met free Chapter 167 The Chase, the Capture
Chapter 167 The Chase, the Capture
Chapter 167 The Chase, the Capture
Large summoned beasts pose a significant threat to the enemy on the battlefield.
However, if Jiraiya had summoned the summoning beast much earlier, the Sand Village would have been united and might have been able to focus fire on the giant toad as soon as it appeared, sending it back to Mount Myōboku to recover immediately.
The timing was perfect, especially since the Sand Village commander and his team signaled a retreat, completely dispelling any thoughts of a Sand Village counterattack.
When the Toad Oil Flame Bullet appeared, covering almost half the battlefield, the morale of the Sand Ninja around the summoning beast plummeted, and their retreat began to spread in all directions.
Before this, Taiyi had already dealt with the two Sand Village puppeteers and was running around putting out fires everywhere.
His superhuman strength version of teleportation puts less stress on his body, so he almost always uses teleportation to travel during firefighting operations.
Unfortunately, the number of Konoha ninjas was far too small compared to Sunagakure. On average, one Konoha ninja had to deal with two Sunagakure ninjas. So even though Taichi tried his best, the effect was only to change the situation in a localized area.
Fortunately, at the pre-battle meeting, all the Jonin knew that reinforcements would arrive, so even though they were all assigned to the front lines, they fought hard to hold on, and Konoha's front line did not truly collapse.
Feeling the dwindling chakra within him, Taiichi glanced at the entire battlefield, a sense of anxiety rising in his heart. Why hadn't the reinforcements arrived yet?
Just then, signal flares rose from both sides of the battlefield. Immediately afterwards, a giant toad descended. Then, a vast sea of fire engulfed the direction of Sunagakure.
The counterattack has officially begun!
After swallowing a specially made soldier's ration pill, Taiyi's lips curled into an excited smile. He drew the short sword from his back with a backhand. Fists were effective against puppets, but against people, the short sword was much more efficient.
He instantly dashed into the still-resisting battle, and with his superb swordsmanship, Taiichi was able to quickly and easily defeat the enemy in coordination with the Konoha ninjas.
As more and more Konoha ninjas were freed to participate in the counterattack against Sunagakure, the scales of victory had completely tipped in Konoha's favor.
In the center of the battlefield, Gamabunta rampaged through the area. He didn't need to launch any attacks; as long as there was a tendency for the Sand Village to gather, he would leap over, and the gusts of wind generated by his massive body could blow away anyone nearby.
After several such maneuvers, the last remaining resistance from Sunagakure was easily crushed.
"Now's the time! Follow me and fight back!"
Jiraiya's roar, amplified by his ninjutsu, drowned out all the noise on the battlefield, and all the Konoha ninjas heard his command to counterattack.
"Konoha will be victorious! Kill them!" Everyone responded to Jiraiya's declaration of counterattack.
He himself leaped directly from Gamabunta's head, landing precisely in the middle of several Sand Ninja. With a flick of his hair, his white hair transformed into steel needles, turning them all into hedgehogs.
He then took the lead, charging towards the headquarters of the Sand Village.
Along the way, whenever he encountered a gathering place of Sunagakure, he would unleash a large-scale Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld to trap the Sunagakure ninjas who were trying to escape. The Konoha ninjas who followed would then use kunai and shuriken to quickly sweep away the ninjas who could not dodge.
Taiichi had just helped a besieged Konoha squad kick away the last Sand Ninja who was blocking their way when he sensed that Jiraiya was charging in the direction behind the fleeing Sand Village soldiers, towards the Sand Village commander-in-chief, Shamon, who was retreating in a panic.
Taiichi's lips curled up, like a cat spotting its prey, revealing an interested expression. Then he unleashed his Body Flicker, his figure transforming into a black line tearing through the air, closely following behind Jiraiya.
On the way, he spotted Yang Ping and his men chasing after fleeing soldiers, and shouted, "Let's go! There are big fish over there. We'll leave these small fry to the ones behind!"
