Chaotic Battle

"... Are you kidding me, Minato? This joke isn't funny at all..."

After a brief moment of silence, Minato did not answer.

"Ah!! Damn it, they're actually doing it for real!!"

Otoha was somewhat surprised that Minato, who was usually perceived as calm, composed, quick-witted, and decisive, would make such a big mistake on the battlefield.

Chakra is a ninja's ammunition. Once the elixir is exhausted, they become lambs to the slaughter on the battlefield. Therefore, how to use Chakra reasonably and in moderation is a compulsory course for most ninjas. There are many similar training courses during the Ninja Academy period, such as using Chakra to attach leaves to the forehead.

Minato had always been at the top of his class in these courses, and Otoha never expected things to turn out this way.

"We can't play now."

With a twitch at the corner of her mouth, Otoha quickly adjusted her posture, switching from an aggressive offensive stance to a defensive one. She slowed her advance as much as possible, no longer daring to charge forward as before.

"I'm so sorry to have troubled you this time, Otoha."

Minato forced a pale smile.

"Enough with the nonsense, hurry up and refine your Chakra."

Please...

The katana drew sharp arcs, deflecting incoming Shuriken. The crisp clanging sounds were drowned out by the deafening shouts and explosions.

Centered around Minato, Otoha formed an impenetrable defense on all sides... With Kushina's Shadow Clone assisting him, Chakra could focus on refining his Minato with peace of mind.

The battle was extremely intense. The Konoha ninja launched a frenzied attack, trying to open a path forward, while the Sand ninja desperately tried to block the Konoha Ninja's advance. As time went on, the battle turned into a war of attrition, and a battle line stretching for a kilometer across the field in front of the village was formed.

The Konoha's originally sharp, spearheaded formation had completely disintegrated under the desperate resistance of the Sand Ninja. Along the one-kilometer-long, winding battle line, the Konoha and Sand Ninjas were locked in a fierce, back-and-forth struggle, completely entangled in the battle. Although the Konoha maintained its offensive momentum overall, its initial sharpness had waned.

"Looks like we've almost reached our limit!"

Should we retreat?

"The Sand Village ninja had a trick up their sleeve!"

Orochimaru's aura grew even colder, his answer completely detached from the question.

"... I didn't see any Sand Ninja puppet troops. Even if an attack of this scale doesn't require puppet troops, surely they should be able to see nothing at all?" Jiraiya instantly became serious, a rare moment of clarity appearing in his eyes that had been filled with lust and desire.

"There are a lot of big-breasted girls in the Sand Village's puppet army!"

His serious demeanor lasted less than a second before he reverted to his true colors, his lecherous gaze causing the surrounding female ninjas to instinctively flinch.

"The puppet army... is not here."

Dan Katō, who was lying on the back of a Konoha Ninja, suddenly opened his eyes.

"Duan Jun, how is the situation?"

Orochimaru's golden vertical pupils looked over.

"The Sand Village has suffered heavy losses. Not only have the puppet troops disappeared, but many of their camps are just empty shells, without even a hammock inside."

Using the Spirit Transformation Technique, Dan easily infiltrated the Sand Village camp, gaining a complete view of its layout.

"Non-combat casualties... the Sand Village ninja really have other plans after all."

"But what can they do? Their troop strength won't change suddenly, and dividing their forces won't threaten us..."

Those present fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

"Send orders to retreat first. We've already achieved our objective; there's no need to fight to the death with the Sand Village ninja."

Orochimaru waved his hand, and his subordinates immediately darted out to relay the order to retreat.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Colorful fireworks soared into the sky one after another, their bright brilliance undiminished even by the rain, clearly reflected in the eyes of the Konoha Ninja and Sand ninjas locked in battle.

"Tch! I'm canceling!"

"They got off too easily with those scumbag turban-wearing bastards. We'll deal with them next time."

The Konoha ninjas began to withdraw from the battlefield in an orderly, stable, and swift manner. Compared to their wild attacks, their retreat was more calm, composed, and well-trained.

"Those bastards from Konoha are trying to escape! Hold them off! Don't let them get away!"

"Chase after them and kill that green-skinned Konoha."

Although they couldn't understand the message conveyed by the fireworks from Konoha, the Sand ninjas naturally understood what was about to happen when the Konoha ninjas reacted accordingly. The result was... they became even more relentless in their pursuit of the Konoha ninjas.

If the Konoha Ninja were to retreat so easily, they would be in deep trouble, and they would lose face even more.

The battle intensified, and the long-brewing madness began to erupt.

"Nawaki, give us a big one!"

"Oh! They're here!!!"

As Katsuki called out, Nawaki responded and his fist, descending from the sky, slammed into the earth with a deafening roar. The earth trembled in the face of this meteorite-like force, and the air ripped away like a passing storm, peeling off a layer of the ground.

The six Sand Ninja who had pursued them, along with more than a dozen of Katsuki's Shadow Clone, were engulfed by the flying mud and rubble. The Shadow Clone were destroyed instantly, and the six Sand Ninja also suffered injuries of varying degrees.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

A flash of light followed by the dull, hoarse sound of chopping flesh. A red fountain of blood stained the swirling rubble and mud in mid-air. Before the Sand Ninja could react, their still-warm corpses were buried under the rubble and mud.

"Good finishing blow."

Katsuki gave a thumbs up.

The battlefield experience was highly effective, and the three of them became increasingly coordinated. Katsuki controlled the battlefield, Nawaki launched the main attack, Otome finished off the remaining enemies, forming a well-coordinated chain that efficiently and steadily reaped the lives of the Sand Ninja.

"Stop talking nonsense, that turban guy is here again."

The Otome drifted past like a ghostly shadow, then disappeared among the group of Katsuki's Shadow Clone.

"Ugh! These headscarve men are so annoying."

Katsuki sighed, Hand Seals, and the number of Shadow Clone began to grow wildly like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, spreading to the left and right sides. One after another, the crimson shadows merged into one, like an expanding sea of fire.

Then, it merges with another red ocean!

The siblings' Shadow Clone successfully reunited, weaving a winding and sturdy defensive line that relentlessly delayed the Sand Ninja's pursuit. As soon as one Shadow Clone was destroyed, another would immediately take its place. It would be extremely difficult for Genin to eliminate the vast sea of Shadow Clone in a short period of time.

"Wind Release: Wind Scythe Formation"

The enormous iron fan opened, and the howling storm sliced Shadow Clone into pieces, leaving gruesome wounds on the earth with sharp wind blades.