Uchiha's personal opinion

Then, a small group of ninja wearing Konoha headbands appeared on the horizon and charged toward the battlefield.

"Elder Chiyo..."

Chiyo's captain of guards said to her with some difficulty.

"Send reinforcements from the rear to meet the enemy!"

Elder Chiyo declared sternly, "I must kill that evil brat from the Uchiha clan!"

"Fire Escape·Tou Ke Ku!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu, who had been fighting his way through the Sunagakure crowd, quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to escape just before being surrounded, and then charged towards Elder Chiyo once again.

"I will not rest until I kill him!"

With gritted teeth, Elder Chiyo manipulated the puppet while directing the Sand Village ninja army to surround Uchiha Tokumitsu.

Just then, a blade of light burst forth from behind Elder Chiyo!

Like a thunderbolt, swift and unstoppable!

"Enemy attack!"

Chiyo's bodyguard captain, a battle-hardened elite Jonin, immediately stepped in front of her and tried to block the attack with his sword.

"Clang!"

The attacking blade was blocked, and then the surrounding Sand Village guards swarmed forward.

Another blade of light silently rose from beneath Elder Chiyo's feet.

There were no dazzling effects, nor any ferocious momentum. It simply swept across the ground unremarkably, cleanly severing Elder Chiyo's ankle.

"boom!"

The attacker, surrounded and attacked by the Sand Village's guard ninjas, turned into a wisp of green smoke.

It's a shadow clone!

Realizing they had been tricked, the Sand Village guard ninja quickly turned around and saw Elder Chiyo with a bewildered expression on her face as she began to fall forward after her legs were severed.

A ghostly figure leaped from the ground in front of Chiyo, thrusting a short sword into her arms and piercing her heart before quickly withdrawing it and disappearing back underground.

"Uchiha Style: Sword Flame Slash!"

Fire Release sword beams slashed down, shredding Chiyo's body to pieces. Only her head, still looking bewildered, remained intact and was grabbed by Uchiha Tokumitsu.

"If I say you're a futures trading scumbag, then you're going to die right now!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu cursed and swore.

With tears in their eyes, the Sand Village guards were about to charge at Uchiha Tokumitsu when suddenly another figure leaped out from behind and slashed at their backs.

The mobile forces also began fighting against the Sunagakure forces that had gone to intercept them.

"Chiyo is dead! Who can stop me now!"

Uchiha Tokumitsu wielded a greatsword in his right hand and Chiyo's severed head in his left, continuing his attack on Sunagakure.

Just like in the Battle of the Whirlpool, the Sand Village ninja army lost all will to fight after their commander was killed. Under the command of the Jonin of each division, they began to withdraw from the battlefield. A group of loyal Sand Village ninjas disregarded their lives and charged towards Uchiha Tokumitsu, trying to fight to the death.

But this is of little significance. Sakumo Hatake has completely abandoned all pretense of dignity and launched an attack that no ordinary ninja can withstand.

The die-hard Sunagakure faction, who were desperately trying to fight back, were soon wiped out by the Uchiha ninja army.

The large force of the Sand Village ninja army successfully retreated back to their camp.

"Deguang-kun, are you alright?"

As the dust settled, Sakumo Hatake asked with concern.

"I'm fine..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu wiped the blood from his face and laughed heartily.

"How is Sakumo-kun... no, how about the future Jonin team leader!"

Chapter 104 Know When to Stop

Chiyo of Sunagakure was the second high-ranking member of a major ninja village to be killed by Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo, who led a mobile force after Kirigakure's mastermind in the Battle of Uzushiogakure.

Such achievements are certainly remarkable, but they also have endless potential consequences.

Offending a major ninja village would inevitably lead to various assassination attempts, but Hatake Sakumo, confident in his superior strength, and Uchiha Tokumitsu, who possessed the power of his clan, were not too worried about it.

However, from now on, if the Konoha F4 were to do something like sending Uchiha Tokumitsu or Hatake Sakumo to Kirigakure or Sunagakure as envoys, it would be better to just rebel on the spot.

After Chiyo's death, the leaderless Sand Village ninja army chose to temporarily retreat back to their camp.

It wasn't because the Sand Village ninja army collapsed immediately after losing its commander, just like the scattered Kirigakure army, but because the Jonin in charge of each unit couldn't accurately estimate how many Konoha ninja army troops were coming to their aid.

The retreat of the Sand Village ninja army was carried out in an orderly manner.

Uchiha Tokumitsu and Hatake Sakumo only made a token show of attack for a short while before returning to the battlefield. After collecting the bodies of their fallen ninjas, they also led their troops in retreat.

In this battle, the Tokumitsu Red Guard under Uchiha Tokumitsu also suffered heavy losses.

Of the 260 Uchiha ninjas from the two squads that participated in the battle, 49 were killed directly, representing nearly 20% of their strength. In addition, more than 50 Uchiha were wounded.

This caused Uchiha Tokumitsu immense heartache.

These are all his own team members!

Since the Uchiha clan was dispatched to defend the northwestern border of the Land of Grass, they have fought in numerous battles, large and small, including those against Iwagakure, Uzushiogakure, and the Land of Rain. This battle, however, has resulted in the largest number of Uchiha clan members dying.

More than all the previous deaths combined!

