Yamanaka Chujiu had agreed to meet Orochimaru in ten days. Now it was already the fourth day.
He silently calculated their pace, then factored in the time they'd lose to delaying tactics along the way. He concluded they would retreat to Sakura Plains on the ninth day.
Yamanaka Chujiu made up his mind and ordered the Konoha jonin, "Pick up the pace!"
"We won't fight the enemy for a momentary victory. We'll trade space for time and wait for their strength to wane until they can be beaten. Then we'll decide the battle!"
The Konoha jonin answered in unison, "Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"
For the next five days, neither side fought any major battles.
The Konoha army seemed to have eyes everywhere, always retreating one step ahead of the Kumogakure army. The enemy could see traces of them, but couldn't catch so much as a hair.
The Kumogakure army immediately gave chase at full speed, while also sending troops to flank them in a wide encircling maneuver.
But the Fourth Raikage's theory about a super-secret reconnaissance technique was true. Whenever Kumogakure Ninja sped up and broke away from the main force, they were inevitably ambushed with pinpoint accuracy by Konoha Ninja.
The Konoha Ninja were like ghosts, hidden in corners the Kumogakure Ninja overlooked, launching unexpected attacks.
Sometimes a jonin squad would strike, specifically burning the food and ninja tools they carried.
Sometimes a Genjutsu Squad would set up an illusion in advance, disrupting their judgment and killing the jonin leading them.
Sometimes dozens of Konoha squads would join forces, surrounding and wiping out Kumogakure Ninja on the march.
Every time the Konoha Ninja acted, their jutsu, numbers, and equipment were precisely tailored to counter the enemy, giving them the greatest possible advantage.
The horrific casualties and their score of zero drove the Fourth Raikage into a furious rage. At the same time, he couldn't help feeling a chill and obediently kept the Kumogakure army together, trying to move as quickly as possible without taking unnecessary risks.
On the ninth day, a short ambush broke out on the road a hundred miles from Sakura Plains.
Three Konoha squads had hidden underground on either side of the road. They waited for two full days before the Kumogakure army's supply unit finally arrived.
The Konoha Ninja didn't kill a single person in the ambush. They used Fire Style to set the supply carts ablaze, then retreated as fast as they could.
"Damn it! These Konoha Ninja are like rats, skulking around and hiding everywhere. They're infuriating!"
A Kumogakure jonin who'd rushed to help stared at the burned supply carts, trembling with rage.
One of his Chunin frowned. "Captain, our supply lines keep getting longer. Konoha Ninja have attacked us all along the route, which stretches for more than five hundred kilometers."
"If this keeps up, our food and ninja tools won't last until we reach Konoha."
This was already the fifth rescue mission they'd carried out that day. The number of attacks along the supply line was staggering.
Word was that the Kumogakure army had already lost two-thirds of its supplies.
Forget precious goods like Explosive Tags, Shuriken, Kunai, and medicine. They didn't even have enough rice to feed the entire army.
The higher-ups called it a rumor, but the fact that Genin and Chunin were getting less food couldn't be concealed.
The Konoha Ninja couldn't be caught, their own forces kept getting attacked, and they couldn't even get enough to eat. The Kumogakure army's morale had taken a severe blow.
Another elite Chunin frowned. "Orochimaru's command is absurdly good. He's made guerrilla warfare completely airtight. I can't imagine how badly Iwagakure and Sand Village suffered back then."
A Chunin couldn't help asking, "So what should we do?"
"If we keep moving, we'll face even more frequent ambushes, and our supplies will dwindle further. If we stay put, reinforcements from Konoha will come."
The Kumogakure jonin fell silent.
After a long while, he finally said, "I don't know. But Lord Fourth Raikage must have a plan."
In truth, the Raikage had no plan. He simply knew that turning back halfway was even more dangerous, so he had no choice but to press on.
This elite Kumogakure unit was part of his effort to strengthen the defense of the supply line.
But this was all the Raikage could do. He and Dodai were caught between a rock and a hard place.
The farther they advanced, the longer their supply line stretched, and the easier it became to attack.
But if they strengthened its defenses any further, they would have to divide their main force.
That would weaken their pressure on Konoha's front line, and Orochimaru could easily encircle and wipe out the troops guarding the supply line.
The reason they kept moving forward was that the Fourth Raikage believed in the Third Hokage.
That was right: he believed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's timidity and cowardice.
Though the Third Hokage wasn't afraid of dying himself, he feared an enemy attack on Konoha, feared its villagers being slaughtered, and feared the village he'd devoted his life to being destroyed by war.
The Fourth Raikage believed that every step he took would add to the pressure on Hiruzen Sarutobi. Soon, the man's nerves would snap, and he would interfere with Orochimaru's command.
When an army had two supreme commanders, its fighting strength was weakened by far more than a little.
Especially when Orochimaru had raised his army's combat strength through his superb command. If the Third Hokage's orders interfered, their strength could be cut in half in an instant.
The Fourth Raikage only needed Orochimaru's command to become a little less smooth. If he could find even the slightest opening, he could wipe out all 4,500 Konoha Ninja in a single day.
He only needed to find the smallest opening!
Thinking this, the Fourth Raikage didn't realize he was actually afraid. "Orochimaru's" tactical command had frightened him.
How could he not be afraid? He had taken command of the Kumogakure army five days ago. His orders had been carried out without question, yet he still couldn't catch a single Konoha Ninja.
Even when he went out himself, all he could find were the traps and signs of ambushes left behind after the Konoha Ninja had retreated in advance.
The entire Konoha army seemed to have turned into ghosts. They were clearly only a few kilometers away, yet no matter what he did, he couldn't find them, let alone catch them.
For the past two days, the Kumogakure Ninja had been saying that the only chance to see the Konoha Ninja was when they fell into an ambush and the enemy launched an attack.
No one said they were afraid, but everyone knew they were.
It was like the first time a ninja encountered Obito Uchiha. They could see him and even wound him, but somehow they could never hit him.
It wasn't even fear. It was a despair so deep that it made them doubt their lives, even doubt whether they were real.
But the Fourth Raikage hadn't given up. He endured, waiting for a chance to strike a fatal blow.
However, the moment Yamanaka Chujiu had been waiting for arrived a day before the Fourth Raikage's.
Yamanaka Chujiu's teacher, Orochimaru, arrived from Konoha a day early.
In the middle of the night, Yamanaka Chujiu was reviewing the battles of the past few days and several plans for a counterattack. Then a familiar laugh suddenly sounded beside him.
"Oh-ho-ho-ho..."
For a moment, he thought something was wrong with the Great Snake Skin on his body. He hadn't laughed, so why had it made a sound?
But in the next instant, Yamanaka Chujiu realized what was happening.
It wasn't him using the Great Snake Skin to imitate Orochimaru's laugh. Orochimaru had really arrived.
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