Chapter 631: Defeated, Attacked from Three Sides
"We've fallen into a trap. Fire the signal flare immediately!" Homura ordered.
Although he had walked straight into an ambush, Homura did not panic.
Panic could not solve anything. Calmly thinking of a way out was what a qualified Ninja should do.
Whoosh!
Bang!
After receiving the order, the Konoha Ninja quickly fired the highest-level signal flare.
"Move north!" Homura commanded immediately after.
Teacher Chen's unit was not far from them.
If they could link up with Teacher Chen's team in time, they would not only be able to escape this crisis, but might even be able to turn the situation around and counterattack.
"This place isn't somewhere you can come and go as you please."
Yagura rushed toward Homura, wielding his iron staff.
The Hidden Mist elites behind him also moved one after another, clearing obstacles for their commander.
"Let's see if you can stop me."
Homura opened the large scroll hanging over his chest and formed hand signs at high speed, condensing Chakra.
"Ninja Tool Manipulation: Hidden Weapon Strike!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Dozens of Kunai shot rapidly toward Yagura.
However, Yagura did not swing his iron staff to knock the Kunai away. Instead, he condensed Chakra and extended his right hand.
"Water Release: Water Mirror Jutsu!"
A large amount of water appeared and swiftly formed a huge round mirror in front of Yagura.
Boom!
The Kunai struck the water mirror, triggering a chain of explosions that made ripples spread violently across its surface.
Although the explosive tags attached to Homura's Kunai were hidden with great subtlety and skill, Yagura still noticed them.
Whoosh!
The instant he blocked the explosion, Yagura dispersed the Water Release and rushed in front of Homura, swinging his iron staff down.
At the critical moment, Homura summoned an iron staff of his own and swung it with all his strength to block Yagura's strike.
Clang!
With a sharp metallic clash, the two iron weapons collided violently. Both sides had used considerable force, causing tiny sparks to scatter from the point of impact.
Slash!
Yagura's expression remained unchanged. He pressed against Homura's iron staff and slid forward. His own weapon was custom-made, with an iron hook at the tip.
Under Yagura's immense strength, the hook slashed rapidly toward Homura's head.
Homura erupted with Chakra and twisted his iron staff, deflecting Yagura's attack.
His staff technique had been learned from Hiruzen in the past, and it was the long-handled weapon style he was most proficient in.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Clang, clang!
The two stepped firmly and powerfully as they swung their weapons. Iron staff and hooked staff carved silver arcs through the air. In both strength and speed, they were evenly matched, making it difficult to determine a victor for the moment.
Realizing that close combat would not produce a quick result, Homura burst backward to create distance. He threw the long staff in his hand like a spear toward Yagura, then began using his summoning scroll again.
A large bow and several arrows appeared in front of Homura.
Homura drew the bow and nocked an arrow at high speed, firing two arrows imbued with Wind Release Chakra in quick succession.
Yagura raised his hand again and used Water Release to defend.
The first arrowhead sank into the water but failed to penetrate the water mirror, only creating a large number of ripples across the surface.
Swish!
The second arrow pierced through the constantly fluctuating mirror.
The splash created by the arrow as it broke through the water mirror struck Yagura's face, stimulating his nerves.
At that extreme instant, Yagura jerked his head to the side, leaving a bloody line across his cheek.
"I underestimated him. Such fast and accurate arrows!"
Feeling the wetness on his face, Yagura's heart pounded fiercely.
His heart, which had become somewhat unsteady due to holding a major advantage, settled back down at once.
There was a reason Homura could sit in a high-ranking position in Konoha. His strength could not be underestimated.
"What a pity."
Homura exhaled lightly and returned the bow to the scroll.
This move of his was specifically meant for ambushing people. Since it had failed, it was basically useless for the rest of this battle.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Homura took out a giant Shuriken from the scroll and threw it at Yagura, then quickly formed hand signs.
Under the effect of Chakra, the giant Shuriken split into two, then four.
"Water Mirror Jutsu!"
Yagura created another water mirror, but this time, the mirror was not for defense. It was for offense.
A Ninja identical to Homura rushed out from the water mirror and also used the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Bang, bang!
The four giant Shuriken canceled one another out, while the copied Homura continued charging toward the real Homura. After exchanging a single blow, it disappeared.
"Water Release: Water Gun Jutsu!"
With his hands freed, Shingetsu seized the opening. He shaped both hands like pistols, aimed at Homura, and fired several liquid projectiles like bullets.
"Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!"
