Underground Laboratory Land of Rice Fields Otogakure
In the dimly lit basement, Orochimaru, Kabuto, Suigetsu, and Sasuke sat around a table with only a half-burnt candle in the center.
"Damn it! How did this Hongshi get here?!"
Orochimaru slammed his fist on the table, his eyes filled with rage.
Holding a bundle of scrolls in his hand, he asked, " Lord Orochimaru, what is our battle plan?"
Orochimaru waved his hand. "Let the Otogakure ninja continue their attack as planned, but we must relocate immediately."
Sasuke was somewhat reluctant. "Why transfer? Wouldn't it be better if the Konoha ninjas came over like this? I can kill them all and treat it as part of my training."
Orochimaru looked at Sasuke as if he were an idiot. " Sasuke, although you can defeat that demon fox now, you have absolutely no hope against the Hongshi. You need to master the power of the Cursed Seal first. If you want to become stronger, you must first face your own strength. There is still a lot you need to learn."
Kabuto continued, "According to intelligence, Konoha has dispatched a total of two hundred ninjas this time, while Otogakure currently has six combatants. If they can lure away Hongshi and his group, they should be able to wipe out Konoha's punitive expedition."
Orochimaru nodded. "In that case, after giving the order, let's move on."
Kabuto: "In retrieving Sasuke this time, we lost Kimimaro and Jūgo, but it seems they are not dead."
"Oh?"
Kabuto: "I tried to summon them using the Impure World Reincarnation, but I failed. Could it be...?"
Orochimaru waved his hand. "It's alright, they're just pawns. Let's release the experimental subjects we used for the Impure World Reincarnation as well. The Land of Rice Fields has no further use to us."
Kabuto: "Where are we going?"
"Let's go to the experimental base in the Land of Wind first."
Suigetsu was startled. "That Land of Wind in the desert? I'm not going there; I wouldn't survive long there."
Suigetsu's body is liquid, making it indeed difficult for her to survive in a water-scarce place like the Land of Wind.
Sasuke scoffed, "Tch, what's the point of going to that godforsaken place? It's so far away, it'll just interfere with my training."
Orochimaru chuckled, "This failed plan to destroy Konoha is a stain on my life, and the Land of Wind is the perfect hiding place for us to prepare for war again."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!"
Because of their overwhelming numerical advantage, the Sound Ninja's battle plan was extremely brutal and direct. They sent a 40-man squadron to attack the medical-nin from the rear, while the remaining 500-plus ninjas directly charged the Konoha main force. Unbeknownst to them, the key figures in the Otogakure had already evacuated.
However, Konoha had the Byakugan, Kekkei Genkai allowed them to spot the movement from a kilometer away. Shikamaru directed the group to move into a valley on one side, setting traps along the way to slow their advance.
The Sound Ninja were very familiar with their own territory, and the reconnaissance team was overjoyed to learn that Shikamaru had retreated to Venomous Snake Valley.
"Captain, the Konoha Ninja are now on their way to Venomous Snake Valley."
"They're courting death. They'll split into two groups and block both exits of Venomous Snake Valley."
Venomous Snake Valley is home to a large number of venomous snakes, as well as poisonous herbs and miasma. It is where Orochimaru collects raw materials for his poison experiments, and even the local Sound Ninja dare not linger there.
Seeing that the Konoha expeditionary force had entered the Venomous Snake Valley on its own, they immediately split into two groups to block their exit and trap them in the Venomous Snake Valley. They believed that if they could block them for two hours, the Konoha expeditionary force would collapse without a fight.
Venomous Snake Valley
The expeditionary force was now positioned at the Venomous Snake Valley.
Hinata ran over from a distance and stopped in front of Shikamaru: " Shikamaru, the Sound Ninja team has split up, and three hundred of them are approaching us, about a kilometer away."
The expeditionary force included a large number of Hyuga clan members, and upon entering the Land of Rice Fields, they had already dispatched a reconnaissance team to familiarize themselves with the surrounding terrain, including the Venomous Snake Valley.
Shikamaru nodded. "Everyone, pay attention. The raiding force has now circled around to the rear of another Sound Ninja unit, concealing themselves and preparing for the second step of the plan."
Shikamaru is usually lazy and laid-back, but when his comrades are in a life-or-death situation, he goes all out. " Choji, it's up to you this time!"
Hinata Byakugan fixed on the Sound Ninja's movements, said, " Shikamaru, the Sound Ninja formation is scattered; they're still 600 meters away."
"By luring the enemy into a false sense of security, the first step has been accomplished; now it's time to prepare for action."
"Yes!"
Shikamaru took out a bamboo tube from his pocket, lit the fuse, and a burst of fireworks shot into the sky and exploded, signaling the start of the battle.
The Sound Ninja captain, seeing the fireworks, assumed the attacking force had entered the valley and was being attacked by poisonous snakes, and that the fireworks were a warning to the following troops. Overjoyed, he shouted, "Quick! They've already started entering Venomous Snake Valley! Before they can react, push them in! Prepare for battle!"
"Yes!"
The Sound Ninja sped up and rushed towards the fireworks, their formation becoming even more scattered.
"Boom!"
In the heat of the moment, a Sound Ninja stepped into a trap and was instantly blown to pieces, while several of his teammates nearby were also blasted away and suffered minor injuries.
The Sound Ninja captain roared, "What an idiot! Konoha already knows our location, we can't slow down!"
Under the command of the Sound Ninja Captain, the group continued to advance, aiming to prevent the Konoha punitive force from reacting in time.
"Boom!"
