"Let's go, Brother Kōdo!"
Didaze spoke as he looked at the dumbfounded Kōdo.
He had already seen that the kikaichū were getting very close to him.
And these kikaichū clearly hadn't been released by just one person. There were over a dozen distinct swarms, each clearly separate from the others.
Didaze wasn't confident he could keep killing Konoha ninja amid all those swarms of kikaichū. He might as well quit while he was ahead.
After all, his assault had inflicted heavy casualties on the Konoha ninja, and even Shimura Danzō's Baku had dissipated.
He had already achieved excellent results this time. He could retreat for now.
Only after Didaze had finished fighting did Iwagakure's ninja finally arrive.
Didaze immediately flew over.
"Didaze, how did the reconnaissance go?"
Kitsuchi asked.
Even now, Kitsuchi still thought Didaze had gone to gather intelligence.
"Didaze wiped out three hundred Konoha ninja, along with Shimura Danzō's Baku. Let's launch an all-out assault on Konoha right now!"
Before Didaze could speak, Kōdo beat him to it.
Kōdo had spoken first mainly because he feared no one would believe Didaze. After all, Didaze was someone with no battle record.
"This..."
Kitsuchi glanced at Didaze in shock.
He trusted Kōdo. After all, Kōdo wouldn't lie about something like this.
Then there was only one possibility: Didaze really had launched a solo raid and wiped out hundreds of Konoha ninja!
"All troops, move out!"
Kitsuchi immediately grew excited. If Didaze really was that strong, today was their chance to break through Konoha's defenses!
"Let's go!"
Didaze nodded slightly as well, then dispelled the giant clay bird.
He couldn't deliver precise strikes from the sky and would very likely hit his allies by mistake.
To prevent friendly fire, Didaze planned to fight on the ground.
After all, Kōdo would protect him.
A Steel Release ninja, and an elite jonin at that, would be difficult for even a Kage-level powerhouse to get past when wholly focused on protecting one person.
Kitsuchi set off eagerly, and Didaze followed behind him toward Konoha.
"Damn it, that bastard actually got away..."
Shimura Danzō watched helplessly as Didaze escaped, fury igniting within him.
Someone as domineering as him couldn't stand even the slightest provocation. Especially since he still wanted to compete for the Hokage position, a blunder this great would likely become a major stain on his candidacy!
"Phew..."
Shimura Danzō forced himself to calm down.
"Lord Danzo, don't be angry."
The ninja offered Shimura Danzō words of comfort.
The current Shimura Danzō wasn't yet the Shimura Danzō of Root he would become, nor was he so gloomy.
At least for now, he still looked like a handsome older man in his middle age, which also meant most people weren't actually that afraid of Shimura Danzō.
"Everyone, immediately assume the highest level of defense. Stay alert for chakra fluctuations nearby at all times!"
"Phew..."
Shimura Danzō took another deep breath, composed himself, and issued his orders.
"Lord Orochimaru, isn't Shimura Danzō overstepping a little by issuing orders over your head...?"
Watching Shimura Danzō ignore Orochimaru completely and issue orders himself, one of Orochimaru's men couldn't help speaking to him.
"It's fine. I don't care about command..."
Orochimaru said coldly.
He truly didn't care. After all, results were what mattered. As long as his battlefield achievements surpassed Shimura Danzō's, everything Shimura Danzō did would be meaningless.
Besides, Shimura Danzō belonged to the same generation as his teacher. His teacher would never make Shimura Danzō the Fourth Hokage.
So Orochimaru didn't care about these things at all. Only winning in the end counted as winning. An early lead meant nothing.
"All right..."
Orochimaru's subordinate felt somewhat resentful, but he couldn't say much more. After all, this was Orochimaru's business. If Orochimaru himself didn't care, what could he say?
And so, under Shimura Danzō's command, the Konoha ninja maintained their highest state of alert for over half an hour.
"I sense them. A large number of ninja are approaching. They should be from Iwagakure!"
A sensory ninja was the first to speak.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
At Shimura Danzō's command, the Uchiha Clan activated their Sharingan, and the Hyuga Clan activated their Byakugan.
The Aburame Clan's insects flew out, while the Akimichi Clan had already used the Multi-Size Technique!
Everyone was ready for battle!
"Brother Kitsuchi, let me go first. Their defenses seem a little too tight!"
Didaze frowned as he spotted the Konoha ninja from afar.
If they went in against that formation, even a victory would probably be a pyrrhic one.
Didaze quickly molded a giant bird and took to the air.
"That bastard's here again! Aburame Clan, hurry!!"
Seeing a giant bird take flight in the distance, Shimura Danzō immediately called for the Aburame Clan.
"Secret Technique: Flying Kikaichū!"
The Aburame Clan quickly summoned flying kikaichū and sent them into the sky!
"Explosive Clay: Expansion Bullet!"
Didaze took out a large lump of clay and compressed it into a small piece. He quickly compressed five or six of them, then hurled them at the Akimichi Clan's ninja!
"Dodge!"
Seeing several small bombs heading toward the Akimichi Clan, the ninja beside them hurriedly shouted a warning.
"Bombs that small are fine. I'll catch them in my hands and won't let them explode!"
Seeing such tiny expansion bullets, the Akimichi Clan's ninja thought nothing of them.
After all, they were only about the size of an Explosive Clay: Spider.
If Explosive Clay: Spiders exploded in their hands, their hands would hurt, but they wouldn't suffer any permanent injuries.
Just as the Akimichi Clan caught the bombs in their hands to protect the other Konoha ninja, the expansion bullets suddenly grew!
The expansion bullets instantly swelled to dozens of times their original size!
Then the expansion bullets exploded right in the Akimichi Clan's hands!
Five or six tremendous booms rang out.
The Akimichi Clan was almost completely wiped out.
Only one or two lucky enough not to have caught an expansion bullet survived.
The Akimichi Clan members struck by the expansion bullets were blown apart in a spray of flesh and blood, their bodies obliterated in an instant.
Even the nearby ninja who hadn't managed to flee were caught in the blasts and severely injured!
"Such... such power!"
Kitsuchi also saw Didaze's expansion bullets from afar. Although the Akimichi Clan's carelessness had played a part, that power was undeniable.
Even if the Akimichi Clan had started running immediately, they probably would have been blown to death. Their corpses might just have looked a little less gruesome.
"See? That's Didaze's strength!"
Kōdo was happy too. After all, Didaze had effectively proven himself, which greatly pleased Kōdo, who had supported him all along.
"Everyone, attack!!!"
Kitsuchi came to his senses and immediately decided to attack while Konoha's morale had been badly shaken by Didaze's volley of expansion bullets!