Chapter 176: Mercy

A deafening thud resounded across the grassy lands of the Land of Grass. Even on a nearby battlefield where the Uchiha youngsters and the remaining Iwa-nin Chunin were locked in fierce combat, everyone halted their actions and turned toward the direction of the sudden loud noise.

They knew that although their battle was intense, if a decisive outcome was reached soon on that side, they needed to prepare accordingly. In most cases, the outcome of a ninja battle is determined by the leaders' strength.

As they shifted their gaze toward the battlefield they were concerned about, a fiery white electric light flashed into their view just before the dust settled. All onlookers squinted their eyes, pained by the brightness of the light.

"So fast!"

The special Jonin of Iwa-nin looked down at his chest and could only utter these words before blood gushed from his mouth. With a thud, he lost all strength, his body slowly falling backward and detaching from the Chidori piercing his chest, which was wielded by Toshiro.

As he fell, the stone club that he had condensed with his own chakra, now broken into two, slipped from his hand and dropped onto the grass, making two muffled sounds.

Just now, Toshiro had used the high speed of Chidori to advance to the side of the special Jonin, who had a slight awareness and prepared a defensive stance. However, faced with Toshiro's high-level Lightning Release Ninjutsu, neither the stone club charged with Earth Release chakra nor the hardening jutsu on his chest could save his life.

The piercing power of the opponent's Lightning Release was too terrifying. Both his weapon and defense were ineffective against this higher-tier jutsu that countered his attributes. With his weapon broken and defense shattered, there was no alternative end for him.

"This Lightning Release..."

Jonin Kangyama of Iwa-nin, who was secretly observing, was taken aback. He did not expect that the ninjutsu displayed by the opponent would possess such terrifying power, killing his subordinate with just one move. Even though the special Jonin had physical strength and speed rivaling many Jonin, he lacked proficiency in ninjutsu, genjutsu, and secret techniques, which held him back.

Furthermore, he had never even heard of this ninjutsu before.

"It's really quite..."

The stone ball acting as his eyes hid carefully within the grass as he observed the current situation, torn between decisions. His tactics had been rendered ineffective despite using his comrade as bait to lure the opponent. With his comrade now dead and his own advantage lost, could he still eliminate the opponent?

Would retreating alone, embarrassedly, to the base camp yield any better results?

As Jonin Kangyama hesitated, Toshiro, gazing at his fallen opponent, couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. He wondered if he might meet a similar end someday, killed mercilessly by ninjas from another nation.

Although he managed to kill the opponent with the trump card of Sage Mode this time, Sage Mode wasn't omnipotent, especially not his unrefined version. Despite having shadow clones at the camp helping him gather senjutsu chakra, their assistance was limited, and large-scale ninja wars were not solved by three or five instances of shadow clone intervention alone.

The enemy's attacks were relentless, wave after wave. Even if one wave is repelled, countless others await. It was as if he was navigating a small boat on a turbulent sea, where any unforeseen wave could spell disaster.

Therefore, he was reluctant to use his Sage Mode until absolutely necessary. He had carefully set up a barrier around his tent to ensure that only one shadow clone was outside its coverage when they dissipated, allowing him to avoid dispersing all clones simultaneously.

Kneeling slightly, Toshiro extended his right hand, touching the ground to sense the hidden Jonin of Iwa-nin. "Found you~"

With Sage Mode enhancing his perception, he quickly pinpointed his enemy's location. The Jonin was positioned about thirty meters to his left, five meters underground.

"Hm! The opponent is moving~"

Observing the Jonin's retreating direction, Toshiro couldn't help but smile. He hadn't expected the opponent to attempt an escape amidst this turmoil, leaving their battling comrades behind.

"But how naive!"

"Do you think hiding underground makes you invulnerable?"

With his opponent's position locked, Toshiro swiftly dashed to the spot above the hidden Jonin. Without hesitation, he thrust a blazing white spear, charged with Lightning chakra, straight into the ground, aiming for the enemy.

In this kill-or-be-killed environment, he held no reservations. Any mercy extended would only bring doom upon himself and his comrades.