Over the next stretch of time, the assault squad raced across the battlefield. Because the first Sunagakure squad had been wiped out so quickly that it could not even send a signal, by the time nearby squads sensed something was wrong, the assault squad was already upon them.
After three Sunagakure squads were destroyed in succession, the Sunagakure ninja finally realized an enemy was among them. But without intelligence on the enemy's numbers or location, they were forced onto the defensive. No one dared act on their own, fearing that a rash move might trigger an avalanche of defeats across the entire force.
Even so, the assault squad continued moving, cutting one gap after another through the Sunagakure force. The squads they encountered were either wiped out entirely or lost the sensory ninja who served as their communications link. The former needed no explanation; the latter could still relay intelligence, but only through the most primitive methods. Against the rapidly moving assault squad, their reports were already outdated by the time they reached anyone else. At best, they could serve as a reference for guessing which direction the assault squad might take next.
Given the Sunagakure ninja's combat proficiency, even a lone squad could put up a formidable fight. They had been caught off guard at first, but now that they knew the enemy was there, they focused their attention. Wiping them all out would not be so easy.
However, the lack of intelligence prevented the Sunagakure ninja from concentrating their forces against the fast-moving assault squad. Even if they could keep their own squads intact, they had no hope of eliminating the enemy. As the assault squad continued its work, the divisions between the Sunagakure Ninja Forces' squads grew increasingly severe. Some fared reasonably well and could coordinate with