[NTU] [ARC-06-WAR] Chapter : 73 (Patreon)

In the Suna Ninja's medical tent, Toshiro lay awake, unable to sleep. He knew he wasn't safe yet and remained vigilant throughout the night.

"It's almost time," he thought, noting that dawn was approaching. He needed to prepare to leave.

Just as he opened his eyes to act, he sensed several people approaching the tent.

'Have I been exposed?'

Toshiro wasn't surprised that they had become suspicious. Although he had been meticulous in his attack on the original owner of his current identity, suspicion was inevitable over time. But at this crucial moment...

Before he could prepare, the tent flap was pulled aside, and four or five ninjas entered.

"Pakura-san, these are the wounded we've treated. They have all been strictly inspected and are clear," the medical ninja said, leading three Jonin into the tent.

The tent was cramped, housing only three injured ninjas, including Toshiro. The medical ninja introduced the wounded one by one to the Jonin.

"This one has a broken hand... this one is..."

As the introductions were made, the injured ninjas woke up and looked at the unexpected visitors, confused about the late-night inspection.

Toshiro observed Pakura, who seemed to recognize him from their encounter earlier. The puppet master accompanying Pakura spoke up, volunteering to conduct the detailed inspection this time.

The Jonin, not content with the medical ninja's assurances, decided to perform their own checks. The puppet master squatted by each bed, feeling and inspecting the injured, and asking specific questions only the real person would know.

He realized he wouldn't be able to hide. In an instant, Toshiro acted. A kunai flashed in his hand, aimed at the puppet master's neck. But just as the blade touched skin, Toshiro sensed something was wrong.

'It’s a puppet!'

Before he could adjust, Shurikens whizzed toward him, aiming for his vital points.

"It's that Uchiha!" someone shouted. "Medical personnel, disperse!"

Pakura and her companions had finally caught up with him after a day of pursuit. While Pakura remained composed, her teammates began forming seals, ready to attack without mercy.

Realizing his mistake, Toshiro swiftly blocked the shurikens with one hand while forming a seal with the other.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Shurikens clattered to the ground as Toshiro executed his jutsu. "Fire Release: Hiding in the Ash Jutsu!"

Knowing he couldn't stay, Toshiro used his ninjutsu to create a smokescreen, simultaneously hurling his kunai toward the Jonin's location. This technique, alongside other fire release ninjutsu, was part of his extensive skill set.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

The tent was filled with choking smoke, obscuring vision and providing Toshiro with the cover he needed to escape.

"The enemy is trying to flee," Pakura realized. Concerned for her companions, she hesitated. The tent housed not only enemies but also two wounded and a defenseless medical ninja, making immediate action difficult.

Toshiro, however, was unfazed. With a swift hand sign, the black dust from his ninjutsu ignited and intensified, designed to both obscure his retreat and inflict some damage on his pursuers.

The technique's effect was limited but effective enough to aid in his escape.

Emerging from a nearly collapsed tent, Toshiro moved swiftly toward the east. After using the jutsu to create a diversion, he sought to break free from his pursuers.

“Get back here!”

The shout, a mix of excitement and coldness, rang out. It came from a Suna Ninja in traditional combat gear—a puppet master with a bandaged head and face painted with red paint.

The murderous aura emanating from the ninja was palpable, indicating formidable strength.

Woo! Woo! Woo!

Toshiro's keen Sharingan identified the source of the sound: a scorpion tail, steel-like and tipped with a sharp blade, hurtling towards him. It was connected to a large scorpion puppet, its body was controlled by several thin blue chakra threads.

Realizing the puppet master had set an ambush outside the tent, Toshiro found himself in a precarious position. He was mid-air, two or three meters off the ground, with no means to dodge.

Snapped!

In a desperate move, Toshiro caught the sharp blade between his shoe and the sole, avoiding a fatal injury but unable to counteract the tail's momentum. It sent him flying back into the dissipating smoke screen.

As the smoke cleared, a large group of Sand Ninjas, about twenty or thirty, formed a semi-circle, trapping Toshiro against a cliff. They had chosen this spot to reduce the camp's vulnerability, but it now cornered him. Scaling the cliff would expose his back to their attacks.

