Konoha: The Soul King from the Uchiha Clan

Chapter 164 Two-way journey

Since it was not advisable for him to appear on the front lines, Uchiha Gen used summoning beasts to transmit information.

Back at the Konoha camp tent, write a scroll and stuff it into the mouth of the giant snake summoned by the spirit, then send it to the battlefield.

After finishing his business, Uchiha Gen returned to the rest room at the supply depot and took a nap.

After sleeping for two hours, Uchiha Gencai rode Zhu Rong towards the main battlefield, proceeding at a leisurely pace.

By the time they arrived, the battle was nearing its end, and the Hidden Mist Village was retreating.

After a brief, seemingly perfunctory pursuit, Uchiha Gen obeyed Orochimaru's order to withdraw and returned to camp.

Upon returning to the Konoha camp, the frontline high command began holding a military meeting.

Orochimaru rejected his subordinates' suggestion to launch a large-scale attack on Kirigakure while they were ahead, arguing that pressing too hard on Kirigakure could lead to a large-scale war.

The decision was made to adopt a strategy of gradually bleeding out the Fog Shadows, and steadily chipping away at their strength.

Gen Uchiha naturally wouldn't disagree with Orochimaru's decision and voiced his support.

The commander and deputy commander reached a consensus; anyone else with ideas couldn't even get them approved, let alone implement them.

Furthermore, Orochimaru's concerns were not entirely unfounded. If a large-scale war broke out, even if other ninja villages did not join in, Konoha would be dragged into the quagmire of war, which would affect the recovery of its strength.

Once other ninja villages grit their teeth and follow suit, another brutal ninja world war will ensue.

No Konoha ninja wanted to experience another brutal ninja war, so the other Konoha Jonin had no objections to Orochimaru's decision, which was based on "prudence."

At 10:00 PM, the retreating Kirigakure also began its own military conference.

Inside the council tent, more than half of the seats that were once full are now empty; of the twenty-two seats, thirteen are absent!

Ten Jonin died at the hands of Uchiha Gen, and three more Jonin died on the front lines.

The Konoha squad's support disrupted the battlefield balance, catching Kirigakure off guard. Had it not been for Suigetsu Hozuki's decisive order to retreat, even more Jonin would have been lost.

The atmosphere inside the tent was extremely somber and heavy. Some of the high-ranking ninjas, their bodies wrapped in gauze and exuding the smell of medicine, added to the sorrowful and desolate atmosphere.

Every Jonin looked extremely grim, and Suigetsu Hozuki's face was so dark it was almost dripping with water; he still felt as if he were in a dream.

The other Jonin not only felt the same way, but also felt a sense of lingering fear, including Juzo Biwa and Kisame Hoshigaki.

As qualified ninjas, they are not afraid of death, but they are afraid of dying meaninglessly...

A reinforced squad led by ten Jonin, and they were all wiped out?

It's unbelievable!

When Inuzuka Gaku led his men to the battlefield, in order to demoralize Kirigakure, he exposed what was happening behind the Konoha camp.

To increase credibility, Inuzuka also ordered his men to reveal the names of the ten dead Jonin and five Special Jonin.

The two sides have been at war for quite some time now. While the specific details of each side's Jonin may be unclear, basic information such as their names has long been known.

Special Jonin are also on the list of those being monitored; only Chunin are unclear about it yet, and there is no need to be clear about it.

Furthermore, Orochimaru didn't seem serious to Suigetsu Hozuki on the main battlefield; he appeared to be just going through the motions. Therefore, the Kirigakure Jonin were more inclined to believe that what Inuzuka and the others said was true.

Orochimaru on the main battlefield was actually a shadow clone; his real body went to the rear of Konoha's front-line camp to hunt down Hidden Mist ninjas with Uchiha Gen.

"Phew... We still haven't heard a single word from Crescent Moon and the others. It seems like things are really looking grim."

"Our high-level combat forces have suffered heavy losses. How should we respond to Konoha's subsequent offensive?"

"Please feel free to share your thoughts."

After a while, the Watermelon Pufferfish Demon exhaled, breaking the dull silence in the tent.

"Sigh, what else can we do?"

"We can only avoid their sharp edge," sighed Pipa Juzo.

The other Kirigakure Jonin quickly agreed, saying that if they still insisted on fighting, they would be courting death.

Although Konoha's Jonin also suffered losses, their losses were much smaller than theirs, with the difference in numbers reaching 1.5 times.

"Juzo is right. Unless the village sends reinforcements, this is the only thing we can do."

"In my opinion, if we're going to avoid their sharp edge, we should just avoid it completely!"

"My idea is to concentrate our current strength on the supply base, reinforce the barrier, and rely on the barrier to defend it."

"Other forces broke up into smaller groups and waged guerrilla warfare against the Konoha ninjas in small teams, not deliberately seeking to inflict casualties, but simply harassing the enemy continuously."

"The squad will not return to the supply base. They will carry enough rations and money. If they run out of rations, they can go to the town to resupply."

"We have only one goal: to hold off Konoha and prevent them from driving us out of the Land of Whirlpools."

"How to proceed from here depends on whether the village sends reinforcements..."

While Suigetsu Hozuki was worried about the heavy losses, he wasn't too concerned.

Because it was a decision made through collective wisdom, he was taken much less blame.

The other eight Jonin thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement.

Given their current strength, Kirigakure can hardly defend the territory they occupy. Concentrating their best resources to defend the most important and inviolable places is indeed the best choice.

If the village decides to get revenge, then there will be another beachhead for attack in the Land of Whirlpools.

If they are driven out of the Land of Whirlpools and want to re-land and establish a beachhead, they will inevitably have to pay a bloody price!

"The meeting is adjourned. You may proceed with the arrangements."

"Retreat tonight, and don't let Konoha find out."

"yes!"

After careful planning, Kirigakure withdrew silently, evading Konoha's eyes and ears.

When Konoha discovered the camp the next day, it was already deserted. Konoha didn't pay any attention and took the opportunity to advance.

However, after advancing nearly half of the Land of Whirlpools, they still hadn't found any trace of Kirigakure, which made the master and apprentice uneasy.

Are the Hidden Mist Villages planning to withdraw from the Land of Whirlpools and give up the fight?

They've already restrained their attacks; can't they even withstand this?

The Konoha ninjas also considered a similar possibility, and were excited, looking forward to the end of the war.

Unfortunately, their good fortune didn't last long. As they advanced to the eastern edge of the Land of Whirlpools, near the sea, Konoha discovered Kirigakure's trail.

After being temporarily reinforced by all the Kirigakure ninja on the front line, the Kirigakure's original supply base has been transformed into a war fortress. Relying on its terrain, which is backed by mountains, bordered by rivers and the sea, it is particularly easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The Konoha ninjas were disappointed by this scene.

The two old men, master and apprentice, were happy and gratified; this was the kind of persistence they wanted to maintain.

Relying on the freshwater river for freshwater and on sea transport for food, the Hidden Mist's core forces began to hold their ground, while ordinary forces, or rather, cannon fodder forces, began to harass Konoha.

At the Konoha military conference, Uchiha Gen proposed a battle strategy of "encircling without attacking, cutting off the wings, harassing the logistics, and winning the battle in one fell swoop."

This operational strategy was highly approved by Orochimaru, who promptly adopted it.

The other Konoha Jonin didn't have any objections.

The leadership is considerate that a hard-fought attack would result in too many casualties; can you really object?

Having opinions means offending both your superiors and subordinates. Do you even want to stay in this job?

Meanwhile, Kirigakure also received a report from Suigetsu Hobutsuki...

(End of this chapter)