Two more traps were triggered, and the Sound Ninja, moving at high speed, were unable to dodge them in time, resulting in the loss of several more members.
However, they were unaware that this was part of Shikamaru's plan. He had anticipated that the Sound Ninja would be even more eager to approach their side after triggering the traps, so the closer they got to Venomous Snake Valley, the more numerous and denser the traps became. This was the second step in Shikamaru's plan to turn the tables.
"Boom boom boom."
The sounds of the traps being triggered became increasingly frequent, and all the team members were filled with admiration for Shikamaru's strategy, especially the members of the Hyuga Clan. With their Byakugan, they saw that the number of Sound Ninja troops was decreasing, and the dense traps were causing them heavy losses, but they were still maintaining their approaching speed, only their formation began to change into a long snake formation.
"Captain Shikamaru! Their formation has changed! They're 200 meters apart!"
"Alright! Attack immediately!"
All ten-person teams immediately dispersed.
However, at this moment...
The Hyuga Clan ninjas seemed to have noticed something at the same time, and looked up at the sky.
" Hinata, what's wrong?"
Hinata chuckled, " Shikamaru, it's Hongshi-kun over."
"Fly over?"
"Yohohoho..."
A strange laugh came from the sky. Everyone looked up and saw that the four members of Hongshi were all equipped with " Blue Bird Type One " and were flying rapidly through the sky.
Hanabi Hyuga behind Hongshi, pointing at the Sound Ninja on the ground. " Hongshi-kun, he's right ahead!"
Kosuke had fully recovered to his peak condition and regained the vigor of his youth. He drew his Shuriken and said, "Let's cause a ruckus!"
Hongshi Hand Seals: " Hanabi, point out the location of the Sound Ninja, and I'll teach them a lesson."
The Sound Ninja on the ground were also drawn to the Hongshi in the sky. "Captain! There's a big black fluttering moth in the sky!"
The Sound Ninja captain also spotted the four people in the air. "Hmph, what's the use of flying in forest warfare? Are they going to blow us up? Keep moving! Prepare for battle!"
The Sound Ninja had already lost nearly fifty men, but they hadn't even seen a shadow of the Konoha's punitive expeditionary force, and their hearts were already filled with rage.
Indeed, in their minds, even ninjas who could fly were only capable of long-range Ninjutsu or Shuriken, which could be easily dodged with a little attention, so they didn't take them seriously.
After completing the Hand Seals, Hongshi took a deep breath. "Feel the power of the air force! Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
"Roar!"
Three fire dragons spewed from the Hongshi's mouth and rushed downwards, growing larger and larger, almost like a force capable of destroying the world.
"Boom!"
The fire dragon crashed into the forest, causing a violent explosion. It continued to roam through the forest, blasting countless trees away. The scorching temperature instantly reduced the number of Sound Ninja ninjutsu users by a hundred.
Sound Ninja Captain: "Σ() Holy crap, what's with this huge black fluttering moth! Get out of the way!"
Without the Sound Ninja Captain's signal, the Sound Ninja had already scattered and taken cover, but some of them triggered traps, further reducing their numbers.
Shikamaru: "(°ー°), what are we doing here?"
Hayate Gekko Hayate arm transformed into a samurai sword. "It seems there's no need to fight anymore. If this continues, the Sound Ninja might all be wiped out."
"Bite!"
Gyokucha looked at the three fire dragons raging on the ground and threw a Kunai at Hongshi's head, but it only produced a few sparks. "Hey! Boss! That's enough, you've almost burned half of him to ashes. At least let those brats test their skills."
Hongshi then stopped. "Oh, I almost forgot."
Hanabi Hyuga: "Brother Hongshi, you're amazing!"
Kosuke didn't even have a chance to throw his Shuriken: " Hongshi-kun, if you want to solve problems by yourself in the future, don't drag us along, okay?"
Hongshi waved to the stunned Shikamaru and the others, then clutched his head in apparent pain, "Ouch! Ouch, Shikamaru! I'm out of Chakra! It's up to you guys now!"
After saying that, the three fire dragons disappeared, leaving only the still-burning forest. Because Hongshi's Fire Dragon Flame Bullet destroyed most of the trees, everyone's visibility improved considerably.
Shikamaru: "Such exaggerated acting! Who would believe that!"
Sound Ninja Captain: "Men, that big black moth is out of Chakra. We still outnumber them, so hurry up and take care of those Konoha brats!"
Hongshi: "(°ー°) What did that Sound Ninja just say?"
Gyokucha: "No, no, it's your imagination."
Hongshi: "That's good. I thought he was calling me a big black fluttering moth."
Shikamaru adjusted his mindset and commanded the Konoha punitive expeditionary force to charge, "Now is the perfect time to attack, charge!"
At this moment, the Sound Ninja formation was scattered and completely disorganized, while the Konoha, under Shikamaru's command, advanced and attacked in an orderly manner. Although some people were injured, there were no casualties.
The Sound Ninja lost their advantage in terrain and numbers due to the Hongshi, and their formation was also very chaotic. They were defeated one by one by the Konoha. In addition, there was the Jonin, Gekko Hayate, whose sword flashed and left blood everywhere.
The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist and Byakugan, which combine offense and defense, are extremely versatile on the battlefield. Each squad of the Hyuga Clan works in pairs to unleash tremendous combat power.
Just then, the support team arrived late. Ashinara Hyuga, the leader, saw Hongshi and the others flying in the air and exclaimed, "When did they get here?!"
" Ashinara, the battle has begun! Let's go get the treatment quickly!"
"Um."