Chapter 149: Charging Into Battle! Ebizō's Tactical Retreat!
BANG!
With a loud explosion in the sky, an orange column of smoke rose straight up!
Like an arrow tearing through the long night, the roles of hunter and prey were instantly reversed!
In an instant—ten miles away, twenty miles away, thirty miles away—almost simultaneously with that signal, orange signal flares flew into the sky!
Following closely behind would be a yellow flash of light speeding across the battlefield!
Tsukasa gripped the kunai in his hand, looked at the distinctive triple-pronged design marking it as one of Namikaze Minato's Flying Thunder God kunai, took a deep breath, then his eyes hardened as he leaped high into the air!
He understood—he understood everything!
This surprise attack tonight was never aimed at the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, from the very beginning!
At a time when Sunagakure desperately wanted victory, Konoha—having suffered three rounds of attacks and been forced to endure beatings for so long—also needed a decisive victory!
Sunagakure had used intelligence and Rasa's head as bait to lure Konoha into a three-pronged attack, attempting to gain decisive victories on each battlefield through superior intelligence.
Konoha, however, played along, offering Sunagakure's supreme commander tempting targets in each direction:
The Fourth Kazekage's life.
An easy victory on the main battlefield.
And this opportunity—to wipe out Konoha's intelligence hub and kill Aburame Ryoma, Root's vice-commander operating behind enemy lines.
Ebizō had keenly perceived this and chose the safest option, devising a series of desperate measures against Ryoma to ensure he was powerless to retaliate and unable to transmit intelligence.
But now, all of this was shattered by Tsukasa, planted by Orochimaru in the assault force!
The situation instantly reversed!
Ebizō had taken the bait—Konoha's objective was achieved!
Killing Ebizō would be a greater blow to Sunagakure than assassinating the Fourth Kazekage!
The former was a renowned espionage master, battlefield commander, and the strategic brain of the entire Sunagakure front.
The latter, however, was merely a young piece hastily placed on the board.
The choice was obvious!
Aburame Ryoma's words—that all actions and sacrifices were for this moment—were not a joke.
The moment he saw Namikaze Minato's Flying Thunder God kunai, Tsukasa instantly connected everything and understood it all.
But he couldn't accept it!
He couldn't accept it!
Orochimaru's calculations were precise. He had accurately predicted that with Tsukasa's abilities combined with Manda, he could only barely break through the three hundred Sunagakure troops. If it weren't for that unexpected explosive technique, he would have been exhausted and rescued by Tori, and the force that arrived would have been the Konoha assault unit.
Before Namikaze Minato arrived, Aburame Ryoma and this unit would have been sacrificed as delaying pawns!
His comrades would have died!
"OROCHIMARU!!!"
"You bastard!"
Tsukasa roared as he leaped into the enemy ranks, crouching low like an arrow, gliding across the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. He raised the Tiger seal and spewed out over a dozen fireballs.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Enhanced by the curse mark, he formed a single hand seal, unleashing a barrage of unexpected fireballs.
The Sunagakure ninja blocking Tsukasa's path looked on in astonishment, wondering why this kid was attacking him while cursing Orochimaru.
Before he could react, he was blasted away by the flying fireballs!
Tsukasa flipped and leaped into the air, seizing the fallen Sunagakure ninja's sword. His fingers formed the Snake seal.
Water Release: Water Fang Blade instantly covered the sword with a high-pressure water coating.
He spun through the air, hurling the Water Fang Blade with tremendous force, knocking down another Sunagakure ninja blocking his path.
His feet touched the ground, he twisted, and charged again!
He felt the mutated energy within his body increasingly corrupting it as he mobilized his chakra.
His vision suddenly shifted, as if equipped with a 360-degree sensory perception. He could clearly see a group of Sunagakure ANBU carrying puppets, under Ebizō's command, rushing toward him at lightning speed.
Their positioning was extremely precise, forcing him into an inescapable trap.
Then, the group of Sunagakure ninja smiled sinisterly:
"Puppet Technique: Poison Mist Hell!"
Manipulating the chakra strings on their fingers, ten puppets opened their mouths and spewed clouds of green toxic gas at him!
