Naruto: Konoha Spring of the Uchiha Prodigies

"Now is not the time to pursue this. Now that we know the other side has such methods, our battle plan needs to be adjusted." Kakashi said, walking to the map and staring at the map and sand table, lost in thought.

"Colonel Inoichi." After a long while, Kakashi suddenly raised his head and looked at Yamanaka Inoichi, who was coordinating supplies.

As soon as Yamanaka Ino heard Kakashi calling him, he immediately put down what he was doing, jogged over to Kakashi, and gave him a military salute.

“I’ve made the following arrangements; please take note,” Kakashi said.

Yamanaka Inoichi took out a notebook from his ninja tool bag, preparing to take notes. Kakashi, seeing that he was ready, looked at the map and slowly spoke.

"The First, Fourth, and Seventh Regiments, composed of members of the Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame clans, which were responsible for forward reconnaissance and delaying the defense line, were fully integrated and retreated to defend the entire line, relying on the Sulfur Valley, Drumstick Mountain, and Onsen Forest to build a defense line."

"Hyuga Squad, use the Byakugan to penetrate the forest and fog, monitor the large-scale troop gatherings of Kumogakure, chakra flow, especially high-energy reactions, be vigilant about the movements of Jinchuriki and small infiltration units, and establish an early warning network."

"The Oil Women Squad will release special parasitic insect swarms along key routes, at water sources, and in forests to construct an invisible biosensor network to detect stealth units and sense chakra anomalies. They will also set up highly toxic or paralyzing insect traps along pre-planned retreat routes and at strategic passes."

"The Inuzuka Squad is responsible for patrolling the pre-established warning line, using the ninja dogs' sense of smell to track down infiltrated elite Cloud Village squads, conduct small-scale skirmishes and drive them away, and provide additional early warning in foggy weather or at night."

"The ninjas in the Seventh Division who are proficient in Earth Release, Water Release, and explosive tags, with the assistance of the three clans, have pre-planned battlefield construction and a system for delaying operations. They have deployed a large number of complex traps, chain explosive tag arrays, disguised earth flow walls, swamp and poison fog devices, and binding water release mechanisms in the possible main attack directions of Kumogakure, forest passages, and canyon entrances."

"The objective is not to annihilate them, but to delay, disperse, and deplete the vanguard of the Cloud Village to the greatest extent possible, disrupt their offensive rhythm, and lure them into the pre-designated 'pocket' area. In addition, I will allocate four more squadrons of sensory ninjas to the detachments to guide the triggering of the traps."

"When the time for a counterattack arrives, the Second and Fifth Regiments, responsible for the frontal assault, will be composed of ninjas skilled in defensive ninjutsu, group ninjutsu, and mid-to-long-range attacks. They will be responsible for guarding key points, conducting frontal defense, and establishing a solid defensive line based on strongholds such as narrow canyon exits, high ground, and fortified hot spring fortresses."

"The 6th and 12th Regiments, skilled in Wind Release, and the 9th and 15th Regiments, specializing in Taijutsu and formed to counter the Cloud Village's army of ninja and taijutsu, attacked the Cloud Village's position from two directions. The 8th Regiment, which is composed of the Sarutobi clan and is skilled in combination ninjutsu, split into two groups to provide them with long-range fire support."

"In addition, keep the sealing team on standby at all times, and the Flying Thunder God Squad will provide support once the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki appears."

"Finally, I will personally lead the 10th, 13th, and 14th Regiments to launch a frontal attack on the Cloud Hidden's positions."

Kakashi made a series of plans, and Nara Shikaku's pen never stopped, recording them at lightning speed.

Seeing that Yamanaka Inoichi had stopped writing, Kakashi looked at him and said seriously, "Recite it for me."

After Yamanaka Inoichi recounted Kakashi's plan word for word, Kakashi nodded.

"Commander Kakashi, when should we launch the attack?" At this moment, Inuzuka Jacques asked.

"Once Sasuke, who has already infiltrated the heart of the Land of Lightning, sends back good news, we will launch an attack immediately," Kakashi said.

The Land of Thunder, the Cloud-Gathering Mountains.

Sasuke, accompanied by 12 elite Jonin, moved nimbly through the dense forest under the moonlight.

"Captain Sasuke, we have reached the designated location." Sasuke's second-in-command, an elite Jonin from the Hyuga branch family who had just been freed from the Caged Bird Seal, spoke after using his Byakugan to survey the surrounding terrain.

