101 Chapter 101
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Kyomu, leading Ren and others, fought while retreating, leading the encircling Sand ninjas on a chase as per the original plan.
Simultaneously, other Leaf ninja squads, having dispersed, engaged with the Sand ninjas, with both sides suffering casualties.
"Fourth Kazekage-sama!" A Sand ninja communications officer ran over.
"Speak."
"On our army's march route, logistical supply lines, field hospitals, and camping rest areas, we've discovered about twenty Leaf ninja squads.
And according to intelligence from various sources, the Leaf ninja squad led by Kyomu is now harassing our rear."
Rasa was troubled, looking towards the border of the Land of Fire, caught in a dilemma.
Invading the Land of Fire was something no previous Kazekage had accomplished. Analyzing the current situation, invading the Land of Fire would undoubtedly extend the battle line, making it easy for the Leaf to exploit any opportunities.
Looking at Chiyo, "Elder Chiyo, what do you think we should do?"
"We can divide our forces." Chiyo remained calm, "My forces are three times the size of the Leaf's. They're causing disruptions in the Land of Rivers, at most 1500 people.
We only need to dispatch 4000 troops to encircle them within the Land of Rivers, while the remaining 7000 can pursue Orochimaru's forces, pushing deep into enemy territory!
Moreover, if we penetrate deeply enough into critical locations, Orochimaru will surely counter us, possibly even initiating a decisive battle.
By then, those minor issues behind us will no longer be a concern. Instead, they'll be forced to retreat to defend, unable to continue their harassment."
Chiyo smiled coldly, "Orochimaru's attempt to lure us in by retreating, making us stretch our lines and expose weaknesses, is a complete joke in my eyes.
Leave Kyomu to me. I don't believe his forbidden technique can be used again.
Even if it can be used, I believe with the strength of the Konjiki brothers, we can fully withstand it.
So.
Fourth Kazekage, leave the security of our rear to me. You just focus on the front lines."
Rasa nodded, "Then I'll leave it to you, Elder Chiyo. The success or failure at the front, whether we achieve glory or not, depends on your ability to secure our rear."
"Please rest assured, Fourth Kazekage. With me here, there will be no unexpected incidents in our rear!"
Chiyo spoke with full confidence, indeed eager to meet Kyomu and avenge her brother.
The Sand forces made a decision, quickly splitting into two groups.
Chiyo was tasked with eradicating the Leaf ninja who were sneaking attacks, causing destruction, and disrupting the rear, while Rasa led the main force deeper into the Land of Fire.
As the Sand forces divided their tasks, Orochimaru once again faced pressure from within the village.
"What's the old man up to now?" Tsunade couldn't help but ask.
"Nothing much." Orochimaru crushed the letter in his hand, "Just blaming me for voluntarily giving up the defense line, allowing the Sand troops to bring the war into our territory."
"They demand support without providing it, and they give such little supplies. Are we supposed to deplete all our ninja in one go by holding the line?" Tsunade complained, frowning.
"It's not entirely the teacher's fault." Orochimaru spoke in defense of Hiruzen, "He must be under pressure from the Land of Fire's daimyo, considering the war never reached our territory in the last two major conflicts."
Tsunade fell silent, understanding the situation but growing increasingly anxious.
"Orochimaru, after this move by the Sand, do you think the Rock, Cloud, and Mist will..."
"They definitely will. It's just a matter of time." Orochimaru was also troubled, "And what's foreseeable is, this will be a severe test. One misstep..."
He trailed off, and Tsunade did the same. The Leaf and the Land of Fire were already in a precarious situation, one wrong step could lead to total defeat.
After a while, Orochimaru broke the silence, "Tsunade, I need to set up segmented defensive lines to slow the Sand's advance as much as possible and create opportunities for our allies in the rear.
But there's something I need to ask of you."
"Tell me." Tsunade's expression was serious, "I'll do everything I can."
"I need the help of your summoning creature." Orochimaru looked helpless, "I can't summon Manda right now, which significantly reduces my suppression on the battlefield."
Tsunade was somewhat reluctant, "Orochimaru, your summoning creature is a bit too temperamental, isn't it?"
"That's a long story, I'll explain when we have the chance." Orochimaru's heart was filled with bitterness.
Manda was punished and wouldn't show up for a while. The green snake lent to him by Kyomu also looked down on Orochimaru.
When Kyomu was around, the green snake would cooperate, albeit reluctantly. But if Kyomu wasn't there, it would outright refuse Orochimaru's summoning.
