During Mist's counterattack, brownish soil mixed with tiny bits of sand exploded into the sky like fireworks. Though visually stunning, this spectacle alone was not enough to cause the collapse of the Mist Frontline.
Even though the Hidden Mist Camp had now been completely buried under layers of dirt and every Mist ninja had a mouthful of earth, one bite of dirt wouldn't kill anyone.
Currently, both sides are evenly matched in terms of troop numbers, and after this assault, the Konoha forces' momentum had noticeably slowed down.
Despite being thrown into chaos, the Mist side hadn't lost its ability to seize combat opportunities at all. In fact, even before the dust fully settled into the sea, some elite Mist squads that still maintain rapid-response capabilities have already charged forward head-on toward the Konoha forces.
No small hill could stop the ruthless ninjas driven by bloodlust.
Melees and close-range battles, bloodshed and screams, life and death—it all formed a painfully gray canvas, stripped of any light or hope.
The initial advantage held by Konoha didn't guarantee victory in the war. The true results would only emerge after brutal and somewhat chaotic close combat ended…
Under normal circumstances, war severely tests people's endurance. Ninja must be ruthless not only toward enemies but even more merciless toward themselves.
Victory demands great sacrifice. That's the battlefield's law of exchange.
Yet this time, Konoha had already delivered one unexpected blow. To maximize and sustain the impact of this "surprise," they undoubtedly needed a second surprise strike for reinforcement.
Just as Mist's most agile and responsive elite forces rushed forward impatiently and became entangled in battle with Konoha's flanking units, suddenly upon the sea surface emerged a squad of merely fifty ninja.
The timing couldn't have been more perfect—those fifty were from Konoha.
By then, the Mist ninjas who had plunged deeper into the frontlines had already lost the chance to retreat.
So far, Mist's reactions and battlefield decisions have been largely sound, and the quality displayed by their ninja was even commendable. Yet none of that stopped them from being trapped in a chaotic mess—outmaneuvered and overwhelmed by Konoha's flexible tactics, struggling to cope on multiple fronts simultaneously.
"Forward! Keep charging ahead at your maximum speed!
If we slow down even a second, we're boxed in for good!
Did you all hear me? Those at the front, did you skip breakfast or what? Why can't I see any acceleration?
You'll have the entire country after your head if you slack off like this!"
The ambush squad tore straight into the heart of the Hidden Mist Camp at an unbelievable speed. Even during that breakneck sprint—where most could barely keep up without grinding their teeth—the squad leader kept issuing commands effortlessly.
His tone remained fluent and composed, not even slightly out of breath.
However, even though his orders were meant to convey a sense of serious urgency, to the ninja leading the charge at the front of the formation, his voice was nothing but noisy and irritating.
The responsibilities of command and the need to maintain leadership capabilities required Haseo to stay in the safest, most central position within the assault team. Although Haseo personally refused to accept this arrangement, the squad forced him into it anyway.
As a result, Hatake Sakumo became the vanguard leading the front of the assault.
Right now, Sakumo Hatake wished nothing more than to turn around immediately and shove his Samehada straight into Haseo's mouth. To him, Haseo was no longer a leader, but rather acted like an annoying "client."
Come on! The vibe is totally off. This squad was supposed to be like a group of reaper-like shinigami suddenly appearing on the battlefield to harvest lives. As a sharp blade that should stab silently into an enemy's heart from behind, shouldn't they maintain a quiet and cold demeanor?
So why does the whole squad now sound like a bunch of squawking ducks?
Sakumo Hatake already knew the answer... because he had taken Haseo's role upon himself.
In terms of speed, Hatake could still go faster, but further acceleration was unnecessary. At their current pace alone, Hidden Mist ninjas wouldn't be able to react at all. Continuing to accelerate would only cause discoordination within their own ranks.
Not everyone could reach the level of speed Haseo considered as "high-speed."
The current attack rhythm of the squad wasn't problematic at all.
They moved like a whirling storm of blades, slicing swiftly through the rear of the Hidden Mist Camp, before countless gleaming edges tore violently across the battlefield like shrapnel.
Flesh and blood simply couldn't resist these carefully selected blades.
Sakumo Hatake knocked away enemies attacking head-on while later Konoha ninjas finished them off. Instantly, the elite squad vanished into a crimson blood mist.
At this moment, anyone could understand exactly what this team wanted to do, so for the Hidden Mist side, these people definitely needed to be stopped.
And yet, stopping them proved impossible.
No matter the cost in human lives.
