Shadow Clone Technique.
Shiranui flames.
Nen aura—Shū.
Three abilities activated at the same time.
Finally—
"Bear Paw."
Akira slammed his palm against the back of the kunai.
"Whoosh!"
The Sarutobi jōnin watched as the kunai in front of Akira vanished in an instant.
Wrapped in a layer of aura, the projectile ignited mid-flight, turning into a blazing fireball. Following the trajectory he had calculated, it shot forward, leaving behind a faint afterimage that quickly merged into a single blazing sphere.
Its speed surged in an instant.
The sound of air tearing apart rang out.
It pierced through colliding wind and fire techniques, passed straight through a reinforced earth wall, and reached the Iwa shinobi casting the large-scale jutsu.
The man sensed something and looked up.
A fireball filled his vision.
But his chakra was still locked in the technique.
At this stage, he couldn't move.
He couldn't dodge.
He couldn't escape.
"Pfft."
With a soft sound, the fireball punched straight through his head.
His eyes went blank as he collapsed to the ground.
The two Iwa shinobi desperately holding back Konoha forces noticed the change and glanced back.
They saw their companion lying motionless, the hollow hole in the back of his skull seeming to mock them.
By the time they reacted, it was already too late to retreat.
Surrounded by Konoha shinobi, there was only one outcome left.
"AAAAAH! Then we'll die together—Konoha scum!"
Both men, faces twisted with madness, pulled out every explosive tag they had and charged the nearest Konoha ninja, grabbing them in a death grip.
"NO—!"
BOOM!
BOOM!
Two violent explosions rang out.
The Iwa shinobi used their final moments to drag Konoha ninjas down with them.
But the battle on the front line did not stop.
[EXP +15761]
Akira glanced at the experience notification flashing before his eyes.
Not bad… very generous.
Still, he didn't dare advance onto the battlefield itself. That would turn him into an easy target.
He could only regret abandoning any potential drops.
Iwagakure enemies could drop magic-type abilities, even hidden-class skills. Dragon Slayer Magic, in particular, was an excellent path—collect five related skills and they could be fused into a full Dragon Slayer Magic set.
Unfortunately, only jōnin-level enemies dropped those skills.
A pity.
"You did well," the Sarutobi jōnin said, looking at Akira. "What's your name?"
Akira smiled slightly. "Player."
The jōnin nodded, understanding it was a codename. Both ANBU and Root used aliases instead of real names.
"Can you repeat that attack?"
"Yes. Give me a suitable position, and I can keep sniping them."
Akira turned, using his Byakugan to gauge the distance between the trenches.
"I could even shoot from farther away."
The Sarutobi jōnin glanced at Akira's pale eyes and suddenly understood.
A Hyuga…
So this was how the Byakugan could be used.
"Anything you need—so long as you can keep attacking like that."
As a front-line commander, he immediately grasped the tactical value of extreme long-range strikes.
The distance between the trenches was carefully measured—within ninjutsu range. But Akira's kunai clearly exceeded that limit.
"Higher ground would help with aiming," Akira said.
"Done."
"And kunai. A lot of kunai."
"Done."
"And money. A lot of money."
The Sarutobi jōnin almost nodded before freezing and turning to stare at him.
"Trying to shake down the battlefield, are you?"
Akira coughed awkwardly. "Just kidding."
"I'll have everything prepared immediately," the jōnin replied, already calling over subordinates.
"You two—take him."
"Yes, sir."
Akira followed the two shinobi toward the rear of the trench.
"How far do you need?" asked a blonde kunoichi.
Akira looked toward the distant Iwa trench. It was barely visible even with the naked eye.
"Here is fine."
He could go farther, but that would be risky. If enemy shinobi infiltrated behind the lines, he wouldn't be able to call for help in time.
This distance was perfect—far enough to remain unseen, close enough for support.
"Understood."
The quiet male ninja beside her formed hand seals.
"Earth Release: Tower Technique!"
A slab of earth over a meter wide rose from the ground, climbing rapidly until it reached a height of nearly ten meters.
The kunoichi formed seals as well—Akira recognized the technique immediately.
Summoning jutsu.
"Poof!"
Several storage scrolls appeared.
"These are filled with kunai. Use as many as you need."
"Thanks."
Akira grabbed the scrolls and ran straight up the earthen tower.
At the top was a small lookout structure—walls and a roof for cover.
Standing high above the battlefield, he looked toward the distant Iwa trench. With the naked eye, it was only a faint outline.
But—
"That's enough."
A grin spread across his face as he opened a scroll. A crate of kunai appeared beside him.
"Time to start harvesting."
"Byakugan."
The distant trench became crystal clear in his vision.
Shadow Clone Technique.
Shiranui flames.
Nen aura—Shū.
All activated simultaneously.
He lifted a kunai and struck.
"Whoosh!"
Inside the Iwa Trench
The Iwa shinobi continued resisting Konoha's counterattacks while launching their own ninjutsu.
The Iwa commander frowned, studying the distant trench, considering how to break through Konoha's line.
The Tsuchikage was assisting on another front and couldn't spare attention here. If they could break through before Ōnoki arrived, it would be a tremendous achievement.
Just as he was thinking—
Whoosh!
A tearing sound split the air.
He turned his head instinctively.
A blazing projectile grazed his cheek and slammed into the earth wall behind him.
Boom!
A hole exploded in the wall.
"Where did that come from?!"
He looked up, searching for the source.
Whoosh!
Another fireball pierced straight through a chūnin's body.
Now he caught a glimpse of the trajectory—
It seemed to be coming from high ground on the opposite side.
But the dust and smoke from the ongoing barrage obscured his vision, preventing him from seeing the distant tower.
Whoosh!
Another shot came. This time a jōnin barely managed to dodge.
The commander began counting.
One shot every three seconds.
Boom!
A genin was pierced clean through.
"How are they hitting us from here?! Find the source!" he roared.
Even the trench itself couldn't block the attacks.
And the fireballs kept coming.
"AAAGH!"
A jōnin screamed as a shot tore through his arm. If he hadn't twisted aside at the last moment, he would have died.
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