Killer B Makes His Move

On the chaotic battlefield, the Kumogakure Ninja were being soundly thrashed.

Whenever they hesitated, they would find themselves forced into the same hiding spots as their comrades due to the constraints of the terrain.

With more than fifteen Kumogakure Ninja huddled together, they immediately drew the attention of Yamanaka Chujiu, prompting a barrage of long-range Fire Style and Wind Style ninjutsu to descend upon them.

If the Kumogakure Ninja fought bravely and pushed forward, they would find themselves charging into a three-sided encirclement, suffering attacks from every direction.

It is said that the hero of the Sand Village, Pakura, a ninja of Kage-level fame, met her end when she was ambushed from three sides and struck down by shuriken in her back.

If even a Kage-level ninja could die, what hope was there for mere Jonin?

The Konoha Ninja didn't even need to use ninjutsu; simply throwing shuriken, kunai, and explosive tags was enough to leave the Kumogakure Jonin with no place to bury their bodies.

Yamanaka Chujiu stared at the battlefield with intense focus, issuing orders from time to time to adjust the formation of the Konoha army.

Suddenly, he sensed three Kumogakure squads on the left bypassing the main battlefield, approaching the Konoha defensive line from the flank.

He immediately issued instructions, his tone carrying not only the authority of Orochimaru but also the certainty of someone whose confidence had skyrocketed after a string of successes.

"Order the Lightning Style squad to move out! Target the ambush point at Left 30, Vertical 42, and prepare Lightning Style: Earth Flash!"

"Additional order: withdraw immediately after stopping the enemy's flanking maneuver. Pursuit and prolonged engagement are strictly prohibited."

"Understood!"

This specially selected Lightning Style squad consisted of three Jonin, all skilled in Lightning Style techniques that stimulated their bodies for high-speed mobility.

Upon receiving the orders, the Lightning Style Jonin immediately departed from the camp, rushing to the designated ambush site at top speed. They hid behind rocks, gathering Lightning Style chakra as they waited silently for the enemy to arrive.

This was already their fifth sortie, and Yamanaka Chujiu's commands had already become a matter of habit for them.

Everyone firmly believed that "Lord Orochimaru's" command was precise; as long as they followed orders faithfully, they would certainly seize the initiative in battle.

The ninja profession is defined by high attack and high destruction, yet pitifully low defense; victory, defeat, and life or death are decided in an instant.

For Konoha Jonin, who had no obvious weaknesses, seizing the initiative was equivalent to locking in victory ahead of time.

Sure enough, the moment the three Jonin finished preparing their Lightning Style ninjutsu, nine Kumogakure Ninja appeared in their field of vision.

They were divided into three squads, advancing in a triangular formation.

The instant they entered the firing range of the three Konoha Jonin, they were struck by three Lightning Style techniques, and five of them were hit instantly.

Three dead, two severely wounded!

The Kumogakure Ninja who managed to dodge the attack were also Jonin; they instantly performed the Clone Technique and Substitution Technique to evade follow-up attacks and disrupt the Konoha Ninja's line of sight.

The four Kumogakure Jonin went through a flurry of desperate maneuvers, only to find themselves panting and exhausted, realizing that the Konoha Ninja had already retreated.

Faced with such a bizarre situation, the Kumogakure Ninja did not relax; instead, they became even more nervous.

After a brief consultation, they abandoned their mission and retreated in a panic, carrying their two severely wounded comrades.

The Konoha Jonin of the Lightning Style squad couldn't help but laugh as they returned to camp: "That felt great!"

One ninja with a massive scar on his face remarked with emotion: "In the past two years, I've only killed one Kumogakure Jonin, and I nearly lost my own life doing it."

He touched the scar on his face and continued triumphantly: "In the last half hour, I've gone out five times and taken out five Kumogakure Jonin without suffering a single scratch!"

Another young Konoha Jonin laughed: "You at least killed one; my record for the past two years is zero."

The last Konoha Jonin, a rare middle-aged man with a face full of weariness, sighed.

He remarked: "Lord Orochimaru's command is even more formidable. Perhaps this old man will be able to return home alive after all."

The advance of the Kumogakure army was exceptionally difficult, and the grassroots ninja squads were even more passive, beaten until their scalps went numb, with many falling forever.

Killer B was in a foul mood, unable to rap a single line: "What on earth is happening?"

"Why has Konoha suddenly become so difficult to deal with?"

Just then, a Kumogakure Ninja from the Intelligence Department brought back a Konoha Genin.

The spy spoke up: "Orochimaru has arrived at the front lines. He has taken over command and is directing the Konoha army directly."

"I am a ninja from the Kumogakure Intelligence Department, ordered to infiltrate Konoha fifteen years ago. My identity verification code is BERCOM-1147-26!"

Killer B waved his hand to have him taken away; there would naturally be people to verify his identity.

Once the man had left, Killer B forced a smile: "Haha, I knew it. There really was a special change."

"My brother and I have never fought Orochimaru before, but I never expected him to be this formidable!"

The advisor Samos asked: "Lord Killer B, do you trust the intelligence from that spy?"

Killer B laughed loudly: "Trust it? Of course I trust it!"

"The tactics of the Konoha Ninja are so complex that I can't even begin to understand them, yet they can make thousands of ninja willingly risk their lives to execute them. Can you imagine what kind of terrifying prestige that requires?"

"Besides Orochimaru, is there anyone else in Konoha with such influence?"

Samos hadn't expected Killer B's judgment to be based not on tactical style, but on the execution of the Konoha Ninja.

But he had to admit, such a judgment was far more convincing.

Tactics can be relayed, discussed, or even controlled remotely, but making grassroots ninja obey orders and gamble with their own lives can only rely on the personal prestige of the commander.

Don't talk to me about strict military law; it works fine for a handful of ninjas, but using it to coerce hundreds of them is a massive risk.

To make thousands of ninjas bow their heads and execute tactics they clearly don't understand would only trigger a mutiny.

The ninja world is a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, a world where you fight for your life with real blades and hard ninjutsu!

It is not some godforsaken romance novel!

Samos was convinced, and he continued to ask, "Lord Killer B, should we withdraw our troops now?"

Killer B laughed heartily, even breaking into a cheerful rap: "Yo, yo! Can't retreat, can't retreat!"

"If we can't beat them now, we'll be even worse off next time!"

"We don't understand their tactics, and Konoha isn't familiar with them yet; if we wait until they are, we're all finished!"

"Ahem, look, we've encountered a strong enemy, so it's time for me and Gyuki to step onto the field!"

Samos was shocked and shouted without a second thought, "No!"

Killer B pushed his sunglasses up, revealing his fierce little eyes: "Why not?"

"Big Brother said I can only enter the fray directly in the most critical of moments."

"Is this, or is it not, a critical moment?"

Samos stammered, "Ah... it seems... it is?"

Killer B pulled his sunglasses back down and declared triumphantly, "What do you mean 'seems'? It clearly is!"

"Don't stand there blocking me and hindering my defeat of the Konoha ninjas!"

After shooing the surrounding Kumogakure Ninja dozens of meters away, Killer B shouted triumphantly, "Gyuki, it's our turn to take the stage!"

The deep, muffled voice of Eight-Tails Gyuki echoed from within Killer B: "Good, let's have a slaughter!"