bookbashuk Chapter 333 Taking them down one by one!
Chapter 333 Taking them down one by one!
Chapter 333 Taking them down one by one!
"Explosive tag!!!"
"Retreat immediately!!!"
boom-!
The first explosion was like a bolt of thunder tearing through the night.
Then came the second, third, and fourth tones.
The entire granary seemed to have been punched from the inside by an invisible giant hand. The flames spread rapidly, the wooden beams broke, the tarpaulins were blown off, and the piles of grain sacks and cart frames were blown apart.
The roof in the middle section of the main warehouse collapsed first.
Countless burning wood chips, burlap sacks, and grain sack fragments rained down like a storm, and those who had just gathered below were swept into the towering flames before they could even let out a proper scream.
Kakashi landed on a half-collapsed wooden frame, looked at the warehouse area that was almost instantly engulfed by flames, and whistled softly.
"That's quite spectacular."
Chi Quan stood at a higher position, his expression remaining calm.
"West Warehouse".
"Know."
Kakashi's figure blurred, and in the next instant he rushed towards the western ninja tool warehouse, which had not yet completely collapsed.
The western warehouse was already more heavily guarded than the main grain warehouse. As soon as the explosion occurred, several ninjas rushed over there, trying to drag out ninja tools and medicines before the fire engulfed them.
But just as they approached the warehouse door, a blue-white bolt of lightning sliced across the darkness.
"Raikiri!"
With a piercing explosion, the entire warehouse door, along with half of the wooden wall, was forcibly torn open.
The pre-embedded detonators inside lit up simultaneously, as if they had been drawn to something.
With a deafening roar, the entire Xicang warehouse exploded.
Crates of kunai, detonators, and ninja tool rolls were thrown into the air by the fire wave, then fell into the crowd with fiery red tail flames, causing even more chaotic screams.
"Where is the enemy?!"
"Have you seen anyone?!"
"Put out the fire first! Clear the area around the main warehouse!"
"Forget about putting out the fire! Find the sorcerer first!"
"Signal flare! Fire the signal flare!"
Just as a Jonin wearing a headband raised the signal flare, his wrist was suddenly tightened.
The next moment, he was suddenly pulled backward as if by something invisible, his legs lost their balance, and he fell straight into the shadows beside him.
Shikamaru crouched on the wooden fence at the valley entrance, his fingers forming hand seals, his shadow tightly binding the Jonin like a black thread.
"Don't rush to report this, uncle."
The Jonin's face was contorted as he desperately tried to break free, only to find that his limbs and body were as if nailed to the ground, completely immobile.
Almost simultaneously, Kiba and Akamaru pounced from the side.
"Tooth-to-teeth!"
The spinning double-toothed blade, like a savagely drilled black cone, smashed several mobile ninjas who were about to rush out of the valley entrance, sending them flying in all directions.
"Damn it! There are people in Taniguchi too!"
"Not just one team, but multiple raids!"
"Call for reinforcements! Call for reinforcements!!"
The fire in the center of the warehouse area was completely out of control.
The main grain silo was originally packed most densely, and when the explosion opened, the thick tarpaulins and a large number of dry grain bags inside instantly became the best fuel.
Sparks blasted away continued to fall onto the surrounding vehicle frames and tarpaulins, and even the temporarily parked grain transport oxcarts were overturned and set ablaze.
A gust of wind swept through, and the entire valley seemed to be ablaze.
The firelight illuminated half of the hillside, turning it red.
Kakashi leaped out of the flames, throwing a kunai in the process, pinning two ninjas who were trying to take a shortcut to the back warehouse to put out the fire to the ground.
"That's about it."
Chi Quan glanced at the fire rising above the valley, then at the night sky further away.
"Reinforcements will arrive soon."
Kakashi flicked his wrist: "Shall we go then?"
Chi Quan's gaze fell into the darkness further out of the valley, and he suddenly said, "Wait ten more seconds."
"Um?"
"Let them send out the signal."
Kakashi glanced at him, then immediately understood, and his smile deepened.
"You're afraid they won't know the granary was bombed."
"They should have known in the first place."
Less than ten seconds later, a scarlet flare finally shot into the night sky from the chaos.
It exploded in mid-air like a blood-red firework, dyeing the clouds above the valley red.
"We can go now," Chi Quan said.
"Evacuate everyone."
As soon as the order was given, the Konoha ninjas who had been waiting everywhere immediately withdrew as quickly as the tide receded.
Shikamaru released the Shadow Binding, and as he jumped back, he couldn't help but glance back at the completely engulfed barn, his lips twitching involuntarily.
"Those guys are probably going to go crazy this time."
His teeth swept in from the other side, his face showing barely suppressed excitement.
"That feels great! That's fucking great!"
"Don't get too excited," Shikamaru glanced at him. "Once reinforcements arrive, we'll have to start running."
