Yamanaka Chujiu offered no explanation. He merely narrowed his eyes slightly and released the exclusive killing intent of Lord Orochimaru, stored inside the Great Snake Skin.
The killing intent, nearly solid enough to take shape, instantly cowed the Konoha Ninja.
The doubts in their hearts faded away.
That killing intent, that bloodlust, and that damn familiar scorn based on superior intelligence...
Tsk, there was no mistaking it. It was Lord Orochimaru!
Lord Orochimaru was so brilliant, and we're just a bunch of idiot ninjas. We shouldn't make wild guesses. We should just follow orders like good little soldiers!
No one had any more doubts. All the Konoha Ninja quickly relayed the orders.
The Konoha Ninja delivering the orders had seen Lord Orochimaru with their own eyes and personally felt the scorn of his superior intellect, so they had set aside their doubts about how unreasonable the orders seemed. But the Konoha Ninja on the front lines couldn't do that.
They hadn't seen "Orochimaru" with their own eyes, so they couldn't help doubting the strange orders they received.
Chunin squad leader: "(⊙o⊙) What? (⊙o⊙) What! What the hell is all this nonsense!?"
Messenger: "This is Lord Orochimaru's order. Attack the Kumogakure Ninja squad to the front left, then withdraw to the woods on the left side of camp and wait for new orders..."
Chunin squad leader: "This is Lord Orochimaru's order?"
Messenger: "That's right!"
Chunin squad leader: "Isn't this the sort of order I'm supposed to give as a squad leader?"
Messenger: "Are you questioning Lord Orochimaru?"
Chunin squad leader: "I'm not questioning Lord Orochimaru. I'm questioning you, damn it!"
The messenger hurriedly pulled out a whole pile of proof. "The cipher, the seal, the paper—are there any problems?"
Chunin squad leader: "No, the cipher's fine, and the seal's fine too..."
Messenger: "If there's no problem, then carry out Lord Orochimaru's order. Otherwise, I'll execute you for insubordination!"
Chunin squad leader: "Yes, I'll carry out Lord Orochimaru's order without fail!"
The Konoha squad leaders were full of doubts, but military orders were absolute and could not be disobeyed.
Besides, everyone trusted Orochimaru. This lord had led Konoha's army to victory in so many battles. If an order seemed unreasonable, it must be because we're too stupid to understand his profound thinking.
The Konoha Ninja grumbled inwardly but dutifully carried out their orders, producing a result that stunned everyone.
From a bird's-eye view, Konoha sent groups of three to five squads to launch ninjutsu attacks on each Kumogakure Ninja squad, depending on the enemy squad's strength.
The overwhelming ninjutsu attacks left no room for the ninjas to dodge.
When fragile human bodies faced powerful ninjutsu, it made no difference whether they belonged to mighty Jonin or frail Genin.
The Kumogakure Ninja died without a sound, their entire squads wiped out at once, their bodies torn apart and burned.
Yamanaka Chujiu's tactical goal was clear: it was better to sever one finger than injure all ten.
Using a barrage of attacks beyond what ninjas could withstand, he inflicted mass casualties in an instant and shook the morale of the Kumogakure Ninja.
As many as six thousand Kirigakure Ninja were concentrated at the front. Their personalities varied enormously.
But faced with hundreds of deaths unfolding at once, whether they were decisive or reckless, cautious or composed, they were all plunged into overwhelming shock.
That was the shared emotion Yamanaka Chujiu needed.
He could use thousands of thought-threads to ensnare thousands of Kumogakure Ninja, but he couldn't divide his attention thousands of ways and apply a different suggestion to each one.
He couldn't even focus on three things at once!
Only if thousands of Kumogakure Ninja shared the same emotion could Yamanaka Chujiu use the same method to guide his thought-threads into their minds.
He quietly amplified the Kumogakure Ninja's shock, making it last as long as possible.
It was an abnormality that looked entirely normal. At least, no one would notice it now.
Because everyone feels the same way I do!
The Konoha Ninja were stunned by their own results, but Yamanaka Chujiu's next move followed right after. He did the opposite, breaking their shock and stirring up their awe of Lord Orochimaru.
The Konoha Ninja felt their hearts inexplicably tighten as they remembered Lord Orochimaru's orders.
No one dared to slack off. They immediately followed their orders and withdrew in formation by squad.
The withdrawal of several hundred meters was completed in an instant. The 4,500 Konoha Ninja had escaped the fighting and formed an even more complete defensive line.
Next, a second wave of orders reached every squad.
After one battle, Yamanaka Chujiu had gained a rough understanding of the characteristics of more than a thousand Konoha squads. Some carried out orders without hesitation, some hesitated until the very last moment, and some acted with impatience.
There were even squads so flustered they stumbled over themselves. They were obviously just cannon fodder, led by a newly promoted Chunin and staffed with inexperienced Genin.
The squads that had performed brilliantly were all veterans who had fought through years of the Third Shinobi World War. Their combat strength, experience, and resilience were outstanding.
Next came the Root members who hadn't been turned into living puppets. They were powerful, fearless of death, and unwavering in their obedience.
Their lack of flexibility became their greatest strength under the command of micro-management master Yamanaka Chujiu.
Only after the Konoha Ninja broke away from the fighting did the Kumogakure Ninja gradually react.
"The Konoha Ninja have retreated!"
"After them! Don't let them get away!"
"We can't chase them!"
"That attack just now was too strange. Something must have changed on Konoha's side!"
"We can't wipe out the Konoha army here. Even with eight thousand Kumogakure troops—or twenty thousand ninjas—we couldn't destroy them across the vast Land of Fire!"
"The Konoha Ninja are acting strangely. How do you know there isn't a trap ahead?"
"It's precisely because they're acting strangely that they must be running away!"
Both sides had a point, and neither could convince the other. The Kumogakure Ninja fell into chaos.
The confusion in their ranks only ended when Killer B, the commander of the Kumogakure army's front line, arrived and directly ordered them to pursue.
Front-line advisor Samos asked in confusion, "Lord Killer B, how did you decide we should attack?"
Killer B excitedly broke into song. "Yo, yo, I don't know if it's right or wrong, but I know hesitation~~ is the worst. Not deciding is the worst decision!"
By all appearances, Killer B's decision was undoubtedly the right one.
But war had no rules or common sense. When one side had a cheat code, the right decision could become a foolish decision that walked straight into a trap.
From his command post at the Konoha camp, Yamanaka Chujiu clearly sensed the movements of every Kumogakure squad and felt the disorderly chaos among them.
He promptly issued a series of targeted orders, adjusting the Konoha Ninja's newly formed defensive line to counter the formation of the advancing Kumogakure army.
The Kumogakure army didn't run into a brick wall. It ran into a giant net.
The ninja squads were like hooks, weaving a grid as they advanced and withdrew together.
Under Yamanaka Chujiu's real-time command, the net formed by the Konoha army was supple as silk. It clung to the Kumogakure army like a bloodsucking leech—the more they struggled, the tighter it squeezed.
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