Hoka led his division down the valley while observing it with his Byakugan. He thought, 'To think I thought that this would be an easy mission… These guys are remarkable. They set up hundreds of fake trails and dozens of traps on each of those trails! We searched all the good hiding places thoroughly without any success. To think that they'd hide in such an inconspicuous place… Even now, I can't spot a suspicious detail with my Byakugan!'
Even though Hoka didn't battle even once in the last week, his horizons were expanded considerably. He never knew that a weaker force could trouble a stronger force in such a manner. He continued thinking, 'Had Fujin focused on speed instead of safety, we could have lost a few dozen ninjas. Perhaps, the number might have even exceeded a hundred. It would have discouraged the army and killed our morale.
On the other hand, if Iwagakure or any other force had moved against Konoha, we would have been forced to withdraw and they would have been safe. They were just unfortunate that none of the circumstances was in their favor…'
Hoka was about to sigh when his eyes suddenly widened. He imdiately turned his head to his right!
"KILL THEM!!! LEAVE NO ONE ALIVE! EVEN IF YOU DIE, TAKE 5 WITH YOU!!!"
A loud shout forced Hoka's division to turn their heads to their right. A force of 300 ninjas was rushing towards their flank! Needless to say, the Hyuga ninjas and the sensors had already spotted them as soon as they appeared, which is why the enemy didn't bother trying to move silently and instead focused on raising their morale.
Hoka imdiately realized, 'Isn't that Tsuchiro? Why were hiding here instead of deeper in the valley? How did they fool our SealMaster? Shit! These bastards want to battle on the slopes! Even if we win, our casualties will be very high if we make a single mistake!'
Hoka imdiately flickered while shouting, "Intercept them with the combination jutsus!"
Hoka's division was halfway down the valley. They were walking down the slopes when they were suddenly ambushed. As per their usual formation, the specialist units were at the forefront and they were followed by the ninjas who excelled in the Fire-Wind combination jutsu.
However, Tsuchiro's forces attacked Hoka's division on its flank, which didn't have the main attackers. Of course, so were still stationed there for such a scenario, but their numbers were rather limited.
Even so, they imdiately acted. Dozens of ninjas used Fire and Wind jutsus. At the sa ti, the ones who could contribute to the combination jutsu quickly rushed through the army ranks to reinforce them. The specialist units moved as well to harass the flanks of Tsuchiro's small force.
However, Tsuchiro's forces were faster since they were the ones who ambushed. They attacked with Water and Wind jutsus even before the Konoha ninjas attacked. Even the ninjas who couldn't use Water jutsus released large amounts of water from storage scrolls, increasing the scale of the attack even further!
The two attacks collided. The Kusagakure rebels had the upper hand as the water doused the flas and continued moving towards the Konoha ninjas, making them quite nervous.
Hoka quickly analyzed, 'Even though my division is relatively dispersed, quite a few will be hit if that jutsu reaches us. And, considering that we are on the slope, dozens will die and hundreds will be severely injured. Probably a few hundred more would die in the battle following it...'
His eyes quickly spotted the ninjas rushing towards the flank while calculating, 'Even though we are on the back foot, we'll gain the upper hand once they reinforce. However, their attack will hit us before that happens… Sigh, this is an excellent ambush. I can't hold back!'
Hoka rapidly weaved hand signs and slamd his hands on the ground.
'Earth Release: Earth Wall jutsu'
A massive Wall rose from the slopes several ters ahead of where the fire and water were clashing with each other! The wall acted as a dam, cutting the water flow and releasing the pressure from the flas, which continued moving towards the wall while evaporating the water that was on the side of the Konoha forces.
However, there was another distinct feature of the Earth Wall. Instead of being straight, it was slanted. As a result, it didn't have to absorb the entire force of the wind-enhanced water. Instead, the water was diverted down the slope, where it flowed harmlessly.
