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Chapter 144: The Tides of Battle Turn! A New S-Rank Mission!
🕑 Added 2025-08-21 15:22:43 +0000 UTCChapter 144: The Tides of Battle Turn! A New S-Rank Mission!
Two days passed in a flash.
After handing over the scrolls for "Summoning: Flash Blade Manifestation" and "Water Release: Surface Slice" to his teammates, Nara Keisuke entered a state of complete vacation. Occasionally, if the mood struck him, he would offer to help them with their training. But for the most part, Keisuke adhered to a strict code: if he could lie down, he wouldn't sit, and if he could sit, he wouldn't stand.
It had to be admitted, however, that the two days of training had starkly revealed the difference in aptitude among his three teammates.
By the end of the second day, Uchiha Shisui had essentially mastered "Summoning: Flash Blade Manifestation." He could already begin to apply the B-rank jutsu in combat, drastically increasing the threat of his thrown weapons.
Hyūga Retsu, on the other hand, was still in the process of learning it. Although the jutsu was simple to activate and consumed very little chakra, it was still a B-rank technique and posed a significant challenge for her.
As for Shizune... the medic-nin wasn't currently learning "Water Release: Surface Slice." To be precise, her task for the past two days was to master water nature transformation. Her specific training method involved using her chakra to soak a plain white piece of paper until it was completely saturated.
Although Shizune had mastered Yang nature transformation and was proficient in chakra control exercises like tree climbing and water walking, this was her first time encountering water nature transformation. If she tried to learn the jutsu directly, she would get stuck at the nature transformation stage—much like how Keisuke had acquired the Smoke Clone Technique but didn't know how to mold Smoke Release chakra. One had to first become familiar with the nature transformation itself before they could use the corresponding ninjutsu.
For now, Shizune was still struggling to simply dampen the paper. It would be some time before she could master "Water Release: Surface Slice."
On the third day of Keisuke's return to camp, Orochimaru, who had been a ghost up until now, unexpectedly issued a summons for their team.
"You're saying Orochimaru is summoning all of us?" Keisuke asked, looking at Uchiha Shisui who had returned with the message. "Instead of just issuing a mission?"
"Orochimaru-sama said the situation on the front lines has changed," Shisui replied, his expression grave. "He has a very difficult mission for our squad."
Keisuke frowned. He told Retsu and Shizune to pause their training, and the four of them headed for the central command tent.
When they came face to face with Orochimaru, he wasted no time on pleasantries and got straight to the point.
"The front lines have shifted!"
Orochimaru gave them a brief summary. "According to our intelligence, Ōnoki has dispatched nearly a thousand shinobi directly into the Land of Grass. With our current numbers stationed here, we cannot possibly hold back that many Iwagakure ninja for long! Nara-kun, I need your squad to resume your previous mission! Destroy the enemy's supply points!"
Though Keisuke disliked Orochimaru, he could distinguish between personal feelings and mission priorities. Faced with an urgent command, he nodded without hesitation and prepared to lead his team out.
"Wait a moment, Nara-kun."
Orochimaru spoke again, holding out a uniquely shaped, three-pronged kunai.
"The mission I just described is for the other three members of your squad. You have a different assignment! Shisui-kun."
Hearing the supreme commander call his name, Shisui immediately stepped forward. Keisuke's gaze flickered towards the kunai in Orochimaru's hand, a subtle change that no one noticed.
"You are now a Jonin of Konoha, and you will be one of the temporary leaders for this operation. After Nara-kun departs, you will be the squad's acting captain." Orochimaru handed the three-pronged kunai to him. "Guard this kunai with your life. Do not let it out of your sight."
"Yes, sir!" Shisui took the kunai and stepped back.
Orochimaru's gaze returned to Keisuke as he methodically issued his orders.
"Nara-kun, your first task is to transport Shisui-kun's team behind Iwagakure's front lines to their nearest supply point. At that point, all reconnaissance duties will be handed over to Hyūga-san. Their mission is to operate behind enemy lines, destroying supply points and waiting for support from the village. You are to return immediately and join me in leading the Konoha forces against the main Iwagakure army on the very front line!"
The moment Orochimaru finished speaking, a notification appeared on Keisuke's panel.
[S-Rank Ninja Commissioned Mission has been detected!]
