Chapter 414: Cloud Village Ninja: Real Men Don't Choose, They Take It All!
Chapter 414: Cloud Village Ninja: Real Men Don't Choose, They Take It All!
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Breakthrough!
It may sound simple, but in reality, it comes at a tremendous cost.
With the enemy well-prepared, the price to break through their interception is unimaginable.
And after breaking out of the encirclement, they must find a way to intercept the enemy's pursuit, making this the most challenging part.
Most of the time, the heaviest casualties occur not during the breakthrough but in the subsequent pursuit.
"Everyone, use Explosive Tags to clear the way!"
Nara Shikaku didn't have time to worry about offending Sarutobi Shinzo and immediately took command.
At this critical moment, everything was focused on breaking through, and other concerns could wait.
Normally, it wouldn't matter, but in such a crucial situation, if Sarutobi Shinzo didn't have the strength to dominate, it was best for Nara Shikaku to take command.
If the breakthrough succeeds, the enemy's main general will turn the tide, but if they suffer heavy losses or fail, the strategist will bear full responsibility.
One could say that Nara Shikaku could only help the enemy to this extent.
Sarutobi Shinzo, though unaware of this, trusted Nara Shikaku implicitly and followed his orders without question.
It must be said that he had his strengths; otherwise, even if Tsunade Kokoro and Mizuhara Monen wanted to promote their own, they wouldn't have chosen him.
He was truly exceptional, as long as he wasn't compared to monsters like Dong Ping and Orochimaru.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Following Shikaku's command, kunai with Explosive Tags tied to their ends were thrown forward.
This tactic was undoubtedly Dong Ping's.
Whether it was his first desperate battle at Kikyo Mountain or the wars he commanded later, Explosive Tags played a significant role.
The key to maximizing their effectiveness on the battlefield was using them in concentration!
If used individually, with the ninjas' mobility and interception capabilities, it would be too easy to counter.
But when dozens or even hundreds are used simultaneously, the destruction is unimaginable.
Indeed, the Heavenly Fortress had coined a term for this.
Saturate Bombing! Nara Shikaku, as the Leaf Village Strategist, had been keeping an eye on the Heavenly Fortress and had learned many tactics.
Boom, boom!
Each Explosive Tag was equivalent to a high-level Fire Style technique, and when they detonated almost simultaneously, they instantly blasted open a passage.
Even the robust Cloud Village ninjas couldn't withstand such power and had to retreat to avoid death.
One could say that Dong Ping had set a bad example.
After the battle at Kikyo Mountain, he significantly increased the value of Explosive Tags as a ninja tool.
As the passage was blasted open—
"Jinzo Akado!"
Nara Shikaku seized the opportunity and gave the order.
"Super Amplification Technique!"
Jinzo Akado, who was initially in a weakened state, swallowed a Chakra Pill and transformed into a ten-meter-tall giant.
This height was probably less than half of what he achieved when pushing the Eight-Tailed Beast.
But that was with the use of a secret elixir; this was his normal level.
After transforming into a giant, he didn't use Super Push Palm but another technique instead.
"Meat Cannon!"
Jinzo Akado's body became a high-speed spinning meatball cannon, an ideal choice for clearing a path.
Meat Cannon was a classic technique of the Akado Clan.
While its ninjutsu level wasn't exceptionally high, its power was immense and perfectly suited to the Akado Clan's muscular bodies.
The heavier your body, the more terrifying the power of this technique.
Just like now.
After Jinzo Akado used the Super Amplification Technique, followed by the Meat Cannon, the power of this technique increased by over tenfold.
Not only him, but several dozen members of the Akado Clan stepped forward.
"Amplification Technique!"
"Meat Cannon!"
They didn't use the 'Super Amplification Technique' but the regular Amplification Technique.
High-speed spinning meatball cannons followed Jinzo Akado, crashing forward.
One of the Meat Cannon's significant advantages was its terrifying defense during activation.
Spinning at high speed, it could even withstand the impact of Explosive Tags.
Not because the Explosive Tags lacked power, but because the spinning motion dissipated the force, preventing it from affecting the body.
The Meat Cannon cleared a path instantly.
"Go!"
Sarutobi Shinzo led the way without hesitation.
By his side were numerous powerful ninjas from the Hokage's lineage, ensuring immediate assistance if he encountered danger.
On a regular battlefield, even elite Jonin wouldn't be weak.
