Chapter 129 Heroes Are Needed in War

Witnessing this shocking scene, the entire battlefield fell silent!

Although they had endured two waves of attacks, their opponent was still a jonin—an upper-tier one at that, the magnet release user Toroi.

Yet such a powerful ninja had been killed by a child, instantly and decisively!

This absurd sight caused many Cloud ninja still holding their ground to completely break down mentally.

"It's impossible! This must be an illusion!"

"Ha, dispel... dispel the genjutsu!"

However, the few surviving jonin remained strong-willed.

"It's him! The one Raikage specifically warned us about—Seiki Shimaseki!"

"So today we won't be leaving here alive. Then we'll drag him down to hell with us!"

Three Cloud jonin near Seiki, showing fierce expressions, abandoned thoughts of escape and instead launched themselves at him using [Body Flicker Technique].

But Seiki was faster. Using [Flying Thunder God Technique], he returned straight into the middle of his group.

Seeing Seiki now protected behind layers of allies, the three were so enraged they literally spat blood.

They weren't exaggerating—they really did spit blood. Already severely weakened from explosive tags injuries and buried under countless jutsu attacks, they were truly on their last legs.

"You bastard, Seiki! Don't you have any dignity as a prodigy?!"

"Cursed! Fight me one-on-one if you're man enough!"

Seiki tilted his head and looked at them as if they'd just asked the dumbest question ever. "I'm just a rookie chunin. Why would I fight you alone?"

The Cloud jonin twitched their mouths uncontrollably. A rookie chunin?

Go tell that to Toroi and see if he buys it!

Kosuke Maruboshi then shouted loudly, "Don't talk to these Cloud shinobi about ninja honor! Everyone attack together!"

Though merely a genin, Kosuke carried considerable weight due to his strength and seniority.

As soon as his words landed, another storm of ninjutsu barraged the Cloud forces.

Unlike the previous round, there was no coordination this time. Water Releases and Fire Releases often canceled each other before, reducing effectiveness, which let these Cloud ninja survive.

This time, however, they weren't so lucky. Under coordinated assault, they fell instantly. Originally still numbering fifty to sixty people, the Cloud ninja again suffered more than half casualties.

Seeing this unfold, Seiki couldn't help but feel a chill. Unless you were on Madara Uchiha's level, you could never underestimate the power of numbers.

Even a jonin could be overwhelmed by coordinated attacks from a dozen chunin.

Before long, all the Cloud ninja in Lightning Canyon had died.

As for Konoha, aside from a few who died blocking the enemy's breakout earlier, everyone else made it out alive.

Such results left everyone present incredulous. They'd already mentally prepared for death—but that was it?

"Hahaha! These Cloud ninja are really pathetic! Getting counter-attacked even when ganging up three against one!"

"Don't get too cocky. Achieving this result was all thanks to Seiki... Hmm, and also his summoning beast's contribution!"

"If even Toroi of the Magnet Release got instantaneously killed, is Seiki really just a chunin?"

At this moment, the Hyuga ninja learned everything from Hiashi and looked toward Seiki with full eyes of gratitude.

Hiashi thanked the others and promised compensation for the fallen members of the Hyuga squad before stepping forward solemnly to face Seiki. "Seiki, we're deeply grateful this time! Feel free to count on me whenever you need help."

Seiki blinked. "You don't have to wait — how about right now?"

Taken aback, Hiashi replied with slight frustration, "Please go ahead."

Seiki grew serious. "Use your strength to win this war for Konoha!"

Meeting Seiki's earnest gaze, Hiashi took a deep breath and gave a firm nod. "I'll make it happen."

...

Central Command.

"Who'd have thought even you, this stinking snake, could lead troops!" Jiraiya slouched lazily in his chair, sighing nostalgically. "It feels like just yesterday the three of us teamed up against Hanzo in the last war!"

"Hehe, time truly waits for no one," Orochimaru chuckled. "Still, if you want to become a commander, it's not too late."

"Forget it — I'd rather chew rocks than take orders from you!" Jiraiya waved his hand dismissively before proudly adding, "Besides, I believe Minato will do an even better job than me!"

Orochimaru nodded sincerely. "That's certainly true."

"Told ya!" Jiraiya bragged smugly but suddenly sensed something off. "Wait a second, your words..."

At that moment, a Yamanaka clan ninja rushed in urgently. "Lord Orochimaru, Master Jiraiya, we've received news about the Cloud Village unit!"

Orochimaru remained calm while Jiraiya quickly asked, "Did Minato catch up with his reinforcement team?"

"No." Torifu hesitated briefly, then continued excitedly, "The 45th camp coordinated reinforcements with several nearby camps. They not only rescued the Hyuga squad, but also utterly annihilated the entire Cloud Village unit!"

"What? Did they contact over a dozen camps?" Jiraiya exclaimed with wide eyes, immediately rejecting his own guess. "No, those camps are too far away. The response should've been much slower."

Torifu answered truthfully, "In total, there were four camps with 95 people. Even including the Hyuga squad, the total number was only 125."

"That's all it took..." Before Jiraiya could finish, Orochimaru cut in, "What about our casualties?"

"Under ten." Even Torifu himself seemed dazed while delivering this information.

"Cough! Cough!" Jiraiya choked, wide-eyed with disbelief. "Under ten? That can't be right... Did the Cloud ninjas just roll over and die?"

Orochimaru followed up, "How did they manage that?"

Torifu could only shake his head. "I don't know the exact details. According to intelligence reports, they successfully ambushed the Cloud forces under the leadership of Shimaseki Seiki!"

"Oh~ If it's him..." As Jiraiya mused, he heard Orochimaru simultaneously sigh, "If it's him, then there's nothing strange about it!"

Jiraiya shot him a suspicious look. "Since when have you known Seiki so well?"

Orochimaru smiled serenely. "Who told you to come back so late? You missed the spectacular show during the Chunin Exams. You should know, even Manda greatly fears him!"

Jiraiya was indeed fooled and looked shocked. "What? That bastard Manda is afraid too?"

After returning, he had heard about what happened during the Chunin Exams, but most of what he knew was about Seiki's battle with the Jinchuriki. He truly hadn't known about what happened in the Death Forest.

Orochimaru chuckled with cold amusement. "After all, this time it almost got killed..."

Seeing the two drift further off-topic, Torifu Yamanaka asked longingly, "Lord Orochimaru, what should we do next?"

"First, confirm the details. If it's really his achievement, then we'll spread the news widely," Orochimaru said with a grin, eyes narrowing. "Wars need heroes, whether to raise morale or instill fear in the enemy..."

Jiraiya hurriedly shouted, "Wait! Doing this will make him a prime target for assassination!"

Orochimaru looked at him like he was crazy. "After experiencing this Chunin Exam, do you think the Cloud Village will just sit still? Even if we don't actively spread the news ourselves, the Cloud Village won't let him go either!"

Jiraiya froze. Never having seen the Chunin Exams firsthand, he was slow to grasp how the other villages would react.

Orochimaru laughed and patted Jiraiya's shoulder. "Have more faith in him. Seiki-kun is someone who can create miracles!"

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>