Naruto's civilian cannon fodder starts with the three-body technique

Chapter 427 Sowing discord
"Elder Torifu." The army had only traveled a few miles out of Konoha when Umino Sasuke said to his deputy commander Akimichi Torifu beside him, "I entrust the marching command of the support legion to you."

Akimichi Torifu was taken aback for a moment, then understood: "Are you worried that the main force on the western front won't be able to hold out, and want to go ahead first?"

“That’s right.” Sasuke Umino nodded. “Speed ​​is of the essence. I’ll take Shun Uchiha and Might Guy ahead to provide support and stabilize the situation.”

Akimichi Torifu frowned slightly and said with concern, "Just the three of you? That's too risky! Why don't you bring some elite Jonin with you?"

Sasuke Unno smiled calmly, but his tone was full of confidence: "Three people are enough. More people will only slow things down."

Seeing the resolute look in Umino Sasuke's eyes, and remembering the countless miracles he had created in the past, Akimichi Torifu no longer insisted: "Alright! Be careful! The army will advance at full speed and join you as soon as possible!"

Without saying another word, Umino Sasuke gestured to Uchiha Shun and Might Guy behind him. The three of them instantly accelerated, broke away from the main force, and transformed into three blurry streaks of light, shooting forward along the official road.

After running at full speed for only a few miles, Umino Sasuke suddenly stopped.

Although Uchiha Shun and Might Guy were puzzled, they immediately stopped beside him, as they had absolute trust in Umino Sasuke.

"Captain, what's wrong?" Shun Uchiha asked.

Looking at the two, Umino Sasuke calmly said, "The journey to the Land of Earth is long and the speed of support is too slow. I will use the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport you there directly."

"What?!" Uchiha Shun exclaimed in shock. "Captain, you can already teleport people over long distances? And two at a time?!"

Even the usually oblivious Might Guy widened his eyes, gave a thumbs up, and exclaimed, "Sasuke! As expected of you! This is the speed of progress in youth, it's truly exhilarating!"

Sasuke Umino didn't explain much. After consuming the fruit of the Divine Tree, his life level and chakra underwent a qualitative leap. His understanding and application of the Flying Thunder God Technique far surpassed what he had before. Teleporting people, or even carrying giant creatures like tailed beasts for spatial jumps, was no longer difficult for him.

He stretched out his hands and placed them on the shoulders of Uchiha Shun and Might Guy respectively. The next moment, powerful chakra surged from his body, and the surrounding space began to ripple.

"gone."

As soon as the words were spoken, the three figures blurred and disappeared instantly, leaving only a slight dust swirling up on the official road.

……

On the border of the Land of Earth, at the temporary defensive positions built by the main force of Konoha's western front, the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Hatake Sagumo leaned against a rock, wiping his White Fang short sword. His white, spiky hair was covered in dust and dried blood, making it look somewhat dull. The battles and shortages of supplies over the past few days had left even the renowned White Fang of Konoha feeling deeply exhausted.

Suddenly, the space not far from him distorted strangely, and three figures appeared without warning.

"Enemy attack?!" Hatake Sagumo's pupils shrank sharply. Almost instinctively, he sprang up, his white dagger flashing with a cold light, carrying an aura of tearing everything apart, and slashed at the sudden figure without hesitation.

"Secret Technique: Plasma Lightning Armor!"

Faced with this sudden and fierce attack, Umino Sasuke had anticipated it. He remained calm and pushed forward with one hand, and a high-temperature concentrated lightning shield instantly took shape.

"Qiang——!"

The short sword struck the lightning shield, producing a piercing metallic clang and sparks of lightning, but it failed to budge the shield in the slightest.

Hatake Sakumo's heart skipped a beat, and he was about to change his move when he heard a familiar voice:

"Senior Zuoyun, it's me."

Hatake Sagumo's attack faltered. Looking closely, he saw that behind the high-temperature lightning shield was none other than Umino Sasuke, with Uchiha Shun and Might Guy standing beside him.

Hatake Sagumo sheathed his sword and retreated, his face filled with astonishment, then with delight: "You've finally arrived?!"

This is simply divine intervention!

The commotion also alerted Shimura Danzo, who was not far away. He was discussing countermeasures with Aburame Ryoma with a gloomy face when he saw Umino Sasuke and the other two suddenly appear. He was stunned at first, but then his eyes flashed with undisguised joy, and he quickly walked over.

"Umino Sasuke! You've come at just the right time!" Danzo's voice even carried a hint of barely perceptible excitement. Although he was filled with apprehension towards Umino Sasuke deep down, Umino Sasuke's arrival was undoubtedly a shot in the arm in the arm under the current circumstances!

