Chapter 209: What If We Add Another Ten Thousand?
"Show your true strength as ninjas—kill all these civilians!"
As they rallied morale, the three Kage unleashed their most wide-ranging and powerful jutsu, forcefully stabilizing the situation. In truth, the ninja alliance wasn't so weak…
They had simply been caught off guard and shaken, which led to their collapse!
With the three Kage taking action, the ninjas gradually regained their composure. They quickly realized that these snake-marked humans weren't actually that strong—at least three of them were needed to pose a threat to a single genin!
"Hey, we can win!"
"Push harder—these monsters aren't that impressive!"
"Take this, you damned freak!"
The situation seemed to be improving. The three Kage sneered with disdain. "That fool Hanzo actually thinks he can defeat ninjas with civilians—what a joke!"
"Still, Hanzo really is too impatient." Hiruzen Sarutobi scoffed and shook his head. "Just like when he tried to develop his village. If he had raised another ten thousand of these monsters, the outcome might have been different!"
"Oh? In that case, what if we add another ten thousand?"
In the distance, Li Jiexuan waved his hand with a smile. "I'm not Hanzo. Second formation—advance! Crush them completely!"
"ROAR!!!"
Ten thousand snake-marked humans surged out of the forest, roaring as they proclaimed their existence to the world.
"Gulp…"
The three Kage swallowed hard. Hiruzen's words had come true all too quickly. The dense mass of snake-marked humans pouring out of the forest grew like a shadow looming over their hearts, expanding ever larger!
"Charge!" At this point, there was no choice but to fight with everything they had. There was no retreat—only advance! Ninjas could not lose to civilians! This was a battle between the extraordinary and the ordinary!
Unfortunately…
"Damn it, we just don't have enough people!"
With the war seemingly over, most ninjas had already been recalled to their villages. The current allied force had fewer than three thousand ninjas. Three thousand against twenty thousand—no matter the gap in strength, they would be overwhelmed by sheer numbers…
With every ninja that fell, the morale of the alliance dropped further. They had never been slaughtered by civilians like this before!
But the snake-marked humans were the exact opposite. Even if it took five of them to kill a single ninja, their morale only surged higher!
Because…
In their entire lives, they had never felt such pride—killing ninjas!
As casualties among the ninjas mounted, the three Kage could no longer worry about pride or honor. As the saying goes, as long as the green hills remain, there will be wood to burn. Of the thirty-six stratagems, retreat is the best!
"Retreat—withdraw immediately!" Supported by the combined efforts of the three Kage, the ninja alliance attempted to escape the Land of Rain…
However…
"Trying to run?"
Seated atop the tide of snake-marked humans, Li Jiexuan waved his hand with a cold smile. "Third and fourth formations—cut off their retreat and surround them completely!"
Before his words had even fully settled, two massive armies of snake-marked humans surged out from behind the ninja forces. Like a sandwich, they trapped the ninja alliance between them and the advancing front line.
"It's over…"
The fleeing ninjas froze in place. With enemies ahead and behind, there was no path left—this time, they truly had nowhere to escape!
"Damn it!" Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth in fury. "Since when did that old man Hanzo become so ruthless!?"
At this point, they had very few options left…
"Form a defensive line—hold position!"
The three Kage gathered together, grimly making their final stand!