Orochimaru Arrives Early

Yamanaka Chujiu and Orochimaru had agreed on a ten-day timeframe, and it was now the fourth day.

He silently calculated their speed, factoring in the time spent on harassment tactics along the way to stall the enemy, and concluded that they would retreat to the Sakura Plains by the ninth day.

Yamanaka Chujiu made up his mind and ordered the Konoha jonin: "Accelerate the retreat!"

"Do not contend for momentary victory against the enemy. Trade space for time, wait for the enemy's strength to wane to the point where they can be defeated, and only then engage in a decisive battle!"

The Konoha jonin responded in unison: "Yes! Lord Orochimaru!"

For the next five days, no major battles broke out between the two sides.

The Konoha army seemed to have eyes everywhere, always managing to retreat one step ahead of the Kumogakure army, leaving them able to see the traces but unable to catch a single hair.

The Kumogakure army immediately launched a full-speed pursuit, simultaneously employing a grand pincer maneuver with flanking forces.

However, the super-sensory secret technique the Fourth Raikage relied on was real; whenever Kumogakure ninjas accelerated to break away from the main force, they were inevitably met with precise ambushes by Konoha ninjas.

Konoha ninjas were like ghosts, hiding in corners overlooked by the Kumogakure ninjas, launching unexpected raids.

Sometimes it was a jonin squad launching a raid specifically to burn their supplies and ninja tools.

Sometimes it was a genjutsu squad using pre-prepared illusions to disrupt judgment before assassinating the leading jonin.

Sometimes it was dozens of Konoha squads joining forces to surround and annihilate Kumogakure ninjas on the march.

Every action taken by the Konoha ninjas was precisely targeted in terms of ninjutsu, troop numbers, and equipment configuration, achieving maximum elemental and tactical suppression.

The heavy casualties and zero results made the Fourth Raikage fly into a rage, yet he couldn't help but feel a chill. He prudently kept the Kumogakure army gathered in a tight formation, accelerating as much as possible while prioritizing stability.

On the ninth day, a brief ambush broke out on the road a hundred miles from the Sakura Plains.

Three squads of Konoha ninjas had been lurking underground on both sides of the road for two full days, waiting for the Kumogakure supply train.

In this ambush, the Konoha ninjas didn't kill a single person; they simply used Fire Style to ignite the supply vehicles and then retreated at top speed.

"Damn it! These Konoha ninjas, hiding and scurrying like rats—it's infuriating!"

The Kumogakure jonin who arrived to provide reinforcements trembled with rage as he looked at the burning supply vehicles.

His subordinate chunin frowned and said: "Captain, our supply line is getting longer and longer. We've been hit by Konoha ninja raids along the entire five-hundred-kilometer route."

"If this continues, our food and ninja tools won't last until we reach Konoha."

This was already the fifth rescue mission they had conducted today, and the sheer number of attacks across the supply line was staggering.

It was rumored that the Kumogakure army had already lost two-thirds of its supplies.

Never mind precious materials like explosive tags, shuriken, kunai, and medicine; even the most basic rice was no longer enough to feed the entire army.

The high command claimed these were rumors, but the reduced rations for genin and chunin were an undeniable fact.

Unable to catch the Konoha ninjas, constantly being attacked, and not even having enough to eat, the morale of the Kumogakure army suffered a massive blow.

Another elite chunin frowned: "Orochimaru's command ability is too exaggerated. To turn guerrilla warfare into something so flawless—I can't even imagine how much the Stone Village and Sand Village must have suffered."

The chunin couldn't help but ask: "Then what should we do?"

"If we continue to advance, we'll face more frequent raids and even fewer supplies. If we stand our ground, we'll be waiting for Konoha's reinforcements."

The Kumogakure jonin fell silent.

After a long while, he said: "I don't know, but Lord Fourth Raikage must have a way."

In truth, the Raikage had no solution; he only knew that giving up halfway was even more dangerous, so he could only grit his teeth and push forward.

This elite squad of Kumogakure ninjas was his attempt to strengthen the defense of the supply line.

But that was all the Raikage could do; he and Dodai were caught in a dilemma.

The further they advanced, the longer the supply line stretched, making it easier to ambush.

But if they further strengthened the supply line defense, it would mean dispersing their main force.

Not only would this weaken their frontal pressure on Konoha, but it would also make the defensive units easy targets for Orochimaru to surround and destroy.

The reason he continued to push forward was that the Fourth Raikage believed in the Third Hokage.

That's right, he believed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's cowardice and weakness.

Although the Third Hokage himself did not fear death, he feared Konoha being attacked by enemies, feared the villagers being slaughtered, and feared the village he had spent his life building being destroyed by the flames of war.

The Fourth Raikage believed that with every step he took forward, the pressure on Hiruzen Sarutobi would increase, and soon he would snap and crudely interfere with Orochimaru's command.

When an army has two supreme commanders, its combat effectiveness is weakened by far more than just a little.

Especially since Orochimaru had forcibly elevated their combat power through superb command artistry; the moment it was interfered with by the Third Hokage's orders, that effectiveness would be cut in half instantly.

The Fourth Raikage only needed Orochimaru's command to become less fluid; as long as he could catch even the slightest opening, he could completely annihilate these 4,500 Konoha ninjas within a single day.

As long as he could catch a single opening, that was enough!

The Fourth Raikage thought this, not realizing that he was actually afraid—he had been intimidated by "Orochimaru's" tactical command.

And he couldn't help but be afraid; he had been in command of the Kumogakure army for five days, and while his orders were executed resolutely, he hadn't been able to catch a single Konoha ninja.

Even when he personally led the charge, he only found traps and traces of ambushes left behind after the Konoha ninjas had already retreated.

The entire Konoha army seemed to have turned into ghosts; they were clearly only a few kilometers away, yet no matter what, they could not be found, let alone caught.

For the past two days, the Kumogakure Ninja had been saying that the only chance they had to see a Konoha ninja was when they fell into an ambush and the Konoha ninja launched their attack.

No one spoke of fear, but everyone knew they were afraid.

It was just like when a ninja first encountered Obito Uchiha—they could clearly see him and be wounded by him, yet they could never land a single hit on him.

It wasn't even fear; it was a kind of despair that made one doubt their own life and whether they were even real.

But the Fourth Raikage had not yet given up; he was enduring, waiting for a chance to kill with a single strike.

However, the opportunity for battle that Yamanaka Chujiu was waiting for arrived one step earlier than the Fourth Raikage's.

Yamanaka Chujiu's teacher, Orochimaru, had arrived from Konoha a day ahead of schedule.

In the middle of the night, as Yamanaka Chujiu was reviewing the battles of the past few days and several future counter-attack plans, a familiar laugh suddenly reached his ears.

"Oh-ho-ho-ho..."

For a split second, he thought something had gone wrong with the Great Snake Skin on his body; he clearly hadn't laughed, so why was there a sound?

But the next moment, Yamanaka Chujiu realized what was happening.

It wasn't that he was using the Great Snake Skin to imitate Orochimaru's laugh, but that Orochimaru had truly arrived.