“Wait, is something wrong?” The spiky-haired Jonin halted the retreating Sand ninjas, a chilling gleam in his eyes.
His eyes strained as if trying to manifest the Byakugan, attempting to peer through the obstruction of the Iron Prison Gate to see what was actually happening behind it.
Was it truly just a bluff using the Transformation Jutsu, as that monkey-faced Konoha ninja’s leaked intelligence suggested?
Seeing that the Sand ninjas were about to investigate behind the Iron Prison Gate, Yoru Gekko grew anxious.
However, he maintained a completely calm expression, chuckling with an air of nonchalance, “Kagejiro, you’ve gotten smarter.
You actually know how to use false intelligence for tactical deception.
But there’s no need.
They won’t believe it.” When Yoru Gekko said the word “false,” he paused slightly, whether intentionally or otherwise.
Kagejiro Sarutobi: ???
*What do you mean, using false intelligence for tactical deception?
Why didn’t I know about this?* “Yes, that’s the exact expression!
You’re acting it so well that even I almost believed it.
But it’s useless.
Master-level mechanical puppet tools, a hand-sign speed of five seals per second, and tactical standards exceeding a Jonin—everything points to the real intelligence of this Uchiha Jonin.” Yoru Gekko acted as if he were validating Kagejiro Sarutobi’s exquisite acting, before adding with a touch of regret, “With such obvious intelligence, how could they possibly fall for your tactical deception?” Hiding behind the Iron Prison Gate, Sasuke Umino stroked his chin, feeling slightly awkward.
*Heh, that actually sounds incredibly logical.
I almost believe it myself.* This Yoru Gekko’s battlefield adaptability was quite impressive.
Unfortunately, even if he managed to smooth things over in time, it might not yield much of an effect.
The insight of a Sunagakure Jonin was not something ordinary ninjas could compare to.
“Captain!” Tekudo raised his thumb, giving a praise gesture akin to [Guy’s Youthful Encouragement].
Clearly, hearing Yoru Gekko’s numerous praises made Tekudo feel a sense of shared pride.
Hearing Yoru Gekko’s analysis, the Sand ninjas felt it made perfect sense.
The urge to retreat, which they had just suppressed, bubbled up once more.
Suddenly, they were caught in a dilemma.
“This…” The bald Chunin’s mind was in utter disarray, a complete jumble.
He could only look toward his Jonin captain, hoping for tactical guidance.
“Ganro, don’t be fooled again!
This is definitely a bluff with the Transformation Jutsu.
Hiding like that is not the Uchiha’s usual style.” The spiky-haired Jonin had immense battlefield experience.
He had already sensed that something was off, but because the opponent had been dictating the rhythm of the battlefield earlier, he hadn’t reacted in time.
Thinking about it carefully now, with a hand-seal speed of five seals per second, that ninja should have completed hundreds of seals by now.
Yet, the anticipated ninjutsu had still not been released.
What kind of ninjutsu could require hundreds of hand seals?
It had to be fake.
It was all a sham.
“We’ve been tricked again!” The Sand ninjas almost coughed up blood.
After fighting for so long, they had been played once more, and they still didn’t even know who the enemy ninja actually was!
Looking at it this way, from the moment they stepped onto this battlefield, they had likely fallen into a massive trap.
From the very beginning, the enemy ninja had dictated the entire rhythm of the battlefield, leading them by the nose to this current state.
If the person opposite them was indeed just bluffing with the Transformation Jutsu and wasn’t an Uchiha Jonin, then their prior guess was correct—the opponent was a Konoha Jonin specializing in mechanical tools.
Furthermore, they likely weren’t very good at elemental ninjutsu or even close combat, relying instead on tactical deception, mechanical tools for sneak attacks, and possessing highly refined Transformation Jutsu and sensory abilities.
However, this Konoha Jonin had already expended a large amount of Explosive Tags and ninja tools.
His combat strength must be severely depleted.
It seemed they still had a chance to seize the intelligence mission back.
As expected of a Sunagakure Jonin, his battlefield experience was incredibly rich, and his analysis was highly logical.
Aside from his incorrect assessment of Sasuke Umino’s Jonin status, every other detail was spot on.
“What do we do?” Tekudo looked anxious, frantically gesturing to Sasuke Umino to ask if they could make a strategic retreat.
Now that their opening gambits were exhausted and their resources like Explosive Tags and tools were virtually depleted, their squad’s combat capability had hit rock bottom.
Sasuke Umino shook his head, signaling to wait and watch.
That Kagejiro Sarutobi was a fool and highly unreliable, but his teammate, Yoru Gekko, seemed decent in strength and possessed strong tactical adaptability, making him quite reliable.
“I want to see who you really are!” The Special Jonin puppeteer quickly formed hand seals, directly releasing an offensive Wind Style.
“Wind Style: Sandstorm Dance!” Immediately, two spiral vacuum wind currents, carrying a massive amount of sand and debris, surged forward like twin storm tornadoes from the left and right, sweeping behind the Iron Prison Gate.
Under the perception of the Acoustic Radar Jutsu, all of the Sand ninjas’ movements were laid bare.
Sasuke Umino still held complete control over the rhythm of the battlefield.
“Go!” Sasuke Umino grabbed Tekudo, channeling chakra to the soles of his feet, and ran up the face of the Iron Prison Gate, quickly scaling to the top.
*Boom!* The two sandstorms collided behind the Iron Prison Gate, exploding into countless fine particles of dust.
Sasuke Umino and Tekudo flipped over the top of the Iron Prison Gate, landing on the giant stone boulder in front of them, perfectly avoiding the splash of the fine debris.
“A Konoha patrol Chunin?
How could he be a Chunin?!” The Sand ninjas stared at each other in astonishment and doubt.
They finally saw the enemy ninja’s face and figure, but this uniform was all too familiar to them.
They had just slaughtered an entire Konoha patrol squad, so how could they not recognize it?
It was precisely because they recognized it so well that they were even more shocked.
“Another Transformation Jutsu!” How could the spiky-haired Jonin believe that the person blocking them was an ordinary patrol Chunin?
This had to be yet another tactical deception.
“Konoha Jonin, when it comes to the Transformation Jutsu, I declare you the strongest!” The spiky-haired Jonin stared intently, yet he couldn’t spot a single flaw in the opponent’s Transformation Jutsu.
It was absolutely seamless, looking completely genuine.
“Everyone, do not let your guard down!
This is definitely another tactical deception!” The spiky-haired Jonin warned his subordinates before explaining, “This ninja previously transformed into an Uchiha Jonin to make us overestimate him and waste our chakra and resources.
Now, he’s using the Transformation Jutsu to turn into an ordinary Chunin.
This is a reverse-psychology tactic, wanting us to underestimate his strength and carelessly expose a weakness.
Do not fall for it!” “Understood, Captain!
We won’t let our guard down again!” The Sand ninjas nodded one after another, praising their captain’s sharp insight and logical analysis.
As expected of a Jonin, his battlefield experience was indeed vast.
The ninja before them was despicable and shameless.
He definitely wanted to use tactical deception to make them underestimate him so he could ambush them.