The battle between the Five Great Ninja Villages was a clash of the elites, with Jonin being the backbone, but the true powerhouses were the Shadow Level Powerhouses and Jinchuriki.
This was why Sarutobi Kazumi initially didn't consider his eldest son, Sarutobi Shinzo.
If not for this, would he not have considered his opponent and prepared his son to succeed him?
If not for this intention, the original storyline wouldn't have had Sarutobi Asuma mentoring the new generation of 'Boar Deer Butterfly'. It was all to pave the way for the family's rise.
The manga is truly terrifying when you think about it.
"Charge!"
"Beware of the Tools!"
"Keep up!"
...
The Konoha ninjas followed Sarutobi Shinzo's lead, breaking through the encirclement.
They unleashed a myriad of ninjutsu, secret techniques, and tools, holding nothing back.
At this moment, no one dared to hide their abilities.
Now, with the Konoha ninjas gone, the restrained side immediately shifted from Konoha to the Cloud Village.
"Fire Style: Earth Fire Technique!"
Dong Ping seized the opportunity to force Kirabi back and unleashed this A-rank Sage Technique.
Being in Sage Mode, his ninjutsu could be called Sage Techniques, even if they lacked the power of true 'Sage Arts', they were still far more potent than usual.
Whoosh, whoosh!
The ground began to crack, and pillars of fire erupted from the earth.
"Scatter! Leave this area!"
Tadao's voice rang out.
Having studied Dong Ping's techniques, he was well aware that the Earth Fire Technique was an area-of-effect attack, not a direct assault on individuals.
If the goal was to defeat Kirabi, this technique wouldn't be used, so it was clearly a setup for something else.
Hearing this, Dong Ping's lips twitched.
He now understood the frustration of being targeted.
Some of his ultimate moves and secret techniques had no room to be deployed.
If he were to use Earth Fire City Burning now, the target might escape during the preparation.
"Flame Finger!"
Seeing this, Dong Ping abandoned his plan to clear the field with an ultimate move and started slacking off.
After all, his bottom line for this campaign with the army was to ensure Konoha wouldn't lose its status as the leader of the Five Great Ninja Villages. For now, he could slack off.
If Konoha wasn't at the forefront, the Heavenly Fortress would become the target of all attacks, and he didn't want that.
Whoosh! A white laser-like flame pierced the air, grazing past the returning Kirabi.
If not for the Tailed Beast Chakra Shield, even the residual power could have caused him significant harm.
But with the protection, he could ignore the aftereffects, reducing most of the damage even if hit.
Since the goal was to stall for time, Dong Ping slowed his combat pace.
"Hey, you bastard, what are you up to?"
Kirabi taunted in his unique rap-like manner.
He wasn't being reckless; he was trying to draw attention.
It seemed the Cloud Village ninjas were planning to take out this Konoha pillar.
No matter how rebellious he was, he was still a Konoha ninja. If other villages wanted to take down Konoha, they would have to eliminate him.
Well, if it was just harassment or a minor impact on Konoha, they might gamble that Dong Ping wouldn't intervene.
But if they aimed to directly attack Konoha or even dethrone it from the Five Great Ninja Villages, they wouldn't dare bet that this rebellious Dong Ping wouldn't act.
The best solution was to eliminate him.
At this moment, many Cloud Village ninjas stopped pursuing and started setting up around him.
Clearly, the Cloud Village had a meticulous plan to first take him out and then pursue the retreating Konoha forces.
Normally, this wouldn't be possible.
But this time, the Cloud Village army had overwhelming advantages.
Putting aside other factors, the sheer number of three thousand Cloud Village ninjas was enough to decide the outcome.
Only children make choices; real men take it all!
"Retreat!"
Dong Ping wasn't foolish; he understood Kirabi's taunt and signaled Houshi Yamayama in the distance to escape.
Even though Hyuga Cangyue seemed to be 'invisible' nearby and he concealed most of his power, Dong Ping had no interest in testing the 'menu' prepared for him.
As for Danzo and Root Division on the other side, he secretly wished for their misfortune but wouldn't warn them.
"Uchiha Dong Ping, this time, I will reclaim the humiliation you inflicted upon me with interest!"
A's laughter, the Lightning Shadow, echoed across the battlefield.
With the Cloud Village's preparations complete, it was time for the harvest.
(End of Chapter)
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