Great Victory!

Inside the underground command post, the Byakugan of Hizashi Hyuga saw every move of the Sunagakure ninjas with absolute clarity.

"The enemy has fully entered the trap zone!"

He turned to Xuandou beside him and spoke.

Without a moment's hesitation, Xuandou issued the order:

"Signal!"

The next second, the figure of Shisui vanished from behind the cover.

When he reappeared, he was already crouching on the branch of a tall tree on the perimeter.

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

A scorching fire dragon erupted from his mouth, soaring into the night sky and blooming suddenly, its blinding light illuminating the entire forest.

The moment they saw the signal, all the Konoha ninjas responsible for detonating the explosive tags formed hand seals and shouted in unison:

"Detonate!"

Deep within the Sunagakure forces, some were still dreaming of invading the Land of Fire, looting riches, and returning home with a full haul.

Shisui's fire dragon suddenly rising into the sky left many Sunagakure ninjas stunned for a split second.

Before they could react, the one hundred thousand explosive tags buried long ago detonated in rapid succession.

"Boom! Boom! Boom--!!"

The explosions followed one after another, instantly swallowing the entire trap zone.

The ground, tree trunks, bushes... explosive tags everywhere detonated at once, causing the earth to tremble and a deafening roar to fill the air.

The ground cracked, trees collapsed, and Sunagakure ninjas were sent flying, screaming in agony.

Severed limbs and arms rained down everywhere.

Those too close to the explosive tags were blown to pieces on the spot.

Those slightly further away were violently thrown to the ground by the shockwaves.

Before the survivors could even feel a shred of relief, raging fires spread along with the explosions.

The blast flames swept through the forest, engulfing the wounded ninjas, and shrill wails rose one after another.

"Ah! It hurts, it hurts so much!"

"Help me..."

"Those bastards from Konoha... when did they set this trap!"

Amidst the screams, some uninjured Sunagakure ninjas hurriedly formed hand seals, attempting to use ninjutsu to escape the sea of fire.

Some used Earth Style to dive underground, while others barely managed to clear a path with Water Style.

However, most Sunagakure ninjas excelled in Wind Style and were nearly helpless against the fire, forced to watch as their comrades were consumed by the flames.

The commander, Shatie, scrambled out of the fire, his face covered in soot and ash.

Watching his subordinates struggle and scream in the sea of fire, his face turned livid, and he gritted his teeth:

"It must be those damn Konoha! They are so cunning!"

"The reconnaissance and vanguard units didn't trigger it, which means this trap was specifically designed for our main force!"

A Jonin who had escaped to his side looked at the sea of fire, his voice trembling:

"It's over... the main force is completely finished..."

"How did Konoha know our route? And when did they set this ambush?"

Shatie was filled with the same questions.

But now was not the time to dwell on such things.

What mattered most right now was to retreat alive!

Konoha had gone to such great lengths; it was impossible that they didn't have a follow-up plan.

The enemy ninjas would surely arrive soon!

He immediately ordered the ninjas gathering around him:

"Full retreat! Konoha has an ambush; leave now before they close the circle!"

With that, he turned to break out toward the edge of the forest.

However, just as he leaped into the air, a cold, sharp shout came from ahead:

"Rotation!"

Shatie reacted with lightning speed, spinning his body to meet the attack with a kick:

"Sunagakure Style Taijutsu: Flash Kick!"

As fist and foot collided, both men retreated several steps.

Shatie looked up, his pupils constricting:

"Byakugan? It really is Konoha!"

"Despicable Konoha ninja, to use such a vicious trap!"

Hizashi Hyuga's expression remained cold, though he felt a flicker of surprise inside.

The moment the explosive tags detonated, Xuandou had ordered an all-out assault to wipe out any survivors caught in the trap.

Relying on the insight of his Byakugan, he had already finished off several wounded Sunagakure ninja.

Noticing a group gathering nearby, he had rushed over.

He hadn't expected the opponent to be this strong—at the very least a Jonin. It seemed he had stumbled upon a "big fish."

Hizashi did not reply, instead launching an immediate assault with his Gentle Fist.

