Clang! Clang clang!
Boom!
The sounds of intense fighting echoed from a distance.
The Mist Ninjas' counterattack was even more decisive than Aokiyo had anticipated.
In just the two or three minutes it took him to return to the temporary camp, the area near Yuzumi Port had already erupted into chaos.
Hovering in mid-air, Aokiyo scanned the distant battlefield. He could see massive flames and hear the continuous explosions of explosive tags.
It was clear that the Mist Ninjas were launching a full-scale assault.
From this, it was predictable that a command to deploy him and his camp to support the battlefront would arrive imminently.
And that was likely why the camp urgently summoned him back.
Shaking his head, Aokiyo stopped dwelling on the matter, descending in a wide arc.
When the people in the camp saw him return, they immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
As Kobayashi Junji and a few others approached, Aokiyo skillfully delegated tasks, instructing them to prepare for immediate deployment to the battlefield. Then, he began quietly waiting for orders.
Sure enough, it didn't take long before a directive from Nara Hikaru arrived.
The content of the order was precisely as expected: he and his unit were to head to the battlefield to reinforce their allies and thwart the Mist Ninjas' counteroffensive.
Without hesitation, Aokiyo led his team out of the camp, heading straight toward the battlefront.
Before long, they arrived at the battlefield.
The scene was utter chaos. The Mist Ninjas had thrown the majority of their forces into the fray, launching a direct assault on the nearest Leaf forces.
But the Leaf Village wasn't caught off guard.
For the past ten days or so, they had remained on high alert. The moment any unusual movement from the Mist Ninjas was detected, a significant number of reinforcements had already been dispatched.
As a result, even though the Mist Ninjas committed an overwhelming number of troops, they were unable to breach the Leaf Village's defensive line. The battle was constrained to a narrow area within five kilometers west of Yuzumi Port.
For the countless ninjas from both sides, this confined space was far too small.
Consequently, the casualties on both sides were much higher than expected.
Yet, neither side was willing to retreat.
The Mist Village was determined to carve off a piece of the Leaf Village's forces before reinforcements from other fronts arrived.
That way, even if peace negotiations became inevitable, they could still secure more favorable terms.
As for the Leaf Village?
They had already gained minimal benefits from their negotiations with the Sand Village. If they were to lose significant territory here, even if Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to push for peace, the other decision-makers would never agree.
At that point, peace would no longer be an option.
And that was something every Leaf ninja wanted to avoid.
Thus, they were resolved to hold the line and ensure the Mist Ninjas couldn't gain additional leverage.
As Aokiyo pondered the situation, these thoughts quickly came together in his mind.
But merely understanding the dynamics didn't change anything—his will alone couldn't alter the battlefield's course.
More importantly, he had no desire to do so.
This was their choice, and Aokiyo had no intention of interfering.
Instead, he'd rather use the chaos to his advantage and harvest as much chakra as possible.
With that thought in mind, Aokiyo quickly coordinated with a few commanding jonin stationed there, completed the handover, and led his team into the fray.
Briefly assessing his chakra reserves, Aokiyo found that, since it was still midday and he hadn't begun practicing the Shadow Clone Technique yet, his chakra levels were near their peak.
In this state, he couldn't absorb much more chakra.
Moreover, he'd been too busy recently to develop a sealing technique capable of storing excess chakra.
As a result, even with the abundance of Mist Ninjas around, he had no way to absorb more chakra.
Frowning slightly, Aokiyo muttered to himself after a moment, "It seems I'll have to resort to the clumsy method."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and quickly formed a series of hand seals, activating the Shadow Clone Technique.
Poof!
A puff of chakra-infused smoke dispersed, and three shadow clones materialized by his side.
Yes, Aokiyo intended to use his shadow clones as makeshift "batteries."
This method had already been tested during the shadow clones' "training missions" over the past few days and was proven effective.
While the shadow clones couldn't store as much chakra as his main body, they could manage six to seven-tenths of the total.
With that, the issue of insufficient storage was resolved.
Still, some camouflage was necessary.
With this in mind, Aokiyo activated the Mind Link Technique, connecting himself with his three clones. "Disguise yourselves," he instructed.
Without a word, the three clones immediately formed hand seals and used the Transformation Technique, each turning into a nondescript Leaf ninja.
He wasn't worried about people discovering his chakra-absorbing ability—many already knew he possessed a jutsu for that.
The reason for the disguise was simply to avoid attracting too much attention from the Mist Ninjas.
After all, if they noticed him openly absorbing chakra on the battlefield, they would likely target him out of pride or strategy.
While Aokiyo himself wasn't concerned about such attention, his shadow clones were another matter entirely.
True, after advancing his Shadow Clone Technique to Level 6, the clones had become more stable and resilient, but they still weren't as durable as his main body.
If targeted, the clones could easily be destroyed.
Aokiyo had no desire to waste chakra repeatedly summoning replacement clones, let alone lose precious time doing so.
Given the choice to avoid unnecessary trouble, why not take it?
Ignoring the confusion among his subordinates, Aokiyo casually waved his clones off and then led his team deeper into the battlefield.
Before long, the fighting began, and everyone became too preoccupied to dwell on anything else.
Meanwhile, Aokiyo focused on fighting Mist Ninjas while using the Mind Link Technique to monitor his shadow clones' actions.
The battlefield truly was an ideal place for opportunistic gains.
Within moments, the clones had found opportunities to drain two Mist Ninjas of their chakra, accumulating nearly 10,000 units in total.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before their bodies reached their chakra limits.
With that in mind, Aokiyo promptly instructed his clones to balance absorption with combat, suggesting they use various techniques to expend chakra while increasing their skill proficiency.
This approach not only enhanced their abilities but also freed up capacity to absorb more chakra—a win-win.
As for the additional chakra consumed in battles involving the clones?
It was all gained for free anyway, so Aokiyo didn't mind the cost.
Time ticked by.
After several attempts, the clones managed to achieve a balance of absorption and expenditure, and their skills began leveling up rapidly.
Seeing this, Aokiyo finally felt at ease.
Just then, two Mist jonin closed in on him.
Though he had kept a low profile on the battlefield, his reputation had still drawn the Mist Ninjas' attention.
That was the downside of fame.
Watching the two approach, Aokiyo couldn't help but feel grateful he had created three shadow clones beforehand.
If he hadn't, being pinned down by these two would've been an enormous headache!
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