Explosive Encounter 9

The fight escalated as Silver and his team scrambled for higher ground, but the Explosion Corps was relentless. Every moment, they were under attack from all sides. Silver's heart raced, the stench of burning earth and chakra-infused explosions hanging heavy in the air. His team had barely managed to escape the quicksand trap, but the Iwa ninjas were closing in on them fast. They had to make a stand now.

"Keep moving!" Silver ordered, but it was clear the odds were against them. Their stamina was draining, and they were quickly running out of options.

The Explosion Corps moved like a well-oiled machine. They launched more Explosion Style jutsus, each one aimed to destabilize their positions. Kaori—Verdants—was the first to react, slamming her palms into the earth again.

"Earth Style: Stone Wall!" She raised a wall of jagged rock, blocking a barrage of explosive kunai and shrapnel. But the enemy was prepared. A quick flash of hand seals from one of the Iwa jonin, and a massive Earth Style: Rock Golem erupted from the ground. The golem, a giant humanoid figure of stone, stomped toward the team, its massive fists ready to crush anything in its path.

"Watch out!" Kaori shouted, narrowly avoiding the golem's crushing blow. Her defensive jutsu was holding, but the golem's strength was too much for her to block alone. The team needed to act fast.

"Embers!" Silver shouted.

Hiroshi, catching the signal, quickly formed his own hand seals, his chakra flaring.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!" he spat, sending a barrage of flaming projectiles toward the golem. The flames hit the stone body, but the fire seemed to have little effect. The golem continued its slow, relentless march.

"It's not enough!" Hiroshi cursed, his eyes narrowing.

Silver gritted his teeth, thinking quickly. If they didn't stop the golem, they would be trapped. He scanned the surroundings, looking for an opportunity.

"Whisper, Sight, buy us time!" Silver ordered.

Aiko, using her stealth, darted into the shadows, her figure almost vanishing completely as she approached the Iwa ninjas. With deadly precision, she threw a series of kunai, silently aiming for their vitals. As expected, the Iwa ninjas responded quickly, but Aiko was already on the move, using her speed and invisibility to keep them guessing.

At the same time, Ryota—Sight—activated his Byakugan, his vision widening to scan for the enemy's chakra points. He quickly pinpointed the enemy's weaknesses, tracking the movements of their hidden reinforcements.

"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation!" Ryota shouted, slamming his palms into the ground in a powerful rotation. The air vibrated as the ground beneath the enemy Iwa ninjas cracked, sending them flying backward.

But the Explosion Corps leader, the scarred Iwa jonin, was still undeterred. He formed a series of hand seals rapidly.

"Explosion Style: Cluster Detonation!" The Iwa leader shouted. With a massive explosion of chakra, dozens of explosive tags detonated in rapid succession, spreading a wave of destruction in every direction. The blast was intense—fierce enough to force the Silver team back, but they quickly recovered.

Kaori's stone ramparts were shattered, and Ryota had to flip backward, avoiding a deadly barrage of kunai laced with explosive tags. The sheer scale of the explosion sent shockwaves through the battlefield, disorienting the Silver Team, but Silver remained focused.

"They're trying to overwhelm us!" Silver shouted, eyes narrowing. They needed to break free from the constant pressure.

Silver formed a quick series of hand seals and leaped into the air.

"Chidori!" He thrust his hand forward, focusing the lightning chakra into his palm, sending a Chidori crashing through the front lines of the enemy. The strike was devastating, cutting down the first few Iwa ninjas who dared to face him head-on. But still, the enemy was relentless.

The Explosion Corps leader didn't hesitate. He used another jutsu.

"Earth Style: Great Earthquake!" he roared. The ground beneath Silver's feet began to tremble violently, cracks splitting the earth wide open as the tremors continued. The sheer power of the quake was too much. Silver felt his balance faltering, his footing giving way as the ground gave out beneath him.

"Get down!" Kaori shouted as she threw herself to the ground, narrowly avoiding a massive rock from falling on her. The battle had gone from bad to worse.

The Explosion Corps seemed to know they were wearing the Silver team down. As the team tried to stabilize, the Explosion Corps launched another assault. Ryota used his Byakugan to spot the incoming danger.

"They're flanking us!" Ryota yelled.

Silver quickly calculated their next move. With the enemy closing in from every angle, their options were rapidly dwindling. The Explosion Corps was making their final push.

"Retreat!" Silver yelled, knowing they couldn't win this battle with the resources they had left. His voice rang out above the battlefield as the team regrouped, pulling back to a higher position. The explosions rained down around them, but Silver led his team to a narrow pass, hoping to find some cover.

But just as they reached safety, they saw something worse: a group of Iwa ANBU ninjas, cloaked in black, arriving on the scene.

The battle was far from over, and Silver knew this fight would be the hardest one yet.