Confronted with the sudden arrival of a Sunagakure reinforcement unit and the abrupt shift in battlefield momentum, Hizashi wracked his brain for a way to break the impasse.
It now became clear to him: the Sunagakure troops previously scouted by Shinji had merely been a decoy, deployed to draw his forces away.
The unit that had just appeared was the true reinforcement from Sunagakure, the sword aimed at their throats, prepared to deliver the killing blow.
Sunagakure was determined to seize the outpost along the border.
The disparity in numbers, the overwhelming difference in combat strength, as Konoha's shinobi were pushed back on all fronts, Hizashi found himself out of options. He could only roar:
"All units, fall back! Tighten the defensive line!"
It was, without question, the best choice available. But it also meant he had accepted that this battle was lost.
More importantly, it meant abandoning the wounded Konoha shinobi left behind on the battlefield.
Some of those still locked in combat with the Sunagakure shinobi might have been saved if reinforcements could repel the enemy. But now, that hope was extinguished.
Hizashi's order echoed across the battlefield, and the Konoha forces immediately began to retreat. The Sunagakure troops, emboldened by the shift, gave chase.
"Kill them!"
"Don't let a single Konoha ninja escape!"
"Slaughter them all!"
In the ruthless pursuit, Konoha shinobi were cut down one after another as they tried to fall back.
Swish… Swish… Swish…
Under Hizashi's command, the Konoha forces retreated toward the command post near the frontline outpost. Nearly every survivor bore wounds.
They had nowhere left to run. The surrounding Sunagakure forces had completely encircled them. Surprisingly, however, the commanding Sunagakure officer, Dōzan, did not immediately order the final assault. Instead, he held his troops back, surrounding but not attacking.
Hizashi scanned the encirclement, then turned to look at the fewer than two hundred Konoha shinobi who remained. His expression was grim. He understood what Dōzan was doing.
Dōzan stepped out from the Sunagakure ranks, immediately drawing attention. At that moment, he was the brightest figure on the battlefield. Locking eyes with Hizashi, he spoke:
"I know who you are, Hizashi Hyūga of the Hyūga Clan."
It was unclear how Dōzan had distinguished Hizashi from his twin brother, Hizashi Hyūga, but he clearly had.
Hizashi, visibly tense, eyed the smug, confident look on Dōzan's face. After a moment's thought, he confirmed he didn't know this man.
"Who are you?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Hizashi realized he had made a mistake. The cunning grin on Dōzan's face said it all, the trap had sprung.
As expected, Dōzan's next words struck directly at Konoha's morale.
"Hizashi, surrender."
"I give you my word, we won't lay a single finger on you."
"But if you refuse, while your life may be spared, I can't say the same for those behind you."
The key to victory lies in breaking the enemy's will. Psychological warfare comes first.
Dōzan wielded this tactic expertly. His words planted seeds of doubt in the hearts of the encircled Konoha shinobi. Their gazes toward Hizashi grew uncertain. The fire and resolve that had once burned in their eyes were snuffed out, replaced by suspicion and fear.
Hizashi knew he couldn't let Dōzan continue. If morale collapsed, they would be slaughtered like sheep.
"A clever psychological ploy."
"But by your logic, we should just roll over and die."
"You've underestimated me."
"I am Hizashi Hyūga of Konoha. I will die on this battlefield before I ever surrender."
"If we fall, I will be the first to die in battle."
There was unwavering resolve in Hizashi's eyes. He had already prepared for a final stand. He would offer his life not in surrender, but as a spark to reignite Konoha's fighting spirit.
To die in battle, that was acceptable.
But before that, he would tear a bloody chunk from the flesh of Sunagakure.
He would prove that the noble Hyūga Clan would never surrender, that they would rather die with honor than live in shame.
"If I must die, I'll die in front of all of you."
"For Konoha, charge!"
Without another word, Hizashi lunged at Dōzan, intent on proving every word with blood.
The Konoha shinobi behind him, having heard his declaration, once again lit up with unyielding resolve.
"If we're dying, we die fighting!"
"For Konoha, kill them all!"
Seeing the fire in Hizashi's eyes, Dōzan's expression turned cold. He barked out:
"Slaughter them all!"
With that, he too charged directly at Hizashi.
Just then, from beyond the Sunagakure encirclement, a force of three hundred Konoha shinobi erupted into the fray, and launched a counter-encirclement on the Sunagakure troops.
Ten minutes earlier, when the five-hundred-strong Sunagakure unit had joined the battle, a hidden Konoha force had been lying in wait just beyond the front lines, watching silently from the shadows.
Their commander? Orochimaru, who had come directly from Mount Kikyō.
The unit led by Orochimaru had remained completely concealed. Even Hizashi had no idea they were there.
As the Sunagakure reinforcements stormed the battlefield, the Konoha jōnin beside Orochimaru had been visibly anxious, eager to leap into battle.
But without Orochimaru's order, they held back.
Watching the battle unfold, Orochimaru flashed a devilish smile. His voice, hoarse and chilling, rasped:
"Not yet. The time hasn't come."
There's an old saying: "The merciful should not command troops; the righteous should not handle wealth."
Orochimaru understood the battlefield all too well. If he had acted earlier, they could've repelled the Sunagakure reinforcements, but that wouldn't have accomplished his true objective: annihilation.
He was Orochimaru, the coldest of the Legendary Three. His mere appearance would cause Sunagakure to hesitate, perhaps even retreat outright.
If that happened, it would be nearly impossible to completely wipe them out. Worse, pursuing a retreating force might cost Konoha more lives.
So even if it meant sacrificing some Konoha shinobi now, he believed the price was worth it.
"Orochimaru-sama… then when will it be the right time?"
A Konoha jōnin standing behind Orochimaru, watching as his comrades were slaughtered and driven back, trembled with rage. His voice, though still respectful, carried a note of barely contained fury.
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