"Revolving Heaven!"
In the forest of the Land of Grass, accompanied by the woman's spinning body, a powerful chakra was released from her center, forming a giant chakra ball that whipped up a hurricane.
The flames, lightning, and streams of water flying from all directions disappeared in an instant, with some even being blown back along their original paths.
The Konoha ninja, holding various weapons, were covered in gruesome cuts, falling to the ground like rag dolls.
"Damn it…"
Though they were not frightened by this terrifying momentum, seeing their comrades suffer heavy casualties brought anger to their hearts.
Those who were knocked to the ground stood up with unyielding determination as long as their bodies could still move, rushing towards the enemy and launching a fierce attack.
Facing the fierce Konoha ninja, the black-haired woman who had stopped spinning gazed at them with pure white eyes, a slight smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.
Although there was no imposing or fierce aura, the overwhelming presence could easily toy with these Konoha ninja.
"Earth Style: Rock Lodging Collapse!"
A voice emerged from behind the girl, and the ground began to crack. The advancing Konoha ninja were immediately halted, thrown into chaos by the sudden splitting earth.
A number of Hidden Rock ninja leaped out from the shadows, catching the Konoha ninja off guard.
The battle lasted a few minutes and then ended, leaving many Konoha ninja corpses on the ground, along with some from the Hidden Rock.
Despite the ambush by the Hidden Rock ninja, the formidable combat capabilities of the Konoha ninja, along with their various secret techniques, still proved extremely troublesome for the Hidden Rock.
The woman with white eyes said nothing regarding the battle situation.
Her relationship with the Hidden Rock ninja was merely a monetary alliance.
The sacrifices of the Hidden Rock ninja were not within her calculations.
However, being able to annihilate several Konoha squads with minimal cost meant that the Hidden Rock ninja had gained in the end.
After all, with the Land of Earth, one of the Five Great Nations, as their backer, Hidden Rock Village still had substantial financial reserves.
Hiring powerful ninja to engage in warfare using money was indeed a specialty of this village.
"Well then, consider this commission completed. If you wish to hire me for more work, make sure to prepare the money in advance."
She said with a smile to one of the Hidden Rock Jonin present.
Having said that, she used the Instantaneous Body Jutsu to leave at a speed that even the Hidden Rock ninja could not perceive.
"Hyuga Ayane… huh? Konoha has really fallen. Using 'Konoha Ninja' to deal with Konoha Ninja, Lord Tsuchikage really has a unique way of thinking."
As they watched Ayane leave with the Instantaneous Body Jutsu, the Hidden Rock Jonin did not stop her, knowing very well that their relationship with her was based purely on money.
One pays, the other kills, it was a completely fair and just transaction.
However, with Ayane's involvement, it indeed put the Konoha ninjas in the Land of Grass in a difficult situation.
Not only because of her immense personal strength but also due to the Byakugan, an enviable and envied Kekkeigenkai, which offered more direct reconnaissance capabilities than Perception Ninja—making it a critical strategic weapon.
In the past, such a powerful strategic weapon was enjoyed solely by Konoha.
Now, with Ayane's emergence, this 'weapon' was no longer exclusive to Konoha.
As long as one could afford to pay the price, they could request the 'Byakugan' to fight for the Hidden Rock.
And only the Hidden Rock could make such a thing happen.
Other Ninja Villages, caring about their dignity, would be hesitant to engage with Bounty Hunters on the underground black market.
◎
"This is the fourth time already!"
In a tent at the Konoha camp in the Land of Grass, a temporary meeting room.
As the chief commander, Jiraiya gathered over a dozen Jonin here to conduct a meeting, explaining the predicament they were currently facing.
"If this continues, we will have no choice but to retreat and fortify our positions."
Jiraiya's face was grave, never expecting that the situation in the Land of Grass, which was hard to stabilize, would be broken by a young girl with the Byakugan.
In just a few days, the patrol units dispatched had been ambushed four times.
They had lost one Jonin, over thirty Chunin, and several Genin.
Since the commencement of the Third Ninja War, there were about 2,400 Konoha ninja stationed in the Land of Grass.
After months of probing and fighting, they had lost over 300 ninja.
The losses were similar on the Hidden Rock's side, even a bit more severe than Konoha's.
But with Ayane's appearance, the situation showed signs of turning.
The supply points were raided, patrol units frequently went missing, and in just a few days, dozens of ninja had been sacrificed, including invaluable Jonin.
Now all he could do was continuously reinforce defenses, constrict themselves into a group, unable to spread out too much, though it ensured sufficient support. However, it made it difficult to judge and prevent the Hidden Rock's movements outside.
If things continued like this, without retreating, they would soon be encircled by the Hidden Rock in a pincer-like maneuver.
And being surrounded in such a manner by the Hidden Rock, Jiraiya and the other Jonin were well aware of what the outcome would be.
Complete annihilation!
Just like the Third Raikage, who was previously surrounded by the Hidden Rock.
In terms of envelopment battles, the Hidden Rock's combat prowess in this area was arguably the best among the Five Great Nations.
In the past, they had all experienced how troublesome and terrifying the Hidden Rock's envelopment battles were.
Therefore, according to Jiraiya's thinking, they must quickly open a gap to allow the patrol units to operate as they did before.