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This was a unit that had not undergone any mobilization.
Sawara Kiri quietly turned his head, looking at the team walking through the deep, dark underground passage.
All the Ninja remained silent, indifferently accompanying their comrades.
To ensure the quality of the mission, all personnel in this unit were volunteers and had been informed before joining that it was an almost certain death mission.
Although the mission objective was not revealed, any Ninja with even a little combat intelligence could deduce that the tactical options available to them were limited.
Since it was a 'certain death' mission, it could only mean penetrating deep into enemy territory.
Therefore, everyone appeared remarkably calm.
The power brought by Chakra was not just physical and technical prowess, but also a spiritual fortitude, a steadfastness at the level of Yin Release Chakra.
It was only when they had exited the entire passage, completely leaving the defensive perimeter of Kikyo Castle, and became an isolated force, that everyone received their first strategic objective.
Located east of the Land of Rivers' capital, a Sunagakure logistics distribution center established in the Okawa River Valley.
Almost at the same time their unit set out, the battle on the surface also gradually began.
Not far from the Kikyo Castle defensive perimeter, the Sunagakure front-line command camp.
On the wide sandy ground in front of the tents, thousands of Sunagakure Ninja were densely arrayed, quietly waiting in place.
However, this time, the person who appeared before them was not the front-line Commander they had become familiar with recently.
"Thump, thump."
A tall, black-haired man gradually walked towards the high platform.
All the Sunagakure Ninja gathered here, upon seeing the figure in front, almost instinctively hesitated for a moment, and expressions of astonishment appeared on their faces simultaneously.
The person who arrived was the Third Kazekage, who had been missing from intelligence reports for a long time.
At the same time, a thin old man silently followed behind him, walking onto the high platform with him.
A deathly silence suddenly enveloped the entire Sunagakure camp.
Then, it was unclear who started it, but a cheer suddenly erupted from the crowd.
The sound was like the first domino tile falling in the crowd; subsequent sounds followed in rapid succession, mixing into a sudden roar.
"Whoosh—!"
The entire attacking unit's camp was filled with incredibly excited cheers.
Just as the Hokage is to Konoha, the Kazekage is to Sunagakure, also a title that every Ninja worships, yearns for, desires, and even dreams of.
The Ninja united by the Will of Wind all regard it as a spiritual beacon, casting their most fervent gazes upon the Ninja who holds this title.
At this moment, the mere appearance of the Third Kazekage on the battlefield was the greatest spiritual encouragement for them.
The Third Kazekage stood on the high platform, looking at the cheering Sunagakure Ninja before him, but his heart held a sorrow that he could not express to anyone.
He knew very well that the vast majority of these people might never see the glorious tomorrow of the Land of Wind, and could suddenly die on the battlefield at any time.
However, as the leader of Sunagakure, the Kazekage of the Land of Wind, he had to use a heart as hard as steel, and their lives, to forge a bright future for this country, for their Village.
He took a deep breath, facing the Ninja present:
"My compatriots!"
"Now, the final moment has arrived!"
"The Konoha Ninja are already powerless to resist our blades; their forces are retreating steadily under our assault. From Marutani Mountain to Kikyo Castle, every inch of the Land of Fire is covered with the corpses of Konoha Ninja!"
"This is us, this is Sunagakure, this is the power that the Land of Wind has accumulated over many years of anger, finally unleashed!"
"As we have seen, Konoha is a broken house; we only need to give it a hard kick, and the entire structure will collapse with a roar!"
"Fertile land, abundant water sources, lush vegetation, a large population!"
"All of this will belong to us!"
"For all of this, I have come here! Our Sunagakure's strongest weapon, the Jinchuriki, has also come here!"
"We have only one goal!"
By this point in the war, the Third Kazekage no longer needed a highly morale-boosting speech to actively motivate these Ninja who had been fighting on the front lines for a long time.
Hatred and self-interest, the desire for land and military merits, had already made their eyes completely red.