On the other side, Tosha also quickly formed hand signs, creating a large number of water bullets in front of him and launching them at Homura.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
Yagura consumed a large amount of Chakra and created an incredibly thick Water Dragon.
Besieged suddenly by three powerful Ninja, even with Konoha Ninja blocking for him, Homura was still injured.
Homura retreated continuously, using the impact of the Water Dragon to pull back while his eyes kept observing the entire battlefield.
"This is bad. I'm afraid the vast majority of the Hidden Mist forces that invaded this time are here."
Homura frowned.
As the strongest combatant present, he was not inferior to Yagura. But looking at the battlefield as a whole, Konoha was almost completely at a disadvantage. Trying to fight while retreating was simply unrealistic.
"Is fighting to the death the only way to break out?"
Homura hesitated slightly.
If he sacrificed most of the people here, he was confident he could take a portion of the elites and escape.
However, if that happened, this mission could already be declared a failure. They might lose six or seven hundred Ninja.
"No, I must hold on."
Homura quickly formed hand signs, summoning a large number of Kunai and firing them at the surrounding Mist Ninja.
He did not want to abandon so many Ninja here.
Most of the seven hundred Ninja here were Chunin. Even if they were merely seven hundred qualified Genin, training them would take a great deal of time and energy.
Konoha was already short on manpower because it was being attacked on multiple fronts. He could not give up so easily.
Although Homura had a tenacious will to fight, that still could not change the overall battle situation.
He and Yagura could only be considered evenly matched. After being injured, he was not even Yagura's equal anymore, and Yagura's side had far more elites.
The number of Konoha Ninja on the battlefield continued to decrease, and Homura's heart wavered constantly.
It was not that he feared death. Rather, if he did not choose to sacrifice most of the unit and break out, everyone might die here.
"Leaf Dragon God!"
Just as Homura was preparing to fight to the death and force a breakout, a green dragon broke through the Hidden Mist encirclement. A powerful storm swept up and tore several Mist Ninja apart.
Along with it came a large number of Ninja wearing Konoha uniforms.
Joy appeared on Homura's face, and he immediately shouted, "Jonin Chen, break out with me! Don't get dragged into a prolonged fight!"
The Hidden Mist offensive was fiercer than he had imagined.
Now that he was seriously injured and the unit had suffered significant losses, it was not suitable to fight a decisive battle against the Hidden Mist.
"It would have been better if he had split his forces into three routes."
Yagura showed a look of regret.
If the arriving Konoha force had been reduced by one-third, he would have wiped out Teacher Chen's unit as well.
"Pursue them! Eliminate as many Konoha Ninja as possible!" Yagura ordered.
It was unrealistic to keep everyone here, but eliminating another portion of the Konoha force was still possible.
The two forces chased and fled all the way to the north-central region. Only then did Yagura give up the pursuit.
If they chased any farther, he might end up being trapped instead. After all, this was the Land of Fire, and Konoha was fighting on home ground.
Yagura could hardly wait to send news of his great victory back to the Hidden Mist Village.
After learning of Yagura's achievements, the Third Mizukage first held a meeting to commend him, then dispatched another six hundred Hidden Mist Ninja to the Land of Waves.
The situation was too favorable. The Third Mizukage wanted to see whether this momentum could be maintained. If it could, they could increase their investment and achieve their war goals in one stroke.
The victorious Hidden Mist were full of joy, while Konoha, which had suffered defeat, was in a foul mood.
Konoha Hospital.
Inside a high-level ward, Homura lay on the hospital bed with an apologetic expression.
Utatane Koharu sat beside the bed, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Hiruzen stood by the window, continuously puffing on his pipe.
A strange silence filled the entire ward.
"Homura actually lost, and it resulted in nearly three hundred Ninja killed in action, with more than five hundred injured..."
Hiruzen recalled the casualty report, his brows tightly furrowed.
This was beyond his expectations. He had originally thought that with Homura's ability, even if he could not quickly wipe out the Hidden Mist, he would certainly be able to maintain a steady advantage and gradually defeat them.
He had not expected such tragic news to arrive so suddenly, especially when they were fighting on home ground.
"Has it been too long since he last went to the battlefield? But even then, it shouldn't be like this."
Hiruzen glanced at Homura, who was lying on the hospital bed, feeling puzzled.
In the past, this level of casualties would not have been considered much. Only three hundred Ninja had died, and among the more than five hundred injured, the proportion of serious injuries was not high.
But now, Konoha was in a critical period. Not only was it fighting fiercely against Kumogakure, but Iwagakure was also watching hungrily from nearby.
