Rasa, Pakura, Chiyo, Ebizō, and Karura stood at the forefront.
Behind them was a massive force of ninjas.
As long as they could defeat Uchiha Takashi's last line of defense, cornered at the mountain peak, they would completely seize Kikyo Mountain.
Uchiha Takashi remembered clearly, the Third Shinobi World War, the battle that marked the complete defeat of the Sand Ninja.
The Battle of Kikyo Mountain! It happened here as well.
At this moment, it was just like that moment in the past.
It seemed that Kikyo Mountain was destined to witness another classic scene.
Soon, the Sand Ninja army halted.
Rasa and Pakura stepped forward.
Anyone could see that the Fourth Kazekage of the Sand Ninja would definitely emerge from these two, so it was only natural for them to represent the Sand Ninja.
"Uchiha Takashi, if you lead your troops to surrender, I guarantee in the name of the Sand Ninja that you will receive the treatment you deserve!"
Rasa loudly offered the terms.
This was also a test.
Because Konoha's reaction had taken them by surprise.
Victory was within their grasp, but they couldn't afford to be careless at such a critical moment.
When it came to strategy, the 'idol type' Pakura couldn't compare to Rasa, so she played the role of the atmosphere team and enforcer.
Regardless of any private competition between the two, their interests aligned at this moment.
"If you Sand Ninja surrender now, I guarantee in the name of Konoha that you will receive the treatment due to captives!"
Uchiha Takashi received the all-clear signal from Nara Shikaku and then gave the signal to launch.
"Art is an explosion!!"
This phrase was the signal, and it was also the catchphrase of a certain future 'Deidara.' He used it now as the signal.
"What art...?"
Rasa was completely baffled, not understanding what Uchiha Takashi was talking about. Just as he was about to order an attack, he heard the chaotic voices of the Sand Ninja behind him.
"Look!"
"It's explosive tags!"
"Retreat, retreat quickly!"
...
On the cliffs dozens of meters high on either side of the road leading to the mountain peak.
Layers of camouflage fell away, revealing the burning explosive tags above (which could be triggered by various means).
Yes, Uchiha Takashi's trump card was this.
Blow up Kikyo Mountain! During their retreat to the mountain peak, explosive tags were strategically planted and camouflaged throughout the fortress.
Detonating them at the critical moment would inflict massive damage on the Sand Ninja invading the fortress.
A stroke of genius!
No one had used this tactic before.
Because ninja tactics were usually limited to a few sets, relying purely on raw power, as this was a world where great power resided in individuals.
Spending time on tactics was often seen as less valuable than improving one's own strength.
But as a transmigrator from an era of information explosion, Uchiha Takashi absorbed countless pieces of knowledge, and any random idea was a crystallization of wisdom.
The tactical inspiration came from the descendants of Yugakure, a village destroyed by Konoha.
They spent decades planting a massive number of explosive tags in Konoha, intending to blow the village sky-high.
Thus, the counterattack plan was born.
And Uchiha Takashi had Nara Shikaku, the perfect executor, carry it out. With his execution ability, the plan was sure to succeed.
"Watch out!"
Rasa shouted a warning.
Seeing the burning explosive tags, his heart turned ice-cold.
Sand! A large amount of gold dust, driven by his kekkei genkai, surged toward the Sand Ninja behind him.
This wasn't to attack them but to use the sand as a buffer to withstand the damage from the explosive tags.
Pakura's reaction was different from Rasa's.
She wasn't skilled in defense, so she chose to charge forward directly.
"So persistent!" Uchiha Takashi murmured as he watched her reaction, "But not all dreams can be realized with sheer willpower."
Even without him, under the manipulation of 'Fate' the Sand Ninja could only play the roles of side characters and clowns, never having the chance to stand on the main stage.
"Lord Uchiha Takashi?"
Mitokado Shihiro spoke up, asking for permission to intercept the charging Pakura.
However, he was stopped.
Because Uchiha Takashi was covered in a layer of flame armor, clearly indicating his stance.
Though it seemed long in words, in reality, it was brief, and the ignited explosive tags were just now detonating.
Boom, boom, boom!
Hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of explosive tags exploded simultaneously, unleashing a power that was utterly devastating.
And each explosive tag had the power equivalent to a high-level Fire Release.
Using such a terrifying number of explosive tags at once was akin to unleashing thousands or even tens of thousands of high-level Fire Releases simultaneously.
"Help!"
"Get out of the way!"
"Ah!"
...
