The brutality of the main battlefield at Kikyōyama far exceeded Sora's imagination.
In just two short days, Squad C Five, serving as the reserve unit for assault sequences, had been rotated onto the front lines three times.
Each time involved bloody clashes with Suna-nin.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had not personally taken to the field, but his massive Gold Dust ninjutsu hung over the Konoha-nin like a sword of Damocles. It would descend from the sky from time to time, altering the situation in localized areas of the battlefield and inflicting immense pressure and casualties on the Konoha defensive line.
On Konoha's side, Orochimaru was using summoned snakes and various bizarre ninjutsu to tenaciously hold back the Suna offensive. Both sides were locked in a brutal war of attrition.
Human lives here had become the cheapest currency.
On the evening of Sora's third day at Kikyōyama, just after Squad C Five had completed a harassment mission, a messenger from Orochimaru found them.
"Squad C Five. Lord Orochimaru has new orders for you."
Fox immediately brought Sora and the other two to the command post.
Orochimaru was still his usual cold self. A large military map was spread out before him, marked with the positions of both friendly and enemy forces, with the Kikyōyama area highlighted. A dotted line extending from the direction of the Land of Wind pointed towards the rear of Konoha's defensive line.
Orochimaru's voice was hoarse as he spoke.
"The Suna offensive is more ferocious than anticipated. Rasa's Magnet Release is putting significant pressure on us on the front lines. Our defense line needs time to adjust. We need to weaken their sustained offensive capability."
His finger tapped a point on that dotted line on the map.
"According to intelligence, a crucial Suna supply line passes through this area. This is their lifeline for maintaining this high-intensity offensive."
Orochimaru's gaze swept over Fox, finally settling on Sora, which made Sora's heart tighten slightly.
"Squad C Five. Your mission is to set out immediately, infiltrate behind enemy lines, locate, and destroy this supply line."
"Two other squads will also be executing this mission. Your three squads will act independently yet in support of each other, choosing your own timing to strike. The ultimate objective is the same. Sever Suna's provisions and supplies."
Orochimaru's tone was flat, yet it carried an unquestionable finality.
"Yes! We guarantee completion of the mission." Fox immediately replied in a low voice.
Sora inwardly sighed.
'Sure enough, it's come to this... A mission like this, deep behind enemy lines, cutting off their supplies, it's practically a suicide mission.'
He immediately thought of the plot near the end of the Third Great Ninja War in the original story. To break the stalemate, Konoha dispatched the Namikaze Minato squad to circle around and cut off an Iwagakure supply line, while Iwagakure sent the Mawashi and Ōishi squads to stop them.
That battle led to the death of Nohara Rin and indirectly caused Uchiha Obito's "fall to darkness."
'The Battle of the Kannabi Bridge... I never thought I'd personally participate in a similar mission.'
'Orochimaru's move here is just like Konoha's later tactics. It seems when it comes to war, so-called tactics are just old wine in a new bottle.'
Sora felt quite helpless about this.
Missions of this type were extremely high-risk. They involved penetrating enemy-controlled territory, facing unknown ambushes and encirclements, with a pitifully low success rate.
But as the supreme commander of the front line, Orochimaru's orders could not be refused.
Moreover, from a strategic perspective, this was indeed an effective means to relieve pressure on the front lines.
'It's just that those of us carrying out the mission will probably become expendable pawns.'
Sora glanced at Orochimaru. No emotion flickered in those cold eyes, as if he were merely arranging some trivial matter.
Although inwardly grumbling, Sora maintained an appearance of absolute obedience like the other team members. At least, given his true strength, he didn't need to worry about his safety.
But Sora was concerned about another point. Orochimaru was clearly interested in him. Even while busy commanding the entire Kikyōyama battlefield, he wouldn't send Sora on such a near-suicidal mission. After all, a dead experimental subject was ultimately inferior to a living lab rat.
'Does he want to see my capacity?'
Sora couldn't fathom Orochimaru's thoughts either, so he could only silently heighten his vigilance.
...
After Sora and the others received their orders and left, a faint curve lifted the corner of Orochimaru's mouth.
'Suna's supply line? Heh. The intelligence is half-true, half-false. Supplies do pass through there, but it's also a trap Suna meticulously set up...'
'But, what does it matter?'
In his eyes, whether it was Squad C Five or the other two squads, they were all merely pawns on the chessboard.
If the mission succeeded, it would slightly relieve pressure on the front lines. If it failed, it didn't matter. It would just serve to deplete Suna's manpower and allow observation of Suna's tactical responses.
More importantly... he wanted to see what kind of 'surprise' Sora could unleash under genuine life-and-death pressure.
As for the lives of these subordinates?
In war, death is inevitable. If their blood could be used to nourish data he found interesting, that was their value.
...
After a night of forced marching, Squad C Five finally reached the area marked on the map.
They didn't dare take the main roads, only traversing rugged mountainous terrain and dense forests, skirting around Suna's sentry posts. The process was quite draining in terms of energy and time.
Fox crouched behind a large boulder and spoke in a low voice.
"According to the map and intelligence, the Suna supply convoy should pass through here during daylight hours. We will split up, find advantageous positions for reconnaissance and ambush, and maintain contact. Once the target is spotted, report immediately."
"Understood."
The four immediately dispersed, using the shadows of rocks and bushes to conceal their forms and chakra fluctuations.
Sora chose a rocky peak at a higher elevation. It had several natural caves, offering a wide field of view while also providing good concealment.
Time passed minute by minute.
Sora held his breath and focused his perception on the only relatively flat road leading from the direction of the Land of Wind.
He didn't know how long it had been when, just as the sun had fully risen, the edge of his perception finally caught unusual movement.
Numerous chakra signatures were moving slowly along the road towards this direction.
There were quite a few, at least twenty to thirty people.
Several of these chakra signatures were particularly strong, carrying the sharp, fierce feeling characteristic of Suna-nin.
'They're here.'
Sora's eyes narrowed. He immediately sent a signal to Fox using the Anbu's specific communication method.
At the same time, he carefully adjusted his angle to look towards the direction from which the chakra signatures were coming.
In the distance on the road, a convoy gradually appeared.
At the front and rear of the convoy were about ten Suna-nin, wearing standard Suna flak jackets, vigilantly guarding the middle.
In the middle of the convoy were seven or eight carts pulled by camel-like animals. The carts were piled high with supplies tightly covered with tarps.
Around the carts were also a dozen or so laborers responsible for transport. However, judging from the faint chakra they emitted, they probably weren't ordinary civilians either.
'A standard supply platoon. Approximately ten guard ninja. The leader... has chakra at the Jonin level. There are also two Tokubetsu Jonin. The rest are Chunin. Among the laborers, a few also have chakra mixed in, likely Chunin in disguise.'
Sora quickly analyzed the enemy's composition.
'In a direct clash, with our Squad C Five plus the other two squads, our chances of winning are not small. But the key is, we must finish it quickly, not allow them to send a distress signal. Otherwise, if surrounding Suna forces converge, it'll be troublesome.'
He continued observing, searching for the best timing and location to strike.
At the same time, he also sensed that the other two Konoha squads were in position, like lurking vipers, waiting for the moment to deliver the fatal blow.
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