Tsukasa's Sharingan twitched, realizing the attack's immense range made it unavoidable. He immediately held his breath, forming a hand seal, intending to unleash Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere.
However, the Sunagakure forces seemed to have anticipated Tsukasa's intentions. They manipulated their puppet, which immediately opened a compartment, unleashing a giant arrow resembling a ballista bolt at Tsukasa, aiming to pierce through his Wind Release technique and instantly kill him!
Just then, a tall figure clad in Uchiha-style robes and a jonin vest leaped into the fray.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Technique!"
Four fire dragons swooped down from four directions with 100% accuracy—no way to avoid them. Instantly, they blasted away a Sunagakure ANBU member in front of Tsukasa, opening a gap in his path!
"Tsukasa—"
"Go do it! Whatever you need to do!"
Shin'ya's three-tomoe Sharingan gleamed as he stared at the nine Sunagakure puppet masters before him. Back to back with Tsukasa, he shouted in a deep voice:
"Leave this to me!"
Tsukasa gritted his teeth, knowing the opportunity was too precious to waste. His eyes flashed with fierce determination, and he immediately charged out of the formation.
He rushed straight toward Ebizō behind the enemy lines.
At this moment, Ebizō looked at the orange smoke bursting in the sky, his brows furrowing immediately. He realized the situation had turned against him.
He sighed, knowing the mission had failed and that he had to retreat now.
If it were only Aburame Ryoma and the assault force here, he might have eliminated them all before leaving.
However, looking at Tsukasa rushing toward him, trying to delay him, he shook his head.
He had also gathered considerable intelligence about this troublesome brat. His main characteristic was his inability to be killed easily—dragging things out wouldn't end well.
Therefore, he calmly glanced at the charging Tsukasa, gave a faint sneer, and said:
"Kid, stop struggling."
"I already know everything about you. You can't stop me."
"So this ends here."
With that, Ebizō calmly waved his hand.
Instantly, a group of Sunagakure ninja surged forward, blocking Tsukasa's path.
And Ebizō—the old tactician behind the formation—suddenly adopted a sprinter's stance, much like Danzo during the future Five Kage Summit, and turned to flee!
Seeing this, Tsukasa's pupils constricted sharply. He charged forward, shouting:
"Damn it, you're actually running?!"
"Coward! Come back here!"
"Fight me before you go!"
Before Tsukasa stood a group of Sunagakure shinobi, their faces grim.
Three of them sneered, brandishing massive scrolls, manipulating the Sealing Technique: Cloth Binding toward Tsukasa.
"Kid, you're really an oddity. An Uchiha who's weak at genjutsu?"
"Then it's destined that you'll leave your life here."
With this declaration, two Sunagakure ninja silently formed hand seals. One began releasing genjutsu toward Tsukasa, while the other summoned his puppet, pressing down with his palm. The puppet was about to use Puppet Technique: Thousand Hands Manipulation to execute Tsukasa on the spot!
The remaining Sunagakure ninja also unleashed their best techniques—ninjutsu, genjutsu, and puppet jutsu—all aimed at Tsukasa!
In an instant, various techniques turned the desert under the night sky as bright as day!
Tsukasa's pupils suddenly contracted.
These Sunagakure ANBU were indeed worthy of being Ebizō's subordinates—each one was an elite. Judging from their presence, they were at least Special Jonin level or higher.
Every technique contained lethal intent!
Moreover, they were all designed to counter Tsukasa's weaknesses: various poisons, genjutsu control, sealing techniques, puppet binding!
Looking at them, Tsukasa felt overwhelmed by the sheer variety of abilities—all of them things he desperately wanted to acquire!
Silently, Tsukasa's vision distorted, and the desert battle scene filled with killing intent suddenly transformed into a peaceful meadow filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.
This was Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique!
A Sunagakure ninja had cast this genjutsu on Tsukasa!
"Damn it—I'm weak at genjutsu, but I'm not blind!"
Tsukasa gritted his teeth, glaring at the seemingly peaceful scene before him, which actually concealed deadly danger.
His Sharingan tomoe swirled in his eyes, unleashing Genjutsu: Sharingan!
In an instant, he used the counter-technique taught to him by Shin'ya, directly confronting the attack with his eye power and instantly shattering the illusion before him!
End of Chapter 149
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