Artillery Cover

Under normal circumstances, the human eye could see objects up to 20 kilometers away, while the effective scouting range was about 5 kilometers.

Of course, depending on factors such as the target's size, the observer's elevation, the number of obstructions, and the weather, this figure could fluctuate within a certain range.

However, when it came to conflicts between nations, dividing a battlefield solely according to one person's field of vision was far too narrow a view...

After a long silence, the battle of offense and defense deep in the Land of Fire finally began to shift.

Setting aside all the probing and successes or failures that had come before, both sides had made thorough preparations within the limits of their own understanding, and were now hurtling toward a decisive battle in which one side would live and the other die.

Soji had no idea what the Sand Ninja, who had pushed deep behind enemy lines, were planning at that moment...

But at least on the Frontline Support Battalion's side, Konoha had fully mobilized the manpower and resources it had committed to this mission!

Nearly all the escorting shinobi had been gathered six hours before the operation, while the much larger scouting force had been reorganized for this specific task even earlier.

Even Teacher Motochika himself, the overall commander, had changed into his combat gear well in advance and was ready to launch the operation at any moment.

Then, at around 7:20 p.m. that evening, Inoue Reina, who was in charge of communications, finally delivered the crucial intelligence everyone had been waiting for.

"The target has entered the designated area. Rock-Pipit Desolate City and its surroundings are now at Level One combat readiness."

"Good. Team 11 will stay behind on the transport ship. Everyone else, disembark at once and move toward Rock-Pipit City!"

Rock-Pipit City was less than five kilometers from Dead Gull Ridge as the crow flew.

Having spent the past few days studying maps of the lower Amber River, Soji could picture the terrain surrounding the target almost as soon as he heard its name.

Built during the Warring States period, Rock-Pipit Desolate City was an ancient fortress whose main structures had mostly fallen into ruin. But the site was naturally defensible, with barren flats in front and rocky hills behind, and afforded an excellent view of the surrounding area.

By occupying the site in advance, the Sand Ninja could both threaten ships on the Amber River at any moment and keep a close eye on everything around them in the heavily forested Land of Fire.

...The enemy's choice of position showed that their commander was every bit the seasoned expert in the art of combat.

Yet considering Teacher Motochika's earlier arrangements, the enemy's caution and sound judgment had ironically become the very things that led them into the trap!

The natural barrier of scattered rocks and dangerous shallows seemed to save the Sand Ninja the effort of scouting, but in fact, it provided the highest level of cover for Konoha's coming move.

Before long, the Sand Ninja would use their own precious lives to prove the fallacy of "seeing is believing."

On the battlefield, what most often misled you was the very sense you trusted most in everyday life!

On Konoha's side, Nara Motonari briskly zipped up his tool pouch as soon as he received the intelligence. He sprang to his feet and began issuing orders.

"The Sand Ninja force that infiltrated our borders has been exposed! The counterattack begins now!

"The enemy numbers about three squads. Our scouts are currently monitoring their movements in real time.

"We still don't know exactly who is leading the Sand Ninja, but anyone sent on a long-range operation behind enemy lines must be one of the Land of Wind's elite. That means we're outnumbered, and our individual combat strength is unlikely to give us an edge either!"

He got straight to the point, first emphasizing the difficulties before turning to the advantages.

At that, Teacher Motonari paused briefly, then quickly shifted course. "But the battle is taking place within the Land of Fire. In addition to all of you, the reinforcements arranged by the Hokage are also racing toward the target! They'll join up with us, and we'll launch our attack together!

"The Sand Ninja are lying in wait along the river, rested and ready. If we follow our original route downstream, we'll walk straight into their ambush.

"Our only chance to win outright is to go on the offensive and strike first at the Sand Ninja entrenched in Rock-Pipit City!"

Nara Motonari slapped the table and lowered his voice. "Everyone! The success or failure of this operation rests on this one move!"

"If we win tonight, the Sand Ninja won't be able to muster a force of this size to cross the border again anytime soon, and the international situation will shift in Konoha's favor!" Teacher Motonari raised his right arm, his eyes gleaming. "Everyone! Now is the time to put the Will of Fire into practice!"

"For the Hokage!"

"For the village!"

"Down with the invaders from the Land of Wind!"

