Aozora was bound to return to Konoha eventually, which was why Fugaku hadn't given him an official position.
In the afternoon, after a day of training, Aozora stepped out of his tent and found Fugaku and Shikaku inspecting the outpost.
Looking at the bustling camp, Aozora couldn't help but admire the incredible productivity of ninja.
He remarked, "If Konoha's ninja dedicated themselves to production, they could sustain at least ten major cities. That would bring far more benefits than launching wars against smaller countries."
Fugaku thought for a moment before replying, "You're right. Ninjas were born to wield blades, not plows."
Shikaku added, "More importantly, even if you pick up the hoe, others won't put down their swords. Eventually, your enemies will steal the food you grow, burn down the houses you build, and kill your loved ones."
Nodding, Aozora understood that ninja were well aware of their strong productivity. Many of the lower-ranked missions in the Five Great Ninja Villages involved productive tasks.
However, the Ninja World wasn't peaceful. When other nations were engaged in an arms race, one couldn't simply stop to develop production, or all efforts would benefit others.
Of course, there was more to it, but Aozora had no intention of digging deeper.
He always believed people should stick to what concerned them directly.
Now merely serving as Fugaku's assistant, issues like Konoha's development or peace in the Ninja World weren't his to contemplate yet.
Fugaku didn't dwell on Aozora's casual remark and asked instead, "Why did you come looking for me?"
Given Aozora's laziness, he wouldn't approach Fugaku without reason.
Smiling, Aozora replied, "Clan Leader, I just thought of another strategy to deal with Iwagakure."
Fugaku's eyes lit up. "Quickly tell me! Your previous surprise raid plan cost Iwagakure dearly. What brilliant idea do you have this time?"
Fugaku slipped unintentionally, though since he'd never explicitly claimed the raid strategy as his own before, it wasn't really a slip-up.
Shikaku didn't dwell on it either. Knowing the raid strategy had been Aozora's idea, he began viewing Aozora in a new light and was genuinely curious about his next plan.
Aozora said, "What if we launch another night raid tonight?"
"Another night raid?"
Fugaku looked astonished. "Haven't you noticed? Kitsuchi isn't a fool. After last night's attack, he must've strengthened his defenses, setting up numerous sentry posts, traps, and barriers outside the camp. Going in now would be like walking straight into a lion's den!"
Seeing Aozora's calm smile, Shikaku immediately realized Aozora must've anticipated how heavily fortified Iwagakure would be.
Since Aozora likely expected such preparations from Iwagakure, this night raid obviously wasn't intended for inflicting damage like the previous one.
Suddenly understanding, Shikaku exclaimed, "You want to disrupt Iwagakure's rest?"
"Precisely!"
Aozora grinned at Shikaku approvingly, as if they shared the same heroic insight. "Right now, one side has fewer people but more elites; the other has more people but fewer elites. Neither can afford a direct confrontation. Plus, in two or three days, a large number of our jonin will return to Konoha. Not making full use of these elite forces would be an absolute waste."
Kitsuchi wanted to use this opportunity to let the wounded from last night rest peacefully, waiting for reinforcements before challenging our Konoha ninjas.
"If that's their plan," Ao said with a smirk, "how can we possibly give them what they want? How could we let their injured recover so easily?"
Fugaku immediately realized and said, "You mean sending jounin teams to pretend to raid Iwagakure's main camp during the night, constantly disturbing them until they can't sleep peacefully?"
Shikaku slightly shook his head and said, "More than just fake attacks—false raids can turn into real ones. If we keep disrupting them for two days straight and they truly relax their guard, we could even perform another actual surprise attack on Iwagakure before the second batch of jounin returns."
Although Shikaku spoke like this, he didn't actually agree with Aozora's suggestion.
Fugaku remained calm as he thought for a moment, then said, "Aozora, your plan is good, but there is one flaw?"
"Oh?" Aozora asked curiously, "Please explain, Clan Leader."
Fugaku answered, "While attacking at night will definitely make Iwa wary like birds startled by a bowstring, it also makes it easy for them to set up ambushes. Even if together the Hyuga, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans inspect carefully, they might still miss some traps. If Iwagakure intentionally sets an ambush, those jounin participating in the night raids could suffer heavy casualties."
