Chapter 979: Fear of Insufficient Firepower!
Chapter 979: Fear of Insufficient Firepower!
The Flag!
Sunflare Flags were raised in a row on the side of the battlefield, each one fluttering in the night sky. Despite the late hour, the bright full moon and the sharp vision of the shinobi meant that the battle was unaffected, and they couldn't help but notice this display.
"Sunflare Flags!"
"It's the Sunflare Army!"
"It's a fake, it has to be!"
"Impossible! This is the Lightning Country, not Heaven's Castle. The Sunflare Army can't be here!"
...
Confusion spread among the Allied Forces.
A name like a tree's shadow! The Sunflare Nation's reputation wasn't just talk; it was earned through countless battles.
Their sudden appearance caused quite a stir.
Note that the Allied Forces had received news of the Sunflare Army's landing, but this information was only shared among the higher-ups and not communicated to all members.
The leaders were well aware that revealing this information would bring no benefits and could easily cause chaos.
So, when the lower-ranking shinobi saw the Sunflare Flags, their reaction was intense.
"Have they arrived?"
Dang Ping, who had just escaped from Tomoe's attack with the Yasaka Magatama, spoke calmly as he tended to his injuries and aftereffects, as if he had known all along.
Yes, he had anticipated this.
While he trusted the promise of the Sunflare Lord, Douhei, it didn't mean he hadn't prepared for the worst-case scenario.
And now, the worst had come to pass.
"Did they fail?"
Naruto Uzumaki smiled bitterly as he looked at the Sunflare Flags.
At this moment, with the Ten-Tails' rebirth from the divine tree, the Wood Raptors stopped spawning, allowing the Allied Forces to quickly eliminate them. This gave the Kage some time to think about other matters.
"Damn the Sunflare Nation! I will lead the Allied Forces to ultimate victory!"
A clenched his teeth in anger.
The Sunflare Army's intervention meant the Allied Forces' defeat, and he was well aware of this.
However, he didn't accuse Douhei of betrayal, as the Ten-Tails' birth didn't break the promise.
After all, the Sunflare Nation was powerful, and with a valid reason, no one would dare argue with them, even if the reason had some flaws.
In the sky, black dots rapidly grew larger.
They were Kilov Skywarriors!
Fifty in total, each one painted in a sleek red shark design, with sharp edges and an aggressive appearance.
These war-born airships were equipped with shuriken guns, bed crossbows, cannons, and other war machines, along with countless airstrike bombs, incendiary bombs, and more, making them flying fortresses.
While incredibly powerful, the price of a Kilov Skywarrior was astonishing.
The cost alone was no less than 300 million yang, and if sold, the price would start at 1 billion.
The reason was simple: they utilized cutting-edge technology and the finest materials. If the price wasn't so exorbitant, they might have had more than fifty by now.
But you get what you pay for, and the Kilov Skywarrior lived up to its price tag.
A single Kilov Skywarrior could easily destroy a small country with a population of less than a million.
One or two might be manageable, but fifty was a different story.
The cost alone was 1.5 billion yang, an enormous sum.
To put it into perspective, Konoha's annual budget was around 2 billion, making these airships incredibly expensive.
Note that one yang was now equivalent to several ounces, so 1.5 billion yang was nearly 10 billion ounces.
This starkly highlighted the difference between the Sunflare Nation and the Shinobi Villages.
Following the Kilov Skywarriors were over a hundred transport airships, each one looking much 'chubbier' and slower, with lower survivability.
But they made up for it with their cargo capacity.
Their sheer volume was enough.
Inside, they carried massive quantities of incendiary bombs and air-dropped bombs.
Note that air-dropped bombs were simple gunpowder weapons, not 'airstrike bombs.'
Even with the Sunflare Nation's advanced production capabilities, it was unlikely they could produce enough explosive tags to make airstrike bombs, so these weapons, despite their usefulness, were limited in number. Other throwing weapons had to be used as substitutes.
Thus, incendiary bombs and air-dropped bombs came into play.
Incendiary bombs, made from refined black oil and gunpowder, were straightforward.
