The Hidden Mist Village officially launched its full-scale invasion!
Moreover, this armada was spearheaded by a despairing, overwhelming tactical weapon—the Six-Tails, Saiken!
The massive Tailed Beast, resembling a grotesque, giant white slug, made landfall directly on the eastern beachhead.
Faced with destructive power of this apocalyptic scale, conventional Genin and Chunin were entirely meaningless; only elite Jonin possessed the raw firepower to even attempt to stall it.
The highly corrosive acid it spat, combined with its terrifying physical mass, instantly melted and tore a massive gap through Konoha's meticulously constructed main defensive line.
This was the ultimate engine of war. A creature worthy of the title "Tailed Beast"—a WMD that Hashirama Senju naively believed could maintain global peace through mutually assured destruction.
RUMBLE!
As Kiyohara emerged from his tent, the sky darkened. A hyper-compressed, crimson sphere of chakra instantly struck a distant mountain range.
Next came the apocalyptic roar of displaced wind. The massive, nuclear boom shattered all the fog in a five-mile radius, vaporizing the coastline.
The Mist ANBU's signature Hiding in Mist jutsu had lost its purpose. Under the covering fire of the Tailed Beast, the Kirigakure infantry chose a direct, brutal frontal assault!
At the center of the broken beachhead, a giant purple snake suddenly materialized.
The steam surrounding it dissipated, revealing a massive, winding serpentine body. Judging by its sheer volume, it was not at all inferior to the Six-Tails.
A figure stood proudly atop the snake's skull. The surging shockwaves blew the man's long black hair back, revealing tomoe-shaped earrings.
Orochimaru!
From a distance, Kiyohara could see several massive, shattered steel gates carved with demonic reliefs sinking into the boiling ocean.
The Rashōmon!
Kiyohara realized that Orochimaru must have immediately deployed the Summoning: Triple Rashōmon to barely deflect the direct impact of the Tailed Beast Ball.
'The current Six-Tails Jinchuriki should be Utakata,' Kiyohara guessed, watching the roaring slug in the distance.
Utakata was three or four years younger than Kakashi; his physical vessel was still very immature. He shouldn't be able to withstand channeling this much Tailed Beast chakra without destroying his own body.
'Did the Hidden Mist High Command forcibly unleash the seal, sacrificing the boy? Or is this the direct handiwork of Madara Uchiha's Genjutsu manipulation?'
Kiyohara stared into the distance. He saw Orochimaru summon a secondary swarm of massive venomous snakes to bite and constrict the Six-Tails. The surrounding battlefield was filled with the blinding flashes of roaring Fire Release, blinding lightning, and Water Release torrents.
But the conventional damage to the Six-Tails was statistically irrelevant.
Not to mention, the Hidden Mist possessed two Tailed Beasts. Had the Three-Tails Jinchuriki also joined the current amphibious assault?
This was a battle between true, absolute apex predators.
Even possessing Magnet Release and Steel Release, Kiyohara felt his individual strength was completely insignificant in the face of a Tailed Beast and a full-scale, meat-grinder war.
'I need to be stronger. I need to grow stronger faster!' Kiyohara gripped his Tachi. Given enough time and Urn inheritances, he would eventually reach a level where he could decapitate a Tailed Beast. But right now, he was just a highly durable ant.
His squad was currently guarding a secondary defense line on the flank, so the direct kinetic pressure was much lighter than the apocalyptic main line.
Kiyohara could hear Nara Shikaku shouting through the chaos, conveying tactical orders to as many squads as possible.
"Abandon current positions! Emergency tactical retreat to the second inland defense line! Gather as many routed troops as possible and fall back with all classified intelligence!"
"As expected, Command is giving up the beach," Kiyohara muttered, watching his colleagues around him begin retreating in panic and disarray.
But even a tactical retreat wasn't a blind, all-out rout. Specific veteran squads needed to stay behind to fight a brutal rearguard action, buying precious time for the logistics and medical corps further back. Only by withdrawing to the second inland defense line in an orderly fashion could total casualties be minimized.
The entire Third Great Ninja War had entered a brutal period of attrition. Losing one trained ninja meant a permanent tactical deficit; every country was desperately trying to preserve their effective fighting forces.
