The Hidden Sand's Trump Card

All they could see was a towering wall of sand, ten kilometers high and ten kilometers long, whipped up by the violent winds dozens of kilometers from the battlefield. Laden with countless pebbles, yellow sand, and dust, the gale raced along the ground. The churning sand looked like a black-and-yellow tsunami, or a gigantic dark cloud floating just above the earth. The immense wall of sand surged forward, devouring everything in its path. (bgm: Pride Main Theme, Yasuharu Takanashi)

An astonishingly massive sandstorm surged toward the battlefield with unstoppable force!

Riyue had naturally seen sandstorms in his previous life. The suffocating darkness that blotted out the sky was terrifying. Once the distant sandstorm reached the battlefield, Konoha's forces would be at a severe disadvantage. The Hidden Sand ninja lived in the desert and knew exactly how to deal with a storm like this.

The headscarves they wore, which could cover their faces, were meant to protect them from blowing sand. Their loose robes and tightly cinched sleeves and pant legs also kept out the dust. Konoha's ninja, on the other hand, had spent their lives in the forests and would be helpless in such extreme weather.

This was Ebizo's trump card!

He had lived in the great desert for years and was intimately familiar with its weather. Naturally, he could predict a sandstorm in advance and knew where storms of different sizes would strike, giving him the advantage of both time and terrain! The reinforcements he had mentioned were the terrifying, irresistible force of nature itself, brought in to destroy the enemy!

Konoha's forces were in danger!

"Shikaku! Warn Tsunade—the sandstorm is almost here! We need to assemble the reconnaissance squad immediately! We can't let the storm scatter us!" Riyue said.

"A sandstorm?!" Shikaku exclaimed in shock.

"This is the Hidden Sand's trump card! Warn everyone: cover your faces with cloth when the storm hits, and keep your breathing clear so you don't choke on the dust. Don't run around, or you'll lose your bearings in the sand. Find cover if you can, crouch low, and take shelter where the sand isn't moving as fiercely!" Riyue gave his instructions quickly. The reconnaissance squad's ninja immediately sprang into action.

"What? A sandstorm?!" Two minutes later, Tsunade was astonished to hear the news. She looked into the distance and could already see the yellow sand swirling ten kilometers away!

"It's too late to retreat! Hurry! Tell everyone to follow Shikaku's instructions!" Tsunade acted at once, and the Konoha ninja moved quickly.

A few minutes later, there was no need to warn anyone on the battlefield. The violent sandstorm was right in front of them! Choking clouds of yellow sand rushed toward them! Ninja from both sides did their best to move toward their own lines.

Sakumo Hatake looked up at the mountain-high storm, his expression grave. "Everyone, follow orders and take shelter!" The Konoha ninja panicked, doing their best to hide as Riyue had instructed. The Hidden Sand ninja, however, were well trained and immediately gathered together to weather the storm, just as they had countless times before.

The terrifying wall of sand swept across the entire battlefield in an instant, swallowing everyone. Some were knocked down by the gale as they ran. Others were still fighting and were swallowed by the sand before they could take shelter. Some were knocked unconscious by flying rocks. Only about thirty percent of Konoha's forces made it back to their own lines and found shelter from the storm, while the Hidden Sand managed to save more than seventy percent of theirs!

The gale swept up enormous quantities of yellow sand and pebbles. Thick clouds of dust blotted out the sun, plunging the world into darkness. Vast amounts of sand churned and surged through the air, forming countless clouds of different sizes that collided and mingled overhead.

Ninja were battered by endless yellow sand, with pebbles mixed in from time to time. It was difficult to breathe, and they couldn't open their eyes. Thankfully, they had covered their faces with cloth. Otherwise, they would have choked to death after inhaling too much sand.

Their companions had vanished. All around them was pitch-black, and they could see nothing. There was only the howling gale and the sharp patter of sand striking their bodies. They could only crouch as close to the ground as possible while sand piled up rapidly around them. They felt as if they were about to be buried alive...

Amid the blinding sand, Kalo led the Wind Release ninja unit into battle. They stood in orderly ranks, wearing protective goggles. The fierce winds and sand were deflected by the chakra they had gathered around their bodies, so the storm did not impede their movements.

Kalo's unit began to advance slowly across the battlefield, killing Konoha ninja who were huddled down, seeking shelter from the storm. They were completely helpless against the sandstorm...

