Upon seeing the recent actions of the Sand Hidden ninja forces, Uchiha Kagami and the others immediately understood that the enemy had taken the bait. It was impossible for the enemy not to be tempted. The next step was to gradually deepen the Sand Hidden ninja forces' expectations, thereby prompting them to make a rash move.
The tactics formulated by Uchiha and the others primarily focused on psychological warfare. The key was how to lure the enemy into their trap, and they implemented several measures for this:
For example, they secretly leaked information about the severity of the internal purge. Aside from those who were genuinely dealt with, many individuals were falsely reported as purged. Of course, to prevent the Sand Hidden ninja forces' spies from detecting this, these individuals were indeed transferred from their positions, but they were not idle. Instead, they were used as hidden trump cards because they were all elite members, possessing considerable combat power and further reinforcing the enemy's belief in the severity of the purge.
Internally, the true operational intent was only revealed to ninjas at the squad leader level and above. They would then command the ninjas below them, thereby deceiving the Sand Hidden ninja forces and preventing them from grasping the true intentions of the Konoha ninja forces. Although this would put some pressure on them, as they had to feign coordination issues caused by the internal purge, Uchiha Kagami believed that with the quality of Konoha's squad leader-level ninjas, they could achieve it.
Hatake Sakumo was one of the squad leaders. He also received orders from above. Furthermore, because he had captured Chiyo's daughter-in-law, Chizuru—whom the Sand Hidden ninjas believed he had killed—Uchiha Kagami transferred him from the Land of Rain to the Land of Rivers, further luring the enemy.
Hatake Sakumo knew that he would definitely become the enemy's target. Chiyo was not a magnanimous person, and Ryu, it seemed, was also a deeply emotional person. Facing him, the "killer" of Chizuru, they would certainly not remain indifferent. It was precisely because of this that he was called to the Land of Rivers.
Moreover, since they had to display a lack of coordination within the group, Hatake Sakumo would have to fight alone many times. In situations where he would be the primary target, encountering such circumstances would naturally bring immense pressure.
However, Hatake Sakumo was not particularly afraid. He understood the importance of this. Someone had to act as bait, and with his strength and ability, who could be more suitable? Furthermore, his team included Uchiha Kagami's biological daughter. Even his own daughter was acting as bait, so Uchiha Kagami must have made this decision after some internal struggle. If the other party had such determination, what reason did he have to retreat?
However, after personally experiencing it, Hatake Sakumo realized that this tactic was truly troublesome. The key was whether they could maintain the right balance. If it was too loose, the Sand Hidden ninja forces might detect something amiss. If it was too strict, the Sand Hidden ninja forces would similarly retreat due to the difficulty.
At the same time, just as Hatake Sakumo had thought, after learning that Hatake Sakumo had arrived in the Land of Rivers, the Sand Hidden ninja forces consciously began to concentrate their efforts on his side. If it was just about protecting his own safety, Hatake Sakumo naturally wouldn't worry. As long as he didn't venture deep into enemy territory alone, even if there were no reinforcements nearby for a while, he could survive. But the problem was how to prevent the Sand Hidden ninja forces from realizing their true intentions.
It was precisely because of this that Hatake Sakumo occasionally faced some trouble, but fortunately, he managed to overcome it with his own strength and the assistance of his team members.
At this moment, Hatake Sakumo once again received intelligence: the enemy forces at one of the defensive lines were too strong, and their own personnel were about to collapse. Considering the allocation of personnel, Hatake Sakumo decided to lead a team personally, which was his usual practice. Due to orders from above, there would always be subtle coordination issues among the ninjas below him. He deliberately left these in place. Although with the quality of Konoha ninjas, they still had decent combat capability when operating in squads, they were somewhat insufficient when facing a cooperative enemy.
Of course, due to the number of Sand Hidden ninjas, the advantage was not particularly obvious.
But Hatake Sakumo still hoped to minimize losses as much as possible. In relatively critical situations, he would personally lead a team into battle. In three days, Hatake Sakumo had already led a team out seven times. Including the upcoming battle today, he had already experienced three fierce battles.
Hatake Sakumo, along with Asuna, Mizuki, and Yamanaka Risa, rushed to the battlefield. The scene was chaotic, and Konoha ninjas had to rely on obstacles to defend against enemy attacks. Even so, the situation was extremely dangerous. In front of them were not only Sand Hidden ninjas but also Stone Hidden ninjas who had come to assist, as well as hundreds of samurai.
"Hurry up, they can't hold on for much longer!" one of the Sand Hidden ninjas shouted loudly. However, his voice had barely faded when a strong flash of lightning suddenly appeared not far away, and the wall constructed by the Stone Hidden ninjas shattered like tofu.
"It's Hatake Sakumo!" Someone immediately recognized the newcomer's identity and quickly called out to the others.
