Inside the underground command center, Hizashi's Byakugan observed every movement of the Hidden Sand Shinobi.
"The enemy has fully entered the trap zone!"
He turned and said to Gento beside him.
Gento immediately gave the order:
"Send the signal!"
The next second, Shisui's figure vanished from his position behind cover.
When he reappeared, he was crouched atop a large tree branch on the outer perimeter.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
A blazing fire dragon surged skyward from his mouth, bursting open in the night sky, its dazzling light illuminating the entire forest.
At the instant they saw the signal, all Hidden Leaf Shinobi responsible for detonating the Explosive Tags formed hand seals simultaneously and shouted in unison:
"Explode!"
Within the Hidden Sand forces in the distance, some were still dreaming of plundering wealth after invading the Land of Fire and returning with full loads.
Shisui's fire dragon, suddenly rising into the sky, caused many Sand Shinobi to freeze for a moment.
Before they could react, the one hundred thousand Explosive Tags that had long been buried detonated one after another.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
Explosions erupted in succession, instantly engulfing the whole trap zone.
The ground, tree trunks, grass… Explosive Tags hidden everywhere detonated all at once. The earth quaked, and the deafening roar shook the air.
The land split apart, trees collapsed, and Sand Shinobi screamed as they were blasted into the air.
Severed limbs flew in all directions.
Those too close to the Explosive Tags were blown into pieces on the spot.
Those farther away were still forcefully thrown to the ground by the shockwaves.
Before the survivors could even feel relief, blazing flames spread with the explosions.
The inferno swept through the forest, engulfing the wounded Shinobi, and piercing screams rose one after another.
"AHHH! It hurts! So much pain!"
"Help…!"
"Those damn Leaf bastards… when did they set this trap?!"
Amid the cries, some uninjured Sand Shinobi hastily formed hand seals, attempting to escape the sea of flames with Ninjutsu.
Some used Earth Release to dive underground, while others barely opened a path using Water Release.
However, most Sand Shinobi specialized in Wind Release, and in the face of the raging fire, they were helpless, forced to watch their comrades be consumed by the flames.
The commander, Satetsu, burst out from the fire in a sorry state, his face covered in soot.
Watching his subordinates struggle and scream within the inferno, his expression turned ashen as he gritted his teeth.
"It must be those damned Leaf Shinobi! To think they would be this cunning!"
"The reconnaissance unit and the advance unit didn't trigger anything… this trap was set specifically for our main force!"
A Jonin who had escaped nearby stared at the sea of flames, his voice trembling as he said:
"It's over… the main force is finished…
"How did the Hidden Leaf know our route? And when did they set this ambush?"
Satetsu was filled with the same doubts.
Regardless, now was not the time to dwell on them.
The most important thing at this moment was to retreat alive!
With such a massive setup from Leaf, there was no way they had no follow-up measures.
The enemy Shinobi would surely arrive quickly!
He immediately issued orders to the Shinobi gathering around him:
"All units retreat! The Hidden Leaf has an ambush! Before they encircle us, move out!"
With that, he turned and prepared to break out of the forest.
Just as he leaped forward, a cold shout came from ahead:
"Rotation!"
Satetsu reacted instantly, spinning and launching a kick:
"Hidden Sand Taijutsu: Instant Kick!"
Their strikes collided, and both retreated several steps.
Satetsu looked up, his pupils shrinking:
"The Byakugan? So it really is the Hidden Leaf!"
"Despicable Leaf Shinobi, to use such a vicious trap!"
Hizashi Hyuga's expression remained cold, though he felt a hint of surprise.
At the moment the Explosive Tags detonated, Gento had ordered a full-scale assault to eliminate the survivors within the trap.
Relying on the insight of the Byakugan, he had already dealt with multiple injured Sand Shinobi.
After noticing several people gathering here, he had rushed over.
He hadn't expected the opponent to be weak; at the very least, he was a Jonin. It seemed he had run into a "big fish."
Hizashi did not respond, launching into an attack with Gentle Fist.
The other two Sand Shinobi nearby immediately moved in to surround him.
