[Konoha2] Chapter 102: Battle Again, Sneak Attack!

This time, Hajime wasn’t wearing a mask.

“Lord Tsuchikage, Happy New Year!”

Hajime greeted him warmly and politely.

Ōnoki had already buried his anger, responding with a deep voice, “Boy, hand over the Four-Tails!”

Hajime spread his hands. “Lord Tsuchikage, aren’t you being a little unreasonable?”

“The Four-Tails is my war trophy now. In war, it’s normal to claim some spoils, isn’t it? You can’t just expect me to hand it back empty-handed.”

“What’s the point of fighting a war, then?”

“Lord Tsuchikage, you’re being… a bit childish.”

Ōnoki’s eye twitched violently, fury nearly impossible to contain. “Boy, you can’t bear the consequences of upsetting the balance!”

Hajime raised a finger and shook it. “You’re mistaken again, Lord Tsuchikage.”

“The consequences of breaking the balance aren’t mine to bear—that’s a matter for the Third Hokage to consider.”

“I’m part of Konoha’s Root, a Konoha shinobi. My duty is to protect the village’s interests, protect my comrades. Killing the Four-Tails’ Jinchūriki was part of my job.”

“Besides, this so-called balance… wasn’t it broken long ago?”

“The First Hokage distributed the Tailed Beasts to balance the power of the ninja world. Now that I’ve reclaimed the Four-Tails, it’s only natural.”

“The Four-Tails has always belonged to Konoha since ancient times!”

Ōnoki’s face darkened, his gaze shifting to Mitokado Homura. “Is this Konoha’s official stance?”

Homura was speechless.

With things said to this extent, what more could he say?

Should he claim killing the Four-Tails Jinchūriki was a mistake?

Besides… what Hajime said was right.

The Four-Tails had been given away by the First. Taking it back now—wasn’t that justified?

Looking up at Ōnoki, Homura hardened his tone. “All acts during war are justified. Ōnoki, you’ve been through enough wars—don’t tell me you don’t understand that?”

Just then, another firm voice rang out. “Ōnoki, the Four-Tails will absolutely not be handed over to Iwagakure right now.”

The crowd parted as Danzo stepped forward, raising his gaze to meet Ōnoki’s. “If Iwagakure surrenders now and withdraws from the Land of Rain, Konoha can promise to return the Four-Tails once its Jinchūriki reaches the end of their life.”

The Four-Tails’ Jinchūriki!

Ōnoki’s brow twitched as his eyes turned toward Hajime. “The Four-Tails is inside you.”

Hajime smiled. Tailed Beast chakra surged and cloaked his body.

Ōnoki’s pupils narrowed slightly, his heart shaken. “This brat… he’s already started to master the Four-Tails’ power?”

In that case…

Ōnoki formed hand seals. “To reclaim the Four-Tails, I won’t hold back!”

He made his move, and the two bodyguards behind him immediately began weaving signs.

Earth Style – Rock Bullet Jutsu!

The two guards completed their jutsu quickly, firing a barrage of stone bullets from their mouths. The rocks expanded midair, tearing through the sky as they shot toward Hajime.

Ōnoki’s own jutsu, however, was a clone technique—four clones appeared and circled around him, constantly shifting positions, making it hard to identify the real one.

As the Iwa-nin attacked, Hajime reacted immediately. With a boom, the air beneath his feet exploded as he burst into motion, sprinting through the sky.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

He stretched out his hand, and four tails shot forward like spears, smashing the incoming stone bullets into pieces.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosive sounds followed.

Ōnoki’s guards had thrown kunai laced with explosive tags.

But none of that worked on Hajime.

Just as he burst out from the explosions, a massive rock fist came crashing toward him.

He guarded with his tails, but just before impact, Ōnoki applied Ultra-Added-Weight Rock Technique, amplifying the strike’s power.

Boom!

Hajime was sent flying.

One of the Ōnoki clones formed a seal, and Particle Style – Atomic Dismantling Jutsu burst forth.

Explosions ripped through the air as Hajime’s form flickered rapidly, dodging Ōnoki’s lock-on while retracting his Tailed Beast cloak.

