Waves

If you placed ninjas in another world, what kind of troops would they be equivalent to?

Hyuga Kiyonari believed they would be light infantry.

Camouflage, infiltration, reconnaissance, assassination... powerful individual firepower and low defense, exceptional three-dimensional mobility, the ability to travel long distances at a sprint, and legs faster than horses... They were practically perfect light infantry.

As it happened, Hyuga Kiyonari also knew just a little about light infantry tactics.

So Tsunade told them, "Next, I'll break you up completely and reorganize you into squads of three or four."

"In each squad, one person will be responsible for attacking. They'll need strong frontal combat ability, like a ninja from the Uchiha Clan."

"One person will be responsible for covering the attack. They'll need some reconnaissance and combat ability, like someone from the Hyuga, Inuzuka, or Aburame clans."

"The remaining person will provide support. They'll need to be adaptable and make timely decisions based on the situation when an attack falters. At the same time... they'll also need to know basic medical care and be responsible for supplying the squad."

"If a squad lacks sufficient frontal combat ability, we'll add a fourth member. That will give us a combat unit capable of operating independently."

As soon as she said this, a stir spread through the previously quiet ranks.

Some of the ninjas looked surprised and confused. Breaking them up and reorganizing the teams meant they'd have to fight alongside people they didn't know. With a battle about to begin, was this really the right time to make such a decision?

Tsunade raised both hands and pressed them downward, signaling for them to quiet down. "I'm the commander of this force. You only need to carry out my orders. I'll take full responsibility!"

Then she continued explaining the tactical structure.

"Above that, every three squads will form a company. The roles in each squad will remain unchanged: one squad attacks, one covers, and another provides support. Each company will have a sufficiently experienced company commander, and that role will be filled by a jonin."

"Above that, three companies will form a battalion. Three battalions can then form a small combat group, and we'll continue in the same way from there. I'll relay orders and missions for operations involving anything larger than a battalion through the Yamanaka Clan's secret technique."

"This way, each squad can fight independently while remaining ready to support the others at any moment, forming a closely connected, coordinated whole."

This tactic was called Human Wave Tactics.

It had gradually developed as a way to avoid the enemy's firepower advantage, and its core principle was dispersion.

By spreading out the force, from small three-person combat teams to large combat groups, they could extend their fighting formation across both the width of the front and the depth of their reserves.

To the enemy, it would feel as though there were people everywhere, with fire coming from every direction.

They'd just take cover on one side, and someone would open fire from the other. Take out one position, and another group would arrive. The enemy would keep getting closer, and their numbers would keep growing. Like waves, they would bear down on the enemy with an intense sense of pressure.

So, when the enemy didn't understand the tactic, they would hastily label it a human wave attack.

In reality, it should advance in successive layers like waves, rising and falling, with each wave higher than the last.

When this tactic was brought to the Shinobi World, they were surprised to discover... Damn, it fit so perfectly it was practically made for them!

In fact, thanks to the unique nature of ninjas, once the formation was spread out, a battalion of just 27 people could control a front two thousand meters wide.

What's more, this tactic wasn't entirely unfamiliar to ninjas.

Take Kakashi Hatake's team, for example. In that squad, Kakashi's Chidori had tremendous thrusting speed, so he often took the lead in attacks. Obito Uchiha's Great Fireball Technique covered a wide area and was usually used to cover Kakashi's advance, while Rin Nohara, who knew Medical Ninjutsu, provided support.

But they had gone too deep during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge and ended up fighting alone, unable to coordinate with other teams. Their only reinforcements, Namikaze Minato, was also an extremely busy man.

Or take Naruto Uzumaki's Team 7. Sasuke Uchiha had mostly learned lethal techniques, so he served as the attacker. Naruto Uzumaki often took on the covering role, using the Multi Shadow Clone Technique and the Transformation Technique to create openings for Sasuke, while Sakura Haruno provided support.

But the attacker and cover roles weren't fixed. During Team 7's final battle against Kaguya Otsutsuki, Sasuke had also used Amaterasu to cover Naruto's movements.

In general, these three roles boiled down to this: attacking meant taking the objective; covering meant creating the conditions for success; and support meant preparing for unexpected developments. Attacking and covering were like a pair of legs: they had to move in turn to carry the whole forward.

Aside from Team 7 and Ino-Shika-Cho, the other Genin teams, such as Team 3 led by Might Guy and Team 8 led by Kurenai Yuhi, were mostly specialized in only one area.

If these two teams lost their jonin leader, they couldn't operate independently. They could only coordinate with other teams and take on similar responsibilities within a larger force.

They were similar, but not the same. That was why Hyuga Kiyonari had said this force could, to some extent, take the place of Genin teams.

The theory was excellent, but someone still couldn't help stepping forward.

"Lady Tsunade!"

A middle-aged ninja dressed in the Nara Clan's uniform spoke up. "Are you going to break up Ino-Shika-Cho too, and distribute us among different squads?"

"Exactly," another ninja from the Yamanaka Clan chimed in. "Ino-Shika-Cho have trained together since childhood, and our clan techniques work together. If we're split up, our combat effectiveness will actually drop considerably!"

"And the Uchiha, too!" a hotheaded young Uchiha ninja shouted. "We have special tactics designed around the Sharingan. How could we possibly get the same results with other people?"

More and more people voiced their objections.

Their arguments were perfectly reasonable. The rapport they had built over years couldn't be established overnight. Breaking them up without warning could lead to coordination failures—and on the battlefield, those could be fatal.

Tsunade stood silently as the commotion below grew louder and louder.

Her face showed no emotion as she watched it all calmly, the setting sun behind her like a blazing flame.

Shisui Uchiha stood to one side, his pen falling still. His scarlet Sharingan instantly locked onto the Uchiha ninja who had just spoken.

Just as he was considering what to do, Tsunade moved.

She didn't say a word. Her arms remained crossed over her chest, and she simply raised one finger slightly.

"Boom!"

A tremendous burst of chakra erupted. The rock beneath her feet instantly filled with cracks, and countless fragments flew in every direction.

All the voices fell silent.

"Listen up."

Tsunade's voice became the only one permitted to break the silence.

"I'm not discussing this with you. I'm giving you an order!"

"You want to know whether Ino-Shika-Cho will be broken up? I'll tell you right now: if necessary, Ino-Shika-Cho will be broken up too! No one here is special, and no one gets special treatment!"