Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 80 Border Station of the Land of Waterfalls

Naoto stared into Sakumo Hatake's eyes, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"Then why are ninjas from other countries subjected to severe questioning and pursuit as soon as they step into the Land of Fire? I remember that Iwa ninjas and Sunagakure ninjas were expelled or even killed by you simply for crossing the border."

"What we're doing now is protecting our homeland, no different from what you're doing. How come it's become an obstacle to Konoha completing its mission?"

Sakumo Hatake was speechless when asked the question. He opened his mouth, but found that he had no way to refute it.

Just then, a series of orderly footsteps came from behind. Hatake Sakumo turned around and his face suddenly darkened.

Hundreds of warriors dressed in uniform armor poured out of the mountains and surrounded them.

These samurai carried sophisticated bows and crossbows, long swords at their waists, and explosive tags and specially made ninja tool pouches on their backs.

They stood in neat formation, advancing and retreating with measured steps, clearly well-trained elites. Leading them was a man with a long sword in hand and eyes as cold as ice—it was Nan Shi.

Nan Shi didn't say a word, but simply raised his hand and then swung it down sharply.

"put!"

Hundreds of crossbow bolts rained down like a storm, their arrowheads strapped with explosive tags, weaving a dense line of fire in the air.

"spread!"

Hatake Sakumo deflected the incoming arrows with a single slash, simultaneously protecting his teammates behind him. However, the sheer number of explosive tags caused a series of explosions, instantly engulfing the entire battlefield in flames.

"kill!"

The southern chief drew his longsword and led his warrior legion into the battle, instantly escalating the conflict to a fever pitch.

Although the Konoha ninjas were all elite, they were outnumbered. The samurai legions coordinated perfectly, with archers providing ranged suppression and melee warriors forming battle formations, gradually shrinking their space to maneuver.

Hatake Sakumo's short sword was as fast as lightning, each strike reaping a life. But he soon discovered that these samurai were fearless; for every ten who fell, twenty would immediately take their place.

Naoto and Kakuzu were not idle either. The two moved through the battlefield, specifically targeting lone Jonin.

Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Tentacles can attack in multiple directions simultaneously, while Naoto's tentacles carry a strange poison that quickly slows down those who are injured.

"Captain, we can't hold on any longer!"

A Jonin, covered in blood, roared with difficulty.

Sakumo Hatake gritted his teeth, forced back the three samurai who were attacking him with a single slash, and turned to look at the White Cloud Mountain.

Baiyun Mountain and Nanshi were locked in a fierce battle. Both were extremely skilled with their swords, their blades flashing and their swords clashing, neither able to gain the upper hand for the time being.

"In the mountains!"

Sakumo Hatake rushed forward to offer assistance, but Kakuzu blocked his path.

"Heh, your opponent is me. After all, your head is worth eighty million taels."

Kakuzu's five hearts functioned simultaneously, with the five elemental chakras flowing around his body. Wind, fire, water, earth, and lightning—five hearts, five ninjutsu, activated together.

Sakumo Hatake's expression changed drastically. He wielded his short sword with incredible speed and precision, barely managing to block the attack.

Meanwhile, the fierce battle between Baiyun Mountain and Nanshi has reached a critical moment.

The two longswords clashed dozens of times in the air, sparks flying everywhere. The swordsmanship of Nanshi was sharp and ruthless, each strike aimed straight for vital points; the swordsmanship of Baiyun Mountain was more rounded, combining offense and defense.

But Nanshi came here for revenge. His two disciples died at the hands of Root. He doesn't care whether Hatake Sakumo and Shirokumo are Root members or not; in his eyes, they are both Konoha ninja.

"die!"

The longsword transformed into a streak of cold light, aiming straight for Baiyun Shanjian's throat. Baiyun Shanjian dodged to the side, simultaneously retaliating with a backhand stab towards Nanshi's abdomen.

Nan Shi neither dodged nor avoided the blade, letting it pierce his body. He then suddenly twisted the hand holding the knife and slashed at Baiyun Shanjian's right arm.

puff-

With a flash of light, Baiyun Mountain's right arm was severed at the elbow, and blood gushed out.

Despite being stabbed in the abdomen, Nan Shi did not retreat an inch. He raised his long sword again, aiming straight for Baiyun Mountain's head.

"In the mountains!"

Hatake Sakumo took a tentacle blow from Kakuzu, forced his way forward, and with one slash forced Nanshi back. He then hoisted Shirokumo onto his shoulder and broke out of the encirclement without looking back.

"withdraw!"

The remaining Jonin fought desperately to cover their retreat, following him as he broke out of the encirclement. Kakuzu stood still, watching their departing figures, without giving chase.

Nanshi clutched his abdominal wound, staring at the two fleeing men with icy, chilling eyes.

"Why not go after them?"

Kakuzu glanced at him: "Are you ordering me around? Who am I to you?"

After saying that, he turned around and walked back to the pile of corpses, and began to slowly harvest the heads.

While cutting off heads, he kept lamenting, "What a pity, so many were burned to a crisp. I'll miss out on a lot of money."

Nan Shi watched him disappear into the mountains and forests, remaining silent.

Naoto walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and gently comforted him: "Don't worry about it, you and him are not on the same level of strength."

In this battle, of Konoha's seventeen elite soldiers, only three escaped with minor injuries; the rest were all killed. Meanwhile, their newly formed samurai group suffered over a hundred casualties.

Nan Shi stepped forward, then suddenly vomited blood and collapsed. He had just exchanged injuries for injuries; the knife wound in Baiyun Mountain had already pierced his heart and lungs, but he had only managed to hold on until he fell.

"Was it worth it?" Naoto walked up to him and asked, looking at his wound.

Nanshi did not answer, but just stared in the direction the Konoha ninja had fled, his eyes showing no joy, only an endless emptiness.

"Perhaps."

After saying that, he slowly closed his eyes, feeling his life slip away little by little.

But not long after, he felt someone tearing off his armor and ripping his clothes.

A moment later, a familiar voice rang in my ears: "Did you learn your suturing skills from a veterinarian? Move aside, or he'll really die."

When Nanshi opened her eyes again, she saw a black line probing into her body, and in an instant, her ruptured heart and lungs were perfectly stitched together.

Kakuzu retracted his tentacles, looked at him, and said, "Your head is worth quite a bit. This time, the consultation fee will be calculated based on your bounty."

-

Konoha. It was three days later when Hatake Sakumo returned to the village with the remaining three people.

The severed arm in the White Cloud Mountain was treated urgently, saving the life of another Jonin. Although the other Jonin was also saved, both legs were severely damaged and had to be amputated, forcing him to leave the ninja team.

This time, before they even saw the rogue ninja, the team was decimated. Of the seventeen men who went out, only three returned alive.

Mission failed.

The news shocked the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

That's Hatake Sakumo, the living signboard of Konoha Village. I never expected that he couldn't even take down an unknown little ninja village.

Rumors quickly spread throughout the village, with some even saying that Hatake Shiroga was stubbornly clinging to his post and had become arrogant and complacent because of his great reputation.

But soon, the rumor took a different turn within half a day.