met free Chapter 154 Will Be Out There
Chapter 154 Will Be Out There
Chapter 154 Will Be Out There
The decision made by the Konoha leadership reached Orochimaru on the northern front within a day.
When he looked at the sternly worded order in his hand, he felt a mix of emotions, and in the end, he could only let out a silent sigh.
However, even if the village doesn't allow him to launch an offensive, as the frontline commander, he still needs to be flexible. At worst, he can stop when he's done his part and just keep going until he drives Kumogakure out of the Land of Hot Water.
With this in mind, Orochimaru quickly summoned his advisors and then issued a series of orders.
The camp reacted quickly, with squads of ninjas heading to the Land of Hot Springs with the latest missions. The long-quiet camp suddenly came back to life, like a lion that had just woken up and stretched out its claws. The prey was the Cloud Ninjas in the Land of Hot Springs.
Taiichi's team naturally received a similar mission. They could also vent the anger they had been holding back from the last ambush. After receiving the mission, the three of them rushed to the Land of Hot Springs as quickly as possible. The goal of the mission was simple: to wipe out all the Cloud Village ninjas they encountered.
Taiichi, Yohei, and Saori, like unsheathed blades, plunged straight into the heart of the Land of Hot Springs.
Orochimaru's order to exterminate them came a little too late, and Kumogakure's strategy of retreat was executed thoroughly. As Taichi's squad rampaged through the Land of Hot Springs, they quickly discovered that they encountered minimal resistance.
Even when they encountered a few Cloud Village ninjas, they were usually Chunin squads on reconnaissance missions. This made Taichi and his group feel like they were hitting cotton, completely powerless and extremely uncomfortable.
A few days later, the originally enthusiastic Taiyi team gradually calmed down, abandoned their impetuousness, and returned to their normal mission mindset.
They slowly traversed the Land of Hot Water, using shadow clones to expand their search area. Surprisingly, this led them to uncover several more Cloud Village forward supply points, places that Cloud Village had been unable to evacuate during their retreat and had chosen to hide in place.
Take what you can, and destroy what you can't. Fortunately, Taichi and Saori in the team are both skilled in sealing techniques. As long as there are enough materials, making some temporary storage scrolls is a piece of cake.
Thus, after finding five supply points, the team alone intercepted explosive tags, medicines, and weapons worth tens of millions of taels.
More importantly, at this time, these are truly in high demand but unavailable. Even if you have real money, you can't buy these strategic materials.
All of this can only be attributed to the fact that the Cloud Village's retreat was too hasty, and in order to avoid the annihilation of its fighting force, these supplies had to be temporarily abandoned.
Their unstoppable momentum and relentless victories seemed to confirm their current invincible strength. This boosted the confidence of the Taiyi team, making them even bolder in their actions.
Thus, Taiichi and his two companions' route moved further and further from the heart of the Land of Hot Water towards the Land of the Moon. Just as they were patrolling a complex rift valley in the northern part of the Land of Hot Water, they encountered a completely different Cloud Village team.
This squad, like theirs, consisted of only three people. However, when Taiichi detected them through his chakra perception, the Cloud Village ninja squad also clearly noticed Taiichi's spying, and they immediately disappeared from Taiichi's perception.
The other party clearly also has a sensory ninja, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to block Taiyi's senses so quickly.
But just from that fleeting glimpse, Taiyi knew that the other party was no ordinary person.
"Attention, there are three Cloud Village ninjas 1.5 kilometers ahead. Two of them seem to be Jonin based on their aura, and there is a girl who is about our age. She seems a bit strange, and we can't be sure of her strength."
Taiichi quickly informed Yangping and Saori of everything he had sensed, and the three of them changed direction, heading towards the three opponents. At this moment, the three members of the team were truly skilled and daring, not taking the two Jonin opponents seriously at all.
The battle broke out without any warning. When the two sides, who were both interested in each other, met in the middle of the rift, they didn't exchange a single word before unleashing their ninjutsu at each other.
Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
Lightning Release: Lightning Bind.
The two ninjutsu clashed in the middle of the rift valley, and flames and lightning shot out from the point of impact, instantly igniting the entire valley in a sea of fire.
Taiichi charged out using his ninjutsu, his short sword already stained with bright golden flames. He thought he could use the flames as cover to catch his opponent off guard, but instead, he encountered the opponent's ninja in the sea of fire.
As the short swords clashed, Taiichi knew he was in trouble the moment they made contact. His opponent's power was far too great, clearly far surpassing his own. Furthermore, the lightning-covered form of his opponent's body was undoubtedly a unique Lightning Release Body Revitalization Ninjutsu belonging to the Hidden Cloud Village.
This is nothing like Saori's half-baked version of Lightning Release: Activation Technique, which she figured out on her own; this is a genuine secret technique from the Hidden Cloud Village.