The sounds were drowned out by explosions. Thousands of Sand Ninja, with more than half of them charging into Kikyo Mountain, aimed to break through the fortress as quickly as possible.
Faced with the simultaneous detonation of explosive tags, the outcome was predictable.
Of course, ninjas have strong survival skills.
But even so.
After a round of explosions, at least a thousand Sand Ninja were either dead or incapacitated.
This was Uchiha Takashi using Kikyo Mountain as a trap, gathering the Sand Ninja together.
If this tactic were used in an open area, achieving even a fraction of these results would be considered good.
The process from deploying the explosive tags to their detonation took less than half a minute.
But for the Sand Ninja, that half-minute was a complete nightmare.
The fellow village ninjas who were just beside them were now either injured or turned into corpses.
The entire Kikyo Mountain had turned into ruins.
In other words, this fortress was completely destroyed.
And this fortress had been built with countless resources from Konoha.
Losing it was like throwing away an enormous amount of money.
This was why Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado had opposed the plan earlier.
It was too expensive!
The cost of this counterattack plan was too high, even for a wealthy village like Konoha.
But in Uchiha Takashi's view, it was worth every penny.
"Preserve the people and lose the land, you can regain both. Lose the people and preserve the land, you lose both." This saying was not unfamiliar to him.
As long as the people survived, the fortress could be rebuilt at any time.
Conversely, without the ninja army, even if the fortress remained, it would belong to the Sand Ninja and become an obstacle for Konoha.
It was with this clear understanding that he decisively used the fortress as a trap to deal a heavy blow to the Sand Ninja army.
Over a thousand casualties!
For the Sand Ninja army, which had less than four thousand left after previous battles, this was a significant blow.
However, this would also make the Sand Ninja fight like cornered beasts.
After all, without the Kikyo Mountain fortress, occupying this ruin was useless.
Strategic initiative! From the moment Kikyo Mountain was destroyed, it was firmly in Konoha's hands.
The only thing they could do now was to annihilate the ninja army in front of them to weaken Konoha's strength and compensate for their losses.
"Uchiha Takashi!"
Rasa's heart-wrenching roar let everyone feel his inner turmoil.
Pain! It was too painful! The Sand Ninja were already few in number.
Losing so many at once was heart-wrenching, and how could Rasa, who saw the village as his home, not be furious to the extreme?
Pakura was also filled with killing intent.
Clearly, Uchiha Takashi had become their primary target.
"Uchiha Takashi!"
She murmured the name of the young man in front of her, self-blame gnawing at her heart.
She knew that she had had the chance to kill him before (when saving Honda), and if she had acted without hesitation then, today's tragedy might have been avoided.
The commander attracted too much hatred! Everything would be attributed to the commander.
Of course, the same goes for credit.
"For Konoha!"
Uchiha Takashi looked at Pakura and Rasa and ordered the attack loudly.
Now, the Sand Ninja were in a state of confusion and chaos due to the explosion, and they must not be given the chance to regroup.
Even if the Sand Ninja army had lost nearly a thousand, their remaining numbers were still greater and stronger than Konoha's.
If they couldn't seize this one opportunity, they were bound to lose.
Now.
They no longer had the advantage of defense.
"For Konoha!"
The pale-faced Choza Akimichi (due to the aftereffects of the secret medicine) shouted, then led his troops to bypass the positions of Uchiha Takashi, Pakura, and Rasa, charging towards the Sand Ninja army in the rear.
Rasa and Pakura both focused on Uchiha Takashi, the 'commander,' and did not stop the Konoha ninjas from bypassing them on both sides.
Strong opponents would engage each other and not target ordinary ninjas, which was the norm on the battlefield.
Unless they had defeated their opponent or the other side had no corresponding strong fighters, everyone would adhere to this unwritten rule.
Because if you slaughter the opponent's ninjas, they can do the same to yours, leading to mutual destruction.
"With the high ground, fighting with our backs to the wall, and with the enemy in a negative debuff state, and with the two strongest enemies occupied, there's no reason we can't win, right?"
Uchiha Takashi's eyes caught sight of the Konoha ninjas surging down like a tide, and this thought flashed through his mind.
Of course, the premise of victory was that he could withstand the siege of the two young Kage-level Sand Ninja.
Otherwise, no matter how many advantages they had, if the commander fell, the morale impact would lead to defeat.
"Well then, let's begin this delightful battle!"
A smile played on Uchiha Takashi's lips.
With all his allies having left, he could now fight freely.
(End of Chapter)
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