Those sudden, lethal Chakra Arrows became a sword of Damocles hanging over everyone's head.
The Kumogakure front line, already under immense pressure, completely lost order after losing a large number of mid-level commanders.
Everyone fought for themselves, and their formation fell into disarray.
The scales of victory began to tilt sharply.
Finally.
As a Kumogakure Jonin was killed by Minato Namikaze's Rasengan, Kumogakure's psychological defenses completely collapsed.
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
The first deserter appeared, followed by a second, a third... the rout was like an avalanche, unstoppable.
The Cloud Hidden Ninjas threw down their weapons and fled toward the rear without looking back.
The Konoha Ninjas, led by their respective captains, launched a pursuit.
Aokawa stood on a tree and slowly lowered the spirit particles longbow in his hand.
He watched the one-sided pursuit below, his eyes showing no emotion... the night was deep.
At the Kumogakure camp, Fourth Raikage A and Killer Bee arrived in a hurry with a group of men.
The recent peace talks with Danzo had been very unsuccessful, and the two sides eventually parted on bad terms.
Furthermore, since they were basically in a state of ceasefire with Konoha, he planned to return to the Land of Lightning to consult with his father again regarding the peace terms with the Land of Fire.
However, not long after he set out, he received news that Konoha had started the war again.
With a solemn expression, he walked straight toward a large mine that had been temporarily requisitioned as a headquarters.
Inside the mine.
The air was filled with a pungent smell of ozone, a trace left behind after high-intensity Lightning Release Chakra went out of control.
Moonstones embedded in the cave walls emitted a pale light, making the faces of every Kumogakure high-ranking official look bloodless.
The wails of the wounded came intermittently through the thick rock walls, grinding at everyone's nerves like a dull knife.
"Dodai! What happened!"
As soon as he entered, Fourth Raikage A barked the question.
"Lord A!" Dodai lowered his head and choked out, "The Konoha side suddenly launched a campaign this morning, attacking our positions on all fronts. We were caught off guard and suffered heavy losses..."
Dodai reported everything that had happened on the Battlefield today to A in detail.
Boom!
A loud bang broke the dead silence.
A smashed the heavy desk in front of him, made from a single piece of rock, into flying fragments with one punch.
Violent Lightning Release Chakra surged across his body, making crackling explosions.
"Bastards!"
His roar echoed through the cave, causing gravel on the rock walls to fall.
No one dared to speak at this moment.
The crushing defeat during the day was like a loud slap across the face of every Cloud Hidden Ninja.
The surprise attack and frontal combat capabilities they took pride in were crushed to pieces before Konoha's bizarre offensive.
Standing to the side, Dodai kept his head lowered. He waited until A's breathing had calmed slightly before speaking in a dry voice.
"The casualty report... is out."
A turned around abruptly, his muscular body carrying a powerful sense of pressure.
"Speak."
"In this battle, five hundred and forty-two of our men were killed, and one hundred and sixty-one were seriously injured."
Dodai's voice paused before he added a sentence.
"Among them, one hundred and twenty-one Chunin and seventeen Special Jonin were killed... before the main forces of both sides even made contact."
A's eyes, filled with rage, suddenly narrowed.
"Before contact?"
"Yes," Dodai's voice grew even more bitter.
"According to descriptions from survivors, they were killed by arrows formed from a type of undetectable Chakra."
"As long as a blue light flashed, the comrades in front would fall. Foreheads, hearts, throats—all were one-hit kills."
"Our command system was nearly paralyzed from the very first moment the battle began."
A's chest heaved violently, and his fury was gradually replaced by a cold chill.
He finally understood why the frontline troops had collapsed so quickly.
Those stationed by Kumogakure were all experienced Ninjas; even if caught off guard, they wouldn't have routed all at once.
But if they lost the command and organization of their mid-level backbone, then an army of thousands would be nothing more than a heap of loose sand.
Who else could perform such an attack besides that kid from before?
"Big Brother!" Killer Bee also reacted immediately. "It's the kid we encountered when we launched that surprise attack on Konoha before."
"Aokawa!" A narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth.
Killer Bee's expression was grave. "That kid... is very strong."
"And... very strange."
"When I fought him before, I could feel that his energy wasn't Chakra—at least not entirely. That energy would absorb some Chakra."
"Moreover, that White Giant he summoned at the end could even go head-to-head with the Eight-Tails."
He held out his arm, which had already healed but still bore a faint scar.
"Given today's situation, he hasn't gone all out yet. At least, that White Giant from last time wasn't summoned."
The air in the cave seemed to freeze.
A giant that could go head-to-head with the Eight-Tails? Energy that absorbed Chakra?
This information exceeded the understanding of everyone present.
A was silent for a long time. He walked to the map, his gaze moving back and forth between the Konoha camp and his own positions.
He repeatedly analyzed the day's battle.
A massive sense of incongruity rose in his heart.
"Something's not right," he whispered.
Dodai looked at him in confusion. "Lord A?"
"Minato Namikaze's command is not right." A's finger pressed heavily on the map.
"Konoha clearly possesses a monster that can perform ultra-long-range precision strikes. They could have completely relied on that Hyuga kid to slowly whittle down our effective strength and win at the smallest cost."
"But what did they do?" A looked up, scanning everyone.
"They threw all their forces, including those Genin who just graduated from the Ninja Academy, into the frontal Battlefield!"
"Even if they want to use war to force peace, this isn't how you do it."
"This isn't fighting a war at all. How can you fight a war without keeping any reserves!"
"Once a part of the Battlefield goes poorly, what awaits them is a total rout!"
"Minato Namikaze is no fool; he couldn't possibly make such a decision."
"Unless..." A's eyes became sharp. "This is an order from the Konoha high-ranking officials."
He couldn't figure it out.
Why would Konoha use such a near-gambling method to launch a war they clearly had the advantage in?
What exactly were they trying to do?
A massive doubt, like a dark cloud, loomed over his heart.
But for now, he had no time to solve this mystery.
The army's morale had already hit rock bottom.
He had to use the most cold-blooded methods to retighten this loosened string.
A turned around to face all the Kumogakure high-ranking officials, his voice as cold as ice.
"Pass down my order."
"From now on, all units must hold their positions to the death."
"Those who retreat a single step..."
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