vncnus Chapter 408 Ambush in the Dark
Chapter 408 Ambush in the Dark
Chapter 408 Ambush in the Dark
The Land of Frost, Blackrock Canyon.
The Cloud Hidden camp was built against the mountain, and the black tents, like the scales of a giant beast, covered the valley floor.
In the center of the camp, a huge thundercloud fan banner fluttered in the wind. The air was thick with the restless atmosphere characteristic of warmongers.
Darui, the elite Jonin of Kumogakure who shone brightly in the Third Shinobi World War, was standing on a lookout post at the edge of the camp. His short, golden-white hair was being blown by the wind, and his sharp eyes were scanning the direction of the Land of Fire to the south.
He held the latest investigation report in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed.
So far, there has been no sign of reinforcements from Konoha, and this unusual behavior has raised a suspicion in his mind.
Just then, a Cloud Village Chunin on guard duty rushed up to the lookout post as if he'd seen a ghost, his voice trembling: "Lord Dai-i! Something's happened! Konoha—someone from Konoha is coming!"
"What's the panic!" Darui snapped, looking in the direction of the Chunin's trembling finger.
On the open plains to the south, a figure was walking unhurriedly toward the Cloud Hidden Camp.
Without stealth or concealment, they openly and honestly stepped onto the land of the Frost Kingdom, approaching step by step, facing the hostile and scrutinizing gazes of thousands of Cloud Village elites.
The man was dressed in a dark-colored Konoha standard combat uniform, casually covered by a short gray cloak. He was tall and upright, with a composed gait, as if he were not heading towards the enemy camp, but taking a stroll in his own courtyard.
Most notably, he seemed to be holding something fluffy and orange-red in his arms.
"Alone?" Darui's adjutant, Samui, a rare fair-skinned beauty among the Cloud Village's Jonin, narrowed her eyes, her tone filled with strong suspicion and a hint of annoyance at being slighted.
"Is Konoha out of people? Did they send this guy to his death? Or is he here to surrender?"
"Shut up, Samui." Darui's voice was unusually calm, but his pupils suddenly contracted, locking onto the face of the approaching figure. "Look closely at his face!"
Samui and the other Jonin who had gathered around stared intently. When the distance closed enough to see the newcomer's face clearly, everyone involuntarily gasped!
"It's him—it's him! The 'White Reaper' of Konoha! Matsushita Taichi!"
A Cloud Village Jonin who had participated in the Third Shinobi World War and narrowly escaped from the enemy's Water Release technique cried out, his voice filled with uncontrollable fear.
"That's the monster who single-handedly suppressed the rampaging Nine-Tails!" another voice added, trembling.
While Konoha may still be covering up the details of that earth-shattering battle, the fact that the Nine-Tails was suppressed and the core area of Konoha was destroyed has already been spread by spies from various countries at top speed.
The name Matsushita Taichi, along with terms like "suppressing the Nine-Tails" and "beyond standard," quickly spread throughout the ninja world once again!
In the intelligence assessments of all ninja villages, the danger level of this name has been raised to an unprecedented level.
Now, he has come to the Cloud Hidden's thousand-man camp all by himself!
A chill instantly shot from the soles of Darui's feet to the top of his head!
Matsushita Taichi stopped about 100 meters away from the Kumogakure camp's cordon.
This distance is instantaneous for a ninja, and enough for most people in the camp to see him clearly.
He glanced around at the Cloud Village ninjas, who were drawing their weapons, a mocking smile on his face. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the noisy camp, as if whispering in everyone's ears: "Konoha Jonin, Matsushita Taichi."
He announced his name in a calm tone, as if he were introducing himself, "I've heard that the masters of Yunyin have come from afar and are stationed here, which must be because they are eager to exchange skills. I am not very talented, but I have come to ask for your guidance."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Cloud Village Jonin whose expressions were filled with surprise and uncertainty, and continued, "The rules are simple: stop when you've made a move, and don't kill anyone. After all, Konoha and Cloud Village have an agreement, and it wouldn't be good to damage the relationship."
"Of course." Taiyi's voice remained calm, but carried an undeniable air of authority. "If anyone feels that fists and feet have no eyes and they are afraid of not being able to control their strength, they can choose to—not to make a move."
"boom!!!"
The entire Cloud Hidden Camp was like a powder keg that had been lit, instantly erupting into chaos!
Arrogance! Utter arrogance!
One person ran to the entrance of the camp of the Cloud Hidden Army's thousand elite soldiers and openly challenged all the masters?
They even said things like "stop when it's too late" and "don't kill anyone."
This is simply a blatant disgrace to the Hidden Cloud Village, a disgrace to the Fourth Raikage, and a complete disgrace to the dignity of every Hidden Cloud ninja present!
Immediately, the entire Cloud Hidden Camp exploded like a powder keg thrown onto Mars!