Of course, a single Earth Wall couldn't stop the combination jutsu of hundreds of ninjas. The Wall crumbled quickly, but the flas had reached the other side of the wall by them. In addition, dozens of Konoha ninjas had reached the flank and strengthened Konoha's combination jutsu.
When the Water and Fire clashed once again, it was Konoha who had the upper hand! The water rapidly evaporated, surprising the rebels. Even Tsuchiro was taken aback. He thought, 'Not bad, this young ninja is good. His Earth Wall saved his army… He should be Hyuga Hoka, one of the three Generals leading Konoha's army. It looks like the reason why he beca a general isn't only due to his teammate. This could be a bit troubleso.'
Even though he was discouraged, there was no fear on Tsuchiro's face. On the contrary, he weaved hand signs with a wide grin and a crazed look in his eyes before slamming his hands on the ground.
'Earth Release: Earth Flow River jutsu'
Hoka's Byakugan quickly noticed sothing strange. He glanced towards the top of the hill and quickly weaved hand seals while cursing, 'Shit! The Earth Flow River jutsu! Bastard wants to bury us!'
'Earth Release: Earth Wall jutsu'
Hoka slamd his hands on the ground, raising another Earth Wall. However, this ti he raised it on his division's right flank, which was previously the army's rear. As the slopes of the hill started transforming into mud, large rocks began rolling down the hill. However, they were stopped by the wall before they gained more montum. Yet, Hoka didn't lower his guard. He continued weaving hand seals and slamd his hands on the ground once again.
'Earth Release: Bedrock Coffin jutsu'
The Bedrock Coffin jutsu was normally used to crush the opponents to death by controlling multiple sections of rocks. However, Hoka used it just to strengthen the ground under the feet of his division. Hence, Tsuchiro's jutsu failed to convert it into mud, thus preventing the Konoha ninjas from falling into a mud river and being vulnerable to the enemy's attacks!
So distance away, a smile appeared on Renjiro's face. He muttered, 'Good. You have finally matured.'
Renjiro was about to act when he noticed the Earth Flow River jutsu but stopped when he noticed Hoka acting. He couldn't help but recall the ti when Hoka was extrely reluctant to learn any Ninjutsu. Even after Fujin defeated Hoka demonstrating how critical Ninjutsu was, Renjiro and Hoka's parents had to force him to learn Ninjutsus. So, seeing his student finally beco mature brought relief to Renjiro.
Suddenly, a Yamanaka ninja shouted, "Commander, be careful!"
Hoka didn't need to be warned. He had already turned his gaze towards the flas. A silhouette appeared in them before dispersing the flas around him. The Konoha ninjas were surprised to see Tsuchiro making it through their combination jutsu.
Only a few sensors and Hyuga ninjas realized, 'They concentrated their combination jutsu at a small point, making a way for their leader to make it through. However…'
Hoka's eyes t with Tsuchiro as he thought, 'How ruthless. Even though this tactic made a path for them, dozens of their ninjas would burn to death. They will lose at least a fourth of their forces. Yet, they are marching forward. It seems like they have completely given up on their lives. All this sacrifice just to co here to die?'
Tsuchiro saw the pity in Hoka's eyes and was enraged. He smiled coldly and said, "Let see what Konoha's next generation is made of!"
'Lightning Release: False Darkness jutsu'
Tsuchiro extended his palm towards Hoka and launched several Lightning Spears at him. At such a close range, dodging it was difficult. Besides, even if Hoka did so, several of his subordinates would die. As such, Hoka released a large amount of chakra and used Rotation to defend against the attack.
At the sa ti, the remaining forces under Tsuchiro reached. From their original number of 300, only 214 ninjas reached Hoka's division. The rest were burned alive, most of whom were dead while a few were still screaming in pain. However, the rebel army wasn't discouraged. Instead, the death and screams of their comrades fueled their rage as they attacked the Konoha ninjas with everything they had!
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