In recent days, due to Hatake Sakumo, the Sand Hidden ninjas had concentrated their forces here for battle, and the pressure was greater than in other areas. They also noticed that Hatake Sakumo deliberately protected his subordinates, so they flexibly carried out multiple guerrilla operations to tie down Hatake Sakumo and consume his energy.
Hatake Sakumo took the lead, cutting down the Stone Hidden ninjas behind the rock wall. Without looking back, he said, "Go." Then he charged forward.
Asuna, Mizuki, and Yamanaka Risa followed closely behind. Seeing their appearance, the Konoha ninjas, who were already at the end of their rope, seemed to be infused with new strength, and their morale surged again.
"It's Lord White Fang and Lord Flash!"
"Everyone, it's time to counterattack!"
Ever since Hatake Sakumo and Asuna successively gained widely recognized titles in the ninja world, they had become like banners among Konoha ninjas. Their mere appearance brought an unprecedented effect, not to mention the impact of their combat power. This was the role of the strong.
Ninjas who possessed titles were like aces in the ninja forces, having a unique and irreplaceable role. Hatake Sakumo and Asuna now had such influence.
And besides them, Mizuki was also slowly beginning to gain such influence. Previously, because she had the responsibility of protecting Yamanaka Risa's safety, she participated in more battles than she assisted. Although she was very strong, her performance was not particularly outstanding. But after her Kekkei Genkai finally awakened, her strength rapidly increased once again.
Because of the negative impression brought by her crimson Sharingan and Mizuki's outstanding Fire Release skills, there was a circulating nickname for her in private: "Witch of Flames." However, Mizuki felt that this nickname was too unpleasant. It wasn't as concise as "White Fang" or "Flash," and it gave people the impression that she was somehow evil.
However, titles are given by others, not self-proclaimed. Even though Mizuki found it unpleasant, the title continued to circulate, and in the future, it might even spread throughout the ninja world. In response, the helpless and exasperated Mizuki could only tell her teammates not to mention it in front of her again.
Nevertheless, due to her Kekkei Genkai, Mizuki's strength had once again increased, and she now held a position and power comparable to Hatake Sakumo and Asuna, both considered "aces." If nothing unexpected happened, gaining the Jonin qualification would be a natural progression. A squad with three such individuals would naturally possess terrifying strength.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu."
"Wind Style: Violent Wind."
Asuna and Mizuki unleashed their ninjutsu almost simultaneously. The intertwining of wind and fire expanded, and Asuna's exquisite Wind Style sent it forward, scattering the approaching samurai. The scorching flames and heat made them cry out in agony.
Immediately after, Asuna strode forward, her blade like a cold star streaking across the sky, piercing through the samurai in front of her. She would only strike a vital point and then move on to the next target, not bothering to stab again. Ordinary samurai were no match for her.
Occasionally, threatening ninjas would dart out from the gaps between the samurai, looking for an opportunity to ambush Asuna. However, Asuna had noticed their presence early on—due to her training in Sage Mode, her regular sensory abilities were stronger than ordinary people's, and Yamanaka Risa also maintained a constant mental link with her, relaying any ninja movements she sensed.
Before the Sand Hidden ninja's kunai could even touch Asuna, her faster blade had already sliced through their vital points. As the opponent fell, Asuna stepped on their back, dodged the approaching blade from behind, and leaped out, breaking through the closing encirclement like a cannonball. Her feet pushed off the face of a nearby samurai.
Asuna used this as a springboard, leaping multiple times. With each samurai she passed, a streak of blood appeared, and the samurai fell before they could even react.
Aside from the samurai who underwent arduous training in the Land of Iron, only a few elite samurai armies in the Five Great Nations could rival ninjas. These samurai armies were either on critical battlefields or protecting the daimyo and nobles in the capital cities.
After Asuna leaped again, her gaze sharpened slightly. Before she even landed, she used Wind Style to propel herself away. A rock spike suddenly emerged from the ground where she was about to land. The Stone Hidden ninja who witnessed this couldn't help but click their tongue.
At this moment, Asuna swept past this person, first severing the hand that was about to pull out a kunai, then delivering a heavy kick to the opponent's jaw. Despite her light weight, her strength was considerable. Under the fierce impact of this blow, the opponent immediately suffered a fractured bone and died.
Seeing the opponent fall, Asuna did not hesitate. Her figure was as swift as the wind, and her swinging blade was like a star streaking across the sky. Few could survive in front of her. Even if they did, it was because Asuna, due to the rhythm of the battle, had shifted her target to someone else.
At this time, the masters of the Sand Hidden ninjas and Stone Hidden ninjas were all facing Hatake Sakumo. But the fact proved that against a master of Hatake Sakumo's caliber, they were no match at all. At most, they could barely preserve their lives. If they were to face Asuna, they might be able to fight to a stalemate—of course, if they faced Asuna in Sage Mode, the outcome would probably not be much different.
