Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Chapter 88 The Ninja’s Battle: Intelligence and Strategy

“Captain!”

The Sand Ninja gasped, watching as flames engulfed Rasa in the sky. But moments later, they erupted in laughter.

“Haha, Konoha ninja, do you really think you can beat Captain Rasa?”

“Lord Rasa is a true genius of Sand Village!”

The flames dissipated, revealing a charred, crystallized Sand Clone instead of Rasa.

“A Sand Clone!”

Seeing this, Uchiha Yosuke’s expression grew serious.

“Huff… that Sharingan really is frightening,” Rasa said, his voice shaky with relief. He floated higher on his platform of gold dust, cautiously keeping distance. When he noticed the wires attached to the shuriken, he had quickly hidden behind his Sand Clone, using it to shield himself.

“Not bad for an Uchiha.”

Rasa’s mocking smile was cut short by two enormous Fuma Shuriken flying at him from behind.

“Shuriken Jutsu isn’t over yet!” Yosuke smirked, his teeth gripping the wire. One of the shuriken was a disguised Shadow Clone!

“A transformation and a clone technique!” Rasa’s face turned grim. Yosuke leaped out from the clone, his hand forming a blue, spiraling chakra ball.

“Can your sand defend against my A-Rank Rasengan?”

With a roar, Yosuke’s Rasengan tore through the sand barrier, ripping it apart and blasting Rasa’s defenses. The Rasengan struck Rasa in the abdomen, hurling him through the sky like a missile.

“Lord Rasa!”

Watching Rasa crash in the sky, the Sand Ninja cried out in horror. Below, Yosuke allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction. His multi-layered plan—using clones, transformations, and a diversionary fire jutsu—had led to this decisive strike.

In the early stages, without resorting to brute force, ninja battles often come down to intelligence and strategy.

“Retreat!”

Clutching his bleeding stomach, Rasa forced himself up, stabilizing on a platform of gold dust, and issued the retreat order. Yosuke’s Rasengan had left a spiral-shaped wound on his stomach, with fragments of shattered sand armor around it. Without that armor, Rasa might have lost his life.

“Retreat!”

Disheartened by Rasa’s injury, the Sand Ninja reluctantly followed his command and began withdrawing in orderly fashion. Cheers erupted from Konoha’s side as Yosuke, their young jōnin leader, had proven his prowess.

“Don’t pursue. Hiashi, you and two teams remain on guard for any ambushes. The rest, move into the valley to support our comrades.”

Chasing retreating Sand Ninja was dangerous, as it was likely littered with traps and could expose Konoha to a double attack from both Sand and Rain ninjas. The priority was to protect the mining tunnels, the real objective here.

At Yosuke’s clear orders, the Konoha troops surged with morale. In the ninja world, strength and survival are all it takes to earn respect.

Rasa, the esteemed jōnin of Sand Village, had been defeated by Konoha’s youngest jōnin, Uchiha Yosuke.

This wasn’t just a retreat—it was a defeat.

“Kill every Rain ninja!”

The Konoha forces roared with confidence, while in the valley, the Rain ninjas were unaware that Rasa had abandoned them. Seeing this, the one-eyed Rain ninja chief shouted in fury.

“Rasa, you worthless traitor!”

“Yosuke!”

In the midst of the cheers, Uchiha Mikoto called out to him with concern, while Kushina Uzumaki tried to speak but held back. Yosuke simply raised a hand.

“I’m fine. Don’t let your guard down in the upcoming battles.”

His voice was steady, but his arm showed bruising from where Rasa’s gold dust had compressed against it. This victory wasn’t due to sheer power but from exploiting his knowledge of Rasa’s weaknesses and the strategy to control the battlefield. Rain-drenched terrain had weighed down Rasa’s gold dust, making it slower and consuming his chakra faster.

“Damn it! The Sand ninjas have abandoned us!”

Desperate to escape, the Rain mercenaries tried to flee, but Yosuke ordered, “Aim to wound, not kill.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Prepare medical support for the wounded; the recon team will keep watch!”

Yosuke, with his battlefield experience, was calmly and decisively issuing commands. By wounding rather than killing, he ensured these mercenaries wouldn’t get far. Once injured, they’d be weakened, turning against one another in desperation.

In ninja warfare, every battle is a test of strategy, a constant deception where a single misstep leads to dire consequences. As a commander, his focus was on preserving his team’s strength while strategically weakening the enemy.