Capítulo 141: Chapter 141: I’ve Been Humble, Senior!
"Six hundred people? That's enough!"
Shūichi spoke steadily and confidently. "Sunagakure only has a little over eight hundred troops right now. I've already left behind some clones to harass them, so by the time they reach the border, their numbers won't exceed 800."
"Their troop movements can't escape my detection, even at night!"
"So, I'll be able to anticipate their attack direction. While the warning time might be short, it should be enough!"
"I'll leave my clones at each ambush point."
Shimura Feiyan frowned. "Shūichi, although you're strong, how much impact can a single clone have?"
"Setting up three ambush points means that even if we split our forces into three, that's only 200 men per point."
"But clearly, we can't do that. So, we'd be facing waves of Sunagakure's forces—potentially all of them—with fewer troops."
"If we don't get reinforcements in time, the defensive line might collapse!"
Shūichi turned to face Shimura Feiyan with a gentle smile. "My strength?"
Before his words had even finished, Shūichi vanished from his spot, reappearing instantly behind Shimura Feiyan. His right hand, coated with Wind Release chakra, was already resting against Feiyan's neck.
Shūichi chuckled softly. "Did you see the strength of my clone?"
So fast!
The Jōnin in the tent were silently astonished. None of them had reacted in time. Although they hadn't been on guard, it was still incredibly impressive.
The only one who managed to follow Shūichi's movement was Orochimaru. He had tracked Shūichi's motion but was still surprised. "It's just a clone, and even I didn't notice!"
Koharu Utatane furrowed her brow, while Shimura Feiyan's body stiffened, his expression sour. "Shūichi Hoshita, what are you trying to do?"
Shūichi withdrew his hand and patted Feiyan's shoulder. "My apologies, Senior, I was just demonstrating the strength of my clone."
Grinding his teeth, Shimura Feiyan snapped, "You... Don't think that just because you've become a Jōnin at a young age, you can disrespect your seniors! Young people need to stay humble. If you act arrogant and show off, you'll suffer for it eventually!"
Shūichi kept his gentle smile, his tone unchanged. "I've already been very humble, Senior. Besides, if young people don't show off now, are they supposed to wait until they're too old to fight and rely on seniority to act arrogant?"
"Oh, and I forgot to mention: my clone previously eliminated over 40 Mist ninjas and captured Hōzuki Metsuin."
"Seems like Metsuin hasn't been brought here yet."
At these words, a chorus of astonished voices erupted.
"Hōzuki Metsuin?!"
"You captured him?"
"He's a master of many of the Hōzuki clan's secret techniques and Silent Killing. He gave us a lot of trouble during the last Great Ninja War!"
"It looks like we've seriously underestimated Shūichi's strength!"
"With this kind of power, the plan to lure the enemy is completely feasible."
Several of the Jōnin present began to speak up in agreement.
Shimura Feiyan's face darkened. Not a single person spoke up for him. And that brat, Shūichi, was nothing like his teacher, Minato Namikaze!
As Danzo had said, this kid was naturally evil and cunning!
At that moment, Koharu turned to Orochimaru and asked, "Orochimaru, what do you think?"
Orochimaru smiled and replied, "I would go with Shūichi's second plan: lure the enemy into ambush and strike when the time is right."
"Although we lack the numbers, we have the advantage in intelligence, terrain, stamina, and even ninja tools."
"Plus, when luring the enemy, we'll actually have far more forces than Jōnin Feiyan estimates. After all, we can use shadow clones and other techniques to deceive the enemy."
Koharu decisively said, "In that case, I'll leave the frontline arrangements to you, Orochimaru."
Orochimaru immediately nodded. "Understood!"
...
After the meeting ended, Shūichi followed Orochimaru to a secluded spot.
"Shūichi, your power has grown so quickly!" Orochimaru said with admiration.
Shūichi humbly replied, "I'm still not on your level, Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "While weakening Sunagakure is important, we also can't let them retreat to seek reinforcements."
"You're strong, but you can't wipe them out in one blow, can you?"
