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[Konoha] Chapter 327: Mission in the Land of Waves!
🕑 Added 2025-01-12 09:47:21 +0000 UTCThankfully,
By the time Kurotsuchi and her team arrived, Deidara hadn’t wiped everyone out.
The first wave of explosions caught the two battling squads off guard, inflicting heavy casualties, though not to the point of annihilation.
Upon identifying Deidara as the enemy, the two previously clashing squads immediately joined forces, directing their attacks toward him.
Unfortunately for them, Deidara was airborne, making it difficult to strike him effectively.
Moreover, the presence of Lightning Release users within the squads significantly reduced the effectiveness of Deidara’s Explosive Release techniques, as lightning countered explosions.
Thus, when Kurotsuchi and her team arrived, they didn’t find a field littered with corpses.
Seeing reinforcements arriving for the enemy, the two heavily injured squads quickly chose to retreat.
However, Deidara’s relentless aerial harassment slowed their retreat, allowing Kurotsuchi’s team to catch up.
“Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique!”
Forming hand seals, Kurotsuchi spat out streams of white quicklime that shot toward the fleeing enemies.
Although the quicklime was dodged initially, it melted into liquid upon contact with her teammates’ Water Release, spreading rapidly and trapping the enemies’ feet in solidified lime.
Swish swish swish!
Boom boom boom!
A barrage of kunai, combined with Deidara’s cunningly placed explosive clay mines, wiped out the two squads entirely.
Kurotsuchi and Deidara’s team emerged victorious without sustaining any losses.
“Deidara, don’t forget our agreement from before!”
With her hands on her hips, Kurotsuchi glared up at Deidara, who hovered smugly in the air.
Deidara grinned. “I followed the agreement. All I did was harass them.”
Kurotsuchi gritted her teeth. “Your harassment caused way too much damage!”
Deidara responded seriously, “That’s the art of explosions, hmph!”
Kurotsuchi sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “One of those squads was from our Iwagakure faction. Even though they’re competitors, we shouldn’t have eliminated them outright, should we?”
The other team members nodded in agreement.
Eliminating members of their own faction didn’t yield any points. Although it reduced the number of competitors, such actions were undeniably excessive.
“Fine, fine. I’ll try to restrain myself. Happy now?”
After promising to tone it down, Deidara resumed tracking from the air, while Kurotsuchi and the others followed on foot.
Within half an hour, they stumbled upon another battle.
This time, Deidara refrained from indiscriminate bombing and instead waited for Kurotsuchi’s team to catch up.
Striking prematurely would mean assisting the Iwagakure faction squad below, and Deidara wasn’t about to play the role of a helper.
However, his airborne presence was enough to draw immediate reactions from the combatants below.
The Kumogakure side began retreating cautiously while continuing to fight, while the Iwagakure side diverted part of their attention to monitor Deidara while intensifying their assault.
Just as a Kumogakure ninja was about to be killed, a clay bird swooped down and exploded nearby.
Debris and mud flew everywhere, startling both sides.
The Iwagakure squad momentarily paused their offensive, while the Kumogakure squad seized the chance to escape danger.
“That bastard! He’s supposed to be on our side, yet he’s helping the enemy!” someone from the Iwagakure squad yelled angrily.
An Iwagakure ninja in the group shouted, “Deidara, stop interfering with our fight!”
Deidara crossed his arms and replied indifferently, “We’re competitors. Not eliminating you is already a courtesy, hmph!”
The Iwagakure ninjas were left speechless.
Their captain quickly ordered, “Sanshi, keep an eye on him! His teammates are probably on their way. We need to finish this quickly.”
But plans never keep pace with reality.
Kurotsuchi’s team arrived just then.
“Two squads…”
The Iwagakure squad members paled and decisively abandoned their assault on the Kumogakure squad.
Deidara smirked, releasing a flock of clay birds.
Boom boom boom!
The retreating Kumogakure ninjas were blasted into disarray. Their formation crumbled, their speed plummeted, and they were swiftly encircled by Kurotsuchi’s team.
Against a team of equal rank, the outcome was clear.
Kurotsuchi’s team easily subdued the Kumogakure squad and continued moving forward, following their established pattern.
Shortly afterward, Kurotsuchi caught up with Deidara, only to find him standing over several corpses.
A closer look made her frown. “These are… the members of that squad from earlier.”
Deidara nodded. “Hm.”
The bodies belonged to the Iwagakure squad they had driven off earlier. It hadn’t been long, yet they were already annihilated.
When one of her team members stepped forward to inspect the bodies, Deidara quickly warned, “Don’t touch them. There are traps.”
The team member froze in place.
Kurotsuchi scanned the area and remarked, “The ones who took them out weren’t just another squad. These were real Kumogakure ninjas.”
They were likely the remnants of the Third Raikage’s troops—veterans of the Third Shinobi World War who had been protected during their retreat.
