https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-70-Danzo-Make-Konoha-Great-Again-/12832070/
Chapter 69: The Border Falls, The Earth-Wind Alliance!
Chapter 69: The Border Falls, The Earth-Wind Alliance!
The convoy quickly assembled!
The escort team was also chosen.
A Jonin would lead four squads for the escort.
And To Hei would lead one of these squads.
Note: A group of three ninja is called a "team."
When a squad leader leads a team of three, it forms a "squad" of four members.
This is why To Hei's group was called "Third Squad" and not "Third Team."
To Hei was responsible for the team led by Honda Taka.
Their sensei was also present, but as an injured patient lying in a wagon.
The most important cargo in this escort mission wasn't supplies, but dozens of injured ninja.
The number had accumulated over time.
With so many, even the two medical ninja in the camp couldn't treat them all with constant Soldier Pills, so they had to be transferred.
If you looked closely, you'd notice that most of the ninja in this convoy were civilian ninja.
You know what that means!
Don't think that Sentono Ken was being random.
This was just an unspoken rule.
Dangerous and troublesome missions were always assigned to civilian ninja.
After all, the middle and upper ranks of the village were dominated by clan ninja, so this was only natural.
Even if two Genin were equally skilled, a clan ninja would always outperform a civilian ninja. It made sense to prioritize clan ninja in such situations.
No wonder Minato Namikaze would rise to power; it was a matter of inevitable trends.
He was a civilian, after all.
To stabilize the civilian ninja in the village, it made sense to have a civilian-born Hokage.
Add to that Minato's natural talent and character, and his teacher being from the Hokage lineage, he was the perfect candidate for the Fourth Hokage.
No wonder Orochimaru lost to him (emphasis: he lacked the Will of Fire).
Some things weren't coincidences but were destined.
While these thoughts ran through To Hei's mind, he listened to the Jonin leader, Ko Hei Sho, assigning roles.
"First Squad will lead the convoy, Second and Third Squads will cover the flanks, and I will stay with Fourth Squad at the rear. We must protect the convoy and get it back to Konoha!"
As the leader of the mission, Jonin Ko Hei Sho was clearly capable.
However, he knew that the Sand ninja wouldn't let them go easily.
Especially the injured, who were mostly immobilized by poison, making them easy targets.
"Understood!" 4
The four Chuunin, including To Hei, nodded in agreement, acknowledging the plan.
"Let's move out!"
Ko Hei Sho led the way, rushing toward the convoy that had already started moving.
A dozen wagons!
This was the convoy they were escorting.
But just as they left the camp, a massive explosion echoed from behind.
Boom!
The terrifying explosion was clearly audible even from this distance.
If the enemy pursued, they could reach them quickly.
Fortunately, their primary target was the camp, not the convoy.
The attackers were not the entire Sand army but a small group of ninja on a surprise raid.
Among these raiders, the most striking was a female ninja who led the charge, with large fireballs orbiting around her like satellites.
Yugao!
In response to her attack, the camp could only use explosive tags, kunai, and other means to push her back.
Strong enemies on the battlefield were incredibly tenacious.
Without an equal level of strength, they would have to pay a higher price.
After several charges, Yugao managed to breach the camp walls, taking several kunai and the aftermath of explosive tags in the process.
"Scorching Release: Over-Boil Kill!"
Her Bloodline Limit activated, and the temperature around her skyrocketed. Konoha ninja quickly turned into desiccated corpses and fell.
"Yugao, is your Sand Village not afraid of Konoha's retaliation?"
Sentono Ken rushed in, shouting in anger.
Even though he had always known the Sand Village was untrustworthy, he had assumed they would only use Konoha to shift the blame and wouldn't actually attack.
After all, Konoha was far more powerful than the Sand Village.
Unfortunately, the Konoha leadership didn't understand that a cornered rabbit will bite.
Clang!
Yugao blocked the attack with a kunai and said resolutely:
"What does the current Sand Village have left to lose?
This sentiment echoed in the hearts of all the Sand shinobi.
