"Damn Konoha, is all of this just a trap?!"
Three days later, at the border of the Land of Fire, Chiyo looked at the triumphant Tsunade and the overwhelming number of Konoha Ninjas, her teeth clenched in anger.
When she first gained the advantage, Chiyo also suspected whether it was Konoha's scheme, but over the past week, Konoha had lost more than once, making her involuntarily feel that it was Orochimaru and Tsunade's leadership that was inadequate.
And she, who was already somewhat impatient to defeat Konoha's army, even wanted to fight until Sakumo Hatake appeared, to avenge her son and daughter-in-law, gradually falling deeper into the pleasure brought by each victory.
Especially with Hoshi by her side, who was similarly impatient, and not just the two of them, the entire Sand Ninja army from top to bottom felt that this war was the best opportunity for the Hidden Sand Village.
Even though more than one member of the staff mentioned multiple times that this was likely a conspiracy by Konoha, including Chiyo and Hoshi, they didn't believe it was a conspiracy.
It's just that Chiyo couldn't believe that Orochimaru and Tsunade, two young people taking on war command for the first time, had such audacity, daring to sacrifice so many Konoha Ninjas' lives and land to lure her into a trap.
Looking at the opposing team, Chiyo felt uneasy. Orochimaru and Tsunade alone were enough to counteract her role on the battlefield. Besides them, there were also a large number of elite ninjas with considerable fame and strength, such as the new generation elites Kunugi Mokume, Shinku Yuhi, Umino Ikkaku, as well as Rima and Shima, pillars of the Senju Clan, along with many other Senju Clan ninjas.
Apart from Jiraiya and Sakumo Hatake, almost all the young elite of Konoha had come to this battlefield. They seemed determined to thoroughly defeat the Sand Ninja army head-on!
Moreover, Chiyo just noticed a large number of Hyuga ninjas. Chiyo was suddenly startled because she realized that those supporting Hyuga ninjas had all disappeared at that moment.
Chiyo instinctively looked backward, then quickly turned back to the Hidden Sand individual beside her, whose expression mirrored her own unease. "I'm afraid we've been surrounded. The ninjas scattered across the Land of Rivers are probably..."
Upon hearing this, the Hidden Sand individual's expression changed as well, then said, "What about Hoshi-sama?"
At this moment, Hoshi was still within the Land of Rivers, clearing out the Konoha Ninjas who had been separated from their teams. But it was likely that these ninjas weren't forced to leave their teams; rather, they intentionally split up.
As expected, those scattered Konoha Ninjas probably formed a line by now, completely encircling them. In this situation, Hoshi was in danger!
"You quickly lead a thousand ninjas to retreat to the rear, while searching for Hoshi's whereabouts. Break through the encirclement as soon as possible and rendezvous with the support team sent by the village."
Chiyo gave the order swiftly, and the ninja's face showed difficulty as he said, "Chiyo-sama, that would leave you with less than five hundred people here."
"That's still better than staying here altogether. Hurry!"
The Sand Ninja nodded, taking the command and swiftly leaving. Soon, there was a change in the Sand Ninja army. Seeing most of them retreating towards the Land of Rivers, Tsunade's smug expression disappeared. She turned to Orochimaru and asked, "Orochimaru, aren't you going to stop them? Are we just going to watch them escape?"
"They won't escape, and engaging in combat now wouldn't be advantageous for us. The Sand Ninjas must have prepared themselves for a desperate fight, and our army has just endured a long journey and needs time to rest," Orochimaru calmly analyzed. He didn't mind the retreat of the Sand Ninja army because the rear of the Sand Ninja had already been heavily surrounded by many Konoha Ninjas. They didn't need to completely annihilate the Sand Ninjas; delaying them was sufficient.
The crucial point was the front line of the battlefield. Once the support army recovered, it wouldn't be difficult to defeat the hundreds of Sand Ninjas in front of them. Then, they could continue their advance, eliminating those delayed Sand Ninjas. This was the tactic with the least casualties and the most secure approach.
Due to setting up this large trap, Konoha has already lost enough ninjas. If they can't control the casualties in this crucial battle, then Konoha won't gain much profit.
Inside the Land of Rivers, Tatsuma's squad has completed their flanking maneuver, but they have also suffered losses. Currently, they are engaged in combat with a squad of Sand Ninjas. Facing a Sand Ninja team several times their size, Tatsuma's expression is grim.
He is injured; the sleeve of his left arm is completely soaked in blood. His teammates are also more or less wounded, and there have even been casualties.
Tatsuma felt the surging power within him, but there is no hint of joy in his heart. He knows this is the effect of "Graveyard's Lone Soul."
The more his teammates die, the stronger he becomes in the short term, but at what cost?
"Wind Release! Wind Cutter Technique!"