"Have we finally arrived? Rest here and prepare traps." Sasuke calmly gave the orders. "Kazuki, you and Yoshiki take turns using your Byakugan to scout. Report back to me immediately if you spot any enemy traces."

“Yes!” Hinata Kazuki nodded.

“Uncle Seiichi, try to use fewer explosive tags in your traps and use more trigger traps that seal wind-style ninjutsu,” Sasuke said, looking at Seiichi Nagai.

"Don't worry, Captain Sasuke." The veteran Jonin, Seiichi Nagai, smiled and gave Sasuke a thumbs up.

For Sasuke's special raiding unit, Tokō Uchiha specifically arranged for the veteran Jonin Seiichi Nagai to join. After pondering Tokō Uchiha's intentions for a moment, Seiichi Nagai understood that the Hokage wanted him to protect Sasuke Uchiha, the Hokage's personal disciple and the young head of the Uchiha clan.

Therefore, when he set off, Seiichi Nagai was already prepared to protect Sasuke with his life in case of an emergency, in order to repay the kindness of Toko Uchiha.

"As for the others, set up traps with explosive tags on the perimeter. I might not be able to wipe out the enemy's logistics force immediately, so I'll need everyone's help to finish them off. It's best not to let a single one escape," Sasuke said.

"Uh, Captain Sasuke, we've all gone to scout and set up traps, so what about the front line?" At this moment, Seiichi Nagai also noticed a small problem in Sasuke's arrangements and hurriedly asked.

"Leave the direct confrontation to me," Sasuke said with a light laugh. "If you guys get too close to me, I won't be able to use my full strength."

“Uh, Captain Sasuke, maybe we should play it safe? This is your first time on the battlefield, and I understand your desire to make a name for yourself. However, the enemy's logistics units are definitely heavily guarded. We only have so many people. Wouldn't it be a bit too risky to just go and fight them head-on?” Nagai Seiichi then organized his thoughts, trying to calm Sasuke down a bit.

"Uncle Seiichi, just trust me." Sasuke smiled and said without waiting for a reply.

"Alright..." Seeing this, Seiichi Nagai could only nod, and the others naturally had no objections.

Soon, everyone set up the ambush according to Sasuke's orders.

Three hours later, heavy supply wagons covered with waterproof tarpaulins were pushed by the burly Cloud Village ninjas. The wheels rolled over gravel and shallow water, making a monotonous and dull rolling sound.

The ninjas, clad in dark armor, had expressions as hard as rocks, their sharp eyes scanning the surrounding dense forest, their hands gripping ninja swords crackling with lightning.

A tense and oppressive atmosphere permeated the group, and every slight movement made their muscles tense up.

At the head of the group, Ma Buyi walked steadily. Her Cloud-Hidden Headband reflected a cold, hard luster in the dim light. Her long, dark hair was tied into a neat ponytail, swaying gently behind her shoulders with each step. She seemed to be calmly looking ahead, but deep in her sharp eyes was a hawk-like vigilance, not missing the slightest fluctuation of chakra. The large, old scroll on her back, wrapped in specially made dark brown leather, weighed heavily on her shoulders.

Just then, an extreme, chilling silence descended without warning.

The sounds of wheels rolling over gravel, the screech of samurai armor, and even the suppressed breathing of people were instantly abruptly silenced. The entire canyon fell into a stagnant, lifeless stillness.

A cold, destructive wave of chakra pressed down from above without any concealment, as heavy as a solid lead block, slamming into the hearts of every Cloud Village ninja.

"Enemy attack! Above!" A sensory ninja roared hoarsely, his voice distorted with extreme horror.

All eyes instinctively looked upwards, gazing at the top of the giant tree above.

A blinding flash of purple lightning suddenly appeared, followed by a bolt of purple lightning that roared down from the cliff top like a giant python! It carried a terrifyingly high temperature capable of destroying everything, and let out a muffled roar, its target being the heaviest supply wagons in the center of the convoy!

"Lightning Release: Azure Dragon!"

The pupils of the woman in hemp clothing suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints. Almost instinctively, her hands began to form hand seals, moving so fast that they left afterimages. In an instant, she completed several complex and precise hand seals. The huge scroll behind her seemed to come alive, automatically unfurling in front of her with a "whoosh." On the ancient, yellowed paper, dense black sealing runes resembled countless wriggling ants, instantly illuminated by the injected chakra.

"Sealing Technique: Absorption Seal!"

The purple lightning dragon, capable of devouring everything, swooped down with earth-shattering force, but just before it was about to engulf its target, it was suddenly stopped as if bitten by an invisible giant jaw! All the lightning and raging chakra were forcibly pulled by a powerful suction force, surging wildly towards the center of the unfolded scroll.

