In fact, the unrest caused by Cloud Village's sudden attack wasn't limited to Seiki—it had spread throughout the entire forest.
Even the most oblivious person could tell that Cloud Village had come prepared.
Asuma wore a grave expression as he asked, "Seiki, what exactly do you think Cloud is trying to accomplish here? Even the AB brothers have mobilized because of us Star ninjas."
Given their strength, it seemed somewhat unreasonable for them to go through such effort just to deal with the Seinin.
At that moment, Natsuhoshi walked over. "Sorry, I'd like to clarify something—their goal doesn't seem to be all the Star ninja, but rather some among us."
"Compared to other Star ninja, her distinguishing feature is mastering [Kujaku] to the extent of achieving flight. But what kind of mission specifically requires targeting flying ninja? Could it possibly be...Sky Ninja collaborating with them?" Seiki wasn't certain, though he did know it was true that Sky Ninja and Konoha held deep enmity.
"Logically speaking, they shouldn't have revived the so-called 'Zero-Tails' yet, although who really knows when time travel gets involved? If it actually is the 'Zero-Tails,' then feeding on dark negative emotions born from war would make sense!"
After pondering for a moment, Seiki suddenly asked, "How many Star ninja currently on the battlefield can fly?"
Natsuhoshi carefully chose his words. "Flight mode requires an extremely advanced mastery of [Kujaku]. Among our comrades already at the battlefield, there should only be seven who've reached this level."
Seiki glanced at the large group behind him. "While I really hope my guess turns out wrong, with so many people gathered together, we must prepare in advance."
Kurenai frowned in confusion. "Seiki, what are you talking about?"
Looking up toward the sky, Seiki answered, "I'm afraid they might launch an attack from above!"
"From above?" Asuma widened his eyes in disbelief. "How is that even possible? Unless maybe Cloud has recruited rogue Star ninja and formed a flying unit?"
Shaking his head slightly, Seiki replied, "No time for details. Call all Earth Release specialists to help me dig underground shelters. Also, remind everyone back at Main Camp to take cover. If there truly is an air raid, that area will definitely be the primary target."
Seiki's team didn't need more explanation—they'd followed his words like scripture for ages. As for the Star ninja, thanks to the earlier rescue mission, none of them raised objections either.
Before long, everyone sprang into action.
Main Camp.
Upon receiving the battle report, Torifu quickly passed the information on to Orochimaru.
"Air raid?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Could it be descendants of the Sky Country?"
His experience in the Second Great Ninja War made the connection immediate.
After all, it had been Konoha who destroyed Sky Country back then!
"Order immediate dispersion and concealment—don't remain clustered together!"
Torifu exclaimed in alarm, "So quickly decided already? What if the air raid never happens? People might become discontent... especially since everyone's already exhausted."
Orochimaru smiled faintly, "There's no time to hesitate now. Let's place our trust in Seiki!"
Very soon, the people at the Main Camp began evacuating.
At a time like this, there was no way to explain everything to everyone. They could only rely on Orochimaru and Seiki's authority to ensure compliance.
So, many still had some complaints lingering in their hearts.
But when paper bombs rained down from the sky, lighting up the Main Camp with dazzling fireworks, those murmurs of discontent quickly turned into gratitude.
The same scene unfolded inside an underground shelter hidden deep in the forest.
Those who had rushed into the shelter first looked toward Seiki with grateful eyes.
Thank goodness Seiki saw through Kumogakure's plan; otherwise, they might have suffered heavy casualties again!
Seiki, however, paid no attention to their gazes. He mused silently to himself, "Unexpectedly, it really is the Sky Ninja! Although I'm not sure whether they've revived the Zero-Tails or not, perhaps I can plant a seed ahead of time… Then, when they're about to complete their goal, I can simply reap the fruit effortlessly!"
Beside him, Guy muttered unhappily, "Where exactly did those bastards flying in the sky come from? My taijutsu techniques can't even reach them!"
Kurenai replied seriously, "I remember reading something similar before. They look like ninja from the destroyed Sky Country—those involved in the Second Great Ninja War."
Asuma's eyes lit up. "If they were destroyed once, that means their tactics definitely had weaknesses! Kurenai, do you remember how they lost back then?"
Kurenai hesitated. "From what I recall, our predecessors apparently just charged straight into their base. No matter how powerful their aerial combat forces were, they wouldn't dare bomb their own homeland!"
Asuma was stunned. "Then now that they don't have any homes, does that mean they've become invincible?"
"In normal circumstances," Seiki explained, "dealing with them wouldn't be particularly difficult. The Sky Ninja primarily attack using two methods: long-range Wind Release techniques and dropping bombs from the air. However, both require them to descend to lower altitudes for accuracy."
Guy frowned, "Even if they want to drop bombs?"
"Because of accuracy issues," Seiki replied. "Bombs are extremely expensive. Random bombing would make their finances completely unsustainable."
"As soon as their flight altitude drops low enough to enter our effective range, we'll have numerous ways to shoot down enemies—for example, using the Nara clan's shadow-binding techniques, the Aburame clan's interference with their aircraft, or even directly employing genjutsu…"
Nearby, the Hoshigakure ninjas shivered slightly as they listened. They themselves had once dared to dream of becoming the Sixth Great Ninja Village by gaining aerial superiority. Now, though, they felt genuinely grateful they hadn't foolishly pursued that idea.
Asuma became enthusiastic. "So next, we just wait until they descend to a lower altitude and counterattack?"
"That's why I said under normal circumstances," Seiki shook his head slightly. "If my guess is correct, perhaps even the expense of producing these paper bombs has been covered by Kumogakure. When spending someone else's money, they naturally won't feel any hesitation. In other words, we might not be able to deal with them the way we did during The Second Great Ninja War!"
Guy panicked, "Then what should we do? Are we supposed to just hide in this cave without going out?"
"Besides," Seiki smiled faintly, "didn't Kumogakure already hand us the answer?"
Seiki glanced at Natsuhoshi as he spoke, clearly struggling to go on. "I'm really sorry, but I think the only way now is..."
Natsuhoshi naturally understood what Seiki meant. There were plenty of ways to get someone airborne, but none of them—like carrying, dragging, or hugging—left room for an actual fight.
In other words, she would have to act as a "mount"?
The thought alone made Natsuhoshi's pretty face flush slightly.
She swallowed her embarrassment and said firmly, "If it's for revenge against Cloud Village, I'm totally fine with it!"
Bringing up revenge somehow made things feel less awkward.
Seiki wore a sincere expression, his eyes completely clear without the slightest hint of ulterior motive. "Then my safety is in your hands."
Looking into his innocent eyes, Natsuhoshi silently scolded herself—he'd entrusted her completely with his life; how could she even think something like that?
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