Under these circumstances, suddenly suffering a defeat might trigger a chain reaction.
"I'm sorry. I let you all down."
Homura took the initiative to break the silence.
If one lost, one had to admit it. If one was beaten, one had to stand straight. He was not the type of person who would invent a thousand excuses to defend himself.
"Homura, was there any hidden expert among the Hidden Mist forces this time?" Utatane Koharu could not help asking.
"No. It was a mistake in my own decision-making that ultimately led to defeat. In terms of overall strength, my unit should have been stronger."
Homura shook his head and answered.
"This..."
Utatane Koharu found it difficult to say anything more.
Since Homura himself had said so, there was no need for her to help him find excuses.
"Let Mugetsu go. He is the most suitable one in the Village right now," Homura said, looking at Hiruzen.
Although Konoha still had Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin, Tsunade's efficiency in killing enemies on the battlefield was far below Mugetsu's. She was not the right choice.
Moreover, Tsunade herself was currently quite resistant to going to the battlefield.
"That is what I was thinking as well."
Hiruzen nodded.
Although he wanted to give Mugetsu more time to train, plans could not keep up with changes.
If he did not send Mugetsu, he could only recall Jiraiya, or Hiruzen himself would have to go to the battlefield.
Calling Jiraiya back would be robbing Peter to pay Paul, and it could easily give Iwagakure an opening to cause trouble.
As Hokage, Hiruzen's every move affected the entire situation, so he could not act rashly. It had to be Mugetsu.
After all, this mission was relatively safe. They were fighting on home ground, and the enemies did not include overly exaggerated experts.
If the opponents were at the level of the Third Tsuchikage or the Third Raikage, Hiruzen would choose to let Mugetsu remain in Konoha while he personally went to the battlefield.
Facing experts of that level, the risk of something going wrong was not small. He could not allow Mugetsu, who had the chance to reach the height of the First Hokage, to take such a risk.
...
Land of Earth, Iwagakure.
"Refused again. It seems to be a fundamental issue."
Looking at the message sent by Kitsuchi, Onoki showed a regretful expression.
Forming a joint Ninja force with the Shinobi Sect to deter Konoha in the Land of Rain was impossible unless Onoki first crushed the Ninja forces of the Land of Rain.
But that made no sense. It would only create another opponent for himself for no reason.
Just then, an urgent knock suddenly sounded from outside the door.
"Enter."
An Iwagakure Anbu quickly walked into the office and said, "Third Tsuchikage-sama, there is important war intelligence regarding Konoha!"
Onoki's spirits instantly rose. He picked up the intelligence the Anbu handed over and began speed-reading it.
"The Hidden Mist defeated the Konoha Ninja force led by Homura in the Land of Fire."
Onoki was slightly surprised.
Defeating a Konoha Ninja force outside the Land of Fire, breaking through the Land of Fire's defensive line, and defeating a Konoha Ninja force inside the Land of Fire were all different matters. The value of the first two was hard to judge, but the last one was absolutely the most significant.
And the Hidden Mist had not defeated an ordinary Ninja force. They had defeated the Ninja force led by Homura, one of Konoha's high-ranking officials.
"Perhaps Konoha is not as strong as I imagined."
Onoki revealed a thoughtful expression.
As a troublemaker, it would be a pity not to participate when the Land of Fire was already so lively.
"Notify the high-ranking officials to gather in the conference room," Onoki ordered the Iwagakure Anbu.
He had the idea of sending troops, but this was not something he could decide alone. A meeting had to be held first.
When the latest intelligence on the Land of Fire was placed in front of the Iwagakure higher-ups, they all showed expressions similar to Onoki's earlier one.
"We have suffered quite a few losses at Konoha's hands since the war began. We cannot simply let it go. I think we can take this opportunity to send troops," Iwagakure Elder Chouki suggested.
"I also think we can give it a try," Onoki said directly, stating his position.
Immediately afterward, the leader of Iwagakure's Jonin, Teru, also expressed his approval.
In the end, the high-level meeting unanimously passed the resolution to send a Ninja force against Konoha.
As for the candidate to command the Ninja force, after some discussion, they decided that Retsuishi, the captain of the Iwa Explosion Corps, would take the role.
The blame for the last defeat had mainly fallen on the deceased Iwakura and the departed Roshi. Retsuishi had returned to the Village early to recover due to his injuries, so he was not affected.
Of course, the main reason was that there were no better candidates. Some lacked seniority, while others lacked strength.
.....
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