"Very good! Don't get bogged down in fighting! Burn the supplies and retreat immediately!"
Kurokawa cut down a Konoha ninja with a single slash and shouted loudly.
He had no idea that Tsunade had developed hemophobia; he simply assumed that the assassination attempts by a few bounty ninjas could at least serve as a distraction and buy them some time.
*Clap!*
After landing, Hardy clapped his hands together, quickly formed hand seals, and unleashed a Wind Release technique at full power, combining it with Gale Dance.
"Wind Release: Tornado Hurricane!"
A massive amount of stamina and chakra was consumed, but the result was nothing short of spectacular.
An endless gale surged forth, sweeping up everything in its path.
The clouds in the sky were stirred, forming a giant tornado that stretched from the ground all the way up to the clouds.
"A jutsu of this scale..."
Baki stared ahead in shock.
It wasn't just him—everyone else was equally astonished.
Even among the jōnin in the village who specialized in Wind Release, almost none possessed this level of power.
To create a jutsu of such catastrophic magnitude, it would normally require several Wind Release users working together, or a master of Kage-level strength to unleash such destructive force.
But surprise aside, they were all highly competent ninja.
Pakura and Ishito immediately used Fire Release techniques, merging them into the tornado.
Meanwhile, Hardy was already starting to breathe heavily.
He had used up a considerable amount of chakra, though he hadn't reached his limit yet.
Even if he couldn't pull off another one, he could still continue to strengthen the tornado.
Like a weather mage wielding a staff of storms, the tornado he conjured at full power was capable of destroying a large city the size of Nakajo.
Weaker ninja and ordinary civilians stood no chance of survival before such a natural disaster.
Their objective this time was to destroy Konoha's logistics system. Such a large-scale combination jutsu was more than enough—there was no need to go further.
"Retreat!"
After unleashing the jutsu, Kurokawa made a decisive call.
Their repeated raids on Konoha's outposts tonight had already put the enemy on high alert. With such a commotion this time, the next response would likely be a medium-sized squad of at least a hundred, perhaps even more, sent to hunt them down.
They had to move quickly, leave this place, and cross the border of the Land of Fire to ensure their safety.
Moreover, after two days of nonstop marching and multiple raids across different areas in a single night, their chakra reserves were running low, and supplies like ninja tools and soldier pills were nearly depleted.
After leaving the city—
"Kurokawa-senpai, Captain Ishito, I believe I have some important intel to report."
On the way, Hardy took the initiative to address the two jōnin in the team.
"Go ahead," Kurokawa replied without turning his head.
"According to my reconnaissance, Konoha's Tsunade-hime has likely developed hemophobia and has lost most of her combat and medical abilities."
Kurokawa couldn't help but stop in his tracks.
Everyone else halted as well, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
That was Tsunade!
One of the legendary Sannin, Konoha's Slug Princess, afflicted with hemophobia?
That was...
Fantastic news!
"Are you sure?"
"I'm more than ninety percent certain."
Kurokawa carefully recalled the recent intelligence on Tsunade.
Ever since the last great battle, Tsunade had indeed disappeared for a long time—not only absent from the battlefield, but with little other information about her.
Konoha had no reason to sideline someone of such crucial strategic importance, and even the Third Hokage didn't have the authority to keep Tsunade hidden.
She was the granddaughter of the First Hokage, the iconic representative of the Senju clan in this era, and the medical prodigy who had saved countless Konoha ninja.
Trying to sideline Tsunade? The Konoha ninja would never allow it.
And now, even with such an important battle, Tsunade hadn't shown herself, instead hiding in a rear city, gambling all day...
It seemed Hardy's intel was genuine.
"If Tsunade has hemophobia, should we..." Baki made a throat-slitting gesture.
"No need," Ishito shook his head.
"Tsunade is surely under Konoha's secret protection. After the commotion we just caused, if I were Tsunade, I'd relocate immediately. All we need to do is bring this intel back—this alone is a great achievement."
"Well said. Let's keep moving. Hardy, sorry to trouble you, but please scout from the sky again. We need to avoid Konoha's forces and get back as soon as possible."
"Understood!"
Hardy nodded calmly and, together with Kurokawa, took to the skies as they had before.
The journey back was eventful but ultimately safe.
Konoha did send out pursuers, but with Hardy's flying and sensory abilities, they were able to avoid all enemy squads.
Even if there were occasional ambushes or unexpected situations, as long as the enemy didn't include someone of Orochimaru's or the Third Hokage's caliber, their team could always retreat safely.
Furthermore, on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, Konoha and the Hidden Rain were currently joining forces to launch a massive assault against Sunagakure and Iwagakure, leaving them unable to spare large forces to blockade the border or send top-tier ninja to intercept. After circling around for most of the day and evading Konoha's pursuit, Hardy and the others finally returned to the Land of Rain at around 2 p.m. that same day.
Chiyo was not in the camp.
Most of the Sunagakure ninja had gone with her to fight Konoha's forces.
In the camp, only Kazekami Chiran and two other jōnin remained, holding the rear with a small group to prevent Konoha from launching a surprise attack.
"Kazekami-kun, what's the situation? Does the front line need our support?"
In the main conference room of the camp...
Kurokawa turned to Kazami Chiran and asked.
In their squad, there were two elite jonin, and even Hardy could serve as a jonin. On a local battlefield, they could play a significant role.
"No need. The Rain ninja have suffered heavy casualties, and Hanzo has already withdrawn his troops. Konoha probably won't hold out much longer and will likely retreat soon," Kazami Chiran said to Ishido.
"Moreover, the impact of your team's actions is already taking effect. With their supply lines disrupted, Konoha absolutely cannot sustain large-scale operations for long. In fact, for a certain period, they'll even lose the ability to launch proactive attacks. If they don't want to risk a rout, they'll have to tighten their defenses and pull back."
"In that case, I'm relieved," Ishido nodded.
But Kazami Chiran wasn't finished.
He slapped a brand-new certificate of appointment down onto the table.
"In addition, this mission serves as Hardy's special jonin promotion assessment. The mission was completed perfectly—congratulations, Special Jonin Hardy."
Kazami Chiran smiled at Hardy.
....
I started a pa t r i on with 10 advanced chapters, its still free do check it out.