Tatsuma formed hand seals, not overly conserving his chakra like before. Invisible wind blades struck two Sand Ninjas who were about to attack his teammates. Immediately, he used Body Flicker to appear in front of his teammates, shielding them.
"Senpais, you'll have to stop the bleeding yourselves."
Tatsuma didn't look back, he said directly. He couldn't afford to be distracted to treat his teammates now. Two Konoha Ninjas nodded and each took out bandages and medication.
"Kid, are you trying to stop us alone?"
At this moment, two Sand Ninjas landed in front of Tatsuma. Tatsuma tightened the short sword in his hand and said, "You may have the numerical advantage, making you appear stronger, but I won't surrender without a fight."
"No wonder you're the talkative Tobirama! At a time like this, you still want to say such pretty words."
The tattooed Sand Ninja grinned, and the mummified Sand Ninja beside him chuckled. Tatsuma remained unfazed, standing in front of his teammates.
"Be more careful in your next life!"
After the tattooed Sand Ninja shouted loudly, he lunged at Tatsuma, while the mummified Sand Ninja began forming hand seals. Tatsuma focused on the mummified ninja's hand seals and noticed it was only the Great Breakthrough jutsu. He then shifted his attention to the tattooed Sand Ninja.
The tattooed Sand Ninja abruptly stopped in front of Tatsuma, feinted to throw off Tatsuma's balance, then suddenly stabbed downwards toward Tatsuma's left shoulder with a kunai.
Seeing the enemy targeting his left shoulder again, Tatsuma's eyebrows twitched. He felt it was hard to describe the debuff brought by Shiro Yaksha. Although he hadn't been injured elsewhere in the past few days, his left shoulder had never fully recovered.
Nevertheless, Tatsuma wasn't afraid. Despite his balance being momentarily disrupted by the feint, his small stature and light weight allowed him to quickly regain his balance. He sank his weight down and lifted the tattooed ninja's right hand with his left hand.
Then, in one smooth motion, Tatsuma wrapped his left hand around the tattooed ninja's right hand, binding it, and simultaneously pulled downward. The tattooed ninja's expression instantly changed.
He hadn't expected Tatsuma to be so strong, surpassing his estimation of Tatsuma's strength completely. As a result, his balance was disrupted and he was propelled forward.
Seizing the opportunity, Tatsuma's right hand, holding the chakra short sword, lunged towards the tattooed Sand Ninja's abdomen.
The tattooed ninja hastily reached out to grab Tatsuma's right wrist, but in his unbalanced state, he couldn't keep up with Tatsuma's speed.
Splurt~
The chakra short sword plunged straight into the tattooed ninja's abdomen, then was swiftly withdrawn by Tatsuma. At the same time, Tatsuma released the tattooed ninja's left hand. Seeing the tattooed ninja vulnerable, Tatsuma didn't hesitate to deliver a forceful elbow strike to the midsection.
Thud!
The tattooed ninja was sent flying and crashed to the ground. Tatsuma didn't pursue but swiftly formed hand seals. A slab of stone rose in front of him.
"Earth Release! Earth Shore Return!"
Thud thud thud~
The Shuriken thrown by the mummified Sand Ninja, strengthened by the Great Breakthrough Jutsu, all embedded into the stone slab, a scene clearly unexpected for him.
While hesitating between continuing the attack and aiding the tattooed ninja, Tatsuma seized the opportunity within a second. During that split second, Tatsuma used the Body Flicker Jutsu, appearing in front of the mummified ninja.
The mummified ninja hastily retreated, but Tatsuma's chakra short sword, now infused with Wind Release chakra unbeknownst to the opponent, extended the attack range with the Blade of Wind Jutsu.
Zi~
The Wind Blade slashed open a large gash in the mummified ninja's chest, leaving deep cuts above the exposed ribs.
Ding~ [Speed+10], [Spirit+10].
Noticing the system announcement, Tatsuma quickly returned to his two injured teammates. The swift system announcement indicated that, according to the system's judgment, the two had lost the ability to continue fighting.
"Senpais, are you alright?"
Tatsuma asked as he looked at the two being bandaged. They shook their heads, about to reply when they noticed Tatsuma's expression change. Inuzuka Makoto, who was fighting other ninjas in the distance, furrowed his brow.
As another pair of Sand Ninjas rushed towards them, Inuzuka Makoto hastened his pace to deal with more ninjas. Tatsuma also said, "Senpais, new enemies are coming."
Upon hearing this, the two teammates showed anxious expressions, and their bandaging movements involuntarily quickened.
"Sakamoto Tatsuma!"
Before long, several figures landed. Seeing the leader among them, Tatsuma's expression became incredibly solemn. Because the person leading them at this moment was none other than the person he wanted to kill... Hoshi!
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