Except for a few medics, all of the able-bodied Suna Ninjas joined the encirclement in response to the commotion.

"This is really..." Toshiro muttered, dismayed by his luck, as he surveyed the situation.

“Boy! I advise you to surrender quickly; otherwise…” The Jonin from the tent, who had been preparing a ninjutsu attack, demanded his surrender.

Toshiro noticed signal flares being fired into the air. Reinforcements would soon arrive, tightening the noose around him.

“Oh, surrender without resistance?” Toshiro replied nonchalantly. “I wonder if I'll receive any preferential treatment?”

“Hmph! At this time, you still want to negotiate terms with us! You’re delusional!” The Jonin retorted, though the longer Toshiro delayed, the more advantageous it became for the Sand Ninjas.

"Don't say that! Given my talent, I might deserve special treatment," Toshiro said, baiting them with a grin. “If I were a high-ranking official in your village, I'd pair myself with ten or eight Kunoichi. Think about it—another bloodline limit could be born in your Sand Village. Imagine a child with both 'Sharingan' and 'Scorch Release.' Wouldn't that guarantee your village's future?”

"Shameless! Despicable!" The Sand Ninjas were incensed, their kunai ready to tear Toshiro apart.

Even Pakura, the subject of Toshiro’s taunt, the unblemished beauty of Sand Village, was furious. Clenching her fists, she prepared to use her bloodline limit to end him.

But before Pakura could act, Toshiro made his move. He leapt back, creating distance, and executed a powerful fire release jutsu. His chest expanded as he unleashed a growing flame, which transformed into a raging sea of fire.

Toshiro's fingers intertwined, with his index fingers touching and his chest rising.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation," he intoned, exhaling.

A concentrated chakra, invisible to the naked eye, flowed through his pressed index fingers, transforming into a thin line of fire that streaked toward the Sand Ninjas.

The line of fire rapidly expanded after passing through his fingers. Within ten meters, it had become a vast sea of flames, engulfing the group of Sand Ninjas.

Though not as formidable as Madara’s, which could engulf an entire ninja coalition, Toshiro's Fire Release was still impressive. The orange-red fire wave spread over a fan-shaped area of nearly 100 meters, submerging it in flames.

"It’s over!"

"We’re dead this time!"

"Damn it! Is the gap really this big?"

The Sand Ninjas turned pale with fear at the powerful, wide-ranging fire attack. Unsure how to respond, some felt death was imminent. Escaping the sea of fire seemed impossible, and using Wind Release ninjutsu to counter it was out of the question—it would only exacerbate the flames.

Even the Jonin broke out in cold sweat, their veins standing out as they faced the fierce attack. Survival seemed uncertain unless they countered it effectively.

“All ninjas, water release defense!” Pakura’s loud command snapped them back to reality. "Whatever defensive means you have, use them all!"

To counter Konoha’s fire techniques, many Sand Ninjas trained in water release as a secondary attribute. The Jonin, especially, were proficient in water techniques, and the Chunin had their own methods of defense.

“Water Release: Water Wall Formation!”

“Water Release: Water Crushing Wave!”

“Water Release: Water Bullet Technique!”

“Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!”

Various ninjutsu were unleashed to counter Toshiro’s flames. Despite the lack of natural water sources, the chakra-infused water release techniques were still effective, as long as the ninjas were willing to expend more chakra.

Even Pakura, whose primary attributes were wind and fire, resorted to large-scale fire jutsu, hoping to neutralize Toshiro’s attack. Suddenly, the battlefield was filled with the clash of flames, water, and earth. The opposing elements collided, cancelling each other out in a spectacular display of power.

Boom!

A deafening explosion rocked the battlefield as the gathered chakras erupted. White smoke billowed out, reducing visibility significantly. Using his Sharingan and superior perception, Toshiro dove into the mist without hesitation.

Boom! Crack! Thud!

Amid the chaos, Toshiro relentlessly attacked the Sand Ninjas, whose positions he had sensed or spotted with his Sharingan.

"Ah!"

"Ugh!"

Screams echoed as Sand Ninjas were struck down. Some were sent flying, their limbs broken by Toshiro's brutal attacks, and then thrown out of the smoke’s range.

In this chaotic melee, Toshiro’s onslaught seemed unstoppable.