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
The moment Sawara Kiri saw the faint white light appear above Hatake Sakumo's head, he knew he had to step forward.
"Shallow Emotional Entanglement"
When Hatake Sakumo looked at him in confusion, his thoughts had already appeared on the panel.
"Sawara's Book of Friends"
"Hatake Sakumo's Emotional Entanglement (Shallow)"
"Details: No matter the cost, this mission must succeed, even if the cost is life."
Sawara Kiri looked at the words on the panel, remained silent for a long time, then spoke: "Lord Sakumo, since the Sand Ninja side has already moved some of the supplies in advance, it definitely means that they are now prepared for our current actions and the possibility of an attack on our rear."
"Currently, the total number of our troops is only a little over three thousand. Even if we split off half of them, it would be difficult to contain the Sand Ninja attacking force, which numbers over twenty thousand."
"In fact, the enemy has likely used the supplies as bait and is waiting for our surprise attack unit to walk into their ambush."
"Moreover, even if we send troops to break into the Sand Ninja's camp, how many of their supplies can be destroyed by just a few people within that encirclement?"
Hatake Sakumo and several other staff officers remained silent upon hearing this, but did not refute.
If Sawara Kiri could think of it, how could these senior Commanders not have any precautions or suspicions?
Furthermore, the fact that this important logistics base in Ōkawa only had so few personnel, was it not also intentionally done by the Sand Ninja?
They could all think of it.
However, what they were facing now was a choice of either-or.
There was simply no other option.
Because of this, Hatake Sakumo, who chose to split his forces to raid the Sand Ninja's rear, had no choice but to make a life-or-death decision.
Kiri-kun, he is still too young.
Has he not seen through this point?
Hatake Sakumo sighed inwardly, just about to explain the current situation to this young man.
And then, he heard Sawara Kiri continue: "Instead of making such an uneconomical sacrifice under the Sand Ninja's lead, we should try a different method."
Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but be startled.
"A different method?"
The Nara Ninja beside him subconsciously asked.
"That's right."
Sawara Kiri smiled slightly, turned to look at the golden-haired young man beside him, whose expression was equally solemn, and extended a finger.
"Just him!"
Everyone's gaze collectively turned towards the direction he pointed.
Minato: "Eh?"
Sawara Kiri said confidently with a smile: "Just the two of us will be enough."
Upon hearing this, everyone present seemed to have thought of something, and their eyes suddenly lit up.
Only Uchiha Megumi, also standing in the crowd, couldn't help but be startled, staring blankly at the two of them for a while, then quietly lowered her head, her slender hand tightly gripping the hilt of the sword at her waist, her fingers turning white from clenching.
She said nothing.
Under the night sky.
Sawara Kiri and Namikaze Minato were rapidly moving through the forests and mountains of the Land of Rivers, returning directly to the mountain near Kikyo Castle.
Until the moonlight grew brighter, both of them lay prone on a ridge with good visibility, gazing distantly towards the direction of the Sunagakure camp.
"This should be close enough."
Sawara Kiri looked into the distance with his Six Eyes, estimating in his mind.
Namikaze Minato followed beside him, looking a little nervous.
After a moment of hesitation, he still subconsciously asked:
"Kiri-kun."
"Is this kind of combat really okay?"
Sawara Kiri's expression was even more resolute than his own, stating with great certainty:
"Trust me, Minato."
"As long as the two of us can make good use of this combat method, if not the strongest in the Ninja World, then at least the most annoying in the entire Ninja World."
Minato chuckled awkwardly: "If it can help the war, then I can barely accept that…"
"It's just not cool at all."
Sawara Kiri didn't care about his quiet murmuring; his mind was entirely focused on Hatake Sakumo's little Emotional Entanglement.
His azure Six Eyes expanded their vision to the extreme, encompassing the entire Sunagakure camp and part of the Kikyo Castle defense perimeter, observing meticulously.
When people number in the tens of thousands, they are boundless.
At least twenty thousand Ninja or more were gathered, and the military tents were scattered, with alert posts, defense perimeters, and barriers set up in many places within the Sunagakure camp. Even Sawara Kiri's Six Eyes vision could only barely encompass it.
Just searching for the supply storage points within this range took him a long time.