The only reason the Land of Fire was currently losing ground was due to the multi-front free-for-all. In a strict, one-on-one war between Great Nations, Konoha's military-industrial complex wouldn't lose to anyone.
While Kiyohara was observing the macro-battlefield, the sharp sound of rushing wind and clashing metal suddenly echoed from the dense woods on their flank.
"Kiyohara! Watch your side!" Kurenai's panicked shout came first.
Immediately following her warning, Shiranui Genma spat several senbon from his mouth, perfectly knocking two incoming Kirigakure kunai out of the air.
Three Kirigakure ninja emerged from a gap in the collapsed defensive line. They clearly intended to harass and slaughter the flank of the retreating Konoha troops.
The leader wore a blank Hidden Mist ANBU mask and moved completely silently. The other two were in standard Chunin attire, pressing forward in a well-coordinated, triangular assault formation.
"Genjutsu: Tree Binding Death!"
Kurenai reacted flawlessly, her hands blurring through seals.
The Kirigakure Chunin in the lead suddenly stumbled. Confusion glazed his eyes as his brain hallucinated thick tree branches growing out of the dirt to bind his limbs.
The next second, Genma utilized the Body Flicker to materialize directly behind the paralyzed Chunin, ruthlessly piercing the enemy's carotid artery with a chakra-infused senbon.
In the microsecond the other two Mist ninja were distracted by their vanguard's sudden execution, Kiyohara moved.
A massive surge of repulsive magnetic force exploded under his boots. The ground vibrated violently as his speed spiked to a terrifying degree, turning him into a black, supersonic arrow sliding across the mud.
He didn't bother dodging as the Mist ANBU swung his executioner's blade. Instead, Kiyohara drew his Tachi, instantly activating Steel Release to harden his wrist and forearm to absorb the kinetic shock.
CLANG!
The ANBU's heavy blade was violently deflected. The sheer physical force numbed the enemy's hands.
Horror flashed in the ANBU's eyes, but it was too late to adjust his guard.
Kiyohara stepped inside his reach and plunged his Tachi directly through the man's abdomen, severing his spine.
"Cough—ack!" The ANBU flew backward off the blade, snapping a small tree before collapsing limply into the mud.
Seeing this absolute slaughter, the final Mist Chunin tried to retreat in terror, frantically reaching for a smoke bomb.
But Kiyohara had already flickered into his path of retreat.
With a light, casual tap on the opponent's wrist, Kiyohara's magnetic field violently jerked the metal kunai strapped to the enemy's chest. The sudden magnetic pull caused the Chunin's physical movements to deform and stumble, leaving his neck entirely exposed.
Kiyohara decapitated the enemy with a single, flawless horizontal strike.
Kurenai caught her breath and ran to Kiyohara's side. Her beautiful, pale face only relaxed after seeing he wasn't injured.
"These Mist squads have actually penetrated this far inland already..."
Genma sheathed his short sword, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "The gaps in the frontline are getting massive. Kiyohara, we need to regroup with Captain Shikaku's retreating forces immediately."
Kiyohara quickly crouched down. With practiced, mechanical efficiency, he stripped the equipment pouches and classified scrolls from the three dead Mist ninja, stuffing the valuable loot into his own jacket.
"I know," Kiyohara nodded, sealing away a bloodstained scroll. It was indeed time to evacuate.
But he wanted to squeeze one last profit out of this disaster.
"You guys go first. I'll handle the rearguard action," Kiyohara ordered smoothly. "Many of our comrades are still putting up a desperate resistance in the woods; I can't abandon them and leave so soon."
'At the very least, I have to rack up more military merit points and fill up my new, high-capacity Sealing Scroll,' Kiyohara added internally.
He desperately needed merit points. He needed to make highly visible, undeniable contributions to the war effort to legally obtain more ninjutsu from the village.
That way, he could easily legitimize the vast arsenal of techniques he currently possessed. As time went on, the techniques he inherited from the Urn would only become more complex and classified. It was impossible to claim every single high-level jutsu he used was simply "looted from an enemy corpse." He could claim that for a few C-Rank jutsu, but any more would be insulting Konoha Intelligence's collective brain cells.
Therefore, laundering his abilities through official military merit was essential.