Seeing this, two other Sunagakure ninja nearby immediately swarmed in.

"Commander, we'll help you!"

In an instant, the situation became three against one.

However, Hizashi's skills were solid; his Eight Trigrams Palms danced in a seamless defense, and combined with the omnidirectional vision of his Byakugan, the three of them could not break through.

Shatie grew anxious as he watched Hizashi hold his own against three opponents.

The longer this dragged on, the slimmer the hope of escape became.

One of the Sunagakure ninja locked in the struggle shouted urgently:

"Lord Shatie, you go first! We'll hold him off!"

Shatie no longer hesitated, turning and sprinting toward the edge of the forest.

Hizashi heard Shatie being addressed as "Commander" and was unwilling to let him go, but he was pinned down by the other two, forced to watch helplessly as his target fled.

After a few more exchanges, one of the Sunagakure ninja suddenly felt a chill at his neck and collapsed to the ground.

It was Xuandou, who had arrived and delivered a fatal blow from behind using a Chakra Scalpel.

Hizashi felt a weight lift, and coordinating with Xuandou, they quickly dispatched the remaining enemies.

"The leader got away?"

Hizashi nodded:

"His name is Shatie, the commander of this operation."

Xuandou felt a twinge of regret, but he knew well that explosive tags alone were rarely enough to kill an opponent of Jonin caliber.

To have achieved such results was already quite good.

He signaled to Hizashi:

"Continue clearing the battlefield."

With that, his figure flickered as he rushed toward the next skirmish.

From the distance, the sounds of Konoha ninja casting jutsu echoed periodically:

"Multi-Size Technique!"

"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

"Shadow Possession Jutsu!"

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio coordinated with perfect synergy, swiftly reaping the lives of the remaining Sunagakure ninja.

The ninja of the Hyuga and Inuzuka clans relied on their exceptional scouting and tracking abilities to pinpoint and eliminate enemies with precision.

As for those Sunagakure ninja who had luckily avoided the explosive tags, they were hunted down by the Uchiha clan.

Having lost their command and fallen into disarray, the Sunagakure forces were almost completely suppressed by the Konoha side.

The forest echoed with the dying screams of Sunagakure ninja.

About an hour later, the sounds of battle gradually subsided.

The fires ignited by the explosive tags also slowly died out.

The battlefield was left with nothing but charred ruins and the corpses of enemy ninja scattered across the ground.

Uchiha Inabi approached Xuandou with a smile to report:

"Preliminary count complete. We have eight dead and forty-seven wounded."

"The enemy suffered approximately seven hundred and thirty-one casualties."

Just as his voice faded, a system notification rang in Xuandou's mind:

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the mission! Reward: Lottery Draw ×1]

Xuandou did not draw immediately, instead issuing an order:

"Everyone, retreat back into the Land of Fire immediately to mop up the Sunagakure vanguard that slipped through!"

The Konoha ninja moved swiftly, giving chase to the small Sunagakure vanguard unit they had intentionally allowed to cross the border earlier.

That vanguard of about a hundred men was currently pillaging the second village.

With absolute superiority in numbers and tactics, this squad was also quickly wiped out to the last man.

They died without ever understanding why it was enemy forces, rather than reinforcements, that had arrived at their rear.

Following this, Xuandou ordered the troops to rest on the spot, tend to the wounded, and distribute two of the Uchiha clan's special military rations to every member.

Having gone through two consecutive battles, the ninjas were already bottoming out on chakra and physically exhausted.

After receiving the military rations, most of them swallowed them down without a second thought.

Immediately, many of them wore expressions of surprise.

The military rations provided by the Uchiha were not only better tasting, but they also helped restore chakra!

At this, the ninjas from other clans were instantly in an uproar.

How could the Uchiha possibly possess such high-quality goods?

However, no matter how they tried to fish for information, the Uchiha clansmen remained tight-lipped, keeping their mouths shut.

Helpless, the others had no choice but to carefully tuck away their remaining ration, saving it for a critical moment.

While the main force rested, Xuandou walked off to the side alone, calming his mind to perform a draw.

He sank his consciousness into his mind:

"Draw!"