Chapter 118: Konoha-Style Kenjutsu
Facing an elite jōnin, Ishiro didn't dare let his guard down. While en route, he even preemptively cast a body-hardening jutsu on himself as a precaution.
As soon as Ishiro's forces made their move, the insects deployed to monitor the area noticed immediately and relayed the intel in real time.
Roughly four kilometers ahead of Ishiro's advancing group, six Konoha shinobi were huddled together, discussing intel they had gathered.
At the center stood a pale, slender man carrying a longsword on his back. He summarized the findings: "There are about a thousand shinobi stationed in Iwa's camp. The strongest among them seems to be a jōnin named Ishiro—the one who established the Rain–Earth trade route."
"While his talent in combat isn't quite on par with Ikura, he's extremely intelligent. Spy reports indicate that his status in Iwagakure is nearly equal to Ikura's. They're considered the twin geniuses of the younger generation."
"Also, intel from Root states that even Advisor Danzo once suffered a loss at his hands."
"Besides Ishiro, there are roughly ten ANBU squads in the camp. A couple of them are decently well-known across the ninja world. We'll need to be cautious."
"The rest are likely border patrol units from the Land of Earth."
"The camp's location clearly indicates it was built with the intent to pressure Konoha, not Kumogakure. This Ishiro has a keen strategic mind—he's a formidable adversary."
"Our mission is just about complete. Let's prepare to return to the village."
At that, a resolute young jōnin stepped forward. "Captain Hoshikawa, there's something I still don't understand. After gathering over a thousand ninja at the camp, Ishiro hasn't made any major moves. There are only a few dozen on patrol each day. We have no idea what they're doing inside the camp. Is it really appropriate to return without investigating further?"
Another, slightly smaller jōnin beside him frowned and added, "Sarutobi Mei's right. Something feels off. Ishiro must be plotting something. Are we really just going to walk away?"
Hoshikawa didn't get angry at being questioned. Instead, he patiently explained, "Sarutobi Mei, Mura-ki, while Aburame An'on's insects are useful, we can't guarantee they'll stay undetected forever. The enemy has numbers on their side. If they suddenly attack us, we'll be at a disadvantage."
A fully covered female shinobi—Aburame An'on—spoke next. "Exactly. Our insects aren't foolproof. And lately, I've had them get very close to observe ANBU movements. There's a good chance we've already been discovered. Maybe the enemy's just waiting for the right opportunity to act."
Hearing her assessment, Sarutobi Mei and Mura-ki didn't press the issue further.
Seeing that everyone was now on the same page, Hoshikawa said, "Good. Wipe our tracks. We're heading back."
But just then, Aburame An'on's expression shifted. Her voice turned urgent. "Captain Hoshikawa, bad news. The outpost ninja are on the move—heading straight for us!"
Hoshikawa's face turned serious. "Can you confirm their numbers?"
An'on shook her head. "It'll take a moment—my kikaichū aren't that fast at relaying info."
She fell silent, sensing through her insects. After a pause, her expression turned graver. "Over thirty chakra signatures. Most of them strong—likely jōnin level. They're just two kilometers away."
Hoshikawa was shocked. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Do we have enemies behind us?"
An'on froze for a beat, then said, "No reaction from the kikaichū—nothing so far."
No longer hesitating, Hoshikawa gave his orders. "Sarutobi Mei, Mura-ki, An'on—you three retreat immediately. Get the intel back to the village. An'on, monitor the retreat path for possible ambushes. Kaiji, Maeno—you're with me to stall the enemy."
Sarutobi Mei hesitated, clearly unwilling to retreat in shame. But Hoshikawa barked, "No time! That's an order! Move!"
The three didn't argue further. They used the Body Flicker Technique and retreated in the direction of the Fire Country.
The delay had allowed Ishiro's forces to close to within one kilometer. Ishiro cast the Light-Weight Boulder Technique, lifting himself into the air.
From above, he spotted the fleeing trio and the three remaining Konoha ninja, including Hoshikawa who had stayed behind.
"Takeyuki Matsuki, take seven from the left flank and intercept. Three enemies have fled at ten o'clock: one Aburame, one Fire–Wind dual-affinity, and one taijutsu user," Ishiro ordered one of the outpost leaders.
Without hesitation, Matsuki picked his squad and veered slightly to the left to begin pursuit.
Once they split off, Ishiro gave the signal. "Five hundred meters! Execute Plan A!"
Five of the remaining shinobi immediately stepped forward and launched Fire Release techniques—three C-rank and two B-rank. Ishiro, floating in the air, followed up with a massive Fireball Jutsu.
