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 immediately 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 immediately 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 immediately 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, some were still stationed there for such a scenario, but their numbers were rather limited.

    Even so, they immediately acted. Dozens of ninjas used Fire and Wind jutsus. At the same time, 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 flames 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!''

    Suddenly, a Yamanaka ninja shouted, "Commander, be careful!"

    Hoka didn''t need to be warned. He had already turned his gaze towards the flames. A silhouette appeared in them before dispersing the flames 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 met 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 come here to die?''

    Tsuchiro saw the pity in Hoka''s eyes and was enraged. He smiled coldly and said, "Let me 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 same time, 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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