Tactics

The course of a battle depends on more than just raw combat power.

The situation between enemies, strategic deployment, morale, and the human heart... too many factors can interfere with a ninja's decision-making, and the complexity of such a chaotic system cannot be clarified in a few words.

Just like this annihilation battle currently unfolding.

In terms of practical combat skill, the group of ninjas carefully selected by the Sand Ninja is by no means inferior to the Konoha side.

However, the layers of schemes laid by Nara Motonari have caused them to suffer heavy losses, and their deep position behind enemy lines dictates that they cannot adopt a strategy of holding their ground to wait for reinforcements once the fighting begins.

Consequently, under the weight of multiple unfavorable factors, even though the Sand Ninja still possess the capital to fight to the death, they chose to abandon Rock-Pipit City—a location with complex terrain suitable for maneuvering—the moment the battle started, and everyone chose to retreat...

Furthermore, although the temporary two-man pursuit team composed of Yamada Soji and Akimichi Todo might not be able to take down their target in a head-on clash, the Sand Ninja from the Land of Wind, fearing the hidden danger of being surrounded at any moment, dare not stop their pace to deal with the two youths who are relentlessly chasing them!

One side is cautious for fear of collateral damage, while the other is emboldened by their own schemes.

This difference in subjective sentiment gives Soshi room for probing maneuvers. The youth pats his teammate on the shoulder and signals a tactical gesture to the little chubby boy beside him.

Seeing this, Todo nods in immediate response without hesitation.

The two exchange glances, then immediately distance themselves to the east and west, beginning the first phase of probing attacks.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Crossing the dilapidated walls of Rock-Pipit City, Soshi and Todo take advantage of the brief gap before entering the jungle to launch projectile attacks on the Sand Ninja with the tan-colored headband on the rocky riverbank.

For ordinary ninjas who cannot pilot giant mechs, this is an extremely common way to initiate combat.

The only drawback is that as Genin not particularly known for their mastery of ninja tools, it is impossible for the youth and the little chubby boy to execute the flashy, multi-stage attacks characteristic of the Uchiha.

In fact, if they hadn't taken advantage of the fact that the headband-wearing Sand Ninja was facing away and thus had difficulty dodging, they probably wouldn't even have been able to restrict his movement!

However, relying on the terrifying record of Nara Motonari, who had previously killed six enemies in a single move, the headband-wearing man—who is at a psychological disadvantage as the one being pursued—cannot face the incoming projectiles with a calm mind!

Complex thoughts disrupt his usual precise judgment.

The disadvantageous posture of facing the enemy with his back turned significantly weakens his evasion attributes.

The headband-wearing man still cannot fathom what method Nara Motonari used earlier, so when faced with shuriken attacks that are not particularly impressive in their trajectory, the fleeing Sand Ninja instinctively abandons the idea of drawing his blade for a mid-air interception, prioritizing the reduction of direct contact as his primary principle.

Thus, the headband-wearing man is forced to drastically adjust his route.

He abandons the idea of moving toward the northern rocky mountains and instead turns south along the Amber River, darting into the lush, dense forest.

Analyzing from a god's-eye view, this strategy of avoiding risk as much as possible in an unfavorable situation is certainly not wrong.

Unfortunately, having encountered Yamada-kun, who prefers using his brain over his brawn, the headband-wearing man's caution becomes something Soshi can exploit!

The youth seizes upon the opponent's passive mentality, forms the "Ram" hand seal during the moment the headband-wearing man twists to dodge, and then holds his right palm flat, curling his fingers in a pulling motion...

In an instant, the shuriken that had already been dodged by the opponent reverses course under the influence of the Accio spell, circling around from the headband-wearing man's rear flank and diving straight for his thigh!

...This surprise attack disrupts the Sand Ninja's combat rhythm once again.

To avoid a leg injury that would result in the loss of crucial mobility in this thrilling chase, the headband-wearing man has no choice but to swing his arm and raise his hand, attempting to block the surprise attack with the thin metal plate embedded in the back of his glove.

