Chapter 587: Suppressing Kumo
Eastern coast of the Land of Lightning, in a mountainous area.
Twelve Iwa ninja were gathered together, discussing tactics.
The commander of this group was none other than Haku Minazuki!
The twelve were composed of three squads: an ANBU squad led personally by Haku, and two regular squads led by Kaoru Fujii and Tsuruhime Kamizuru.
The three friends had finally realized their wish to fight side-by-side again.
At this moment, Tsuruhime was analyzing the intelligence. "The enemy outnumbers us. There are about twenty of them. My bees report that their chakra signatures are strong."
"Since Kumo was routed, they've been scattered and hiding. It's rare for this many powerful ninja to be gathered together."
"They must have one or two powerful or high-ranking individuals leading them."
"Otherwise, they couldn't have gathered so many people."
"Our strength isn't enough to deal with them. I suggest we contact other nearby hunting squads for help."
Kaoru Fujii nodded. "I agree. But we need to keep an eye on the area around them. They're too strong; if other squads stumble into them, they'll be wiped out."
Haku said, "Agreed. Tsuruhime, use your bees to keep watch. Prevent any other squads from approaching."
Haku then had one of his subordinates send a message to headquarters, requesting reinforcements.
While they waited, Tsuruhime suddenly stood up.
She looked anxious. "Two squads are approaching this area."
Haku said quickly, "Tell them to divert!"
"Too late," Tsuruhime said. "They didn't hide their tracks. The Kumo ninja have definitely spotted them."
"If they turn around now, Kumo will know something's wrong."
Haku grit his teeth. "Kumo has the advantage, but they're afraid of exposure. They might not attack."
"And even if they do, they'll try to end it quickly. I bet they'll set up an ambush."
"We'll move in and form a wider encirclement around them!"
"When their attention is drawn by the two squads, we'll ambush them from behind. Try to take out a large number in the first strike."
Tsuruhime and Kaoru both nodded.
Tsuruhime then used her bees to closely monitor the twenty-plus Kumo ninja.
"Twenty-three in total. Based on their speed, only two are Genin. The rest are at least Chunin."
The Kumo ninja had indeed spotted the two Iwa squads.
They didn't wait; they were decisive. They immediately decided to wipe out the two squads.
But their movement allowed Tsuruhime's bees to get a clearer read on their numbers and strength.
Haku looked at the ninja around him, and his heart sank.
His ANBU squad was strong—elites among Chunin, capable of holding their own against Jonin for a while.
But Tsuruhime's squad was a regular squad. Although they had been together for a while, the three members were still Genin, just with decent combat experience.
And Kaoru's three subordinates were rookie Genin, Guardian Ninja candidates who had just graduated this year. Their talent was good, but they were inexperienced.
The power gap was too big. This would be a tough fight.
Haku thought for a moment. "Kaoru, Tsuruhime, leave your subordinates here. The five of us will go."
They were counter-ambushing. Six Genin would likely expose them.
Kaoru and Tsuruhime agreed, gave instructions to their subordinates, and left with Haku's squad.
Meanwhile, the moving Kumo group stopped in a small valley.
They split into two groups: fifteen hid on the larger slope to the left, and eight hid on the right.
They chose this valley based on the Iwa squads' route.
Tsuruhime, monitoring them, quickly relayed the info.
Kaoru asked, "Haku, should we ambush one side first?"
Haku visualized the terrain. "We won't go into the valley. We'll go around and get ahead of them."
"Tsuruhime, tell the two squads to slow down. Buy us some time."
Tsuruhime nodded and sent her bees to inform the two Iwa squads.
The Iwa ninja recognized the bees; Ishiro's disciples' trademarks were well known.
Hearing that over twenty Kumo elites were targeting them, the eight ninja panicked slightly.
Fortunately, the two squad leaders were experienced and knew running wasn't an option. Plus, the authority of the Tsuchikage's disciple carried weight.
So they agreed to cooperate.
The two squads slowed down, occasionally stopping to inspect the sides of the road, acting cautious.
The ambushing Kumo ninja didn't suspect anything; they just assumed the Iwa squads had found some clues. As long as they didn't signal for help and kept moving toward the ambush, the Kumo commander didn't worry.
But when the eight were only ten meters from the ambush zone, someone seemingly noticed something wrong. The eight of them suddenly turned and ran.
The Kumo ninja had been tensely waiting, thinking about how to end the fight silently.
Lightning Release was too bright; taijutsu or kenjutsu was best. No ninjutsu allowed; disrupt their hand seals with shuriken.
But then, the Iwa ninja turned and ran in unison.
The Kumo ninja were caught off guard. Their reaction was delayed.
The commander paused, wondering what had gone wrong.
By the time he ordered the pursuit, the Iwa ninja were already dozens of meters away.
Kumo still didn't use ninjutsu. The noise wasn't too loud yet, so they still hoped for a silent kill.
