"The target can transform her body into sheets of paper, thus evading damage from physical attacks… it feels somewhat similar to the Hydrification Technique of the Hōzuki clan from Kirigakure. We can't rely on purely physical strikes to deal with her. Best approach would be to use Fire Release."
Boardrock emerged from underground using the Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique, resurfacing back on solid ground.
Tilting his head up, he fixed his gaze on Konan's form suspended in midair while quickly sharing his deductions with his comrades.
Finally, he added:
"If you don't know Fire Release, try using explosive tags instead."
He said that aloud, but inside he was far less confident. Not because his will to fight had been broken, but because—if he remembered correctly—among their squad, only one man actually knew Fire Release. The rest of them all wielded chakra almost exclusively aligned with Earth Release.
That was, of course, common.
Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, only Konoha lacked a unified specialty. There, you could find masters of every elemental style, countless kekkei genkai users, and an endless array of secret techniques. They had no real weaknesses.
But the other villages were different—shaped by their environments, their shinobi generally developed along a single, dominant elemental path.
The shinobi of Sunagakure relied heavily on Wind Release.
The shinobi of Kumogakure crackled with lightning.
The shinobi of Kirigakure seemed forever damp, suffused with Water Release.
And the shinobi of Iwagakure… well, naturally, they were "earth to the core." Nearly ninety percent of Iwagakure's ninja were born with an Earth-nature affinity. At the jōnin level, most would later cultivate a secondary affinity or two, but given Lightning Release's natural advantage over Earth, most Iwa shinobi chose Wind as their second element.
Slate himself was such an example. Among their team, aside from Akaishi-sama, one jōnin possessed both Earth and Water affinities, while another had taken up Wind Release.
And then—there was just one special jōnin with dual Earth and Fire natures.
Unfortunately, that man's Fire Release was mediocre at best. His true strength lay elsewhere—in techniques that, ironically, might prove more effective against Konan than fire ever could. But the problem was…
That "trump card" had been reserved by Akaishi-sama specifically to counter Koeda Kyoichi's Earth Spear Technique. If it was revealed prematurely here, their whole plan would unravel.
The dilemma gnawed at Slate.
But time wasn't a luxury he had.
Konan had already launched her counterattack. Sheets of paper folded into deadly shuriken, cascading down like a storm, pelting the Iwa shinobi below. Immediately, one jōnin stepped forward, forming rapid hand seals.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!
A solid wall of rock jutted upward, shielding them from the paper shuriken's relentless barrage.
At the same time, the remaining Iwa shinobi leapt atop the wall and hurled kunai rigged with explosive tags toward Konan's hovering figure.
Explosions tore through the rain-soaked sky. Smoke and fire bloomed above. But before the debris had even been washed away by the drizzle, another volley of paper shuriken descended like hail, tearing through the mist.
Truth was, these paper shuriken were cheap.
Don't be fooled by how twisted the shinobi world's "tech tree" had grown—while much of their technology was scattered and inconsistent, papermaking had long been perfected. Scrolls, indispensable tools for every ninja, required paper, and by the Warring States period, papermaking was already a refined art.
Compared to a single kunai, the material cost of Konan's barrage was negligible.
"Damn it! These explosive tags don't do a damn thing!"
One hot-tempered jōnin couldn't hold back his frustration, shouting his complaint aloud.
Slate nearly ground his molars into dust.
Indeed. Just who the hell was this woman?
Konoha? Sunagakure? Kumogakure? Kirigakure?
He had never once heard of a secret technique that could transfigure the body into paper, immune to all physical attacks.
"Dance of the Shikigami: Paper Javelins!"
Konan unleashed another wave, escalating her assault.
By now, she had confirmed what she suspected—the Iwa shinobi were formidable, yes, befitting one of the Great Villages. But unlike Gōu and Tōu of Amegakure, none of them seemed to wield a technique that directly countered her paper-based ninjutsu.
Those two Ame-nin had been able to hunt her precisely because Gōu had contracted a peculiar summoning beast—a Stink Gull.
That ungainly bird not only flew but could also spew a foul-smelling yellow fluid, sticky as oil. Once that muck coated her body, she lost her ability to disperse into paper, stripping her of her greatest defense. Without that trump card, she was reduced to the level of an ordinary jōnin.
It was no wonder Gōu and Tōu had been able to corner her.
And therein lay the essence of shinobi combat—
There were no invincible jutsu. Every technique had weaknesses, vulnerabilities waiting to be exploited. Victory often hinged not on raw strength but on information—who knew whose secrets. The outcome of battles, even wars, was decided by such intelligence.
But here and now, against the Dance of the Shikigami, a secret art Konan herself had developed less than a decade ago, the Iwa shinobi were utterly unprepared. None of them knew its weaknesses. It was easy to theorize Fire Release could counter it—but they lacked fire specialists.
And in this rain-drenched land, even the Uchiha clan's fire masters would see their flames weakened.
The Iwa-nin were stymied, left floundering for options.
Konan, meanwhile, soared higher in her dominance. Paper shuriken not lethal enough? She escalated to paper spears—each over a meter long, whistling through the air like arrows, slamming into the earthen wall. The Iwa shinobi huddled behind their defenses, too afraid to expose themselves.
"Captain Slate—let me handle this!"
Suddenly, from behind the wall, a voice rang out.
A young shinobi with spiky hair stepped forward, eyes burning.
"Shen…"
Slate's brow furrowed. "Don't forget what Akaishi-sama instructed you!"
"I would never forget," the spiky-haired shinobi named Shen replied. His voice was low, yet resolute with fervor. "But if we can't eliminate this woman here and now, we'll never even make it in time to aid Akaishi-sama! Drag this out any longer, and once more of the Koeda clan's jōnin arrive, today's mission will be a complete failure.
If that happens—Kazetsuchi's death will have been for nothing!"