Strategy

"Are you talking about me?"

Shūji had just been about to leave quickly when he suddenly realized that his body was completely beyond his control.

Not good! Panic rapidly spread through Shūji's heart.

At that moment, Yūske stood steadily behind Shūji with his hands clasped together, all ten fingers spread open. Fortunately, Shūji was not a ninja who specialized in taijutsu, and he had underestimated his opponent. Otherwise, it would not have been so easy for Yūske to control him with Parasitic String.

Yūske then manipulated the thin threads, effortlessly making Shūji turn around. Before Shūji could speak, a wave of intense pain nearly made him pass out.

"Mmgh! Mmgh!" Shūji let out a pained whimper.

To end the battle, Yūske had carefully devised a plan. A thin thread nimbly moved between Shūji's lips, and moments later, his mouth had been sewn tightly shut.

Seeing Shūji drenched in cold sweat, blood seeping from his wounds, Yūske showed an unusually gentle side. He carefully applied medicine to his wounds and casually wiped the sweat from his forehead.

After finishing all this, Yūske wore an insulting smile as he lightly patted Shūji's cheek. "Come on. I'm taking you to kill someone."

Yūske then controlled Shūji's body and had him hoist himself over his shoulder.

"Ah, I can't see where I'm going." Yūske complained slightly before jumping down.

Still, he could not find a better position, so he could only hide himself for the time being.

After Yūske and Shūji left, the battle on the battlefield grew increasingly fierce. The two sides were nearly equal in number, while Uchiha En and the others fiercely clashed with the enemy jonin.

Might Duy looked like he did not care about anything, with the appearance of a simple, honest man, but he had never forgotten how Yūske had argued so passionately on behalf of him and his teammates.

To prove to Yūske that his decision had been right, and also for the sake of all his years of hard work, Might Duy displayed ghostlike footwork. He held back one of the enemy jonin and traded blows with him on equal footing.

Meanwhile, Ebizo and Kurenai Yūhi faced each other while keeping an eye on the shifting battle. Neither dared to attack rashly, afraid of falling into the other's trap.

Just then, a fierce blaze suddenly flashed, its dazzling light illuminating the entire battlefield. Both men's expressions changed at the sight of the wide-ranging, devastating Compound Ninjutsu.

In Kurenai Yūhi's mind, the Yūske he remembered did not seem capable of using such a ninjutsu. Faced with such a powerful technique, he could not help worrying whether Yūske could evade it safely, his expression turning somewhat grim.

Ebizo, on the other hand, smiled even more broadly, as though everything was proceeding exactly as he had expected. He had complete faith in Shūji—or rather, he had long known how Shūji would handle such a situation.

Before long, Shūji returned to Ebizo's side. Kurenai Yūhi's face darkened further at the sight.

Ebizo's entire attention was focused on Kurenai Yūhi, and he did not notice the threads tied around Shūji's body or anything unusual about him.

"Mmgh! Mmgh!" Shūji made a low sound.

"Shūji, what did you say?" Ebizo was about to turn around and check on Shūji when a sharp pain suddenly tore through his back.

It all happened too suddenly. Even the ninja guarding Ebizo had no time to react.

Shūji then prepared to launch a second attack on the half-kneeling Ebizo. At that moment, one of Ebizo's guards hurriedly shoved him aside, and Shūji's kunai instantly plunged into the guard's head.

Several Sunagakure ninja who noticed the disturbance broke away from their opponents and rushed toward Ebizo, glaring furiously at Shūji.

The immense pain gradually blurred Ebizo's vision, but as a puppet master, he still noticed the thin threads wrapped around Shūji's body.

"Retreat! Shūji is being controlled." After saying that, Ebizo passed out from excessive blood loss.

"Retreat!" Orders were absolute. Upon hearing the order to retreat, the Sunagakure ninja immediately ceased fighting the Konoha ninja. Only a dozen or so Sunagakure ninja who could not break free from their opponents continued to struggle bitterly.

Several jonin quickly stepped forward, attempting to restrain Shūji. However, Shūji's body suddenly rose into the air and flew toward the Konoha ninja.

"Fall back!" With no other choice, the Sunagakure ninja could only abandon Shūji for the time being. After quickly applying hemostatic medicine to Ebizo's wound, they left behind a squad to cover their retreat and departed carrying Ebizo.

After all the Sunagakure ninja covering the retreat had been eliminated, Hyuga Reon asked Kurenai Yūhi, "Captain, should we pursue them?"

"No. Even if we kill Ebizo, it won't change the situation against Sunagakure. Clean up the battlefield, check on the wounded, and set out immediately after a short rest."

Not knowing whether the enemy had any more tricks up their sleeves, Kurenai Yūhi did not dare linger for too long.

His gaze then fell on Shūji, who was awkwardly dancing not far away.

"What terrible taste!"

He shook his head at Shūji and shouted, "Yūske, stop playing around."

"Coming." Yūske ran out from who knew where and looked at Shūji. "You're finished. Your future is gone."

"Yūske, we owe this one to you. Don't worry, I'll make sure all the credit goes to you." Kurenai Yūhi knew well that without Yūske's strategy, no one knew how many people would have survived this Escort Mission. Even if everyone had come through unharmed, if the supplies had been lost, they would have had no face to meet their comrades on the Front Lines or repay the Third Hokage's trust.

"It was everyone's contribution. I wouldn't dare take all the credit for myself." With the enemy dealt with, everyone felt much more at ease. They consciously began clearing the battlefield, bandaging their wounded comrades, and giving any enemies who still clung to life another stab.

Sunagakure's attack had been exceptionally fierce. A third of the supplies in the dozens of carts had been destroyed, while the rest had suffered varying degrees of damage. However, the most important Military Rations Pills remained intact with Kurenai Yūhi.

After all, they had faced an evenly matched enemy while also having to divide their attention to protect the supplies. Though everyone felt somewhat disappointed by the losses, they could still accept them.

"Take this guy with us. At the very least, he can serve as a bargaining chip." Kurenai Yūhi looked at Shūji and said to Yūske.

"Sure!"