Chapter 104: Newton Rises from His Coffin

Chapter 104: Newton Rises from His Coffin

The living puppet bombs that detonated the canyon, shaking the very mountains, were just the prelude.

Everyone in this Konoha squad participating in the alliance operation was at least Chunin-level or higher. It was obvious that such a trick alone wouldn't be enough to eliminate them.

Ryosuke thought so too—from the enemy's perspective, this kind of ambush was just a distraction. So, when he saw several ninjas wearing Sand Village forehead protectors appear at high speed, rushing down from the cliff and launching a direct assault, he wasn't surprised at all.

What puzzled him, however, was why the Sand Village was attacking them.

Ever since he discovered the Mist Shinobi were actually transformed into living puppets, Ryosuke suspected the attackers weren't truly from the Hidden Mist.

Even though the Land of Water and Kirigakure weren't part of the alliance, if they wanted to send death soldiers, the cruel nature of the Mist Village made it unnecessary to go through the trouble of turning people into puppets first. They could just send willing sacrifices straight to die—far less complex and easier to conceal.

That meant the identity of the Kirigakure Anbu was likely just a cover—a disguise meant to hide the real forces behind this attack.

But why was it Sunagakure?

Sunagakure was an active member of the alliance, and the Land of Wind was supposed to be an ally of the Land of Fire. Sure, in the original timeline, they attacked Konoha under Orochimaru's manipulation. But that was different—it was a conflict of interests.

Now? The two nations had a chance to benefit together. The alliance could help the Sand Village recover from the poverty caused by their harsh desert environment.

So what were they thinking? Why risk sabotaging it all?

Ryosuke lacked the information to understand what seemed like a completely thankless move.

Still, this wasn't the time to figure it out. Right now, he had enemies to deal with—and maybe, if things went well, he could extract some intel while he was at it.

---

"Unit One, move out!"

As the rest of the team pushed forward to meet the attack, Ryosuke, who had been trailing at the back, suddenly retreated.

He slipped into a crevice between the rocks—somewhere relatively safe—and without hesitation activated his secret technique.

His target: Hyuga Tamao, a Chunin from the Hyuga Clan in the traveling team.

Among the three he had marked, Tamao was the easiest to control. The others included Shinji. But unlike the unaware Shinji, Tamao knew Ryosuke would eventually control him, so resistance was minimal. With the Byakugan's help, Ryosuke slipped into his body seamlessly.

Tamao—now under Ryosuke's control—sidled up to Hyuga Hizashi and whispered in a low voice, "Looks like we've got Sand shinobi incoming. I count five Jōnin. An elite squad. No Genin."

"At their current pace, they'll reach us in about three minutes."

Ryosuke's perception range far surpassed even Hizashi's Byakugan. He could see deeper into the terrain—and further ahead.

This canyon was massive. Though the Konoha team had made their way to the upper section, they were still a good distance from the surface. And now, the mountain shook violently from the earlier explosion. To avoid landslides or cave-ins, they needed to get out of the canyon fast.

But the valley walls were damp and slick from constant shade, making every step dangerous—even for seasoned Chunin.

The Sand shinobi above were also being cautious, not daring to dash recklessly down the cliff.

Hizashi glanced at Tamao, already understanding who was speaking through him.

"Is everything going smoothly on your end?"

He signaled to Hyuga Iroha to alert the rest of the squad while whispering, "They've got the high ground, and we're stuck in this death trap. We're at a disadvantage."

"If things go south, retreat first. You're more important than this mission."

Ryosuke nodded slightly, expression calm as he avoided falling debris. The mountain quaked around them, but his focus remained sharp.

The time for disguise was over. After all, he wasn't even in his own body now.

Thanks to Ryosuke's warning, the entire Konoha squad had just enough time to prepare for the coming assault.

---

So when the Sand shinobi burst into view, Konoha was ready.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

The voices rang out in perfect unison.

Several veteran Konoha ninjas rapidly weaved hand seals the moment they caught sight of the enemy. Fire dragons burst from their mouths, while earth dragons erupted from the cliff walls. Chakra-controlled and perfectly synchronized, the dual-element attacks merged together mid-air.

The result? A colossal lava dragon, molten and roaring, surged up the cliffside like a volcanic monster.

But there was a problem: They were attacking upward.

Fighting against gravity meant they were still at a disadvantage. Even though chakra controlled the technique, if the Sand shinobi responded quickly with a counterattack, Konoha could be in real trouble.

That's where the wind-style users came in.

All the Chunin who weren't Hyuga immediately performed wind-release jutsu, altering the airflow to push the lava dragon even faster and more violently upward—toward the cliff's edge where the enemy was gathering.

The result was devastating.

The Sand shinobi, rushing down for a surprise attack, had no time to react.

Caught mid-descent, several of them were swallowed whole by the molten beast. Their screams echoed off the canyon walls, accompanied by the unmistakable stench of scorched flesh.

The dragon eventually dispersed, breaking apart into massive globs of lava that clung to the rock face. Some parts, affected by gravity, dripped downward like hellish rain.

But Konoha had anticipated this too. Everyone moved swiftly, evading the lava with well-practiced ease.

---

As the team continued to push forward, Ryosuke's normally blank expression flickered with a trace of awe.

Their coordination... was flawless.

He'd never witnessed such a large-scale battle before. And this combined elemental ninjutsu, formed in mere seconds—he realized, if he were the enemy, he might not have stood a chance. He would've been forced to take the hit head-on.

And against lava, there was no bouncing back.

Not with his current abilities. He'd need overwhelming force—something on a completely different level—to stop an attack like that.

The entire exchange had taken just a few moments, but the results were clear.

The battlefield had been split in two by a river of seething lava. On one side stood the Konoha forces. On the other, what remained of the Sand squad.

Both sides clung to the rock walls like spiders, completely unhindered by the vertical terrain.

This was the battlefield of shinobi.

A place where geography, positioning, even gravity itself could be bent to one's will through chakra.

Though Hyuga Tamao's consciousness had been pushed deep within his own mind, he could still feel it:

Lord Ryosuke was… excited.

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