The snakes of the Ryuchi Cave were just that capricious, far more difficult to deal with than the toads of Mount Myoboku.
"Alright then." Tsunade didn't press further, instead, she bit her finger, formed hand seals, and slammed her hand onto the ground.
After a puff of smoke, a giant slug appeared behind Tsunade.
"Lady Slug, I'll need your help."
The massive slug nodded, its body instantly dividing into countless smaller slugs, which found their targets and attached themselves to their shoulders.
Orochimaru finally breathed a sigh of relief.
With the slug's help in "replenishing health and chakra," the casualty rate of his frontline forces would be minimized, and their ability to sustain combat would significantly increase.
Then, Orochimaru turned to Tsunade, "You can continue to retreat with your team now. Leave a defensive line and quickly set up a field hospital, preparing for a large number of casualties."
"You can count on me." Tsunade's face showed discomfort, but she nodded firmly, "With me here, the injured will not easily die."
After her words, Tsunade led the remaining over a thousand Leaf ninjas away, while Orochimaru and the last thousand or so began to rigorously construct the defensive line.
This blockade battle was the most severe test Orochimaru had faced since his debut.
A thousand against over seven thousand Sand ninjas, wasn't this practically a suicide mission?
Troubled thoughts lingered, and Orochimaru couldn't help but lament over Hiruzen.
If Sakumo hadn't died, this war could have been delayed even further. Back when the Leaf was strong and prosperous, how could they have faced such a predicament?
In just over an hour, Orochimaru's serpentine eyes suddenly narrowed.
He saw Rasa!
"Everyone, to battle!"
Rushing forward, Orochimaru led the charge, his hands moving rapidly, coordinating with the Leaf ninjas behind him to unleash a large-scale combined ninjutsu.
Rasa did the same, along with a host of Sand ninjas behind him, launching a barrage of ninjutsu that covered the sky towards the Leaf's defensive line.
Various ninjutsu clashed head-on, with attack and defense intertwined. After several exchanges, both sides suffered casualties.
What followed was even more brutal close combat.
---
As the frontal battlefield erupted, Kyomu was not idle either.
With the passive skill's enhancement, the Bloodlust buff was already in effect, indicating that at least 800 Sand ninjas had been drawn to the encirclement.
"Captain Kyomu!" Ren's frantic voice came from the side, "We're in big trouble."
"Surrounded?"
"Yes." Ren's face showed remorse and bitterness, "This encirclement squad has a master who knows the weakness of my Byakugan and exploited it perfectly."
Due to the Cage Bird curse, the Byakugan of the Hyuga branch family has a subtle but fatal flaw.
For many years, this flaw was no secret, but ninjas capable of perfectly exploiting it were rare.
The Byakugan offers a 360° field of vision, with no blind spots in its state of environmental awareness.
However, the Byakugan of the Hyuga branch family does have a blind spot at the second vertebra of the thoracic spine.
At close range, this blind spot is negligible, but the further the distance, the more the blind spot expands in a fan shape.
Although this flaw can be compensated for by changing one's position, the unknown tracking expert among the Sand ninjas perfectly exploited this, successfully deceiving Ren's Byakugan.
"How far away are they?"
"Less than three kilometers." Ren immediately reported to Kyomu, "Although he led his team to bypass us using the blind spot, getting any closer would reveal their presence."
Despite this, Ren's mistake was fatal.
The Sand ninja's encirclement squad surely included sensory ninjas, whose range might not match the Byakugan's, but a distance of three to five kilometers could be sensed.
As long as they approached within three kilometers behind Kyomu and the others, the Sand's sensory ninjas could cling to them relentlessly.
"How long until the rest of the encirclement squads catch up?" Kyomu asked again.
"Since we've made several diversions earlier, leading several Sand ninja squads astray, it'll take them at least ten minutes to catch up."
Kyomu felt reassured.
Just catching up with one Sand ninja squad, with numbers equal to theirs, was no concern at all.
"Charge at them head-on, can we finish the fight in five minutes? Do we have the confidence?!" Kyomu looked at his teammates.
"Yes!"
"We swear to follow Captain Kyomu to the death!"
"Annihilate them!"
Seeing his team's morale, Kyomu no longer hesitated, drew Yoei, and turned, charging forward.
"Follow me into battle!"
With that roar, Kyomu surged ahead, with his teammates closely following, ready for combat.
They approached.
