Chapter 210 The Melee Begins
As the second safe zone shifted for the day, the remaining teams began to converge.
"They're here." Hinata, responsible for scouting, immediately spotted the nine ninjas charging towards them with her Byakugan. "They're all wearing Kumogakure headbands."
"Looks like Kumogakure is also coordinating?" Shikamaru's voice rang in everyone's ears through the Yamanaka clan's secret technique. "But why are there only nine? Does Kumogakure only have three teams left?"
"Never mind that for now. Kiba and I will lure them towards trap number 8. You guys provide support." Shino said, raising his hands, and a swarm of insects flew from his sleeves.
"Understood. Sakura, go to trap number 6 nearby and prepare to detonate the explosive tags. Choji, go to the western cave and wait—remember to put away the potato chip bags."
"Understood." The two voices came through the channel.
"Naruto, you're closest to them. Once they enter the trap, the main battle is yours. Kiba, Shino, and Hinata will assist you. Try to take them out within three minutes," Shikamaru said, sketching on the map. "
Three minutes is enough for me to take them all out," Naruto said, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
"Don't underestimate them. This could just be a vanguard from Kumogakure. Make sure to eliminate this Kumogakure squad as quickly as possible."
"Understood," Naruto replied.
As the three teams of white-haired Kumogakure ninja rapidly advanced towards the safe zone, a swarm of insects, darkening the sky, surged forth from the surrounding dense forest. The sunlight, already somewhat blocked by the forest, was completely obscured by the insects.
"Get out of the way!" Members of each of the three Kumogakure squads formed hand seals, attempting to use Lightning Release to drive away the terrifying swarm of insects.
"Lightning Release? Perfect, let's test the effects of these half-finished Lightning-Eating Insects cultivated by the clan using the Hokage's Lightning Release chakra."
For insects, the high temperatures of Fire Release and the explosive roar of Lightning Release should be ingrained fears in their DNA. However, the swarm of insects Shino released reacted with the same excitement as seeing food after the Cloud Village genin unleashed his Lightning Release ninjutsu. They pounced on it, devouring the jutsu before it even fully formed.
"This... how is this possible?" The Cloud Village genin, whose ninjutsu had been devoured, looked on in disbelief. The situation was clearly beyond his comprehension.
"It seems the problem isn't with the clan's training methods, but rather that the Hokage and Kakashi's Lightning Release chakra is too special," Shino muttered to himself after sensing the message from the insects.
As one of the core families of Uchiha Touko's interest group, the Aburame clan was aware of some of his long-term plans. Knowing full well that a war was imminent, they had already begun researching insects using Lightning Release and Earth Release chakra against Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
Their Earth Release insect training progressed very smoothly. A single Aburame clan insect master, with sufficient supplies, could release Rock-Eating Insects capable of directly destroying a combined Earth Release technique used by a ten-person Iwagakure joint ninjutsu team—a result secretly tested on the battlefield of the Waterfall-Earth Conflict.
However, progress on Lightning Release was less successful. Compared to Earth Release, Konoha had far fewer Lightning Release ninjas. Aside from the current top two figures in Konoha, there were barely any Jonin skilled in Lightning Release. Therefore, the experimental materials used by the Aburame clan to train Lightning-Eating Insects were consistently provided by Uchiha Touko and Kakashi.
The results of the experiment were self-evident. Uchiha Tokō's Lightning Release chakra had long since become intertwined with natural energy. Even if the insects cultivated by the Aburame clan could withstand the power of Lightning Release chakra, they would be corroded by natural energy. As for Kakashi's chakra, after learning Uchiha Tokō's training methods, the lightning he created with his Lightning Release chakra had begun to resemble the properties of lightning in nature. The Lightning-Eating Insects cultivated by the Aburame clan could devour the chakra within, but they couldn't withstand the physical properties of lightning.
However, when facing the Cloud Village ninja, the insects cultivated by the Aburame clan, which consumed vast sums of research funds every year, finally showed their true strength.
"Damn it, use swordsmanship!" Surrounded by the swarm of insects, the Cloud Village genin gritted his teeth and drew his sword, wielding it with impenetrable force. He barely managed to carve a path through the overwhelming swarm of insects. However, before they could get far, a white whirlwind swept towards them.
"Fang Lang Fang!"
The Cloud Village members, who had just survived a close call, were caught off guard and struck squarely by this attack. The leader, a white-haired Cloud Village member, was knocked back several meters. Although his body was tough from years of training, the attack didn't cause much real damage. However, when he stopped, a small dog was still clinging tightly to his buttocks.