"Let's run! We'll see if they can catch us!"
"You better pray you don't catch up."
The group quickly dispersed along the designated escape route, avoiding any attempt to stay together.
This was a rule set by Chi Quan before he set off.
During a surprise attack, you can infiltrate separately, and when retreating, you should spread out even more. Otherwise, if you are caught up by a large group of pursuers, a group of people stuck together is the easiest to be surrounded.
On the back slope of the valley, Tianzang clasped his hands together.
"Wood Release·Wood Forest Wall."
Dozens of thick wooden pillars suddenly rose from the ground, forming a wooden wall that instantly opened up in front of the dozen or so ninjas chasing up the back slope, completely blocking the only fastest shortcut.
"Damn it! It's Wood Release!"
"Go around from the side!"
"Don't let them get away!"
Kakashi glanced at the wooden wall from above and said lazily, "Tenzo has been making pretty good progress lately."
Chi Quan didn't respond, but suddenly raised his hand and swung a kunai precisely to the upper and lower back behind him.
clang-!
The kunai and another wind-style shuriken collided in mid-air, sparks flying.
A Sand Village Jonin with an angry expression rushed out from behind the tree canopy, his hands forming hand seals rapidly.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A fierce wind swept in, carrying the embers of the fire, clearly intending to use the remaining flames of the barn fire to set the entire forest ablaze.
Chi Quan didn't even dodge.
He merely glanced at the man, and in the next instant, almost without a visible hand seal, an even more intense burst of fire erupted forth.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation".
It's not an ordinary fireball.
Instead, it was a raging torrent of fire sweeping across the land.
The Sand Village Jonin's expression changed drastically. The Wind Release technique he had just unleashed not only failed to suppress the opponent but seemed to have added to their strength. The moment the two forces collided, he felt as if a wall of fire was instantly crashing down on him.
"retreat!!"
He only managed to utter one word before being thrown off his feet by the wave of fire, breaking several tree branches before crashing heavily to the ground.
The ninjas who had just caught up were forced to scatter to both sides.
When they looked up again, the figures in front of them had already spread out considerably.
"Chase!"
"We absolutely cannot let them get away!"
"Notify the western front camp! Notify the main force's outpost! The granary has been bombed, and the people from Konoha are here!"
Roars, hand seals, and the sound of signal flares piercing the air rang out one after another.
This night was supposed to be a rare peaceful one for the Allied forces' rear.
But in less than half an hour, the entire relay area felt like it had been stomped on.
First, flames shot into the sky from the direction of the granary, followed by a series of red signals rising into the air, startling several surrounding garrison camps.
The ninjas, awakened from their sleep, stormed out of their tents cursing. Upon hearing that the main grain depot had been attacked, their faces grew increasingly grim.
The officials in charge of escorting the grain supplies were barely dressed, with half their arms bare, stumbling and running outside, shouting, "Fire! Put out the fire first!"
But when he arrived nearby, surrounded by guards, he froze instantly.
That's no longer a "fire".
Instead, it was a vast expanse of ruins that had been bombed and engulfed in flames.
The mountain of grain sacks, cart frames, medicine boxes, and ninja tool boxes were now almost entirely charred fragments. Everywhere were wooden frames and beams overturned by the explosion, and flames continued to penetrate deeper, crackling and popping, the heat so intense that it was impossible to open one's eyes from a distance.
The mid-level leader in charge of guarding the granary knelt on the ground, his face blackened by smoke, and his lips trembling.
Where are they?!
An official from the Land of Earth who arrived grabbed him by the collar, his voice changing.
"Where are the attackers?!"
The leader's voice was hoarse: "They...they chased them out—"
"Then why don't you go after them!"
"People are already chasing them! But... but they scattered and retreated too quickly, and the warehouse area exploded at the same time, there's no way to catch them all."
Snapped!
A hard slap landed on his face.
"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"
The official was furious, his face turning purple. He turned and roared at the guards beside him, "What are you all standing there for! Go and mobilize all the nearby camps! I want him alive! I want to know who did it!"
A ninja beside him turned pale and whispered, "Sir, it's most likely—it's Konoha."
"Konoha? How could someone from Konoha have gotten here!"
"Judging from the way it was executed and the scale of its fire-style techniques—it's unlike any other school."
"Then we should catch them even more!!"
'
The official kicked aside the burning wood at his feet, his eyes bloodshot. "If the granary is gone, what will happen to the advance plan a month from now! What about the food! What will the people behind eat! What will the people in front take with them!"
No one dared to answer.
Because everyone knows that what he said wasn't nonsense.
This is not a small, dispensable warehouse.
It was one of the largest relay grain depots at the forefront when the allied forces of the three countries were preparing to advance.
The explosion here means that all the subsequent supply lines will have to be rearranged.
