Chapter 92: The Uchiha Who Masters Military Strategy

"Everyone, move carefully forward; we've already covered half the distance, and their attack frequency is gradually decreasing."

"If I'm not mistaken, they may have employed the same strategy as last time—either mid‑range ambushes or a pre‑finish encirclement."

"Everyone must never let their guard down; if they split us apart, we will have utterly failed this trial!"

"Understood!"

"Another squad has caught up; now everyone listen to my command, swiftly eliminate them, and we'll reverse direction!"

"Yes!"

"On the seventh day, near dusk, after the other ten‑plus squads had all failed, the entire Police Department was left with only the final squad led by Hui; he deliberately chose to go last."

"In the shadows, dozens of eyes stared intently at them, each person's emotions exceedingly complex."

"They both wish them success and hope for their failure."

"But regardless of their thoughts, they could never hold back."

"Beyond the dense forest, atop a distant cliff, Shisui and dozens of Uchiha stood here gazing into the distance."

"From here the trial teams cannot be seen with the naked eye, but if the opponent makes a noticeable move, they can still obtain partial information."

"Hm?"

"Suddenly, someone froze, eyes puzzled, and let out a light 'eh?'"

"What's wrong? Did something change?"

"The others glanced sideways; they all recognized this as the Shadow Clone Jutsu being defeated."

"Our squad was defeated; they seem to have changed direction, and we've lost visual contact."

"Mid‑sentence, a few others reacted, 'Bad, we've been spotted; they appear to be clearing our Shadow Clone Jutsu one by one!'"

"The others' expressions changed; the opponent had already covered half the distance, and if they eliminated all their Shadow Clone Jutsu now, they would not only need a long time to catch up, but also lose the opponent's intelligence."

"Deploy another squad to dispel the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and have three squads converge to resume the chase!"

"Since none of them can use any ninjutsu beyond the Copy Wheel Eye and Three‑Body Technique, the physical skill levels here are not vastly different."

"Given the damage the Shadow Clone Jutsu can endure, even if all their Shadow Clone Jutsu attacked together they could not take down a tightly coordinated, well‑conditioned four‑person squad."

"Therefore they must use traps and Shadow Clone Jutsu to continuously sap the opponent's stamina, then seize the right moment for a decisive battle."

"This requires them to maintain constant knowledge of the opponent's location, so they will deliberately disperse, hide in the shadows, monitor while timing the necessary attrition."

"No need, we've also been defeated!"

"What's happening?"

"In a short span they shattered three squads; the others wore very odd expressions, for if the moment to act hadn't arrived, their squads would be relatively dispersed."

"But before that person could explain, everyone saw thick smoke suddenly rise in the distant forest, followed by a Boom— roar, as tree after tree toppled, raising clouds of dust."

"They made too much noise and led us over, just like this."

"Seeing this, the person pointed at the smoke and explained."

"Damn! It's that despicable guy again!"

"The others' faces turned very grim; the Shadow Clone Jutsu are independent entities with independent thought, and cannot be remote‑controlled."

"But given their self‑knowledge, they know the opponent will definitely glance to verify the information after such a big move."

"Sure enough, shortly after the three squads set out, the others sequentially received the memories from before the Shadow Clone Jutsu were defeated."

"Including captains Yang Zhe, Dao Huo, and Tie Huo, the crowd was astonished, then hurriedly summoned new Shadow Clone Jutsu."

"Quickly confirm their positions; we must not let them approach the finish line in this state!"

"If the attrition is insufficient, they simply cannot block the opponent at the finish."

"The others recovered, swiftly summoned Shadow Clone Jutsu and charged toward the smoke screen."

"Simultaneously, in the opposite direction of the smoke, the four concealed themselves and hurried toward the finish."

"This is the hallmark of the forest trial: there is more than one path to the finish; if their location cannot be pinpointed, even a net‑style blockade cannot stop them."

"As time passed, the people on the cliff still failed to obtain useful information, and finally someone reacted."

"The smoke side must be a decoy; first deploy personnel from the finish line backward to search, confirm the information, then go all out against them!"

"The others understood that another consumption like before would be too late; they merely nodded in agreement, and the eight squads summoned Shadow Clone Jutsu again, rushing straight for the finish."

"They knew where traps lay and where it was safe; their speed through the forest far exceeded that of the trial squads, allowing them to circle to the finish first."

"Shisui watched the two sides clash, looked up at the sky, which was now nearing night; the heavens were dim and overcast, the gale relentless, and tiny snowflakes drifted onto his face."

"At the same time, the four hidden in the woods slowed to a halt; Hui thought for a moment, then chuckled at the others, saying, 'Let's keep turning around and see if anyone follows, then we'll slaughter them!'"

"Having said that, he led three others to double back toward the smoke, and indeed, moments later they encountered three pursuing squads in a hurry."

"Bad!"

"What a coincidence!"

"Both sides' expressions differed upon meeting, but neither hesitated; they drew their swords and charged."

"Four squads, sixteen Uchiha Elite Forces ninja, clashed, and in an instant a sky full of shuriken rained down."

"Even though they cannot use the Copy Wheel Eye, their dynamic tracking ability still far exceeds that of ordinary people."

"Within the forest, silhouettes darted like lightning; Hui's katana swung wildly. If the real bodies were present, he might not retreat unscathed, but against several Shadow Clone Jutsu, he was like a deity descended."

"The four cooperated closely, outnumbering the enemy, and within moments eliminated them all."

"However, the fierce clash generated so much noise that the remaining two squads arrived quickly."

"Hui saw the newcomers, a slight smile curling his mouth, delighted, 'Exactly, one squad after another is best.'"

