Chapter 0075: Fierce Battle, Fierce Battle!
As dusk settled in, I hid behind a large boulder in a rocky area at the southwestern edge of the Land of Rivers, peeking out cautiously to observe the battlefield ahead.
For this encounter, Konoha had prepared four battle lines: three vertical and one horizontal. The first, horizontal line was positioned at the front to act as an early warning system and reconnaissance. The other three vertical lines were positioned along the paths that the Sand forces would likely take, like three sharp blades poised to strike. We were stationed at the leftmost of the three vertical lines, tasked with intercepting the right flank of the Sand forces.
"Are they... still not here?" Shizune, crouching beside me, fidgeted anxiously. It was her first time in such a large-scale battle, and it was understandable for her to feel nervous—like a student facing their final exams.
"Relax," I told her calmly. "Breathe and keep your focus."
"What should we do when they arrive?" Kurenai asked, slightly more composed than Shizune but still unsure of how to approach this type of frontal battle.
"You don't need to overthink it," I reassured them. "Just use your ranged abilities to keep the enemy at bay. Whether it's kunai, shuriken, or ninjutsu, throw everything at them when you see them. You remember how you dealt with me two months ago, right? Do the same to them. Leave the rest to me."
Kurenai and Shizune exchanged glances before nodding in understanding. They weren't stupid enough to ask pointless questions about why we wouldn't engage the enemy in close combat.
At that moment, a crimson flare shot into the sky and exploded in the air directly in front of us.
"They're coming!" My eyes narrowed as I raised my hand. "Get ready."
As if on cue, dust clouds rose in the distance. Even from this distance, we could see the large wave of Sand ninjas rushing toward us.
This... this number... it's way too many!
Even I was taken aback. Did the Sand Village not even bother with a plan or formation? Were they really just charging at us head-on?
I couldn't help but scoff internally. Is Granny Chiyo just letting her temper take over? She's treating her ninja like heavily armored cavalry, charging in blindly. This is the first time I've seen something so reckless.
Before I could dwell on it further, the Sand forces had already crossed into our ambush zone.
In that instant, every Konoha ninja, including Kurenai and Shizune, launched their attack. Ninjutsu and projectiles filled the sky, raining down on the Sand ninjas like a multicolored meteor shower.
The scene was overwhelming.
Ninjutsu of all elements and various weapons streaked through the air, creating a cascade of destruction that descended on the Sand forces.
BOOM!
The ground shook as explosions and flashes of light erupted within the Sand ranks. Limbs, blood, and debris flew everywhere, mingling with the sand and foliage. In mere moments, the battlefield turned into a hellish landscape.
Screams filled the air.
"Ahhhh! My arm, my eye!"
"My leg is broken! Help me!"
"No! Don't die on me, Yangping, Haiman!"
The Sand forces were devastated, their casualties mounting rapidly in the face of the indiscriminate, wide-range attacks.
"This... this is real war?" Kurenai murmured, her voice shaking. "So much blood…"
The gruesome sight had shaken both Kurenai and Shizune to their cores, overwhelming their senses and causing them to freeze in place.
"Don't just stand there," I muttered, turning to them. "Stay here and wait for me. If the enemy gets too close, don't fight them head-on. Survival is your top priority." With that, I vanished before they could respond.
Our initial ambush had already decimated about a third of the Sand's forces, but the real battle was just beginning. Now, it was time for close-quarters combat.
The two armies collided, the blue of Konoha clashing with the brown of the Sand forces. The sound of metal clashing and ninjutsu exploding filled the air, creating a deafening cacophony.
Thud.
I stepped over the corpse of a Sand ninja, his face still contorted in a vicious, bloodthirsty expression, his hand halfway inside his weapon pouch as if preparing to deliver a final blow. He probably hadn't even realized he wouldn't get the chance to draw his weapon before he died.
Swish.
Two figures suddenly leaped from the bushes behind me, kunai in hand, aiming for my neck from both sides.
Without missing a beat, I rotated the hilt of my sword, pulling back slightly.
Slash.
A brilliant arc of silver sliced through the air, tracing a deadly path.
The two Sand ninjas froze in place, blood trailing from their necks to their abdomens.
Thud, thud.
Their bodies crumbled to the ground in pieces, their blood staining the lush grass beneath them.
Without so much as a second thought, I flicked the blood from my blade and continued forward, unfazed by the carnage around me.