The fifteen on the left slope charged first. The eight on the right were slower to receive the order and lagged behind.
So the pursuit broke into two waves.
Kumo was faster. They closed the distance to about a hundred meters.
Just as Kumo was about to catch up...
Bzzzzzz! The sound of countless bees erupted from both sides of the rear group of eight Kumo ninja.
Accompanied by the buzzing were several large-scale jutsu.
Dense clusters of small fireballs covered the eight ninja from one side.
Countless ice senbon rained down from the other.
Haku, Kaoru, and Tsuruhime opened with their best AoE attacks.
Especially Haku. His B-rank Ice Release was as powerful as an A-rank jutsu.
Meanwhile, Haku's three subordinates targeted the dozen Kumo ninja in the front.
Three Chunin couldn't hurt those elites, but their goal was just to delay them from reinforcing the rear.
The two fleeing Iwa squads also stopped and threw a barrage of weapons backward to pin down the front group.
Haku planned to eat the rear group of eight in this first surprise attack.
He was confident. He, Kaoru, and Tsuruhime were all Elite Jonin.
Against their full power, eight unprepared ninja shouldn't escape.
Once those eight were gone, the numbers would be even, and they would have a fighting chance.
The Land of Lightning was Iwa territory now; reinforcements would come quickly once the noise started.
But what happened next exceeded Haku's expectations.
The eight lagging Kumo ninja were not the soft targets he thought they were.
Three of them managed to cast defensive jutsu before the attack hit.
Although they were low-level jutsu, the speed of their reaction marked them as Elite Jonin!
Three Elite Jonin in the rear group! Haku's heart sank.
The trio's attacks continued, launching another wave.
But the effect was poor. After two rounds, four of the eight managed to break out of the encirclement.
Watching the three Elite Jonin and one Chunin escape to join the front group, every Iwa ninja knew they were in trouble.
The front group had been ambushed but had instinctively defended rather than counter-attacked, so Iwa had taken no casualties yet.
But the strength they displayed was shocking.
Of the dozen-plus ninja in the front, at least half were Jonin, with several Elite Jonin among them.
Haku had kicked an iron plate. This group was one of the strongest remnants of Kumo.
And after two rounds of exchange, Kumo now knew Iwa's strength.
In an instant, the roles of hunter and hunted reversed.
"Don't hold back! Finish them fast, then move!" a furious voice shouted from the Kumo side.
The Kumo ninja attacked.
Haku shouted, "Scatter and retreat!"
"Tsuruhime, Kaoru, stay with me to cover the rear!"
It was clear they couldn't win. Fighting to the death was pointless; running was better.
Haku's order was timely, but ineffective. Kumo's advantage was too great.
As the Iwa squads fled, many Kumo ninja chased after them.
From their speed alone, it was clear the pursuers were stronger. And the distance wasn't great. Escape was almost impossible.
The remaining Kumo ninja swarmed Haku's trio.
Before Haku could engage, screams came from the direction of the fleeing squads.
Haku's gaze turned cold. His hands formed seals rapidly. Knowing he was about to unleash a big move, Tsuruhime had her bees form a defensive perimeter.
Kaoru added a ring of fireballs inside the bee perimeter.
Bees to intercept ninjutsu, fireballs to stop taijutsu. It was their standard tactic.
"One is an Ice Release user! The other is Kamizuru clan!"
"They're the Tsuchikage's disciples! Kill them! Avenge everyone!"
Their jutsu were too distinctive; some Kumo ninja recognized them.
Kumo's hatred for Ishiro was endless. Two Raikage killed, tens of thousands dead, their village destroyed. All because of him.
Hearing they were his disciples, the Kumo ninja saw red.
The enemy was right there. If they didn't fight now, when would they?
Some stepped back to prepare high-level jutsu. Others pulled out explosive tags and charged in suicide attacks.
After the fall of Kumogakure, many had fled. Those who remained were the hardliners, determined to fight to the death. They felt there was no hope for revival, so they wanted to take as many enemies with them as possible.
So they went all out from the start. Even some who were chasing the others turned back to join the siege upon hearing Haku's identity.
Two taijutsu users ignored the bees and charged straight into the perimeter. Suicide attack.
Fortunately, the defense was layered. Breaking through the bees, they were hit by fireballs.
Kaoru's soul-burning flames were undefendable. The pain was beyond willpower.
They fell, tags unlit, and were finished off by Tsuruhime's kunai.
But just then, three Lightning Release jutsu hit the same spot in the bee wall, blasting a hole.
Kunai and shuriken poured through the gap.
The attack was inaccurate, but Tsuruhime rushed forward to block the ones aimed at their vitals.
By the time the second wave came, she had plugged the gap.
But all three were cut by the weapons.
Boom! Boom! Two more explosions from tags blew two massive holes in the bee wall.