The vanguard was virtually unstoppable. To halt the momentum of this squad, one must pin down Sakumo Hatake right where he stood. However... one must remember—he is the Legend of the White Fang.
You can't underestimate him just because he acts docile or submissive around certain people. No matter how soft his exterior and personality might appear, a beast remains a beast. When it opens its jaws and reveals its fangs, that will also be the last time its enemies ever see those fangs.
This assault squad moved like a hammer, smashing forward relentlessly without pause. And as for whether those caught beneath were truly crushed... there was no time to find out...
Until they pierced straight into the very core—the "heart"—of the Hidden Mist camp.
According to Byakugan reconnaissance, this was likely the enemy's command headquarters. Yet until they lifted the lid, it couldn't be confirmed with 100% certainty.
Therefore, what came next was extremely simple:
[OpenTheDark]!
Hidden beneath the waterproof tarpaulin lay a small wooden hut.
At this moment, Sakumo Hatake stepped forward, with Might Duy flashing into view at his side. Together, the two lifted their legs, preparing to kick open the flap in front of them.
However, before they could act, the top of the tent was suddenly blown completely off with a sharp explosive sound.
It was a powerful Wind Release jutsu attack. And the name of this Wind Release technique was...
[Wind Release: Tengaippa – Grand Heavenly Phenomenon].
Everyone from the Konoha team turned their heads in shock.
Come on, show some restraint! Is opening a door really worth causing this much chaos? You trying to be the first one into class or something?
Yet facing the gazes being cast his way, Haseo didn't feel he had done anything wrong at all. He was just making sure there were no hidden threats. For all he knew, those inside might've gone kamikaze if they got backed into a corner.
Byakugan? Even though it could see through objects after Mist's Barrier had been messed up, did the Hyūga necessarily understand bombs?
Then Haseo raised his right hand and sent out coded signals, instructing most of the ninja to hold position here, while the elite combat forces led by Hatake would continue the assault inward.
Hatake, who had been criticized all along, felt he finally had to vent some of his anger. He kicked open the door of the house whose roof was already gone, then raised Samehada high without hesitation and swung it hard at the first Mist Ninja who appeared before him.
[Hatake's First Taijutsu Strike: Cleaving Strike]
Right behind him, Might Duy also opened six gates instantly, coordinating with Hatake. With a powerful spinning kick, he smashed directly into that enemy ninja.
Left with Samehada, right with a whip kick—caught between two high-speed taijutsu masters, the enemy didn't even have time to react before losing all mobility and getting impaled on Samehada.
Haseo scanned the interior and, based on the furniture arrangement alone, quickly determined that this must be Mist's command center.
Inside were another five or six ninja. Once realizing they'd been ambushed, instead of fighting back fiercely, they began releasing Fire Release techniques, attempting to burn all the materials stored here.
"Stop them!"
Knowing how valuable the enemy's intel was for them, Haseo immediately issued this order.
But actually, it was an unnecessary command—all the ninja understood what should be done at times like these... One side focused solely on torching everything; the other only cared about wiping them out. So within moments, every enemy had been eliminated.
Still, the opposition managed to release several fire techniques, forcing the Konoha ninjas to take action in hopes of swiftly extinguishing these flames—after all, these documents and items were now valuable assets for Konoha; how could they allow Mist's ninja to destroy them freely?
The sounds of battle from outside reached Haseo's ears, but he didn't hurry to turn back around. Instead, he walked toward the last fallen Mist ninja.
He crouched down beside the body and softly asked, "Now... here comes the crucial question. Where is your commander? Did he flee ahead of time?"
Judging from the combat power shown by these individuals just now, Haseo didn't believe they matched the level of the highest-ranking officer. Hence his inquiry.
The Mist Ninja was continuously coughing up blood and had already lost the ability to speak. Although he shouldn't have answered Haseo's question, his delirious mind at the moment of death still subconsciously gave a response.
His pair of dull eyes slowly shifted until finally settling on one spot…
Standing there was Sakumo Hatake.
Right now, Sakumo was frowning as he tried desperately to remove an enemy clinging tightly to his large blade.
Might Duy had kicked too hard earlier, causing the Mist Ninja to become impaled upon Samehada's spines. That's why the blood-soaked man was still impaled on the blade.
Hmm, with Sakumo plus Might Duy working together, could they have taken down some formidable enemy? Yet in reality, each of them had only landed a basic attack—only Haseo—the complete disgrace—had actually used [jutsu].
"This teamwork wasn't perfect… We'll have to be more careful with how hard we hit next time."
Sakumo Hatake clearly didn't think the opponent deserved a real reaction, and his analysis remained short and to the point.
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