Shūichi nodded, understanding Orochimaru's point. He replied, "Don't worry, Lord Orochimaru. I'll control the pace of the battle, focusing on harassing and wearing them down."
Orochimaru nodded approvingly with a smile. "Very good."
...
After parting ways with Orochimaru, Shūichi found Asuka and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to bring her back to his main body.
The situation with Kirigakure and Konoha would likely escalate into a battle soon, and Asuka's medical ninjutsu would be essential.
As Shūichi released his clone and processed the memories, he couldn't help but shake his head.
"Is there ever a war without risk?"
Especially when Konoha didn't have a numerical advantage. If they had enough troops, who wouldn't just charge in for an overwhelming victory?
What's more, Kirigakure had an even larger force, and Konoha only had 500 soldiers to face them.
This meant that if Kirigakure started fighting Konoha first, there would be no time to delay the situation with Sunagakure.
For Konoha, either Sunagakure or Kirigakure had to be decisively dealt with first, so they could then focus all their forces on the other.
It was clear that Sunagakure had fewer troops, and they were closer to the Land of Wind, meaning their reinforcements would arrive faster. Therefore, Sunagakure had to be crushed first.
For a swift victory, taking risks was inevitable!
"In that case, the strategy against Kirigakure can't be the same as with Sunagakure."
"We need to weaken their forces as much as possible, hit them hard, and make them afraid to launch a decisive attack!"
"Even if they coordinate a joint assault with Sunagakure later, it's still better than letting Kirigakure strike first."
Shūichi's strategy became clearer.
He wasn't sure if Koharu or Orochimaru had considered this point. Even Orochimaru, who had confidence in him, likely hadn't thought that Shūichi could harass both Sunagakure and Kirigakure simultaneously.
But the truth was, even with clones, the fatigue from continuous battles would eventually accumulate in his main body.
"Good thing my recovery is strong…"
Shūichi silently felt relieved.
...
"So, Metsuin is either captured by Konoha or dead without a trace?"
Shingetsu's face darkened.
He hadn't expected to hear such news after reuniting with the main force.
Hōzuki Metsuin was someone he had high hopes for—the next head of the Hōzuki clan, even with a chance to compete for the position of Fourth Mizukage. And now...
The Kirigakure ninja delivering the report kept his head low, not daring to respond.
Shingetsu took a deep breath and said, "Keep moving. If you encounter this Shūichi Hoshita, notify me immediately!"
"I want to see just what this youngest Jōnin of Konoha is capable of!"
After a brief pause, the nearly thousand-strong Kirigakure force resumed their advance, spreading out in small squads over a range of several miles.
They soon passed through the forest where so many of their comrades had fallen. After looting supplies from a few villages in the Land of Rivers, they continued forward.
On the other side…
Chiyo led the Sunagakure army to the site where the entire Feilian unit had been wiped out. After a brief stop to gather their comrades' remains, the army entered the forest.
Sunagakure's sensory ninja quickly detected three targets with identical chakra signatures.
Upon receiving the report, Chiyo immediately ordered, "That must be him. Surround them!"
With the command given, Sunagakure squads swarmed into the forest.
Deep within the forest, Shūichi's three clones had already revealed themselves.
Lightning Clone, Earth Clone, and Water Clone!
Soon, Sunagakure forces arrived, but stopped dozens of meters away, forming a crescent-shaped encirclement around Shūichi's clones.
The front-line Sunagakure ninja simultaneously formed hand seals, then exhaled powerful gusts of air, which quickly turned into a roaring storm.
As the storm tore through the area, sharp winds sliced through branches, and smaller trees were uprooted completely.
Earth Release: Multiple Earth-Style Walls!
Layer upon layer of earthen walls rose up, forming a three-sided barrier that successfully blocked the storm.
After the storm subsided, there was a brief vacuum of time, during which the Sunagakure shinobi seized the opportunity to advance swiftly.
Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!
The water clone leapt onto the high wall, with water vapor swirling and rising around it. It then dived down, transforming into a rushing river aimed at the enemies in front.
