Chapter 716 : A Terrifying Assault! (Patreon)

Shikaku had stationed over 400 clan ninjas in the stadium. Along with the Anbu ninjas, various sensei, the ninjas who looked after the Chunin Exams and some civilian ninjas who came to spectate, the number of Konoha ninjas in the stadium was close to 600!

As such, Konoha wasn't at much of a disadvantage numerically. On the contrary, once Shikaku diverted more ninjas to the arena, Konoha would gain numerical superiority. However, the issue was that very few knew about the arrangements Shikaku made. Since Shikaku sent everyone under disguises, most Konoha ninjas didn't know how many allies they had in the stadium.

Hence, when the Konoha ninjas saw the seven hundred enemy ninjas rushing into the arena, their hearts grew cold. The civilian ninjas in the stand were shocked while the clan ninjas understood why they had been training for the past month. Believing that they were at a disadvantage, they resolved to fight until their last breath. And, those were experienced ninjas. There was no need to mention how terrified the Genins like Sakura and students like Hanabi were.

The seven hundred Suna and Oto ninjas moved in seven divisions, each consisting of around a hundred ninjas and led by an Elite Jounin. Each division approached the arena from different directions and entered with great momentum, further building up the pressure on Konoha ninjas.

Unfortunately for them, Fujin had long sensed their location with his Space Time Sensing Technique. All their preparations to hide themselves were useless against that technique. He disappeared using the chaos created by the Genjutsu, hid in the mini-forest in the arena and attacked with the Vacuum Cluster Bullets jutsu right when they jumped across the wall.

Not expecting to be attacked even before they stepped foot in the arena, the entire division was caught completely off guard! The Konoha ninjas and the enemies mixed in the audience saw dozens of Vacuum blades appearing out of thin air, cutting down nearly a hundred unsuspecting Suna ninjas! Their dismembered bodies rained down while their blood washed the mini-forest inside the arena as everyone watched!

Despite being seen as the more gifted sibling and someone who had the right attitude towards being a ninja and a leader, Hanabi couldn't help but shiver and puke at that sight. The sight was just too horrendous. Sakura barely managed to hold herself and asked while shivering, “What is that? How did so many ninjas die? And, who killed them so brutally?”

Even several experienced ninjas felt nauseated at that sight. Sasuke, who was still in the arena, looked at the gore with a stunned expression and exclaimed, “What the hell?”

Temari and Kankuro, who entered the arena to check up on Gaara, were no different. In fact, they felt even more terrified considering that the ninjas who died were their comrades. Baki had a dark expression as he was one of the few who realized what truly happened.

Inside the barrier, Hiruzen asked, “Do you still think that Konoha is weak?”

Orochimaru frowned and analyzed, ‘It's that jutsu. He used it to dispel my Shadow Clones in the Forest of Death. I figured it'd have a devastating effect on the battlefield but I didn't expect him to use it so effectively.’

Seeing that Orochimaru didn't reply, Hiruzen sighed and said, “No matter. I suppose I should be thankful to you. Not only did you make Suna show their real face, but also gave me a chance to fix the mistake I made a decade ago.”

Hiruzen's expression became very serious. He fully intended to settle the matter once and for all. The two clashed, starting an epic battle!

In the stadium, one Konoha ninja shouted, “Look there!”

Immediately, the ones around him glanced in the direction he was pointing in. They saw another dozen headless bodies falling down along with the one who was cutting them down.

Guy muttered with a serious expression, “So, this was Fujin's role.”
Kakashi solemnly nodded and said, “Yeah. He is strong. Very strong.”
Hoka and Renjiro were surprised as well. Neither of them expected that Fujin would start the war in such a manner. Instead of being the attackers, the Suna ninjas seemed like the victims at that point.

Sakura heard Guy and Kakashi's words and wondered, ‘That was Fujin? He is this terrifying? How did Orochimaru manage to get away from him?’

Sakura had a hard time believing her ears. The shivering didn't stop either. Some distance away, Hiashi observed Fujin's movements with his Byakugan and realized, ‘No wonder he could go up against Orochimaru. To think he would become so terrifying at such a young age. Even Minato and the Sannins weren't this strong at sixteen!’


Needless to say, the ones who were the most shocked and terrified were the ninjas currently standing in front of Fujin. One of them shouted, “Be careful! That's the Spectral Swordsman!”
The Elite Jounin leading that division ordered loudly, “Stay clear of him! Attack him with Wind and Fire jutsus from a distance! Keep him at bay until help arri…!”