--In the blink of an eye, the two collide head-on.

Although the sharp shuriken successfully pierces the equipment, it ultimately fails to deal effective damage.

Relying on his skilled manipulation of earth-style chakra nature transformation, the headband-wearing Sand Ninja reinforces the skin on the back of his hand, rendering Soshi's previous series of setups futile...

However, the change in the blink of an eye does not discourage the youth; instead, it increases Yamada-kun's confidence in continuing the pursuit!

...Soshi, who has always had a clear understanding of his own abilities, prepared himself for the reality of the enemy being stronger than him from the very beginning.

He knows very well that once he loses the advantage of a sneak attack, he cannot possibly kill efficiently in a high-speed mobile battle as he did when dealing with the Waterfall Ninja.

From this perspective, although the little trick of manipulating the shuriken did not succeed, it exposed some of the headband-wearing man's abilities as an Earth Release user through the details of their exchange.

--Compared to being blocked by a "Stone Skin" type technique at the critical moment of deciding the battle, Soshi can fully accept the current situation!

What's more, the youth and his teammate are facing a Sand Ninja from the Land of Wind...

Ever since the Second Kazekage, Shamon, brought the Magnet Release bloodline onto the historical stage, this technique has become almost a symbol of the Land of Wind under the current Third Kazekage.

From the opponent's perspective, Soshi's method of manipulating shuriken from a distance could very well lead the headband-wearing man to speculate about Magnet Release, further intensifying his inner apprehension!

One must know that the true "Iron Sand World Method" is a terrifying ninjutsu that combines both offense and defense...

As long as the headband-wearing man makes this association, he will inevitably divert a portion of his focus during subsequent exchanges to avoid putting himself in the danger of close-quarters combat.

But in reality, the combat system Soshi has built upon the Accio spell is a completely different style from the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release.

This cognitive error has already invisibly laid the groundwork for the outcome of this battle...

Furthermore, Soshi is not the only one participating in this pursuit.

Even excluding all the favorable factors mentioned above, the debut of the Accio spell has at least served the purpose of attracting attention.

When the headband-wearing man shifts most of his attention to Soshi himself, it effectively creates a favorable condition for Akimichi Todo on the other side!

--Compared to Soshi, an outlier with severely lopsided skills, Todo is an excellent graduate of the Ninja Academy, and his basic attributes are absolutely outstanding among his peers!

The fully focused little chubby boy does not miss the opportunity created by his teammate.

Taking advantage of the Sand Ninja's awkward posture while twisting to dodge, the little chubby boy rapidly mobilizes the chakra within his body, and his originally round and plump physique expands rapidly in the process!

Accompanied by a gushing vortex of chakra, Todo's hair grows rapidly and covers his entire body.

The entire body, curled into a spherical shape, spun rapidly and raced across the ground, finally launching itself into the air to slam into the Sand Ninja hovering above!

...Seeing that the Meat Tank had been unleashed, the turban-wearing man who had just narrowly escaped death found himself facing a fatal predicament once again in the blink of an eye.

Judging by the furrowed trail plowed into the ground, the Sand Ninja was certain that such terrifying physical destructive power could absolutely not be withstood by relying on Earth Style chakra transformation alone.

What's more, Soji, who had been watching like a tiger eyeing its prey, had already fired another kunai, clearly intending to provide support for the main attacker, Todo, using that same technique that resembled Magnet Release.

Seeing that the options available for escape were already extremely limited...

The turban-wearing man hardened his resolve and actually spread his arms wide, charging head-on toward the incoming Meat Tank, appearing as if he intended to subdue his enemy with his bare hands.

Who would have guessed that the moment the two made contact, a puff of smoke suddenly rose from the Sand Ninja's body, which then instantly transformed into a tactical vest that was nearly shredded to pieces...

Body Replacement Technique!