Just hearing this simple speech, the desire of all the Sunagakure Ninja present was completely ignited, and they spontaneously let out a beast-like roar.
Finally, the Third Kazekage raised his hand high:
"Break through Kikyo Castle!"
One person's roar was echoed by thousands:
"Break through Kikyo Castle—!!"
A surging killing intent, like a tsunami, filled the entire camp, reaching its peak.
Then, the Third Kazekage's arm, raised towards the sky, descended towards the east, pointing forward like a sword blade:
"Depart!"
"Boom—!"
Waves of flesh and blood swept down, looking from afar like rolling tides pushing forward, fearlessly crashing into the long-established Kikyo Castle front line.
Traps, barriers, combined Ninjutsu, Kunai and shuriken shot out like bullets—
The Sunagakure Ninja, almost frenzied like beasts, charged into these layers of death barriers in small teams without hesitation, using their own lives as fuel to ignite the fire belonging to the Land of Wind.
Orochimaru gazed from the watchtower of Kikyo Castle. From a distance of over ten kilometers, he could not see clearly, only vaguely discerning figures like raindrops striking the outermost defensive barrier, being collectively annihilated by Ninjutsu and Ninja tools from the multi-layered fortresses and defensive points.
In less than three hours, the ground of the outermost defensive perimeter was faintly stained blood-red.
Countless corpses lay distorted on the ground, but the surrounding comrades and companions seemed to not see them at all, rushing past without hesitation, continuing to clear the way forward with combined Ninjutsu.
Those countless Ninjutsu might not cause significant harm to the Ninja themselves, but when applied to the appropriate terrain, they often easily caused a large area to be altered.
The Sunagakure army, with its vanguard alone numbering in the thousands, launched Ninjutsu assaults around multiple weak points of the Kikyo Castle defensive perimeter, using large-scale Earth Release by dozens of people to break through the terrain and shatter barriers. Once a certain point of defense was breached, subsequent units immediately surged in like a tide.
The Konoha Ninja, utilizing advantages such as terrain and supplies, continuously annihilated the Sunagakure Ninja, while also dispatching mobile units to plug various breached points.
With just a moment of inattention, dozens or hundreds of people would immediately be entangled in battle, or even have no escape route due to the deliberately modified terrain.
Ordinary Chunin and Genin, whose entire assets amounted to only one or two C-rank Ninjutsu, found their lives cheaper than floating duckweed on this level of battlefield, easily dying under a large-scale Ninjutsu or a small Kunai.
Just when they had managed to repel the enemy Ninja, another group of people suddenly burst in elsewhere.
Even the very few Jonin who could barely survive on such a battlefield needed to constantly be wary of overt and covert attacks from all directions, their minds always maintaining a high state of tension.
In such a place, the Ninja's high mobility and stealth abilities had no room for play. The Ninja Village structure, formed only a few decades ago, meant they had no time to delve into matching military theories—of course, this also included the factor that in the Hokage world, strength reigns supreme, so there was no need to delve into such theories.
Roars of fury, screams, and wails all mixed together, turning into a hellish elegy.
Orochimaru stood on the high platform, waiting quietly for a while.
Once he confirmed that the Sunagakure offensive was largely as he had predicted, he returned to the command center with a calm expression.
There was still a long time.
He still had much work to resolve.
Outside the Okawa River Valley.
Sawara Kiri opened his Six Eyes, quietly observing the main logistics base over ten kilometers away, simultaneously sketching the overall image from a top-down view onto paper.
After joint verification by other reconnaissance units and a brief probing, this overhead view was delivered to Hatake Sakumo.
Temporary Command Post.
After a discussion among everyone, Hatake Sakumo finally confirmed the final attack order.
He pointed to the overhead view on the ground: "Based on our current intelligence, it can be basically confirmed that this Sunagakure logistics base located in the Okawa River is the primary distribution point for transporting logistics materials from Sunagakure, with its back to the Land of Rivers' capital."
