Chp-78: Comrades, It's Time to Fight Back

Thanks to the relentless efforts of Satoru Hyuga and Minato Namikaze, the Sand Ninja forces lost many of their high-ranking members, causing chaos in their camp.

In the Konoha camp, Orochimaru smiled at Satoru and Minato.

"Well done. I didn't expect the two of you to be so effective together. The Sand Ninja camp is in complete disarray now. It seems it's time for us to go on the offensive."

Minato scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "It's all thanks to Satoru. I didn't contribute much."

He shifted the credit to Satoru, partly because he naturally didn't seek recognition and partly to help Satoru gain more war merits in exchange for the Flying Thunder God technique.

Orochimaru scrutinized Satoru as if evaluating a priceless treasure. The more he observed, the broader his smile grew.

"I didn't realize Satoru's bow and arrow technique was so useful. It seems I still don't know enough about you."

"Orochimaru-sama, the focus now should be on our offensive against the Sand Ninjas," Satoru interjected, slightly annoyed. With Minato around and Orochimaru as the nominal commander, he held back his frustration.

Orochimaru took a deep breath, knowing that the opportunity was too good to miss. His expression turned serious. "I'll summon the high command immediately. It's time to attack."

In the Konoha command tent, with various flags planted on the sand table map, Orochimaru placed one hand on the map's edge and looked up, his gaze sweeping across the many Jonin in the tent.

"Everyone, it's time to strike back! We've been on the defensive against the Sand Ninjas for too long. Now, it's our turn to attack."

"Inoichi-sensei, you will lead the second and third units, circling around to attack the Sand Ninja camp's flank."

"Yes," responded a Jonin with spiky hair and scars across his face.

"Minato-sensei, you will lead the third and fourth units to attack from the right flank and cut off their retreat."

"Understood," Minato replied solemnly.

"Tsunade, you will lead the support unit and be ready to treat the wounded at any time."

Orochimaru looked deeply at her. "The support work is up to you."

"Got it," Tsunade responded weakly, her voice lacking energy.

Orochimaru frowned slightly. Unlike Jiraiya, who would have laughed and said something reassuring, Tsunade's severe hemophobia rendered her almost useless in battle. However, Orochimaru couldn't afford to ignore such a significant resource. Even if she couldn't fight directly, she could still lead the medical unit.

Exhaling, he turned to Satoru, hesitating before speaking. "Satoru, you'll join me in the first unit on the front lines."

"Alright," Satoru nodded. The front lines suited his abilities better.

As soon as Orochimaru finished speaking, almost everyone turned to Satoru in shock and disbelief. The first unit was the main force of the war, facing top-tier opponents like Chiyo and Rasa. For someone as young as Satoru to join, despite being the top genius of the new generation, seemed preposterous. Even Minato was only on the flanking side.

The onlookers then glanced at Minato and Satoru, recalling some peculiar rumours.

Minato felt troubled. Where did all these strange looks come from recently?

Orochimaru laughed heartily, realizing that these Jonins underestimated Satoru. By the end of this battle, they would be in for a surprise.

In the Sand Ninja camp, Rasa paced in his command tent, his face contorted with anger and frustration. He'd lost track of how many times that bastard had eluded him. Despite feeling so close to catching him, the result was always another cold arrow.

Thirty-six. That was the number driving Rasa to the brink. Thirty-six elite Sand Ninjas, many of whom were high-ranking officers, had been killed. The recent high-level meetings left half the chairs empty.

The bastard didn't just aim to kill; he aimed to humiliate. Even with a large number of scouts, they couldn't locate the assailant. The sniper's timing and targets grew increasingly cunning. One night, six high-ranking officers were found dead, naked, caught while bathing or handling other needs. One even died trying to pull up his pants.

Rasa's face turned pale with fury. His skin felt like it was being shredded. That bastard wasn't just killing; he was aiming to disgrace the entire upper echelon of Sunagakure.

Currently, intelligence is so scarce that they cannot determine how the sniper avoided detection. It is uncertain if the attacker is even a Konoha ninja. The possibility of the attacker being a mercenary hired by Konoha is considered.

Just then, a scout burst into the tent. "Report! Rasa-sama, the situation is dire. Konoha has launched a large-scale attack!"

Rasa took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm. "Is the intelligence reliable?"

"Absolutely. Such a large force couldn't have evaded our scouts. Konoha has deployed at least 2,000 ninjas and will reach our camp in about 20 minutes."

"Damn it! They must be trying to attack us while we're in chaos after losing our leaders. Assemble the high command. Prepare for battle!"