Kyomu could now clearly see the leader of the Sand ninjas, a fine-featured woman around twenty years old with chestnut brown short hair, holding a large fan.
Tightening his grip on Yoei, Kyomu accelerated.
Similarly, the Sand ninja also sped up, matching Kyomu's pace.
Clang!
The two passed by each other, Yoei's blade clashing against the fan's frame, sparking flames.
Kyomu was surprised; this was the first time since obtaining Yoei that it hadn't cleanly cut through an enemy's weapon upon contact.
Another divine weapon?
If so...
The woman capable of wielding the Sand Village's divine Three-Star Fan at this time could only be her.
"Karura!"
Karura turned sharply, her eyes flashing with surprise but without any intention of responding.
She then opened the Three-Star Fan, tensed her body like a spring, and with a swift motion, transferred the explosive force to her hands.
Whoosh!
The Three-Star Fan swung heavily, followed by blades of wind forming a tornado that rushed towards Kyomu.
Kyomu reacted swiftly, his hand brushing over the blade as Scorch Release chakra coated Yoei's edge.
Taking a deep breath, he concentrated his strength in his legs, abdomen, and back.
Twisting his body and exerting force, whoosh.
The blade's swing brought the surrounding air into a pressurized wind, howling as it formed a slender blade of white and blue light. Just by its color, the temperature was at least 1500°C.
In the next instant, the blade, carrying high heat, collided with the violent tornado unleashed by Karura using the Three-Star Fan.
Wind fed the flames, and as the blue-white streak entered the tornado, the flames surged significantly. The blue-white color deepened into a beautiful sky blue.
Naturally, the temperature surged again.
Boom!
The two forces collided, Karura's wind blades dispersed by the blade's force, but the remnants, now dyed sky blue, were absorbed by the still-powerful blade, revitalizing and growing stronger.
Karura's eyes flickered with displeasure; her attack had inadvertently enhanced Kyomu's strike.
Scorch Release, or perhaps Fire Release, still truly annoying!
Bang!
She planted the Three-Star Fan in front of her, hands forming seals, and exhaled a powerful stream.
Water Release: Rapid Torrent Cutter!
Simultaneously, Karura held the Three-Star Fan again, swinging it at the water she had expelled.
Combined Ninjutsu: Wind Cutter Rapid Torrent!
The wind blades mixed with the water, not dispersing it but compressing, gathering, and accelerating it, resembling Tobirama's signature Water Release technique "Water Severing Wave."
The next second, the growing sky-blue blade and Wind Cutter Rapid Torrent collided, canceling each other out and exploding into thick white steam.
Instant Shadow Sword Formation!
Using this moment, Kyomu vanished on the spot, reappearing behind them the next second.
He grabbed his collar and pulled back, thrusting Yoei forward.
Pfft.
A Sand ninja fell, and Kyomu's form turned into white smoke.
It was a shadow clone.
Simultaneously, several Kyomu clones appeared in various locations, either rescuing teammates or stealing kills.
In about a second, Kyomu personally eliminated five Sand ninjas.
And as long as he personally eliminated enemies who harbored resentment towards him, even if through a shadow clone, Kyomu's main body still received the Bloodlust buff's enhancement.
Without having time to feel how much his foundation had improved, Kyomu reappeared, Yoei in hand, blocking Karura's path.
"Your opponent is me."
"Despicable!" Karura, infuriated, swung the Three-Star Fan with much greater force.
Kyomu taking advantage of his companions to slaughter his own, yet when she aimed at other Leaf ninjas, Kyomu dared to accuse her of being despicable?
Bastard!
Clang, clang,
Sparks flew in the air as Yoei's blade remained undamaged, while a few shallow marks appeared on the Three-Star Fan.
Moreover, Kyomu could feel Yoei's excitement; it seemed eager to consume the Three-Star Fan.
"Then, let's satisfy you, my old friend," Kyomu mentally responded, readying himself, "Forward, Yoei!"
As the battle continued, the sound of clashing metal filled the air. The Sand ninjas, led by Karura with the Three-Star Fan, found themselves facing a formidable opponent in Kyomu and Yoei.
The encounter between Kyomu and Karura, each wielding powerful weapons, marked a critical moment in the conflict, showcasing the intensity and desperation on both sides.
As Yoei clashed with the Three-Star Fan, a fierce battle unfolded, testing the limits of both combatants and their weapons. The outcome of this clash would have significant implications for the broader conflict, influencing the strategic balance between the Leaf and Sand forces.
(End of Chapter)