The runes on the scroll shone brightly, like a greedy black hole, swallowing the massive lightning ninjutsu whole. The surface of the scroll bulged slightly before returning to calm, as if the destructive lightning dragon from before was just an illusion.

"Hmm?" Sasuke, who had just descended from the sky, frowned. This move by the opponent was indeed beyond his expectations. Logically speaking, the Hidden Cloud Village should not have such a sealing method.

As Sasuke landed, the hem of his clothes fluttered slightly in the lingering heat.

A pair of Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan slowly rotated in his eyes, coldly looking down at the team in front of him as if scrutinizing a group of ants.

"Who goes there?" Ma Buyi asked in a cold voice.

"Konoha genin, Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke said calmly.

That's right, he was a genin. Because he blew up the Valley of the End again, in order to teach him a lesson and prevent him from destroying the village's property again, Uchiha Touko directly removed Sasuke from the jonin rank that he had already obtained.

Chapter 288 The Heavenly Soldiers of Konoha Have Arrived, the Land of Lightning is Saved

"Protect the supplies!" Mabui's command was firm and decisive, his voice piercing the brief silence. "Ninja Taijutsu squad, form ranks and prepare for battle!"

The Cloud Village ninjas reacted very quickly; after the initial shock, they immediately displayed astonishing combat skills.

The ninja taijutsu squad, clad in chakra armor, instantly reached the outer perimeter, their ninja swords drawn, flashing with dazzling lightning.

Several lightning-style ninjas quickly formed hand seals and pressed their hands to the ground, producing a series of ear-piercing "sizzling" sounds.

"Lightning Release: Earth Walk!"

Several thick, violent blue lightning bolts suddenly shot up from the ground, heading straight for Sasuke. The lightning crushed the surrounding giant trees, igniting them with a single strike, and the raging sea of ​​fire, accompanied by crackling sounds, quickly engulfed Sasuke's figure.

Thunder roared, and the sea of ​​fire was boiling. Just when everyone thought Sasuke was buried under the rocks, a dazzling blue-white lightning bolt tore through the boiling fire, and purple lightning cleaved a path through the fire!

Amidst the split sea of ​​fire, Sasuke walked forward unhurriedly. The several lightning snakes that had previously charged towards him were now obediently circling his figure. This powerful attack hadn't even soiled the hem of his clothes. Sasuke smiled, and the ethereal aura created by the Mangekyou Sharingan and Sage Mode eyeshadow caused the Cloud Village ninjas blocking his way to unconsciously take a small step back.

The next instant, Sasuke gently raised his hand, and a layer of purple lightning instantly appeared on the surface of the blue lightning snake. In just a few breaths, the lightning snake grew two horns and transformed into a dragon. Then it roared and charged towards the Cloud Village troops. The power of this ninjutsu was more than twice as strong as when it was used to attack Sasuke earlier.

"Delusion!" Ma Buyi reacted with lightning speed, his right hand flashing to the side and behind him. The huge scroll on his back seemed to come alive, unfolding a corner once more and precisely blocking the thunder dragon's path! The sealing runes on the scroll once again glowed with an eerie light.

"Sealing Technique: Absorption Seal!"

Faced with Sasuke's fierce attack, Mabui used the same trick again, pulling open the huge scroll on his back. After the scroll flashed with a strange light, it absorbed Sasuke's ninjutsu.

"Uchiha brat, this is not a place for you to run wild!" Mabui's voice carried the characteristic firmness of Kumogakure. "Leave your life behind!"

Sasuke did not respond. He slowly raised his right hand, and a chilling killing intent spread out like a tangible cold current. The surrounding space seemed to be slightly distorted and dimmed by this sudden surge of terrifying chakra. The air seemed to freeze at this moment, so heavy that it was suffocating.

A purple war god, entwined with silver runes, rose from the ground, and an invisible pressure swept across the entire canyon like a tsunami!

The Cloud Village ninjas were deathly pale, their hands gripping their weapons trembling uncontrollably. The immense fear of the colossal object gripped their hearts; the oppressive feeling emanating from the purple skeleton was like facing a natural disaster!

Not far away, Nagai Seiichi, who had already set up the trap according to the plan, couldn't help but gasp when he saw the terrifyingly powerful Susanoo. He suddenly realized that the Hokage had assigned him to be in a group with young master Sasuke, but it seemed that he was not there to protect young master Sasuke. Did young master Sasuke need someone like him, who had barely reached the level of an elite Jonin after consuming a lot of resources, to protect him?