"You bastard!"
"That's incredibly arrogant!"
"How dare a mere individual utterly disrespect my Hidden Cloud Village?!"
"Kill him! Let him know the price of insulting Kumogakure!"
The furious roar nearly overturned the canyon.
The Cloud Village ninjas are known throughout the ninja world for their fierce courage and valor; how could they have ever suffered such a humiliating disgrace?
These barbarians have never suffered such humiliation!
"I'll teach this arrogant Konoha brat a lesson!" A hot-tempered, muscular Jonin from Kumogakure was the first to lose his temper and roared as he charged out from the crowd.
His body crackled with lightning, and he moved with incredible speed, like a blue lightning bolt, instantly covering a distance of a hundred meters. His fist, as big as a casserole dish, was wrapped in violent lightning chakra and, with a shrill whistling sound that tore through the air, slammed straight into Taiichi's gate!
Their ambition is commendable, and their bravery is unparalleled! This is precisely the fighting style that Cloud Village is proud of!
However, their abilities did not match their ambition.
Faced with this ferocious attack that could shatter stone and split rocks, Taiyi didn't even put down the little Nine-Tailed Fox in his arms.
He merely turned slightly to the side, his movement so small that he didn't even move his feet, and the iron fist crackling with lightning grazed his nose and slammed into empty air.
At the same time, Taiyi's free left hand shot out with ghostly speed, his index and middle fingers joined together, a sharp chakra light gathering at the fingertips, and he precisely placed it on an extremely hidden acupoint under the opponent's ribs.
"Uh!" The Jonin's ferocious aura froze instantly. The momentum of his forward charge caused him to stumble, and the lightning chakra surging through his body suddenly went out as if its source had been cut off.
He felt a sharp, numbing sensation spread through half of his body in an instant, his vision went black, and his massive body crashed to the ground like a mountain collapsing, kicking up a cloud of dust. He twitched a few times and then completely lost consciousness.
The whole process took only a moment.
"The first one." Taiichi's voice remained calm.
"Damn it!" Seeing his companion being taken down in a single, bizarre move, the second Jonin's eyes turned bloodshot. He drew his ninja sword from behind him, and the blade instantly crackled with blinding lightning. He transformed into a streak of sword light, slashing straight at Taiichi's shoulder! The sword strike was swift and the angle was tricky.
Taiyi didn't move his feet, but merely slightly raised the arm holding the little Nine-Tailed Fox. *Clang!* A crisp metallic clang rang out!
The ninja sword struck Taiichi's arm, producing a sound like it had struck steel! The swirling lightning was instantly dispersed by an invisible force. Taiichi's wrist flicked, his fingers hooking like hooks, and he swiftly gripped the wrist of the man holding the sword.
The Jonin felt an irresistible force coming at him, his wrist bones groaned under the strain, and his ninja sword flew out of his hand.
Immediately afterwards, Taichi lifted his foot and seemingly casually tapped his lower abdomen.
"Pfft!" The second Jonin's eyes bulged out, and he spat out a mixture of gastric juice and blood. His body was thrown backwards like a shrimp after being hit by a high-speed train, flying dozens of meters before crashing into a pile of debris and falling silent.
"The second one."
Fear, like a cold, venomous snake, began to creep into the hearts of some Cloud Ninja. But even more so, it ignited a burning anger and defiance!
"Attack together! Don't give him a chance to breathe!"
The third and fourth Jonin rushed out simultaneously. One used Earth Release: Hardening Technique, covering his body with rock armor, and charged forward like a humanoid chariot. The other quickly formed hand seals in the distance and spat out several sharp wind blades, blocking Taiichi's escape space.
Taiyi finally moved. His figure, carrying the little nine-tailed fox, vanished from the spot like a ghost, easily avoiding the wind blades.
When he reappeared, he was already beside the Jonin who had mastered the Hardening Technique. Facing the hard rock armor, Taiichi unleashed his Super Strength Fist, slamming it into the opponent's shoulder blade.
Click!
A sickening cracking sound rang out.
The Jonin let out a miserable howl as his hard rock armor shattered like paper. Half of his body went limp instantly, and Taiichi kicked the side of his supporting leg's knee, sending him crashing to his knees. He clutched his twisted knee and howled in pain.
"The third one."
At the same time, the Jonin who released the Wind Release technique felt a blur before his eyes as his target vanished. Immediately afterward, a sharp pain shot through the back of his neck, and everything went black; he followed in the footsteps of the previous two.
"The fourth one."
The battle, or rather, the one-sided crushing defeat, was proceeding at an astonishing speed.
The fifth one attempted to use a lightning clone to confuse the opponent, but Taiyi unleashed a water-style attack, sending both the clone and the original body flying.
