bookbashuk Chapter 337 Whoever dares to cause trouble, will be the first to be killed.
Chapter 337 Whoever dares to cause trouble, will be the first to be killed.
Chapter 337 Whoever dares to cause trouble, will be the first to be killed.
The young researcher was noticeably less stiff this time; in fact, he seemed quite excited.
The second group was placed up, forming a zigzag shape.
The main breakout started smoothly with the first two cards, and the third card followed. However, at the fourth corner, the thread suddenly snapped.
The last two only exploded halfway; the rest went silent.
The old man from the sealing team frowned: "The corner can't withstand it."
The ninja tool squad leader immediately said, "It's not that it can't withstand the heat, it's just that it gets hot too quickly here, and the thread burned first."
"Then change the insulation."
"The stitching will thicken!"
"A thicker one is better than one that breaks!"
Just as the two were about to start arguing again, Chi Quan spoke up.
"The third group will try first."
Silent, listening from behind, was on tenterhooks: "Maybe—we should wait a bit and address the second group's questions first?"
Chi Quan glanced back at her: "Even if the third group breaks down, there's a reason for it."
Silent was rendered speechless by his words, and in the end, she could only grip the recorder tightly.
When the third set was placed on the table, even Kakashi closed his book.
"If this works out, things will get interesting."
Main burst activated.
The first sound was muffled.
Unlike the previous two times, it wasn't crisp; instead, it felt like some suppressed force suddenly bulged in the center.
Immediately afterwards, the first layer of the outer perimeter lit up simultaneously.
boom! boom! boom!
The three pieces were almost stacked together.
The next instant, the second layer was engulfed, and the third layer followed suit. The bursts of light did not scatter outwards, but rather seemed to be forcibly contained by the loop structure, colliding with each other, and finally collapsing into an even larger impact with a bang, directly blasting away a large chunk of the stone slab along with the small earthen mound behind it.
Earth, stones, and wood fragments flew out with a crackling sound, hitting the barrier with a thud.
Everyone behind the safety line subconsciously squinted.
Ya let out a "damn" sound.
"This is fucking ridiculous!"
Shikamaru stared at the smoke and dust over there, and slowly finished the sentence.
"It really has the feel of a Jonin's ninjutsu."
Kakashi's lips curved into a smile, but his eyes were genuinely serious.
"And only such a small set was used."
Chi Quan didn't speak, only staring at the pit that had been revealed after the smoke and dust cleared.
The old man from the sealing team had already rushed to the edge of the barrier, his beard trembling with excitement.
"The structure hasn't fallen apart! The main axis hasn't shifted either! Although the right side of the third layer eroded a little too quickly, the overall structure hasn't collapsed!"
The young researcher stood there, seemingly still reeling from what had just happened.
"It really can happen—"
The ninja tool squad leader muttered, "If only the specifications were increased a little more—"
Suddenly, the mute spoke up: "Don't amplify it immediately!"
Everyone was taken aback.
Jingyin gripped the board, her face pale, but her tone was resolute.
"Finish the stability test first. That last burst almost exceeded the first layer of the barrier's estimate. If we add any more, the barrier team will have to recalculate everything."
Immediately, someone from the barrier class responded from afar, "Yes!"
Shikamaru, watching from behind, couldn't help but turn to Kakashi and whisper, "This is the first time I've ever seen Shizune yell like this."
Kakashi smiled.
"This shows that she also knows that it would be very troublesome if this thing were actually made."
Chi Quan then spoke.
"Let's stop here for today."
The old man from the sealing team was stunned: "So fast? Can the third group be reassigned?"
"Make notes first," Chi Quan said. "Write down all the breakpoints, heating points, delays, and loop positions. Don't add anything today; just perfect these three structures."
The old man clearly wanted to continue, but when he met Chi Quan's gaze, he suppressed his urge.
"----good."
Ikezumi turned to look at Shikamaru and the others.
"Come here."
As the group approached, they saw that a larger map had been laid out on the ground.
Chi Quan pointed to several locations on the map.
"These are the places where we might use these combined explosive ninja tools next: the canyon, under the bridge, the convoy stop, and the edge of the temporary camp."
Shikamaru crouched down and watched for a while.
"You want to bury them in a string, not have someone put them there on the spot?"
"right."
"Someone has to go there beforehand to lay the wires."
"So it needs to be lighter, shorter, and faster."
Neji looked at the diagram: "If it's buried in the ground, the Byakugan can spot it."
"So it won't just be buried in the ground." Chi Quan pointed with his finger, "It will also be found in rock crevices, wooden beams, under vehicles, and at the joints of temporary fences."
He grinned and said, "Now they really won't be getting a good night's sleep."
Kakashi leaned against the side and suddenly asked, "Are you going to name this thing?"
Chi Quan looked up: "Is it necessary?"