The chaotic situation on the western front had forced even the usually arrogant Root leader to abandon his ambition to seize the Hokage position and eagerly await the arrival of his savior, Sasuke Umino.

Suppressing his excitement, Shimura Danzo immediately pressed for the most crucial question: "Umino Sasuke, how many reinforcements have arrived?"

Sasuke Unno answered truthfully: "Including my Iron Wall Legion, there are a total of five thousand men."

"Five thousand?!" Danzo was overjoyed, but his face couldn't hide his shock. "How could there be so many?! Did they even mobilize retired and wounded ninjas?"

"The various ninja clans have contributed significantly this time, gathering two thousand clan soldiers," Umino Sasuke explained.

"Two thousand clan soldiers?!" Danzo was even more surprised, then sneered, "Hmph, these ninja clans who only know how to eat, they usually keep their strength hidden, but this time they actually know how to contribute?"

He even instinctively suspected that these ninja clans might have impure motives.

Hatake Sagumo chimed in, "This is a timely help! With these 5,000 reinforcements, as long as we can hold out for a few more days until they arrive, we can break through Iwagakure's encirclement by attacking from both inside and outside!"

Danzo suppressed his doubts about the ninja clan and turned his attention to more practical questions: "Where are the support troops now? When will they arrive?"

Sasuke Unno calmly replied, "The army has only recently left Konoha. Even at full speed, it will take at least three or four more days to arrive." Danzo's face instantly darkened. In just a few days, anything could happen on the battlefield.

Umino Sasuke asked, "Elder, what are the current losses of our main force? Can our existing supplies and morale hold out until reinforcements arrive?"

Speaking of his troops, Danzo regained some confidence and said proudly, "The main force is intact and the organization is complete! It's just that ninja tools and medicines have been consumed in huge quantities and are quite scarce, but if we just hold our ground and wait for reinforcements, we can hold out for a week or two without any problem!"

He was quite confident in the combat effectiveness of his troops.

Sasuke Unno offered timely praise: "To preserve our main force under such circumstances, Elder's ability to command troops is truly well-deserved. If it weren't for the Third Hokage's situation... sigh, we might already be discussing a ceasefire in the Daimyo's capital in the Land of Earth."

These words, seemingly a compliment, actually contained a hidden barb, precisely striking at Danzo's sore spot and his competitive spirit.

A hint of smugness flashed across Danzo's face, but it was quickly replaced by even greater resentment.

He said bitterly, "Hmph! I had originally planned to take the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Earth and secure victory! Who would have thought that Monkey... with three thousand men, would be ambushed by a mere thousand Iwa ninja and end up like this! A great situation has been ruined in an instant!"

He placed all the blame for the failure on Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Sasuke Unno continued to "add insult to injury," his tone tinged with just the right amount of regret: "Yes, no one expected that the Third Hokage would personally lead the team, with superior numbers, and yet... It seems that sometimes, while experience is important, on-the-spot decision-making and battlefield intuition are even more crucial."

He deliberately made a subtle contrast between Danzo's "unstoppable momentum" and Hiruzen Sarutobi's "defeat".

Danzo was greatly pleased to hear this, and his dissatisfaction with Hiruzen Sarutobi reached its peak.

Seeing that the two were blaming the Hokage, Hatake Sagumo couldn't help but speak up in defense: "Elder, Sasuke, the Third Hokage was extremely anxious when he received the report that our main force was deep in the Land of Earth and might be ambushed. In order to provide support as soon as possible, he led the Fire Release battalion to break away from the main force and march hastily. Inadvertently, they fell into the trap carefully set by Onoki. He was acting out of public interest..."

"Bullshit!" Danzo roared like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, interrupting Hatake Sagumo. "My main army is unstoppable, sweeping all before us! What ambush?! Even if there were an ambush, with our strength, what do we have to fear? We can just tear it apart! It's clear that Hiruzen Sarutobi saw my outstanding military achievements and feared that I would conquer the Land of Earth, steal his limelight, and take his Hokage position. That's why he was blinded by greed and acted rashly, only to be outmatched and fall into the enemy's trap! All the consequences are his incompetence, what does it have to do with me?! What does it have to do with the soldiers fighting bravely on the front lines?!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, even turning to Umino Sasuke for approval: "Sasuke, tell me, isn't that the truth? Everyone in the village knows how well I performed in this western campaign."

Sasuke Unno readily agreed, nodding in agreement: "Elder Danzo's achievements this time are evident to everyone in Konoha, and can be described as absolutely stunning. If it weren't for the Hokage's side... well, some unexpected events, with the Elder's abilities, the news of victory might have already been sent back by now, and the Daimyo's residence in the Land of Earth would have already been adorned with the flag of Konoha."