This magnifies Tai's weakness of being young and weak. He usually relies on his super strength technique, so even though his basic strength is weak, he can still gain the upper hand with the help of his super strength.
However, if they encounter a Cloud Village master who also possesses ninjutsu, the difference between them will be negated, and the contest will come down to basic strength.
Taiyi's strength attribute was only 23 points at this moment, not even reaching the basic 25 points for a Jonin. In close combat, he was immediately suppressed and put at a disadvantage.
After several exchanges in "Ping Pong," Taiyi realized that he was at a significant disadvantage in terms of strength. He immediately changed his strategy, no longer engaging in direct confrontations with his opponent, but instead making full use of his superior swordsmanship to entangle with him.
With this change in style, Taiyi gradually gained the upper hand again.
"Be careful, these aren't ordinary Jonin, everyone watch out!" Taichi shouted, mainly to warn Saori that this team was definitely suspicious.
Upon receiving Taiyi's reminder, Yangping immediately upgraded his three-tomoe Sharingan to the Mangekyou Sharingan level. Thanks to Taiyi's specially made contact lenses, he didn't need to worry about the enemy being able to see through his eye condition.
With the Kaleidoscope's enhancement, Yangping's attack power has been significantly increased, especially the occasional burst of "Susanoo," whose suddenly doubled attack power left the Jonin fighting him speechless for a time.
Two Jonin were tied down, leaving only the eleven or twelve-year-old girl behind. But instead of being afraid, she showed an eager expression.
She stretched her arms and legs, hopping around a few times like a raccoon dog, and then, in a flash, rushed towards Saori with a speed far beyond that of her peers.
Faced with the rapid attack, Saori remained calm. Taichi was already very fast during their usual sparring sessions, so she was quite experienced in dealing with such high-speed enemies.
With his hands forming hand seals, he threw out a net of lightning at the charging ninja. However, the opponent was too fast and agile, just like a big cat, leaping and bounding, dodging all the attacks with his agility alone.
Seeing that the opponent was approaching, Saori stopped focusing on ninjutsu, her whole body crackling with lightning, and she charged forward with a punch.
Saori's physical skills are also quite good; she trains in basic physical skills every single day.
The dull thud of flesh colliding echoed through the rift valley, each punch and kick accompanied by a burst of lightning.
Saori's activated Lightning Release made her movements swift and fierce, and coupled with her seemingly maddening state in close combat, she was quite formidable.
However, the girl from the Hidden Clouds reacted even faster. Her slender figure, like a real wildcat, bounced lightly amidst Saori's punches, her tiny arms deflecting and striking at unpredictable angles. Each time, she skillfully neutralized Saori's attacks.
"Whoosh!"
The girl suddenly ducked, using superhuman flexibility to dodge Saori's sweeping kick, while her right hand swiftly grabbed at Saori's waist.
Saori was startled and twisted her waist sharply to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. She then followed up with a downward elbow strike. The girl, however, used Saori's momentum to nimbly flip to the side like a raccoon dog, even using her toes to lightly leap back several meters by using Saori's supporting leg for leverage.
Saori lost her balance after being kicked, and her pupils contracted slightly after regaining her footing. The opponent's martial arts revealed a wildness, which was unconventional yet extremely efficient, more like a wildcat hunting.
Saori looked at the girl not far away, her expression more solemn than ever before.
The girl, however, wore an excited smile. Her azure eyes had transformed from human eyes into cat-like vertical eyes. She arched her back, her hands pressing lightly on the ground like cat paws, her whole body lowered slightly, and she even let out a low "hissing" sound.
This state is by no means a normal human attack method.
"Hey Konoha girl, I'm getting serious now, so please don't die!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he vanished instantly, leaving only a deep footprint in the spot where he had been standing.
"So fast!" Saori exclaimed inwardly, her figure instantly retreating rapidly. Her hands instinctively formed hand seals, and a net of lightning unfolded in front of her, hoping to use it to block the girl's attack.
But things didn't go as planned. A flash of blue light appeared on the girl's body, and she broke straight through the lightning net, charging towards Saori without stopping. Her right hand even had long fingernails, like a cat's claw, reaching for Saori's neck.
The speed was too fast; Saori didn't even have time to change her move to defend herself. In that dangerous moment, a talisman that Saori kept close to her body unfolded instantly under her willpower. It was the sealing talisman for the multi-lantern array that Taiichi had given her before.
The sealing array flashed by, and the Cloud Hidden Girl's movements were inevitably restricted, though she managed to break free in an instant.
But in that brief moment, Saori used both hands to defend herself, a massive amount of chakra enveloped her arms, and then she was sent flying by the sharp claws. Even with the chakra protecting her arms, four deep bloody marks were still scratched on them.
Taiichi was watching Saori's battle closely from a distance. With his swordsmanship, he successfully entangled the Cloud Village Jonin. Although he couldn't easily defeat him, he still had the energy to keep an eye on the other two battles.