"Over seventy percent of the Land of Wind's military supplies must pass through here before they can be sent to the front lines."
"The estimated number of troops stationed here is between one thousand and twelve hundred. There are multiple layers of barriers set up on the outer perimeter, and transport units are constantly moving. Once we make a move, intelligence will undoubtedly leak out at an extremely fast rate."
"Therefore, we cannot afford a stalemate. We must concentrate all our forces to break through the outer defense line here in one fell swoop and directly enter the Land of Rivers capital."
"Any questions?"
Hatake Sakumo raised his head and looked around.
Seeing that no one intended to speak, he began to issue orders.
"Jonin Sawara."
"Here."
"At 2 AM, you will break through the barrier from the southwest gate and lead your squad inside."
"Subsequent units will advance with you. You must secure at least three minutes for them to follow."
"Yes."
"Jonin Nara ."
"Here."
"You go…"
Hatake Sakumo's three months of reconnaissance were not in vain. Even before all the intelligence was compiled, he already had a rough plan in mind for how to break through Sunagakure's entire frontline logistics system.
Every order he issued now was without any hesitation.
Sawara Kiri looked at Hatake Sakumo, who had a cold expression, a murderous aura, and a voice as chilling as a blade. He felt a subtle sense of unfamiliarity.
Compared to the usual flamboyant middle-aged man, he was like two different people.
However, as a Ninja, he did not show any special reaction at this moment. After receiving the mission, he led his squad to their designated ambush point.
Quietly waiting for the mission to begin.
Night.
Great Akikawa Valley.
The Sand Ninja responsible for night patrol stood at the outer sentry post, his gaze sweeping back and forth across the distant forest.
However, he wasn't really taking the patrol duty to heart.
Compared to the front lines, their logistics base in Great Akikawa was considered a rear area, nearly two hundred kilometers deep into the Land of Rivers, making it a very safe location under normal circumstances.
Behind him was the Great Akikawa logistics camp.
However, rather than a 'camp,' after two years of development, this original fortress had long been fortified with Earth Release and barriers, forming a giant stronghold with walls at least four or five meters high, and all gates tightly shut.
There was nothing to worry about at all.
He had been doing similar work for nearly half a year, and had never encountered any danger, so it was inevitable that he would subconsciously relax his guard.
'However, the forest here is really lush.'
The young Sand Ninja looked at the verdant trees in the distance, and the water, which was more precious than gold in their country, feeling the moist air that wouldn't crack his skin. He couldn't help but feel a little intoxicated.
Wasn't this what they were fighting and risking their lives for here?
If their descendants could live in such a beautiful place, what was there to fear, even if they died?
After a long period of fighting, the entire noble class of the Land of Rivers had now submitted a national letter to the Land of Wind, expressing their allegiance, and the eleventh son of the Land of Rivers Daimyo family had become the Daimyo of this country, just as he had wished.
Now, resources from the entire Land of Rivers were continuously being transported here, supplying the Sunagakure war machine.
The Konoha bastards were also retreating steadily.
He heard that they had now abandoned the front lines and all retreated to Kikyo Castle.
"I should be able to go home and get married soon, right?"
He muttered softly, a smile involuntarily appearing on his face, as if imagining the longing look in his childhood sweetheart's eyes when he returned to Sunagakure with military merits and wealth.
"Pfft."
A sharp blade plunged into his neck.
The Sand Ninja's expression froze, blood gurgling from his severed throat, immediately cauterized by the blade glowing red with heat, his expression still one of shock.
Sawara Kiri and his two companions moved astonishingly fast, like a crimson lightning bolt, charging directly towards the southwest gate.
However, in their pursuit of speed, their movements were quickly discovered by the sensory Ninja hidden in distant lookout points.
"Whoosh—!"
A piercing flare startled the night, illuminating the previously dark ground brightly.
Exposing the figures of Sawara Kiri and his group.
"Enemy attack—!"
