of blood already.

Before he could catch a breather, deafening dragon roars echoed in his eardrums.

"Disperse! Don't group together!" 

Feeling the heat even through the earth wall, Captain Gangshan furiously shouted at his subordinates.

Judging by the sensation alone, he knew the hastily erected straight-line earth walls couldn't block the final wave of the assailant's jutsu.

As he finished speaking, the earth wall that blocked the kunai couldn't withstand the impact of the incoming ninjutsu and shattered.

Right in front of his eyes, a gigantic six to seven meters Chakra flame dragon head dove towards his position, interrupting his half-formed hand signs.

"Bastard!"

Faced with such a high-level Fire Release jutsu, he had no confidence that mere Earth Hardening Jutsu would suffice. 

Especially since the jutsu was cast hastily, unable to cover much of his body.

Boom!

With the flaming dragon head breaching the obstacle and hitting the ground, a massive scorched pit formed, where Captain Gangshan once stood.

The Chunin, deprived of Jonin protection and still reeling from the surprise attack, faced grim outcomes.

The Dragon Flame Song, after all, could split into three to five dragon heads, targeting different enemies based on the caster's needs and chakra level.

In his effort for a surprise attack's effectiveness, Toshiro split into five dragon heads, stretching his chakra pathways to the limit, almost causing them to burst.

Chakra running from the abdomen to the mouth and "expelled" has a limit in quantity, varying significantly by individual chakra pathways' strength.

This time, he was staking everything!

And now, with no Jonin to shield them, it depended on whether the remaining two Special Jonin could save the others.

Roar!

Boom!

Ah!

Series of different sounds represented differing fates in the midst of the rock-ninjas!

These were the results of the remaining four flaming dragon heads; without Jonin defense, even the Special Jonin had no viable countermeasures hastily.

All they could do was erect Earth Wall Jutsu to momentarily delay Toshiro's assault, creating slight chances of escape, but no decisive defenses.

Only the Earth Wall Jutsu of C-rank could barely resist a high-tier Fire Release like Toshiro's.

Unless each had reached profound mastery of Earth Nature Transformation.

As the ground trembled and rock-ninjas screamed, smoke mixed with fire and scorched scents spread across the clearing outside the grove.

No need to count numbers to know: Toshiro's meticulously planned attack reaped considerable achievement, inflicting severe loss on the rock-ninjas!