Chapter 119: Chp-119: Ōnoki's Resolve
The failure of the demolition squad rendered the frontal battlefield useless.
The sudden attack was merely a diversion, a ruse to create an opportunity for the demolition squad's mission.
If they had succeeded in destroying the entire Konoha camp, even the strongest Konoha forces would have had no chance of recovery.
Their fate would have been at the mercy of the Iwa forces.
But...
Everything had failed.
Kitsuchi gritted his teeth, looking up at the figure in the sky.
It was him!
Both defeats were because of this man!
He suddenly began to understand Rasa, the unfortunate Kazekage. Was he also toyed with by Hyuga Satoru time and again?
Until all hope was crushed.
Heartbroken...
"Retreat! Retreat!"
Kitsuchi's voice echoed across the battlefield, bringing a sigh of relief to the Iwa ninjas who hurriedly fled.
The pressure brought by Hyuga Satoru was immense.
Even without Kitsuchi's order, as long as no one could stop the man in the sky, they would soon be driven to rout by fear.
Casting several large-scale Earth Release techniques to obstruct Konoha's pursuit, Kitsuchi shifted his gaze from Hyuga Satoru and decisively fled.
...
"Hu..."
Satoru exhaled deeply, descending from the sky.
In the end, it had turned into a psychological battle.
His chakra was nearly exhausted, and the Iwa forces still held a numerical advantage. If they fought to the death, it would be troublesome.
But it seemed their Stone Will wasn't so firm after all?
Jiraiya approached him, quickly asking,
"Satoru, what happened at the camp?"
"Hmm, the frontal battlefield was just a diversion. The real objective of the Iwa was for their demolition squad to attack our unguarded camp."
"Demolition squad???"
Jiraiya took a sharp breath.
Iwa's demolition squad was a renowned elite force since the Second Shinobi War.
They carried out the most dangerous missions, and their explosive techniques caused untold damage.
The Konoha high command had once tried to form a similar elite team but couldn't crack the secrets of explosive clay.
This realization weighed heavily on Jiraiya, and he anxiously asked,
"Satoru, did those demolition squads cause much damage?"
After all, it would take time to get back to the camp from here, and the best source of information was Satoru with his Byakugan.
"Oh, not really. I killed them all before they could act."
Satoru replied casually after a moment of thought.
"Oh, that's good."
Jiraiya exhaled a sigh of relief.
As long as they hadn't caused much damage, it was a stroke of luck. As for the demolition squad, proper defences should prevent any more opportunities for them in the future.
Wait...
Jiraiya seemed to have thought of something and looked up suddenly, with a hint of disbelief at Satoru.
"Satoru, what did you just say?"
"Not much damage."
"The part after that."
"I killed them all before they could act..."
Jiraiya paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha... Ōnoki must be fuming with rage now!"
"Iwa's elite force, nurtured with all the village's strength, completely wiped out!"
"Hahaha... amazing, Satoru!"
Jiraiya stepped forward, his broad hand patting Satoru's shoulder in excitement, his face brimming with indescribable joy.
"Satoru, you're truly the hero of the village this time, hahaha..."
Satoru, feeling awkward, tried to push Jiraiya's hand away but found the older man's strength surprisingly firm, so he gave up.
On the chaotic battlefield.
Satoru stood in the middle, surrounded by the admiring gazes of Konoha ninjas, with Jiraiya's hearty laughter echoing around them.
...
Konoha camp.
Command tent.
After tallying the post-battle losses, Jiraiya's face was solemn as he stared at the data laid out on the table, his brows furrowed.
In the frontal battlefield, due to the larger number of Iwa forces, the losses were not insignificant.
As for the camp, fortunately, Satoru had seen through the enemy's scheme in time.
He annihilated the entire demolition squad.
There wasn't much damage caused.
Compared to that, the losses on the Iwa side were significantly greater.
Especially with the demolition squad being wiped out, it would likely take Iwa several years to gather enough ninjas to reform the team.
Currently, the Iwa battlefield was the most brutal of all the Third Shinobi War fronts.
If they could defeat Iwa quickly, the war might end soon.
However, Iwa's stubbornness exceeded his expectations.
Jiraiya stared at the sand table in front of him, pondering for a long time before a thought suddenly struck him.
Taking a deep breath, he ordered in a deep voice,
"Bring Minato over. I have an important task for him."
The Konoha ninja outside the tent nodded slightly.
"Yes, Jiraiya-sama."
In the now quiet tent, Jiraiya clasped his hands under his chin, his eyes fixed on the sand table.
More specifically, on a bridge within the sand table.
Below it were a few small words.
Kannabi Bridge.
...
Iwa camp.
Ōnoki stared blankly at the empty ground outside the tent.
Just moments ago, he had received the latest battle report.
Flying swords had slain over a hundred Iwa ninjas, Roshi was defeated head-on, the demolition squad was wiped out...
Seeing the first two pieces of information, Ōnoki was furious but had expected it.
But the last report utterly crushed him.
The demolition squad...wiped out...
How was this possible...
That was the elite team nurtured with Iwa's full strength!
Even now, he found it hard to believe, unable to accept this horrifying outcome.
"Father, you still underestimated him..."
Kitsuchi, standing beside him, sighed with a complex expression.
It could be said that the last two defeats were all because of the ninja named Hyuga Satoru.
Without him, Iwa wouldn't be in this situation.
"He possesses a long-range sniping technique with a range exceeding 5 kilometres, far beyond what he displayed on the Sand battlefield."
"It's still unclear if this is his limit."
"The demolition squad was entirely sniped by him. The advance team led by Tōndo probably also fell because of him..."
"I understand."
Ōnoki, appearing to have aged by ten years, weakly interrupted him.
Before the war, many of Iwa's scouts and advance teams had gone missing, and it seemed his work as well.
Terrifying...
How old is he?
What will he grow into in the future?
A god of shinobi like Hashirama Senju?
"Relay the order. Pull the entire camp back 3 kilometres and double the number of scouts patrolling outside."
Five kilometres was probably not even Satoru's sniping limit. Ōnoki could only increase the camp's distance and send more scouts to guard against his sniping.
"Understood," Kitsuchi responded in a deep voice.
"Additionally..."
Ōnoki's eyes narrowed.
"It's time for the final battle. I will personally take action. Since I underestimated him, leading to our defeat."
"Then, I'll end him myself."
"Father..."
Kitsuchi stared at Ōnoki in a daze.
The last time he saw this aura in Ōnoki was on the eve of his battle with the Third Raikage.
A wave of joy surged in his heart.
Father was one of the strongest ninjas in the world, mastering Dust Release.
No matter how strong Hyuga Satoru was, Dust Release could reverse everything.
"Great, as long as father acts, Iwa hasn't lost yet!"
Kitsuchi said excitedly.
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