A Splendid Opening
"Lord Sakumo, what do you mean?"
Duan looked at Sakumo with an uncertain gaze.
"Haha, you're here to take care of Katsuki and the others' safety. Isn't this the responsibility the Lord Hokage entrusted to you? Your Spirit Transformation Technique is really convenient, so I'm very relieved to have you in charge." Sakumo smiled as he entrusted Dan with this important task.
"But, but... that I..." The severed mouth opened and closed like a frog, but finally it resigned itself to its fate and lowered its head. "I understand, leave it to me."
Originally hoping to make a name for herself on the battlefield, she is now forced to work as a nanny, which has left her feeling rather down.
"Is Katsuki... that little kid from the Uzumaki Clan?"
Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly, his golden vertical pupils gleaming with an interest.
"Perfect, let my apprentice get involved too!"
Jiraiya spoke again.
"Your disciple, that blond kid from yesterday, you're not going to send the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to the battlefield too, are you?"
······
The morning meeting has ended.
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Dan were tasked with organizing a force to launch a probing attack on the Sand Village. The attack was scheduled for 11:00 AM, with the attacking force having lunch an hour beforehand.
That's the plan.
There were no complicated calculations; it was simple, clear, and straightforward.
Commands were quickly relayed, like a large spider in a spider's nest stirring a thread, causing a whole swarm of smaller spiders to move at the slightest provocation. Everything was proceeding in a tense but orderly manner.
Orochimaru is still a very reliable and model young man. Although he gives people a cold and unapproachable feeling, he is extremely reliable in doing things. Compared to the dissolute and voyeuristic Jiraiya, he is much more reliable in a certain sense.
With Orochimaru leading the way and Dan assisting from the side, the attacking force assembled at 10 o'clock, began to enjoy an early lunch, and then the well-organized troops quietly left the camp and sped towards the location of the Sand Village.
"Kill, kill all the Sand Ninja!"
"Stop them! You absolutely must stop the Konoha ninjas!"
The sound of rain could not drown out the furious roars; even though the Konoha had mastered the art of stealth, they still couldn't escape the notice of the Sand Village ninja.
An unnamed village, with a vast expanse of wilderness in front of its entrance. The Konoha ninja and Sand ninja, like two large swarms of ants, were steadily approaching.
The vanguard charged forward at breakneck speed, closing the distance rapidly. The ninjas on both sides seemed to feel the overwhelming killing intent emanating from the other.
"Explosive Tag, throw them out."
The Chunin of the Konoha vanguard roared almost simultaneously, throwing Kunai with Explosive Tag attached to them at the charging Sand Shinobi. The surrounding Genin obeyed the order, throwing their Kunai as well, sending them flying with the crackling sound of the Explosive Tag.
Kunai with Explosive Tag strung at their tails Kunai into the sky, gathering together to form a dense, dark mass, like spreading ink rapidly staining the blank areas.
"Use Wind Release to take it down!"
Roars echoed from the Sand Ninja ranks. The Sand Ninja, displaying remarkable composure, halted their advance. The Genin had mastered Ninjutsu gathered around the Chunin and began Hand Seals, while the Sand Ninja who had not mastered Ninjutsu drew out a large number of Shuriken and hurled them like a shower of flowers.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough"
A simple C-rank Wind Release Technique, with concise hand seals, was Ninjutsu by more than twenty Sand Ninja almost simultaneously. Their cheeks bulged high like Toad, and an invisible, colorless wind surged forth, instantly sending the gently falling raindrops flying diagonally into the sky.
More than twenty whirlwinds overlapped, the howling wind was exceptionally loud, clearing a large area of the falling rain, and the streams of water formed by the raindrops were swept back to meet the flying Kunai.
A single 'Great Breakthrough' attack is indeed quite limited in power, especially over long distances. As the distance increases, the wind force inevitably weakens. However, when more than twenty 'Great Breakthrough' are combined, the resulting force is insufficient to blow the Kunai back, but it can prolong their airtime until...
"Boom!!!"
The overlapping explosions silenced all other sounds on the field. Orange flames burst into the air like fireworks, and the bright light suddenly illuminated the ground below. Both the Konoha Ninja and the Sand ninjas were dazzled by the sudden Flash Bomb.
However, neither side halted their advance.
The two forces collided like two waves on this small hill.
Instead of dreamlike white waves, all that could be seen were crimson sprays. After the explosions subsided, all that could be heard were the clanging of weapons and the smacking sounds of meat being chopped.
"How could this be? It's over so quickly...?"
The second wave of troops, with Nawaki keeping pace and running quickly alongside the troops, only glanced at the area where the first wave of troops were fighting, his face pale.
He had personally killed many people, including Rain Ninja and Sand Ninja, but in just half a minute, so many of his once lively companions had become mutilated corpses. This efficiency, like slaughtering animals in a slaughterhouse, was truly terrifying.
"Hey hey hey!!! Rookies, now's not the time to stand around. Charge forward! We're on the offensive. If the Sand Ninja pushes our lines back, we might as well all die. Even if we manage to get back alive, I'll be too ashamed to face anyone. I'd rather be dead."
The hunin with a scruffy beard and an unkempt appearance Chunin Nawaki and Otome standing there in a daze, along with the other rookies in the group, and immediately yelled.
The hoarse, desperate roar jolted the dazed newbies awake, thankfully preventing any delay in the team's charge.
The first wave of troops were still locked in fierce combat, but the number of standing figures on both sides was rapidly decreasing.
The ninja army's battles were not fought in continuous formations, but rather in waves of varying numbers, charging forward in unison. This was done in accordance with the war experience of past dynasties, to prevent their own forces from becoming too concentrated and being wiped out by the enemy's powerful Ninjutsu —an accident that had to be avoided.
Katsuki and the others were assigned to the second wave of attack troops, and they charged forward with all their might.
"Run! Run! We must get to the hill before all of us are dead!"
"Give me a break, you bunch of bastards! Did you eat your food and then it all went to the dogs?"
The Chunin the group spat furiously, roaring as they sprinted with all their might. Katsuki was at the very front of the group, carrying a gleaming short sword with fine, hair-like arcs of electricity flickering on its blade.