Boom. Boom. Boom.
A series of explosions and rumbling sounds filled the air. Across flat desolate wilderness and complex mountain terrain, ninja darted about in constant pursuit.
From above, flames and thick smoke rose from multiple points on the ground, interwoven with the chaotic destruction of various clashing ninjutsu techniques tearing apart the environment around them.
This was the second day since Minato and Shikaku had rejoined the main army.
Under Hiruzen's personal leadership, the Leaf Village army had finally entered the ambush zone the Sand Village had prepared.
Despite their precautions, the scouting squad at the front missed a concealed trap and was struck by the Sand Village's hidden forces. The main army following behind quickly caught up and the two sides immediately engaged.
The hidden traps and mechanisms were relatively well concealed, but experienced Leaf Village ninja could still detect and neutralize them given enough time.
The problem was that the army's numbers were large and they were eager to push through to the border battlefield. They were unwilling to spend time here. Because of this, a portion of the formation was still caught in ambushes despite the general precautions.
Fortunately, Hiruzen had anticipated this possibility in advance. The Konoha forces that suffered casualties were relatively few in number. The impact on the overall army was not significant.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
On the ground, large numbers of Konoha ninja were pursuing the scattered Sand Village figures. It was a battle, but the fighting strength and troop numbers on both sides were not remotely comparable.
The Sand Village's ambush forces were overwhelmed almost immediately once the full Konoha army engaged, and many were cut down before they could retreat.
"Lord Hokage."
A Konoha squad leader approached Hiruzen.
"What is the situation?" Hiruzen asked without slowing.
"The Sand Village's numbers here are not large. It appears they deployed a temporary force, completely lacking the strength to hold against us. Many Sand Village members have scattered and fled. Our people are in pursuit."
"Do not stop! The core formation must continue advancing!"
Hiruzen issued orders to the military officers around him as he moved.
"Yes!"
The officers dispersed. A Sand Village force of this size was not something worth the Hokage's direct intervention.
"What are our losses?" Hiruzen asked the squad leader.
"The reconnaissance team has some minor injuries. Other personnel casualties are being tallied and awaiting medical attention.
The numbers should not be large. The range of the hidden traps was not extensive, and the damage they inflicted on us remained within a controllable area."
The squad leader's eyes showed genuine respect.
"The traps are relatively dense and it will take some time to clear and destroy them all. Thanks to the Hokage's foresight in anticipating the enemy's tactics, we were able to minimize our losses."
"Hmm." Hiruzen considered briefly, then nodded. "Time is limited. The Sand Village launched a lightning strike on the border, aimed at efficiency and speed. They would not have brought excessive materials into the Land of Fire.
This is not their Land of Wind. Setting up large-scale traps here would cost them significantly."
He gave a final instruction.
"Do your best to eliminate the enemy. If you cannot catch them, do not waste time. Drive them away and keep moving."
"Yes."
The squad leader departed quickly.
This was almost certainly just a probing tactic the Sand Village was using against the Leaf Village army. It was not their core force.
Committing significant energy to chasing scattered remnants would be pointless. The threat posed by this tactical layer was limited.
Hiruzen turned this over as the army advanced.
Hours passed.
The Leaf Village army continued pressing forward. The main body did not engage the Sand Village in direct large-scale combat. They sent out a handful of high-ranking ninja who, supported by basic troop formations and relying on the overall numerical advantage, repelled the Sand Village's harassment attacks efficiently.
The results were clear. In less than half an hour, reports of success arrived from the field. The Sand Village had retreated and fled.
The Sand Village had lost this skirmish. Facing the Leaf Village's counterattack, they simply could not hold their ground.
Of course, the Leaf Village's gains were not limited to making the Sand Village suffer a setback here.
Through certain means, they had also extracted some intelligence from the Sand Village. They learned who the overall commander of the Sand Village army was.
Upon hearing the name, Hiruzen could not immediately place which prominent figure from the Sand Village this referred to.
Only after someone provided context did he learn that this Shimizu was a former Kage Guard and assistant who had served under the Third Kazekage. An elite Jonin of the Sand Village.
"Is it him?" Hiruzen wondered to himself as he moved with the main group.
Shimizu had also been a participant in the Second Great Ninja War. Which meant that if the tactical arrangements the Sand Village had deployed against Konoha were also his work, then during the previous war with Shimizu present, the Sand Village should not have performed as poorly on the battlefield as they had.
Boom.
While he was thinking, a loud explosion sounded from somewhere in the distance. The distinctive crack of a detonating tag.
"What is happening?"
Hiruzen looked immediately toward the marching formation. Black dots were appearing on the horizon, approaching.
"Hokage-sama, it is the Sand Village. They are here again."
A captain rushed from the rapidly moving formation, his face grim.
"Is it the same group?" Hiruzen's brow furrowed as he asked.
"Uh..."
"Deal with it quickly," Hiruzen said with firm directness.
"Yes."
The captain turned and complied, preparing to lead his men to clear out this group of Sand Village remnants again. But very quickly, those Sand Village members immediately retreated.
They had no intention of fighting a battle to the death with the Leaf Village. These Sand Village members would gather and disperse at different intervals, employing a thoroughly aggravating guerrilla warfare approach.
It was important to understand that even if only two or three Sand Village members appeared right under the Leaf Village's nose, the Leaf Village would certainly respond. Ignoring them was impossible.
But responding inevitably caused disruption to the marching formation. The first or second time was manageable. But if the harassment continued without stopping, the cumulative effect was something else entirely.
This kind of constant low-level pressure accomplished nothing concrete in any single instance, yet it was utterly exhausting to endure.
"The large-scale traps at the start were not really meant to reduce our numbers significantly," Hiruzen said quietly, more to himself than to anyone around him. "They were meant to make us believe the ambush had failed and that we had successfully passed through the trap zone, thus slightly lowering our guard. Making us think that at least there would be no more ambushes or traps further along the route."
"This is psychological warfare."
He had quickly identified the true intention behind the Sand Village's approach. Their numbers were small and their movements were dispersed, giving them exceptional flexibility.
They had clearly already scouted the surrounding terrain thoroughly and familiarized themselves with guerrilla routes and retreat paths before the engagement even began.
Further along the route, this Sand Village team would undoubtedly appear repeatedly. To eliminate them completely would require dedicating specific forces to chase them down, which would mean pulling resources from the main advance.
And along the remaining route ahead, even setting aside the question of additional traps, the mere possibility of them would affect how every unit moved.
After a detonating tag suddenly exploded somewhere, everyone in the army knew it. Even a single such incident affected the morale of the entire formation, wrapping the march in a layer of pressure that did not lift easily.
Like a mouse jumping across an elephant's path. No real threat in any individual instance. But deeply uncomfortable in accumulation.
Hiruzen's eyes went cold as he thought through it.
This kind of tactic was somewhat unscrupulous. But it was very effective.
…
Stones plz