Chapter 118: Divide Forces and Advance
Under Sasuke's pressure, his troops finally broke away from the Sunagakure ninjas' pursuit. However, the Sunagakure forces flanking them then joined behind them. And then, the sky darkened. In the distance, two enormous desert hawks, flanked by a swarm of smaller flying beasts, swooped down on them.
It was Sunagakure's air force, sent from the north. Sasuke was surprised. He knew their air force had been depleted after Sakumo's attack. Sending two of their precious giant hawks for this pursuit meant they had absolute confidence in their base's defense.
Sasuke knew he couldn't fight them in the air and retreated to regroup with his troops. Meanwhile, his shadow clone caught up to the Uchiha army.
"Uchiha, are you trying to escape in the middle of battle? Send someone to pick up the rear guard troops!" he shouted, invoking the Will of Fire and the Hokage's name.
"Keep going!" ordered the second-in-command, Uchiha Tiehuo, clearly intending to sacrifice Sasuke's battalion. Another Uchiha, Inahiro, even drew his sword to kill the clone.
But another figure blocked his blade. "Uchiha Shun, do you want to rebel?" Inahiro hissed.
"Inahimi, we must support our comrades," Shun replied. He was different from the other Uchiha; he was approachable and respected the Third Hokage.
Inahiro scoffed, but allowed him to "go die" if he wanted. Shun asked for volunteers. Only his two comrades, Yamashiro Aoi and Shiranui Shinji, from clans allied with the Uchiha, stepped forward.
Sasuke's clone wasn't surprised. His goal wasn't to save the entire army, but some. He reflected on Konoha's complex factions: the Hokage's, led by Hiruzen and the Ino-Shika-Cho; the Uchiha's; and the Hyuga's. The declining Senju clan had mostly been absorbed by the Hokage's faction, which had allowed them to suppress the other two. But even within these blocks, there were dissenters, and Uchiha Shun was a clear example.
As he thought about this, his radar detected something that chilled him to the bone. The unmistakable chakra signature of an Aburame's insects, scattered among the Uchiha troops. There were no Aburame in this army. The insects... the insects were here to harvest. To harvest the eyes.
Now he understood. Danzo's plan wasn't just to use the Uchiha as bait. It was also to seize their Sharingan.
Sasuke's clone didn't stay. He took Shun and his two comrades and headed south to prepare a new ambush, separating from the doomed Uchiha army. Seeing this, the real Sasuke ordered his troops to do the same. The Sunagakure ninjas, seeing the division, also divided their forces, sending the bulk of their troops after the Uchiha and their air force after Sasuke's smaller group.
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