There were usually two metrics for calculating merit: confirmed enemy kills (verified by retrieving enemy headbands or flak jackets), and overall strategic impact evaluations.
Because ninja anatomy was identical to civilians, simply cutting off ears or heads didn't prove the rank of the kill. A Genin's decapitated head looked exactly like a Jonin's. That was why Kiyohara always stripped the tactical vests and encoded scrolls. They were absolute proof of a high-level kill.
"Don't worry about me. If I decide it's time to leave, no one on this battlefield can stop me," Kiyohara added confidently.
The logic was simple: unless the Six-Tails directly bombarded him with a Tailed Beast Ball, conventional infantry couldn't possibly catch him.
With his Magnetic Field Rotation acceleration, Kiyohara was already arguably the fastest shinobi in this entire sector. If he stacked the standard Body Flicker with magnetic propulsion, his velocity exploded to a terrifying level.
Of course, if he pushed that speed too far, his baseline neural reflexes and dynamic vision couldn't keep up, risking a catastrophic crash.
'No wonder Minato is the only one who can truly master the Flying Thunder God without dying,' Kiyohara lamented internally. 'His baseline neurological reaction speed is absurdly, genetically mutated!'
"!"
Genma, staring at Kiyohara, couldn't help but give a solemn thumbs-up after hearing Kiyohara's righteous, self-sacrificing declaration.
'Damn. This guy is the absolute, true successor of the Will of Fire!' Genma thought, deeply moved. 'Even as the front line collapses, he still risks his life to save stragglers!'
"But—but—" Kurenai stammered, entirely expecting Kiyohara to fall back with them. "I've learned some very powerful Genjutsu now! I can help you hold them off!" She waved her small fist, signaling him not to underestimate her.
"My top speed is much faster than yours, Kurenai. You staying here will only interfere with my escape routes," Kiyohara said bluntly.
With his speed, he could finish looting, rescue a few stragglers for the PR points, and still easily catch up to their retreating caravan.
"No," Kurenai shook her head stubbornly. Bickering with him during downtime was fine, but she absolutely refused to let him die alone in the rearguard. "If something happens to you... who's going to buy me those expensive lollipops?" she asked hesitantly, her voice trembling slightly. A stray strand of curly black hair rested against her pale, dirt-smudged cheek.
Kiyohara nodded. "I know you're worried about me, but please, follow orders and evacuate immediately."
He looked at Kurenai. Wearing her standard Chunin flak jacket over a black chainmail mesh, her figure was slender and graceful, tracing out a silhouette that was rapidly maturing into a lethal kunoichi.
"I—what's wrong with a comrade caring about another comrade?!" Kurenai's face flushed red as she quickly went on the defensive.
"How did you become exactly like Asuma?" Kiyohara teased dryly. "Did he teach you these greasy, melodramatic lines before he evacuated?"
In Kurenai's mind, comparing her to Asuma was an insult. If she didn't have Kiyohara as a constant, daily comparison, she wouldn't have noticed how arrogant and unrefined the Hokage's son truly was. But having grown used to Kiyohara's cold competence and handsome features, looking at Asuma felt like downgrading from a luxury steak to a bowl of plain rice.
"I just like to say what's on my mind! Why don't you show some concern for Genma, then?!" Kurenai deflected.
Kiyohara's gaze suddenly shifted to Genma. He wasn't in the mood for romantic banter while artillery fire rained down around them.
Genma felt the sudden, heavy gazes of both his teammates. He blinked, utterly confused. 'Wait. Why am I suddenly involved in this domestic dispute?'
"Genma doesn't have nearly as high a level of self-sacrificing awareness as you," Kurenai blurted out without thinking.
Genma opened his mouth to retort indignantly, but after a second of internal review... he realized she was entirely correct. He absolutely did not possess the ideological depth to volunteer for a suicide rearguard mission just to save a few random comrades.
'This level of ideological propaganda is almost as superb as Kiyohara's girl-chasing methods,' Genma thought in awe. If Kurenai hadn't been standing right there, Genma would have bowed to Kiyohara. An absolute role model for our generation.
"Hehe. Kiyohara-kun is entirely correct. Him staying here alone will actually result in a vastly higher tactical survival rate than attempting to move with a slow caravan."
A figure stepped silently out from the shadows behind Kiyohara.
