Chapter 68 – The Great Battle Approaches
It took several days to redeploy personnel from other battlefronts. During that time, the ninjas on the Wind Country front had already eliminated a number of enemies, though not without suffering some casualties themselves.
Nan and his team, however, had been unusually effective. Though he had rejected the previous idea of using a large number of Shadow Clones to assist in clearing Sunagakure's assassination squads, Nan had come up with a new strategy. He decided to deploy only a few clones, expanding his search radius without overtaxing his chakra.
If they encountered weaker Sunagakure squads, the clones could handle them alone. If stronger squads with Jonin appeared and a single clone couldn't manage, it would leave a Flying Thunder God mark before dissolving. Nan could then instantly teleport to finish the task himself.
This method not only increased efficiency but also provided real-world practice for the Flying Thunder God Technique. The only downside was the extreme chakra consumption of using both Shadow Clones and Flying Thunder God simultaneously.
Nan's chakra reserves were limited, so he could only afford five clones to preserve enough energy for combat.
After considering this, he discussed the plan with his teammates.
Kosuke, after a brief reflection, agreed. Nan's power was overwhelming—he could handle most threats alone, and with the Flying Thunder God Technique, even dangerous opponents could be dealt with safely.
Nan left one clone to assist his teammates in continuing the search while he and the remaining four clones spread out. With the support of that single clone and Kosuke's strength, Nan's team could handle any threat that arose.
He could not risk using the Flying Thunder God Technique to move the entire team, not even now with his level of skill; the chakra cost was too high, even for someone like Minato.
Once Nan began operating solo, efficiency skyrocketed. Previously, his teammates, Anko and Hayate, had been overly cautious when approaching enemies to avoid revealing their presence, which slowed both him and Kosuke.
Now, Nan's inherited tracking abilities had reached Jonin-level precision. Most Sunagakure squads were made up of Chunin; he could act without risk of exposure. And often, he didn't need to worry about stealth—once he spotted a target, he would strike with blinding speed.
Even if the enemy noticed him, they could not escape the velocity of his attacks. Their only response was a terrified cry of "Konoha Lightning!" before being crushed under Nan's relentless fist.
Just then, one of his clones reported a Sunagakure squad containing a Jonin. The clone lacked sufficient chakra to confront them directly, so it left a Flying Thunder God mark, dissolved, and transmitted its memory back to Nan.
Receiving the information, Nan instantly teleported to the squad's location. A brief scan revealed they were continuing along their usual route, unaware that Nan had already discovered them.
A sinister grin crossed his face as he prepared to repeat his ambush.
The Sunagakure squad moved recklessly, unlike the previous group Nan had encountered. Their Jonin was no ordinary ninja but a veteran, well-known throughout Sunagakure.
Their previous encounter had been cautious, with a newly promoted Jonin. This time, the squad felt confident under the protection of an experienced leader, certain they could cut through Konoha ninja like slicing fruit. They walked and laughed obliviously, unaware that danger had silently arrived.
Nan watched them with disdain. These fools were asking for death—relaxing this deep in enemy territory.
"Let me, the father of all healers, give you a lesson. Next life, try being humble, like me," he thought.
As they drew closer, he quietly formed hand signs, preparing to unleash Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique.
The veteran Jonin, confident in his abilities, had not taken this routine reconnaissance mission seriously. He was slightly caught off guard by Nan's sudden attack.
However, a Jonin's skill is not easily bested; he leapt aside, dodging the initial Water Dragon.
But his three teammates were inexperienced Genin, and the sudden appearance of a massive Water Dragon terrified them. They failed to react, getting blasted violently, tumbling helplessly.
Seeing that his Water Dragon had missed the Jonin, Nan was undeterred. Over time, he had absorbed numerous Water Release techniques from Kosuke, and combined with his Sharingan, his control had dramatically improved.
Forming new hand signs, he redirected the Water Dragon's head toward the airborne Jonin, ready to strike.
The Sunagakure Jonin had never expected anyone's jutsu to curve mid-flight. Suspended in midair, he had no leverage and could not dodge—the Water Dragon struck him directly, following in the wake of his three fallen comrades.
"Lightning Release: Earth Path!" Nan seized the moment. With the four temporarily immobilized by the Water Dragon, he unleashed his Lightning Release once more.
The ground was covered in puddles, channeling the electricity through the water and shocking all four ninjas into convulsions.
Nan wasted no time. Shouting, he executed:
"Konoha Mighty Gale Four-Strike!"
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! The four Sunagakure ninjas were kicked away with devastating force.
Without any thought of taking prisoners, Nan effortlessly eliminated a Jonin and three Genin, leaving behind four pristine, freshly defeated bodies.
Looking down at the grotesque corpses, he sighed softly:
"Remember this—next life, try being a humble person."
Shortly after defeating the four, reinforcements from Konoha arrived. The village's response had been astonishingly fast. Sunagakure had barely realized Konoha's movements, leaving their operatives no time to retreat.
Under Konoha's overwhelming carpet-style search, all remaining Sunagakure infiltrators were swiftly captured or killed.
Sunagakure's leadership was thrown into panic. Their mission to gather intelligence on Konoha had failed, and their forces had suffered heavy losses. Winning the battle now seemed increasingly unlikely.
Without knowledge of Konoha's troop deployments, they could not concentrate their forces to strike decisively. The longer the battle dragged on, the more vulnerable Sunagakure's poor resources became.
What could they do? For a moment, the high-ranking Sunagakure elders were at a loss. In the critical moment, an experienced veteran stepped forward with a plan.
Previously, Chiyo's lethal poison had given Sunagakure a temporary advantage. Yet, despite the efforts of Nan and Tsunade, it had ultimately failed.
Now it was up to her brother, Ebizō. Though not especially powerful as a ninja, he was an exceptionally clever strategist. He devised a plan to lure Konoha into battle on their terms.
"If we cannot take the initiative against Konoha, we can make them come to us instead," Ebizō explained. "We'll feign heavy losses and withdraw, while carefully revealing false information to Konoha. They will assume we've been beaten and will pursue, eager to strike."
Pointing toward their retreat path, he indicated Kikyo Mountain Pass—Sunagakure's most defensible position, easy to defend but difficult to assault.
"Once we set up an ambush there in advance, we will be able to annihilate the Konoha ninjas in pursuit in one decisive strike."
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The stage was set. The final confrontation between Konoha and Sunagakure was about to unfold.