Yangping was relieved to see that it was Taiyi, who was still full of energy. Hearing Taiyi's greeting, he ignored the scattered Sand Ninja who were retreating and led Kakashi and the others who had gathered around him to follow in Taiyi's footsteps.
Meanwhile, beside Shamen, the commander-in-chief, knowing the situation was hopeless, was already retreating to the rear under the protection of his guards. He knew he was doomed this time, and even if he returned to the village, he figured it wouldn't be a good outcome.
But he couldn't be discouraged yet. He still had to bring back as many of the remaining Sand Village ninja as possible, otherwise, even if he died, he would have no words to face the martyrs of the underworld.
At this moment, the loyal guards noticed the pursuing ninjas closing in. Several Chunin with considerable strength, led by an older Jonin, stayed behind to cover the retreat and block the Konoha ninjas' pursuit.
Wind Release: Great Scythe Itachi.
The combined Wind Release technique transformed into a wall of wind blades, sweeping towards the Konoha ninja.
"Get out of my way!" Jiraiya roared, his massive chakra coalescing, and a violent wind release also spewed from his mouth, smashing the wind wall that was blowing in front of him to pieces. As expected of a future Kage-level ninja, even though his strength is still somewhat lacking now, he is not someone that an ordinary Jonin can stop.
The swirling wind blew away the Sand Village ninja who was blocking his way, and almost at the same time, Taiichi, who was a step behind, locked his gaze on his target.
Without needing to form hand seals, three bright golden phoenix flames condensed around him at his will, instantly striking the two ninjas who were still in the air.
"Ah—" Two piercing screams rang out. The experienced Sand Village Jonin flicked his blade, sending a flying rock hurtling out and shattering the fireball hurtling towards him.
However, fragments of the exploding flames still clung to his arm, the intense burning pain causing him to falter. He was then knocked unconscious by a punch from Jiraiya, who was close behind.
A group of more than ten people followed Jiraiya's footsteps in pursuit of the Sand Village commander, but similarly, Sand Village ninjas came from all directions to block their way.
Things change. In the morning, the Sand Ninja were chasing the Konoha Ninja, but in the afternoon, it was Konoha chasing after the Sand Ninja. But clearly, the Sand Ninja hadn't prepared for their defeat.
Despite the obstruction, the Konoha ninja who followed were not to be trifled with, and they kept stepping forward to intercept these Sand ninja who were trying to stop them.
Those who are too strong or too numerous will naturally be dealt with by even stronger people, such as Minato who just came up, or Taiichi.
And so, ten minutes into the retreat, Shamen was left without a single guard.
Shamon knew he was doomed and didn't want to run anymore. Rather than exhausting himself while running, he decided to stop and fight the Konoha ninja to the death.
That way, even if you die, you'll die with more dignity.
Thinking of this, Shamon suddenly stopped and turned to look at Jiraiya, who was quickly catching up.
"As expected of the legendary Sannin, renowned throughout the ninja world, you've been planning this for a long time!"
"Elder Shamon of Sunagakure, don't try to make it sound like we plotted against you." Jiraiya said sternly, "If you hadn't wanted to destroy us, things wouldn't have ended up like this!"
Indeed, this was a scheme to lure the Sand Village into a trap. Without the Sand Village's cooperation, Konoha would not have achieved its victory today. In the end, it was all due to their own greed.
He sighed helplessly. It was a pity that so many ninjas from Sunagakure had sacrificed their lives, and he could only atone with his own death.
Without further ado, Shamon launched the first attack. Although he was an elder of Sunagakure and a once-powerful elite ninja, he was now getting old.
Despite launching the first attack, Jiraiya overtook him, successfully disrupting Shamon's hand seals with a powerful fireball.
At this moment, Jiraiya had already closed in, and every punch and kick was aimed at Shamon's vital points.
The sounds of impact continued, but Shamon was old after all. After only a dozen or so moves, Jiraiya seized an opening and landed a hook punch squarely in the abdomen.
