Sand Ninja Attack

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. Beneath the vast, clear moonlight, a pitch-black army advanced silently.

"Are the Rain Ninja in position?" Chiyo asked.

"They're in position, Sister," Ebizo replied.

At this time, Chiyo could still be called a beautiful middle-aged woman—the Flower of the Shinobi World. Her sharp personality and edges had yet to be worn smooth by one tragedy after another, transforming her into the cunning old woman she would become in the story.

Thinking about it now, Tsunade and Chiyo—these two women who would stand opposed during the Ninja War—had destinies so similar.

Konoha, still recovering, could never have expected the Sand Ninja to suddenly circle around to the rear at this very moment.

Although the Sand Ninja had opened a new Fire-Wind Battlefield, the army stationed in the Land of Rain had remained completely still. They had even appointed the Chiyo siblings as commanders of this army.

All for the situation unfolding now.

The Sand Ninja needed the battlefield in the Land of Rain to become a quagmire that would constantly devour Konoha's strength, allowing them to gain the advantage on the front lines.

The thousand men led by the Chiyo siblings could be called the elite of the elite. The ratio of Puppeteers to ordinary shinobi among them even reached one to one.

Their battle doctrine was for ordinary shinobi to protect the Puppeteers, allowing the Puppeteers to maximize their output.

A Puppeteer generally had three puppets: one or two for regular use, and one in reserve.

By that calculation, this thousand-man army could even be considered a force of twenty-five hundred.

Konoha Rear Outpost.

"Ha... ah..." The Konoha Chunin on watch let out a long yawn.

"Be careful. Someone might show up," his companion reminded him.

"How could that be?" The Chunin pointed at the sky. "Who would launch a surprise attack in weather like this? With how bright the moon is tonight, we can see clearly for five miles in every direction."

"True, but we should still be careful. Just in case."

"All right."

At his companion's reminder, the Chunin perked up and stared into the distance. But the night was simply too quiet—so quiet that not the slightest sound could be heard.

He gazed into the distance as his thoughts gradually emptied, entering what was commonly known as a daze.

"Pfft." A faint sound came from beside his ear.

He suddenly snapped awake. "What..."

"Crack." A tremendous force twisted his neck until it broke. In his wide, lifeless eyes, the Sand Anbu's footsteps silently faded away, just like the soundless night.

The same scene played out at multiple locations around the Konoha Rear Outpost.

But assassination was time-consuming and exhausting work, and Konoha still discovered what was happening.

"Ah!!!" A shrill scream rang through the night sky.

The alarm bells sounded. Konoha shinobi rose one after another and hurriedly moved to meet the enemy.

But it was too late. The Sand Ninja army had already pushed up to the outskirts of the Konoha Camp.

Mechanisms whirred.

Kunai, Shuriken, Explosive Tags, Fuma Shuriken, poisoned needles, and senbon poured out of all kinds of puppets like a tide. Their overwhelming firepower instantly destroyed the defensive line Konoha had hastily organized.

Screams rang out without end.

At this moment, the Puppeteers' destructive power was displayed to perfection.

Because the Sand Ninja were traveling light, they could not bring their heavy weapons. They had therefore specially produced a batch of Ninja Tool Throwing Puppets to ensure that they still had sufficient firepower.

In a short period, the high-density, high-intensity barrage was like a machine gun making its debut. It rapidly tore through the Konoha position, while the scattered defensive jutsu rising within the Konoha Camp were completely useless.

"Where are Lady Tsunade? Lord Jiraiya? Lord Orochimaru?" a Konoha shinobi asked in panic.

His companions had been wiped out in the blink of an eye. Terrified out of his wits, he was immediately cut down by a rapidly advancing puppet.

"The lords you mentioned were probably wiped out in the first barrage. Hahahahaha!" the Sand Ninja laughed heartily.

"Summoning Jutsu: Toad Flatness Jutsu!"

Before the laughter had even faded, a massive toad fell from the sky. The Sand Ninja's assault immediately stalled as Gamaken swung the steel fork in his hands, repeatedly blocking their attacks.

At the same time, a giant snake and a Katsuyu also appeared in the Sand Ninja formation.

