Chapter 75: Even Though I Won, You Didn't Know

The wind blew from the direction of Sakurahara, carrying the scent of blood and gunpowder from a few days ago.

After selection, the 4,000 Konoha Ninja in the best condition, carrying ten days' worth of military rations and fully packed ninja tool pouches, lined up neatly in the camp.

Yamanaka Chujiu stood at the very front of the formation; the Mind Severing Realm was like an invisible giant net, perfectly collecting and reflecting the emotions of the ninja.

After a short period of venting, a full meal, and six hours of sleep, the Konoha Ninja's agitated emotions had become restrained, and their morale had reached its peak.

Having confirmed the army's morale, Yamanaka Chujiu nodded to Orochimaru at his side.

Orochimaru's golden pupils flashed with an excited light: "Since you are prepared, then let us set out."

"The road ahead will not be easy."

Yamanaka Chujiu smiled: "Teacher Orochimaru, you worry too much."

"The Cloud Hidden Army was startled by our movements during the day, and after having hundreds of their elite ninja hunted down, they were forced to choose to contract their defensive lines and strengthen their defenses."

"Their camp is indeed as solid as a rock now, but the vast battle line has become empty; for four thousand Konoha Ninja to pass through it, there will be no problem at all."

Orochimaru grinned: "You brat are even more arrogant than I am."

"But you do have the capital to be arrogant. If I had your command ability, I would have wiped out Sunagakure during the Second Shinobi World War and forcefully become the Fourth Hokage by virtue of my military exploits."

"Go ahead and do it; I have already prepared enough Communication Snakes, you can command the entire army to your heart's content!"

Yamanaka Chujiu was deeply moved and nodded: "Teacher Orochimaru, I will not let you down."

"Please, Teacher, please everyone, trust me; I will lead everyone... through the formation!"

His voice was not loud, but it was clearly transmitted to the ears of every ninja squad leader through the Communication Snakes, smoothing out the ninja's restlessness and preventing the Konoha Ninja from acting rashly.

In the vast formation, not a single person hesitated or felt timid; there was only an eagerness to try that gave Yamanaka Chujiu a headache.

Ever since the battle at Sakurahara, where Yamanaka Chujiu broke through the Cloud Hidden rear with thirty men, burned the Cloud Hidden Army's supplies, and took over command from Orochimaru to recreate the miracle of defeating the enemy with zero casualties, he had become the god of war in the hearts of the Konoha Ninja.

He was not Yamanaka Inoichi's younger brother, nor even just Orochimaru's disciple, but the "All-Victorious God of War" who was invincible and protected all Konoha Ninja from death.

His prestige even faintly overshadowed Orochimaru's.

Orochimaru was powerful to the point of being awe-inspiring, while Yamanaka Chujiu was reassuring.

After all, Yamanaka Chujiu could not only lead them to victory, but also keep them alive to see victory arrive.

"Move out!"

Orochimaru's command was not loud, but the four thousand ninja's simultaneous response shook the heavens.

Afterwards, the Konoha Ninja fell silent and set off quietly, charging directly toward the Cloud Hidden positions.

Under Yamanaka Chujiu's coordination, the Konoha Ninja of each squad dispersed, each walking on a specific route, pointing directly at the Cloud Hidden Army's defensive line.

There was no fighting, no conflict; the four thousand Konoha Ninja were like flowing water, silently infiltrating the defensive line and passing between the individual hidden sentries of the Cloud Hidden Ninja.

The Cloud Hidden Ninja were actually not asleep; they were lying in wait, fully alert for a possible night raid by Konoha.

No one could have imagined that a Konoha army of several thousand people would actually execute an infiltration tactic that only a small squad, or even a single ninja, would perform.

Therefore, although some keen sensory ninja discovered abnormalities, they denied it with their own common sense, immediately ruling out the correct answer.

The more they checked repeatedly afterwards, the less they could find the cause of the abnormality, and they could only conclude that they were too exhausted and had made a serious error in their perception.

But a Konoha army of four thousand was, after all, not a squadron of thirty; the mere area they covered was chilling.

All kinds of situations occurred frequently, surging toward Yamanaka Chujiu like a tide, completely exceeding his ability to respond.

So much so that even though he clearly "saw" a Cloud Hidden patrol and judged in advance that they would encounter an infiltrating Konoha squad, he could no longer adjust the movement routes in any way.

Thus, he activated his final safeguard: "Teacher Orochimaru!"

"Heh heh, as expected, it still comes down to my skills."

Before Orochimaru's voice had finished, his figure had already quietly merged into the shadows.

A moment later, Orochimaru appeared more than a thousand meters away, appearing within the ranks of the patrolling Cloud Hidden Ninja.

Hidden Shadow Snake Hands were suddenly unleashed, and countless pitch-black snakes surged from his sleeves, entangling and biting the caught-off-guard Cloud Hidden Ninja.

Before the Cloud Hidden Ninja could struggle, the Kusanagi Sword was already unsheathed, and a cold light flashed across the necks of the Cloud Hidden Ninja, leaving them decapitated and unable to make a sound.

Before the beheading, Orochimaru had noticed that the state of this team of Cloud Hidden Ninja was wrong; there was an old captain over 50 years old, and children who were clearly underage, but no prime-aged ninja in their prime.

But his golden pupils were cold, his hand holding the sword was steady, and he showed no sign of hesitation.

Afterwards, he confirmed that all the Cloud Hidden Ninja were dead and manipulated the Snake Army to devour the enemies' corpses and bloodstains, only then sneering as he put away his sword and snakes, silently merging into the darkness.

"Oh ho ho ho, so when Cloud Hidden Ninja die in large numbers, they will also put underage children and trash on the battlefield."

"The high-ups of the Five Great Ninja Villages are all heartless garbage..."

Orochimaru's voice carried a hint of mockery, but only his student Yamanaka Chujiu heard it.

Yamanaka Chujiu said with a smile: "Teacher Orochimaru should just become a Hokage with humanity."

"As long as there is a Hokage like you, the Ninja World will have hope; it will not be absolute darkness, nor a desperate, doomsday land."

Orochimaru's sentimental mood vanished in an instant: "You bastard disciple, how can you try to persuade me to take the position even at a time like this?"

"Really, the mood I finally managed to brew up can never be found again."

Yamanaka Chujiu chuckled secretly, but did not relax his control over the entire battlefield.

He tracked the movements of every Konoha Ninja and every Cloud Hidden Ninja, directing the squad leaders to adjust their marching routes and speed.

Orochimaru, meanwhile, roamed within the Cloud Hidden Army's defensive line, using force to eliminate problems and enemies that could not be solved by positioning.

In the various wars of the Ninja World, countless silent battles have broken out.

But never once has a silent battle involved four thousand ninja infiltrating the positions of a hostile army of six thousand ninja and passing through silently.

Before Yamanaka Chujiu executed today's combat plan, even the craziest Orochimaru would have thought the proposer was a madman upon hearing such a suggestion.

Yamanaka Chujiu not only convinced Orochimaru, but also made the four thousand Konoha Ninja firmly believe that this crazy plan would succeed.

They believed it so much that they dared to bet their own lives, accompanying Yamanaka Chujiu in the gamble.

An all-in!

Until the Konoha army had infiltrated through and regrouped, the Cloud Hidden Army had not even discovered that they had already lost.

After the Konoha Ninjas confirmed they had won the silent battle, their excitement was so intense that even Yamanaka Chujiu could barely suppress it.

There was no helping it; the feeling of "I've already won, and you don't even know it yet" was just too ninja, too intoxicating!