Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Harassment!
The rain continued to drizzle.
Shūichi Hoshita had only been patrolling for about 20 minutes when he sensed someone approaching.
This area was unlike the dense forests of the Land of Fire; it was barren and exposed. Even with the rain obscuring the view, it was hard not to notice an enemy getting close.
"Six people…"
Shūichi eyed the six figures who had stopped ten meters ahead. None of them bore the forehead protector of a ninja village.
"Konoha brat!"
"Is he alone?"
"For now, it seems so."
"Heh, they really underestimate us!"
The six men focused on Shūichi, their faces twisting into bloodthirsty and cruel smiles.
"Let's start by taking out this brat!"
"Attack!"
"Kill this Konoha kid!"
The six who had stopped suddenly rushed forward, forming a crescent formation.
With a senbon needle in his mouth, Shūichi swiftly reached into his ninja tool pouch with his left hand and flung three shuriken.
He followed up with a second throw, stronger and faster, which caught up with the first three shuriken.
The six shuriken collided mid-air, altering their original flight paths.
Thud, thud, thud!
Three of the enemies were struck, their screams piercing through the rain.
"Damn it!"
"Bastard!"
"Kill him!"
Screams, curses, and the sound of the rain blended together.
Shūichi charged forward, his right hand gripping the Totsuka Blade and a kunai in his left. He darted straight towards the enemy in front, while the two on either side tried to circle around and flank him.
Clang, clang, clang…
The clash of steel echoed, sparks flying.
"You're too slow!"
"You're all so slow, and you dare to come out and pick a fight?"
Shūichi taunted mercilessly.
The enraged enemy retorted, "Brat, don't look down on us!"
Just as the enemy tried to intensify his attack, Shūichi's blade had already sliced through his throat.
Thud, thud, thud!
Three bodies fell in quick succession, their blood soaking into the muddy ground.
The remaining three, who had been hit by the shuriken, were momentarily stunned by the scene.
But Shūichi moved like a lightning bolt, and amidst a series of screams, the remaining three were also swiftly cut down.
From the moment the fight started to its end, it didn't even take a minute.
Neither the enemies nor Shūichi had used any ninjutsu.
"They're all just cannon fodder… This probably won't be the last wave."
Shūichi cleaned up the battlefield, collecting any useful kunai and shuriken.
There was no telling how many more battles lay ahead, so conserving ninja tools was essential.
Sure enough, less than an hour later, another group attacked.
Their strength was still lacking; Shūichi quickly killed two of them, and the third fled in terror. He didn't bother to give chase.
There was no need to waste time or energy on cannon fodder.
Before nightfall, Shūichi and his team had endured a total of eight ambushes.
The constant attacks slowed their progress, forcing them to camp out in the wilderness for the night.
On the barren hillside, six samurai and the porters were busy setting up tents.
The reason for choosing this spot to camp, rather than finding a cave, was to have a wide-open view, making it nearly impossible for the enemy to approach undetected for a surprise attack.
Of course, if the enemy turned out to be Iwa-nin as suspected, a cave would be even more dangerous.
"The real enemy should appear at dawn; tonight's harassment is likely to continue," Minato Namikaze analyzed the situation.
The enemy's tactic had become clear: constant harassment throughout the day using hired cannon fodder.
Although it was unclear why the enemy had chosen this strategy, they were currently in a very passive situation.
To change this, Minato made a decision. "Shūichi, your Transformation Jutsu is the best here. I'll need you to use a shadow clone to transform into the envoy."
Shūichi immediately understood. "Minato-sensei, are you planning to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to take the envoy away?"
Minato nodded. "Exactly. The envoy is not only putting us in a passive position, but he's also the enemy's primary target due to the high intelligence value he holds."
"However, we also need the envoy as bait to draw out the real enemy and gather information from them."
"During the time I take the envoy away, it's crucial that the enemy doesn't realize what's happening."
"So, Shūichi, you'll need to transform a shadow clone into the envoy, and I'll leave a shadow clone behind as well for cover. If any enemies attack, you must hold them off to prevent the plan from being exposed."
Minato then smiled. "If the real enemy shows up while I'm away, retreat immediately—my shadow clone will cover your escape."
"And if you can't withstand the harassment, retreat immediately as well!"
"Of course, I'll return as quickly as I can."
Kurama Sanyō patted his chest confidently. "Don't worry, Minato-sensei. If it's just more of the same from today, we'll handle it without any problem."
Shūichi and Uchiha Shisui also nodded, though neither was as optimistic as Sanyō.
The issue wasn't just strength; it was whether their mental and physical stamina could hold up under the constant harassment.
But in any case, Minato's plan allowed them to proceed without worrying too much.
"Minato-sensei, why doesn't the enemy just attack and seize the envoy directly?"
"We're just a small ninja squad with six samurai. If they can hire this many ninjas to harass us, why not send a large force at once to overwhelm us and take the envoy?"
"Are they afraid we might kill the envoy if we can't hold them off? But this is a Daimyo's envoy."
Sanyō voiced his doubts.
After a day of fighting, they had already killed over twenty enemies and driven off more than ten.
Shūichi chuckled. "Maybe the enemy knows how strong Minato-sensei is and doesn't dare attack directly."
"Sometimes, numbers don't make a difference!"
At this point, Minato hadn't yet earned the nickname "Yellow Flash," but as a young Jōnin of Konoha who had completed numerous missions, it was unlikely the enemy hadn't gathered intelligence on him. The Flying Thunder God Technique, pioneered by the Second Hokage, was surely known to other ninja villages.
Minato smiled at Shūichi's praise and said, "There's no need to dwell on why the enemy is acting this way. We'll find out once we capture the real enemy and interrogate them."
After making these arrangements, the camp was just about set up when another wave of harassment arrived, but Minato and Uchiha Shisui quickly drove them off.
Afterward, Minato went straight into the envoy's tent. He left behind a shadow clone and then departed with the envoy.
A moment later, Minato's shadow clone exited the tent, and Shūichi and Sanyō entered the tent to rest.
The six samurai continued to guard the tent, unaware that the envoy had already been taken away.
The campfire flickered as Minato's shadow clone and Uchiha Shisui kept watch.
An hour later, another night raid occurred.
Shisui moved out and repelled the attackers.
Another hour passed, and more enemies attacked. Shisui and the six samurai fought them off, but one samurai was killed, and three others were injured.
Shūichi, who had been resting, left a shadow clone in the tent and went outside to heal the injured samurai.
The night was anything but peaceful, with harassment coming in waves.
Shūichi, Shisui, Sanyō, and the remaining five samurai were the main force fending off the enemy's attacks, while Minato's shadow clone held the position outside the tent.
This didn't arouse the enemy's suspicion.
Given the situation, it was reasonable for Minato to conserve his energy.
At midnight, Minato returned to the tent.
Shūichi finally felt relieved, and began to look forward to the final battle.
After being harassed all day, he was ready to unleash his pent-up frustration.
(End of Chapter)
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