The appearance of three enormous summoned beasts immediately brought the Sand Ninja offensive to a halt.

Normally, enormous summoned beasts were rare treasures. In a large-scale war, they were of immense importance—let alone three appearing on Konoha's side at once.

But the Sand Ninja were no pushovers. Because Shukaku's seal was unstable and he often broke free, the Sand Ninja had accumulated ample experience dealing with enormous creatures.

Three Sealing Squads stepped forward and skillfully entangled the three huge masses of flesh with various ninjutsu and Sealing Jutsu.

Manda and Gamaken were tormented by all kinds of restraining jutsu.

Katsuyu did not wait for the Sand Ninja to restrain her. Seeing the jutsu flying toward her, she shuddered, split apart, and divided into countless smaller Katsuyu. Following Tsunade's orders, they went to search for the wounded.

The sudden appearance of the three enormous summoned beasts rapidly eased Konoha's situation and halted the Sand Ninja's swift assault, giving Konoha a chance to catch its breath.

The Sannin quickly organized a counterattack in the center of the camp.

Heavenly Foot! Monster Strength Fist!

Tsunade cleared out the Sand Ninja near her with three punches and two kicks.

"Activate Battlefield Medical Plan D!"

At Tsunade's command, two squads from the Barrier Team immediately arrived and erected four arched pillars around her.

Battlefield Medical Plan D was a strategy established around Tsunade as its core. It took advantage of Katsuyu's ability to transmit chakra, using Chakra Conduction Amplification Pillars erected around Tsunade.

At the same time, a squad of elite medical ninja would take up position and use a Magic Array to output Medical Chakra, supplying it for Tsunade to use.

A barrier was erected at the rear of the camp, while the Katsuyu each attached themselves to Konoha shinobi.

With the strongest medical ninja in the shinobi world fully unleashing her abilities and transforming into a spring of healing, Konoha's ability to continue fighting increased exponentially.

The Sand Ninja noticed this as well. Although their initial surprise attack had succeeded and killed a large number of Konoha shinobi, after the three enormous summoned beasts appeared, Konoha seemed to have found its backbone. Once the strange Katsuyu attached themselves to them, the Konoha shinobi's will to fight rose rapidly.

The Sand Ninja offensive had now slowed. The Sand Ninja and Konoha faced each other across the center of the Konoha Camp, drawing a clear boundary between the two sides.

"Sister, we can't go on like this. We have to deal with Tsunade first," Ebizo said.

"Mm, I noticed. That powerful chakra reaction in the distance is the reason the Konoha shinobi keep being healed."

"Order the troops to advance toward the center. Eliminate Tsunade first."

"Notify the Rain Ninja. They can make their move."

The Sand Ninja changed formation into an Arrow Formation and charged toward Tsunade at the center of the battlefield.

That was exactly what Orochimaru wanted.

Orochimaru arranged the troops in a Wild Goose Formation, forming a V ahead of them: attacking with both wings while defending the center.

It would come down to whether the Sand Ninja broke through Konoha's center first, or Konoha wiped out the Sand Ninja on both wings first.

In front of the Konoha Camp.

Hanzo's trusted subordinate, Yoshikawa Daichi, asked:

"Lord Hanzō, aren't we going to assist with the attack?"

Hanzō shook his head.

"I understand now. In the eyes of the great nations, the Land of Fire is a threat, but it is also their equal. The Land of Rain is not. That is why they do not wish to see the Land of Rain rise."

"Iwagakure and the Sand Ninja both intend for us to fight Konoha in their place. While treating us as a blade, they also want us to die."

Yoshikawa Daichi was puzzled. "But, my lord, this is the perfect opportunity to eliminate Konoha!"

"No, Yoshikawa, you're mistaken. Konoha's potential is beyond anything we can match. Destroying this army before us will only make Konoha send out more troops."

With a faint sigh, Hanzō planted the blade of his sickle before him. His straight back seemed to hunch slightly at that moment, but the change vanished as quickly as an illusion.

"Let them fight! The Land of Rain has lost. No matter what, I will end the war in the Land of Rain today. From now on, we will only look after ourselves."