Soon, shouts rang out from the city wall.
But Sawara Kiri seemed to intentionally gather as many people as possible here, charging at the very front, his body even faintly glowing with light ignited by a Fire Release nature transformation.
It wasn't until more and more people discovered their presence that a smile suddenly bloomed on his face.
Like a meteor, he slammed fiercely into the towering city gate.
At the same time, he let out a roar:
"Cursed Technique Reversal—"
"Red!"
The red glow formed by the repulsive force of Limitless suddenly flickered.
The barriers and traps set up on the outer layer, upon automatically detecting Chakra reactions, immediately went into full activation, collectively blocking the single point of red light that shot out.
The Sand Ninja standing on the city wall, upon seeing that only three people had emerged, even involuntarily showed an expression of disdain, feeling that the night watch idiots were being overly alarmed.
However, the moment the red glow touched the barrier.
"Bang!"
One layer, two layers, three layers…
The large barrier, which had taken unknown amounts of manpower and consumed vast quantities of Sealing Technique and barrier materials, specifically set up to withstand a collective attack by a Ninja army, was as fragile as a bubble before this seemingly finger-sized red glow.
Almost the instant it made contact, it was pierced through with a 'pop.'
It didn't even serve as the slightest hindrance.
In that instant, countless people widened their eyes, and many old scholars who had spent their lives researching barrier techniques and Sealing Technique almost had their eyeballs pop out.
"Rumble—!!!"
Immediately following was a deafening explosion.
Crimson light points flew up, directly smashing through the entire city wall, and even the Ninja standing on the wall were sent flying like splashes of water.
However, the alarm just now had indeed woken up quite a few people, and even now, many Ninja from inside the city were continuously gathering on this side.
As they got closer, some even recognized the figure with horror.
"Crimson Blade Kiri!"
"It's that damned scoundrel, the liar!"
"Everyone, pay attention to the special Kunai on the ground! This time, we absolutely cannot let them escape again!"
"They're here!"
Seemingly hearing the various shouts from above, Sawara Kiri's smile grew even wider, and a dazzling radiance gradually burst forth from the depths of his cerulean Six Eyes.
The next moment, his foot landed heavily on the ground.
"Limitless"
Hundreds of meters were instantly traversed in that moment. The young man's figure, as if enveloped by the night and flares, transformed into a cerulean stream of light. Like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, he left behind expanding sonic boom rings and crashed into the crowd with a roar.
"Bang—!"
The sheer force of the direct impact alone carved a bloody path through the crowd.
Countless Sand Ninja who had stood in his way were instantly crushed into a pulp by his super-speed, which even vision couldn't capture, stirring up a mist of blood.
The sudden scattering of severed limbs and blood stunned the Sand Ninja standing nearby, leaving them all standing frozen, as if they had suddenly forgotten how to move.
The overly tragic deaths of their comrades in such a short time seemed to have momentarily stolen their consciousness.
Only a few seasoned Ninja reacted immediately, not even bothering to wipe off the fragments splattered on them. Scenes from their earlier encounter with the Third Raikage suddenly flashed in their minds, their voices urgent, even somewhat sharp:
"Everyone scatter!"
Upon hearing this, the surrounding people almost instinctively began to move their feet, scattering away from him, leaving a bloody void around Sawara Kiri.
In the center of the crowd, Sawara Kiri's feet were surrounded by scattered debris kicked up by the air blast, and dark red liquid was casually splattered on the ground, making the area underfoot reek of blood.
Only he himself remained spotless, his cold gaze sweeping over everyone before him like he was surveying prey, a beaming smile on his face.
His steel Ninja blade slowly scraped against the ground, making a grating sound.
For a moment, no one dared to approach.
Sawara Kiri squinted, his face still smiling, but his voice carried the chill of a north wind, enunciating each word:
"Come on, everyone from Sunagakure!"
"Let me see, who has been running away all this time?"
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for dozens of advance chapters for over a dozen fics | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter