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[Konoha] Chapter 326: Explosion is Art!
🕑 Added 2025-01-11 18:02:04 +0000 UTCWith Haku's command, "Move out," the four members of the squad vanished from their positions.
Marusaki Ichi dashed toward the valley's exit, while Omoi and Futakami Ryou moved to the valley's sides. Haku, on the other hand, infiltrated from the deepest end of the valley, aiming for a surprise attack.
In the dense forest, Haku moved like the wind itself—swift and silent. This was the Wind Body Flicker Technique.
Despite having the farthest distance to cover, Haku was the first to arrive. He stopped within 20–30 meters of the wooden cabin housing his target.
Raising one hand, Haku performed a sensory jutsu enhanced by Wind Release, using airflow to detect the chakra signatures of enemies and allies. This method, though effective, could alert enemy sensory ninjas—if they had any. Fortunately, this group of bandits lacked sensory capabilities.
Once Haku confirmed that Omoi and the others were in position, he swiftly formed seals and exhaled a chilling white mist.
The icy mist spread rapidly, frosting everything it touched. Grass and trees were soon coated with a layer of frost.
This was the Ice Mist Technique, an upgraded version of the Hidden Mist Jutsu. Beyond obscuring vision and disrupting chakra detection, it also lowered the ambient temperature significantly.
As demonstrated by Shuichi previously, this technique could also be lethal. Inhaling the freezing air could allow Haku to trigger a simultaneous internal and external freeze, immobilizing enemies or turning them into ice sculptures.
While this might not kill stronger foes outright, it rendered them helpless, ensuring death without outside assistance.
Inside the cabin, the bandits reacted quickly. As the ice mist enveloped the structure, a bandit leaped onto the roof, shouting, "Enemy attack!"
The valley burst into chaos. Bandits spilled out of the wooden cabins, scrambling in every direction.
Crack!
A bolt of lightning struck from above, hitting a bandit ninja squarely. His hair stood on end before he collapsed, unmoving.
This was Futakami Ryou's ninjutsu.
Meanwhile, Omoi charged in with his blade, cutting down several ordinary bandits with ease before targeting a ninja among them.
At the same time, Haku had already completed his jutsu.
Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!
A powerful torrent erupted, crashing into the wooden cabin with a deafening roar. The cabin collapsed instantly, sending debris flying.
The bandit on the roof leaped into the air, hurling kunai toward Haku—one of which bore an explosive tag.
Haku calmly raised the water flow, effortlessly deflecting the attack. However, the bandit used this moment to land on the water's surface and dash to the side, forming hand seals.
Fire Release: Fireball Jutsu!
A massive fireball roared forward, parting the water and burning through the mist toward Haku.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!
A water dragon formed, tearing through the fireball and surging toward the bandit.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!
The bandit launched an even larger fireball, meeting the water dragon head-on.
But just as the two techniques collided, the water dragon rapidly froze, transforming into an Ice Dragon.
Boom!
The fireball exploded, but the Ice Dragon emerged through the flames, charging with relentless momentum.
"Ice Release!" the bandit's face paled as he retreated frantically.
Crash!
The Ice Dragon shattered, sending shards flying. The bandit was thrown backward, his body battered and broken.
His retreat was too slow.
Amid the swirling mist, Haku stepped forward, stopping in front of the fallen bandit.
Suddenly, the bandit opened his eyes and lunged with a kunai. "Die!"
Splash!
The kunai struck Haku, but his body turned into water and collapsed.
"A water clone!"
The bandit's expression shifted as he scanned the dense mist warily, smirking darkly. "Come out, kid! You can't kill me. I am under the protection of Lord Jashin!"
His bloodied body was covered in wounds that healed rapidly, though the pain twisted his features into a grimace. This agony, however, only made him appear more feral and menacing.
"Jashin... the immortality of the Jashin Cult?"
Having grown up in a research facility, Haku was well-informed about such techniques. Hidden within the mist, he raised a single hand.
The bandit, still taunting, suddenly shivered. Something was wrong.
His body was freezing.
Frost formed on his skin, and his breath crystallized into icy mist.
He tried to move but found his legs unresponsive. Looking down, he saw his legs encased in a thin layer of ice, the numbness spreading.
"Ice Release... when?"
His thoughts slowed, and soon his mind ceased functioning altogether as his head was encased in ice.
The immortality granted by the Jashin Cult could make fatal wounds survivable, but it couldn't prevent total immobilization.
Frozen in place, the bandit lost all ability to fight.
Stepping out of the mist, Haku gazed at the now-helpless bandit, encased entirely in ice.
Fortunately, Haku's cautious habit of keeping a backup plan saved him from potential danger.
Amid the dissipating mist, the sounds of battle echoed from outside. Haku glanced at the frozen bandit and vanished.
Five minutes later, the skirmish concluded, and the ice mist cleared completely.
Omoi and the others circled the frozen bandit, examining him closely.
“Immortality? Jashin Cult?”
“I think I’ve heard about this before...”
Futakami Ryou looked at the blood-covered bandit and remarked, “No wonder the mission was suddenly bumped to A-rank. This guy’s combat ability isn’t all that, but he just won’t die...”
(T/N: In the previous chapter, author wrote the mission upgraded to B rank, but then here it went up to A? Sigh~ Again I fixed it so enjoy!)
He paused, imagining how things might have gone if he’d faced this foe alone—it would have likely ended in disaster.
Omoi frowned. “If he’s immortal, how do we kill him?”
“Without killing him, we probably can’t complete the mission, right?”
Marusaki glanced at his mission panel and sighed. “The task isn’t marked complete, so yeah, we have to deal with him properly.”
Haku considered for a moment. “It might be because my technique can’t sustain the freezing effect indefinitely.”
Futakami Ryou scratched his head. “Then what do we do?”
“Captain, do you know any stronger sealing techniques? For someone like this, sealing might be the only option,” he suggested.
Omoi pondered. “What if we dismember him and bury the parts separately? He probably wouldn’t be able to regenerate then.”
Haku nodded with a smile. “Let’s try it!”
“Even if he’s immortal, he shouldn’t be able to reassemble himself if his body’s scattered.”
Futakami Ryou clenched his fists. “Alright, let’s get started!”
Omoi was quicker, though. Raising his blade, he sliced off the bandit’s arm in one clean motion.
Crack! The severed limb fell without spilling a drop of blood.
The team got to work—dismembering, digging, and burying—each step executed efficiently.
Once everything was buried, their mission panel updated: the task title turned green, indicating it was complete and ready for submission.
Smiles spread across their faces. The jump from a C-rank to an A-rank mission had significantly boosted their points.
“I’m checking the rankings!”
Futakami Ryou eagerly switched to the squad leaderboard, quickly locating their team.
“Third place!” he exclaimed.
The others crowded around to look.
1st Place: Kurotsuchi Squad
2nd Place: Deidara Squad
3rd Place: Haku’s Squad
Marusaki chuckled. “As expected of the granddaughter and disciple of the Third Tsuchikage!”
As an Iwagakure ninja, he couldn’t help but feel proud.
Futakami Ryou pouted. “Hey, we’re a team now. Let’s aim to surpass them!”
Marusaki nodded solemnly. “Of course. With the captain’s skills, I’m feeling pretty confident now.”
The performance of Haku’s Ice Release had proven to be just as impressive as Kurotsuchi’s Lava Release.
---
Meanwhile, on the Other Side
Having just completed their second mission, Kurotsuchi and her squad were discussing their next task.
Deidara leaned back nonchalantly. “Pick whatever you want, but it has to showcase my art, hmm!”
“By the way, isn’t Lord Shuichi watching us constantly?”
Kurotsuchi replied, “Of course. This place exists because of his technique.”
One of her teammates couldn’t help but marvel. “I can’t even imagine what level of genjutsu this is. It’s flawless—there’s no way to break out of it, let alone escape.”
Kurotsuchi puffed up proudly. “He’s the strongest shinobi in the world!”
“Even the Sage of Six Paths is no match for him!”
The rest of the squad, except Deidara, looked exasperated. She’d said this countless times already.
Even though they admired Shuichi Hoshita, her enthusiasm was a bit much.
Deidara, on the other hand, was growing impatient. “Just pick a mission already, or you’ll waste my chance to showcase my art. Hmm!”
Kurotsuchi knocked him lightly on the head and said seriously, “Now that we’ve gotten used to working together, we should start tackling continuous missions.”
The suggestion immediately lifted the team’s spirits.
Continuous missions meant participating in major historical events—like the great ninja wars.
These were experiences they could never have in real life, and no one could resist the allure.
“How about the Fourth Great Ninja War?” someone suggested.
Kurotsuchi quickly rejected the idea. “The Fourth Great Ninja War’s enemies are either White Zetsu, which are too weak, or reanimated shinobi, who are at least jonin-level. The risk of casualties is too high for now.”
Her analysis earned nods of agreement from everyone except Deidara.
Deidara scoffed, “If we work together, we don’t need to fear the reanimated shinobi. My explosive art can blow them to smithereens, hmm!”
Kurotsuchi crossed her arms. “Do we have any sealing specialists here? Even if you reduce them to ashes, it won’t matter without sealing them.”
With her argument prepared, she shifted topics decisively. “We’ll take this mission instead.”
“The Third Great Ninja War: The Death of the Third Raikage. Join the Iwagakure forces—we’ll have a clear advantage.”
The others checked the mission details and nodded in agreement.
By siding with Iwagakure, most tasks involved pursuing and eliminating retreating Kumo ninjas.
Each Kumo ninja, whether genin, chunin, or jonin, was worth different amounts of points.
Of course, taking down the Third Raikage was also an option, classified as an S-rank mission.
Kurotsuchi had considered it before—taking down the Third Raikage would require impeccable timing.
However, the likelihood of heavy casualties for her team was also extremely high, so she temporarily dismissed the idea.
Once the mission was chosen, the two squads vanished from the hall.
---
Land of Earth – Iwagakure’s Frontline Base
Upon arrival, Kurotsuchi’s team found themselves not alone; several other ninja squads were present as well.
She glanced around and counted four squads in total.
It was also highly likely that some squads had already set out.
On the other side, the Kumo-nin camp could also have participating ninja squads.
This meant their opponents weren’t just NPCs from the illusionary world but also other competing ninja squads.
The jonin in charge of assigning missions, Higashi Shiren, was an actor in this grand illusion as well.
After explaining the mission in a few short sentences, Higashi glanced at Kurotsuchi and Deidara but said nothing more.
Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t—his role was restricted to ensure the competition proceeded fairly.
When the mission briefing ended, the four squads set out immediately.
Kurotsuchi’s team and Deidara’s team decided to act together, while the other two squads split off in different directions.
Though they shared the same objective, the competition between them was evident, and the other squads had no intention of forming an alliance.
Kurotsuchi didn’t mind.
Teaming up with unfamiliar squads could be more trouble than it was worth.
If someone decided to turn on them, things could get messy.
---
As they chased after retreating Kumo-nin forces, all four squads suddenly halted, drawn by a spectacular sight to their side.
Especially Deidara, hovering in the air, who had the best view.
It was a massive army of Iwa-nin facing off against a single figure.
The Third Raikage!
One man against ten thousand!
Staring at the Raikage, Deidara’s eyes gleamed with excitement.
He imagined himself in the Raikage’s place, using explosions to obliterate the entire Iwa-nin army. Such a display of explosive art would surely garner immense praise.
“It would be perfect, hmm!”
Deidara couldn’t help but nod to himself.
He resolved that after helping Kurotsuchi complete this mission, he’d try it—standing alongside the Third Raikage against tens of thousands of Iwa-nin.
What? They’re from the same village? Feeling reluctant?
That’s nonsense!
What could be more important than the beauty of explosive art?
Nothing!
As Deidara grew restless, Kurotsuchi snapped him back to reality with a sharp shout. “Deidara!”
Reluctantly, Deidara tore his gaze away and continued forward.
---
Before long, Kurotsuchi’s group began encountering corpses—some dressed as Iwa-nin, others as Kumo-nin.
“As expected, someone’s already ahead of us.”
“Captain, should we pick up the pace?” someone asked.
Kurotsuchi remained calm. “At our current speed, we’ll conserve energy. Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of enemies left for us.”
She then turned to Deidara in the sky. “Deidara, scout ahead!”
Deidara nodded, urging his clay bird to fly faster.
It didn’t take long for him to spot a battle raging ahead.
From above, he saw eight combatants locked in fierce combat below. Without hesitation, he reached into his ninja pouch and grabbed a handful of clay, feeding it to the mouths on his palms.
After the clay was chewed and shaped, small clay birds emerged, flying toward the battlefield below.
Meanwhile, the mouths on Deidara’s palms continued chewing, preparing more clay explosives.
Below, the battle raged on, oblivious to the danger from above.
By the time they noticed the incoming bombs, it was too late.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions ripped through the battlefield, smoke and debris engulfing everything.
When the dust finally cleared, the area below was littered with the dead and wounded.
Deidara grinned smugly. “Explosion is Art, Huh!”
Back in the distance, Kurotsuchi heard the explosions and couldn’t help but grit her teeth.
(End of Chapter)
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