On the Uchiha side, thirteen n had fallen. Fugaku walked over, inspecting each one carefully.
Seven were already dead. Fugaku recognized them; they were all mbers of the clan's hawk faction, the ones most desperate to prove the Uchiha's worth.
They had charged the foremost and killed the most fiercely in the recent battle. Another six were heavily wounded, but their lives were not in danger.
Fifty against five hundred. Seven dead, six heavily wounded, nearly fifty enemies annihilated, and five hundred routed.
This was a combat record that would satisfy any commander.
"Young Master Fugaku, isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to act like this?" a Dove faction elder stepped forward and whispered.
Uchiha Fugaku did not reply, his face remaining as calm as ever: "Clear the battlefield and retrieve the bodies of the fallen. Then, retreat and report back to the main camp."
"Young Master Fugaku, are we not going to continue scouting?" another clansman couldn't help but ask.
"No need." Fugaku turned and walked back the way they ca. "The intelligence has already been gathered."
He had verified what he wanted to know: the fighting power and equipnt of the Grass ninjas were indeed a step above what the intelligence indicated, but they were still not enough to threaten Konoha's main force.
...
Across the grasslands, forests, and hills, Negishi Kusanagi led his n in a frantic retreat. In the battle just now, if not for his special ability that neutralized the impact of the initial strike, he might have already died under Uchiha Fugaku's blade.
"Damn it! What do they an by 'we can win'? It's all a lie. Where are the reinforcents? Where is the Tailed Beast?"
"We can't win at all. We couldn't even beat fifty of them. We might as well just scatter and run right now." A ninja's hands trembled violently as he gripped his kunai, his expression completely broken.
For a ti, fear spread through the crowd. They had finally realized that no matter how much stronger they had beco, standing against Konoha was like a mantis trying to stop a carriage.
"Leader, what do we do?" a deputy asked, clutching his wounded side. "Their main force will catch up soon. With our strength, I don't think we can hold them off for long."
Right then, Negishi Kusanagi rembered the silk pouch that Shiraki had given him before they departed.
He had been instructed to open it when facing a crisis. Rembering this, he hurriedly opened the pouch.
Inside was a note written by Abura Shisui: > I assu you have already encountered the Uchiha. Do not panic. Just preserve your strength and retreat. I have a plan.
"This..."
"Sir, what does it say?" soone looked up to ask.
Negishi Kusanagi replied, "The military advisor left behind three brilliant strategies in these pouches."
"What does he want us to do?"
"Follow our previous strategy. When the enemy advances, we retreat. Disperse and stall them!"
"Will this really work?" Many people were beginning to doubt.
Even Negishi Kusanagi's heart had long been shaken. Training a flying squad wasn't sothing that could be done overnight; how were they supposed to win?
But if they wanted to survive right now, they couldn't scatter. As long as these few hundred people stayed together, he, as their leader, wouldn't be the first to die.
"Shut up, all of you! Listen to my orders. Take your food pills. Leave fifty n behind to set traps, and follow the pre-set formations to retreat rapidly."
At that mont, soone refused to obey the order and tried to break away from the group.
Suddenly, the ninja distributing the food pills spoke up: "Stay and fight to the death. Otherwise, you won't survive past ten days. Did you really think the nutritional supplents and food pills you've been taking lately had no strings attached?"
Everyone froze in shock, instantly halting their steps!
"That son of a bitch Shiraki..."
"Shut up! You are not allowed to insult the Military Advisor!"
Then, another person asked, "Should we open the other two pouches he left behind right now?"
Negishi Kusanagi hesitated for a mont, but ultimately chose not to open them yet...
anwhile, at the Grass Village training ground.
Abura Shisui stood on the high platform, watching the final one hundred Dragonfly Users perform synchronization training with their partners.
In the sky, dozens of massive dragonflies circled and soared. The Grass ninjas on their backs stood or crouched, practicing high-altitude kunai throwing and unleashing ninjutsu.
"Still not enough. The highest synchronization rate is only sixty-three percent." He looked at the humans and insects working together in the distance, writing and drawing in his notebook. A closer look would reveal detailed anatomical diagrams of human and dragonfly ridians.
It mapped out blood vessels, muscle flow, and, most importantly, the flow of chakra pathways.
"Just looking at that makes my head spin, it's too complicated!" The Seven-Tails poked her head over from the side. "It doesn't feel very useful. It would be faster if I just spat out a Tailed Beast Bomb."
Abura Shisui didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "It's precisely because they are weak that we need to utilize energy as efficiently as possible to defeat a stronger enemy."
"The chakra contained in a single one of your Tailed Beast Bombs would completely drain all of these people combined, and it still might not be enough."
"So, should I learn so techniques too?" Choi asked thoughtfully.
"If you want to learn, do it later, but it won't do much for you. You don't have hands. Unless you can use your mind to manipulate the chakra inside your body to perform precise operations like ninjutsu or sealing jutsu, small ninjutsu are just minor additions for you."
Abura Shisui returned to his research. Just then, a ninja ran over from afar, panting: "Military Advisor Shiraki! Our forces have engaged Konoha.
Due to the gap in strength, we have lost dozens of n and have strategically retreated fifty miles. The army's morale is wavering right now. When are we deploying the Tailed Beast for support?"
"I know," Abura Shisui interrupted him. "Therefore, we begin the second phase tonight."
The second phase of training? Shouldn't they be sending support?
The Jonin who had returned to deliver the ssage was completely bewildered.
"The experintal version of human-insect fusion." Abura Shisui turned and pulled out a yellowed scroll from his robes.
He had already found the key from the Inuzuka clan's secret techniques. While they couldn't achieve a perfect fusion, they could briefly share chakra and sensory perception.
"However, at present, there is a slight side effect during the fusion.
The Dragonfly Users will bear a massive burden. Every fusion will accelerate the burning of their chakra. Furthermore, their chakra pathways will suffer permanent damage. Their strength may stagnate forever, or even regress."
"It can't be helped. That's why I only plan to send out ten people for the fusion experint this ti."
The ssenger understood clearly. This was preparing ten people to beco test subjects ahead of ti to pave the way for those who followed.
On the training ground, a young Grass ninja dived down on his dragonfly, pulling up sharply just three ters above the ground. The movent was so fluid it looked as if the dragonfly were an extension of his own body.
Abura Shisui looked at them, his heart filled with complex emotions.
So of them were only fifteen or sixteen years old, while others were already thirty. They had drunk the dicine that shortened their lifespans, endured near-brutal training, and now had to face the risk of permanent ridian damage.
Yet, there was no hesitation in their eyes, because they knew this was the Grass Village's only chance.
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