"Commander-sama, we'll help you!"
In an instant, the situation became three against one.
Yet Hizashi's foundation was solid. His Eight Trigrams Palm was airtight, and with the all-encompassing vision of the Byakugan, the three of them were unable to break through his defense for the time being.
Seeing that Hizashi was holding his ground against three opponents, Satetsu grew anxious.
The longer this dragged on, the slimmer the chances of escape.
One of the Sand Shinobi engaged in battle shouted urgently:
"Lord Satetsu, you go first! We'll hold him back!"
Satetsu no longer hesitated and turned to dash toward the edge of the forest.
Hearing Satetsu being addressed as "commander," Hizashi's sight was set to not let him escape.
However, he was tightly entangled by the other two and could only watch helplessly as the opponent fled.
After exchanging several more moves, one Sand Shinobi suddenly felt a chill at his neck and collapsed to the ground.
Gento had arrived, using the Chakra Scalpel to deliver a fatal strike from behind.
Relieved, Hizashi coordinated with Gento and swiftly dealt with the remaining enemies.
"The leader got away?"
Hizashi nodded.
"His name is Satetsu. He's the commander of this operation."
Gento felt a slight regret, but he also knew that it was difficult to kill a Jonin-level opponent with Explosive Tags alone.
Achieving such results was still quite impressive.
He gestured to Hizashi:
"Continue clearing the battlefield."
After saying that, his figure flashed, and he rushed toward the next area of combat.
From the distance came the sounds of Leaf Shinobi using Ninjutsu:
"Expansion Jutsu!"
"Mind Body Switch Jutsu!"
"Shadow Imitation Jutsu!"
The Ino–Shika–Cho clans worked in perfect coordination, rapidly harvesting the remaining Hidden Sand Shinobi.
Meanwhile, the Hyuga and Inuzuka clans relied on their exceptional reconnaissance and tracking abilities to precisely locate and eliminate enemies.
As for the Hidden Sand Shinobi who had luckily avoided the Explosive Tags, they were pursued by the Uchiha clan.
With their command structure gone and their formation in chaos, the Sand forces were almost thoroughly suppressed by Leaf.
The forest was filled with the dying screams of Hidden Sand Shinobi.
After about an hour, the sounds of battle gradually subsided.
The fire caused by the Explosive Tags also slowly died down.
The battlefield was left with only charred ruins and corpses of enemy Shinobi scattered everywhere.
Inabi Uchiha approached Gento with a smile and reported:
"A preliminary count is complete. Eight of our side have fallen, and forty-seven are injured.
"Enemy casualties are approximately seven hundred and thirty-one."
Just as he finished speaking, a system notification sounded in Gento's mind:
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for completing the mission! Reward: Draw Chance ×1]
Gento did not draw; He issued an order:
"All units withdraw back into the Land of Fire at once and eliminate the Hidden Sand advance unit that infiltrated earlier!"
Leaf Shinobi moved quickly, pursuing the small advance unit that had been deliberately allowed to enter earlier.
That force of around one hundred Shinobi was currently looting a second town.
Under overwhelming numerical and tactical superiority, this unit was annihilated in no time.
Even in death, they could not understand why those who arrived behind them were not allies, but enemies.
Afterward, Gento ordered the troops to rest on the spot, treat the wounded, and distribute the Uchiha's specially made Soldier Pills; two for each person.
Having gone through two consecutive battles, the Shinobi were already out of Chakra and physically exhausted.
After receiving the Soldier Pills, most of them swallowed them without a second thought.
Soon, many showed surprised expressions.
The Soldier Pills distributed by the Uchiha were not only tastier, but also helped restore Chakra!
This caused an uproar among the Shinobi of other clans.
The Uchiha actually had such a thing?
No matter how they tried to probe indirectly, the Uchiha clansmen all kept their mouths shut, revealing nothing.
Helpless, everyone could only carefully store the remaining pill, saving it for a critical moment.
While the main force rested, Gento walked off to the side alone and calmed his mind to draw.
He sank his consciousness into his mind.
"Draw!"
...
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