The sandstorm raged over the battlefield for half an hour before shifting away and passing into the distance. The blowing sand gradually settled, but the battlefield had been transformed beyond recognition. The thick layer of sand had drastically altered the terrain. People began crawling out of the dunes, covered in dust and spitting sand from their mouths. Some had suffocated after inhaling fine sand, and countless others had been injured by flying rocks.

Amid the blinding sand, Kalo and his men had already killed nearly eight hundred Konoha ninja. The sudden storm had caught Konoha off guard, costing them another hundred and fifty or so, while more than a thousand had lost the ability to fight. The survivors were in complete disarray. Some frantically dug through the sand to rescue their teammates; others lay injured and unable to move; still more lay on the ground, coughing desperately, while others had been swept away by the gale and lost all sense of direction. There were countless others besides!

Only a handful could fight immediately, and nobody was there to organize them. Konoha's forces were in chaos!

By the time Konoha's ranks had fallen into disarray and their fighting strength had plummeted, the Hidden Sand ninja had barely been affected. They were accustomed to such extreme sandstorms and quickly regrouped after resting.

Chiyo, Ebizo, and the others climbed out of the shelters they had prepared in advance. Ebizo raised an arm and shouted to the crowd, "Hidden Sand ninja! The time for revenge has come! Attack! Defeat Konoha!"

"Regroup! The Hidden Sand is coming!" Tsunade shouted to the panicked Konoha ninja from atop Katsuyu. Konoha's squad leaders hurried over, trying to reorganize their forces. Tsunade had summoned the giant slug to shelter from the storm, saving most of the commanders from being buried in the sand.

The Hidden Sand wasn't going to wait for Konoha to recover. At Chiyo's command, they roared, "Kill!" Their faces were fierce, their expressions eager and feverish, and they charged straight at Konoha's scattered, disorganized forces, driven by their thirst for revenge!

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!" Before they had even reached the enemy, nearly a hundred Hidden Sand ninja unleashed their techniques. Nearly a hundred transparent blades of wind sliced into the crowd.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!" Several Konoha ninja joined forces to use an Earth Style technique, raising a short row of walls. The wind blades sliced straight through them, and dozens of Konoha ninja behind the walls fell, dead or wounded.

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Spear!" The Hidden Sand ninja joined forces again to use their techniques. Countless earthen spikes burst from the sand, impaling a large number of Konoha ninja on the spot.

"Attack! Kill every Konoha ninja!" Taking advantage of the chaos in Konoha's ranks, the Hidden Sand ninja charged into close combat, shouting as they went. The two sides clashed, and Konoha's casualties mounted at once. Some were killed by the Hidden Sand while still buried in the sand; others were struck down suddenly amid the confusion.

Konoha's forces had not yet regrouped when they were scattered again. The ninja who could still fight put up a stubborn defense against the Hidden Sand's assault, but without effective command, their formation fell apart. Everyone fought on their own, and soon they began to flee.

The tide of battle had swung completely in the Hidden Sand's favor!

"Ha ha! We can win! The Hidden Sand can win!" one Hidden Sand ninja shouted excitedly. Suddenly, a flash of steel appeared behind him, and blood sprayed across the battlefield.

Sakumo Hatake didn't even look at the man he had killed. He raised a hand to the Konoha ninja lined up behind him and shouted with calm resolve, "Reserve forces and elite units, move out! Stop the enemy at all costs! Hold the line and buy the main force time to regroup!"

"Yes!" Konoha's reserve and elite units immediately charged forward, cutting across the battlefield to meet the Hidden Sand's frenzied assault head-on. They fought desperately to halt the enemy's advance and give Tsunade's main force time to recover from the chaos.

The Hidden Sand's advance stalled for a moment. The elite unit led by the White Fang and a thousand reserve ninja had managed to stop them in their tracks!

"White Fang of the Leaf, is it? I've wanted to fight you for a long time! White Secret Technique: The Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu!" Chiyo and Ebizo couldn't simply watch Sakumo Hatake turn the tide and blunt the Hidden Sand's attack. They immediately joined the battle, leading the Hidden Sand's elite to engage the White Fang and his men.

The Ten Puppets quickly surrounded Sakumo Hatake. A female puppet wielding two greatswords, along with the White-Faced Puppet and the Red-Faced Puppet, attacked Sakumo Hatake from three directions at once.

