Chapter 455: The Mist Village on the Eve of Destruction!
Chapter 455: The Mist Village on the Eve of Destruction!
Huff!
The Radiant Sun accelerated towards the shore.
'Are they trying to beach the battleship?'
Nagai Hideo and Rin Keinuyuri exchanged a glance, both thinking the same thing.
Because at this speed, the only possible outcome was damaging the battleship.
And on board were not just the two of them, but over a thousand Sky Fortress ninjas as well.
As the ship accelerated, they realized something was amiss.
Not only was the battleship's speed increasing, but it was also drawing less water.
This was a steel warship weighing several tens of thousands of tons, not a small wooden boat!
"Impossible!" Hideo muttered, his face paling.
As a leader of the Mist Ninjas and a Quasi-Kage level shinobi, he had witnessed countless scenes.
But this was a first for him.
He discovered that the flat-shaped ironclad warship he was on was actually... flying.
Yes, he confirmed that it wasn't an illusion, but that the ship was truly airborne.
Though it was only a few meters above the water's surface.
Flying was flying, and it was entirely different from sailing on water.
While he could somewhat accept the smaller aircraft, the idea of a massive ironclad warship taking flight was beyond his comprehension.
His world view was shaken to the core.
Well, not all ninjas were incapable of such feats.
For example, Nagato, known for his love of rice, could levitate objects weighing several tens of thousands of tons.
And Daio Kashiwagi could levitate objects weighing thousands of tons.
However, these ninjutsu techniques were incredibly draining, and even if one could perform them, the duration was undoubtedly short.
But what was happening now was definitely not ninjutsu; it was a special technology.
And as everyone knew, technology could be replicated.
Ninjutsu was a matter of the heart, and just because some could perform it didn't mean others could.
But technology, once the conditions were met, could be copied.
The thought of numerous ironclad warships taking to the skies in the future was enough to drive one to despair.
If Dong Ping knew what Hideo was thinking, he'd probably tell him he was overthinking it.
Because the Radiant Sun, as a ground-effect aircraft or hover battleship, was genuinely challenging to manufacture.
It wasn't just a technical issue but also a matter of materials.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken a year or two to build the Radiant Sun, and a second one still wouldn't be ready.
As for Rin Keinuyuri?
Her slightly parted lips remained agape.
Being younger, she never imagined that such a massive steel warship could take flight.
"Full speed ahead!" Dong Ping ordered loudly.
Following his command, the Radiant Sun, already fast, increased its speed further, rushing towards the Mist Village through the howling wind.
In the sky, the flight squadron ascended, slowly trailing behind the Radiant Sun at an angle.
Even with the Radiant Sun, others would struggle to reach the Mist Village.
Because the Water Country was not like the Wind Country, with its flat deserts.
The Water Country had mist, rivers, vegetation, mountains, and various complex terrains.
However, if Dong Ping intended to invade the Water Country, he wouldn't overlook gathering maps.
He had issued a long-term task to create a map of the Water Country.
Additionally, during trade, he sent agents to gather intelligence, resulting in Sky Fortress having a more detailed and precise map than the Mist Village or even the Water Country itself.
With the map, they could plan a route suitable for the Radiant Sun's passage.
And he wasn't worried about the Radiant Sun encountering problems.
With him and Hyuga Cangyue on board, even if they weren't in peak condition, they could still take action if needed.
Moreover, whether the Mist Ninjas had the intention to attack the warship was another matter.
The flight squadron would strike first, followed by Shan Jian Hao Er, Uchiha Shou, Ye Cang, Uchiha Shizuka, and other Shadow-ranked ninjas leading the charge with Scarlet Lotus, Uchiha Inari, and other elite forces.
Facing such an offensive lineup, even the Mist Village in its heyday might not withstand the assault, let alone in its current weakened state.
The Great Calamity!
This was the most fitting description for the current state of the Mist Village.
First, their main force, the three thousand-strong Mist Ninja unit, had been decimated, with half their numbers annihilated and the other half captured.
The remaining ninjas in the village were private armies from various clans and reserve forces.
Then, a few days ago, a major battle took place to deal with the Fourth Water Shadow after his complete Tailed Beast Transformation, resulting in significant losses and damage to many barriers and setups.
All things considered, the current state of the Mist Village was indeed dire.
Facing the well-prepared Heavenly Fortress, there was no way they could hold them off.
A distance of several hundred kilometers was an insurmountable chasm for commoners, but for ninjas, it was not a significant obstacle.
The flight units and ground-effect flying vehicles could ignore most barriers.
In planning the route, they only needed to avoid hills and forests; other terrains like rivers and swamps were passable.
However, the trade-off was the distance—they had to travel almost double the distance, taking several hours.
The flight units could glide at high altitudes, a state that didn't consume Chakra, which was crucial as they would have been exhausted otherwise.
Finally, in the late hours of the night, they reached the Mist Village.
Midnight!
This was the perfect timing carefully chosen by Dong Ping.
The Mist Village was enveloped in thick fog, and even during the day, visibility was limited. Attacking at night might be more effective.
"Let the flames purify everything!"
Dong Ping gazed at the pitch-black fog ahead and gave the signal to attack.
Communication Devices!
An indispensable tool that could revolutionize warfare.
While ninjas had telepathic abilities, they were cumbersome to prepare and had many restrictions, unlike the convenience of communication devices.
The flight units didn't rush to dive straight down. Instead, they accelerated, plunging towards the Mist Village below, tearing through the fog until they were just over a hundred meters above the ground, then releasing the payload from their racks.
These were also spherical bombs, but not the lethal airburst shells.
As the hundreds of bombs landed...
Boom!!!
Terrifying flames soared into the sky, illuminating the surrounding darkness.
Incendiary Bombs!
And not just any ordinary ones—these were 'good stuff' made from special materials unique to the Ninja World, combined with natural energy from hot springs.
When ignited, they created flames several meters thick and over ten meters high, burning continuously for a while.
Against ninjas, even low-rank ninjas would struggle to evade them, making them perfect for lighting and marking targets.
The towering flames not only illuminated the Mist Village but also dispersed the fog above it.
Whoosh, Whoosh!
The flight units, seeing the village exposed by the flames below, descended to a lower altitude and commenced their attack.
This sudden change naturally startled the Mist Village.
"What's happening?"
Zhao Mei Ming, exhausted from a long day, rose to inquire about the commotion.
Whoosh!
A Mist Ninja from the Shadow Division appeared outside the room to report.
"Water Shadow, many places in the village are on fire, causing considerable chaos!"
Indeed, it seemed like fires were breaking out, but there was no sign of an attack.
But Zhao Mei Ming was no ordinary person; she sensed something amiss.
This was the Mist Village, a place perpetually shrouded in moisture, where even lighting a fire was challenging, let alone having fires break out in multiple locations.
There was only one conclusion.
Someone was stirring up trouble.
"Immediately evacuate the villagers and prepare for battle!"
Zhao Mei Ming made a decisive call.
Even if she was wrong, it would only waste a little time and prestige.
But if she was right, she could save countless villagers and perhaps even the entire village, so she wasn't afraid of taking the blame.
"Yes, Water Shadow!"
The Shadow Division ninja immediately relayed the order.
Zhao Mei Ming quickly donned her combat gear and joined Qing and Chojuro, who had rushed over, at the Master Yuan's residence.
But before she could speak, she and Master Yuan turned to look out the window.
(End of Chapter)
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