After nearly twenty minutes, he finally confirmed their target.
"Tsk, truly insidious."
"I knew it, these Sunagakure guys must have been waiting for us here all along."
Sawara Kiri muttered softly.
In his Six Eyes vision, near the supply storage center in the north, even in the dead of night, at least two thousand Sunagakure Ninja were always ambushed, and several nearby camps consistently maintained observation posts.
Once anything happened in this vicinity, presumably, an countless group of burly men would immediately rush out of the dilapidated houses and severely beat the attackers.
What was even more infuriating was that most of the seemingly heavily surrounded supply storage point was empty.
Instead, the very bottom layer was buried with a thick pile of explosive tags.
It was clear that even if Hatake Sakumo and his team finally managed to break in after much effort, they would probably be blown sky-high by the explosive tag formation inside.
The real supply storage points, however, were placed in eleven inconspicuous military warehouses near the Kazekage's tent—each with a large empty space dug underground.
How cunning.
Looking at this heavily guarded setup, Sawara Kiri couldn't help but frown.
After pondering for a while, he finally decided on a plan and made his decision.
"Minato?"
"Yes."
"How's your Earth Release?"
"Huh?"
Inside the Kazekage's tent, the lights were bright.
Even at this hour, the Third Kazekage was still busy.
Supply consumption, intelligence analysis, casualty reports, total reserves of medicine and Ninja tools, estimated time for the next offensive...
Because there was no qualified military management team, most of these tasks had to be completed by the Third Kazekage himself.
However, compared to his comrades fighting fiercely on the battlefield, the Third Kazekage did not feel that his current work was particularly hard.
It was only when he saw a piece of intelligence that a cold smile slowly appeared on his face.
"At this time, the detachment led by Hatake Sakumo should have fallen into a dilemma, shouldn't they?"
"Abandon the mission to launch a surprise attack, or continue to disrupt the logistics system?"
"The forces that can be dispatched from Kikyo Castle are probably only three to five thousand. Such a small number of people, if united, would be somewhat useful, but if separated, no matter which option they choose, they are bound to fail."
"Hatake Sakumo…"
"What will you choose?"
No matter which side he chose, the Third Kazekage believed he had made complete preparations.
In terms of physique, he was inferior to the Third Raikage; in terms of secret techniques, he was inferior to Ōnoki; in terms of wealth, he was inferior to Konoha.
However, when it came to wisdom and diligence, the Third Kazekage dared to straighten his back and let out a long laugh, saying, "You are all trash."
Just as he was pondering this, a series of piercing shouts suddenly came from the distant direction of the supply center, which served as a diversion.
Noticing this subtle sound, the Third Kazekage straightened up from his desk, slowly walked out of his tent, and a calm smile appeared on his face:
"It seems he chose this side?"
"Boom—!"
A fiercely burning figure ignited a stream of light in the night, like a dazzling arc, moving back and forth within the Sunagakure army formation, emitting bursts of explosive roars.
The Sunagakure Ninja, who had been ambushed for a long time, immediately gathered in the direction of the sound according to the original plan after noticing the commotion.
The nearby Sunagakure Ninja also noticed the commotion and got up from their tents, looking towards the direction where the firelight was ignited.
"Hinokami Kagura: Waltz!"
The blade that swept a circle of flames in mid-air suddenly melted, but the figure still charged forward into the dense Sunagakure army formation, moving at extreme speed directly towards the supply point that was clearly protected by all of them in the center, its target incredibly clear.
Upon seeing this iconic technique, some of the Sunagakure Ninja present immediately recognized the figure.
"Crimson Blade! It's Sawara Kiri!"
"That damn Konoha Ninja!"
"Crimson Blade Kiri? That monstrous genius!"
"Stop him! He's trying to break into the supply point!"
A series of rustling sounds immediately rose from the crowd.
However, even after learning the opponent's name, none of the Sunagakure Ninja present showed any intention of retreating.
There were over twenty thousand Sunagakure Ninja here!
Even if it were twenty thousand pigs, if he had to cut them down one by one, he would be exhausted to death.
Moreover, to guard against a sudden attack by over a thousand people, this place was constantly kept on guard with a complete military formation.