When Taiichi saw the Cloud Hidden Girl's fighting stance, he was puzzled, but when a blue light flashed around her, Taiichi's expression suddenly changed.
"Damn it, you Kumogakure actually sent a Jinchuriki to the front lines! Do you really want to fight Konoha to the death?"
As he spoke, Taiyi suddenly channeled his energy, unleashing a slash that temporarily forced the Jonin in front of him back. At the same time, several fireballs formed around him and blasted towards the retreating Jonin.
He then used his teleportation ability to quickly reach the spot where Saori had been knocked away.
"Yugito, watch out! A formidable opponent is passing by!"
The Jonin shouted a warning, and Yugito, who was about to give chase, couldn't help but sneer. If she were given another chance to strike, that Konoha ninja would definitely be dead.
At that moment, from the mysterious space within the wooden body, the voice of the Two-Tails Matatabi rang out: "Kid, be careful, this Konoha kid is no ordinary person."
Yugito then put away his contempt, for to receive such a profound evaluation from Yutaka was rare even in the entire Hidden Cloud Village.
At this moment, Taiichi had already arrived at Saori's side, and two shadow clones appeared immediately, one to heal Saori and the other to keep watch over the surroundings.
Meanwhile, Taiichi himself faced the approaching Cloud Village Jonin, Yukito, and swiftly formed hand seals, unleashing Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
Unlike the ordinary fire dragons before, this time Taiyi unleashed his full power, with bright golden flames carrying intense heat as he rushed towards the two attackers.
The two of them weren't too concerned at first. It was just a Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, something they had just used. It was nothing special, though stronger than the fire style of ordinary ninjas, but only by a limited margin.
But when they felt the oppressive heat, the two men in front changed their expressions drastically.
Yugito, just like a cat, landed on all fours and instantly transformed into a half-tailed beast. He frantically paddled his limbs, kicking up a cloud of dust, and then retreated at top speed.
That Jonin was also a talent; his entire body was crackling with lightning, clearly indicating that he had activated his lightning attribute to the maximum. His body spun 90 degrees as he rushed past the edge of the fire dragon.
"You are Matsushita Taichi, that genius who has recently risen to fame in Konoha." This was the first sentence spoken by Kumogakure since the start of the battle. "This fire release technique is indeed worthy of a genius who could kill Ziina."
At this moment, Yugito, who had already partially transformed into a tailed beast, rushed back, with a blue flame tail swaying behind him.
Presumably due to her young age, she was somewhat delirious after her half-tailed beast transformation. Upon seeing the Cloud Village Jonin blocking her way, she attacked with a cat claw without thinking.
The Cloud Village Jonin was clearly aware of her condition and did not confront her directly. Instead, he used her momentum to retreat further away, allowing the Two-Tails to rush past him.
Taiichi felt a headache coming on when he saw Yugito, who was now in a half-tailed beast form. The best person to deal with a tailed beast would actually be Yohei with his Mangekyou Sharingan, but Yohei was a complete genjutsu idiot, and his Mangekyou Sharingan hadn't been awakened for very long. Reluctantly, he had to take matters into his own hands.
However, both Yangping and my own illusion skills need to be improved in the future.
Composing himself, Taiichi dared not be careless in the face of the Jinchūriki. Phoenix Flames gathered around him, and the bright golden fireballs seemed to have eyes, attacking the charging Yugito from all directions.
Not to be outdone, Yugito spat out Fire Rat Orbs, each of which exploded into a large number of blue flame tracking missiles. Some of them wanted to perish together with Taiichi's Phoenix Fire, while others flew directly towards Taiichi.
However, Yugito or Matatabi underestimated the power of Taiichi's flames. A single blue flame tracking bullet was no match for Taiichi's Phoenix Fire.
By the time she realized what was happening and tried to unleash more fireballs to neutralize the Phoenix Fire, it was already too late. A few Phoenix Fireballs still managed to strike her.
Suddenly, a shrill meow echoed throughout the entire area, and towering blue flames instantly engulfed Yugito's entire body, while a second tail appeared behind her in the blink of an eye.
"Damn it, it's fully transformed into a tailed beast!" Taiichi cursed, then shouted to Yangping, who was still fighting in the distance, "Yoping, run! It's a tailed beast!"
At this moment, it wasn't just Taiichi and Yangping who wanted to escape; even the two Jonin from Kumogakure were thinking of getting away immediately.
Yugito is not the perfect Jinchuriki she will become in the future. After fully transforming into a Tailed Beast, she has completely lost consciousness. The body is now controlled by the Two-Tails, Matatabi.
As for the Two-Tails Matatabi, the people of Kumogakure are not much better than those of Konoha. The Two-Tails Matatabi may even hate the Kumogakure ninjas more, since it is Kumogakure that has always been in charge of it.