allendalepharm Chapter 353 Desperate Situation, Taking Action in Secret
Chapter 353 Desperate Situation, Taking Action in Secret
Chapter 353 Desperate Situation, Taking Action in Secret
The situation on the battlefield was developing exceptionally rapidly.
The ferocity of the Third Raikage, combined with the elite forces of Kumogakure, created an extremely formidable fighting force.
The four tailed beasts were still locked in combat, but the defenses that Iwagakure had painstakingly built only lasted a day in the face of the Raikage's invincible blade!
"boom!"
As another massive earthen wall was pierced through by the Raikage's Hell Thrust, the Iwa ninja forces responsible for maintaining the ninjutsu were also affected by the lightning, suffering heavy casualties.
The collapse of this critical juncture was like toppling the first domino.
The already under immense pressure Iwagakure defense line suddenly developed a huge gap!
"We can't hold on any longer! Retreat!"
"Retreat! The Raikage is coming!"
Panic spread like a plague.
Iwagakure's will to resist crumbled rapidly in the face of the Raikage's ferocious attacks.
The Iwa ninja forces at the front began a massive rout, abandoning their armor and weapons, fleeing like a flood that had burst its banks.
The bounty hunters who had been planted in the Iwagakure squad were now completely panicked.
They were swept along by the overwhelming tide, forced to retreat involuntarily.
They watched helplessly as the Iwa ninja, who had just been fighting side by side, were easily killed by the lightning and kunai chasing from behind.
The shadow of death has never loomed so vividly over everyone.
"Damn it! I shouldn't have been greedy for that little bit of money!"
"We're doomed—this kind of battlefield is simply not for us!"
"Damn Iwagakure, they're using us as cannon fodder!"
Amidst the crowd, angry curses of regret and desperate wails erupted.
Some tried to break away from the rout and escape to the flank, but the Iwa ninja in their squad had clearly been given prior orders.
Immediately, elite Iwagakure soldiers struck and killed the bounty ninjas who were trying to escape.
"Anyone who deserts in the face of battle will be executed without mercy!"
The cold, commanding tone echoed through the routed army.
The threat of death forced the group of desperados to grit their teeth and follow the main force of Iwagakure in their retreat.
Only now did they truly realize that once they were on that pirate ship, the only way to get off was to feed the sharks.
Such a generous bounty isn't easy to obtain; only someone prepared to die would accept such a large sum.
The Third Raikage was in high spirits at that moment.
Standing atop the ruins of the newly breached defensive line, watching the Iwagakure army flee like stray dogs, he let out a triumphant laugh that echoed across the battlefield: "Hahaha! Onoki! Your turtle shell is nothing but a shell! Warriors of Kumogakure, follow me! Let's crush these stone rats on the land of the Land of Earth. Leave no one alive!"
His eyes gleamed with the light of victory, determined to finish the job in one battle and bury Iwagakure's main force here!
Hidden in the shadows, Taiichi witnessed firsthand how Kumogakure (Cloud Village) broke through Iwagakure's defenses.
As a third party, he could clearly sense that Iwagakure's defense was not as solid as he had imagined.
However, with Yun Yin in the midst of the battle, and especially with Lei Ying, the leader, leading the charge, it was even more difficult for him to notice the unusual situation.
Taiichi is now certain that Iwagakure has prepared a grand spectacle for the Raikage.
The defeated Iwagakure army retreated all the way, with the Raikage leading the most elite troops of Kumogakure in hot pursuit, like a leech clinging to a bone.
Driven away in a panic, the routed army fled into a rugged canyon area.
On both sides are steep cliffs that reach into the clouds, and in the middle is a not-so-wide passage.
As the Raikage's elite troops followed suit, charging deep into the canyon—
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A deafening roar suddenly erupted! The two ends of the canyon were instantly sealed off by the prepared earth-escape ninjutsu and explosive tags!
At the same time, countless Iwa ninja figures emerged from the cliffs on both sides like bamboo shoots after a spring rain!
Countless kunai, explosive tags, wind-style ninjutsu, and fire-style ninjutsu rained down like a storm! Huge rocks were pushed off the cliff by the combined efforts of earth-style ninjas, crashing with a deafening roar to the bottom of the canyon!
Encirclement! A decisive victory!
The canyon instantly turned into a living hell!
There's no way forward, and no way back!
The attack above is a deadly saturation strike!
Caught off guard, the elite Cloud Hidden troops suffered heavy losses, with screams, explosions, and the roar of falling rocks all mixed together.
"Damn it! We've fallen for their trap!"
The Third Raikage's pupils constricted, and he instantly understood.
He swung his lightning-wrapped arm, easily shattering several falling boulders and protecting his personal guards.
But seeing the many Cloud Ninjas falling instantly in the canyon, his heart was bleeding.
Onoki! To lure him into a trap, he actually used so many Iwa ninja as bait!
This coldness and scheming sent a chill down Raikage's spine.