Almost the moment Sawara Kiri broke into this military formation, several joint Ninjutsu units and Sealing Squads from the rear had already launched an attack in his direction.
"Joint Ninjutsu: Great Wind Release Slash!"
Dozens of people united to form a military formation, releasing Ninjutsu in unison, simultaneously spewing out a large number of fine Wind Release blades.
These countless Wind Release blades mixed together, immediately forming an even larger storm, directly covering a hundred-meter radius centered around Sawara Kiri.
In an instant, the moist soil beneath their feet was lifted by this massive Wind Release, with large amounts of dust and sand swirling together. The entire ground seemed to be covered in countless slashes, like an invisible wall pushing forward.
"Bang—!"
Sawara Kiri stood firmly in place, an invisible barrier seemingly separating him from the surrounding wind and sand.
Countless grains of sand and dust abruptly stopped within an inch of him, unable to get any closer.
However, if one looked closely, they would notice that extremely tiny Wind Release blades still left faint scratches on his skin—to ensure he could breathe, Sawara Kiri couldn't block out all air.
If too many accumulated suddenly, even he might inadvertently miss a few.
However, these fine marks only lingered on his skin for a moment before silently closing up, leaving only faint traces of blood.
The powerful physique brought by the 'Energetic Beast' not only gave him the reproductive ability equivalent to a beastman but, more importantly, also granted him the beastman's strong regenerative capabilities.
This was the key to being a 'ten-times-a-night' man!
"Heh!"
Sawara Kiri raised his head, his figure suddenly rushing out.
Another unit's joint hand seals were completed almost simultaneously, their hands slapping the ground in unison.
"Joint Ninjutsu: Myriad Earth Release Wall!"
In an instant, a wall-like barrier rose up with a roar. The tall and thick earthen wall seemed to want to permanently confine him within this narrow space.
However, before the units behind could continue their jutsu…
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
On the other side of the continuous Myriad Earth Release Wall stretching before them, a series of deafening impacts suddenly resounded. The gigantic rock wall was penetrated layer by layer. Looking from afar, it was as if some monster was charging, collapsing each layer of the Earth Release wall from the very bottom, breaking through it, and raising massive clouds of smoke and dust.
Witnessing this scene unfold, all the Sand Ninja present couldn't help but widen their eyes.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa—"
"Is this something that just one person can do?!"
More than one person asked this question in their minds.
Finally, that inconspicuous figure broke through all the stone walls and stood before these Sand Ninja.
Suddenly, he extended a finger towards the Sand Ninja military formation in front of him.
"Technique Reversal!"
"Hah!"
The few Sand Ninja standing at the very front were stunned the moment they saw that faint red light.
Such a small Ninjutsu, how could it—
Before his brain could react, a deafening supersonic boom had already erupted in his ears.
"Bang—"
Immediately after, that red light suddenly pierced through.
The Sand Ninja military formation within a few hundred meters was directly blasted open, forming a pathway under this single strike.
Everyone blocking the path of that faint red light was crushed into a puddle of flesh.
However, even this momentary pause was keenly noticed by the Sand Ninja. The Sealing Squad immediately made their move.
"Reverse: Dust Sand Great Sealing!"
Dozens of Ninja proficient in Sealing Technique simultaneously pressed their hands to the ground.
In an instant, Sawara Kiri's Six Eyes made him perceive a strong threat. Dust immediately exploded from beneath his feet, and his figure shot a hundred meters away.
Three seconds after his figure disappeared.
The spot where he had just stood was suddenly encircled by countless fine sealing arrays that emerged from underground.
Countless fine black sand and dust erupted.
Suddenly, everything was swallowed up.
Only a sunken hollow remained on the ground.
Sawara Kiri looked at the entire squad of masked Sand Ninja Sealing Squad members, his expression slightly solemn.
'A technique similar to the Reverse: Four Symbols Seal?'
Compared to the Sealing Technique Monzaemon had used against him before, the joint Sealing Techniques mastered by these Sealing Squad Ninja were clearly more tailored for battlefield application.
It was obvious that because they didn't need to delve into the long-term stability of the sealed target, and even aimed for the destructive power brought by such 'unstable' seals, similar Reverse: Sealing Techniques were actually much simpler than proper Sealing Techniques.
However, for him, it was simply too slow.