It's no wonder that during the First Shinobi World War, the Senju clan, once the most powerful shinobi clan, was able to completely deplete its young and strong forces.

War is indeed a ruthless meat grinder.

Whether commoners or nobles, those mired in the quagmire of war could not escape suffering and hardship.

Fortunately, the ninjas who went into battle were all Uchiha clan members.

As the most warlike clan, the Uchiha clan does not reject war and death. Especially during battle, they often pay little attention to anything other than their close teammates and the enemies in front of them, focusing all their attention on killing enemies and finding new ones.

Therefore, even with a high casualty rate of nearly 20%, the Uchiha clan maintained a strong fighting spirit and continued their bloody and relentless battle with the Sand Village.

"Deguang-kun, should we retreat..."

The Uchiha members of the Red Guard were somewhat downcast, a fact that Hatake Sakumo noticed.

"A little later..." Uchiha Tokumitsu slumped to the ground, utterly exhausted. "Let's organize another raid on the camp tonight, then retreat overnight..."

"But tonight... Sunagakure won't let their guard down..."

Sakumo Hatake was somewhat puzzled.

“I know… it’s because they haven’t let their guard down that they have to put on a show…”

"acting?"

"Let's harass Sunagakure a bit, make them think we're still planning to continue the fight to the death, so we can withdraw from the battlefield more smoothly..." Uchiha Tokumitsu narrowed his eyes slightly, "So, the raid on the camp is just a pretext. We don't need to achieve any results at all. We just need to show our faces in front of the heavily guarded Sunagakure..."

“You’re right!” Hatake Sakumo understood what Uchiha Tokumitsu meant. “Then I’ll take charge of this matter. You rest for a while and then prepare for the retreat.”

"No problem, thank you for your help, Sakumo-kun."

……

That night, after Hatake Sakumo's large-scale night raid on Sunagakure failed, Uchiha Tokumitsu led the Red Guard to retreat overnight, completely severing contact with the Sunagakure ninja army.

At the same time, the battle report was also sent to the western border defense forces and the command center of the Rain Country Expeditionary Army.

"Slayed Chiyo and annihilated nearly eight hundred Sunagakure soldiers..."

In the main tent of the dispatched army, Akimichi Torifu read the battle report while marveling at it.

Although the number of enemies killed may be exaggerated, the killing of Elder Chiyo, a high-ranking official of Sunagakure, is an undeniable achievement.

"It seems that Sakumo Hatake's plan to seize the position of Jonin Squad Leader has basically laid the foundation for competition..." said a middle-aged ninja with the Nara clan's signature bun hairstyle, sitting under Torifu Akimichi.

“Shikahei-kun, you’re wrong.” Akimichi Akikaze shook his head with a smile. “Sakumo’s contributions are enough to make him the Jonin class leader long ago.”

"is it?"

Nara Shika replied calmly.

"Have you forgotten the master of Kirigakure?"

"It's just that the Uchiha clan was so deeply involved in the Uzumaki War that Hiruzen had no choice but to suppress Sakumo," Akimichi Torifu said with some emotion. "But this time, I'll see what he can do!"

"Lord Torifu, the Jonin team leader has always been under the control of our three clans..."

Nara Shikahira expressed his opinion tactfully.

Although he had been neglected for more than ten years as a direct descendant of the Nara clan due to his status as a close follower of Akimichi Torifu, he was still a member of the Nara clan and could not stand idly by while the clan's interests were harmed.

"Since the Ino-Shika-Cho clans don't have enough strength, does it make any difference whether the Jonin positions are controlled by the Hokage or by Sakumo?"

Unlike Nara Shikahei, Akimichi Torifu did not make it sound like the position of Jonin was already his for the taking, but instead brought up the influence of the Hokage again.

Nara Shikahira was also a wise man, and naturally understood Akimichi Tokifumi's meaning.

Although the Jonin Squad Leader is a Jonin from the Nara clan, this is all thanks to the support from the Hokage Building. Otherwise, the Nara clan, known only for its intelligence, would not have been able to control the unruly Jonin under their command.

Given this situation, the question becomes whether to fight or yield to Sakumo Hatake, who has achieved great merit and is aiming for the position of Jonin Squad Leader.

This not only harmed the family's interests, but also caused the Hokage to have a negative view of the Nara family.

Fight... fight with what?

Leaving aside Sakumo Hatake's high reputation among the Jonin, even the Uchiha clan, which supported Sakumo Hatake, could not be countered by the Nara clan alone.

The Ino-Shika-Cho clans have been allies for thousands of years, always seeking to advance and retreat together. Now that Akimichi Torifu has made his choice, how should the Nara clan decide?

Thinking of this, Nara Shikahei couldn't help but sigh.

“Shikahei-kun, don’t be discouraged…” Akimichi Torifu saw Nara Shikahei’s dejected look and advised him, “The position of Jonin class leader is not so easy to fall into Sakumo’s hands. This period of time is enough for the Nara clan to deal with.”

"Lord Torifu, didn't you support Sakumo's candidacy for Jonin Team Leader?"

Even though Nara Shikahira was known for his intelligence and strategic thinking, he was somewhat confused at this moment.

"I'll only cast one vote for Sakumo during the Jonin team election; everything else is none of my business," Akimichi Torifu said with a smile. "Besides, we're already marginalized, so why bother thinking about anything else?"