Tactics

The course of a battle depended on more than combat strength.

The balance between friend and foe, strategic deployments, morale and the hearts of the people... Too many factors could interfere with a ninja's decisions, and the complexity of a chaotic system was impossible to explain in a sentence or two.

Just like the annihilation battle unfolding now.

In terms of combat ability, this carefully selected group of Sand Ninja was in no way inferior to the Konoha side.

But Nara Motonari's layered plans had cost them dearly, and their position deep behind enemy lines meant they couldn't dig in and wait for reinforcements once the fighting began.

With all these disadvantages piling up, even though the Sand Ninja still had the strength to fight back, they had immediately abandoned Rock-Pipit City, whose rugged terrain could have allowed them to maneuver. Every last one of them had chosen to retreat...

What's more, although the temporary two-man pursuit team of Yamada Soji and Akimichi Todo might not be able to defeat their quarry in a head-on fight, the Land of Wind ninja running ahead feared they could be surrounded at any moment. They never dared to stop and deal with the two boys hot on their heels!

One side was wary of what it stood to lose; the other had nothing to fear.

This difference in their state of mind gave Soji room to test the waters. The boy patted his teammate on the shoulder and signaled to the chubby boy beside him.

Todo didn't hesitate. He nodded at once.

Their eyes met, then they immediately split up, one heading east and the other west, beginning the first stage of their probing attack.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

After crossing Rock-Pipit City's ruined walls, Soji and Todo took advantage of the brief stretch before they reached the forest. From the stony riverbank, they launched a barrage at the Sand Ninja with the ochre headband.

For ordinary ninja who couldn't pilot giant mechs, this was an extremely common way to open a fight.

The one drawback was that, as Genin who weren't especially skilled with ninja tools, the Shuriken and Kunai thrown by the boy and the chubby kid clearly couldn't match the Uchiha's flashy, multi-stage attacks.

In fact, if they hadn't had the advantage of attacking the Sand Ninja Head-Wrapped Man from behind, making it difficult for him to dodge, they probably wouldn't even have been able to limit his movements!

However, after seeing their teacher Motochika kill six enemies with a single move, the Head-Wrapped Man—now the one being pursued—was at a psychological disadvantage. He simply couldn't face the projectiles hurtling toward him with a clear head!

His tangled thoughts disrupted the precise judgment he normally relied on.

And his unfavorable position, with his back to his pursuers, greatly reduced his ability to dodge.

The Head-Wrapped Man still couldn't figure out what Nara Motonari had done earlier. So when faced once more with a Shuriken attack that was nothing special, the fleeing Sand Ninja instinctively abandoned the idea of drawing his blade to intercept the projectiles in midair. Instead, he made avoiding direct contact his top priority.

That left the Head-Wrapped Man with no choice but to make a major change to his route.

He gave up on heading toward the rocky hills to the north and instead raced south along the banks of the Amber River, darting into the lush forest.

From an all-seeing perspective, this strategy of avoiding risks when on the back foot was certainly not a mistake.

Unfortunately for him, he had run into Yamada-kun, who relied more on his wits than his hands. The Head-Wrapped Man's caution had instead become something Soji could exploit!

Taking advantage of his opponent's reluctance to fight, the boy formed the "Goat" hand seal as the Head-Wrapped Man twisted around to dodge, then held out his right hand and curled his fingers as if pulling on something...

In an instant, the Shuriken his opponent had already evaded reversed course under the influence of Accio. It curved around from behind the Head-Wrapped Man and hurtled straight toward his thigh!

...This sudden attack once again disrupted the Sand Ninja's rhythm.

Afraid that an injured leg would cost him the mobility he desperately needed in this thrilling chase, the Head-Wrapped Man had no choice but to flail an arm up in haste, trying to block the surprise attack with the metal plates on the back of his glove.

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

The sharp Shuriken pierced through his gear, but ultimately failed to inflict any real damage.

Using his mastery of Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation, the Sand Ninja Head-Wrapped Man hardened the skin on the back of his hand, turning all of Soji's careful setup into a wasted effort...

Yet the brief turn of events didn't discourage the boy. Instead, it strengthened Yamada-kun's resolve to keep pursuing him!

...Soji had always been clear-eyed about his own abilities. From the start, he had prepared himself for the possibility that his enemy would be stronger.

He knew that without the advantage of striking first, he had no chance of taking down his opponent efficiently in a high-speed battle of movement, the way he had dealt with the Waterfall Ninja earlier.

From that perspective, although his little trick of reversing the Shuriken hadn't worked, the exchange had revealed some of the Head-Wrapped Man's abilities as an Earth Release user.

—Soji could live with this outcome. It was better than having a life-saving blow blocked by this sort of "Stone Skin Technique" at the decisive moment!

Besides, the boy and his companions were up against Sand Ninja from the Land of Wind...

Ever since the Second Kazekage, Shamon, brought Magnet Release into the history books, the kekkei genkai had nearly become the Land of Wind's signature technique in the hands of the current ruler, the Third Kazekage.

From the Head-Wrapped Man's perspective, Soji's trick of controlling Shuriken from a distance could easily make him imagine that it had something to do with Magnet Release, deepening his wariness!

After all, the real Iron Sand World Method was a terrifying ninjutsu capable of both attack and defense...

If the Head-Wrapped Man made that connection, he would inevitably devote some of his attention in the fight to avoiding the danger of close combat.

But in truth, the combat system Soji had built around Accio and the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release were completely different in style.

That mistaken assumption had already planted the seeds of this battle's outcome...

Besides, Soji wasn't the only one taking part in the pursuit.

Even setting aside all the advantages mentioned above, Accio's debut had at least served to draw the enemy's attention.

Once the Head-Wrapped Man shifted most of his attention to Soji, he was creating an opening for Akimichi Todo on the other side!

—Unlike Soji, whose abilities were severely lopsided, Todo was an excellent graduate of the Ninja Academy. In every basic attribute, he was outstanding among his peers!

The fully focused chubby boy didn't let the opening his teammate had created go to waste.

While the Sand Ninja was twisting around and struggling to dodge, the chubby boy quickly marshaled the chakra inside him. His once round, plump body rapidly began to swell!

As chakra surged out in a whirlwind, Todo's hair quickly grew longer and covered his entire body.

His body curled into a ball and spun rapidly along the ground. Then he bounced into the air and slammed into the Sand Ninja above, his round form hurtling forward at astonishing speed!

...With the "Meat Tank" already in motion, the Head-Wrapped Man, who had just escaped one crisis, suddenly found himself facing another deadly predicament.

Judging by the furrow it had carved into the ground, the Sand Ninja knew this kind of terrifying physical force couldn't be stopped by hardening himself with Earth Release.

What's more, Soji, watching like a hawk, had already thrown another Kunai, making it clear that he intended to support Todo's attack with the same technique that looked so much like Magnet Release.

Seeing how few escape routes remained...

The Head-Wrapped Man steeled himself and spread his arms, charging straight into the Meat Tank head-on. It looked as though he intended to stop it with his bare hands.

But at the moment of impact, a cloud of smoke suddenly burst around the Sand Ninja. In the next instant, he had turned into a tactical vest that was nearly shredded to pieces...

Substitution Technique!