This wasn’t his preferred mode.

“Lord Tsuchikage, I’m getting serious now.”

Hajime grinned, then formed hand seals and inhaled deeply—his cheeks puffed, chest expanded.

Wind Style – Vacuum Bullets!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

He opened his mouth and fired a barrage of air bullets like a machine gun, sweeping toward Ōnoki and his men.

Ōnoki’s guards countered with Rock Bullet Jutsu, while the various clones of Ōnoki zipped around the sky, dodging and maneuvering for a better position to strike Hajime.

What puzzled Ōnoki was that Hajime wasn’t using his tricky instantaneous movement technique. He found it strange, but could only stay cautious.

Sensing Ōnoki’s intent, after clashing once with ninjutsu, Hajime suddenly burst forward and drew his blade.

Wind Style – Vacuum Blade!

A volley of wind blades slashed forward.

Ōnoki was forced to evade, even widening the distance.

But Hajime didn’t go after Ōnoki—instead, he charged straight at the two Iwa-nin bodyguards.

...

As battle erupted in the sky, the ground remained still. Both sides looked up, watching the aerial clash.

Hajime was fighting three at once, and in mere moments had blasted Ōnoki’s two guards away—his speed was astounding.

But it wasn’t just Ōnoki who was confused.

Tsunade and the others who’d seen Hajime’s teleportation ability were also puzzled.

Who would’ve guessed that technique was just temporary?

In the sky, after sending the two Iwa-nin flying, Hajime turned mid-air and unleashed another fierce breath of wind.

Wind Style – Vacuum Successive Waves!

Several sharp air blasts swept out like rippling waves.

Ōnoki dodged immediately.

“In the air, it’s even harder to restrain this brat…”

His eyes flashed, and he flew toward an open area, all while using Rock Bullet Jutsu to bait Hajime into pursuit.

Hajime felt even freer in the air. Without hesitation, he gave chase.

If he could take Ōnoki out—then of course he would!

The two quickly moved farther away. On the ground, both armies finally tore their gazes from the sky and returned their focus to each other.

Battle ignites!

Hajime’s two Wood Clones charged forward to strike first.

Behind them, Jiraiya and the others surged ahead, bypassing Danzo and Homura as they rushed into battle.

Wood Style – Deep Forest Emergence!

With over fifty meters between them and the Iwa-nin, thick wooden walls rose from the earth. The Wood Clones clapped their hands, and massive vines burst from the ground like serpentine dragons, surging toward the Iwa-nin.

Iwa-nin specialized in reshaping terrain to suit their needs.

But so did Hajime.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The vines tore through earthen walls. Firelight flickered, followed by violent explosions that sent splinters flying.

But more vines surged in an endless wave, swallowing everything in their path.

Rumble—!

The ground quaked, reshaping into jagged terrain.

A hail of Rock Bullets rained down.

But nothing could stop the vines’ advance.

The Iwa-nin were rapidly overwhelmed.

The Wood Clone halted its charge, while Jiraiya and the others leaped past him to confront the enemy head-on.

“Aaaah!”

One Iwa-nin, wrapped in vines, screamed as he collapsed, a kunai slash across his throat—Jiraiya’s work.

Another foamed at the mouth and turned blue as he dropped—bitten in the neck by one of Orochimaru’s venomous snakes.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Rumble!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Splurt! Splurt!

Blood-curdling screams. Furious shouts.

At that moment, all kinds of sounds rose and fell throughout the Forest Domain.

The bloody battle had officially begun.

With the Forest Domain in place, the Konoha shinobi quickly took the upper hand.

The Iwa-nin had to defend themselves from the attacking vines, and the slightest distraction gave the Konoha shinobi a perfect opening to land a fatal blow.

Suddenly, several stone giants erupted from the ground, swinging massive arms that shattered the vines and sent a few Konoha shinobi flying with screams of pain.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru quickly retreated to avoid the assault. They were just about to team up and cast a jutsu whenboom!—a giant fireball exploded one of the stone giants.