Each of them had at least chunin-level strength, being capable of following the Third Raikage into the Land of Earth.
Kurotsuchi examined the battlefield. Although it had been hastily cleaned, charred marks from Lightning Release techniques were still visible.
“These guys even had time to clean up the battlefield. They must have finished them off in no time,” Kurotsuchi said grimly. “It was probably a sudden ambush.”
“Someone is hunting us now.”
“Deidara, take us into the air,” Kurotsuchi ordered.
Deidara nodded. “No problem.”
He quickly created several large clay birds. With two people per bird, they took to the skies.
Before long, they spotted a dense forest ahead.
Behind Deidara, Kurotsuchi pointed towards the forest below. “The possibility of them hiding there is very high.”
Deidara smirked. “Then let them experience the art of explosions, hmph!”
Kurotsuchi cautioned him, “Don’t underestimate them. Many Cloud ninja are adept at Lightning Release, which can neutralize your Explosion Release.”
Deidara scoffed. “The art of explosions isn’t so easily countered!”
Before they even reached the forest, several small clay birds were already soaring down, disappearing into the dense foliage.
Snap!
Deidara raised a single hand.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted throughout the forest, sending shattered trees flying and kicking up clouds of dust.
Suddenly, figures shot out from the smoke.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Shuriken flew toward the airborne team.
Kurotsuchi and her group dodged with ease.
“Three targets!” Kurotsuchi called out. “They’re splitting up, but don’t chase them individually. Let’s take one down first.”
The group of eight began their coordinated assault from above, throwing ninja tools and unleashing jutsu, forcing the fleeing Cloud ninja into a desperate retreat. However, the other two, realizing no one was pursuing them, turned back to regroup.
“We have to bring them down!”
Their leader, Yoshida Tsubasa, issued a low command, signaling his team. “Use genjutsu!”
The two other Cloud ninja nodded.
Next, they created shadow clones to distract the airborne team while dodging attacks and preparing their technique.
Lightning Release: Lightning Pillar!
A blinding flash of light erupted, robbing Kurotsuchi’s team of their sight.
At the same time, Yoshida Tsubasa had already locked onto their positions before the genjutsu took effect. With a quick motion, he hurled a barrage of shuriken, striking the clay birds supporting Kurotsuchi’s squad in the air.
The birds crumbled, sending the eight ninjas plummeting to the ground.
“Watch out!” Kurotsuchi shouted, throwing a flurry of shuriken to buy time.
Deidara, who was closest to Kurotsuchi, swiftly created another clay bird despite being temporarily blinded. He grabbed Kurotsuchi, and they took to the air again.
The rest weren’t as lucky. Two team members were struck by shuriken mid-air, their screams echoing as they crashed heavily to the ground.
Kurotsuchi, using the sound of the flying shuriken to approximate the enemy’s location, hurled two kunai in retaliation, but they missed.
Deidara’s next clay bird, however, swooped in and exploded, forcing the Cloud ninja to scatter.
With their vision restored, Kurotsuchi quickly formed hand seals, spewing a torrent of quicklime toward their attackers.
Yoshida Tsubasa dodged swiftly, but Kurotsuchi followed up with Water Trumpet, turning the quicklime into a sticky trap that spread rapidly.
Yoshida Tsubasa reacted quickly, stabbing his blade into the ground and balancing on its hilt to avoid being ensnared.
Deidara’s clay bird swooped in again, but Yoshida unleashed a surge of lightning from his body, disabling the bird mid-flight and preventing its detonation.
“This guy’s a Jonin!”
“But don’t underestimate us!” Kurotsuchi descended from above, slamming her hands onto the ground.
Earth Release: Rock Spikes!
Sharp stone pillars erupted from the ground, forcing Yoshida to leap and twist to avoid being impaled. Despite his agility, he sustained several cuts.
While he was focused on evading the spikes, one of Deidara’s clay birds approached unnoticed.
Snap!
Deidara’s hand signal triggered another explosion.
Yoshida tried to dodge, but the blast’s shockwave sent him reeling. Emerging from the smoke, his movements were sluggish and unsteady.
Kurotsuchi seized the moment, appearing at his flank with her fist encased in hardened stone. She launched a powerful punch.
Yoshida barely managed to block, crossing his arms defensively.
Thud!
The force sent him flying, but his body dispersed into smoke—a shadow clone.
The real Yoshida darted out of the lingering smoke, kunai in hand, electricity crackling along its edge. He aimed for Kurotsuchi’s neck.
Despite activating Hardening Technique, Kurotsuchi’s defenses faltered against the lightning, leaving a bloody gash.
However, Yoshida suddenly froze, his feet sinking into the ground.
“Quicklime mud…” he realized too late.
A mud clone rose in front of him, transforming back into Kurotsuchi.
With a backward leap, Kurotsuchi escaped, leaving Yoshida trapped as the quicklime solidified.
