Orochimaru and the other two looked at the Hyūga branch member in front of them, staring so intently that it made the man feel uneasy.
"Um… is there something on my face?"
Orochimaru said, "No. I just suddenly realized that assigning the Hyūga clan to the combat units is a bit of a waste of talent."
The Hyūga branch member chuckled to himself.
Heh, I think so too. When I heard I had to go to war, who wouldn't be scared? If I'd known I'd just be doing this kind of work, it's even easier than our usual missions.
"Jiraiya, Tsunade, let's go."
"Yeah, Orochimaru," Jiraiya replied.
"These kids really are capable," Tsunade said.
"But how are we going to lure Hanzo out?"
"Just make a bigger scene."
The three exchanged smiles.
"Summoning Jutsu: Manda!"
"Summoning Jutsu: Gamabunta!"
"Summoning Jutsu: Katsuyu!"
Three massive figures appeared on the battlefield.
"Orochimaru, this time I want one hundred living human sacrifices."
"They're all over there. Eat as many as you want."
Orochimaru pointed toward the Rain ninja camp.
"Jiraiya, I don't want to partner with this stinking snake."
"Orochimaru, did you send this toad here as a snack for me?"
"Stupid snake, what did you say?"
"Since when did snacks start shouting like that?"
The two giant beasts were about to collide.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya hurriedly tried to stop them.
"Your enemies will be here soon. Don't start fighting each other."
"Manda, if you cause trouble, there won't be any sacrifices."
"Hmph."
"Tch."
At that moment, another giant beast appeared.
Hanzo arrived riding his enormous salamander.
"You three brats are so impatient. The war has only just begun. People without patience will never achieve the final victory."
Orochimaru sneered.
"Heh. I'll return that line to you, old man Hanzo. Don't regret your words later."
"Old man Hanzo, take this—Ninja Art: Katsuyu Slime Attack!"
"Bunta!"
"Jiraiya, you use Fire Style. I'll use oil."
"Combined Ninjutsu: Fire Style – Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"
"Childish tricks. Not worth mentioning."
...
A deafening roar erupted.
The four of them clashed in battle.
...
Hearing the explosions, Aburame Shiken knew the most troublesome enemy had already been held up.
"Hiyasu, where are the Rain ninja now?"
After communicating through flag signals, Hyūga Hiyasu replied:
"The first three thousand Rain ninja—no, a little over two thousand of them—have already reached the ambush point. But the two thousand behind them haven't made any moves yet. The one commanding them is a young Rain ninja with glasses. Looks like he's not an ordinary steady type."
"It doesn't matter. We never expected to swallow them all anyway. Two thousand Rain ninja is still a huge victory, isn't it?"
Hyūga Hiyasu smiled.
"As long as we take no casualties, even killing a single enemy is a massive profit."
"Have the monitoring team withdraw. We don't need them anymore. And notify Shikaku—show a weakness."
"Understood."
After sending the retreat signal to the intelligence personnel, Hyūga Hiyasu went off to find Nara Shikaku's squad.
"Hideki, this time we'll be relying on you."
From the shadows appeared the large figure of Senju Hideki.
"If we're talking about chakra, I have never feared anyone."
"What about Kushina?"
"She has the Nine-Tails cheat. That doesn't count."
"Oh~"
What do you do when someone interrupts your bragging the moment you start?
Urgent.
Boom boom boom.
Bang bang bang.
The enemy had already advanced to within 300 meters.
Now not only the Akimichi clan but the Hyūga clan had joined the battle.
The three-stage barrage of kunai and Explosive Tags made the Rain ninja miserable.
Large boulders could still be smashed apart, but Explosive Tags would detonate as soon as you got close. The only way to deal with them was to disperse them with ninjutsu.
Advancing these 300 meters was three times harder than the previous 700 meters combined.
"Shikaku, what do we do? The distance is getting too close. If we keep throwing rocks, the fragments might hit the Hyūga formation."
"We can't scatter the formation right now. If we do, their group advance will break through the Hyūga side. Wait—I've got it. Let's do this..."
"Shikaku, show a weakness."
Alright, no need to say more.
"Inoichi, our two clans will stand at the front in a moment. Chōza, your clan should pretend to be exhausted and stagger as you retreat."
"Shikaku, I don't know how to act."
"Just step left, then step right, and fall down every now and then."
"Got it."
"Inoichi, pass this plan to everyone."
"Already doing it."
Yamanaka Inoichi changed the target of his Mind Body Transmission Technique to his uncle's generation, Yamanaka Meirin.
Meirin then passed the plan to Akimichi Tōdō and Nara Shikakaku, who spread it to the others.
Akimichi Tōdō said, "Shikakaku, that young junior from your clan has a darker heart than you."
Nara Shikakaku glanced at him.
Was that supposed to be an insult?
"A black heart is good. People with black hearts don't die easily."
Hyūga Hiyasu wrapped an arm around Nara Shikaku.
"Come up with a plan for us too."
"Can't you think of one yourself?"
"With you here, why should I bother?"
"You don't have any sense of shame at all, do you?"
"Just gradually replace the kunai with Explosive Tags with plain kunai and slowly retreat."
"See? Much easier."
Hyūga Hiyasu went back to the Hyūga position to arrange the orders.
Thunk.
Nara Shikaku suddenly slapped his forehead.
"Shikaku, did you think of something again?"
Yamanaka Inoichi quickly asked—he needed to notify the others.
"I've realized something. No matter how black-hearted you are, you still can't beat someone who's shameless."
Yamanaka Inoichi was speechless.
Better not pass that along. The good reputation of our Ino–Shika–Chō trio can't be ruined by you, Shikaku.
...
At that moment, the Rain ninja commander leading three thousand troops also noticed something.
The gigantic Akimichi warriors who had been wreaking havoc earlier had disappeared without a trace.
Even the sounds of Explosive Tags detonating were gradually decreasing.
A reconnaissance ninja ran over.
"My lord, Konoha's Ino–Shika–Chō clans are retreating quickly. The Akimichi clan seems unstable on their feet—staggering left and right and falling occasionally. It looks like they're suffering from exhaustion. Also, what we're facing now are just plain kunai. Konoha's Explosive Tags must be almost depleted."
"Hahahaha! I've finally been waiting for this moment! Now I'll show you great nations what the roar of the Land of Rain looks like! All troops—attack! Take down those Konoha brats!"
The Rain ninja, who had been bombarded and filled with resentment, finally saw their chance to explode with fury.
"Kill!"
"Offer our hearts to Lord Hanzo!"
"Long live the Land of Rain!"
"Charge!"
...
A massive purple barrier shot into the sky.
"Modified Four Red Yang Formation – Aburame Hundred-Insect Sealing Grand Formation."