Moments later, another seven ninja performed Wind Release jutsu—six C-rank and one B-rank.
The result was a massive wall of fire sweeping toward the Konoha position.
Hoshikawa's face darkened. Ishiro's side was clearly prepared and executed their combined ninjutsu smoothly. That meant the fleeing trio might not make it out either.
But now wasn't the time to worry about them.
As an elite jōnin of the Hoshikawa clan, Hoshikawa specialized in Konoha-style kenjutsu, not ninjutsu. Against this massive area attack, he had no effective counter. All he could do was signal his subordinates to fall back.
But the firestorm, accelerated by Wind Release, was too fast. Hoshikawa barely managed to evade using his superior speed, but his two companions weren't as lucky.
Left with no choice, he grabbed both comrades and activated Body Flicker to retreat together.
Unfortunately, that delay meant all three were caught in the blaze.
But Hoshikawa was no ordinary shinobi. As the flames surged, he quickly drew his longsword and, in the blink of an eye, unleashed over a dozen slashes in front of them, carving out a small vacuum zone that shielded them.
The blade wind blocked most of the flames. Only minor burns got through, and as the fire's reach ended, the three managed to survive.
Watching from above, Ishiro clicked his tongue. "If the other three hadn't escaped, we might've taken down at least two with that wave."
"Quick reaction…" Ishiro acknowledged inwardly but didn't pause.
Just as the Fire Release attacks ended, he began weaving hand seals. He was eager to test his new jutsu—Water Pressure Line.
At about 50 meters away, a razor-thin line of water shot toward Hoshikawa. The elite jōnin dodged with Body Flicker, but Ishiro adjusted the trajectory mid-flight.
That slight shift—at 50 meters—moved the water line over a meter laterally, nearly slicing Hoshikawa in half.
Though he dodged in time, his thigh was cut open. His nearby companion didn't react fast enough and was severed at the waist.
"Whew…" Ishiro exhaled. Though it looked simple, controlling a 50-meter-long water line required massive chakra control—something pre-breakthrough Ishiro couldn't have done.
The chakra cost was steep. At close range (around 10 meters), it would've cost about 7A. But at this distance, it drained about 15A of his chakra.
Still, it was worth it. Crippling a taijutsu elite jōnin's leg and killing another enemy? Definitely a good trade. With one move, Ishiro cut off their chance of escape. Without delay, he ordered his troops to bombard with ranged ninjutsu.
Hoshikawa, still reeling and injured, didn't have time to mourn his comrade's death. He saw Ishiro's forces once again forming hand seals.
He gritted his teeth and told his last subordinate, "Scatter! Evade!"
With his leg injury, he couldn't use Body Flicker to escape with his teammate.
"Target the injured elite jōnin. Leave the other one," Ishiro commanded from above.
He rapidly formed seals—faster than anyone else—and unleashed another Water Pressure Line.
The attack looked identical to the previous one. Hoshikawa, who hadn't seen the seal sequence before, mistook it for the same jutsu—Water Cutter.
Having felt the first strike's power, he doubted he could dodge in time with an injured leg. Rather than try, he drew his sword and slashed the incoming line apart.
"Damn…" Ishiro inhaled sharply. This was the first time someone had ever broken through his Water Pressure Line.
He hadn't seen the sword's power clearly during the earlier chaos. Now he understood the sheer strength of this blade master.
Originally, Ishiro's contingency plan involved engaging the elite jōnin in close combat if Plan A failed. But that idea was now dead. If he got within reach of that blade, he'd be dead within three moves.
"I underestimated the world's talents," Ishiro thought, shaken but composed.
He cast another Water Pressure Line, but this time his forces used individual ninjutsu, abandoning combination attacks which took too long and gave enemies time to close in.
What followed was a display of terrifying swordsmanship. Hoshikawa deflected wave after wave of C and B-rank jutsu with nothing but his sword, pushing back but taking little real damage.
Still, he couldn't ignore Ishiro's Water Pressure Lines. Deflecting them required a moment to charge up. One mistimed dodge and a C-rank Water Surge slammed into him, knocking him off balance.
No one dared to test the sharpness of that blade up close. Without needing orders, everyone stayed at range—launching kunai, shuriken, and ninjutsu.
Unable to keep up, Hoshikawa was struck repeatedly. His body was torn apart under the barrage.
Only when a wind jutsu severed his sword arm did Ishiro's team finally stop attacking.
Ishiro raised his hand and sent a group to pursue the fleeing Konoha shinobi. He personally sealed Hoshikawa's broken body and confiscated the sword as well.
Clearly, this was a valuable weapon—likely made of chakra-conducting metal.
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