It turns out that Iwagakure recruited bounty hunters just to increase the value of the bait.
They wanted to minimize the deaths of Iwa ninja while also getting Kumogakure to act as bait, so they came up with this idea.
In any case, most of these bounty hunter ninjas were killed or wounded in this battle, so the bounty for those who died would not be paid anymore, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.
"You shameless old bastard, Nonoki! You used your own people as bait just to get me to take the bait!"
The Raikage's face was ashen as he roared toward the position in front of Iwagakure. His voice was like thunder, and even the noise of the battlefield could not drown it out.
"Hehehe————"
A small figure slowly floated onto the cliff at one end of the canyon; it was none other than Ōnoki, the Scales of the Two Heavens!
His distinctive hoarse voice carried a hint of smugness and ruthlessness: "Hey! Surrender! I did pay a price to lure you into this."
But look at your current situation! Can you bear to see your elite Cloud Hidden Army perish here?
To reduce unnecessary casualties, lay down your weapons. In the name of the Tsuchikage, I promise you a way to live!
Onoki's words were not only an attempt to persuade him to surrender, but also a psychological offensive to undermine the remaining fighting spirit of Kumogakure.
"fart!"
The Raikage's roar was like rolling thunder, drowning out the chaotic sounds in the canyon. He raised his head and glared at Onoki, his eyes burning with fury and the pride of the Raikage.
"What kind of skill is it to use scheming and trickery? Onoki! You are unworthy to be the Kage of a village, sacrificing the lives of your own people to achieve victory."
In the Cloud Village's dictionary, there is no such word as surrender. Our glory is forged with blood and fists! You want me to surrender? Dream on!
He looked around at the Cloud Hidden Elite soldiers who were still fighting tenaciously in the face of adversity, their eyes filled with trust.
These are the future of the village, the backbone of Kumogakure!
A strong sense of regret welled up in his heart. He had been blinded by victory and underestimated Onoki's ruthlessness, which led them into this place of certain death.
But at the same time, a resolute will also rose in his heart.
"Warriors of Kumogakure!"
The Raikage's voice rang in the ears of the Cloud Ninja, his words filled with a death-defying will.
"You are the backbone of Cloud Village, and your lives are a thousand times more precious than my old bones!"
I now command you to break through to the east with all your might!
That's the weakest point in the cliff. Concentrate all your strength and break through it! I'll hold off these rock rats for you!
"Raikage-sama!"
"Can't!"
His personal guards and elite soldiers stared in horror, their eyes wide with shock, and cried out in alarm.
"That's an order!"
The Raikage roared, interrupting them. The light from his Lightning Release Chakra Armor was more intense than ever before, making him appear as if he were a god descending to earth.
He turned around abruptly, ignoring everyone else, and faced alone the surging tide of Iwa ninjas in the canyon, as well as the countless kunai and ninjutsu aimed at him from the cliff.
"Go! Live on! Bring my will back to Kumogakure!"
As the last word fell, he transformed into a bolt of blue lightning that tore through the heavens and earth, charging towards the most densely packed direction of the Iwagakure army!
The deafening roar echoed repeatedly in the narrow canyon, each loud bang accompanied by the collapse of rocks and the loss of life.
Smoke and blood mist mingled, forming a thick curtain that tightly enveloped this hell on earth.
Ōnoki hovered above the cliff, looking down at the blinding lightning that was constantly fighting in the torrent of rock-hidden danger. A trace of solemnity flashed across his old face, but there was no trace of pity.
The Third Raikage, the man who stood at the pinnacle of the ninja world, has now become the last bulwark of Kumogakure.
The dazzling lightning chakra armor flickered under the bombardment of countless ninjutsu, yet it never went out.
He abandoned all dodging and poured all his chakra and willpower into the attack.
Hell Thrust - One-Shot Strike!
Blue lightning tore through the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound that could pierce eardrums.
Each thrust was like the fangs of death, precisely piercing the earth-style defense hastily erected by the Iwa ninja, taking away several or even a dozen lives.
The solid rock wall was as fragile as a bubble in his eyes, and he chiseled it through and smashed it apart.
Broken earth and rocks, mixed with blood, flesh, and limbs, flew everywhere, piling up at his feet into a chilling mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
"Come on, you rats of Iwagakure!"
Raikage's roar drowned out the clamor of the battlefield, his voice carrying a resolute determination to perish together with his enemies.
"The bones of the Hidden Cloud Village will never break before you schemers! You want to kill me? Pay with your life!"
He used the most primitive and violent methods to hold back the main force of Iwagakure's pursuit, buying every second for the elite Kumogakure troops who wanted to break through.
On the cliff, Onoki's face grew increasingly gloomy.
The Third Raikage's strength far exceeded expectations.
Every second of delay increases the chances of the Cloud Hidden Breakout Force escaping alive.
"We can't delay any longer! Joint Ninja Force, listen up!"
