July 29th, Dawn.
On the barren hillside, Minato Namikaze, who was standing guard, suddenly called out, "Shisui, Sanyō, Shūichi!"
The three resting in the tent immediately woke up and quickly exited one after another.
Standing atop the tall hill, with no trees to obstruct their view, they could easily see figures emerging from all directions.
At a glance, these people were clearly different from the ones who had harassed them the day before—not just in their appearance but also in their energy and demeanor.
"Are they Ame-nin?" Kurama Sanyō asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.
The newcomers were indeed wearing the forehead protectors of Amegakure.
Shūichi took out a soldier pill and swallowed it. "That might not be the case!"
In the Land of Rain, it's common for everyone to disguise themselves as someone else, blending truth and lies.
Minato added, "For now, don't worry about their identities…"
Before he could finish speaking, the ground began to tremble.
Soon after, Shūichi and the others saw the earth rise and form steps about ten meters away from the hill, with the highest step quickly surpassing the height of the hill itself.
Swish, swish, swish…
A series of figures appeared on top of the towering earth wall, looking down on Shūichi and the others.
"Impressive earthwork!" Shūichi couldn't help but silently remark, but his vigilance was at its peak.
"Be careful, these guys are likely Iwa-nin!" Minato warned.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the ninja on the high earth wall launched their attack.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
A barrage of kunai and shuriken rained down on them, though none were accompanied by explosive tags—likely to avoid accidentally killing the envoy protected in the tent.
Clang, clang, clang…
Shūichi's hands moved rapidly, wielding the Totsuka Blade in one hand and a kunai in the other, deflecting all the incoming kunai and shuriken.
Meanwhile, some of the attackers took advantage of this assault to leap down from the wall and rush toward the tent.
As the first wave of attacks ended, the remaining attackers also jumped down from the wall.
In an instant, Shūichi and the others found themselves surrounded by over twenty enemies.
Since his graduation, this was the first time Shūichi had faced such a large-scale assault and fought on such a complex battlefield.
So, as the first wave of enemies approached, he immediately swallowed a soldier pill and activated his tenfold concentration for the first time.
At that moment, Shūichi felt his already fast-thinking mind become even quicker, his reflexes more acute, and all five senses heightened.
The sounds of battle cries, screams, and the clash of metal no longer affected him in the slightest.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
Without forming any hand signs, Shūichi opened his mouth, unleashing a blast of flames.
This was also the first time he revealed his ability to use jutsu without hand signs in front of the enemy. So sudden and at such close range, only one of the three charging enemies managed to barely dodge, while the other two were hit, sent flying, and landed as blazing torches on the ground.
"Watch out, this guy can use Fire Release without—"
The one who dodged the fire release was furious, but before he could finish his sentence, a blur flashed before his eyes—Shūichi was already upon him.
Slash!
Blood splattered, and the enemy fell, clutching his throat.
Shūichi immediately turned and charged toward the three enemies facing Kurama Sanyō. "Sanyō!"
Kurama Sanyō, who was at a disadvantage, instantly understood and retreated toward Uchiha Shisui.
Shūichi inhaled deeply, then unleashed several fireballs from his mouth.
Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The flames collided with a wall that suddenly rose from the ground, causing it to crumble instantly, sending dust and debris flying everywhere.
Shūichi swiftly tore off his raincoat, attached it to a kunai, and threw it to the right, slicing through the dust.
"Over here!" someone shouted from behind the wall, but Shūichi raised one hand, and two shadow clones materialized on either side of him.
The two clones burst into action, one attacking from the left and the other leaping over the top of the crumbled wall.
Clang! Clang!
Both shadow clones' attacks were blocked, revealing that the enemy hadn't fallen for Shūichi's bait—the shout had been a deliberate ruse.
However, as the three enemies focused on the clones, Shūichi struck from the right.
A flash of his blade, and a head flew.
Shūichi decapitated the enemy who had his back to him. As one of the shadow clones was dispelled, Shūichi dashed forward with lethal precision, slicing through two more enemies in an instant, blood splattering as their screams echoed.
With only one shadow clone left, Shūichi dispelled it and swallowed another soldier pill.
By this time, Uchiha Shisui and Kurama Sanyō had already defeated the three enemies attacking them.
Meanwhile, one of the enemy jōnin finally broke through the defenses and charged into the tent where Minato Namikaze and the others were.
Inside the tent, the clone of Shūichi, disguised as the envoy, appeared terrified. As the enemy lunged forward to knock him out, the clone raised a hand from beneath its sleeve.
Boom!
The clone, struck in the neck, instantly exploded into a cloud of smoke.
The enemy's expression changed drastically as he looked down, only to see an explosive tag burning brightly.
Not only that, but the hidden explosive tags on the tent also ignited in unison.
"Damn it…" the intruder muttered, but before he could react further, he was consumed by the explosion and flames.
Outside the tent, the moment the defenses were breached, Minato Namikaze didn't hesitate to order a retreat.
Shūichi had already deactivated his 10x concentration and, together with Uchiha Shisui, leaped onto the tall wall.
The next moment, Minato Namikaze appeared beside them, and almost simultaneously, the tent on the hill exploded into a massive fireball, spreading flames in all directions.
Several nearby enemies were blown away by the blast, and five of the samurai who didn't retreat in time were also knocked down the hillside by the shockwave.
"Shisui, Shūichi, throw the kunai I gave you toward the enemies!" Minato ordered as he threw several kunai himself.
Shūichi and Shisui immediately complied, hurling their kunai forward.
In the blink of an eye, Minato vanished from their sight.
At that moment, Shūichi and the others witnessed what true speed really was.
Kurama Sanyō couldn't even follow Minato's movements as the enemies began to fall one after another.
Even Shisui's Sharingan couldn't fully track Minato's movements.
Only Shūichi, who had reactivated his 10x concentration as he threw the kunai, could catch glimpses of Minato's lightning-fast flickers, the process of him eliminating enemies, and then disappearing.
"So fast!"
"If it were just kunai appearing nearby, and I was mentally prepared, I might be able to react under 10x concentration."
"But if the mark were on my body, I might not even have time to react!"
Shūichi swallowed nervously.
With kunai, Minato's appearance would be limited to a small area. But if the mark was on someone, Minato could appear on any side—front, back, left, right, or even above!
"I must get the chance to learn this jutsu in the future!" Shūichi resolved with determination.
(End of Chapter)
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