The Shocking Senju Clan

The wind howled, sand filled the sky, and the scorching sun seemed determined to roast everyone alive. Yet, facing the intense heat, no one paid it any mind. All eyes were fixed on the faint plumes of dust rising in the distance.

Ninjas moved with extreme speed. Just fifteen minutes after the bugle call ended, all the ninjas, led by their respective captains, had assembled before Steel Rock Valley. The entire formation was filled with a deadly aura!

Seeing that all ninjas had gathered, the commander standing at the front, wearing Konoha combat attire and with snow-white hair—Hatake Sakumo—spoke authoritatively to all the ninjas:

"The area around Steel Rock Valley is all sand, with no suitable strongholds. The nearest one is a full day's journey away. We've held Steel Rock Valley for a while now. The reason we haven't initiated the attack is to let the long-traveling, exhausted enemy come to us. According to intelligence from our scouts, the enemy's numbers are only four-fifths of ours. If we still manage to lose under these conditions, it would be a disgrace to Konoha. Remember this..."

Hatake Sakumo's eyes blazed with a bloodthirsty light as he stared intently at all the Konoha ninjas:

"Anyone who disobeys orders on the battlefield—kill!

Anyone who flees on the battlefield—kill!

I don't want you to die at the hands of the battle police for running away. If you must die, die while charging towards the enemy!"

"Yes!"

The Konoha ninjas roared in unison. It had to be said, Hatake Sakumo's pre-battle speech was incredibly rousing. The blood of every ninja boiled with excitement!

"Nara Chiharu, I'm handing over battlefield command to you!"

Seeing that morale had reached its peak, Hatake Sakumo nodded with satisfaction. He grabbed a middle-aged man with a lazy expression standing beside him:

"Perk up a bit. Your sloppiness will affect your subordinates!"

"Ah~~ Got it, got it!"

Nara Chiharu yawned and stretched his back forcefully. He pushed Hatake Sakumo aside from the main seat. It wasn't that Hatake Sakumo couldn't command, but rather that at this moment, he needed to focus entirely on the enemy's high-level combatants!

One had to understand that at Hatake Sakumo's level, high-level combat power could almost determine the outcome of a battle. If the enemy was allowed to charge into Konoha's ranks and wreak havoc, the consequences would be catastrophic!

Battles changed rapidly. One could never tell when the Sand Ninja's high-level combatants would suddenly charge into the heart of Konoha's formation. If Hatake Sakumo were still commanding the battle at that moment, even a split second spent handing over command could cause immeasurable losses!

Therefore, Hatake Sakumo directly relinquished command. Compared to commanding, intercepting, tying down, or eliminating the enemy's high-level combatants was far more important!

Of course, Nara Chiharu's task was not easy either. Although the use of strategies on the battlefield was greatly reduced in this world due to the existence of ninjas, and other strategies were almost useless beyond a straightforward charge.

However, Nara Chiharu's primary role was to assess the consumption of high-level combat power between the Sand Ninja and Konoha, oversee the overall situation, and continuously signal Konoha's high-level combatants to eliminate or neutralize the Sand Ninja's high-level combatants!

Although this was unfair to the Genin, who suffered the highest casualties, ultimately, achieving victory in the battle depended on the clashes between the Sand Ninja and Konoha Jonin!

"The Sand Ninja have been fortifying their closest stronghold to Steel Rock Valley—Giant Rock Forest. I've deployed a large number of ninjas along the path between the two. I gave them a strict order: don't be afraid of waste. If the Sand Ninja dare to rest along the way, bombard them with Explosive Tags. It seems my preparations were effective. According to reports, after their rest stops midway were interrupted twice, they had no choice but to charge directly at us!"

Nara Chiharu flashed to the command center temporarily set up above the valley and spoke to Yamanaka Shizuma, who was ready to contact every squad leader on the battlefield:

"Get ready, Shizuma. I'm about to issue commands. Your mission today is very important!"

"Don't worry, I'm not as listless as you. Leave the communication to me!"

A special helmet diffusion device was placed on the head of a middle-aged man with a scar across his nose bridge. Yamanaka Shizuma formed the Tiger hand seal, confirmed the connection with all the Jonin and team captains, and then gave Nara Chiharu a thumbs-up.

Seeing that Yamanaka was ready with the signals, Nara Chiharu's eyes fixed on the approaching Sand Ninja and he roared:

"All ninjas, prepare yourselves! After three rounds of ninjutsu attacks, everyone will charge directly. The vanguard will lead, followed closely by the main force. First round of attack, all Earth Release ninjas, Earth Release: Flying Rock Meteor Shower!"

"Earth Release: Flying Rock Meteor Shower!"

Amidst the rising shouts, countless fist-sized stones were spewed out by the Konoha ninjas, forming a dense curtain of stones that hurtled towards the Sand Ninja!

However, although they had traveled a long distance and were somewhat fatigued, the Sand Ninja's physical condition was far superior to ordinary people, and their vigilance had not diminished in the slightest. Seeing the attack from above, the Sand Ninja immediately began to dodge. While some were killed or injured, it was insignificant compared to the total number of attacking Sand Ninja!

"Prepare for the next wave of attacks!"

The situation unfolding ahead did not surprise Nara Chiharu. After all, the first two large-scale ninjutsu attacks were merely harassment tactics:

"Fire Release attack—Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

The Konoha ninjas shouted again. A large number of fireballs were released by the ninjas, trailing long flames, and once again slammed into the Sand Ninja!

"Wind Release: Great Dragon Tornado!"

Seeing the sky full of fireballs, the Sand Ninja did not dodge this time. Instead, they met the ninjutsu head-on. A large number of Sand Ninja unleashed Wind Release, and countless tornadoes of various sizes connected into a single mass, colliding with the incoming fireballs and creating a stalemate!

"Well blocked!"

Nara Chiharu revealed a smile of a plan succeeding:

"Seniors of the Senju Clan, it's your turn! Aim for the Sand Ninja releasing Wind Release, and beat them soundly!"

"Earth Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"

Massive trees made of rock broke through the sandy ground and rose from beneath the feet of the Sand Ninja, like evil man-eating treants, madly devouring the Sand Ninja's lives!

The Earth Release ninjutsu unleashed by just seven elite Jonin of the Senju Clan had completely altered the battlefield terrain, transforming the previously barren desert battlefield, where nearly thirty thousand ninjas were positioned, into a forest of rocks!

The Sand Ninja formation, in particular, bore the brunt of the attack. Giant trees pierced and crushed them. The continuous screams from the connected battlefield were incessant. Although the exact numbers were unknown, Nara Chiharu felt that at least a thousand casualties must have occurred!

Even though he had seen it once before, Nara Chiharu was still deeply shocked by the earth-shattering technique of these seven individuals. The destructive power of the ninjutsu unleashed by all the ninjas in the previous two waves was less than half of the Deep Forest Emergence!

Nara Chiharu slowly turned his head. Before he could even praise these seven elite Jonin, an even more shocking scene unfolded!

These seven Senju Clan members lay sprawled on the ground, their eyes vacant, utterly exhausted like beaten dogs, panting heavily with their tongues hanging out. Nara Chiharu froze for a moment, then let out a earth-shattering roar:

"You seven idiots, who the hell told you to drain all your Chakra!!!"