As White Fang predicted, after defeating Kumogakure, Iwagakure once again set its sights on Konoha. All the outposts Konoha had previously established had already been destroyed, leaving their intentions crystal clear—Konoha now had no choice but to open a Second Battlefield.
Thankfully, White Fang had firmly suppressed the enemy at the Sunagakure battlefield, allowing Konoha to fully focus its efforts on this front.
This was no minor skirmish—it was an all-out war that would decide the fate of the village. The Second War had reached its bloodiest stage, with heavy losses occurring every few days.
The Anbu squad led by Anya was deployed into battle immediately. As team leader, he had full commanding authority. The squad totaled ten members, and as the Third Hokage had said, although the numbers weren't large, they were all elites.
Although everyone wore masks, after several battles, Anya had guessed at each member's identities—they belonged to the Hyuga Clan, Uchiha Clan, Aburame Clan, and others, giving them natural advantages in reconnaissance.
Anya made full use of this advantage. Avoiding direct combat entirely, his objective was clear: strike at Iwagakure's supply lines behind enemy lines by any means necessary, making them feel the same desperation he'd experienced during his own time in logistics.
In every operation, Anya used guerrilla tactics to the fullest—striking fast against small enemy units and retreating before reinforcements could arrive. Besides attacking, most of their time was spent scouting enemy positions and traveling across the land, practically turning Iwagakure's rear completely upside down.
Of course, such success didn't come without cost. After half a month of operating behind enemy lines, their numbers had dropped from ten to six, and among these six, several were injured. Compared to the results achieved, however, Anya found this sacrifice completely acceptable. At the same time, their attacks began decreasing in frequency—the Anbu squad had clearly made it onto Iwagakure's kill list.
One of the six activated a Sealing Formation where the group rested. Anya summoned Katsuyu via jutsu to heal one of the injured. No one spoke; everyone closed their eyes to restore their stamina.
Suddenly, Katsuyu said, "Bad news! Tsunade-sama has been surrounded by Iwa ninja, and Jiraiya is injured."
"What?" Anya asked in shock. "How did this happen?"
Receiving messages transmitted from Tsunade's location, Katsuyu replied quickly, "The squad led by the Sannin was ambushed by Iwagakure. Only the three of them managed to escape. Jiraiya is seriously injured, and Tsunade-sama is currently treating him. Now they're hiding in the mountains, but the whole area has been encircled by Iwa ninja. The situation is extremely dire."
One of the Anbu members said, "Then what are we waiting for? We should go save them immediately!"
Several other Anbu opened their eyes, clearly waiting for Anya's orders.
Anya took a deep breath, rapidly thinking through the situation. After a brief pause, he pulled out a map and pointed to a specific location. "Here. This was originally my next target. It seems we'll have to strike early."
"Captain," one of the Anbu asked hesitantly, "does that mean you won't rescue them and will continue with the surprise attack instead?"
One of the Anbu was quite confused.
Anya nodded. "That's right, this is the best time for a surprise attack. Iwa's attention is mostly on the Sannin, so the defenses here will inevitably be weak. Now, we leave immediately."
"But..."
Anya coldly said, "If I'm not mistaken, I am the captain. All you need to do is follow orders. As for the Sannin, I'll handle that part."
"You alone?"
"Even if we go together, our numbers won't be enough. What they need to survive is large-scale reinforcement. My going alone will give them enough time to be rescued." Anya remained clear-headed. She quickly figured out the entire battlefield situation.
"Yes." The remaining Anbu saw it as the best move and vanished instantly.
Anya said, with Katsuyu clinging to her shoulder, "Lead the way. Where are they hiding?"
Katsuyu pointed one of its feelers in a direction. "In this direction."
[Earth Release: Bullet Rock Technique!]
Just as she reached near the mountainside, Anya saw groups of Iwa ninja launching Earth Release attacks against a small hill. Countless rocks flew like bullets at this hillside, making it seem only a matter of time before this little hill collapsed under the Earth Release techniques.
"They're inside?" Anya asked Katsuyu.
Katsuyu replied, "Yes. Jiraiya is seriously injured. Tsunade-sama is still healing him."
"I understand. You go back now. Leave the rest to me," Anya said, eyeing the numerous Iwa ninjas and rapidly thinking about countermeasures.
"Be careful," Katsuyu said with concern, then disappeared from Anya's side.
Facing so many Iwa shinobi head-on offered no chance of victory. However, they were clearly wary of the Sannin's strength, afraid to launch a full frontal assault and only daring to attack from a distance. Thus, there indeed might be a way.
Anya formed hand seals and muttered darkly, "Transformation Jutsu."
A white-haired Jiraiya suddenly appeared behind the group of Iwa shinobi and loudly shouted, "Hey, you brats from Iwagakure! I'm right here!"
[Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!]
The transformed Anya spat out three fire dragons from her mouth. These dragons attacked the Iwa ninjas from left, center, and right directions. During their movement, the fire dragons spit out smaller fireballs toward the ground. Upon hitting the earth, these small flames instantly expanded, covering everything around. Huge flames seemed as though they would devour all surrounding areas. Their explosive power was so intense that the land nearby turned into a blazing sea of fire in an instant.
After unleashing this attack, Anya didn't even check the results but immediately turned to flee.
[Earth Release: Earthen Rampart!] Groups of Iwa shinobi made hand seals to raise layers of earthen walls, attempting to block these huge flames.
Once the flames died down, Jiraiya's figure also disappeared.
"Wasn't he injured? This fire technique shows no sign of any injury at all!"
"That doesn't make sense. They should all be inside that hill."
"What do we do now?"
A commanding officer ordered, "Send a squad to pursue that man from earlier. No matter who he is, kill him on sight. The rest continue attacking this hill. Don't fall for the enemy's distraction tactic."
"Yes."
Now that she'd successfully led a bunch of ninjas away, Anya activated the Sharingan hidden behind her mask. One, two... ten total? Guess they don't really think I'm that dangerous. This many won't even be a problem for me.
Anya released her Transformation Jutsu, drew her tanto, and with killing intent radiating off her, drew the ten of them deeper into the jungle.
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