Chapter 103: Dust Explosion
Ebizo was even more eager for the Konoha ninjas hidden in the forest to come out and die. If he could completely annihilate Konoha's left flank defense line, his logistical supply problems would disappear. He could cooperate with the main army to surround Konoha's forces or, at the very least, occupy the fertile Shinano Plain, which would allow Sunagakure to feed itself. Therefore, taking the mountain pass ahead was crucial.
Although the pass was the lowest in the mountain range, it was shaped like a gourd, with a wide entrance that narrowed into a bottleneck where only two people could pass. If they weren't in a hurry, they could climb the mountains, but to achieve their objective before Konoha's reinforcements arrived, they had to cross this Gourd Pass quickly.
At the pass, all of Konoha's forces in the area had already gathered. A certain Maki Utane, captain of another patrol, took command.
"Sasuke Umino, why are your troops so intact? Did you run from the battlefield?" she directly interrogated Sasuke's shadow clone.
"Captain Utane, the important thing now is how to resist Sunagakure's attack. It's good that Captain Umino was able to preserve his combat power," interrupted another captain, Baiyun Yeshan.
"Hmph! I know this gorge very well. I am the commander, whether you agree or not," Utane declared. In an obvious political move, she placed Yeshan's battalion in the most dangerous position at the mouth of the pass, Sasuke's in the central bottleneck, and her own in the rear as "support."
Without waiting for a response, she left. Sasuke and Yeshan, however, discussed the situation and decided to ignore her orders. They agreed to abandon the front line and concentrate their forces in the central section. It was better to unite their forces than to be defeated one by one.
"Good brother," Yeshan said, deeply moved, and promised to introduce him to his sister after the battle.
Soon, the clones of Sasuke, Yeshan, and others formed a defensive line in the middle of the pass, utilizing the fortifications Konoha had already built.
"The Sand ninjas are approaching!"
The Sunagakure army advanced with great speed. After sending elite teams to clear the traps, they entered the valley and formed an offensive formation.
"Attack!" Ebizo ordered.
At that moment, Sasuke, the original body, riding on Shirotaka, once again used his harassment tactics.
"Shadow Shuriken Clone Technique!"
After using the jutsu, he opened a sealed scroll from which large sacks fell onto the Sunagakure army. These, well-prepared, launched another combined Wind Style that deflected the shuriken but also burst the sacks. Suddenly, a large quantity of flour and iron powder spread throughout the mouth of the valley, covering the Sunagakure ninjas.
These flours and powders were not powerful, but they were extremely insulting. "Shameless!" Ebizo shouted.
"Not good!" his heart sank as he discovered that there were explosive tags hidden in the sacks. Although the wind had blown them away, he knew the Konoha jonin had a purpose.
At that moment, Sasuke, already at a safe distance, performed a single Tiger hand seal.
"Explode!"
RUMBLE!
An earth-shaking force erupted from the mouth of the pass. It wasn't a simple explosion; it was a conflagration. The air itself seemed to burn. The suspended particles of flour and iron ignited in a massive chain reaction, a dust explosion that made the Shinano mountains tremble.
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