His words were stuck in his mouth as he realized something odd. A large amount of chakra was being released from Fujin's chakra points and transforming into the wind. Several other Jounins realized the same thing.

Even though Fujin's surprise attack terrified them, the Elite Jounins leading the divisions knew that retreat wasn't an option as they couldn't just abandon their Kazekage. They immediately ordered their subordinates to charge towards the Konoha ninjas.

With Fujin eliminating one division and confronting another, only the remaining five divisions rushed ahead. Fujin's opening attack raised the morale of the Konoha ninjas. They charged out of the stadium to confront the incoming ninjas. Some fights broke out in the stadium too as the Suna and Oto ninjas, mixed in the audience, made their moves.

In the center of the arena, Baki said, “Gaara, the plan!”
To Baki's surprise, Gaara didn't reply. Instead, he was holding his head and shivering. Baki cursed, “Idiot! I can't believe he tried to transform without waiting for the signal.”
Temari checked upon Gaara and shouted, “He is suffering a backlash. He can't do it anymore!”
Kankuro was about to question what to do, when Baki said, “I'm calling it off. Take Gaara and withdraw for now. I'll stay here and fight!”

Temari and Kankuro didn't waste any time. They grabbed Gaara and escaped immediately. Following Hayate's advice, Sasuke chased after them.
Kakashi's eyes widened and he shouted, “Sasuke, wait!”
Unfortunately, Sasuke didn't hear anything due to all the battles. Kakashi cursed, ‘Shit! It's good for us if Gaara withdraws. There is no need to chase after him and force the One Tail out.’

He was about to chase after Sasuke when an ‘Anbu ninja’ appeared in his path. Recognizing who was behind the mask, Kakashi frowned and said, “Kabuto... You were the one who cast the Genjutsu.”

As Orochimaru's right hand, Kabuto considered himself equal to Kakashi. That was apparent when he confronted Kakashi in Sasuke's room. However, he lost his life due to underestimating ‘Kakashi’. He planned to use Edo Tensei's immortal body to get his revenge and understand how strong Kakashi truly was. To his surprise, Kakashi talked as if he never killed Kabuto!

Kabuto wondered, ‘What in the world? Why is he acting as if he never killed me? Didn't Konoha read my memories and use them to kill Yoroi and Misumi?’

To say Kabuto was confused was an understatement. Sensing that something was fishy, he decided to stay quiet and collect more information to understand the truth behind his death. With Kabuto stopping him, Kakashi ordered, “Sakura, wake up Naruto, Lee and Shikamaru. Chase after Sasuke and bring him back. Don't engage with Gaara.”

He summoned Pakkun to guide them and began fighting Kabuto.

Inside the barrier, Hiruzen and Orochimaru began their battle. Both started with Taijutsu and ordinary weapons. Unsurprisingly, Orochimaru gained the upper hand due to his modified body and the fact that Hiruzen hadn't been in a fight for a long time.

Within moments, snakes surrounded Hiruzen and slithered towards him. A ring of fire appeared around Hiruzen and suddenly expanded in every direction.

In the blink of an eye, every snake was burnt so thoroughly that even their bones disintegrated! The entire rooftop was decimated as well, exposing the floor of the barrier. Orochimaru quickly retreated towards the barrier while using the Waterfall jutsu and spitting out a massive amount of water!


“What are these winds?” The ninjas, who were facing Fujin, wondered aloud when they suddenly felt winds around them. Before any of them could react, Fujin's Wind Domain was completed. Unfortunately for the Suna ninjas, they were inside the Wind Domain!

The Elite Jounin leading them suddenly had a bad feeling. His instincts were warning him to run away. He immediately retreated while shouting, “Fall back! Get away from these wi…!”

Once again, he failed to complete his words as his head detached from his shoulders. He wasn't the only one. The entire division, consisting of more than eighty ninjas, was beheaded in the same instant.

For a moment, most of the ninjas stopped fighting and glanced at Fujin. The eyes of the Suna and Oto ninjas widened in horror as they saw that another hundred ninjas were eliminated by Fujin! Konoha ninjas were shocked as well. Not a single person from that division was alive.

Not even a minute had passed since the Suna and Oto ninjas reached the arena. Yet, Fujin had already killed nearly two hundred elite ninjas of the Village Hidden in the Sand!