Shikaku nodded. If Kitsuchi used his Earth Release to hide beneath the ground, no one would notice anything unusual.
Kitsuchi's sudden attacks couldn't seriously threaten Kage-level experts, but they were deadly enough for ordinary jounin.
"Oh~" Aozora nodded understandingly, "So you're worried about that! But I never said they needed to personally go on these night raids!"
"Shadow Clones?" Fugaku and Shikaku both exclaimed in surprised unison.
Aozora smiled slightly, thinking he really should get himself a uchiwa made.
"The Shadow Clones may be fragile and unsuitable for battlefields or direct combat, but they're more than capable of conducting night raids and preventing enemies from sleeping. The distance between us and Iwagakure's main camp isn't that far either, allowing the Shadow Clones to fully utilize their battlefield potential.
Besides, the chakra inside a jounin's body would otherwise remain unused anyway. Rather than leave it idle, wouldn't it be better to use Shadow Clones for these night raids against Iwagakure? Even if we don't manage to kill anyone, wasting one of their explosive tags is already a profit."
Shikaku raised an objection: "It's not only our jounin who can use Shadow Clones; the Iwagakure jounin can too!"
This time Aozora didn't answer. Shikaku explained instead, "Then that would actually work out better for us! Their jounin aren't as plentiful as ours. If they consume too much chakra, they won't have enough strength to resist our jounin, and then their genin and chunin won't be able to play any role either."
After multiple battles, Shikaku knew that most of Iwagakure's combined ninjutsu techniques were led by jounin, while their lower-ranked ninjas often merely strengthened and thickened the Earth Release jutsu launched by the jounin.
Shikaku continued, "Moreover, their Five-Tails Jinchuriki Han hasn't completely mastered the Five-Tails' power. Unless he wants to risk losing control, he definitely won't use many clones."
The other villages' seals aren't as strong as Konoha's. If someone isn't a Perfect Jinchuriki, losing consciousness might let the tailed beast take over their body.
Fugaku thought it over for a moment, then gave a nod.
When night fell and the time approached midnight, ten shadow clone teams made up entirely of jonin left Konoha's outpost.
"Deima, our squad's safety rests entirely on your shoulders. You must scout carefully!" Aozora said to the Byakugan youth ahead.
Hiashi Hyuga had left the day after the surprise attack, but the Hyuga Clan still left three Jonin at the Front Line, one of whom was Hyuga Deima.
"Hmph," Deima grunted. "If even your Kage Bunshin is so cowardly, I can only imagine how weak your original body must be?"
Aozora shook his head slightly. While his original body had an endless future ahead, his own life was as fleeting as a shooting star—naturally, he wanted to treasure every moment.
"Deima, the captain led from the front yesterday. He just wants to complete tonight's mission perfectly," a thin middle-aged man interjected.
Aozora remembered him—this man was named Hatsuka. Last night, he had stood beside Aozora while performing complementary Ninjutsu. With his C-ranked Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, he had managed to produce nearly A-level Wind Release power.
This demonstrated both his exceptional skill in Wind Release techniques and his difficult circumstances.
Aozora understood the struggles of a commoner ninja. Moving closer, he said, "Hatsuka, let's work well together tonight and earn some major credit. Then we'll definitely get to learn more advanced techniques from the village!"
Hatsuka gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "You say it like it's simple!"
Aozora patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, if the village doesn't give us any, I'll steal a few B-ranked techniques for you! You're one of the most talented Wind Release ninjas I've ever seen."
Hearing this, Hatsuka's face showed gratitude. His talent wasn't particularly high or low—his graduation instructor had been a Chunin—and since graduating, he'd learned a few B-ranked Ninjutsu. However, despite his expertise in Wind Release, he had never received suitable jutsu.
After showing goodwill to a Jonin, Aozora calmly followed Hyuga Deima forward.
They hadn't gone far from Iwagakure's main camp when suddenly Deima's expression tightened. "Retreat!" he commanded.
Before his voice had even finished echoing, he was engulfed by a sudden burst of flames. Moments later, everyone heard an enormous explosion.
Boom!
The ground instantly erupted, scattering earth and stone in all directions, with smoke and dust rising in thick clouds.