Bend over and spit out a mouthful of blood. Shamon knew he was finished. He had overestimated himself and underestimated Jiraiya. He hadn't expected the gap between them to be so vast. Now, he probably wouldn't even be able to die.
Just as he expected, Jiraiya threw a hook punch that sent Shamon flying off the ground, followed by a spinning kick that sent Shamon flying right in front of Taiichi who had just arrived.
Taiichi was also taken aback. He looked at the Sand Village commander lying in front of him, still vomiting blood. After confirming that the commander was not dead, he immediately understood Jiraiya's intention.
He stepped forward, grabbed Shamen's arms, and pulled hard. With a muffled groan, Shamen's arms were dislocated by Taiyi's pull.
Then Taiyi formed hand seals, and five chakra balls representing wind, fire, lightning, earth, and water condensed at the fingertips of Taiyi's right hand. He lifted the clothes on Shamon's abdomen with his left hand and pressed his right hand on Shamon's abdomen, and a sealing ball quickly formed on his abdomen.
This is the Five Elements Seal, which can not only seal the chakra of tailed beasts, but also easily seal ninjas.
Shamon was captured in full view of everyone, and his last symbolic resistance was completely crushed. The news spread like wildfire among the struggling Sand Ninjas, without even the help of the Konoha ninjas.
The remaining Sand Village ninja who were still resisting completely lost their will to fight. They abandoned their stronghold in the Land of Rivers and fled frantically and recklessly towards the Land of Winds.
"Jiraiya-sensei, what should we do next!" Taichi looked at the Sand Ninja fleeing in panic, but didn't join the pursuit. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but his chakra was running low.
Jiraiya naturally noticed Taiichi's condition. The sealing technique he had just used was probably Taiichi's limit. "Take Shamon back and reorganize the troops, and treat the wounded. I'll lead the men to pursue them for a while longer."
"We've expended so much effort and lost so many comrades, we must maximize the results!" Jiraiya said resolutely. After this battle, the southern front will at least be stable for a while.
"yes!"
Taiyi turned around, grabbed the fallen Shamen, and headed towards the original battlefield. On the way, he encountered Yangping and others, all of whom were panting heavily and had suffered various injuries.
However, everyone's eyes were bright, and they were clearly in high spirits.
Taiichi waved the prisoner in his hand, smiled brightly at everyone, and said, "Come on, come back with me. This is a great achievement, so we have to protect him well and not let the remnants of Sunagakure intercept him!"
This was, of course, just an excuse to get everyone to come back with him. Everyone had been fighting since early morning, and they had only managed to hold on because of sheer willpower.
The battle is basically over now. If someone loses their strength on the way and collapses from exhaustion, that would be really dangerous.
Obito was the most excited. Hearing that there was a great achievement to be made, he disregarded his own injuries, pushed aside Kakashi who was blocking his way, and took two steps forward to see clearly.
"So this is the commander of Sunagakure? He's not some kind of superhuman. Why did he have to come and attack us?" Obito said with his hands on his hips, pointing seriously at the Shamon in Taichi's hand, with a hint of disdain.
Feeling the tremor in his hand, Taiyi smiled but didn't say anything. "You get angry so easily? You'll have a lot of trouble to deal with later."
"Alright, let's go!" Seeing that the group looked tired again, Taiyi urged them on.
"Yes!" everyone answered with a smile.
Meanwhile, under Jiraiya's unified command, Konoha's pursuers relentlessly chased after Sunagakure, completely driving them out of the Land of Rivers. In the end, if it weren't for the arrival of the Sunagakure border troops stationed in the Land of Wind, Jiraiya and his men would have stormed into the Land of Wind.
Thus, a meticulously planned tactical counterattack finally achieved final victory after paying a certain price.
When Taiichi returned to the designated assembly point with the captured Sunagakure commander, a temporary camp had already taken shape.
The air was filled with the smells of earth, blood, and herbs.
The ninjas moved about in a hurry; some were transporting the wounded, some were setting up tents and fortifications, and some were collecting the remains of their comrades. Everything seemed busy yet orderly.
