The shuriken that flew toward the Sand ninja were way off target, shooting downward into the darkness below, so the Sand shinobi ignored them. However, the spinning, sharp shuriken managed to precisely slice through a concealed tripwire at the base.
Snap, snap, snap...
The lines broke, and the trap was triggered.
Suddenly, numerous whistling sounds filled the air as over twenty senbon shot up from below, targeting the Sand ninja.
"It's a trap, everyone be careful!" Pakura's expression changed slightly upon hearing the sounds and quickly deflected a senbon aimed at her eyes with a kunai.
Several Sand shinobi reacted quickly, dodging the senbon with ease. However, those closer to the trap had a harder time, and their larger evasive movements triggered more traps as they leapt aside.
This set off a chain reaction. The more projectiles launched at them, the more the Sand shinobi had to dodge, unwittingly activating additional traps.
Hidden projectiles continued to shoot from multiple angles, primarily senbon, followed by kunai and a few shuriken. The shuriken, however, were aimed to trigger yet more traps.
Ding, ding...
The Sand shinobi, remaining calm, skillfully deflected the endless rain of projectiles, the sound of kunai striking senbon echoing through the forest.
One Sand ninja was scratched by a senbon, leaving a shallow wound. He frowned but didn't have time to tend to it as he continued to deflect incoming projectiles.
This impressive quantity of poisoned senbon had been specially prepared by Kotoe before their departure, a veritable "feast" of toxins not easily assembled.
Observing from a distance, Kotoe's team realized the Sand shinobi had triggered the traps and immediately advanced toward their location.
Moments later, one of the Sand shinobi suddenly collapsed, silently falling to the ground.
Nearby Sand ninja were startled, and those closer knew the fallen comrade had been grazed by a projectile. One of them quickly shouted, "The projectiles are poisoned! Be careful!"
The words had barely left his mouth when an explosion echoed through the forest.
One Sand shinobi, in the midst of dodging projectiles, had the misfortune to step on an explosive tag buried under moss. In an instant, he was blown to pieces.
"Explosive tags…" Pakura warned as she calmly dodged projectiles coming from all directions.
Most of the Sand shinobi also managed to evade skillfully, each using their own techniques to avoid the projectiles, though they had no time to pay attention to the traps around them.
These traps were clearly laid with considerable effort, numerous and interconnected, with poisoned projectiles to boot. A single misstep could be fatal.
The explosion from the left side was heard by the Konoha ninja attacking Ye Zi's group, alerting them that the Sand ninja were also engaged with an enemy.
Hidden Mist Jutsu!
As the Konoha shinobi's projectiles flew at them, Jūzō formed hand seals, summoning a thick mist. The air filled with moisture, and a dense fog began to rise.
Before the projectiles could reach them, Sasori's puppet tail swept them away.
"Begin."
Ye Zi's voice was cold as lightning chakra surged through him, forming a dragon-shaped armor around his body. With a powerful step forward, he launched himself at the Konoha shinobi.
Sasori activated the Third Kazekage puppet, causing the numerous spikes scattered across the forest to float as if grasped by an invisible hand, their sharp tips pointing at the Konoha shinobi.
"Die!"
Sasori murmured coldly as the spikes shot toward the Konoha shinobi.
The battle erupted instantly, and no more words were spoken in the forest.
The dense mist quickly obscured their vision, and the whistling sounds of projectiles came from all directions.
In this dangerous situation, every Konoha shinobi remained calm. Forming teams of three, those skilled in Wind Release used it to blow away the mist, dispersing both the fog and Sasori's magnetic spikes.
Jūzō's dense mist was dispersed in an instant.
With their vision restored, Sasori's spikes lost much of their effectiveness.
Members of the Uchiha clan used their Sharingan to easily track the spikes' paths, skillfully dodging them or deflecting those they couldn't avoid with kunai.
The Hyūga clan members activated their Revolving Heaven Rotation technique, forming a chakra shield that spun rapidly to deflect the spikes.
Sasori's spikes were poisoned, small, and numerous to increase their chance of hitting, but they proved ineffective against these elite Konoha ninja.
Sakumo stood calmly, wielding White Fang with precision, knocking down each spike in his path.
Each Konoha shinobi, cool-headed, either dodged or blocked Sasori's magnetic spikes.
The main reason for the Konoha team's successful defense, apart from Sakumo, was that they operated in teams of three, supporting each other and enabling them to dodge or deflect the spikes unscathed.
Although the first wave had no effect, it didn't matter. The advantage of magnetic weapons was that they could be controlled again even if initially deflected. This was why Sasori had insisted on using the rare ore from the Land of Stone to make them.
The scattered spikes froze mid-air again, then flew toward the Konoha ninja once more.
At that moment, Jūzō reactivated Hidden Mist Jutsu.
The thick fog once again obscured their vision, followed by the sounds of triggered traps.
The first Konoha jonin to set off a trap shouted, "Watch out, there are trigger-based traps here too!"
His warning was punctuated by five kunai, which he skillfully blocked with his sword.
Under Sasori's assault with the spikes, more Konoha ninja began to trigger traps, allowing the pre-set traps to show their effect.
In the mist-shrouded area, the projectiles reached their peak effectiveness.
Unless they were very close, the ninja could only rely on sound to locate the incoming projectiles, which were relentless in number.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
Several Konoha jonin, risking injury from the projectiles, used Wind Release to blow away the mist again.
However, in the brief interval created by forming hand seals, these Wind Release users became vulnerable, and projectiles from behind flew at them.
Yet the purpose of the three-man teams became evident.
The Wind Release users were each flanked by two comrades who immediately stepped in to block the projectiles for them.
Although the mist was dispersed again, the chain traps already triggered continued to be deadly.
The area was filled with projectiles, creating a scene of ruthless slaughter.
Zzzz!
In a flash of lightning, a figure clad in a dragon-shaped armor of lightning appeared amidst the Konoha formation, right within the projectile-laden zone.
The sharp projectiles that struck the figure bounced harmlessly off his lightning armor.
"When did he get here?!" A nearby Konoha shinobi looked shocked.
Ye Zi ignored them, his gaze fixed on Sakumo.
Shing!
In an instant, Ye Zi's lightning-charged figure appeared in Sakumo's calm, impassive eyes. His chakra shifted to lightning, rapidly spreading throughout his body—into his veins, bones, and muscles.
There was no visible lightning on his skin, but lightning chakra pulsed within.
Finally, this moment had arrived… Ye Zi!
Sakumo's White Fang, radiating pure white light, swung in a simple arc toward the approaching Ye Zi.
A streak of blood-red light burst forth from the swirling lightning, creating a flash of blue and red as it clashed with White Fang's glowing blade.
Clang!
A piercing sound erupted as the impact sent shockwaves through the area, leaving scars on nearby tree trunks and scattering countless leaves.
Crack.
The sturdy tree under Sakumo's feet snapped, and the force from Ye Zi's blade pushed him back, sending him flying.
The two kept their blades locked as one moved back and the other advanced, shooting off like a cannonball.
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Currently on Chapter 369 - Victory and Defeat