Tsuruhime and Kaoru stepped into the gaps, blocking for Haku.
Haku was frantic. Both were long-range fighters. Despite Ishiro's training, their taijutsu was only Chunin-level. They couldn't block Kumo's attacks unscathed.
Sure enough, the sound of tearing flesh echoed.
Both were hit.
With them injured, the two defensive layers collapsed rapidly.
Kumo was overjoyed. The bees dispersed, clearing their vision. They aimed everything at Haku.
"Ice Release: Blast Wind Ice Dragon!" Haku roared.
A giant dragon head of ice formed beneath their feet, launching them into the air.
It appeared just in time, carrying them above the attacks.
The attacks hit the dragon's body, chipping off ice but doing no real damage.
"Damn it! That's at least an A-rank Ice Release, almost S-rank! Suppress it with wide-area jutsu!"
"Such a huge jutsu must consume a lot of chakra! Hold on, wear him down!"
The dominance of a Kekkai Genkai user was on full display.
Several A-rank jutsu from Kumo were easily smashed aside by the dragon's tail.
And the Ice Release was stronger than they thought; the dragon didn't vanish. It continued to attack.
It wasn't a one-off jutsu. It was like Iwa's S-rank Golem Jutsu, a construct that could fight under the user's control. And it could regenerate.
Haku stood on the dragon's head, forming seals, controlling it to rampage through the Kumo ranks.
Beside him, Kaoru was treating Tsuruhime.
Kaoru was hurt, but not critically. Tsuruhime, however, had been hit in the vitals by a kunai. She was dying.
Haku saw this. While fighting, he diverted some Ice Release to freeze Tsuruhime's lower body, temporarily preserving her life.
Only then did Kaoru treat her own wounds.
Although the immediate danger was gone, the crisis wasn't over.
Kumo had adapted. They spread out, avoiding direct confrontation with the dragon and using jutsu to restrict its movement, playing the attrition game.
The dragon had killed many at first, but its effectiveness was dropping. Its main function now was just buying time.
As time passed, Haku's face grew pale.
Controlling the giant dragon was a massive drain. He was overdrawing his chakra. But he couldn't stop. If the dragon slowed, the attacks would come.
Kumo sensed Haku's state. They were excited. Victory was close. They would kill Ishiro's disciples today. Killing Ishiro was hopeless, but killing his students would hurt him.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Suddenly, a shout rang out from the distance—thousands of voices shouting in unison.
Haku knew that voice. It was Neji's "beloved" sister, Riori Uzumaki.
"Run! It's Riori Uzumaki, the Iwa Elite Jonin!" someone screamed.
They saw the sky turn red with fire and were terrified.
Riori was an Elite Jonin, but in Kumo's eyes, she was as dangerous as a Kage.
They dared to mob Haku's team, but no one wanted to face Riori.
Kumo scattered. Those too slow were swallowed by the sea of fire dragons.
Haku's team, high on the ice dragon, avoided the flames.
Seeing the enemy gone, Haku's focus snapped. The dragon shattered, and the three of them fell from the sky.
Fortunately, there were enough Rioris below to catch them.
Seeing Kaoru and Tsuruhime injured, the Rioris started chattering.
"Quick, save them!"
"Take them to HQ!"
"Find Karin and Sakura!"
"Karin's at HQ!"
"Should we do CPR first?"
Riori had come alone, without Shion, so the scene was chaotic.
A moment later, under Kaoru's direction, the Rioris carried the two wounded and the exhausted Haku toward the Iwa command center in the Land of Lightning.
Sakura and Karin were now the top medics in Iwa. They rotated shifts at the front line.
Today, it was Karin. She had just finished treating a wounded arm when she heard the commotion outside.
She stepped out of the tent.
Seeing a mass of Rioris charging the medical tent, she panicked. "Riori-sensei! Stop! Dispel the clones!"
Riori dispelled the clones... and the carried trio dropped to the ground.
Poor Tsuruhime, whose life was being held together by ice, nearly died from the fall.
Luckily, Karin was there. She rolled up her sleeve and shoved her arm into Tsuruhime's mouth.
If it had been Sakura, Tsuruhime might not have made it.
After stabilizing Tsuruhime, Karin wiped the sweat from her brow and glared at Riori.
Riori realized she had messed up. She stood sheepishly to the side, head down, silent. It looked like Karin was the teacher and she the student.
Karin treated Kaoru and Haku, then asked about what happened.
Before Haku could speak, Riori launched into a vivid description of how her shadow clones and fire dragons had massacred the enemy.
Karin listened patiently, then let Haku speak.
Hearing about the strong enemies they faced, Karin was shocked. "It seems we really have to thank Riori-sensei."
"If it had been anyone else, the reinforcement might not have worked."
Riori beamed. "See? See? I'm amazing!"
"Karin, want to reconsider learning the Fire Row Technique?"
(End of Chapter)
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