Though its power and capabilities paled in comparison to the Airstrike Bomb, the good news was that these bombs were incredibly cheap and could be produced at an astonishing rate.
The transport airships were loaded with various types of ammunition for throwing.
While the transport airships themselves had no combat capabilities, they possessed the terrifying power to raze an entire nation with their bombing capabilities.
Naturally, the transport airships wouldn't venture out alone; they were accompanied by Kilov Skywarriors and a force of ten thousand Air Force members, each of whom was as formidable as a Wind Release Flying Ninja.
With the Kilov Skywarriors and the Air Force as escorts, these hundred giant transport airships could conduct their bombing runs with ease.
If they were to unload all the ammunition they carried, they could destroy an entire country, let alone a single battlefield. This was a preparation for a 'saturation carpet bombing.'
Tang Ping, suffering from 'fear-of-under firepower,' had been preparing for this decisive battle for years, bringing all the resources he needed at once.
He was determined to use everything at his disposal, even if it meant leveling the entire land.
The Allied Shinobi Forces felt a sense of unease as they looked up at the sky, covered by the massive aerial fleet.
Even at their peak, they wouldn't have had the confidence to match the Sunflare Army in aerial combat, let alone now, after suffering significant losses.
Fortunately, the Sunflare Army was on their side... for now.
Up until this point, the Allied Shinobi Forces had believed that the Sunflare Army's target was to snatch 'prey' from them, referring to Akatsuki, and never considered that they themselves were also prey.
If the Scorch Sun Nation wanted to unify the Ninja World, these people were the biggest obstacles, making them a higher priority to deal with than Akatsuki.
And it wasn't just the sky!
Boom!
A mountain wall was blown apart, revealing a massive gap as the ground-effect vehicle, spewing powerful air currents, flew out.
Each of these vehicles was a metal warship weighing several tens of thousands of tons.
While they might not be larger than the transport airships in the sky, their all-metal hulls were far more intimidating than the airships.
After entering the battlefield, seven ground-effect vehicles formed a 'human' formation.
The Sunflare Ship, which was at the center, had recently left the shipyard and was significantly larger than the surrounding vessels. Its Sunflare Flag fluttered in the wind, clearly indicating its allegiance.
On the deck, fully armed Sunflare ninjas stood in formation, each wearing a Sunflare forehead protector, a tactical jacket covering most of their body, and a tactical belt loaded with ninjutsu tools and supplies.
In terms of treatment, equipment, and logistics, the Scorch Sun Nation could confidently declare, "I'm not targeting anyone in particular, but everyone here is trash compared to us."
These advantages were what allowed the Sunflare Nation to grow rapidly, suppressing the other major powers.
Fortunately, the strict management of the Shinobi Villages and the Allied Shinobi Forces' frantic efforts to block related news prevented many ninjas from defecting to the Sunflare Nation.
If these benefits and treatments were made public, it was possible that ninjas from all villages except the Five Great Shinobi Villages might defect to the Scorch Sun Nation.
"That's not right!"
Ai suddenly realized something.
The Sunflare Army's targets seemed to be more than just the Ten-Tails.
"Could it be?"
Naruto Uzumaki carefully observed and noticed that the Sunflare Army's actions didn't seem to target Akatsuki alone; instead, they seemed to be... targeting the Allied Shinobi Forces.
"Beware of the Sunflare Army!"
Dang Ping, who was tending to his injuries and condition, directly issued the command in a loud voice.
In response, the Allied Shinobi Forces began preparing for battle.
However, their reaction caused Tang Ping, standing at the top of the cliff, to shake his head slightly.
"Too late!"
Since he had chosen to take action, it meant the Allied Shinobi Forces had no way to retreat.
At that moment, he released his Death God Clone, transporting himself from the intertwined space to the Ninja World.
Currently, only Hyuga Aozuki was by his side; the others had already appeared where they were supposed to be.
On the Sunflare Ship!
The Suna and Kumo ninjas, positioned on the outskirts of the Allied Shinobi Forces, seemed to be blocking their retreat.
Well, as long as the Allied Shinobi Forces didn't try to escape, they wouldn't rush to backstab them.
(End of Chapter)
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