The Battle Begins!
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This is the only passage connecting the two great powers. On both sides of the path stand two extremely majestic and towering mountains— Kikyo Mountain. These towering mountains are natural barriers. As long as Konoha stations its troops on these two peaks, it can firmly control this vital passage.
This is also Konoha's only and last line of defense against the Sand Ninja. If Kikyo Mountain is breached, then the vast plains of the Land of Fire will be completely exposed to the Sand Ninja's army, which will advance unimpeded!
Kikyo Mountain was not what Shunren had imagined. He thought that while the mountain would indeed be an obstacle for ordinary people, it couldn't possibly be an obstacle for ninjas, since ninjas could run at speeds of several kilometers per minute and easily jump tens of meters. Ordinary mountains were nothing more than a "hurdle track" for athletes to ninjas.
However, in reality, the definition of a mountain in this world is different from that of the Shunren. When people mention mountains, they always think of mountain ranges that are thousands of meters high and stretch horizontally. Only such a vast area can become a large-scale battlefield for ninjas!
Konoha has laid a vast network of traps throughout its extended mountain range, with specially made steel wire mesh in the jungle resembling a spiderweb. At the strategic high ground, the Earth Release teams have constructed incredibly sturdy bunkers. Behind these fortifications, multiple layers of complex defensive Barrier Ninjutsu have been specially arranged, enabling them to withstand even forbidden techniques from Kage Level ninjas!
The defensive strongholds on the hilltop were piled up with Shuriken, Kunai, and other weapons, transported by cartload, ready to be rained down upon the enemy once the battle began!
With 3,000 Konoha Ninja led by the Uchiha Clan, Kikyo Mountain Kikyo Mountain must be an impregnable fortress. Even the Sand Ninja Village, a major ninja village, would have to pay a bloody price to force its way through it!
Uchiha Kyosho, Uchiha Fugaku, and Uchiha Yashiro —these three were all powerful ninjas who held pivotal positions within the Uchiha Clan. At this moment, their gazes were solemn as they stared into the distance below the mountain. With their proud eyesight, they could clearly see that there, a densely packed army of Sand Ninja out like a dark cloud, numbering over 5,000!
Of course, what worried them the most was not these ordinary ninjas, because although the Sand Ninja had a numerical advantage, the difference between the two was not too exaggerated, and they could barely make up for the difference in combat strength with their advantage of terrain.
However, the biggest problem is the few powerful ninjas hidden within the Sand Ninja Army. In the eyes of truly powerful ninjas, ordinary ninja armies are not much of a threat, because a single Jonin can easily withstand the combined attack of hundreds or thousands of Genin. This is precisely why the world reveres ninjas.
In the ninja world, strength reigns supreme, power secondary.
Take the Sannin of Konoha as an example. Undoubtedly, all three are powerful ninjas at the Kage Level. Jiraiya currently traveling the world writing erotic novels, Tsunade leaves Konoha whenever she's in a bad mood, and Orochimaru is secretly conducting human experiments. They have no need to obey the orders of Konoha High Command. If the Third hadn't offered the nomination for the next Hokage as bait, Orochimaru wouldn't have obeyed orders to participate in the war against the Cloud Ninja!
This is the fundamental reason why Shunren pursues to improve his strength, because only by growing to the level of the Sannin can he resist the authoritarian orders of the Konoha High Command.
"Is the war finally about to begin?" Shunren's gaze was fixed on the rapidly advancing Sand Ninja army in the distance. No need for fanfare or any extra opening remarks, the entire army silently launched its attack. This was the war of the ninjas.
Kyosho raised his palm, his expression unwavering. "Operation begins!"
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh~" At the command, the Konoha Ninja quickly mobilized.
Everyone to their positions. Shunren, following his previous orders, went to the intelligence group behind the troops.
Within the intelligence group, several smaller teams were further divided. Five people sat facing each other, forming a large Sensory Technique array to constantly monitor the details of the battlefield. Similar teams included those that countered perception, those responsible for eavesdropping and deciphering enemy intelligence codes, and so on. The explanations are somewhat complicated.
Shunren thought to himself that this intelligence group was like a Hokage version of cyber warfare, with radar for sensing, electronic interference for counter-sensing, and hacking for deciphering codes.
No wonder there are very few descriptions of this aspect in the original work; intelligence warfare is utterly devoid of any interest whatsoever...
Shunren was also a sensory-type ninja, but he hadn't specifically learned Barrier Ninjutsu or ciphers, so he couldn't participate. Therefore, Shunren's task became protecting these intelligence agents.
Although it was a protection mission, the intelligence group was generally the safest because they were positioned at the rear of the unit. Furthermore, the unit specifically assigned Yashiro, one of the best Uchiha members, to guard the rear.
"Damn it!" Yashiro kicked the table in front of him hard, cursing, "Why did they make me watch the back door! What was the clan chief thinking? What do I lack compared to Fugaku!"
"Lord Yashiro, the clan chief has instructed us to perform our duties as sentries well, in order to prevent..." a subordinate tried to persuade Yashiro.
"Defend my ass!" Yashiro glared at him fiercely and said coldly, "This is the army's rear area. How are the Sand Ninja supposed to infiltrate here?!"
"That's true, but the clan chief's orders..."
"I know! You guys and the rest of you, just go patrol. I'll stay here and keep watch." Yashiro dismissively ordered his men to patrol, while he himself stayed behind and did nothing. This was understandable; as a high-ranking member of the Uchiha Clan, it was impossible for him not to resent being ordered to guard the rear.
If the team Yashiro, was so lax, his subordinates were even worse. Although they obeyed orders to go out on patrol, their lack of motivation made it seem like they were just taking a stroll, showing absolutely no sense of vigilance.
"..." Shunren saw all of this, but he remained silent, only his brows furrowed slightly.
Just in case, I should do something myself.
"Yin Release: Projection!"
The Stone of Insight can deploy three invisible Stealth Ward to monitor an area.