https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-622-Three-Layered-Cheese-Sandwich-/12943340/
Chapter 621: The Stalemate and the Rebirth Technique!
Chapter 621: The Stalemate and the Rebirth Technique!
Ye Cang led the Sunagakure ninjas and successfully 'dragged' down the Konoha Ninja Army.
Guerrilla Warfare!
They completely avoided a head-on confrontation with the Konoha army, whose morale was high, instead opting for constant harassment and setting up traps to wear down their opponents.
As for the airships, they took advantage of the storms in the desert and the weaknesses of civilian airships, sacrificing some of their own to prioritize their destruction.
The civilian version of the airships had weak defenses and lacked speed. Additionally, with Konoha's lack of aerial combat experience, Gaara was able to approach and shoot down the airships alone at night.
After dealing with the airships, Konoha's logistics immediately became an issue, and the constant harassment further depleted their already limited supplies, causing the Konoha Ninja Army to lose their momentum.
If the Konoha Ninja Army had continued their offensive, disregarding logistics and going all-in, there was still a chance they could have reached Sunagakure.
The problem was that even if they had made it, without sufficient logistical support, they wouldn't have been able to force the Sunagakure ninjas to sign a humiliating peace treaty.
They might even have faced a counterattack, turning a great victory into a crushing defeat.
Therefore, Asuma had no choice but to slow down the offensive, either finding a way to solve the logistical issues or withdrawing.
Under normal circumstances, Asuma would only choose to retreat.
Continuing the offensive was too risky, and even if they won, it would have been a narrow victory.
But the current situation was highly unusual.
The Hokage Election!
It was about to begin.
He wasn't without ambition to intervene.
And he truly had the qualifications to do so.
As the son of a Hokage, he had a significant advantage over the other candidates.
His strength as a quasi-Kage also gave him the right to run for election.
After all, the 'Kage' of the Five Great Shinobi Villages were expected to be at least Kage-level, and this was an unspoken agreement.
If you weren't even a Kage, would you dare to sit among them?
Kurama Naruto, despite his other qualities, was held back by his lack of strength, which led to his rejection by Enma Hayate.
However, Kurama Asuma was different. At the very least, with the title of 'Dragon of Konoha,' if he truly wanted to run for Hokage, even without Enma's support, he wouldn't face the same opposition as his older brother.
For a politician, not opposing is as good as supporting.
This is the gap created by strength!
Now, Asuma had the support he needed and the strength to back it up; he just needed a 'record' of achievements.
Hence, the Hokage lineage pushed for this 'revenge' and even provided financial support to Asuma.
If not for this, would the combination of Chiyoki and the Jinchuriki really be so easy to deal with?
Especially the Jinchuriki!
This super weapon required a powerful ninja to hold them back; no matter how many ninjas there were, it wouldn't be enough.
In this invasion, besides Asuma, a Kage-level ninja, there was another Kage-level ninja assisting.
Akado Qufeng, like the Konoha F4 and Uchiha Kagami, was also a disciple of the Second Hokage.
However, he later chose to retire and return to his clan, unwilling to associate with the F4.
This time, for the sake of the Hokage lineage, he had no choice but to don his armor once again.
In the previous battle against Sunagakure, it was his ability to restrain the One-Tailed Guardian that made the victory possible.
Otherwise, even with the hidden ace of the airships, the Konoha Ninja Army would have never stood a chance against Sunagakure.
Ye Cang's tactics were micro-managed by Tang Ping.
Although he couldn't send troops to avoid suspicion about his true connection with the Heavenly Castle, providing some guidance was not an issue.
Facing Ye Cang's guerrilla tactics, Asuma eventually decided to take a gamble and charge straight towards Sunagakure with his army, ignoring the harassing forces.
Unfortunately, against Ye Cang, who was well-prepared and micro-managed by Tang Ping, this gamble was as good as a suicide mission.
Ye Cang had no choice but to face them head-on.
She was also genuinely unafraid.
Even if unexpected changes occurred, she held an ace up her sleeve.
The Puppeteer!
While the Heavenly Castle couldn't directly intervene, it didn't mean there were no other options.
The Shell Organization!
