Nozomi Hinokawa stood beside Ebizo, his eyes flickering faintly in the darkness as he said in a low voice, "Elder Ebizo, for some reason, the Konoha camp ahead seems to have detected something. They are forming defensive formations."
Ebizo, wearing a wide robe and with a lean face, narrowed his eyes as he looked into the distance, pondering for a moment.
"Then we'll launch a full-scale attack!"
...
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The sudden change erupted in an instant!
The pre-arranged trap Explosive Tags were triggered. Blazing firelight tore through the darkness as dense Wind Blades, Fireballs, and Earth Dragon Bombs poured down like a storm from multiple directions, targeting the not-yet-stabilized defensive line of the Konoha camp!
However, thanks to Shinichi's early warning and Tsunade's swift decision-making, the Konoha camp was not unprepared.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
"Water Style: Water Barrier!"
The Konoha's ninjas, already in position, reacted extremely quickly, forming hand seals and casting defensive Ninjutsu. Thick earthen walls and curtains of water rose from the ground, interweaving into temporary barriers that blocked most of the first wave of the fiercest attacks.
The roar of explosions and the shrill clash of Ninjutsu echoed through the night sky, firelight illuminating the faces of the ninjas.
After a brief but intense exchange of long-range Ninjutsu, the Village Hidden in the Sand assault force had already closed to close-combat range.
The Konoha ninjas drew kunai, swords, and blades, preparing to meet the enemy.
In the area where Shinichi was located, more than thirty of the Village Hidden in the Sand's elites burst out from the darkness. Several mixed wind blade and fireball ninjutsu struck first, their momentum terrifying.
The dozen or so teammates beside him turned pale, hurriedly preparing to defend or evade.
Yet, before everyone's astonished eyes, Shinichi did not move. He simply thrust the Adamantine Nyoi in his hand forward!
With a tyrannical, unstoppable force like a collapsing mountain, it swept out!
Where the staff passed, the air was compressed and exploded, emitting a low wail and thunderous bursts!
Those incoming Ninjutsu, whether sharp wind blades or explosive fireballs, shattered instantly like fragile glass upon contact with the Adamantine Nyoi!
The scattered chakra turbulence whipped Shinichi's hair and clothes wildly backward, yet he stood as steady as a rock.
"Everyone, be careful!"
At the same time, his voice fell, the ground within several meters beneath his feet cracked open with spiderweb-like fractures, and his figure vanished from the spot!
Instead of retreating, he advanced!
Shinichi became a blurred afterimage, wielding the heavy staff like a fired cannonball, like a sudden storm of death, tearing through the brief gap between both sides at astonishing speed and charging straight toward the forefront of the Village Hidden in the Sand formation!
His target was the Sunagakure Chunin rushing ahead, currently forming hand seals to cast another Ninjutsu.
The Sunagakure Chunin only felt his vision blur as a fierce gust of wind rushed toward him. His pupils shrank. Before he could complete even half of his hand seals, the enemy was already upon him!
At the edge between life and death, he had no time to think. Instinctively, he drew the katana at his waist, exerted force with both arms, and held it horizontally in front of him, trying to block.
Crack!!!
There was only a very short, sharp sound of metal shattering!
The moment the Adamantine Nyoi struck down, the blade shattered instantly!
Countless metal fragments scattered in all directions, like a brief meteor shower under the firelight.
In the eyes of the Sunagakure Chunin, the last thing he saw was a black staff growing closer.
"Pfft!"
Like a ripe watermelon smashed by an iron hammer, red and white matter splattered outward in the violent wind brought by the staff.
The ninja's blocking posture froze in place. Then, his headless body was flung backward by the immense force contained in the strike, crashing heavily into four companions behind him, triggering cries of alarm and chaos.
Shinichi pressed his advantage relentlessly. The ground beneath his feet shattered again as his body launched forward like a cannonball once more!
Gripping the Adamantine Nyoi with both hands, using the momentum of his forward charge and leap, the long staff traced a heavy yet elegant arc through the air. His body dragged a brief afterimage, as if stirring the night itself.
Below, the four Sunagakure ninjas who had been staggered by their companion's headless corpse, their formation in disarray, had just barely steadied themselves when the shadow of death descended along with a piercing wind pressure!
"Not good!"
"Move!"
Their cries and shouts were cut short.
With overwhelming force, like a meteor crashing to the ground, the Adamantine Nyoi smashed down, carrying Shinichi's full strength and the acceleration of his fall!
Boom!!!
A far more muffled and violent explosion erupted than before!
Centered on the point of impact, the solid ground caved in and cracked, with spiderweb-like fissures spreading wildly for over a dozen meters!
Earth and stone mixed with flesh and blood shot outward in all directions!
The terrifying shockwave even blew the forehead protectors of several more distant Sunagakure ninjas askew.
Dust and blood mist rose into the air.
Beneath the staff, the four Sunagakure ninjas, along with the remains of the first killed, had already been crushed into an indistinguishable mass under the irresistible force.
Only the Adamantine Nyoi deeply embedded in the ground, and Shinichi standing with it, his killing intent still lingering, remained at the center of this newly created circle of death.
In the span of a breath, five Sunagakure ninjas were dead!
Shinichi slightly raised his eyes, his cold gaze sweeping over the Village Hidden in the Sand squad before him, momentarily frozen by the sudden chain of kills.
"This…"
A Medical Ninja widened his eyes while staring at the scene in disbelief.
He knew Shinichi was a genius, knew the boy was strong, but witnessing him shatter multiple Ninjutsu attacks with one strike and instantly kill five Sunagakure ninjas still exceeded his imagination.
Too fast!
So fast, they hadn't even reacted!
The remaining thirty Sunagakure ninjas also froze for a brief moment, but as a ninja tempered by wind and sand, their brief daze was quickly replaced by ferocity and battle intent stirred by blood.
One of them, seemingly one of the squad leaders, locked his gaze tightly onto Shinichi's face and shouted hoarsely: "He's Shinichi Higashino from Konoha! The one from last year's Chunin exams!"
Hearing this, Shinichi glanced over. The man had a rough face with a shallow scar on his left cheek. He recognized him as well, the Sunagakure Jonin examiner from the second stage of last year's Chunin exams.
Shinichi remembered his introduction at the time: Yoshida Gota.
"Kill him! Prioritize killing him!"
With Yoshida Gota's order, the remaining thirty Sunagakure ninjas' eyes flared with killing intent. Most of them immediately shifted their focus, like wolves smelling blood, charging toward Shinichi's position!
"Support Shinichi!"
"Stop them!"
The teammates behind Shinichi immediately tried to rush forward to regroup with him and share the pressure.
"The ten ninjas on the left, go block those ninjas from Konoha! The rest, with me, surround and kill Shinichi Higashino!"
Yoshida Gota, experienced in combat command, quickly divided the forces.
Ten Sunagakure ninjas changed direction, fearlessly charging toward Shinichi's teammates, weaving a net of Ninjutsu and kunai to intercept them and temporarily stall the reinforcements.
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