Almost simultaneously, lightning sparked without sound. In the vacuum of the storm, Chidori—the Lightning Clone shot out with even greater speed.
Then came the Earth Clone.
The Earth Clone provided defense, the Water Clone offered support, and the Lightning Clone executed high-speed assaults on the enemies.
The battle had officially begun!
However, it was clear that the Sunagakure shinobi had no intention of engaging in close combat just yet. Another storm began to brew.
The Water Clone controlled the water flow, surging forward. More earth walls rose from the ground, while the Lightning Clone suddenly disappeared, reappearing behind the attacking Sunagakure forces. Screams filled the air as the lightning tore through their ranks, ricocheting among them.
Chiyo, arriving from the rear, witnessed this scene and scoffed quietly: "A teleportation technique similar to the Yellow Flash, is it?"
She then shouted, "Be careful of his teleportation jutsu—it's likely space-time ninjutsu!"
In an instant, all the Sunagakure shinobi were on high alert.
Chiyo, however, remained calm and composed, continuously issuing commands and coordinating her squads, ensuring their attacks were relentless and well-coordinated.
Even though Shūichi's clones moved around the forest using pre-placed Flying Thunder God markers, the Sunagakure shinobi were quick to react, setting up layers of encirclements.
Boom!
The Earth Clone was the first to be taken down.
Next was the Water Clone!
Finally, the fastest, the Lightning Clone, was destroyed.
However, the entire process lasted a full half hour.
After receiving the casualty report, Chiyo remained silent for a long time.
In just half an hour, thirty-three shinobi were dead or injured.
And the opponent? Merely three clones!
"Advance while avoiding the forest terrain as much as possible," Chiyo ordered after the long silence.
While Chiyo was quiet, the other Sunagakure shinobi were not.
Hearing the earlier news that a hundred-man unit had been wiped out by a single Konoha brat had dealt a huge blow to their morale.
Now, although they had destroyed only three clones, it wasn't as terrifying or unbeatable as they had imagined.
"It's a shame it was just his clones... If the real one had come, we could've killed him and avenged Lord Feilian!"
"Exactly, his teleportation technique may be impressive, but with enough preparation, we can limit him!"
"I heard that brat is only in his teens and already proficient in so many types of ninjutsu. How does someone train like that?"
"Hmph, even if he's a genius, what does it matter? A person can only use two types of jutsu at a time, and clones can be easily destroyed!"
"True. No matter how talented he is, he can't compare to the Fourth Kazekage or Lady Pakura, who had mastered Kekkei Genkai. It's such a shame Lady Pakura was killed by those Iwagakure bastards!"
"Don't worry, the Fourth Kazekage will definitely avenge both the Third Kazekage and Lady Pakura!"
…
Listening to the murmured conversations around her, Chiyo wasn't as optimistic. Instead, her heart felt heavy.
The technique that wiped out Feilian's unit clearly surpassed conventional means.
And the strength of those clones just now—aside from the difficulty of handling the Flying Thunder God, they were still within the bounds of normal abilities.
This was definitely not the full power of that brat, Shūichi Hoshita. At most, it was one-tenth of his true capability.
"Such a threat… it might require Shukaku..."
Chiyo considered this for a moment, then secretly instructed someone to leave.
…
As Shūichi received the memories from his defeated clones, he thought to himself, "As expected, even if a ninja is well-rounded, one person alone can't handle a large, well-coordinated army."
"And honestly, shadow clones are still more useful—they can bring out more of the main body's abilities."
"Well then, I'll switch to using shadow clones next…"
Shūichi immediately created four shadow clones. The clones took to the air, transforming into eagles as they headed toward the advancing Sunagakure forces.
Layers of attacks followed—constant harassment, killing, and wearing down their morale and fighting spirit.
As soon as his clones left, Shūichi raised an eyebrow.
The battle with Kirigakure had begun as well!
One of his shadow clones had already been destroyed!
(End of Chapter)
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