The remaining nine leaped backward a few steps and were unharmed by the blast.
Looking at the Rock Ninja rushing out from the enemy camp, Aozora didn't retreat. Instead, he said, "Let's give them one hell of a fireworks show!"
The others nodded in agreement.
[Fire Release - Great Fireball Technique!]
[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!]
[Fire Release – Great Fireball Technique!]
[Earth Release – Earth Rising Spear!]
[Lightning Release - Lightning Ball!]
[...]
Instantly, they exhausted their chakra reserves, unleashing their most skilled techniques.
In an instant, massive fire dragons, violent gales, endless earth spikes, and blazing lightning balls rushed toward Iwagakure's main encampment.
Rock Ninja from the camp responded by erecting continuous Earthen Walls and Earth Spikes, matching Aozora and his team move for move.
During the clash, the land between the two groups was torn apart repeatedly, triggering explosions from pre-planted clay bombs and Explosive Tags. The deafening roar woke every ninja in Iwagakure's main camp.
One by one, the Rock Ninja darted out of their tents in panic, kunai in hand, eyes fixed on the distant sky set ablaze above.
A grand firework lit up the sky. As Aozora and the others prepared for another launch, the ground suddenly caved in, and thick walls of rock shot up around them.
[Earth Release: Great Stone Wall of Captivity!]
Kitsuchi burst from the earth, pressing both hands against the Earthen Wall. Instantly, a powerful suction force spread through the stone prison, draining chakra from the ninja trapped inside.
"You really think such tricks will work on us Rock Ninja twice?"
"Repent, Konoha ninja!"
As he spoke, he accelerated the chakra extraction, hoping to completely drain their energy before they could commit suicide, so he could capture these Jonin alive.
Dead Jonin corpses were already extremely valuable; live ones could provide precious intelligence.
However, just after two minutes, he felt the flow of chakra from within the prison stop.
Frowning, Kitsuchi quickly released and redirected his chakra.
[Earth Release: Rock Pillar Collapse!]
The stone prison instantly shattered, huge boulders crashing down all around.
In the center of the rubble-filled pit, only one battered ninja remained, standing with his back facing him.
Kitsuchi coldly demanded, "Who are you?"
The ninja's voice sounded aged and weary as he spoke without turning around, [When sea meets sky, the shore becomes heaven; when the path of the ninja reaches its end — it is I...]
Before he could finish speaking, the figure vanished in a puff of white smoke.
Kitsuchi stared into the empty crater, gritting his teeth and growling out each word: [Kage... Bunshin!]
Soon, Han arrived with several other Iwagakure Jonin from the opposite side of the camp.
Han asked, "Did Konoha launch a surprise attack on your side? Then where are they?"
Kitsuchi's face darkened. "It was a Shadow Clone!"
At his words, Han and the other Iwagakure Jonin glanced at each other in stunned silence.
Kitsuchi continued, "I suppose they guessed we'd be prepared, so they sent clones forward for reconnaissance."
Nodding, the group accepted Kitsuchi's judgment.
He ordered, "Keep watch! Stay on patrol! Rest if you're off-duty!"
"Yes!" The Rock Ninjas saluted and returned to camp.
Passing down Kitsuchi's orders, the men led the alarmed Rock Ninja back to their tents to lie down and rest.
Receiving the memories from the Shadow Clone, Aozora couldn't help but twitch his lips — that guy almost pulled it off!
Looking toward Aozora, Fugaku asked, "How did it go?"
Aozora replied, "Iwagakure definitely had defenses ready. Probably Kitsuchi and Han lying in ambush front and back."
Shikaku nodded. "Then for the next team, we hit them from the rear!"
"That's right," Aozora whispered. "Let's first use up their explosive tags and clay bombs — those things have too much destructive power!"
After saying this, Aozora added, "Clan Leader, I'll go rest for now. We should also maintain vigilance — watch out in case Kitsuchi and his men turn desperate and reckless."
Fugaku nodded. "Good job. Go get some shut-eye."
With Aozora's level of chakra, creating multiple Kage Bunshin wasn't difficult, but he worried that overuse might cause mental strain or even split his consciousness.
Returning to his tent, Aozora lay down safely for rest, but the Iwagakure ninjas found no peaceful sleep.