Looking back, they saw Danzo and Mitokado Homura had joined forces—Wind Style + Fire Style—taking out the giant with a single combo.

Then came another booming sound—Jiraiya turned just in time to see a second stone giant split in two, with Sakumo Hatake standing behind its collapsing form.

But a massive shadow fell over Sakumo—the hand of another stone giant descended with crushing force.

Boom!

The earth caved in from the impact, leaving a giant crater.

But Sakumo had already reappeared atop the giant’s shoulder. A flash of blinding white light cut through the air—and the giant’s head rolled clean off.

Throughout the forest, white flashes of his blade erupted again and again, each followed by the enemy’s anguished cries.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru exchanged glances—then joined the fray.

Soon, they spotted Sakumo locked in a fierce duel with a dual-blade-wielding Iwa-nin. The two raced through the forest at high speed, clashing blades with rapid metallic strikes and flying sparks.

Danzo and Homura were also intercepted mid-battle.

The Iwa-nin weren’t lacking in strong fighters.

Ōnoki had entered this battle prepared—ready even to face Hiruzen Sarutobi himself.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield—

After narrowly dodging another Particle Style – Atomic Dismantling Jutsu, Hajime frowned slightly.

This guy… really wasn’t easy to deal with.

Clones and real body supporting each other, coordinating ground and aerial attacks.

“The best chance to kill him was probably back when I had teleportation…”

Hajime thought to himself, then pressed his hands together.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Vines erupted from the ground, aiming for both the airborne and ground-based versions of Ōnoki.

Ōnoki in the sky easily dodged. On the ground, the other Ōnoki leapt onto a vine and pressed his hand against it. Under the effect of Ultra-Added-Weight Rock Technique, the vine collapsed and crashed down.

But Hajime had bought the time he needed—his eyes closed and opened again, entering Sage Mode.

Two Wood Clones sprouted from his back.

Wood Style – Wood Dragon Jutsu!

Without delay, Hajime powered up.

Massive wooden dragons burst from underground, lunging at the two Ōnoki on the ground.

Ōnoki pressed both hands to the ground—more stone giants surged up to defend.

The wooden dragons coiled around the giants. Hajime’s Wood Clones sprinted across the dragon’s bodies, reaching the giants’ heads and engaging the two Ōnoki directly.

Ōnoki was ready. His arms, encased in stone, swung toward the incoming clones.

Boom boom!

The fists collided in midair, creating explosive shockwaves. But the stone covering Ōnoki’s arms cracked bit by bit.

Boom! Boom!

The clones’ strikes sent the two Ōnoki flying. Hajime’s clones instantly charged to chase them down.

Meanwhile—

Another Ōnoki descended behind Hajime, slamming his hands to the ground.

Massive boulders rose from either side, converging on Hajime.

But this Ōnoki was suddenly skewered by a vine—and instantly turned to stone.

In the sky, yet another Ōnoki unleashed Particle Style.

The boulders were pierced and dissolved by vines, and Hajime was enveloped in a glowing white dust-release barrier—everything inside disintegrated in a brilliant flash.

But then—Hajime suddenly appeared next to his Wood Clone.

With a single blade swing, he sliced the Ōnoki blocking the clone in two.

The severed Ōnoki turned to stone as well.

Just then, towering walls rose on all sides, trapping Hajime’s main body, his two clones, and another Ōnoki within.

Above, a massive boulder descended from the sky.

“Boy, be reduced to molecules!”

From above, Ōnoki launched Particle Style again—the spinning beam of white light engulfed the enclosed area.

BOOM!

Amid the blinding light and roaring shockwaves, the high stone walls and everything inside were disintegrated, leaving behind a massive crater.

High in the sky, Ōnoki frowned and immediately flew off with his last clone toward the distant battlefield.

But when he reached the top of the Forest Domain, his face turned grim.

Hajime’s real body and both clones were already there.

“This brat… his teleportation isn’t limited to line of sight—it works between clones too.”

Ōnoki immediately grasped the key insight.

“With this kind of ability, it’s almost impossible to kill him.”