His hoarse voice carried an unprecedented seriousness as he raised his hand and gave the order.
"Combined Ninjutsu: Earth Flow River!"
Hundreds of Iwa ninjas rapidly formed hand seals in perfect unison, their massive chakra converging, causing the canyon floor to tremble violently, as if a sleeping behemoth had been awakened.
The rocky ground at the bottom of the canyon turned into a liquefied mudflow, carrying immense force, sweeping up countless boulders and rocks, and crashing back down.
The mudslide transformed into a terrifying wave of earth and rocks tens of meters high, crashing down on the center of the canyon and onto that tenacious figure!
This is a cataclysmic ninjutsu capable of burying an entire army!
Taiyi, hidden in the shadows of the canyon, smiled coldly.
The time has come!
He was lying in wait here, wasn't this the moment that would cause both Iwagakure and Kumogakure to suffer heavy losses?
On the other side of the battlefield.
"Quick! Keep up! We can't waste the time the Raikage bought for us!"
A Cloud Village Jonin roared and led the terrified remnants of his troops toward the east side of the canyon.
Among the group, a burly figure covered in blood (Taiyi's shadow clone) stood out conspicuously.
His eyes darted around in a "panicked" manner, and he suddenly pointed to a crevice in the cliff that seemed climbable.
"Over there! There seems to be a gap over there! Quick, rush over there!"
His voice was rough, carrying an urgent desire to survive.
Exhausted and desperate to escape, the Cloud Village ninjas had no suspicions and followed his directions, rushing headlong into the narrow crevice in the rock.
"Now!"
A cold glint flashed in Taiyi's shadow clone's eyes, and at the moment when the crowd was at its densest, he stomped his foot heavily without realizing it.
Earth Release chakra quietly seeped into the cracks in the rock strata.
Earth Release: Rock Collapse.
boom!
That small section of what appeared to be a stable cliff face collapsed like a crisp cookie!
The massive rock crashed down, instantly turning the first few Cloud Village Chunin to pieces and completely blocking the narrow passage!
"what!"
"Damn it! The road is blocked!"
"Damn it! Who led the way?"
The Cloud Village ninjas were forced to stop and frantically tried to clear the fallen rocks, rescue their companions, and others hurriedly searched for other paths.
The Iwagakure troops had already surrounded them; after all, no matter how strong the Raikage was, he was only one person.
The Cloud Village ninjas had to divert some of their forces to deal with the Iwa Village, making their already difficult escape even more challenging.
Meanwhile, Taiyi was causing trouble, frequently using earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique used in Chinese fantasy novels) to trigger landslides and prematurely revealing their own positions to attract the attention of the Iwagakure pursuers.
After repeated attempts, the number of escapees from the Cloud Village finally dwindled.
While the elite forces of Kumogakure were facing difficulties, the main forces of Iwagakure were also not faring well.
Right in the center of the canyon, facing the earth-shattering "Great River of Earth Flow," the Third Raikage glared angrily, pushing his lightning armor to its limit, preparing to withstand the deadly impact head-on.
However, just as the giant combined Earth Release technique was about to hit the Raikage, an unexpected event occurred.
Hidden in the cliff face, Taiyi's true form pressed his hands against the cold, rough rock, his senses like invisible tentacles, capturing the key moments of the combined ninjutsu of the Iwa ninja below.
This node is the central hub of the entire combined ninjutsu, ensuring the smooth fusion and amplification of the chakra of hundreds of people.
It's not enough for a group of people to use the same ninjutsu together to make it a combined ninjutsu; there's a lot more to it than meets the eye.
Otherwise, why do we only see Iwagakure using combined ninjutsu to bully others in the ninja world, while other ninja villages don't do it? They really don't have that ability.
Taiyi, of course, did not have that level of skill. He merely relied on his superior mastery of earth magic to find the opponent's weakness when they used a combined technique.
After all, it's definitely easier to nitpick.
At this moment, Taiichi remotely controlled his chakra, skillfully merging it into the great tide, and at the crucial moment, a sudden burst of 0...
At this point, the hundreds of strands of chakra that were originally stable instantly became unbalanced, generating strong "repulsion" and "erosion" between them.
"Give me—loosen up!"
The massive wave of earth rushing towards them suddenly stopped!
The earth wave, which originally had boundless power, seemed to have had its bones removed. Although it still appeared fierce, it had lost its inner strength.
The Iwagakure commander who was in charge of the joint ninjutsu changed his expression drastically. He could feel an indescribable sense of stagnation throughout the entire ninjutsu!
The flow of chakra was suddenly blocked, as if thick sludge had been mixed into the pipes. The energy structure of the entire ninjutsu instantly became unstable.
"Hold on! Increase chakra output!" the commander roared hoarsely.
Hundreds of Iwa ninja gritted their teeth and desperately channeled their chakra, attempting to forcibly stabilize this behemoth.
However----