"Retreat!" Seeing the unfavorable situation, the Sand Hidden ninjas immediately chose to withdraw. After throwing a large number of poison gas bombs, smoke bombs, and other cover measures, they all left.
As they retreated, the Sand Hidden ninjas also felt a sense of dread. The reason they attempted to fight was because they knew Hatake Sakumo had already been to two battlefields today, and logically, his stamina should have been significantly depleted. Yet, he still possessed such astonishing combat power. Two of their high-level ninjas had also been lost. He truly lived up to his reputation as Konoha's White Fang.
Hatake Sakumo chose not to pursue. He couldn't be sure if the enemy was luring them into a deeper trap. The Konoha position here needed to be reorganized. Under such circumstances, how could he choose to pursue?
And after the Sand Hidden ninjas retreated, the Konoha ninjas immediately let out cheers, celebrating their victory in battle.
Compared to Hatake Sakumo and Asuna, Mizuki still had to protect the team's intelligence officer, Yamanaka Risa. And because of her increased strength, she protected her with greater ease. She used large-scale Fire Style jutsus to force back approaching enemies, and when someone darted out, her Sharingan could predict their movements in advance, allowing her to quickly assassinate or defend against sneak attacks. Of course, there would still be occasional mistakes.
"Are you alright, Risa?" Mizuki looked at Yamanaka Risa somewhat nervously. During the melee, Yamanaka Risa was accidentally stabbed in the shoulder by an enemy kunai, and blood was gushing out.
"Hmm, I'm fine." Yamanaka Risa smiled, indicating that she was not seriously injured. She pulled out medicine and bandages from her ninja tool pouch and injected an antidote into her body. Sand Hidden ninjas' tools were basically all poisoned, so every Konoha ninja carried an antidote.
The new type of poison used by Chiyo last time caused some trouble for Konoha Village. Tsunade immediately began researching a new antidote, and so, Chiyo's poison once again became ineffective.
This infuriated Chiyo. She realized that she had truly underestimated this medical ninja. The other party was also the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju, so she must have some capabilities after all. Although she appeared as a medical ninja, according to Ryu, Tsunade also possessed formidable combat abilities.
Powerful female ninjas were not uncommon; their numbers had rapidly increased since the establishment of ninja villages, and Chiyo had seen many. However, female ninjas who were both strong and possessed profound medical skills were very rare. Since Chiyo herself was such a ninja, there was bound to be some friction.
Yamanaka Risa was not seriously injured. Aside from her shoulder being too painful to lift, which might affect her hand seal speed, there were no major issues. After returning to camp and receiving treatment from a medical ninja, even this small problem would be resolved.
After Hatake Sakumo and Asuna returned and saw that Yamanaka Risa was not seriously injured, they reorganized the position, transferred some personnel from other areas, and then left.
There were no troubles on the way back. Battles that required Hatake Sakumo, a squad leader, to personally intervene were not many. Most of the time, he commanded from the rear. However, conversely, when he did need to intervene, it was certainly a very troublesome mission, and the danger level would be relatively high.
Back at the camp, Yamanaka Risa's injury quickly recovered after treatment from a medical ninja. Everyone gathered in their team's tent, and Hatake Sakumo asked, "How have you all been feeling these past few days?"
"It's nothing." Asuna and Mizuki both thought the same. With their strength and Hatake Sakumo accompanying them, it was just a bit of pressure.
"How about you, Risa?" Hatake Sakumo asked, looking at Yamanaka Risa.
"It's fine, I can continue. It's not particularly troublesome yet." Yamanaka Risa smiled at Hatake Sakumo. Although the operations in recent days had been more troublesome than usual, because there were more details to pay attention to, she had no complaints. While dangerous, it also meant higher merits.
With Yamanaka Risa's current merits, she was already qualified to be promoted to Special Jonin. It was only because she was still serving under Hatake Sakumo, who was currently a Special Jonin, that she couldn't be promoted yet. But as soon as Hatake Sakumo was promoted, she would surely rise as well. After becoming a Special Jonin, she would be only one step away from being a Jonin in the village's high ranks, and she would also have a very high status in her clan.
Konoha Village now placed great importance on merits. Among ninjas of the same rank, the amount of merits was indirectly linked to salary and status. Even clan ninjas could not ignore this, and civilian ninjas valued it even more. As long as they had ability and accomplishments, there was room for promotion.
Yamanaka Risa, following Hatake Sakumo, was bound to achieve many merits, and she would certainly be at the forefront among those of the same rank. This had already been proven. She had no reason to say she couldn't do it. Although it was dangerous, in terms of safety, there was probably no place safer than this team.