When Shūichi Hoshita's shadow clone arrived at Uchiha Shisui's location, the battle had just ended.
Uchiha Shisui and Pakura were unhard, but the other Konoha squads that intercepted the Kirigakure forces had suffered casualties.
At this mont, only a dical ninja was busy tending to the wounded. Shūichi imdiately stepped forward to help and said, "Kirigakure's forces will be here soon. Shisui, Scorch, the two of you and I will stay behind to cover the retreat."
"Understood!"
Uchiha Shisui and Pakura nodded in agreent, then closed their eyes to rest.
A Jonin from the Sarutobi clan offered, "Shūichi, let stay behind too!"
Shūichi shook his head. "Kirigakure has more than 50 shinobi. We're not here to stop them all, just to slow them down with strategic strikes."
"You should pull back a bit and set up defensive positions to support us!"
The Sarutobi Jonin nodded and refrained from saying more.
Ten minutes later, the wounded had been treated, and the Konoha squad of a dozen shinobi retreated, leaving only Shūichi, Shisui, and Pakura behind.
After waiting a while, Shisui's crows flew back.
"Shūichi, Kirigakure is here!"
Shisui's voice was calm but firm.
Sitting beneath a tree, Shūichi stood up.
Monts later, one by one, the Kirigakure shinobi appeared within sight.
"That guy!"
"It's him!"
"Is this the real one?"
The Kirigakure shinobi halted, all eyes focused intently on Shūichi Hoshita.
Hōzuki tsuin, staring at Shūichi, suddenly spoke. "Are you Shūichi of Konoha?"
Shūichi smiled. "That's !"
tsuin's gaze shifted to Pakura, who was wearing a mask. Despite the mask, he recognized his forr opponent all too well.
Especially after seeing the grueso state of his fallen comrades earlier—it confird his suspicions.
"Pakura of the Scorch Release... so it was you Konoha who saved her!"
Hōzuki tsuin snorted coldly.
Shūichi chuckled softly. "You kill people, we save them. You're the villains, we're the heroes. That tone of yours—I don't like it."
tsuin's annoyance deepened. Considering Shūichi's strength, he gave a cold snort and waved his hand. "Retreat!"
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
The Kirigakure shinobi imdiately used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat.
What the...?
Shūichi was ready for battle.
Were the Kirigakure shinobi really this weak?
"Chase them!"
Shūichi called out softly.
Imdiately, the sound of Chidori echoed through the air as lightning sparked from his limbs, enveloping his body in a glow. In an instant, he shot forward like a streak of lightning.
Shisui followed closely behind, and his Body Flicker Technique was no slower than Shūichi's Chidori Flicker.
Pakura, however, was a bit slower, falling to the back.
The rearmost Kirigakure shinobi, including Hōzuki tsuin, suddenly turned and unleashed their attacks. Three of them spewed water streams from their mouths, creating massive waves that surged toward the trio.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
Shisui and Shūichi executed their jutsu in perfect sync, creating a fiery whirlwind that collided with the water waves. The resulting explosion sent mist billowing in all directions.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Shuriken laced with explosive tags shot through the mist, detonating with thunderous blasts.
Shūichi and the others dodged the explosions and rushed through the lingering mist, only to find themselves shrouded in a dense fog.
Hiding in Mist Technique!
The fog was so thick that visibility was reduced to less than two ters!
"Be careful of Kirigakure's Silent Killing Technique," Pakura warned. "Hōzuki tsuin is especially skilled at it!"
Shisui suggested, "We can disperse the fog with Wind Release, right?"
Pakura shook her head. "In theory, yes. But this is a common jutsu for Kirigakure, and the range of this fog is likely massive."
Shisui nodded. "I see. It seems the enemy isn't planning on retreating after all."
"That's not necessarily the case!"
Shūichi's eyes ignited with blue flas, using his thermal vision. The fog had little effect on him.
"Follow !"
With a soft command, Shūichi moved swiftly, zipping past a hidden Kirigakure shinobi concealed behind a tree.
The hidden shinobi silently attempted to strike from behind, but Shisui's shuriken hit him with pinpoint accuracy.
However, the struck shinobi turned into a puddle of water as he hit the ground.
"A clone!"
"Three o'clock!"
"Six o'clock!"
"Eleven o'clock!"
Shūichi's voice echoed through the mist, and shuriken flew toward him from every direction. He evaded each one with ease.
Following his directions, Shisui and Pakura targeted the hidden Kirigakure shinobi, only to find they were all clones as well!
anwhile, Hōzuki tsuin, hidden in a small pool of water, felt a chill run down his spine. "That guy... the Hiding in Mist Technique doesn't work on him at all."
In the earlier pursuit, the Hiding in Mist Technique hadn't been used, so there had been no opportunity to test it.
Just then, Shūichi Hoshita's figure flew right over tsuin's hiding spot. tsuin was about to launch an attack, but he noticed the ground around him had turned into a swamp.
"Damn, he found !"
Startled, tsuin imdiately revealed himself.
