bookbashuk Chapter 332 Enemy Attack!
Chapter 332 Enemy Attack!
Chapter 332 Enemy Attack!
The night was very dark.
The treeline on the outer edge of the leaves resembled a silent black tide, enveloping the entire world in shadow. The wind rustled through the treetops, occasionally startling a night bird, which would flutter away from a height before disappearing into the deeper darkness.
In a dense forest to the northwest of the Land of Fire, more than a dozen figures were moving forward silently.
No one spoke.
Only the slightest sounds of stepping on branches, landing on tree trunks, and then bouncing back with the force of the impact are suppressed to a very light and short duration, almost blending into the night breeze.
The figure at the very front suddenly raised his hand.
Everyone behind stopped at the same time.
Kakashi landed on a horizontal branch, gently pressing his right hand against the trunk. Looking at Uchiha Ikezumi at the front, he whispered, "Are we here?"
Chi Quan stood on a higher branch further ahead, his gaze passing over layers of tree shadows and landing on a valley half-enclosed by a mountain hollow in the distance.
"Soon."
The voice was very soft, but loud enough for the people around to hear clearly.
Kakashi followed his gaze and saw several dim, yellowish lights floating faintly in the depths of the valley, like will-o'-the-wisps flickering in the wind. Upon closer inspection, he could see that these were not ordinary campfires, but rather several deliberately separated points of light. Each light was spaced a considerable distance apart, with low wooden fences and makeshift watchtowers in between.
In areas where the firelight couldn't reach, the outlines of the low-hanging tarpaulins could be vaguely seen.
That's not our main business.
It's more like a large-scale material storage area.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes: "The defense is stronger than I expected."
"Not many."
Neji Hyuga, standing to the side, spoke in a low voice, his Byakugan fully extended and veins bulging on his forehead, "There are thirteen visible sentry posts and twenty-one hidden sentry posts on the outer perimeter. There are two patrol teams of six men each on the northwest side of the valley entrance. There is also a mobile squad of about twenty men hidden on the south back slope, probably to prevent anyone from climbing over the mountainside."
Kiba Inuzuka grinned, his voice low: "You hid it quite well."
Akamaru perched on his shoulder, twitched his nose, and let out a very low whimper.
Shino Aburame pushed up her sunglasses, her voice as flat as ever: "The bugs I released have already made their way inside. There are lots of food sacks and carts. In addition to regular military rations, there are also special ration pills for ninja troops, sealed medicines, and some ninja tool boxes."
Shikamaru leaned against the tree trunk and sighed lazily, "So, we're lucky; we got the fattest one on our first bite."
"It's not luck."
Chi Quan turned around and looked at everyone.
"They are now too reliant on these relay grain depots."
In the darkness of night, his voice was steady, like a stone that suppressed all restless emotions.
"The allied forces are too numerous, and the daimyo of the three countries are eager to expand their influence. They can't possibly pack all the grain, manpower, and ninja tools they've collected from various places into one large camp in a short period of time. In particular, since these people want to advance into the Land of Fire, but are also afraid of not trusting each other, they will definitely divide their supplies into several parts and store them in different layers."
Shikamaru looked up: "If one part is destroyed, everything before and after will be in chaos."
"right."
Kakashi pulled his headband up, revealing his Sharingan, which twitched slightly in the shadows.
"So, this is their first and most important forward delivery warehouse."
Chi Quan nodded.
Ya frowned. "Did they know we were coming to steal this?"
Shikamaru glanced at him: "Do you think those three daimyo have the brains for this?"
Kiba clicked his tongue: "I was talking about the ninjas over there, not the daimyo."
"They couldn't have imagined it either."
The person who answered this time was Kakashi.
He looked up at the few fires in the valley and said calmly, "If we send out a large force, they will think of that."
They would be wary of small-scale disturbances on the Land of Fire's border. But right now, Konoha hasn't made any major mobilizations on the surface; training within the village continues as usual, and the border is only seeing routine increases in vigilance. They'll think we're still waiting for their official advance in a month, and at most they'll only be on guard against border conflicts, not that we've already gotten behind their lines.
Shikamaru's lips twitched: "That sounds like a lot of trouble."
"War is inherently troublesome."
Kakashi looked at Izumi, "How are you going to divide it?"
Chi Quan did not answer immediately, but instead raised his hand and gently tapped the tree trunk a few times.
"Neji, you and Shino go around to the west side and double-check the positions of the sentries. Don't make a move, come back after you've confirmed them."
"clear."
'
Neji nodded, and in a flash, he disappeared into the shadows.
Shino followed silently, and several small black insects crawled out of his sleeve and disappeared into the night.
"Kiba, you and Akamaru guard the southeast direction. If any patrols approach in advance, deal with them, but don't make too much noise."