What's even more critical is that this place doesn't just store grain.
Even the rations, medicine, and some ninja tools of the accompanying ninja troops were stored here.
Once it's gone, it's not just a matter of eating a few less bites of food.
Instead, it would disrupt the entire coalition's advance.
"Pass on the order!"
The official from the Land of Earth gasped for breath, his voice cracking.
"Block out the surrounding forest line! Let the tracking team out! There aren't many of them, they can't go far!"
But as he said this, the Konoha squad that actually took action had already dispersed into the deeper darkness of the night.
The chase through the woods continues.
Figures flashed past the treetops at high speed, followed by the allied ninja relentlessly pursuing them. Some were skilled in sensory perception, some in wind-style acceleration, and others simply used summoned beasts to leave tracks on the ground for their own pursuit.
The more you chase, the more scattered the target becomes.
Sometimes you clearly see two figures just passing by, but the next moment there is only one left, and the next moment, even that one seems to have been swallowed up by the forest.
"There's chakra activity on the right! There's also chakra activity on the right!"
"It's fake! It's a body double!"
"above!"
A Cloud Village Jonin looked up sharply and saw Kakashi dart past a high branch.
"Grab him!"
Three pursuers pounced on them at the same time.
Kakashi glanced back, his eyes crinkling into a smile.
"Quite persistent."
He lightly touched the ground with his foot, abruptly changing direction, and darted across the extremely narrow gap between two large trees. Just as the three people behind him had chased after him, a soft "crack" sounded from the ground ahead.
"Terrible"
boom!
The explosive tag buried under the fallen leaves exploded instantly, sending flames and dirt flying and blasting the three people away.
Kakashi didn't even turn around, he just lazily raised his hand and waved: "Good night."
On the other side, Shikamaru was running through the forest, cursing as he went.
"This is so troublesome—"
A dozen meters behind him, three pursuers relentlessly pursued him.
"The one in front!"
"The Nara family's shadow magic—be careful not to step on them head-on!"
"Don't let him form the hand seals!"
Shikamaru clicked his tongue and suddenly stopped.
The pursuers behind were overjoyed and quickly closed the gap.
"Grasp--"
Before the man finished speaking, Shikamaru's shadow suddenly expanded.
"Shadow Binding Technique".
The ink, splattered by the black shadows, suddenly shot up to the ankles of the group, aided by the moonlight and the lingering firelight.
The three pursuers' expressions changed simultaneously, and they all froze in place.
Shikamaru looked up and gazed at the tree in front of him.
"tooth."
The next second, Kiba and Akamaru, who had been lying in ambush, pounced from the left and right, and without uttering a single word, they knocked the three of them over.
"Your technique is really useful."
Ya shook the blood off his hands and grinned.
Shikamaru said irritably, "If you were any slower, I'd be even more useful."
"Tch, it's just right."
"Stop dawdling, let's go."
"Know."
They quickly disappeared into the forest.
On the other hand, the most unsettling line is the one where Chi Quan is located.
Because the group that chased him was the first and the largest.
At first, those people thought that the leader of this raiding team was probably ahead, and as long as they stuck to this direction, they could take down a big one.
But as they continued their pursuit, they began to regret it.
The figure ahead did not simply flee.
Sometimes it will suddenly stop.
Sometimes they will suddenly turn back.
Every time they turn back, someone dies.
Just as the three Allied Army Jonin were about to flank the enemy from the left and right behind a thick tree in the forest, a figure as bright as fire approached from the front.
"Surround one"
The man at the front had just raised his knife when Chi Quan was already in front of him.
There were no unnecessary movements.
Just one punch.
The man's chest suddenly collapsed, and he was sent flying backward as if he had been hit head-on by a battering ram. He crashed into a tree trunk behind him and never got up again.
The other two formed a hand seal and swung their blades in a sweeping motion.
Chi Quan dodged the blade, grabbed the man's wrist, and twisted it. A crisp cracking sound, like bone breaking, made one's teeth ache. Before the knife even hit the ground, he had already grabbed it with his other hand and slashed it back.
A stream of hot blood spurted out in the night.
The remaining mark was only halfway done when his face turned pale, and he instinctively stepped back.
But no matter how fast he retreated, he couldn't outrun a kunai that shot towards him.
There was no way to pierce his throat.
He collapsed, clutching his neck with both hands, gurgling in his throat, his eyes filled with terror.
Those who caught up from behind slowed down a beat when they saw this.
Someone gritted their teeth and shouted angrily, "Attack together! Don't let him pick them off one by one!"
But while they shouted it out, none of them actually dared to be the first to rush forward.
Chi Quan stood amidst the scattered branches and the stench of blood, slowly raising his eyes to look around at them.
There was no murderous intent in his gaze, nor any threatening gesture.
But it was that calmness that was more chilling than anger.