"We can't keep calling it that thing that chains the explosive tags together with chakra threads." Kakashi's eyes crinkled. "It's too long; we can't shout it out on the battlefield."
Ya immediately interjected, "Is that called 'Exploding Skewers'?"
Shikamaru remained silent for two seconds.
"Shut up."
Shizune couldn't help but facepalm: "What kind of name is that—"
Shino calmly replied, "Too blunt."
Tianzang said in a low voice, "And it sounds awful."
Teeth protested: "Can't it be simple and easy to remember?"
Looking at the diagram, Chi Quan casually remarked, "Chain Explosion Talisman."
Everyone paused.
Shikamaru thought for a moment: "————It's alright."
Kakashi laughed, "At least it's better than Exploding Skewers."
His face darkened.
"Do you have any objections to my name?"
"Yes," Shikamaru said.
"A lot," Mute added.
On the other hand, the atmosphere inside the Allied forces' temporary command camp was anything but relaxed.
As dusk fell, the wind outside the tents made the flags flutter loudly, but inside the tents, the air was stifling. A makeshift meeting table made of several long tables pushed together was filled with people: representatives of the daimyo of the three kingdoms, envoys of the leaders of smaller countries, officials in charge of resource allocation, and several ninja commanders who actually held military power.
On the table were a revised supply map and a damage report.
But now nobody wants to look at those words first.
The daimyo of the Land of Lightning had a gloomy expression, tapping his fingers on the table.
"The medicine depot, the ninja tool depot, the main food depot—all destroyed. Tell me, who ordered this kind of defense?"
An elderly minister in charge of logistics in the Land of Earth immediately looked up.
"The number of defenders was based on previous estimates. Nobody expected Konoha to..."
"Nobody expected this?" The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning interrupted him abruptly. "So you're telling me now that we were beaten like this simply because you 'didn't expect it'?"
The old minister's face stiffened: "Your Excellency, that's not what I meant."
The envoy from the Land of Wind coldly replied, "That's not what I meant. Then what do you mean? The location of the rear granary was originally chosen by your Land of Earth, who claimed it was a good location, easy to defend and difficult to attack. And now? It's all burned to the ground overnight. Who will take responsibility?"
Someone from the Land of Earth immediately expressed their displeasure: "That's easy for you to say. The warehouse location was decided upon by mutual agreement, and the garrison isn't just composed of our people. What were the patrols from the Land of Wind doing when it was bombed last night?"
"What are you doing? At least you weren't like a bunch of useless trash who couldn't even spot the enemy!"
"you-
—
That's enough.
A deep, resounding voice descended, and the tent fell silent for a moment.
The speaker was not a man with a prominent name, but a man sitting a little further back.
He didn't look very old; he was tall and thin, wearing a dark-colored robe with no exaggerated insignia on his shoulders, but his face bore an old scar that ran diagonally from his temple to his jaw. The scar didn't look ferocious; instead, it gave him a cold, hard, metallic aura.
He barely spoke a word from the moment he entered the tent, but as soon as he did, the surroundings would fall silent.
The daimyo of the Land of Lightning frowned, but did not refute him on the spot.
The man raised his eyes and his gaze swept across the faces of the crowd.
"It's pointless to argue about who did a poor job last night."
The envoy from the Kingdom of Wind suppressed his anger: "Lord Helian, but someone has to take responsibility for this problem."
The man called Helian said calmly, "I will take it on, of course. But not now."
The old minister from the Land of Earth, as if seizing a way out, immediately replied, "Lord Helian is right. The most important thing now is to mend the lines, not to hurl insults at each other."
The envoy from the Land of Wind sneered: "Of course, you people from the Land of Earth want to patch up the lines first. The warehouse was blown up after you, so you're the ones who are most anxious."
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning suddenly spoke up: "They're not the only ones who's anxious."
His voice was deep. "Last night's attack burned not only the Land of Earth's grain, but also the rations and ninja tools sent by the Land of Lightning. Our forward advance was already at the forefront, and with this shipment cut off, it's hard to say who will be more affected."
The envoy from the Kingdom of Wind paused, his expression turning even worse.
Because that statement is indeed correct.
For a moment, the tent fell silent again, with only the sound of the wind rustling the tent flaps.
Helian raised his hand and flipped open a record of injuries on the table.
"The main grain depot is gone, so we'll replace it."
"How can we replenish supplies?" the old minister of the Land of Earth said bitterly. "It's not that we can't send food from the rear, but the nearest supply will take ten days to arrive and depart. Not to mention medicine and ration pills."
"Then let's demolish it."
"dismantle?"
Helian pushed the chart towards the center, his fingertips landing on several warehouse points that weren't originally part of the main chart.
"Disassemble the reserve warehouse and fill the frontmost section first. Reduce the number of miscellaneous queues in the middle, prioritizing the supply lines and the elite troops at headquarters."
