Less than a kilometer...
The location where Yakushi Nonō was resting was less than a kilometer from the ambush and large trap set by the Sunagakure ninjas; a ninja could reach that point in five to ten minutes on foot.
However, the Konoha Medical Department came to a standstill in this short distance of one kilometer. This made Captain Sukehiro of the Sunagakure Village feel inexplicably uncomfortable, as if a thousand mice were scratching at his heart.
Ten minutes later, Sukehiro's troops were still waiting beside the traps, patiently waiting for Yakushi Nonō's " Medical Department " to fall into their trap. However, the long wait was gradually making them impatient...
"Captain, the Sunagakure haven't given up on their trap; they're still waiting in the same spot. What should we do now?"
Flying Eagle perched on the top of a three-meter-high tree, using the lush branches to shield himself, his eyes fixed on the area in front of the Medical Department, where the traps they had just set were located. However, no Sunagakure were coming towards the traps at this moment.
"Looks like I overestimated this Sunagakure Village captain. A mere Medical Department of about two hundred men, and not even twenty-odd combat ninja dared to take the initiative to attack. How boring..." Sato Hideaka stood upright on the treetop, shaking his head regretfully. "Let's execute the second plan, Giant Elephant..."
"Yes, Captain--"
Behind Sato Hideaka, the figure wearing an elephant-face mask, carrying Blunt Blade, and dressed in a green vest vanished in a flash.
Several beams of light shone into her eyes again, Yakushi Nonō, who was resting, shuddered. She knew that the Anbu Ninja had contacted her again. Looking in the direction of the light, the tall figure gave her several hand gestures again.
This is... retreating, no... is it a withdrawal?
Gritting his teeth, Yakushi Nonō pretended to look at the map, then stood up and addressed the two hundred-plus Medical Ninja: "Everyone, I'm very sorry, I just looked at the map again and realized there was a problem with the previous direction. We need to backtrack a bit and then head west halfway up the mountain... Everyone, get up. We must reach Konoha main force's camp before dark, otherwise, being so close to the battlefield, we might encounter Sunagakure ninjas, which would be dangerous."
"Ah, what's wrong? How could we have gone the wrong way? If we go back, wouldn't that be taking a complete detour? Didn't the frontline ninja who contacted us not long ago already calibrate the route and tell us the area of Konoha troops' encampment?"
"Perhaps it was a mistake made in the rush. Nonō isn't a god; it's understandable that she makes a mistake once in a while. Don't complain, get up quickly!"
"Yes, yes, we should have left one of the frontline ninjas behind. With their guidance, things would have been much easier. Right now, Nonō is carrying the entire burden alone; it's definitely too much of a burden..."
Although the Medical Department members had some complaints, based on Yakushi Nonō's kind nature and usual prestige, everyone selectively ignored her "mistake" and helped her find a reason to defend herself. This is perhaps the importance of the impression one makes on others.
However, a middle-aged female ninja, some years older than usual, approached Yakushi Nonō Yakushi Nonō and asked softly:
"Dean, how could the direction be wrong? We clearly looked at the map together and checked our opinions repeatedly before deciding on the direction. There's absolutely no way it could be wrong... Are you sure you're not mistaken? Let us look at it again!"
In many decisions made by the Medical Department, Yakushi Nonō usually consults her subordinates to avoid factual errors. Just now, while proofreading the direction, she actually confirmed it with several leaders of the Medical Department. The direction was determined after discussion, so logically, there shouldn't be any mistakes...
This female Medical Ninja was one of the heads of the Medical Department. She was convinced of the direction that everyone had determined together, which is why she came to ask and remind the Yakushi Nonō to prevent Nonō from making an irreparable mistake.
After all, Nonō has returned to serve as the head of the Medical Department, and she can't afford to make another mistake!
Yakushi Nonō frowned and whispered in her ear, "Retreat, we must retreat. Let the more experienced veterans be at the back, and the younger Medical Ninja go first. Get out of here as quickly as possible."
"Wha... what, leave? Is it... is there an enemy ambush ahead...?"
The middle-aged female head of the Medical Department suddenly opened her eyes. She instantly sensed that the Yakushi Nonō's tone was off, as if the further behind she went, the more dangerous it would be. At that moment, a terrible thought suddenly appeared in her mind.
Yakushi Nonō nodded gravely, confirming the medical director's suspicions. "Yes, don't make a sound. The Third Hokage sent Anbu Ninja to protect us all the way. It was one of these Anbu Ninja who gave me the information about the Iwagakure Ninja, so now we're retreating according to their plan..."