The sixth one was skilled in physical combat and quick attacks, but Taiyi struck first after the opponent had already made his move, cutting off each of his attacks before he could exert his power, and dislocating his joints within a few moves.
The seventh one tried to create distance and bombard the enemy with ninjutsu, but Taiichi countered with the same ninjutsu, blasting him to a crisp.
The eighth was an experienced tactical Jonin who attempted to set a trap using the location of his fallen comrade, but Taiichi saw through his plan. He stomped on the ground, causing a small collapse that trapped the comrade instead, and then delivered a precise chop to the wound.
Eight!
Eight Jonin from Kumogakure, representing the village's elite fighting force, couldn't even last three moves on average against Matsushita Taichi!
Their pride in speed, strength, ninjutsu, and teamwork seemed utterly pale and powerless in the face of that absolute gap in strength.
Tai's attacks were extremely measured, not taking anyone's life, but each strike precisely hit vulnerable points such as joints, acupoints, or internal organs. Although the injuries were not fatal, they were enough to keep these Jonin in bed for at least ten days before they could barely recover their mobility.
The entire Cloud Hidden Camp fell into a deathly silence.
Every Cloud Village ninja, whether a regular Chunin or the remaining Jonin, was frozen in place as if under a spell, their faces filled with disbelief, horror, and a deep-seated sense of defeat.
Morale plummeted to rock bottom.
Looking at the young man who was still holding the orange-red fur ball and whose clothes were not even disheveled, a chill ran from the soles of all the Cloud Ninjas straight to the top of their heads.
At this moment, the invasion of the Land of Hot Springs, the reclaiming of mission quotas, and the display of Kumogakure's strength to Konoha—all became a huge and ironic joke.
Yunyin died before he could even begin his mission.
Darui gripped the hilt of the short sword behind his back tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, but he did not move.
The Cloud Village cannot afford to lose any more. If its commander loses again, the morale of the troops will be completely shattered.
"Is there anyone else who would like to ask a question?" Taiichi's voice rang out again, breaking the silence.
This time, no one dared to answer. Only heavy breathing and overwhelming fear filled the camp.
Darui took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging blood and humiliation, and his dry voice came through the loudspeaker: "Enough! Matsushita Taichi, your instruction—I've learned my lesson! We were merely conducting a routine shift change this time, and had no other intentions. Please don't misunderstand, Konoha."
He uttered the last few words with difficulty, as if he had used up all his strength.
All schemes are utterly ineffective in the face of absolute power.
At the outpost on the outpost of Konoha, the campfire leaped stubbornly in the night wind. Taiichi sat cross-legged beside the fire, a whetstone steadily gliding across the blade of a short sword in his hand, producing a rhythmic "swishing" sound.
Several days have passed since he decisively defeated eight elite Jonin of the Cloud Village, forcing the formidable Cloud Village force to retreat in disarray.
The battle was so brief it was chilling; the entire process took no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, but the results were unforgettable.
The news, like a winged ghost, spread quietly throughout the ninja world at an astonishing speed.
Taiichi's name, along with his terrifying feat of effortlessly crippling eight elite Jonin of Kumogakure, was immediately placed on the desks of the intelligence chiefs of various ninja villages.
Taiyi naturally knew whose handiwork this was.
Aside from their own high-ranking members, Yunyin had no intention of publicizing Taiyi's power, especially since the clown in this story was none other than Yunyin themselves—
body.
The higher-ups' intentions were also obvious: to use this newly revealed sharp blade to intimidate the entire ninja world and warn those wolves and tigers who were stirring up trouble after the Nine-Tails Night: Konoha still has fangs strong enough to crush any provocation!
He neither confirmed nor denied it. Since he had chosen to stay on the northern front to guard against possible desperate measures by Kumogakure, then becoming a deterrent flag planted by Konoha in the north would be a good use of his abilities.
Deep within a tower in the distant land of rain, perpetually shrouded in cold, damp rain.
Nagato was reviewing the various intelligence reports submitted by his subordinates, something he did every day.
Even with Xiao Nan's assistance, he insisted on completing the task himself.
Managing such a large village as Amegakure is not easy. Nagato is not a heartless person who kills without burying the dead; he is a god who is determined to lead the Land of Rain to prosperity.
However, this intelligence led him to discover the existence he had been searching for.
Looking at the record in his hand that documented the battle that took place in the Land of Frost two days prior, Nagato forced a stiff smile.
Soon, an order reached Jue through various channels.
"Matsushita Taichi has left Konoha. He is currently stationed on the northern border of the Land of Fire. Find him as soon as possible."
Zetsu looked at the order in his hand, a strange smile spreading across his half-white face: "Hehe—what a golden opportunity. He's been holed up in Konoha, making it really difficult for us to make a move. Now that he's come out on his own, he's practically prey delivered right to our mouths."