But the next mont, his eyes t a pair of blood-red Sharingan.
"Sharingan... oh no!"
tsuin instinctively tried to close his eyes, but he realized his body was no longer under his control.
Genjutsu!
Although his mind was still clear, tsuin struggled with all his might to break free from the illusion.
Shisui raised his blade, but Shūichi's voice rang out, "Wait, he's the real one!"
Shisui paused, as did Pakura.
The real one?
All the others were clones, and yet the commander had stayed behind with his true body. Was he that confident in his Silent Killing Technique?
Shūichi delivered a swift chop, knocking tsuin unconscious. Then he applied the Five Elents Seal and Four-Limb Sealing Technique, ensuring tsuin was tightly restrained. "No need to pursue. Shisui, Pakura, take the prisoner and retreat."
Shūichi was quite interested in Kirigakure's Hydrification Technique.
Shisui and Pakura nodded and imdiately began withdrawing with the unconscious tsuin.
Shūichi, however, stayed behind—he still needed to monitor Kirigakure's movents.
...
In the Rear, Kirigakure Main Camp
At the Kirigakure main camp, Hōzuki Shingetsu first received the intel sent back by Hōzuki tsuin, followed by intelligence shared by the Sunagakure forces.
When Shingetsu first read tsuin's report, he found it hard to believe.
It was surprising enough that Pakura had survived, but the fact that a re shadow clone had managed to kill forty to fifty of their shinobi? That seed impossible.
However, after comparing the reports from Sunagakure, Shingetsu couldn't help but feel grateful that tsuin's team had only encountered a clone.
He quickly made his decision: "Send in the full force! Compress Konoha's space!"
As soon as Kirigakure and Sunagakure began to mobilize, Shūichi sensed it.
"Kirigakure has over a thousand troops, and Sunagakure... just over eight hundred..."
After pondering for a mont, Shūichi decided not to recall the three clones he had hidden in the forest. Instead, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport near the Kirigakure forces, appearing beside one of his shadow clones.
"What are you doing here?" the shadow clone asked in surprise.
Shūichi replied, "There are too many Kirigakure shinobi."
He could easily imagine that once the battle started in earnest, Kirigakure would land from the east and push directly into the Land of Fire.
If the shinobi camps weren't so dispersed during their march, he would have already rained down Rasenshuriken from above.
But regardless, whether it was for his "Famous" tag or to weaken Kirigakure's forces and ensure that people like Shizune and Nono Yakushi back in Konoha wouldn't have to go to the battlefield, Shūichi had to reduce Sunagakure and Kirigakure's strength as much as possible.
Sunagakure's forces still had a longer route to travel, leaving ti for layered ambushes. But the depth of Kirigakure's advance was much shorter, giving them less ti.
Unsealing the Yin Seal on his forehead, followed by another seal on his abdon, Shūichi imdiately perford the Shadow Clone Technique.
In an instant, eight shadow clones appeared behind him.
Each of these clones had nearly the sa amount of chakra as Shūichi's original body.
"I'm leaving this to you guys!"
With those words, Shūichi's real body vanished.
After his departure, the shadow clones quickly dispersed in all directions.
---
At the Border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers
Shūichi appeared next to Pakura.
"The real you?" Pakura asked.
Shūichi nodded.
Uchiha Shisui asked, "Shūichi, has the Kirigakure army mobilized?"
Shūichi nodded again. "Yes, they've moved. Sunagakure has mobilized as well."
Sitting down, he transford into a miniature version of the Four-Tails and began absorbing natural energy to replenish his stamina. At the sa ti, he asked, "Shisui, how many forces does the village have here?"
Seeing the strange form of Shūichi, Shisui refrained from asking too much and replied, "Currently, just over five hundred."
Five hundred?
Shūichi frowned inwardly. It seed that additional reinforcents were still being held back, likely waiting to gauge Sunagakure and Kirigakure's offensive before distributing more forces.
"Who's in charge here?"
Shisui answered, "I asked. Advisor Koharu Utatane is overseeing things, but on the front lines, it should be Lord Orochimaru, one of the Sannin."
Koharu Utatane and Orochimaru?
What kind of combination is that?
Shūichi was taken aback.
He had expected either Jiraiya or Orochimaru to lead. Given that they were both in their thirties, they should be capable of commanding large forces by now.
But it seed he was wrong.
The older generation still held sway.
To be honest, Shūichi had a natural distrust of Koharu. Knowing Orochimaru was in charge of frontline operations, however, put his mind at ease.
Even though Shūichi had turned into a mini Four-Tails, Shisui noticed the subtle changes in his expression and asked, "Shūichi, you don't seem to trust Lady Koharu very much."
Shūichi didn't hide his thoughts from Shisui and replied, "That's right, I don't. While she was once the Second Hokage's team mber, she's old now and has been away from the front lines for a long ti."
"But with Lord Orochimaru here, there's no need to worry too much."
In fact, during the Second Shinobi World War, both Koharu and Homura Mitokado had played active roles, albeit in a command capacity.