"The experienced members of the Medical Department will stay behind to prevent significant casualties among the new generation of Medical Ninja. Continue at the same pace and speed as before, and slowly leave this area without letting them realize we've detected their presence!"
"Yes, Captain Nonō, I already know..." The middle-aged female medical director nodded and said solemnly.
A bad general makes a bad army. With a leader like Yakushi Nonō, the atmosphere in the Medical Department has naturally improved dramatically. After this female Medical Department leader spoke with several senior Medical Ninja, they all expressed their willingness to provide cover for the team...
With the impending crisis facing the Sunagakure, a few experienced Medical Ninja led the way, while most of the senior Medical Department, including Yakushi Nonō, stayed behind to provide cover.
One kilometer away, the ambush area of Iwagakure troops.
A dark figure suddenly appeared from the woods, kneeling on the ground and saying to Sukehiro, "Captain, the Konoha Medical Department has suddenly turned around for some reason. They probably won't fall into our trap now."
"Damn it, those despicable guys from Konoha! They made me wait for so long for nothing!"
"Let's hunt them down. Even if we can't kill them all like we could when they fell into a trap, we must, we must make sure these guys suffer heavy losses."
Sukehiro suddenly stood up, his muscular body, as strong as a black bear, heaving violently as if containing terrifying power. The murderous intent in his eyes almost materialized, startling flocks of birds in the forest.
"Now, Team B on the left flank, Team A on the right flank, and Team A, led by me, will form a bag-shaped formation for the pursuit, aiming to leave no one alive..."
Twenty-four Iwagakure Ninja were divided into three teams of eight, eight, and eight, bypassing the large trap zone they had set up, and swiftly surrounded the Konoha Medical Department under the leadership of Sunagakure Captain Sukehiro.
The advance of the entire Iwagakure unit caused figures to dart through the woods. The presence of humans and the swaying of the trees as they moved startled flocks of birds. Birds suddenly took flight in the air behind them, which alerted the few senior members of the Medical Department to the unusual situation.
Something really is amiss. Is it the Iwagakure forces pursuing us?
It's absolutely terrifying.
These veteran Medical Ninja were survivors of the Second Shinobi World War. They knew the utterly one-sided outcome when Medical Ninja encountered combat ninjas. The powerful and ruthless combat ninjas could slaughter these rookies like leeks...
Even though the current Konoha Medical Ninja are not what they used to be, they have only gained a little more survivability. Their inherent role already determines that they cannot be a match for combat ninjas!
Even so, their gazes remained resolute.
Because they are medical... ninjas!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh--
The sound of marching troops echoed from the woods behind them, causing the Medical Ninja's rear guard to quickly turn around on alert. The entire Medical Ninja unit, numbering 66, began to notice the enemy's presence and turned to look in that direction...
"Enemies! Enemies! It's Sunagakure ninja force! Defend! Prepare to organize a defense!"
"How is this possible? I didn't sense any chakra fluctuations at all. How did they appear? This is impossible, impossible! Am I dreaming?"
"..."
This was undoubtedly a huge blow to the sensory ninjas within the Medical Ninja unit. The enemy was right behind them, yet they still hadn't sensed their presence. This belated realization made them start to question their very existence.
It's important to understand that sensory ninjas are the eyes of an army unit. The fact that none of the sensory ninjas in the entire Medical Department have detected the enemy's presence means that their sensory Medical Ninja are completely failing to fulfill their intended function.
"Bang bang bang--, swish swish swish..."
However, just as most of the Medical Ninja novices were terrified and fell to the ground in fright, just as the group of Medical Ninja were about to attack, a series of explosions and flashes of light suddenly came from the forest. Earth, rocks, and trees were blown apart, and several Iwagakure Ninja were engulfed by the explosions.
Not only that, there were also wire traps and Kunai traps. The wire traps forced them to stop their pursuit, and because they accidentally triggered the traps, countless Kunai Shuriken, gleaming coldly, rained down on them...
"A trap? How could that be? These Medical Ninja would set up such an ingenious trap."
As he raced through the trees, rapidly approaching Nonō and the other Konoha Medical Ninja, Sukehiro's eyes widened as he watched his subordinates engulfed in Kakkō and pelted with Kunai. He could hardly believe his eyes; when had doctors ever noticed the actions of this Sunagakure Elite Force?
When did doctors start using tactics so cleverly, setting up these ingenious traps?
The world is changing so fast that common sense simply can't keep up! (To be continued.)