Splat! Splat! Splat!
More quicklime struck Yoshida, followed by a surge of water that sealed his fate.
Yoshida Tsubasa was completely immobilized by the quicklime.
“Kurotsuchi, now!”
Hearing the command, Deidara directed his clay bird toward the target.
Snap!
With a single hand gesture, cracks appeared in the hardened quicklime encasing Yoshida’s body, faint sparks of electricity flickering through them. But before he could free himself, two clay birds closed in for a direct explosion.
The Jonin Yoshida Tsubasa, despite his skill, was taken down by the combined efforts of Deidara and Kurotsuchi, both wielders of Kekkei Genkai.
Landing on the ground, Kurotsuchi panted heavily, glancing toward the other side of the battlefield.
There, the remaining two-on-two battle was still raging.
“No wonder a squad led by a Jonin is this strong,” Kurotsuchi muttered bitterly, swallowing a soldier pill. “We lost four teammates in the blink of an eye because of a single genjutsu.”
It was clear to her that without Deidara’s support, she might not have survived. Facing a Jonin during those crucial seconds of lost vision could have easily been fatal.
Once her energy recovered slightly, Kurotsuchi rejoined the fray.
The battle concluded quickly, but the once-eight-member squad was now down to four.
Fortunately for Kurotsuchi, three of Deidara’s teammates were the ones who had fallen, while only one of her own had perished.
Deidara, unconcerned, shouted from above, “Let’s keep going! I want more of these Cloud ninja to experience the beauty of explosions. Hmm!”
Kurotsuchi sighed and urged caution. “Let’s wait until our chakra has recovered. If we run into another situation like this and run out of chakra, we might all be wiped out.”
“And besides, Deidara, you wouldn’t want to be short on chakra when showing off your art, right?”
The final remark won Deidara over.
---
Meanwhile, Another Mission Begins
While Kurotsuchi and Deidara were busy collecting points, Haku and his team embarked on their second mission.
Once again, they chose a C-rank, single-objective mission: Escort Mr. Tazuna back to the Land of Waves and ensure the completion of the bridge.
This mission didn’t offer faction selection, as it defaulted to Konoha ninja.
During their journey, Futakami Ryou couldn’t help but ask, “So, what time period is this mission supposed to take place in?”
“I noticed earlier that the Hokage Rock had the Fourth Hokage’s face on it,” he added.
Marusaki Ichi chimed in, “Maybe, like our last mission, this is just a simulation. It might not align with the actual historical events.”
Always cautious, Omoi added, “If that’s the case, we need to be extra careful. We don’t have additional intel support.”
“And based on the previous mission, the difficulty of the tasks doesn’t seem to stay fixed. Even a C-rank mission could…”
Before he could finish, Futakami Ryou clamped a hand over Omoi’s mouth. “Stop jinxing it, okay? If we run into a Jonin, we’d be lucky to avoid being wiped out entirely!”
Haku chuckled. “Omoi has a point. Caution is always the best approach.”
Marusaki Ichi nodded. “Don’t worry, captain. We won’t let our guard down.”
As they continued, the team passed by a puddle on the road. Haku, leading the group, glanced at it, while Futakami Ryou and Marusaki Ichi on either side also seemed to casually scan it.
When Tazuna walked past the puddle, two figures suddenly leapt out of it.
Almost instantly, Futakami Ryou and Marusaki Ichi lunged forward to intercept, while Haku spun around to attack. Omoi, at the rear, grabbed Tazuna and pulled him to safety.
Amid screams, the two ninja hidden in the puddle were swiftly taken down by Haku’s team.
Looking at the bodies, Futakami Ryou couldn’t help but laugh. “Such a lousy hiding spot. Did they think we wouldn’t notice?”
“The ground is dry, and there’s no other water around. A puddle just sitting there? Come on.”
Omoi, however, remained serious. “There’s no way it’s just these two. We need to be even more cautious moving forward.”
Haku and the others nodded, pressing on.
---
Not long after, Haku suddenly stopped, his expression shifting as he stared at a tree near the lake.
“That’s…”
“Zabuza!”
Omoi and the others were startled, immediately forming a protective circle around Tazuna.
“Captain, you know him?” Marusaki Ichi asked.
“What’s his deal?”
Haku quickly explained, “Zabuza was originally a ninja from the Mist Village, proficient in Water Release and silent killing techniques. Later, he joined Lord Shuichi and obtained one of the Seven Swords of the Mist—The Sewing Needle.”
On the tree branch, Zabuza Momochi looked down at Haku with mild surprise. “Haku, I didn’t expect to meet you like this.”
“But,” he added with a faint smile, “even though we know each other, I won’t hold back. Be prepared.”
Haku nodded solemnly. “I understand, Zabuza. I’ll give it my all.”
Zabuza chuckled, raising one hand. “Then let’s begin!”
In an instant, a thick mist spread across the area.
(End of Chapter)