"Akamaru, let go, we should go!" At this moment, Kiba Inuzuka also appeared, catching Akamaru who had fallen from the Cloud Village member's buttocks, and then ran away.
"Damn Konoha ninja!" The Cloud Village member's forehead veins bulged. Kiba Inuzuka's attack didn't cause much damage, but it was extremely humiliating. If the villagers knew that he had been bitten on the buttocks by a dog during a mission, would he still be able to hold his head up in the village?
"Chase him!" The ninja who had been bitten on the buttocks shouted, ignoring the still bleeding wound, and then drew his sword and followed Kiba Inuzuka.
"They seem angry," Kiba Inuzuka said gleefully over the channel. "Naruto, get ready!"
After speaking, Kiba Inuzuka formed a hand seal, and in an instant, his figure split into six, running in different directions.
After the instructor of Team 8 changed from Kurenai Yuhi to Shisui Uchiha, Team 8's strength was much greater than in the original timeline. After all, Kurenai Yuhi, a genjutsu specialist, leading the reconnaissance team was largely due to the Third Hokage's plan to pave the way for his son; everyone could see that Kurenai couldn't teach the three of them much.
When Shisui became their teacher, as his first group of disciples, he devoted himself to teaching them.
The first ninjutsu Shisui taught them wasn't a powerful technique, but rather an escape technique.
After all, for a reconnaissance team, bringing back intelligence alive was far more important than inflicting damage on the enemy.
Therefore, Shisui simplified his signature Body Flicker Technique and taught it to them. Kiba Inuzuka, using this technique, caused considerable trouble for the pursuing Kumogakure.
"The amount of chakra hasn't decreased, so it's not a shadow clone." The pursuing Cloud Village ninja stared intently at Kiba Inuzuka while rapidly calculating in his mind. "But which one is the real body? Why do all six of them look like the real body?"
"Captain, what should we do? Should we split up?" A Cloud Village ninja threw a string of shuriken at one of Kiba Inuzuka's figures, but it was easily dodged.
"No? We can't split up. The enemy's situation is unknown. If we split up rashly, we might be picked off one by one." Although he was furious with Kiba Inuzuka and wished he could tear him and his dog to pieces right now, he maintained basic composure.
"The enemy has entered the trap's range." Hinata, who had been observing the situation with her Byakugan activated, said.
"Sakura!" Shikamaru shouted.
"Understood!" Upon hearing Shikamaru's command, Sakura divided her chakra into several portions and precisely injected them into the remote detonation jutsu of the explosive tags in front of her.
A series of explosions rang out around the group. They frantically dodged, but found that no matter how they moved, they couldn't escape the range of the explosive tags and could only rely on their ninjutsu to withstand the damage.
Before Sakura, each jutsu was infused with just the right amount of chakra to detonate the explosive tags. There were nearly a hundred long-range detonation jutsu in front of her, each detonated in a sequence meticulously planned by Shikamaru. If it were anyone else, it would require at least three people to achieve the perfect effect of the trap, but Sakura had completed the task with her precise control and exceptional memory.
"Wow, Sakura is amazing!" Ino exclaimed in the channel.
"Hehe, this level of manipulation is nothing compared to complex surgery," Sakura said with a dry laugh.
"Naruto, you can go clean up now. Choji, you stay where you are. If any escapees get away, you're in charge of dealing with them."
"Yes!"
"Finally, it's my turn!" Naruto, who had been waiting for a long time at the top of a large tree, finally heard Shikamaru's order to attack. After rubbing his wrists, he looked down at the area shrouded in smoke and dust from the explosion and shouted, "Kurama, lend me some chakra!"
Kurama, who was lying in the sealed space, raised his eyes to sense the strength of his opponent and then cursed, "My power isn't for you to use to deal with these kinds of weaklings."
"Big brother, please help me out. This smoke won't dissipate anytime soon. I need your chakra sensing ability to pinpoint their location." Although Naruto said this, he had already leaped up from the treetop.
"Hmph, troublesome brat." Kurama in the sealed space pouted and changed his position to continue sleeping. However, the next moment, a faint golden layer also appeared on the surface of Naruto's body as he descended from the sky.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
Naruto formed hand seals in mid-air, and dozens of figures appeared one after another amidst the smoke. A wisp of chakra provided by Kurama (the Nine-Tails) precisely located the nine Cloud Village members still within the blast radius.
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(End of Chapter)