Sunagakure's Tactics

"Forget it. The Third Hokage must have told you all that we should show the grace and magnanimity of Konoha. If we make a move now, it would be tantamount to massacre." Shuichi moment and decided not to kill anyone.

Sarutobi Kohei Hyuga Akiha had no objections; since they were there to help Shuichi vent his anger, they naturally left the decision entirely to him.

The Third Hokage had previously told them that if the opponent was difficult to deal with, it was okay to kill someone if they went all out.

However, if you encounter someone who has little resistance, it's best not to kill them. Konoha still needs to maintain a good diplomatic environment with its surrounding countries and try to establish a positive image for the smaller nations.

After thinking for a moment, Shuichi walked to Hirama's side, looked down at him, and said, "Actually, we already knew that your Scroll was a duplicate of ours, but I still decided to take action."

Hirama the three of them could even have any questions, he continued, "It's because your Kusagakure's instructor scolded me during the first exam, so sorry, you'll have to bear this pain!"

Upon hearing this, the three Kusanagi Ninja members began to curse the idiot teacher in their hearts. Not only did he force them to pass the Second Stage exam, but he also left them with a huge trap, putting them in a near-desperate situation.

Seeing the expressions on their faces, Shuichi felt that he had achieved his goal of disgusting them.

Shuichi didn't care whether the three Kusanagi Ninja could survive until the end of the exam, or what kind of lively scene would unfold when they returned.

Good luck to you all!

"Swish, swish, swish," Shuichi's squad changed direction and headed towards the river in the middle of the Forest of Death.

"What should we do now, Captain Hirama?" Seeing Shuichi and the other two leave, the Kusagakure Genin a sigh of relief. They had finally survived, but now they still had to consider how to survive.

"There's nothing I can do. Luckily, it's not completely dark yet. Let me recover a bit, and then I'll treat your injuries." Hirama said, a little out of breath. He had been Hyuga Akiha's Gentle Fist, which had injured some of his internal organs, and the chakra remaining in his acupoints hadn't completely disappeared.

Meanwhile, on Shuichi's side, they are now heading towards the central river, not only to replenish their water supply but also because they anticipate that many other groups will be heading in that direction.

During their rapid movement, Sarutobi Kohei asked Shuichi, "Captain, we haven't encountered many people along this route. Could it be that many teams are heading towards the Central Tower?"

"Very likely," Shuichi's thought. "Not only that, there are definitely many other small teams, like those from Kusagakure, operating along the more peripheral areas."

"These people are probably looking for weaker squads. The chances of encountering such a squad are quite high. Once they find one, they can easily pass the level." Sarutobi Kohei thus understood the significance of the Hirama squad taking this strange route.

"Hmm, I reckon there will definitely be teams near the Central Tower soon. Besides being close to the water source, the chances of spotting enemies there are quite high."

The Shuichi them didn't talk anymore. They were all preparing themselves for what might be a complex battle ahead.

After some time, they were only a few kilometers away from the river area, where they were likely to encounter the enemy.

Knowing they had reached a dangerous area, Hyuga Akiha sprang into action once more, shouting, "Byakugan, activate!"

The three of them slowed down and began to observe their surroundings more carefully. There might be a trap set by their opponents, so they needed to be very careful.

"Enemy spotted, 500 meters southwest at 30 degrees. Their chakra is significantly stronger than that of the Kusagakure team. They're either from Konoha or Sunagakure." Sure enough, the further in you go, the higher the chance of each team encountering another. This Hyuga Akiha quickly located a team's position.

Shuichi. He glanced at the sky and saw that it was almost dusk.

Two hours into the exam, visibility throughout the Forest of Death had become quite poor, with only faint patches of light visible on the tree trunks high up.

"Follow the standard attack plan. We'll approach them slowly from the flank. Akiha, keep an eye on the enemy's movements."

At this moment, 500 meters away, if you looked closer, you would see a group of Sand Village genin with an average age of about 13 or 14. The leader of the group had a white cloth wrapped around his head. It was the Yozo team, one of the elite Sand Village members.

"Captain, it's almost dark. Shouldn't we head straight to the Central Tower to meet up?" The speaker was a young man carrying a long sword, named Saki.

Judging from his weapon, you can tell that he is a ninja who is good at close combat. If his swordsmanship is excellent at the Genin level, his combat power is quite strong, often giving Genin with fewer other skills a headache.

After listening, Yazo replied, "No rush. Visibility is poor at night. Although this is the same for both sides, there might be teams that are very good at it, and I suspect that some teams may have already set traps near the Tower."

"We just fought a group from Konoha. Although it was just an ordinary team, they were still much tougher to deal with than the people from the smaller ninja villages. Let's rest for a bit now. Now that we've collected Scroll, there's no need to rush."

That's right, the Sunagakure Ninja team Yazo has been fortunate enough to collect Scroll of Heaven and the Scroll of Earth. They recently had an encounter with a team from Konoha.

Their tactics were executed perfectly in this battle.

The female reconnaissance ninja in the team first discovered the Konoha Squad's location. Then, Saki, wielding a Saki, charged ahead, while Yazo supported her with Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. The reconnaissance ninja then retreated to the rear to throw ninja tools for cover. This is a fairly traditional team structure in the Shinobi World.

These teams combine individual strengths with complementary teamwork, making them virtually impossible for ordinary Genin to handle.

Not long after the battle began, two of Konoha's Genin were wounded by Saki. Seeing that they were not in a fast enough position to escape and that continuing to fight would only result in their total annihilation, the Konoha Squad decisively handed over the Scroll they had on them.

This was a wise decision. With a significant difference in strength compared to the enemy, and two of them already injured, continuing the fight would likely result in losing bargaining power.

After obtaining the Scroll, Yazo and his companions saw the three Konoha members huddled together, ready to fight to the death, and could only abandon their plan to kill the enemy.

Since their opponents hadn't completely lost their fighting spirit, and they had already obtained the Scroll, it wouldn't be worth fighting desperately anymore, as other opponents could appear at any time.

As part of the Sunagakure's plan, Yazo and Yukari's squad would continue towards the general direction of the Central Tower, while also searching for the enemy as much as possible, since only these two teams were equipped with reconnaissance ninjas.

After receiving their respective entrance numbers before entering the arena, all the Sunagakure Ninja teams quickly had an internal discussion. Once the exam began, the other four teams walked in pairs along the edge of the exam hall to meet up with their fellow villagers.