Under the powerful assault of the Kirigakure shinobi, the defenses set up by Hyuga Kazuo and the other Konoha ninja were quickly breached.
Facing this scene, Hyuga Kazuo and his fellow Konoha ninja showed no signs of panic.
Their mission had always been to draw out a portion of the Mist ninjas.
The squads led by both sides soon met in the forest and clashed directly!
In terms of numbers, Hyuga Kazuo's group of Konoha ninja was clearly at a disadvantage.
Therefore, facing the attacks of numerous Mist ninjas, these Konoha ninja engaged while retreating toward the rear.
The Kirigakure ninjas naturally wouldn't let the Konoha ninja leave so easily. Over thirty Kirigakure shinobi pursued them closely.
After all, these were all merits to be earned!
As for the leading Kirigakure Jonin, he could also detect Hyuga Kazuo and the others' attempt to lure them away.
But the Kirigakure group simply didn't care!
Momonkabe Zabuza-sama was still holding the rear, and their numbers far exceeded the Konoha ninja. Even if they were lured away, other Mist ninjas would quickly reinforce the defense of the Land of Waves Bridge.
It wouldn't weaken the defense at all.
The explosions of explosive tags from the direction of the Land of Waves Bridge naturally reached the daimyo's mansion in the Land of Waves as well.
The lazy expression on Momonkabe Zabuza's face vanished in an instant.
"Finally, something interesting!"
Momonkabe Zabuza cracked his neck, a cold smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he stood up.
Knock! Knock!
Right at that moment, a soft knock sounded at the door.
Momonkabe Zabuza flashed to the door and pulled it open.
"Momonkabe Zabuza-sama, it's a small Konoha unit, roughly ten people."
A Chunin stood at the doorway, startled by the suddenly opened door, then quickly reported.
"Only ten? Interesting."
Momonkabe Zabuza raised an eyebrow and walked out the door.
The messenger Chunin naturally hurried to follow, but halfway there, they saw Haku approaching from the opposite direction.
"Haku-sama."
The Chunin quickly showed a solemn expression upon seeing Haku, bowing slightly and speaking respectfully.
Haku held a somewhat special status in Kirigakure. Although also a Chunin, there weren't many ninjas in the entire village who could directly meet Yuto-sama, but Haku was one of them.
"Still awake at this hour? Want to go take a look together?"
Momonkabe Zabuza seeing Haku approach, spoke in a low voice with a hint of laughter.
Haku first nodded at the Chunin, then turned to Momonkabe Zabuza and shook his head.
"Just took over the Land of Waves, there are still many matters to attend to."
"This Konoha unit was able to arrive so quickly, it shouldn't be Konoha's main force, but rather troops stationed at the border of the Shinobi World. I imagine there aren't any particularly powerful ninja among them."
Haku spoke with a gentle expression.
"Been bored for several days. Finally something interesting is happening. Time to stretch my legs."
Momonkabe Zabuza cracked his wrists and continued walking outside.
Haku watched Momonkabe Zabuza leave without any intention of stopping him.
The Land of Waves Bridge was extremely important, and with Momonkabe Zabuza-sama going, it would be much more reassuring.
At this moment.
In the dense forest.
Nara Yoshitaka, who had been waiting quietly at the rear, gazed toward the direction of the Land of Waves Bridge with a calm expression.
Hearing the explosions coming from another direction from time to time, Nara Yoshitaka silently calculated in his mind.
"Move out!"
A sharp glint suddenly flashed in Nara Yoshitaka's eyes as he spoke in a low voice.
The moment his words fell!
Dozens of Konoha ninja figures disappeared from their original positions simultaneously with Nara Yoshitaka.
This time, the unit led by Nara Yoshitaka had no intention of hiding at all. Like a sharp blade, they charged toward the Land of Waves Bridge.
Nara Yoshitaka knew very well that they only had one chance, and speed was everything!
