The unit led by the Raikage had truly been tormented badly by the Akatsuki these past few days.
Only after finally driving the Akatsuki back in the previous encounter did they manage to gain two precious days of rest.
This allowed the brothers in the unit to catch their breath and tend to their bodies, so they could recover their strength and stamina as quickly as possible.
After all, through the scouts they had sent out, they already knew full well that
Konoha's elite force of more than five thousand troops was rapidly closing in on their location.
By their estimates, the distance between the two sides was no more than a single day's march.
Now, the Raikage and the others understood clearly that time was tight, and every second was incredibly valuable.
As such, they dared not slack off in the slightest, all of them racing against time to rest and adjust their condition.
All so that when Konoha's main force arrived, they could deliver a heavy and decisive blow!
Just as everyone was tensely preparing for battle, a Cloud Village scout tasked with gathering intelligence came sprinting in like a gust of wind.
He was moving so fast that by the time he reached the camp, his face had already gone deathly pale.
Even so, he forced himself to keep going, determined to deliver the critical intelligence back to the camp as quickly as possible.
The scout charged straight into the Raikage's tent, only to be surprised to find that a group of Cloud Village's top brass were already gathered inside.
His heart tightened at the sight, and he immediately lowered his voice as he reported to the Raikage, "Boss! An urgent dispatch has arrived!"
Upon hearing this, the Raikage's expression instantly turned grave. He stepped forward in a flash and snatched the intelligence from the scout's hands without the slightest hesitation.
When the Raikage's eyes landed on the description of Rengoku in the report, his pupils suddenly widened, his face filled with disbelief.
According to the intelligence, Rengoku had achieved a complete victory in his battle against Sunagakure.
And the power he displayed was beyond imagination. The Susanoo he summoned stood a full two hundred meters tall.
The Raikage stood there dumbly, his entire body frozen stiff, as if he had been turned to stone.
Standing to the side, Dodai was equally shocked. He quickly reached out and took the report from the Raikage's hand to examine it closely.
After reading the contents clearly, Dodai was just as stunned, his mouth hanging open, his whole body seemingly locked in place.
'That mountain-like Susanoo… it was not an exaggeration after all?'
This was simply unbelievable. And yet, the facts before them left no room for doubt.
Sunagakure had actually been slaughtered into total disarray by a single man named Rengoku, scattered and routed in all directions.
Once this news came through, even a powerhouse like Cloud Village saw its morale collapse on the spot.
"Retreat, boss! While our losses aren't too severe yet, and this intelligence is probably from several days ago anyway," After hastily finishing the report, Dodai immediately advised the Raikage.
At this moment, the Raikage clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging along his arms as if they were about to burst.
"Damn it!"
He slammed his fist heavily into his own thigh, rage, regret, and resentment surging in his heart.
'To think Rengoku is this strong.'
The Raikage knew very well that the intelligence in his hands was already several days out of date.
By now, Sunagakure might already have scattered like frightened birds, completely routed and fleeing for their lives.
"Huff! Huff..."
The Raikage took several deep breaths in a row, struggling to calm the turbulent emotions churning inside him.
After repeated bouts of fierce inner conflict and difficult mental preparation, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Retreat!"
———
At the same time, deep within the Land of Fire, a Konoha army numbering over five thousand strong was advancing at a swift and orderly pace toward the direction of Cloud Village's forces.
They were moving fast, because the number of Cloud Village troops gathered there was simply staggering.
If these people were allowed to push forward unimpeded, it would undoubtedly bring incalculable devastation to Konoha.
Therefore, they had to race against time and hurry nonstop, doing everything they could to block Cloud Village's forces and stop them cold.
Just then, a flapping sound rang out as a messenger bird shot toward them like an arrow loosed from a bow.
A sharp-eyed Hyuga clan member quickly reached out and caught the vital intelligence carried by the bird, then immediately sprinted toward the front of the formation.
At the same time, Uchiha Fugaku and Akimichi Choza were advancing side by side, hurrying toward Cloud Village's position.
As they moved, the two continued to exchange views on the current situation.
"Lord Fugaku, at our current pace, we should reach our destination in about a day or so," Choza said with a grave expression.
Fugaku gave a slight nod in agreement, "Yes. But according to the latest intelligence from the Hyuga clan, Cloud Village hasn't taken any action to change their position."
"They're probably planning to rest in place, recover their strength, and wait at their leisure for our attack."
With the Hyuga clan's intelligence personnel in play, every move made by Cloud Village was fully exposed to Konoha.
Fugaku's expression still looked quite serious at this moment.
But in truth, deep down he was not especially anxious.
After all, only he knew the hidden truth behind the situation.
Even though the number of troops they had mobilized this time was relatively small, as long as they could successfully stop Cloud Village's army from pushing deeper into the Land of Fire, and deny them the chance to sweep straight through, then all they needed to do was patiently wait for Rengoku to free himself up and come to support them.
Just then, the Hyuga clan member hurried over and respectfully handed Fugaku a report on the situation at the Land of Wind battlefield.
Fugaku took it casually and only gave the contents a rough glance.
An uncontrollable surge of joy immediately spread across his previously tense face.
"Hahahaha! HAHAHAHA!"
Given how serious Fugaku usually was, this was the first time Choza had ever seen him so unrestrained.
'Excellent. The Uchiha have finally produced someone who can stand alongside Uchiha Madara once more.'
'No, not stand alongside. Surpass Uchiha Madara.'
'At just twenty-one years old, Uchiha Rengoku has already reached Madara's peak from back then.'
Smiling, Fugaku handed the precious intelligence over.
Choza took it and examined it closely, reading it back and forth several times, disbelief written all over his face.
If he did not know for a fact that this intelligence had been sent back by their own people, he would have thought it was a fabricated fake.
Choza looked up, fixing his gaze on Fugaku, and asked with deep confusion, "Lord Fugaku, this… this is really true? Your Susanoo can actually be this terrifyingly powerful?"
His voice trembled slightly, clearly shaken by what the report described.
After all, that was a Susanoo over two hundred meters tall.
Practically as tall as a mountain.
Fugaku nodded without hesitation and answered firmly:
"That's right. Our Uchiha clan's Susanoo does indeed possess such earth-shaking power."
"It's just that over the past hundred years, only Uchiha Madara alone was able to reach this level."
"And now, Rengoku has become the second."
As he spoke, a trace of pride and relief could not help but surface in his eyes.
"Alright. Everyone's been rushing nonstop and must be exhausted by now. Pass down my order. All units rest in place."
With a broad wave of his hand, Fugaku issued the command.
At this moment, he appeared calm and confident.
With the situation on the Land of Wind battlefield already having developed to this point, what was there to rush about?
By his estimation, once Cloud Village received this news, they would be scared witless and flee in panic.
Everyone began finding places to sit or lie down, seizing the time to recover their strength and energy.
Fugaku's judgment proved correct. Before long, the Hyuga scout responsible for reconnaissance hurried back.
He ran up to Fugaku and reported, "Lord Fugaku, according to my investigation, Cloud Village's forces are retreating at full speed."
Hearing this, Fugaku and Choza exchanged a glance, then burst out laughing in perfect understanding.
Their reinforcements had not even arrived yet, and Cloud Village had already fled at the mere hint of danger. This victory had come far too easily.
"Just in case, we'll stay camped for a few days. We'll move once Cloud Village has completely withdrawn from the Land of Fire."
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.