"Detonating it is too dangerous. I'll do it!" Aburame Shibi said after a moment of silence.
"Teacher Shibi, don't worry. My Body Flicker Technique is fast; there won't be any problems," Uchiha En said with a smile.
Hearing this, Aburame Shibi did not immediately agree. After pondering for a few minutes, he asked seriously, "En, are you sure you can do this?"
"Absolutely no problem."
"Alright, then I'll leave this matter to you. Asana and I will withdraw first. You detonate it in fifteen minutes, and we'll meet up at the other end of the canyon near the Konoha Camp."
Uchiha En nodded to show that he understood.
Asana felt worried when she saw this, but she knew Uchiha En best; she knew Uchiha En would not do anything he wasn't confident about.
So, Asana turned, told Uchiha En to be careful with everything, and then followed Aburame Shibi away.
Uchiha En activated his Sharingan and watched the three descend the mountain, then muttered to himself, "I wonder if the Kirigakure Ninja killed by falling rocks after this detonation will give me points?
If so, there are at least 150 Kirigakure Ninja below. Surely, a third of them will be crushed?"
That's right, this was the reason Uchiha En wanted to stay behind and detonate the exploding tags.
Since he had instant teleportation, there was no danger in detonating the exploding tags. His physique had improved, and using it six or seven times continuously wouldn't put much strain on his body. His limit was probably ten continuous uses.
So many uses of instant teleportation were enough to move him to a completely safe location.
Since it was 100% safe, what was there to fear? He might as well seize the opportunity of detonating the exploding tags to gain some points.
He just didn't know if the Kirigakure Ninja crushed by rocks would count as being killed by him.
Before he knew it, fifteen minutes had passed. Uchiha En formed hand seals and used Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique to detonate the exploding tags.
Uchiha En then used the Body Flicker Technique six times consecutively to move to a safe place and hurried toward the location he had agreed upon with Aburame Shibi and the others.
At this time in the canyon, the Kirigakure Ninja patrolling below naturally noticed the firelight on the mountain.
It was nighttime now, and it would be strange if they didn't see a Fire Release technique used in such dim light!
However, before the patrolling Kirigakure Ninja could report, a series of explosions erupted on the mountain.
The Kirigakure Ninja remaining in the canyon were all startled awake.
"Boom~" Accompanied by a deafening roar, the entire mountain seemed to shake, followed immediately by countless broken stones falling from the mountain, including several massive boulders nearly ten meters in diameter.
"Ah!" Soon, screams began to echo from the Kirigakure camp.
Uchiha En quickly opened his panel.
After eliminating the two Chunin with Bloodline Limits, Uchiha En had gained 4 attribute points, and eliminating the Kirigakure Jonin had given him 1 attribute point, so he should have had a total of 5 attribute points.
But now he had 11 attribute points, and they were still increasing.
"That's great! The Kirigakure Ninja crushed by rocks also count as kills by me!" Uchiha En said excitedly.
A few minutes later, Uchiha En arrived at the agreed-upon meeting location.
In this short time, Uchiha En's attribute points had reached 37.
Unfortunately, the attribute points stopped increasing after reaching 37, leaving Uchiha En somewhat disappointed.
This was less than he expected! He had thought he'd at least get 50. In the end, he only gained 32 attribute points.
"En, hurry up and come over! We're returning to the camp!" Aburame Shibi's words interrupted Uchiha En's thoughts.
Uchiha En quickly ran over.
"As soon as the explosions sounded, the Genin in the camp were already mobilized. They will help us hold back the Kirigakure Ninja returning to defend. We must speed up and evacuate immediately. Every second we delay means one more Genin sacrifices themselves," Aburame Shibi said seriously.
Hearing this, Uchiha En didn't dare to hesitate and quickly retreated with Aburame Shibi.
The four traveled at full speed. Along the way, they encountered far more Kirigakure Ninja than before, who were clearly ordered to return for defense.
Fortunately, Uchiha En's squad could detect enemies from a sufficient distance and managed to avoid all of them.
If they engaged with even one group of enemies, they could be cornered by the returning defense forces, and then they would truly be finished.
Led by Aburame Shibi, Uchiha En's squad spent more than eight hours in total before finally returning to the battlefield between Konoha and Kirigakure.
The ground was littered with the corpses of Ninja from both sides. The brutality of the war was even worse than last time.
They continued forward, and after not traveling much further, they rendezvoused with Konoha's main force.
Uchiha En and his team encountered a unit led by Shinku Yuhi, numbering around two or three hundred people.
"Shibi, you've worked hard!" Shinku Yuhi walked up to Aburame Shibi after seeing him and said.
"Lord Shinku, how is the current battle situation?" Aburame Shibi asked.
"To be honest, it's not good. In terms of mid-to-low tier combat power, we are about equal to the Kirigakure Ninja, but the Kirigakure Ninja have more than a dozen Anbu Ninja participating, plus the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist are present.
Fortunately, Lord Orochimaru is not losing ground against the Fourth Mizukage. If we had another Fourth Mizukage to deal with, we really wouldn't need to fight this time."
"Then, Lord Shinku, why are you here?"
"I was ordered by Lord Orochimaru to come here to meet you. After confirming your safety, we will go and reinforce the Genin who are holding back the Kirigakure defense forces."
"I see! Then, Lord Shinku, I will go along as well," Aburame Shibi said.
"Is your body alright?"
"No problem."
"Very well, let's go together then! I will arrange for someone to escort your disciples back to the camp," Shinku Yuhi said.
Aburame Shibi nodded. "En, Asana, Kagetsu, you three should return with the people Lord Shinku arranges."
"Wait! Teacher Shibi, I want to go too," Uchiha En quickly said.
"Your current condition isn't great. You should return to the camp to rest," Aburame Shibi said.
"Teacher Shibi, I already took a soldier pill on the way."
"But..."
"Uchiha En, why do you want to go to the battlefield?" Shinku Yuhi interrupted Uchiha En and asked.
"Teacher Shibi told me earlier that the ones holding back the Kirigakure defense forces are Genin. That should include the Genin who came to the camp with me, right?" Uchiha En countered.
Shinku Yuhi nodded.
"Then I must go. Some of my friends are among them, and I want to confirm their safety," Uchiha En said with a serious tone.
Shinku Yuhi was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, then looked at Uchiha En with slight admiration.
"Lord Shinku, En and I are teammates. If En goes, I must go too," Asana said.
"Me too!" Yamanaka Kagetsu chimed in.
Shinku Yuhi smiled upon hearing this, patted Aburame Shibi's shoulder, and said, "Shibi, you have three excellent disciples!"
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