"The four exchanged a knowing glance and surged forward."

"On the other side, atop the cliff, the few who had been defeated shouted, 'They're turning back again!' 'I found their trap‑breaking traces, let's go together!' Another voice reminded, then pointed toward a direction."

"Divert two squads from the finish side and pursue them together!"

"The clones at the finish cannot be commanded, so they must simply dispel them and set out from the start together."

"This time we'll make a big move, pulling the other side of the finish line over here for a pincer attack from front and back!"

Yuan Zhe's pretty face darkened; she hadn't expected that the plain‑looking fellow could possibly win, and it was hard for her to accept.

At that moment seven squads, over twenty people, rushed down the mountain together; this might be their last chance.

If they can't lure those at the finish line into a front‑and‑back ambush before being wiped out, seizing a chance, the enemy will likely charge straight to the finish.

In the dense forest, Hui eliminated the last two squads, then returned with three people to the path where the traps had already been cleared.

The four pressed forward swiftly, having covered eighty percent of the route.

"Almost there, let's stop here, split up, dismantle some traps in other directions, then regroup and reset the line of traps before we move on!"

The three understood and acted quickly; moments later they advanced together again until, on a field of broken rocks, Hui suddenly stopped, looked at the few, and ordered, "Slash each other, make enough noise, and draw the people around here over."

The three nodded, instantly drew their blades and acted without hesitation; Hui's handling had already earned their unwavering confidence in his command.

Watching their movements, Hui couldn't help but think, "Our clan is fine in every way, just too rigid."

The clashing of blades and the clang of iron rang sharply in the silent forest.

In front of the four's position, a host of Shadow Clone Jutsu searching in the dark halted and turned to look this way.

One of them decisively turned into smoke and vanished, sending the information up to the cliff.

"The clang of iron suggests someone has spotted them and is fighting; this time it's real, let's rush to reinforce!"

The six squads scattered around hesitated only briefly before heading toward the source of the sound.

Behind the four, another seven squads had just reached the middle stage, pursuing along the trail of dismantled traps.

Hui's group of four were wielding long swords, slashing each other, stirring up dust that obscured vision.

But after a moment they sensed movement around them; the four exchanged a tacit glance and charged together toward one direction.

"Bad, we fell for it again; this despicable scoundrel is nothing like a Uchiha!"

A squad that had just reached the outskirts couldn't see through the dust, so they never realized they'd already been spotted by the four.

When they sensed the four drawing near, there was no escape, and they cursed loudly.

Eight fought each other without any outside restraint; in one‑on‑one bouts they lasted only a few rounds before being cut at the waist and turning to smoke.

Other teams that heard the commotion also arrived in succession; Hui was unafraid, raised his blade and joined the melee. The fight grew increasingly chaotic, the noise swelling, and soon the remaining five squads were all involved.

"Hold on; the others will hear the noise and come quickly!"

Everyone knows that, but limited by Shadow Clone Jutsu, they can't persist at will.

Hui also knew they couldn't delay; he went all‑out, and as one Shadow Clone Jutsu after another vanished, the pressure on the four lessened and the enemy's elimination sped up.

Meanwhile, the pursuers behind began to split up along the trap traces the four left, and even after reaching the end they found no sign of the four.

"Bad, we fell for it; hurry around to the finish!"

They finally sensed something was wrong, shouted anxiously, and quickly withdrew onto safe ground, sprinting toward the finish.

Near the finish, almost twenty people were swiftly eliminated; they never got the backup from behind.

When Hui crossed the finish, on the cliff only Shisui remained; everyone else's complexion was a steel‑blue pallor.

"This despicable scoundrel, the trap traces were fake! Damn it!"

Yuan Zhe, Tie Huo, and Dao Huo were burning with uncontrollable anger; even though it was just a training, the opponent's method of winning made them very upset—so much so that their own strength hadn't even been displayed before the other side crossed the finish.

If their true bodies were present and could use Copy Wheel Eye, they'd never be fooled by such tricks.

They'd wasted more time and energy on scouting.

"I announce that Team Twelve has successfully passed the trial!"

Shisui leapt down, treading on branches toward the finish, and clapped in celebration as he landed.

The others followed suit, dropping down in succession, but their looks toward Hui were far from friendly.

Hui awkwardly averted his gaze, thought it over, and decided to be modest, scratching his head and laughing, "Just luck, hehe, all just luck."

As soon as the words fell, the others' gazes grew even colder, each face as still as water, staring at Hui Uchiha in silence.

Seeing this, Shisui suddenly spoke, "The art of war says: water flows according to the terrain, troops achieve victory according to the enemy."

Hui can strike unexpectedly, attack unprepared, make the void real and the real void; how could a single word 'despicable' cause his effort and wisdom to be ignored?

If the Police Department could act according to the situation, it wouldn't alienate the villagers; reflecting on oneself, summarizing gains and losses is the mark of a superior person—complaining about fate or others is not the Uchiha way!

Shisui's voice was soft, yet each word pierced the heart; some who understood felt ashamed and lowered their heads, others who didn't understand fell silent.

Yuan Zhe pursed their lips; although still a bit unwilling, upon careful reflection that others could do what they could not, doesn't that also prove the opponent's strength?

"Congratulations!"

After the congratulatory shout, everyone realized—they are Uchiha; they're not the type to be unable to lose.

Then they all shouted cheers, applause rang out, echoing across the area.

"To celebrate the end of the training, tonight we won't leave until we're drunk!"

Shisui smiled and suggested, and after the crowd's cheers added, "Brother Hui, you're buying!"

"Eh?"

"Oh~"

A faint note of doubt was drowned in the booming cheers, which were sincere and pure.

(End of Chapter)