Konoha’s Five-Element Ninja

Chapter 62: Regional Interception Battle

On a barren, rocky mountain in Akiyahara, the winter winds howled mercilessly, cutting through the night and carrying with them the biting cold. The snow-covered boulders reflected the moonlight, making the entire mountain glisten in silver, while at the same time, greedily sapping warmth from the bodies of the shinobi hidden within its crevices.

Draped in white, wind-resistant cloaks, Hayama crouched in a natural alcove, eyes closed as he conserved his energy. Beside him, Yamashiro Jin, similarly clad, remained silent. Not far away, Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Seiji stood guard, their expressions vigilant and tense.

This was the third day of their ambush mission, yet no enemy forces had appeared. Frustration inevitably began to creep into their minds.

Hayama couldn't help but question Hatake Sakumo's decision.

Why divide their forces instead of launching a full-scale assault to wipe out the enemy in one decisive blow?

A shinobi could not afford to be merciful—not to their enemies, and not even to their own comrades. A direct confrontation would certainly result in heavy casualties, but it would guarantee the mission's success.

If the Sand and Rain shinobi defending Akiyahara were eliminated in a single strike, even if reinforcements arrived later, the situation would already be irreversible. With Konoha's border forces stationed just a few dozen kilometers behind them, they could easily mop up any stragglers.

Sacrifices were inevitable.

It was simply the cost of war.

But Hatake Sakumo had chosen a different strategy—he spread their forces thin, breaking them into twenty separate squads, each positioned in the mountains surrounding Akiyahara to conduct interception operations. Meanwhile, he took only twenty elite warriors to assault the heavily guarded town.

Hayama simply could not understand this decision.

Yet, as a shinobi, he had no choice but to follow orders—even if he disagreed with them.

Suppressing his irritation, he took a long gulp of water from his canteen, his gaze lifting toward the gloomy, overcast sky.

At some point, thick clouds had swallowed the horizon, hinting at the imminent arrival of a storm.

As darkness began to settle, Hayama suddenly felt a sharp vibration from the steel wire wrapped around his pinky finger.

His eyes snapped open.

"Enemies approaching?" he whispered to Fugaku, his voice low and restrained.

Fugaku, his normally sharp features clouded with fatigue, swiftly gestured back in response.

"Northwest, ten o'clock direction. Enemy squad sighted."

Hayama's lips curled into a cold smile. He quickly gestured to the others—he would handle this alone.

Yamashiro Jin hesitated but ultimately kept silent. He knew Hayama well—far too well.

After fighting alongside him for years, Jin could tell when his captain was frustrated. And a shinobi harboring resentment was a dangerous thing.

Perhaps letting him vent it out would be for the best.

A standard Sand ninja squad was cautiously making its way past the border, moving swiftly through the rugged terrain. Their mission was simple—eliminate any Konoha shinobi they encountered and ensure that their allies successfully evacuated the civilians back into Wind Country.

The squad leader, a seasoned jōnin, suddenly felt a prickle of unease. Just as he was about to warn his team, a shadow burst into their formation.

A lone figure, cloaked in white, charged directly into their ranks, a short sword gleaming in his grasp as he thrust it toward the squad leader's heart.

For a moment, the Sand shinobi leader froze in disbelief.

One man… charging in alone?

This was not how shinobi fought.

Even the most reckless fools knew that coordinated attacks and flanking maneuvers were the key to successful combat.

A lone warrior diving into the midst of an enemy was simply inviting death.

With a cold snort, the Sand jōnin swiftly raised his kunai, parrying the incoming blade.

CLANG!

The sound of metal striking metal reverberated through the cold mountain air.

The other Sand shinobi immediately reacted, their hands flashing through hand seals, weapons poised to strike down the reckless Konoha ninja.

But Hayama's expression never wavered.

His narrowed eyes gleamed like a viper's, locking onto his prey with deadly precision.

"Ninjutsu—Blazing Inferno!"

A massive surge of fire erupted from his very skin, consuming everything in an instant.

The Sand shinobi barely had time to scream before they were engulfed in flames, their bodies reduced to charred husks in mere moments.

Their eyes, wide in pure terror, reflected the unfathomable sight before them—

A shinobi releasing ninjutsu… WITHOUT forming hand seals.

A feat thought to be impossible.

And yet, before their very eyes, it was happening.

By the time the flames died down, their corpses lay scattered, their forms blackened and twisted beyond recognition.

Hayama, standing amidst the smoldering ruins, simply exhaled slowly, his breath visible in the frigid air.

His experiment had succeeded.

The fire-based chakra extracted directly from his heart was far superior to conventional fire jutsu. The natural compression and concentration of this energy made it immensely potent, and with his new sealing technique, he could release it instantaneously—without the need for hand signs.

This was his own path.

A shinobi art unlike anything the world had ever seen.

Far in the distance, Uchiha Fugaku had been watching.

And what he saw shook him to his core.

His Sharingan, honed by years of battle, could perceive even the slightest fluctuations of chakra.

Yet what he had just witnessed defied all logic.

He had seen something impossible—a wave of vibrant, unnatural chakra briefly flicker across Hayama's skin, followed by an explosion of raw firepower.

His grip on his kunai tightened unconsciously.

What… was that?

A part of him wanted to ask.

But he knew better.

A shinobi's secrets were their own to keep.

By the time Hayama returned to their hiding spot, three pairs of eyes stared at him like he was a ghost.

He merely chuckled, then spoke without hesitation:

"If I die, all my secrets belong to the Uchiha."

Fugaku's expression stiffened, his lips pressing into a tight line.

A part of him wanted to refuse.

And yet—

The lure of power was undeniable.

After a long silence, he simply nodded.

A silent agreement was made.

Hayama had no delusions about this world.

The Uchiha clan had given him everything—food, training, protection.

If he were to die, then everything he had achieved would belong to them.

It was both a repayment of their kindness—and an investment for the future.

If he survived, he would continue to rise in power.

If he fell… his legacy would live on.

But for now, there was still a mission to complete.

And as the night deepened, the battle for Akiyahara was only beginning.

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You can read advance chapters ahead on patreon.com/fishkiss69, I will upload 1 extra chapter every day there.

THANK YOU

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