"Leave it to me."
"Shikamaru".
"I know, I know, I'll be the one to hold everyone back."
Chi Quan glanced at him.
Shikamaru coughed and changed his tune: "I'll take care of keeping things under control. Right?"
"Take two men and keep an eye on the mobile unit at the valley entrance. If it explodes inside, the first ones to chase after them won't be those grain-carrying scavengers, but them. I want them to be unable to leave the valley entrance."
Shikamaru finally became a bit serious and nodded, saying, "Okay."
Chi Quan's gaze then fell on Kakashi.
"Come in with me."
Kakashi's eyes crinkled into a smile: "It would be my honor."
"Also bring four more who are skilled in Body Flicker and Fire Release."
Kakashi glanced behind him and pointed out four Jonin: "Genma, Raido, Genma Shiranui, Ebisu—no, Ebisu, stay outside to provide support. Tenzo, you go in."
A figure in the distance nodded slightly.
Ya couldn't help but turn his head to the side: "Tianzang is here too?"
Kakashi casually remarked, "Do you think this kind of work is appropriate without Wood Release?"
Ya thought about it and agreed, then pursed her lips and said nothing more.
Chi Quan looked at everyone and then added one last sentence.
"Remember, do not linger in battle. Our objective is to burn the warehouse, not to annihilate the defenders. Once the warehouse is destroyed, retreat immediately. If anyone is bogged down, the others should not rush in to rescue them; instead, disengage along the predetermined route."
He frowned: "What if someone really gets entangled?"
"Then I'll cover the rear."
Chi Quan spoke calmly.
But it was this calm that caused the people around to fall silent for a moment.
Kakashi stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly smiled.
"You make the most dangerous job sound like you're just casually carrying a bag of groceries."
"Is it dangerous?"
Chi Quan's tone was flat. "It's more dangerous for them."
Shikamaru couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
He is now increasingly able to understand why many people in the village feel at ease when they mention Uchiha Ikezumi, even though they know that this person is ruthless.
Because when Chi Quan said those words, it didn't sound like he was gambling.
It's as if it's stating a predetermined outcome.
Not long after, Neji and Shino returned.
"Two of the sentry posts on the west side have been moved," Neji whispered, "but the overall layout remains the same. There are three large warehouses in the center of the storage area. The one on the east side stores rations and medicine, the one on the west side stores ninja tools, and the one in the middle and at the back contains the main staple food."
Shino added, "I've checked. The grain sacks mainly contain rice, flour, and dry rations, and they're piled up very densely, making it difficult to extinguish a fire. However, the main warehouse in the middle is surrounded by firebreaks and covered with thick tarpaulins, so ordinary fire extinguishing techniques might not be able to ignite them all in the shortest amount of time."
Chi Quan nodded: "So we don't need to use ordinary fire release techniques."
Kiba was taken aback: "If not Fire Release, then what?"
Upon hearing this, Kakashi suddenly turned to look at Izumi: "Are you planning to just use the explosive tags?"
"Um."
Shikamaru's eyebrow twitched: "How many?"
"Enough to tear this place down."
Shikamaru opened his mouth, but after a long pause, he managed to utter, "Konoha is really willing to sacrifice now."
Kakashi wasn't surprised, and just smiled and said, "If Lady Tsunade knew you were using the ledger like this, she'd probably feel bad for it."
Chi Quan's expression remained unchanged: "If the warehouse can be blown up, then the ledger is worth it."
The group remained silent.
A moment later, Chi Quan lowered his hand, and the group immediately split into several groups, like shadows swallowed by the night, silently dispersing from different directions.
The wind outside the valley gradually picked up.
The firelight in the brazier flickered in the wind, and the guard on the watchtower yawned, pulled his outer robe tighter, and muttered something under his breath.
Another guard leaned against the railing and looked down.
"Damn it, this place is unbearably hot during the day and freezing cold at night."
"Stop complaining. Just hang in there for a few more days, and once the main forces are assembled, we can push forward. Then we can storm into the Land of Fire, pull off a big heist, and maybe even get some good loot."
"With a brain like yours, you're actually thinking about dividing things up?"
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is, those daimyo talk a good game, but if we actually win, will you and I get to eat meat? Giving you an extra ration pill would be a favor."
"Tch, that's still better than just holding onto the stock."
The speaker spat down, "Look at this place, it's full of food, ninja tools, and medicine. Those people up ahead are starving, while we can only stand guard. When we actually invade the Land of Fire, I'll go and loot too."
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a chill in his throat.
A thin, almost invisible glint of cold light swept across the darkness.
The next instant, he froze on the spot, his eyes wide open, his mouth still in the position of speaking, but he could no longer utter a sound.