[S-Rank Mission: Stone Battlefield]
[Mission Content: 1. Transport Uchiha Shisui, Hyūga Retsu, and Shizune to a supply point behind Iwagakure lines. 2. Proceed to the front lines and engage the Iwagakure army.]
[Mission Reward: One S-Rank Shinobi Secret Scroll]
Keisuke ignored the notification, his feet feeling as if they were rooted to the spot.
"Orochimaru... sama," Keisuke's voice was perfectly calm. "I'd like to ask, how long, exactly, is this mission for Shisui, Retsu, and Shizune supposed to last?"
Even with the overwhelming visual range of Retsu's Byakugan, without Keisuke there to support them, how were the three of them supposed to escape from deep within enemy territory?
"Calm down, Nara-kun." Orochimaru licked his lips and rose from the commander's seat. "The intelligence division is working around the clock to analyze the location of Iwagakure's central supply hub. The village is also planning to dispatch elite shinobi to destroy it. Once their core supply point is eliminated, we can use the river-filled geography of the Land of Grass to completely sever their supply routes. That is when Shisui-kun's mission will be complete!"
What Orochimaru didn't mention was that this was only the best-case scenario. Worse outcomes were not out of the question. For example, the intelligence division might fail to locate the hub. For example, Shisui's team might not survive until reinforcements arrived. For example, Konoha might fail to gain the upper hand on the front lines and instead be pushed back even further...
The tides of war were ever-changing; no one could predict what would happen next.
Keisuke gave Orochimaru a cold, hard look. "Orochimaru, I hope to see you alive and well after this war."
Without waiting for a response, Keisuke turned and led his three teammates out of the command tent.
"Heh heh..." Orochimaru watched him go, letting out two soft, cold chuckles before he too sprang into action. As the supreme commander of the Iwagakure front, he was also duty-bound to fight on the front line.
Or rather... his mission was to hold out until Keisuke returned to reinforce him.
"Those stone-heads from Iwagakure... they've truly lost their minds..." With a soft sigh, Orochimaru quickly departed the camp.
Moments before him, a Shadow Creature had already shot into the sky.
"Retsu, give me a heading."
Keisuke sat at the very front of the creature, his cold voice reaching the ears of his three teammates behind him. It felt like months ago, when they had first arrived on the battlefield.
Retsu recalled the map of the Land of Grass, observing the terrain below while guiding Keisuke. At the Shadow Creature's incredible speed, they quickly left Konoha's lines behind and shot deep into enemy territory.
Relying on the tacit understanding built over numerous missions, the squad quickly located a supply point along a riverbank. The Shadow Creature descended to a safe altitude, immediately drawing the attention of the Iwagakure ninja below.
Uchiha Shisui took a deep breath as his Sharingan flared to life, three tomoe spinning in his eyes. He touched the summoning seal on his wrist, and a volley of shuriken stored within rained down on the camp below. With the Uchiha clan's unparalleled mastery of shurikenjutsu, nearly every weapon he threw claimed the life of a Stone-nin.
In just a few breaths, the supply point was cleared out.
Keisuke controlled the Shadow Creature, turning it in another direction.
"Captain?"
Shisui, Retsu, and Shizune, who had been mentally preparing to be dropped off, were all taken aback.
"I'll get you out of this immediate area first," Keisuke said. Having operated behind enemy lines for so long, he knew exactly how quickly Iwagakure would react to a destroyed supply point. If he could save his team some of their strength, he would.
He maneuvered the Shadow Creature to another, uninhabited area and began to descend slowly. Uchiha Shisui, Hyūga Retsu, and Shizune jumped off its back one by one, landing on the ground.
Keisuke gave them a serious warning. "Shisui, make sure you hold onto that kunai Orochimaru gave you. Don't mistake it for a regular one and throw it away."
"Its shape is strange enough. It'll be easy to recognize," Shisui replied with a wave. His two teammates did the same, preparing to say their goodbyes.
"One more thing."
Keisuke touched the summoning seal on his own wrist, and a lustrous white mask appeared in his hand. At the same time, a spider-shaped black mark quietly imprinted itself on the back of the mask. Keisuke's gaze swept over his three teammates, finally settling on Hyūga Retsu's cool, delicate face.
"Retsu, take this mask."
