Chapter 343 – Well Done! Fire a Cannon Shot at Uchiha Ci!
"That technique—is that the S-rank rogue ninja from the Hidden Waterfall, Kakuzu? He's joined the Akatsuki too?"
Standing at the center of the battlefield, atop a sheer pillar-like cliff, Jiraiya and the envoy group stared toward the east, where a section of the city wall had just been blown apart. In the next instant, an immense sea of flames surged forward, swallowing the charging army whole.
Jiraiya furrowed his brow slightly, a thought flashing through his mind.
"The Akatsuki, with Uchiha Ci among them, have made their move. Yet the reaction from the Hidden Cloud is clearly a beat too slow."
Turning his head slightly, he glanced to the west. But all he could see was a towering rock wall blocking his view.
"I can't see from here,"
"but if everything's gone according to plan, Minato should have already taken action."
"Even so, with a barrier of this scale, not even Minato's expertise in sealing techniques could break it this quickly!"
"Did something unexpected happen in the meantime?"
Jiraiya reached behind him and slipped a hand into the ninja tool pouch at his waist, gripping a uniquely shaped kunai. Taking a deep breath, he recalled his mission—to fulfill the Great Toad Sage's prophecy and protect Uchiha Ci.
Five days ago, defying Hiruzen Sarutobi's direct orders, Jiraiya had secretly released Minato Namikaze, who had been under "house arrest" with Kushina Uzumaki under the pretense of a "debriefing." Before setting out to the Land of Lightning, he had rushed with his student to Yunming City.
Their objective was to dismantle the most troublesome part of the entire Hidden Cloud defense:
The massive sensory barrier enveloping the inner city—invulnerable to physical attacks.
This barrier essentially acted as a cheat code for the Hidden Cloud, allowing them to instantly sense enemy movements and dispatch overwhelming counterforces with precise, tailored responses.
Even Kage-level ninja would be hard-pressed to survive in such a heavily monitored environment.
With intelligence on their side, a ninja army could prepare complex joint techniques far exceeding typical Kage-level power. Even the Ten Tails would find itself locked in a bitter struggle.
Without intelligence support, however, even the mightiest would be helpless before the elite forces of the Akatsuki.
In a world where individual power could reach godlike levels, numerical advantage only mattered when paired with superior vision, information, and coordination.
That was why Jiraiya had brought Minato here.
No matter how flashy the boasts from A sounded, once Jiraiya drove a blade straight into the heart of the issue, there would be no room left for posturing.
In these five days, Jiraiya had stealthily scouted the sensory barrier throughout Yunming City using his expert infiltration skills.
And now—
He had blinded the entire Hidden Cloud army.
The first two defensive layers, without the sensory net's support, collapsed instantly under the Akatsuki's charge!
"So… what now, son of the Raikage?"
Jiraiya let out a faint smile and quietly looked toward the young A.
"Isn't it about time you revealed the exact personnel for your third line of defense? Otherwise, we won't feel very secure here."
Just as Jiraiya expected, upon witnessing the eastern wall breach in an instant, Maki—sent by Rasa as a scapegoat from Sunagakure—went pale. His already tan face turned ashen, and he immediately turned to confront young A.
"Son of the Raikage! Is this what you call impenetrable defense?"
"You can't even guarantee the safety of the envoy group. Honestly, you people are—"
Before Maki could finish applying pressure, young A turned his head coldly and shot him a sharp glance.
"Hidden Cloud isn't as fragile as you think."
"Watch closely."
As soon as he finished speaking, the battlefield shifted once again.
The front-line Cloud forces had just been overwhelmed by the surprise combination of Combined Style: Flame-Wind Chaos Dance—Freak Mask Inferno. They only managed to muster a few scattered Water Release jutsu, which proved utterly ineffective. The unit crumbled almost instantly.
Yet to everyone's surprise, the moment this gap was created—
Two units of Cloud ninjas surged in from the left and right flanks as if they'd anticipated the breach. These new troops were clearly prepared in advance.
"Combined Style: Water Surge Wave!"
Among them were a significant number of Water Release specialists who launched a coordinated jutsu, amplifying the technique's power.
This seemingly ordinary Water Surge Wave—when cast by hundreds of shinobi—possessed destructive force comparable to the Great Waterfall Technique. It clashed with Kakuzu's composite ninjutsu, instantly generating dense white mist.
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed as he shifted his gaze to the flanking units. Floating above them were strange, dark cloud-like formations.
It appeared those black "clouds" were coordinating local forces, rapidly relaying intelligence and orders.
"Are those… bees?"
"Correct," young A replied calmly.
"They're from the Suiryū clan of Iwagakure—specialists in bee manipulation. They possess abilities similar to your Aburame clan of Konoha."
"When Uchiha Ci announced his intention to assassinate the daimyō, he made himself the enemy of the entire shinobi world."
"And a move like that… ha, utterly foolish."
"There's nothing worth watching here anymore."
"Everyone, hurry to the Five Nations Summit."
Jiraiya's heart sank as he stared at the battlefield, now locked in stalemate. The Hidden Cloud—a village built more on kinship than on Bloodline Limits and secret arts—had gained access to other villages' special techniques through its alliance with the daimyō.
If the Akatsuki's momentum was stopped and they failed to reach the Tenshukaku in one swift strike—
Then only defeat awaited them.
To ensure Uchiha Ci survived, Jiraiya had taken a bold risk—using his status as a diplomatic envoy to reach this central point where Uchiha Ci was sure to appear.
And then… hand him Minato's special kunai.
But now, was Uchiha Ci truly there?
And what should he do next?
These questions swirled through Jiraiya's mind.
Just then—
From the circular stone stairway built along the cliffside came the sound of hurried footsteps.
"Lord A!"
A group of Cloud ninja wearing white robes and Hidden Cloud headbands—members of the sensory barrier division—rushed up, panting and urgent.
"We have critical information!"
"Uchiha Ci—he's appeared!"
A flash of excitement crossed young A's face as his expression shifted.
"What did you say?"
The lead member of the sensory unit swung his arm toward the direction Jiraiya had come from.
"He's at the north gate! Right at the main entrance!"
Young A instantly sneered, raising his arm.
"Well done!"
"To think he'd have the audacity to stroll through the front door!"
"Just how little does that bastard think of us?!"
"You heard me—"
Young A glared at the barrier squad ninja and barked,
"Send word to B immediately. Fire the chakra cannon! Blast him!"