The guard next to him was stunned for a moment. Just as he was about to turn around, a hand covered his mouth and nose from behind.
It was a light, gentle touch.
Warm blood flowed out, sliding down between the man's fingers.
Kakashi gently laid the man down in the shadows of the watchtower and whispered, "West Watchtower, Qing."
At another sentry post not far away, Tianzang raised his hand and formed a hand seal. Several thin wooden spikes emerged from the ground and instantly entangled two guards who were about to change shifts, dragging them into the shadow of the wooden fence.
The pool sits atop a high wooden beam outside the granary, looking down at the area below.
The layout of the entire granary unfolded in the night: firelight, tarpaulins, carts, grain sacks, shadowy figures, and the chaotic atmosphere of people patrolling back and forth.
His eyes were calm to the point of being indifferent.
The next moment, his figure flashed and he disappeared from the height.
On the north side of the warehouse area, two patrolling ninjas had just turned the corner of the wooden wall and hadn't even had time to see what was happening in front of them when they saw a dark shadow flash before their eyes.
The next second, both of them lost consciousness and collapsed limply.
Chi Quan caught one of the people on the shoulder with one hand, preventing the corpse from making a sound, and then gently pushed the person behind the wall.
Kakashi landed beside him and whispered, "There are people behind the middle compartment."
"several?"
"Five. Two Chunin and three Genin. Like a night watch squad."
"It's yours."
"it is good."
As soon as Kakashi finished speaking, he had already dashed away.
Chi Quan then walked straight into the deeper part of the warehouse area.
This is not the speed a stealth fighter should have.
Not too fast, not too slow; neither hiding nor avoiding.
It's as if he doesn't care at all whether or not he'll be seen.
But those who should have been able to see him lost their chance before they even had a chance to look up.
Before anyone could even open their mouth after hearing the slightest sound, a kunai had already pierced through their jaw.
Someone noticed the chakra fluctuations at their feet. Before the hand seals were even finished, they were instantly shoved into the wooden wall, their throat bones shattered.
Someone tried to warn them, but before they could even open their mouth, a fiery shadow flashed past the edge of their vision, and then everything went black; they knew nothing more.
This is not simply about speed.
Instead, it's a sense of oppression that prevents people from having the thought that "they can survive."
On the west side of the warehouse area, Tianzang raised his hand and pressed it to the ground.
Thin wooden branches crawled under the tarpaulin, silently prying open the gaps in the lower layer of the grain sacks, and sending stacks of rolled-up detonators into the least noticeable location.
Lei Tong and Xuan Jian moved at high speed between several large warehouses, one on the left and one on the right, nailing more explosive talismans under beams, cart frames, and grain stacks.
Kakashi landed back from behind a medicine warehouse, still clutching half of the warning tube he had just confiscated.
"The patrol team has been dealt with; no abnormalities have been found in the east for the time being."
Chi Quan nodded: "Continue laying."
"You really don't leave any room for maneuver."
As Kakashi spoke, he casually tossed the broken warning cone into an empty bucket next to him. "If so many detonators explode at once, they won't be able to collect them all tomorrow."
Chi Quan was securing a roll of detonating talismans, longer than the standard size, into the lower edge of the main compartment when he heard this, and only replied with one sentence.
"It's best if you can't collect them all."
Just then, a low bark came from not far away.
It's Akamaru.
Immediately afterwards, a very low, hushed voice came through short-range wireless communication.
"The southeast patrol turned back early, and someone noticed something was wrong."
Shikamaru's voice rang out at the same time: "The Taniguchi Mobile Squad has started moving, a little faster than expected."
Kakashi looked up: "We're about to be exposed."
Chi Quan stood up and glanced at the warehouses where most of the detonation tags had already been placed.
"Then we won't hide it anymore."
Kakashi's eyes crinkled at the corner of his eye upon hearing this: "I knew you'd say that."
Almost immediately, a short, agonizing scream came from the east side of the barn.
The sound only lasted halfway, as if something had severed the throat.
But it was too late to suppress it.
The previously drowsy and disorganized camp was like a pond that had been hit by a pebble, instantly creating chaotic ripples.
"Who?!"
"What's that sound!"
"East! There are people to the east!"
"Be on alert! Enemy attack!"
Torches suddenly appeared in large numbers, and the previously scattered figures began to run in all directions. Some grabbed weapons, some climbed the watchtowers, some formed hand seals to prepare to send signals, and others rushed frantically towards the main warehouse.
But they had only taken a few steps when several thick beams in the middle of the warehouse suddenly lit up with fine lines of fire.
That's not Fire Release.
Instead, it was the blazing white light patterns that emerged when each detonating tag was instantly activated by chakra.
The first person to see that scene even had a change in tone of voice.