"The puppet masters Chiyo and Ebizo?" Sakumo Hatake instantly dodged the dual-sword puppet, then slashed through the Chakra Threads behind the other two. The Red-Faced and White-Faced Puppets immediately went limp and collapsed to the ground.

"Come on, then!" Sakumo followed up with two swift slashes. The White Fang Blade flashed, its intersecting arcs of light cutting the two puppets into quarters.

"Hmph!" Ebizo, standing nearby, took out a scroll and immediately replaced the two puppets.

The Buddha, Dharma, and Monk Puppets also rushed into the attack. Sakumo was cautious. He could tell that the three puppets worked together in both offense and defense. He kept disrupting their coordination, giving them no chance to use Three Treasures Suction Crush.

The elite fighters on both sides were locked in fierce combat. The Hidden Sand forces skirted around them and continued attacking Konoha's troops. Konoha had only recovered about forty percent of its strength, and the ninja who had regained their ability to fight were putting up a desperate resistance. Even so, the Hidden Sand gradually forced them back!

"Damn it! Hold the line!" Tsunade hurried over with a squad.

Kalo also led a squad of ninja into the attack. A Wind Release technique blocked Tsunade's path. "Princess Tsunade, I'm your opponent! You got away last time, but you won't this time!"

"Hmph! This is the perfect chance to avenge Dan!" Tsunade charged at him.

They clashed. Boom! Boom! Several sand pillars, each more than ten meters high, erupted across the battlefield before falling back down.

Konoha's main force was being steadily driven back by the Hidden Sand. Their casualties were mounting, and they were nearly unable to hold out!

Just then, a force of about a thousand appeared in Konoha's rear, charging straight toward the battlefield!

A triumphant smile spread across Ebizo's face. "Ha ha! Excellent! Those thousand men have successfully circled around and cut off Konoha's retreat! Konoha's forces will collapse soon. Then we'll hunt them down, and they'll suffer devastating losses! We've won!"

Tsunade also noticed what was happening behind them, and her heart sank. "This is bad! I sent five hundred men to intercept them. Did the sandstorm make them fail?"

"Our retreat's been cut off?" Sakumo frowned. He sliced off the spikes on the arm of a white-haired puppet, then flashed aside to evade several cables extending from the head of a blue-faced puppet.

"White Fang, you've lost! Ha ha!" Chiyo laughed loudly.

"Don't underestimate Konoha's ninja! Try this!" Sakumo Hatake raised the White Fang Blade and pointed it straight at Chiyo. Blue lightning sparked in the palm of his sword hand. The brilliant light quickly engulfed the blade, arcs of electricity crackling across it as a violent, destructive force spread through the air.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Wolf Chasing Fang!"

Sakumo swung his blade. A surge of violent electricity shot from the White Fang Blade and transformed into a ferocious lightning wolf when it struck the ground. "Awoooo!" A lightning bolt connected the wolf to the blade. Under Sakumo's control, the savage beast charged straight at Chiyo!

"Not good!" The Chakra Threads in Chiyo's hands danced wildly. The Buddha, Dharma, and Monk Puppets immediately flew in front of her and formed a triangle, trying to stop the lightning wolf as it came racing toward them with its claws bared.

The wolf was like an incomparably sharp blade, with violent lightning crackling in every direction!

Boom! It tore the Buddha Puppet apart down the middle, then kept charging. Boom! It smashed through half of the Dharma Puppet's body. Boom! It then pierced straight through the Monk Puppet, slicing it in half at the waist.

The wolf broke through all three layers of defense and raced toward Chiyo!

"Damn it!" Ebizo was startled. He flicked his fingers and sent the Ox-Head Puppet charging forward at full speed. It raised its enormous iron fist and punched the lightning wolf in the head!

Bang! Lightning erupted in every direction, and the wolf was finally smashed apart. Lightning Release Chakra scattered through the air. The Ox-Head Puppet's arm was also blown apart by the violent lightning. Its white robe was riddled with holes, and its body was charred and smoking. Chiyo had escaped by the skin of her teeth!

"That was close! Damn White Fang of the Leaf!" The siblings immediately retreated twenty meters, keeping their distance from the White Fang. They were filled with wariness toward the silver-haired man wielding the White Fang Blade.

Sakumo Hatake, however, was worried about the thousand men who were about to join the battle:

Had Konoha lost...