In the center of the camp, the figure of strategist Nara Shikaku was particularly conspicuous. He was standing in front of an open map, issuing clear instructions to several ninjas around him, his voice steady and powerful, coordinating the various cleanup tasks of the camp.
When Taiichi noticed him, Shikaku clearly saw Taiichi as well, especially noticing the listless Shamon that Taiichi was clutching. Shikaku immediately stopped speaking and strode towards Taiichi.
"Taiichi, and everyone else, thank you for your hard work!" Shikaku's gaze lingered on Taiichi's visibly tired yet still determined face, then immediately shifted to the important trophy in his hand. "What's this?"
"Sunagakure frontline commander—Shamon!" Taichi's voice carried a hint of weariness, but he still raised his voice to ensure the surrounding ninjas could hear him. "Now it's up to you!"
The cheers first rang out around Taiyi, and then, centered on him, the cheers spread outwards in layers until all the sounds merged into one sentence.
"Konoha—Victory!"
Seeing the sudden surge of morale in the camp, Shikaku's eyes flashed, and for the first time, an undisguised smile of approval appeared on his face: "Good! Very good! This is truly an unexpectedly great achievement!"
He patted Taiyi's shoulder heavily, feeling the body beneath his palm sway slightly, a reaction to the excessive consumption of chakra and stamina.
"You've done a tremendous service! With Jiraiya still at large, your victory will greatly boost morale and is crucial for the subsequent negotiations!"
"I didn't capture him," Taichi smiled and shook his head. "This is Jiraiya-sama's achievement. I was just responsible for bringing him back."
Taiya handed the Shamon to the ninja who came up to take over, saying, "He has the Five Elements Seal I placed on him, so he can no longer use his chakra, but we still need to be careful."
Upon hearing this, Lu Jiu stepped forward to examine it and found that it was even better than the seals that their current sealing team was using. He couldn't help but think more highly of Taiyi.
"Go and rest!" Seeing Taiichi's strained state, and glancing at Yangping and the others behind him who were equally exhausted, Shikaku commanded, "Especially you, your chakra is so depleted, you must recover immediately."
You don't need to worry about the wounded for now; the medical team can handle it. Your own condition is the most important thing right now.
Taiyi had indeed reached his limit. The continuous fierce battle and pursuit, coupled with almost draining his last bit of chakra when sealing Shamon, left him feeling as if his body had been hollowed out, making it difficult even to stand.
He nodded, not trying to be brave: "Yes, then I'll go down and rest first."
He then offered a few words of encouragement to Yang Ping and the others, praising their outstanding performance in the blocking action and subsequent battles. After that, Lu Jiu turned around and returned to command.
Taiichi turned to look at his companions. Yohei leaned against Saori, his Sharingan already closed, but his eyelids trembled slightly, clearly the side effects of overusing his eye power were still lingering.
Obito collapsed to the ground, while Rin anxiously examined the thickly bandaged knife wound on his back. Obito occasionally grimaced in pain.
Kakashi leaned against the tree trunk, his breathing slightly rapid beneath his mask.
Saori's face was pale, and Fu Yangping's arm was trembling slightly.
"You heard that, right?" Taiyi forced a smile, his voice very soft. "Find a place to lean against, rest immediately, and recover your stamina and chakra."
Without another word, they silently helped each other to a relatively quiet and dry corner that had just been cleared at the edge of the camp. Almost the instant they sat down against the tree trunks, a heavy sense of exhaustion overwhelmed them like a tide.
Overwhelmed by the immense emptiness after their chakra was depleted and the accumulated pain in their bodies, everyone closed their eyes and instantly fell asleep.
Taiyi also sat down against the rough tree trunk behind him, took out a special soldier's ration pill and swallowed it. He needed to quickly recover his chakra. Although the external battle was over, a severe battle awaited his participation.
Therefore, even if it means overworking your body, it's worth it, because you can recover from it later.