After all, if they were going to die anyway, they might as well take a chance.
If they won, they would enjoy the spoils; if they lost, they would die with honor.
With this mindset, it was no wonder the Sand shinobi were fighting with such high morale.
"I won't let you succeed!"
Despite his personal ambitions, Danzo had no shortage of determination to do everything for the village, so he began to fight with all his might.
Unfortunately, the gap between an elite Jonin and a Kage-level powerhouse was like a chasm. Without a unique secret technique or forbidden jutsu, it was nearly impossible to bridge that gap.
Yukikura not only had to face his desperate attacks but also had to fend off the surging Leaf shinobi. Even so, she maintained the upper hand.
"Charge!"
"Follow Lord Yukikura! Kill these despicable Leaf shinobi!"
"Attack together!"
...
The over a hundred Sand shinobi who accompanied Yukikura in the surprise attack were now fighting with renewed vigor, climbing the high walls of the camp.
They fought to the death, determined to take as many Leaf shinobi with them as they could.
Even with the advantage of terrain and numbers, the Leaf shinobi were now on the back foot.
When the top fighters were outmatched, this was the inevitable outcome.
In small-scale battles, the influence of top-tier fighters was undeniable.
"Dammit!"
Danzo watched as his subordinates died one by one from dehydration, his eyes turning red with rage.
Unfortunately, he lacked the 'Otsutsuki' bloodline, so no matter how angry he was, he couldn't use any special abilities.
After barely holding out for over ten minutes:
Pierce!
Yukikura stabbed him through the neck with a kunai.
By then, there were few Leaf shinobi left in the entire border camp, only Sand shinobi drenched in blood.
A flag representing the Sand shinobi was raised high above the camp.
"Send a message to the Rock Hidden Village. It's their turn now!"
Yukikura glanced at the remaining Sand shinobi, a flicker of hesitation crossing her mind, but she quickly suppressed it and loudly issued orders to those around her.
Indeed!
Even if the Sand Hidden Village was fighting to the death, it didn't mean they were just blindly attacking.
During the previous joint Chunin exams, the Third Kazekage and the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, had already agreed to invade the Land of Fire together.
However, the Third Kazekage's disappearance had delayed their plans.
While sending messages to question the Leaf Village, the Sand Hidden Village had been preparing for war and secretly re-establishing their agreement with the Rock Hidden Village.
Yes, this was the truth behind the Third Shinobi World War.
The reason given in the anime, that the Sand Hidden Village attacked the Leaf Village due to the Third Kazekage's disappearance, was nothing but a lie to fool children.
With the fall of the border camp, the scattered outposts and checkpoints had no chance against the Sand shinobi.
The southwestern border had fallen!
This news sparked a strong reaction in the Leaf Village.
First, the Uchiha clan stepped forward.
They declared that the Sand Hidden Village had betrayed the alliance between the two villages and that the Uchiha clan would help the village reclaim its honor.
In response to their request to join the battle, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, said:
The Uchiha's intentions are good, and their actions are commendable, but compared to the Sand Hidden Village, the Mist Hidden Village posed a greater threat. Therefore, the 'strongest' Uchiha needed to be deployed to defend against them.
Thus, the Uchiha clan was indeed sent to the battlefield, but they were dispatched to fight the Mist shinobi.
The Mist shinobi!
Compared to the Sand shinobi, the Mist shinobi were particularly effective against the Uchiha.
Who didn't know that this clan excelled in Fire Release techniques, and that mist could counter the Sharingan? Fighting the Mist shinobi was a nightmare.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi appointed Orochimaru as the commander, leading two thousand Leaf shinobi to face the Sand shinobi.
However, the escort team that had escaped from the border camp made no move to assist.
Rescuing them was not impossible.
But with the Sand Hidden Village now controlling the border, the cost of a rescue mission was too high.
So, they were left to sacrifice themselves for the 'Will of Fire.'
Since they were going to sacrifice themselves anyway, some believed that their sacrifice should be maximized.
Thus, a heated debate erupted in the Hokage's office.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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