Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 106 A Clever Plan to Boost Morale

On the Uchiha side, thirteen people had fallen. He went over and checked on them one by one.

Seven people were already dead. Fugaku knew these seven people; they were all hawkish members of the clan who most wanted to prove the value of the Uchiha clan.

They were at the forefront and fought the fiercest in the battle just now. Six of them were seriously injured, but their lives are not in danger.

Fifty against five hundred, seven killed, six seriously wounded, nearly fifty enemy soldiers killed, and five hundred routed.

This is a record that would satisfy any commander.

"Young Master Fugaku, isn't what we're doing a bit inappropriate?" a dove elder whispered as he approached.

Fugaku Uchiha did not reply, his face remaining as calm as ever: "Clean up the battlefield, retrieve the bodies of the fallen. Then, retreat and report back to the main camp."

"Young Master Fugaku, shall we not continue our investigation?" another clansman asked, unable to bear the thought.

"No need." Fugaku turned and walked back the way he came. "The intelligence has been obtained."

He got what he wanted to verify: the Grass Ninja's combat strength and equipment were indeed much stronger than the intelligence showed, but still not enough to threaten Konoha's main force.

……

Grasslands, forests, hills—Kusanagi led his men back all the way. In that battle, if it weren't for his special ability to neutralize the force of the previous attack, he would likely have already died under Uchiha Fugaku's blade.

"Damn it, what do you mean we can win? It's all a lie. Where's the support? Where are the tailed beasts?"

"We can't win at all. We can't even beat fifty of them. We might as well just run away." A ninja's hands trembled as he tightly gripped a bitter pill, his face already showing signs of collapse.

Fear spread through the crowd. They realized that no matter how strong they became, they were no match for Konoha.

"Chief, what should we do?" an adjutant asked, clutching his wound. "Their main force will be here soon. With our strength, I don't think we can hold out for long."

Just then, Nobe remembered the brocade pouch that Shiraki had given him before he left.

He was instructed to open the pouch before the battle, and now that he remembers, he hurriedly opens it.

Inside was a message left by Shisei Aburame: "I guess you've already encountered the Uchiha. Don't rush, just conserve your strength and retreat. I have a plan."

"this……"

"Sir, what is this?" someone asked, looking up.

Genjiro Kusa replied without answering, "The strategist left behind three brilliant plans in total."

"What does he want us to do?"

"Following the previous strategy, we retreat when the enemy attacks, spread out, and stall!"

"Will this work?" Many people have begun to have doubts.

Even Negishi Kusanagi's resolve had already wavered. Training a flight team was not something that could be accomplished overnight; how could they possibly win?

But if they want to survive, they can't be scattered. With at least these hundreds of people around, he, as their leader, can't possibly die before everyone else.

"Silence, all of you. Now, listen to my orders and take your military ration pills. Leave fifty men behind to set up traps, and retreat quickly in the pre-arranged formation."

At this point, some people refused to obey orders and left the group.

Suddenly, the ninja distributing the military rations said, "Stay and fight to the death. Otherwise, you won't survive ten days. Do you really think the rations and nutritional supplements you've been eating these past few days are safe?"

Everyone was startled and immediately stopped in their tracks!

"That damn Shiraki..."

"Shut up! Do not insult the strategist!"

At this moment, someone else asked, "Should we open the two remaining brocade pouches together?"

Without a moment's hesitation, he still didn't open it...

Meanwhile, in the training grounds of Kusagakure.

Aburame Shisei stood on the high platform, watching the last hundred Dragonfly users below conduct synchronized training with their partners.

In the sky, dozens of giant dragonflies hovered and danced, with the grass ninjas on their backs either standing or crouching, practicing throwing kunai from high altitudes and releasing ninjutsu.

"Not enough. The highest synchronization rate is only 63%." At this moment, he looked at the human and insect working together in the distance, holding a notebook in his hand, writing and drawing. If you looked closely, you would find that it contained human meridian anatomy diagrams and dragonfly meridian anatomy diagrams.

It contains blood vessels, muscle strength, muscle flow, and in addition, the flow of chakra meridians.

"This is making my head spin, it's so complicated!" Seven-Tails leaned over and said from the side, "It doesn't seem to be very effective. It would be more useful if I spat out a Tailed Beast Ball."

Aburame Chih-cheng said, both amused and exasperated, "It is precisely because they are weak that they try to make the most of their energy to achieve victory against all odds."

"The chakra contained in one of your Tailed Beast Balls might not even be enough to drain all these people."

"So, should I also learn some skills?" Nanami asked thoughtfully.

"You can learn it later if you want, but it won't be of much use to you. You don't have hands, so unless you can use your mind to manipulate the chakra in your body to perform precise operations such as ninjutsu and sealing techniques, some minor ninjutsu will just be icing on the cake for you."

Aburame Shisei continued his research when a ninja ran up from a distance and said, "Strategist Shiraki, Konoha and our army have already clashed, but due to the disparity in strength, our army has suffered dozens of casualties and has strategically retreated fifty miles. Morale is now wavering. When should we send tailed beasts to provide support?"

"I know," Aburame Shige interrupted him. "So, the second phase begins tonight."

The second training session? Shouldn't it be for providing support?

The Jonin who returned with the message was completely confused.

"A prototype of human-insect fusion." Aburame Shicheng turned around and took out a yellowed scroll from his pocket.

He has found the key from the Inuzuka clan's secret technique. Although they cannot fully merge, they can briefly share chakra and senses.

"However, there are indeed some minor side effects during the integration process."

The Dragonfly Messenger will bear an immense burden. Each fusion will accelerate the burning of chakra, and in addition, the chakra meridians will suffer permanent damage, potentially causing their strength to stagnate or even regress.

"There's nothing we can do about it, so this time I'm only going to send ten people to conduct the fusion experiment."

The man understood; this was a plan to use ten people as test subjects in advance, paving the way for those who would come later.

On the training field, a young grass ninja rode a dragonfly and swooped down, suddenly pulling up three meters above the ground with such fluid movements that it seemed as if the dragonfly was an extension of his body.

Aburame Shisei looked at them with mixed feelings.

Some of them were only fifteen or sixteen years old, while others were already thirty. They had drunk life-shortening potions, undergone near-cruel training, and now faced the risk of meridian damage.

But there was no hesitation in their eyes, because they knew this was the only chance for Kusagakure.