Ōnoki clenched his teeth.

With a power like this, of course he’d leave clones behind as insurance.

No time to hesitate—Ōnoki shouted, “Retreat from the forest!”

Fighting inside the Forest Domain was far too disadvantageous for them.

Enemy and ally were tangled together—he couldn’t fully utilize his jutsu.

Ōnoki and his clone dove into the forest to cover their troops’ retreat.

Inside the forest, Hajime no longer bothered targeting Ōnoki.

He was simply too difficult to kill.

It was more worthwhile to cut down enemy fodder—reduce Iwa’s fighting strength.

The four clones scattered while Hajime charged forward, controlling the vines with one hand and wielding his blade with the other.

At mid to long range, he used Vacuum Blade, launching wind slashes.

Under Sage Mode, even basic Vacuum Blade attacks had tremendous power.

For close combat, he used an upgraded version—the wind-imbued sword slashes could even break through standard hardening techniques.

As Hajime tore through enemy ranks without resistance, Ōnoki was forced to re-engage him in a bid to stall.

Iwa-nin fought and retreated, but after half an hour of intense fighting, they finally abandoned the battlefield, leaving corpses behind as they exited the Forest Domain.

At the forest’s edge, Danzo watched the retreating Iwa-nin and said, “Ōnoki will likely change tactics next.”

Homura nodded. “Alpha’s Wood Style drastically reduces the Iwa-nin’s ability to coordinate. Inside the Forest Domain, they’re completely disadvantaged.”

“If I were Ōnoki, I’d personally lead an elite unit to pin Alpha down and scatter the remaining forces.”

Among all the villages, Iwagakure specialized in large-scale coordinated warfare.

Konoha, by contrast, excelled in small-team tactics.

Danzo turned to Hajime. “Alpha, next you’ll focus on restraining Ōnoki.”

“Sarutobi will be arriving soon. That’s when Iwa will truly fall.”

Everyone was shocked—Hiruzen Sarutobi himself was coming.

Homura reacted strongly. “If Hiruzen is coming, what about Kumogakure?”

Danzo said, “Don't worry about that. Also—Sakumo.”

Sakumo Hatake stepped forward. “Yes, sir!”

Danzo ordered, “Sarutobi’s orders—you’re to return to Konoha and prepare to face the Cloud-nin.”

“Understood!”

Sakumo accepted the order and turned to leave.

Sure enough—

Just as Danzo predicted, Iwa began dividing their forces.

On Konoha’s side, they had both chakra-sensing shinobi and Byakugan users—the enemy’s movements were completely exposed.

Danzo calmly issued orders, and Konoha teams dispersed in response.

The hundreds of Konoha shinobi once gathered in the Forest Domain thinned out rapidly. By the next day, fewer than fifty remained.

The Iwa-nin numbers dwindled as well.

A new round of Konoha vs. Iwa battles had begun.

...

Inside the cabin.

Danzo looked at Hajime and asked, “Didn’t expect you to master Sage Mode so quickly. If you only send out clones, are you confident in taking down the Five-Tails?”

Hajime’s eye twitched slightly.

Clearly, Danzo was getting greedy after tasting victory.

“If I’m prepared and have solid intel, I’m at least 60% confident.”

Hajime answered honestly.

The Five-Tails’ current Jinchūriki in Iwagakure likely wasn’t much stronger than Roshi had been.

Danzo nodded. “Sarutobi won’t be able to stay in the Land of Rain for long. We must end this quickly.”

“Now that Ōnoki is away from the village, this is our best opportunity.”

“Whether or not we capture the Five-Tails, we can still use the pressure to force Iwa to abandon their hardline stance.”

“But if we do capture the Five-Tails, that would become an invaluable bargaining chip.”

Hajime nodded immediately. “Understood!”

This was clearly a mission to strike the heart of the enemy.

Which only confirmed that a Kage shouldn’t casually enter the battlefield—

Because what if someone went and stole your home?

“Go make preparations,” Danzo said. “The Five-Tails Jinchūriki’s intel isn’t hard to gather!”

(End of Chapter)