His words were half fact and half flattery, but they made Danzo overjoyed and his confidence soared.

Danzo even began to speculate darkly: 'Could it be that the monkey is truly afraid I will achieve unparalleled feats, proving that Tobirama-sensei made a mistake in choosing him and abandoning me, so he deliberately…'

Once the thought arose, it spread through his mind like a poisonous vine.

Seeing that he couldn't change the two men's minds, and knowing that continuing the argument was pointless, Hatake Sagumo forcibly changed the subject: "The most important thing right now is to discuss how to deal with Iwagakure's offensive and hold out until reinforcements arrive. Iwagakure's attack is exceptionally fierce; they clearly want to devour us before reinforcements arrive."

Danzo suppressed his emotions and said in a deep voice, "That's right! After Onoki defeated the monkey... well, the Third Hokage and the Fire Release Brigade, he only launched a strong attack on the follow-up force of Mitarashi Shishou. Seeing that it was difficult to win quickly, he left only a portion of his troops to hold them off, and the main force returned. His intention was very clear: to concentrate his forces to annihilate our main force first."

Sasuke Umino nodded, his evaluation of Mitarashi Shishou rising even higher: "Senior Shishou truly lives up to his reputation as a veteran elite Jonin. Leading two thousand newly mobilized ninja, he managed to stabilize the situation and hold back some of Iwagakure's forces under the fierce attack of Onoki and the Explosion Release unit. That is truly remarkable."

Of course, this was also because Onoki's forces were limited and he was eager to destroy Konoha's main force that had penetrated deep behind enemy lines, which is why he did not launch a relentless attack on Mitarashi Shishou.

After some discussion, Danzo put forward his well-thought-out battle plan: "Iwagakure is too powerful, and we cannot confront them head-on. The only way now is to cut off the rear and survive. We should sacrifice a portion of the rearguard to cover the main force as it moves into the mountainous area on the flank. We can then use the complex terrain to wage guerrilla warfare, buy time, and wait for reinforcements!"

After suffering repeated losses in the Land of Waterfalls, he clearly took seriously the guerrilla tactics that the Iron Wall Legion was good at and tried to apply them in practice.

Although Hatake Sagumo felt reluctant to sacrifice some of his comrades, he rationally believed that this was the best solution to preserve the main force under the disadvantage, and remained silent without objection.

However, Umino Sasuke shook his head and said, "Elder, I think this plan is too conservative."

"Conservative?" Danzo was taken aback, almost thinking he had misheard. Cutting off a tail to survive, voluntarily giving up a portion of the troops, was already a rather radical and decisive strategy in his eyes, so how could it be considered conservative?
Hatake Sagumo also stared at Unno Sasuke with a look of astonishment.

Meeting their questioning gazes, Umino Sasuke spoke calmly yet with a startling edge: "Why do we have to turn into the mountains? Why can't we break through head-on, charge straight out, and rendezvous with Mitarai Shishou and the others?"

Danzo: ? ? ?
Hatake Saigumo: !!!
Both of them were shocked by Umino Sasuke's wildly imaginative, or rather, extremely "reckless" idea.

Hatake Sagumo, fearing that Unno Sasuke might have become complacent due to their consecutive victories, quickly explained the current situation in detail, trying to calm him down:

“Sasuke, you may not be aware of the situation we are facing. We currently have less than three thousand soldiers capable of fighting, while the Iwa ninja surrounding us number over seven thousand! Their strength is more than double ours, and they also have Onoki personally in command! More importantly, their new Explosion Release unit is incredibly powerful, the elite of the elite! A frontal breakout would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock!”

Sasuke Unno didn't care at all: "I'm going to fight the elite!"

Hatake Sagumo couldn't help but roll his eyes. Even Danzo, who always thought highly of himself, felt that Umino Sasuke had become too arrogant after a series of victories.

Umino Sasuke ignored their reactions and calmly analyzed, "Although there are many Iwagakure ninja, you two know very well what the quality of most of them is. If it weren't for Onoki and that Explosion Release unit holding them back, what would be our chances of winning if we, with our current nearly three thousand Konoha elites, faced those seven thousand mediocre Iwagakure ninja head-on?"

Danzo pondered for a moment and said proudly, "Without Onoki and the Explosion Release troops, we still have a 40% chance of winning!"

He had great confidence in the combat capabilities of his troops.

Hatake Sagumi was more conservative: "At least 20%."

Sasuke Umino pressed further, "What if the only goal is to break through?"

This time, Danzo and Hatake Sagumo were surprisingly in agreement, believing that breaking through would be a piece of cake.

(End of this chapter)