The three Chunin whipped around.
Orochimaru.
The Sannin narrowed his golden, slitted eyes, looking out at the burning beachhead where blood and fire screamed into the sky.
"Lord Orochimaru," Kiyohara bowed his head respectfully. For a moment, Kiyohara's sensors couldn't determine if the man in front of him was Orochimaru's main body or an advanced Shadow Clone.
"Are you wondering if I am merely a clone?" Orochimaru licked the corner of his pale mouth, reading the boy's tactical assessment. "I am currently just a Shadow Clone. My main body is still fighting the Tailed Beast. This time... I am afraid Konoha will lose even more shinobi than we did at the Whirlpool Ruins."
Orochimaru's tone carried a rare, chilling sense of heaviness.
Biological life is such a fragile, pathetic thing. From the moment he saw Tsunade's little brother, Nawaki, blown to pieces by an explosive tag right before his eyes, Orochimaru had deeply, obsessively understood this truth.
Once you are dead, there is absolutely nothing left.
"Lord Orochimaru..." Kurenai and Genma looked at the Sannin nervously. With his absolute authority, they couldn't refute a single word he said.
"Go now. Fall back to the secondary line," Orochimaru waved his hand dismissively at the two Chunin. It was only a matter of hours before this entire sector was overrun. Fortunately, Jiraiya was en route to provide heavy support; the true main force of the Mist was being stalled by the Sannin.
Seeing the cold, determined look in Kiyohara's eyes, Kurenai opened her mouth but ultimately swallowed her protests. She understood that in a chaotic retreat, her slower speed would indeed drag him down.
"Then... promise me you will come back alive," Kurenai bit her lower lip. She pulled a highly classified, red signal flare from her hip pouch and shoved it forcefully into Kiyohara's hand. "If you encounter a Jonin squad you can't handle, fire it. I—we will come back for you as quickly as possible."
"Don't worry," Kiyohara gripped the flare, offering a faint, reassuring smile beneath his mask. "You know my Body Flicker. After I'm done... helping my comrades... I'll catch up to your caravan immediately."
Genma patted Kiyohara firmly on the shoulder. "Take care. We will follow Captain Shikaku's orders, gather the retreating troops, and wait for you at the inland rally point."
The two Chunin no longer hesitated, turning and merging into the organized, retreating crowds deeper in the forest.
"Hehe. Kiyohara-kun, you are quite the actor," Orochimaru chuckled softly once they were gone. "Before you deploy to the rearguard, I have a small, experimental gift for you."
Orochimaru suddenly opened his jaw impossibly wide. With a sickening, wet sound, he regurgitated a small, perfectly clean, sealed square box.
Click.
The clone opened the lid. Inside was a specialized glass syringe filled with a viscous, snow-white solution.
Despite the constant, deafening roar of artillery fire and screaming dying men in his ears, Kiyohara's heart skipped a beat.
He stared at the solution and instantly deduced what it was.
Besides the Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique—a disgusting jutsu that allowed the user to heal any fatal injury by violently shedding their skin like a snake—Orochimaru possessed terrifying baseline cellular regeneration.
The white snake is a mythological symbol of luck and rebirth. But to Orochimaru, it was a biological reality. He had spent decades extracting the regenerative genes of the White Snake Sage.
In the future, Orochimaru's true, main body would permanently mutate into the form of the Great White Snake. Even when using his Living Corpse Reincarnation to hijack a new host, his true form was a massive, parasitic serpent.
In short, this syringe was a highly concentrated, genetic steroid that could rapidly regenerate catastrophic tissue damage and replenish chakra simultaneously!
Orochimaru tossed the syringe. Kiyohara caught it smoothly. The temperature of the glass was freezing, carrying a chilling, unnatural touch.
The white liquid sloshed thickly, as pure as driven snow.
Orochimaru's next words confirmed Kiyohara's analysis.
"This is a highly condensed serum I extracted from the raw cellular structure of the White Snake," Orochimaru hissed faintly, the clone's chakra beginning to destabilize. "Although the formula is still technically in the experimental phase... if you suffer a fatal injury, injecting it into your heart will provide you with a rather miraculous... assistance."
.....
.....
.....
Support me and read advance chapters on patreon.com/ImmortalDaoWriter