"Yes!!!" everyone shouted in response!

The brief pre-battle speech stirred the blood and ambition of most of the young shinobi.

Soji had already received a signal from Teacher Motonari. He led Erina out of the tent to make one final check of the special ninja tools they had assembled earlier.

"Teacher Motonari asked me to check whether the 'No. 2 Turrets' you assembled have been calibrated."

"They've been ready for ages!"

"Have you checked all three?"

"I check them three times every day!"

The girl was still young, and Nara Commander's rousing words had left her so excited she could hardly contain herself!

She gave Soji a thumbs-up, her face full of anticipation. "Is Teacher planning to use my invention to attack Rock-Pipit City?"

"More or less." Soji nodded.

Though he had only just learned the full details of the plan, the meeting a few days ago had prepared him for it. So when he spoke again, he sounded far more composed. "How much ammunition do we have?"

"Each turret has five special rounds, but the equipment isn't very stable. Each launcher can fire no more than three times in a row! Otherwise, the internal structure could break and cause an accident!"

"I understand... I'll let Todo know to help you transport the equipment. To be safe, don't let anyone else touch the No. 2 Turrets until all the rounds have been fired!"

"Don't worry, Soji. I understand!"

As the developer of this new type of ninja tool, Erina knew better than anyone that those lumps of iron were far more "fragile" than they looked.

To prevent any deliberate or accidental damage, she had to take full responsibility for keeping the No. 2 Turrets safe until they were deployed!

Fortunately, all that caution from Soji and Nara Motonari proved unnecessary in the end...

The Sand Ninja had gotten their intelligence about the Frontline Support Battalion's movements from an agency other than the Guard Unit. On the way to the battlefield, there were no turncoats, and no one sabotaged the operation.

So after the main force reached the outskirts of Rock-Pipit City, Soji used the opportunity to pass along a coded signal and discreetly retrieved the Glass Fiber he had attached to everyone beforehand. Then, with help from his two teammates, he set up the siege weapons as Teacher Motonari had instructed.

About two kilometers to the southwest, the ruined walls of Rock-Pipit Desolate City were just visible through the trees.

...For ordinary shinobi who couldn't pilot a giant robot, this distance was far beyond the effective range of most ninjutsu.

And if they advanced along the dangerous riverbank, the defenders would spot them before they got close.

Even if they used large-scale Earth Release to move underground and shorten the distance, the Sand Ninja might be carrying anti-infiltration devices. There was a good chance those would detect Konoha's forces before they could launch their attack!

But with the help of tools and talismans, how could a mere two kilometers pose any challenge to Erina's carefully crafted masterpiece?

"All set! The firing angle is calibrated. Ready to fire!"

Gripping the Shimenawa extending from the backs of the three launchers, Erina channeled her chakra into them.

In an instant, dense rows of tiny inscriptions appeared on the zigzag-shaped Gohei hanging from the ropes, then steadily flowed toward the bodies of the turrets.

Seeing this, Soji immediately turned to the commander for instructions. Teacher Motonari didn't hesitate. He waved his hand, signaling the start of the operation!

In the blink of an eye, oval projectiles soared into the sky, heading straight for Rock-Pipit City!

Like meteors, they streaked through the night, trailing dazzling beams of light and drawing bright comet tails across the sky. Then they exploded above their target with a deafening blast, unleashing blinding light and a tremendous sonic boom!

"What is that?!"

"Ah!! My eyes! My eyes!"

"My ears!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The screams had barely begun when the second wave of attacks arrived!

The experienced and formidable Sand Ninja intercepted one of the projectiles with a low flight path, destroying it before it could reach its target.

But that, too, was part of the attackers' plan!

Without the momentum to carry it onward, the round couldn't reach its intended destination through the Wind Release Ninjutsu. But before it hit the ground, it exploded a second time!

The specially modified Explosive Tags scattered in every direction like blazing red flowers. In the blink of an eye, a fierce fire was raging through the vine-choked ruins of Rock-Pipit City!

At the same time, the assault force led personally by Teacher Motonari advanced rapidly under cover of the bombardment. Before long, they had crossed the dangerous shallows and closed in on the enemy's stronghold!

A far more brutal close-quarters battle began.