Furthermore, it was only suitable for pre-set battlefields.
Sawara Kiri's Six Eyes merely swept around the battlefield, noticing the pre-arranged vertical sealing scrolls set up in various locations, and he almost immediately realized that the previous move also required prior preparation to be completed quickly.
At this moment, more and more people noticed the commotion here, but they were unable to leave the camp without the Commander's orders.
Sawara Kiri observed for a while, felt that the time was about right, then sharply turned his head and rushed at the fastest speed into the supply center that served as a diversion.
The moment they saw this scene, several high-ranking Sand Ninja Commanders in the crowd immediately revealed expressions of surprise.
Almost simultaneously, the explosive unit, which had been ambushing outside for a long time, clapped their hands together.
"Explode!"
Flames shot skyward, and the earth trembled.
A deafening roar, splitting clouds and shattering rocks, suddenly resounded throughout the entire Sunagakure camp.
They knew that this large-scale explosive tag array was enough to deal with a Konoha assault force of about a thousand people.
However, after witnessing Sawara Kiri's demonic performance just now, no one any longer regarded him as an ordinary Ninja.
All the Sunagakure Ninja present only wished to eliminate this terrifying monster immediately.
Even the Third Kazekage, who had walked nearby, did not stop their wasteful behavior. Instead, he frowned deeply, quietly looking towards the explosion point.
Hundreds of thousands of explosive tags stacked together, densely covering the entire warehouse area, and the impact caused by their simultaneous detonation instantly turned an area of several hundred meters into a blank slate.
The original location of the supply warehouse was even deeply sunken, revealing the underground space hidden within.
The smell of gunpowder filled their nostrils, spreading like mist over the large area.
However, none of the surrounding Sand Ninja spoke first.
Faintly, only the sounds of wailing and gulping could be heard from around them.
"Whoosh—"
A violently whistling wind dispersed the gray mist at the center of the battlefield.
All the Sand Ninja's expressions involuntarily froze.
Sawara Kiri, completely unharmed, slowly stepped out from the center of the explosion, leisurely exclaiming:
"Oh, that was quite a close call."
"I almost got blown to pieces."
The Third Kazekage looked at him with a solemn expression.
The young man before him, aside from his hair being ruffled by the impact of the explosion, had almost no burn marks on his body.
Instead, fierce fires burned on the surrounding ground.
Based on the countless pieces of intelligence he had received before, the Third Kazekage finally confirmed the technique on his body at this moment.
"A nearly constant, spatial defensive technique?"
"How on earth is it done…?"
Sawara Kiri, however, did not answer. He merely smiled at him amicably, and instead asked, "Compared to that, you should actually be more concerned about your supplies, shouldn't you?"
"?!"
Upon hearing this, the Third Kazekage was immediately stunned.
What did he mean?
Almost at the instant this thought arose.
"Rumble—!"
Another deafening explosion.
This time, however, it rose from the direction near his Kazekage tent.
The Third Kazekage's heart suddenly tightened, and he abruptly looked towards the direction behind him.
Flickering flames illuminated the sky.
Faintly, something seemed to be continuously burning.
"You—?!"
At this moment, the Third Kazekage understood everything.
This guy had deliberately lured them here!
The Third Kazekage stared at him, his eyes wide.
Sawara Kiri, however, smiled indifferently, saying gently, "Don't worry! Lord Third. The supplies for tens of thousands of people, that's a huge amount."
"Using it once won't be enough to get rid of everything."
"You'll need to use it a few more times at least."
As his words fell, Namikaze Minato's figure had already appeared beside him, nodding to him.
Sawara Kiri met the Third Kazekage's eyes, which were almost burning with fire, a smile playing on his lips:
"Next time, please keep up the good work."
In an instant, both their figures simultaneously vanished.
The entire battlefield seemed to gradually fall silent as their figures disappeared.
The Third Kazekage stood silently in place for a long time, gazing at the distant flames, his heart bleeding as he thought of the preparations made by the entire Sunagakure and the Land of Wind over the past decade or so.
Under the night sky, his eyes were bloodshot, the veins on his forehead almost bursting, and he bit his gums until they nearly bled, enunciating each word:
"Sa! Wa! Ra! Kiri—!!!"
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