Han had intended to restore morale, but not only did he fail to do so, his latest flight through the air threw the already dispirited troops into slight disarray. Some ninja even began edging backward as they fought. They did not dare charge too fiercely, lest Konoha pursue them once Han was defeated and leave them with no chance to escape.
Those experienced Jonin and Chunin, having gone through countless battles, understood that blindly attacking was no different from gambling with their lives. They believed that even if they had to retreat in defeat, as long as they survived, they would still have a chance to rise again.
Dong Shiren, standing outside the battlefield, wore an exceptionally grim expression. His left hand clenched unconsciously, and everyone could hear the fury in his lowered voice:
"What a brainless, arrogant fool. They said Konoha's Twin Stars were powerful and even handed him detailed intelligence. Seeing how arrogant he was back at camp, I thought he was something special. Turns out he's just a worthless piece of trash!"
Furious as he was, Dong Shiren could not simply watch the army collapse in retreat. This was not a small force under his command; this battle could entirely be called a decisive battle. If the Five-Tails Jinchuriki caused morale to crumble and affected the outcome of this decisive battle, the village would suffer enormous losses and might need years to recover.
Standing on the outskirts, he had to find a way to reverse the worsening situation.
Han, who had just been sent flying by a punch, staggered to his feet. His body felt as though it had been torn apart. If not for the Tailed Beast chakra protecting him, that attack would have killed him.
The moment Han stood up, he suppressed the anger in