He also knew that regardless of success or failure, probably none of the ten ninja in their squad would survive.
The Konoha ninja present understood this as well, but each of their faces showed resolute determination.
If the Land of Waves Bridge wasn't destroyed, it wouldn't be a matter of just a few deaths.
Nara Yoshitaka and the others burst out from the forest, seeing the Land of Waves Bridge not far ahead. The surrounding area was completely devoid of tree cover.
The appearance of Nara Yoshitaka and his group instantly drew the attention of Kirigakure.
"As expected! There are other Konoha ninja!"
"Stop them! Don't let them near the Land of Waves Bridge!"
Shouts rang out from the Kirigakure forces, and dozens of figures charged toward Nara Yoshitaka and his group.
At the same time, numerous kunai and shuriken flew rapidly toward them.
Nara Yoshitaka, who had prepared everything in advance, showed no trace of panic.
The two Konoha ninja at the front had already begun rapidly forming hand seals the moment they burst from the forest.
"Earth Style — Earth Flow Rampart!"
One of the Konoha ninja slammed his palm onto the ground after completing the seals.
Boom!
With a loud noise, the ground beneath Nara Yoshitaka and the others rose rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, it had risen to about six or seven meters, avoiding the attacks of the enemy shinobi.
Then the other ninja who had been forming seals also pressed his hand to the ground.
"Earth Style — Earth Flow River!"
The surrounding ground rapidly became soft, then surged toward the surroundings like a mudslide.
Using these two jutsu to create obstacles, Nara Yoshitaka and the others continued charging forward.
The ten Konoha ninja surrounding them protected Nara Yoshitaka firmly in the center, continuously releasing ninjutsu in all directions to hinder the Mist ninjas' advance.
Unfortunately.
This advance didn't last long before a scream came from the Konoha ninja at the front, struck by enemy ninjutsu and falling from the formation.
"Keep moving forward!"
Nara Yoshitaka gritted his teeth, his tone still firm.
He knew that if they didn't save that fallen ninja, he would certainly die.
But Nara Yoshitaka also knew they absolutely couldn't stop. The moment they stopped, they would never be able to get near the Land of Waves Bridge again.
Next!
As they got closer and closer to the Land of Waves Bridge.
The Konoha group had been reduced from the original eleven to five, including Nara Yoshitaka.
The few of them present were covered in wounds all over their bodies, all gasping as they looked at the Land of Waves Bridge right before their eyes.
"Stop them! Buy me time!"
Nara Yoshitaka took a deep breath and spoke to the remaining ninja beside him.
"Yes!!"
Resolute voices rang out simultaneously.
At this moment, the Konoha ninja present had already realized that they probably wouldn't be leaving here alive today. Their eyes were filled with determination to die.
With these words.
Three Konoha ninja directly turned to face the large number of charging Kirigakure forces, mobilizing the last of their chakra to unleash their strongest jutsu.
Buying Nara Yoshitaka time to destroy the Land of Waves Bridge!
[
Dear Readers,
I am currently posting two chapters every day across two active fictions, along with bonus releases and extra chapters. The workload is steady, and I am putting in the effort to keep the schedule consistent for everyone.
Right now, my financial situation is not great. Patreon support is what keeps this translation work sustainable. If you have been following the stories and want to help, joining a tier makes a direct difference.
Here is what membership offers:
Adventurer — $3 per month
10 chapters in advance for all of my works
Warrior — $7 per month
20 chapters in advance for all of my works
Immortal — $10 per month (Highlighted Tier)
30 chapters in advance for all of my works
Access to character images
Important note: Subscribing through the Apple App adds an extra 30 percent fee (Apple/Patreon policy). Subscribe through your browser to avoid the extra charge. Apple also processes payments very late (2 to 3 months), which makes it much harder for me to receive money quickly after you subscribe.
If you can support, it would genuinely help me continue the daily releases and early access content. If you cannot, reading and sharing the work is also appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44
]