Han had intended to restore morale, but not only did he fail to do so, his being sent flying this time threw the already flagging morale into slight disarray. Some ninja even edged backward during battle. They did not dare charge too fiercely, lest Konoha pursue them after Han was defeated, leaving them no chance to escape.
Those experienced jonin and chunin, having gone through countless battles, understood that blindly pressing the attack was to toy with their own lives. Even if they had to retreat in defeat, as long as they preserved their lives, they would still have a chance to rise again.
Dong Shiren, standing outside the battlefield, wore an exceptionally ugly expression. His left hand clenched involuntarily, and everyone could hear the fury in his lowered voice.
"What a brainless, arrogant fool. They said Konoha's Twin Stars were powerful, and we even gave him detailed intelligence. Seeing how arrogant he was back in camp, I thought he was something special. Turns out he's just useless trash!"
Angry as he was, Dong Shiren could not simply watch the army collapse in retreat. This was not some small force under his command; this battle could be called a decisive battle. If the Five-Tails' jinchuriki caused morale to crumble and affected such a battle, the village would suffer enormous losses and might need many years to recover.
Being positioned on the outskirts, he had to find a way to reverse the worsening situation.
Han, who had just been blasted away by a punch, staggered to his feet. His body felt as if it were falling apart. If not for the protection of Tailed Beast chakra, that attack would have killed him.
The moment Han stood up, he suppressed the fury in his heart and did not attack immediately, because Kokuō