No sooner had the Rock Ninja lain down than two hours passed, when once again, a deafening explosion rocked the outside of their camp.
This time, Han, assigned to rear defense, arrived at the battlefield with steam puffing from his back, but just like the others, he left behind nothing more than a few white smoke trails.
Kitsuchi arrived shortly after and glanced at the battlefield devoid of any bloodstains. He coldly remarked, "Looks like it's those shadow clones again."
Han nodded in agreement, "Indeed. Those Konoha ninja are all cowards with no guts."
Kitsuchi and Han, along with several Rock Jonin who finally regained their senses, returned to the main camp.
Inside the camp, most Rock Ninja had already exited their tents upon noticing the commotion and were staring in panic.
Witnessing this scene, Kitsuchi quickly came up with an idea and addressed the gathered Rock Ninja, "Konoha is trying to harass us and prevent us from resting properly!"
"Despicable Konoha Ninja!"
"Shameless!"
"Underhanded scoundrels!"
"..."
For a moment, angry curses poured out from the Rock Ninja ranks, but these outbursts solved nothing.
Even though Kitsuchi correctly analyzed Konoha's intent, the Rock Ninja still felt helpless. While Shadow Clones were fragile, if left unchecked, they could cause damage equal to that of real humans.
As for fighting fire with fire by using the same methods against Konoha, that simply wasn't feasible.
Their Genin and lower-ranked ninja required guidance from Jonin to engage in high-level combat using Combined Ninjutsu Techniques.
The number of Jonin in Iwagakure's main camp was barely half that of Konoha's outpost. They couldn't afford to waste chakra as recklessly as Konoha's Jonin did.
Kitsuchi frowned deeply in thought for quite some time before suddenly shifting his gaze toward Shu. "Shu, prepare some explosive clay for me that detonates easily. Also, have your Demolition Squad make another batch of clay that creates tremendous noise when it explodes!"
Shu immediately nodded enthusiastically. "Yes sir!"
Kitsuchi sneered coldly. "If Konoha doesn't want us resting, we'll make sure they don't dream in peace either!"
After speaking, he reassured the camp's ninja that this was merely one of Konoha's usual schemes and urged everyone to rest properly.
Although he said this, Kitsuchi knew full well how useless those words were.
Sensors are naturally perceptive. With ten Jonin-level Kage Bunshin setting off fireworks just beyond the camp's perimeter, who could possibly sleep soundly?
Soon, explosions once again rumbled outside the camp while flames ignited the night sky...
At the same time, Aozora—already fast asleep—was jolted awake by the deafening noise coming from outside the outpost.
Fugaku led a team to track down the attacker, but the perpetrator had long escaped using Earth Release techniques.
Aozora had his suspicions and stepped out from his tent. Sure enough, he soon saw Fugaku returning with a group of Jonin.
Fugaku smiled bitterly. "It should've been an Elite Jonin specialized in Earth Release techniques. He remotely detonated the explosive clay and ran away immediately."
After hearing Fugaku's report, everyone within the outpost looked both annoyed and amused.
At least Konoha made it look like an actual night raid, while Iwagakure made no effort to hide they were just trying to annoy them.
Fugaku sighed. "Back to bed, everyone. Stuff some cotton in your ears—we've got night guards on this."
Despite Fugaku's words, even these Jonin-level ninja still could distinctly feel vibrations beneath the earth's surface and distant rumbling sounds.
The following day, dark circles appeared under the eyes of both Iwagakure's main camp personnel and Konoha's outpost members.
The only good news for Konoha was that Jonin possessed higher endurance levels. Moreover, nearly half of this current group would eventually return to Konoha anyway.
So, as part of this mutual drain on resources, Fugaku showed no sign of backing down.
To keep Iwagakure from catching a breath, he dropped by in broad daylight, sending over a few Great Fireballs and tossing in bundles of Explosive Tags.
Kitsuchi fired back just as aggressively, making a special trip to launch custom-made clay explosives created by the Demolition Squad.
The Northwest Border of the Land of Fire flared up in flames again—but this time, it was all thunder and no rain; no blood had been shed yet.
But both Kitsuchi and Fugaku could feel it in their bones—the eye of a coming storm.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>