"Victor, the army's ready. When do we move out?"
Jiraiya appeared right after breakfast, catching Victor as he finished his morning meal.
The legendary Sannin couldn't help but eye the empty plates with a hint of regret. He'd been hoping to grab a bite, but it looked like he was too late for anything fresh. Now it was back to bland rations, a disappointing prospect after yesterday's feast prepared by Erina and Hisako. The memory of that delicious food made the thought of dry military provisions even less appealing.
Victor accepted the napkin Alyssa handed him and wiped his mouth. "We'll leave now."
Following Jiraiya to the front lines, Victor found the entire Konoha force already assembled and waiting. At a glance, he estimated three to four thousand ninja, all standing alert with high spirits and eager expressions.
The news that they'd be taking the offensive against the Hidden Cloud forces had electrified the troops. After being stuck in defensive positions, playing it safe while the enemy dictated the pace of battle, this shift to aggressive action was exactly what they'd been craving. This time, they'd show those Cloud bastards what Konoha was really capable of.
"Look! Those people with Jiraiya must be the mysterious reinforcements the Hokage brought in!"
"Wait, those are our secret weapons? The girls are gorgeous, and the guys are pretty handsome too, but... can they actually fight as well as everyone says?"
"Don't let their looks fool you. Yesterday I saw those three women wipe out hundreds of enemies with my own eyes!"
"Yeah, I was there too! Got lucky enough to witness the whole thing. It was incredible!"
"Their swordsmanship was even more terrifying than Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo himself!"
As Victor and his companions appeared, many soldiers broke into expressions of admiration and respect. Most of these troops had been withdrawn from Position Three. Because they'd taken one last look at the battlefield during the evacuation, they'd witnessed the entire fight firsthand.
Those witnesses had spent the past twenty-four hours sharing their experience with anyone who'd listen. By now, stories of the three women's prowess had spread through the entire army.
Some doubted the tales, of course. But more believed them wholeheartedly.
After all, if it wasn't true, how had they managed to hold Position Three against overwhelming odds?
"Everyone, form up and divide into four teams!"
Victor's command rang out across the assembled forces.
However, no one moved. The soldiers exchanged confused glances, clearly uncertain.
Jiraiya scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Ah... sorry about that. I forgot to officially announce you'd be taking over command."
With everything happening so fast yesterday, that rather important detail had slipped his mind.
Victor shot him an exasperated look. How could he forget something so crucial?
Without that announcement, Victor had just made himself look like a complete idiot.
"Ahem."
Jiraiya cleared his throat and stepped forward, addressing the troops in a loud, clear voice. "This is Victor Stone, the reinforcements invited by Lord Hokage. He's also assuming command of our forces. From this moment forward, everyone follows his orders!"
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers quickly assembled and organized themselves into four teams.
Seeing they were ready, Victor continued. "Don't panic, no matter what happens next. I'm about to transport you to the battlefield. Once we arrive, immediately deploy into offensive formation!"
"Yes!"
As his words faded, Victor produced four specially crafted storage bags he'd made during his downtime. One by one, he drew the four teams before him into the bags, even Jiraiya got pulled into one of them.
With all the troops secured, Victor and his three companions took flight, soaring toward the Hidden Cloud Village's main force.
In mere moments, they'd crossed hundreds of kilometers and arrived above the enemy encampment.
The Hidden Cloud's main force had just finished meeting with their reinforcements and was taking time to rest and recover. Victor could even see their kitchen staff preparing breakfast fires and cooking the morning meal.
"These guys have no idea they're about to get hit from above!"
Victor smiled wickedly as he hurled the four storage bags in different directions, east, south, west, and north.
The bags transformed into streaks of light as they flew, landing at the four compass points around the enemy position.
The moment each bag touched ground, it released its contents. Thousands of Konoha ninja materialized in an instant, forming a perfect encirclement.
The outer perimeter of Hidden Cloud forces stood frozen in shock. What the hell? Where did all these Konoha ninja suddenly come from?
How had they bypassed the warning barriers? How had they appeared out of nowhere?
Questions flooded the Cloud ninja's minds, but no one had answers.
"Attack!"
Jiraiya seized the moment of confusion and immediately ordered the assault.
Konoha's forces surged into the Cloud ninja camp, cutting down anyone in their path.
The Cloud ninja, caught completely unprepared, were slaughtered. Many died in their own tents before they could even dress. Within the first minute of fighting, no fewer than two hundred enemy soldiers lay dead from the devastating surprise attack.
When explosions from various ninjutsu combinations began thundering across the battlefield, the remaining Cloud forces finally realized they were under attack.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
High above, Victor addressed his three companions. "You can join in too."
"Right!"
Alyssa and the other two immediately descended with swords drawn, throwing themselves into the battle.
Their arrival shifted the already one-sided fight into an outright massacre. The morale of the Konoha forces soared even higher, seeing their mysterious allies join the fray.
Everyone fought with strength beyond their usual capabilities.
Thanks to yesterday's experience and baptism by fire, Alyssa and the others had adapted to the cruelty of actual combat. When blood sprayed before them, they remained calm and focused.
Victor felt satisfied with this result. His goal had been achieved.
A few minutes later, the battle ended.
The Cloud ninja army was utterly defeated. Some were captured, some were killed, and not a single one escaped.
Escape had been impossible from the start, they'd been surrounded from every direction with nowhere to run.
Meanwhile, Konoha's casualties were minimal. Zero deaths, and only a few dozen injuries.
The damage ratio was staggering.
"How'd we do?"
The three women returned to Victor's side, slightly breathless but smiling.
"Excellent. I'm very satisfied."
Victor reached out and wiped away a drop of blood from Alyssa's cheek. "I'll give you all a proper reward when we get back."
The three women blushed at his words.
Victor noticed their misunderstanding but didn't bother correcting them. Since they already had expectations, he'd keep the reward as planned, though he might add a few extra 'rewards' as well...
"Victor, what should we do with this one?"
Jiraiya approached, followed by two Konoha ninja escorting a woman with blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin, and a figure that rivaled Tsunade's proportions.
This was Samui, commander of the Hidden Cloud forces.
Victor didn't answer immediately. Instead, he asked, "Do you think she still has value?"
Jiraiya considered for a moment. "Yes. After all, she's an elite jonin of the Hidden Cloud Village and their commander. Those positions alone make her extremely valuable."
"Then keep her. Take her away."
"Yes, sir!"
The two Konoha ninja immediately escorted Samui away.
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