After all, this alias was meant for doing the dirty work.
In the event of an unexpected situation, Ye Cang could very well explain it as a 'hired' mission.
After all, the Shell Organization had once joined the coalition formed by the Fire Country's Daimyo, and it wasn't impossible for them to be hired by the Sunagakure ninjas.
Ye Cang's confidence stemmed from the fact that Tang Ping had already arrived near the battlefield to observe.
If things took a turn for the worse, he would step in, disguised as a puppet.
Less than two hundred kilometers from Sunagakure, in a region of yellow sand...
Sand, sand everywhere!
A strong wind blew by, stirring up a massive amount of sand.
On a sand dune covered in camouflage cloth, where the barrier distorted the surroundings, three figures stood, clad in black cloaks and wearing masks.
These three, dressed in the Shell Organization's attire, were none other than Tang Ping, Hyuga Tsukimi, and Izumi.
After the initial repairs to the barrier at the Forest of Death, Tang Ping had rushed to witness the spectacle and, while he was at it, collect something from Ye Cang.
Rebirth of the Living Technique!
It was the very technique he had coveted for so long.
Chiyoki had spent many years developing it, and after the transaction, she boldly handed over the initial version to Ye Cang.
"A brilliant concept and an awe-inspiring composition, truly worthy of Granny Chiyoki, the only one in the Shinobi World who could rival Tsunade in medical ninjutsu!" Tang Ping couldn't help but praise after reading it. This was a forbidden technique that combined ninjutsu, sealing techniques, and medical ninjutsu knowledge.
Even though the cost was immense, and it could only be used to exchange one life for another, it was a 'ninjutsu' developed by ninjas themselves, unlike the Rinne Tensei, which was a bloodline limit.
Although the Rinne Tensei was powerful, capable of reviving an entire village at once, only those with the bloodline could use it; others had no means to activate it.
But Rebirth of the Living was different! As long as one had sufficient vitality, chakra, and exceptional chakra control, they could learn this technique.
The reason Izumi was specifically brought along was that there was a task that required her intervention.
Illusion Technique!
At this moment, she hadn't switched back to her Sharingan yet.
Although Shimizu's Mangekyo Sharingan had drained her significantly, with the nourishment from Ashura Cells and Radiant Potion during this time, she had recovered enough to continue using it.
"It's done!"
Tang Ping stretched lazily and rolled up the long secret scroll in his hand.
Yes, after understanding the principles and ideas behind the technique, he was able to make some improvements.
After all, in terms of ninjutsu accumulation, medical ninjutsu, sealing techniques, and soul research, he far surpassed Chiyoki; the only difference was in their approach and ideas.
So, from the time he obtained the scroll until now, less than a day had passed, and he had already created the initial version.
"Have you finished the modifications?"
Izumi curiously asked.
She was both curious and excited about this technique.
Because this technique could 'revive' the dead.
Of course, the precondition was an unexpected death; if it was due to old age or illness, it was a different matter.
However, to use this technique, it had to be combined with another forbidden technique.
And Izumi's task was to find a way to control the target with an illusion technique to cast this technique.
Fortunately, with Shimizu's Mangekyo Sharingan, it wouldn't be as difficult to accomplish.
"Yes, you can study it first!"
Tang Ping tossed the modified forbidden technique to Izumi, while his gaze remained fixed on the distance, a mischievous smile forming on his lips.
He had spotted the Konoha ninjas starting to appear sporadically.
Ninjas weren't ordinary soldiers; they entered the battlefield in 'squads'.
Unless it was a special situation, ninjas didn't gather in dense formations.
That's why the bombing by the aerial unit required specially designed 'air burst bombs'; if they used regular explosive tags, the damage would be much less effective.
The last time Konoha used explosive tags against Sunagakure ninjas, many still managed to escape, proving that without the metal shell-created 'storm', the impact of the explosive tags was indeed weaker.
At the forefront of the Konoha forces stood a lone red-haired boy with a gourd on his back.
Gaara!
With the help of Ye Cang's secret medicines and resources, he had regained his peak condition, and without any more worries, he was ready to give his all this time.
The stage was set for his performance.
(End of Chapter)
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