As soon as he said that, the expressions of the people at the table changed.
An envoy from a small country couldn't help but say, "Reduce the amount? Lord Helian, our people are already receiving very little, and you want to reduce it again?"
Helian didn't even look at him.
"Then send your men back."
The envoy's face flushed red.
"How can that be? Since we've already come, shut up and trade our lives for food." Helian's tone was terrifyingly flat. "Now is not the time to bargain. If you think it's not worth it, you can take your people and leave now."
The messenger's lips trembled twice, but he didn't dare to accept it again.
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning looked at Helian and said in a deep voice, "Continue."
Helian pointed to another spot on the map.
"Second, reduce the number of large warehouses to smaller ones. Stop storing such large relay points and convert them into four to six distributed warehouses. Each warehouse will have a smaller quantity, but they can be interconnected. Even if Konoha manages to destroy one more relay point, the entire line won't be cut off."
Someone from the Land of Earth immediately frowned: "This will make the defenses even more scattered."
"You should have been scattered in the first place," Helian said. "One of the reasons you were bombed last night was that you piled too much stuff together, thinking that the people of the Land of Fire would just wait for us to push them over."
The envoy from the Land of Wind coldly replied, "That sounds nice. But if the supply lines are scattered, the escort will need to be expanded. Where will the manpower come from?"
Helian said, "Draw from those who argue the most but have the weakest combat strength."
The envoy from the small country who had spoken earlier changed his expression again.
"Lord Helian, what you're saying—"
"Don't you understand?" Helian finally turned his head and glanced at him. "I said, draw from your people."
The envoy's face paled slightly.
The people around the table exchanged glances. Everyone could see that if this adjustment were to be implemented, the teams formed by smaller countries would be the first to suffer.
But now no one dares to be the first to stand up and overturn the table.
Because the fire last night burned really badly.
Just as things were about to reach another stalemate inside the tent, a guard suddenly announced their arrival from outside.
"The commander of the front lines of the Land of Wind has arrived."
The tent flap was lifted, and a man in a sand-colored outer robe walked in, his shoulders still carrying the lingering scent of sand and dust. He looked more like someone who had truly come from the camp and ranks than those sitting and arguing inside; a glance at his face told you how much complaining had taken place outside.
He didn't perform many formalities after entering; he just glanced at the picture on the table.
"I've already heard the gist of it outside."
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind said, "You've come at the right time. Tell me, what's the situation down there?"
The man frowned, his voice dry.
"Chaos. Especially among the miscellaneous teams and the newly transferred mercenary ninjas, there's a lot of discussion. Some suspect another attack is coming, and others are already asking if supplies are running low. If this drags on for another two days, there's a risk of desertion during night patrols."
The old minister of the Land of Earth turned pale: "Escaped?"
"Yes." The man nodded. "Someone's already trying to get information out of us."
The atmosphere in the tent grew even heavier.
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning gritted his teeth and said, "These useless fools, the war hasn't even started yet—"
Helian calmly interrupted him.
"So we can't keep wasting time now."
He looked at everyone and finally uttered his last words.
"Set a time."
The daimyo of the Land of Wind's eyelids twitched: "Now?"
"Yes, now," Helian said. "The most dangerous thing about last night's blow wasn't the loss of a batch of grain, but the loss of morale. The more uncertain you are, the more chaotic things will become below. Conversely, as long as the timeline is fixed, all replenishment, personnel redeployment, and defense against attacks will be precise."
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning asked with a grim face, "For how long?"
Helian did not answer immediately, but turned to look at the newly arrived frontline commander.
"Given the current supply speed, redeployment capabilities, and queue stability, how long will it take to stabilize the forward supply line at the latest?"
The man thought for a moment and said, "Twenty days to mend the lines, ten days to reorganize. It can't be done quickly."
The old minister of the Land of Earth hurriedly said, "But what if our rear is attacked again—"
'
"So in this past month, the warehouses have been redeployed, the defenses rearranged, and the sensory squads doubled in size." Helian's voice was low and steady. "All relay lines will no longer rely solely on ordinary guards; each section will be equipped with at least one ninja capable of night patrols and two capable of tracking. Furthermore, we've drawn truly capable individuals from the Three Kingdoms headquarters to press down on the middle sections. Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be the first to be cut down."
The envoy from the small country couldn't hold back any longer: "Lord Helian, this is too much!"
Helian looked at him.
"Too much?"
The messenger's throat bobbed, but he ultimately didn't dare utter the second half of the sentence.
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning slowly sat up straight, as if he were silently repeating those words in his mind, and finally said, "One month."
Looking over at the daimyo of the Land of Wind.
"do you agree?"
"So what if they disagree?" the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning said coldly. "Now we need to rearrange our supplies and manpower. Instead of letting the people below guess every day, we might as well just make it clear—we will advance on the Land of Fire again in a month."