Shisui smiled, trying to reassure him. "You're overthinking it, Shūichi. Lady Koharu is a veteran who has survived two Shinobi World Wars. Her experience far exceeds ours."
"I hope you're right."
Shūichi sighed. He knew he had let his biases take over.
But from his unique perspective, he couldn't muster any goodwill toward Koharu, Homura, or Danzo.
When you get old, you should just retire instead of ddling in everything.
"Soone's coming!" Shisui suddenly said.
Shūichi reverted to his human form. Soon, a figure appeared from behind them. Upon seeing Shūichi, the person's face lit up with joy. "Lord Shūichi, Lord Orochimaru has requested your presence."
Shūichi stood and nodded. "Got it."
The Chunin who had co to deliver the ssage bowed and quickly turned to leave.
Shisui said, "We'll handle things here. You should head back right away."
Shūichi created a shadow clone and smiled. "A clone will suffice!"
As he spoke, the clone disappeared.
...
At the Border of the Land of Fire
Sitting idly under a tree, Asuka suddenly perked up in surprise and joy. "Shūichi!"
"Asuka!"
Shūichi greeted her with a smile and said, "Co with to the main camp!"
Asuka quickly stood up.
The two of them used the Body Flicker Technique and headed to the rear. After about half an hour, they arrived at the command headquarters.
"Lord Shūichi!"
"Lord Shūichi has returned!"
"He's so impressive at such a young age, it's truly amazing!"
"If it were , I'd be happy if my son were even half as skilled as Lord Shūichi!"
...
Along the way, people continuously greeted Shūichi with respect, and various discussions about him filled the air.
Soon, they arrived in front of the commander's tent. The two Chūnin guarding the entrance bowed quickly. One of them said, "Please wait a mont, Lord Shūichi. I'll go report to Lady Koharu."
Shūichi smiled and nodded slightly.
In no ti, the Chūnin returned and gestured respectfully. "Lord Shūichi, Lady Koharu will see you now!"
Shūichi nodded again and entered the tent alone.
Upon entering, he glanced around and saw not only Koharu Utatane and Orochimaru, but also several Jōnin.
After exchanging greetings, Koharu spoke. "Shūichi, you've returned at just the right ti. We were discussing our strategy against Sunagakure, and Orochimaru ntioned wanting to hear your thoughts, as you currently have the most insight into both Sunagakure and Kirigakure's movents."
Shūichi's gaze shifted to Orochimaru, who smiled back at him. After a brief nod of acknowledgnt, Shūichi began, "At the mont, both Sunagakure and Kirigakure's infiltration squads have been dealt with. In addition, I eliminated a hundred-strong unit from Sunagakure and repelled Kirigakure's vanguard. As a result, both Sunagakure and Kirigakure have committed their full forces. It seems they're attempting to compress the depth of our intelligence operations."
"Of course, it's also possible that they'll choose to focus their attack on a single point, especially Sunagakure."
Shūichi spoke calmly, but aside from Orochimaru, the other Jōnin in the tent, including Koharu, were shocked.
They were aware of the intelligence about the infiltration squads being neutralized.
But the later achievents? Those were news to them.
"Shūichi, are you sure about this?" a Jōnin from the Shimura clan asked.
Before Shūichi could respond, Orochimaru chuckled and said, "There's no need to doubt these accomplishnts. Shūichi is more than capable."
"Shūichi, the border we share with the Land of Rivers is vast. Theoretically, Sunagakure could break through at any point, putting us in a very passive position as the defending side."
"That's why I want to hear your thoughts."
Shūichi was prepared and imdiately replied, "Lady Koharu, Lord Orochimaru, in my opinion, the first thing we should do is turn defense into offense."
"We know exactly where Sunagakure's main forces are. We should strike them directly, crush their army, and then we can push forward into the Land of Rivers. By the ti Sunagakure reinforcents arrive, we'll have taken control of the region and can then confront them at the border of the Land of Wind."
Koharu shook her head. "Our current forces are insufficient. Advancing recklessly could result in our supply lines being cut off."
Shūichi continued, "If Sunagakure intends to break through our lines and invade the Land of Fire, they will undoubtedly seek out our weak points."
"In that case, we can prepare two or three weak points for them, but behind those weak points, we set up ambushes."
"Whether they attack one of the weak points or all of them at once, we can reverse the situation and encircle them."
The Shimura Jonin, Feiyan, who had previously questioned Shūichi's accomplishnts, imdiately said, "Setting up such traps would require a large number of troops, but we simply don't have enough forces right now."
"If we spread ourselves too thin setting up three traps, and Sunagakure concentrates their strength on just one, those false traps could beco real weaknesses!"
Shūichi ignored him and turned to Koharu. "Lady Koharu, how many troops do we have available for our operations against Sunagakure?"
Koharu replied, "Six hundred!"
That ant Konoha's total deploynt on the Land of Rivers battlefield was just over a thousand.
Sunagakure had just over eight hundred.
Shūichi felt confident. The advantage was his!
(End of Chapter)
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