Then I remembered a time a while ago when he went to the Hokage's office to report to the Hokage. Before he left, the Hokage said to him for no reason that he looked like he was working very hard lately, that he had lost a lot of weight, and that his belt couldn't even hold his pants up anymore, and that he should pull them up a bit.

Even if Nagai Seiichi were stupid, he should have understood what Uchiha Touko meant by this. Uchiha Touko wasn't sent here to protect his disciples. It was clearly that the Hokage wanted to promote him, but he didn't have any outstanding achievements, so he put him in the team of his genius disciples to gain merit in battle!

After Sasuke summoned Susanoo, the giant purple war god raised its hands, and black lightning containing a terrifying aura of destruction slowly gathered in Susanoo's hands, becoming two giant vajras.

"Want to try absorbing this with your scroll?" Sasuke said, and Susanoo threw two demon-slaying pestles wrapped in black lightning to the ground, one on each side.

Mabuyi gritted his teeth and unfurled the scroll once more. However, this time, the sealing technique that had been invincible before was instantly shattered the moment it came into contact with the Vajra Pestle that descended from the sky. In the next instant, the figures at the front of the group, including Mabuyi, were swallowed up by the lightning, leaving not even a speck of ashes behind.

This terrifying scene almost instantly shattered the Cloud Village ninjas' will to resist.

It's true that the ninjas of Kumogakure have become somewhat morbidly fanatical under the baptism of militarism over the past two years, but in the face of this imminent natural disaster, no emotion can overcome the instincts etched into their bones. Moreover, the person in charge of this mission was annihilated by the black lightning before he could even let out a scream, leaving not even a trace of ashes.

So, Sasuke's Susanoo simply raised its hand, and the group of supply ninjas scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing for their lives. However, their method of escape was nothing short of walking into a trap for the Konoha ninjas who had already laid a tight net around them.

After about 20 minutes of annihilating the fleeing ninjas of the logistics team, the group returned to Sasuke's side. By then, Sasuke had sealed away the food, ninja tools, explosive tags, and other supplies they had been transporting. He then looked somewhat regretful and said, "Unfortunately, there wasn't any chakra armor among these supplies, and the sealing scroll from earlier was destroyed by my eye technique."

"Captain Sasuke, we've captured one alive." A member of the Aburame clan from the squad brought a Kumogakure Chunin who had been knocked unconscious by insect poison into the formation.

"Take him away. Then, Akira Yamanaka, use your clan's secret techniques to dig out the secrets from his mind and dispose of him. We can't take prisoners with us right now," Sasuke said expressionlessly after nodding.

"Understood." Yamanaka Akira nodded, took the prisoner from Aburame Yuukawa, and then left the scene with Sasuke.

……

The Cloud Village quickly realized that a powerful Konoha squad had its sights set on their food supply line, and launched a thorough search, but they found nothing.

Even so, Sasuke and his group were not having an easy time. Several times in the past few days, they were almost discovered by the Cloud Village's sensory ninjas. Although Sasuke was not afraid of fighting, they were, after all, in enemy territory. If they were entangled, he could escape without any problem, but his teammates would be in danger.

While hiding in the cellar of a house in a small village in the Land of Lightning to escape the pursuers from the Hidden Cloud Village, they happened to encounter the cellar owner coming down to retrieve something.

However, to Sasuke's surprise, the villagers showed no panic whatsoever when facing their enemy army; instead, they looked as if they had seen their saviors.

"Young man, are you ninjas from Konoha?" The middle-aged man dressed as a farmer looked at Sasuke and his group and said excitedly.

Sasuke frowned slightly, while behind him, several ninjas were already prepared to launch a sneak attack.

Although Uchiha Tokō repeatedly instructed before the battle that no matter how far the war progressed, civilians should not be attacked while ensuring their own safety, it is clear that the current situation has obviously threatened their safety.

Sasuke gestured behind his back with his left hand, signaling everyone not to make any rash moves, and then said, "Old man, we don't want to hurt you, but please don't reveal our whereabouts."

"How could I possibly reveal your whereabouts! Our Stone Moon Village has been waiting for you for a long time!" The old man said anxiously upon hearing Sasuke's words.

"What do you mean by that, sir?" Sasuke asked, frowning.

"Alas," the old man sighed heavily upon hearing this, and then said, "Ever since the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure became the Grand Minister of State of our Land of Lightning, we farmers have been unable to make a living."