The Frontline

In the western part of the Land of Demons, there is a canyon with towering, precipitous Takayama on both sides, forming a natural barrier.

Using this as a base, the armies of the Rock Ninja and the Land of Demons set up several lines of defense to block Kai and his Ghost Legion's attack on the heart of the Land of Demons.

When Taiichi's Shadow Clone followed Kitsuchi to the watchtower, the sight before him caused his pupils to shrink slightly.

The rock walls on both sides of the canyon were covered with makeshift defensive fortifications, and the soldiers of the Land of Demons, wearing simple armor and holding spears and shields, formed tight square formations.

What they faced was a tidal wave of greyish-white figures surging in from the other side of the canyon— the Ghost Legion.

These Puppet, made of clay and stone, are dressed as standard Warring States Period armored Samurai. At first glance, each one looks imposing. As they move, they emit a rustling, grinding sound; thousands of these sounds converge into a chilling low hum.

"Ordinary soldiers are responsible for holding the main battle line," Kitsuchi said, pointing to the battlefield below, his voice hoarse. "These Puppet Soldier aren't strong individually; three or five soldiers working together can take one down. The ninjas are responsible for reinforcements and penetrating deep into enemy territory. Everyone needs to cooperate—"

Before he could finish speaking, a blinding burst of Kakkou suddenly erupted in front of the canyon.

More than a dozen Iwagakure Ninja attacked from the flank, all of them Earth Style ninjas slamming their hands on the ground.

Earth Style: Earth Style: Rock Pillar Spear

Suddenly, a series of sharp stone pillars shot out from the ground, instantly impaling hundreds of ghost Puppet.

Another team of ninjas followed closely behind, their Fire Release Ninjutsu crashing into the enemy ranks like meteors, blasting a scorched earth.

But just as the Rock Ninja team withdrew for rotation, the shattered clay fragments began to slowly wriggle and gather together as if they were alive. In just two or three minutes, the scattered ghosts began to reform.

"See that?" Kitsuchi sighed, pointing to the newly formed Puppet Soldier. "They can't be killed. After being completely shattered, they will reassemble under the influence of the Moryo's power. Depending on the degree of shattering, they can be fully restored in a few minutes to half an hour."

What we're doing now is using this "break-delay-regenerate" method to forcefully slow down the Ghost Legion's advance.

Taiichi's gaze swept across the entire battlefield.

The canyon is only two hundred meters wide, which is why the Rock Ninja chose this location – the narrow terrain limits the Ghost Legion's deployment.

Even so, the grayish-white tide still stretched as far as the eye could see. Every fifty meters along the rock face, there was a recess carved out by the Rock Ninja, which was used as a resting area, but at this moment, most of the recesses were empty.

"How many ninjas are left to rotate in?" Taiichi asked.

A scarred Iwagakure standing nearby smiled Jonin: "Besides the wounded, there are still 234 people who retain combat strength. But everyone has been fighting at high intensity for four days, and most of them, even after resting, have less than 70% of their peak Chakra."

A brief silence fell over the watchtower.

Outside the tower, another wave of Puppet Soldier broke through the defensive line of the soldiers on the left. Three soldiers from the Land of Demons were tackled by several Puppet, and stone swords were about to be slashed at their necks.

Just at the critical moment, an Earth Wall rose from the ground and smashed the Puppet Soldier aside. Two Rock Ninja arrived in Body Flicker and swiftly tore the Puppet Soldier to pieces.

Before the Rock Ninja who had saved the lives could even catch their breath, a new attack came from behind.

"Careful!"

Taiichi One-Handed Seal one hand, and a Vacuum Sphere shot out, accurately blasting away the head of the sneak-attacking Puppet.

Naiwa Rock Ninja glanced back at the watchtower, nodded wearily, and then turned back to the battle.

"If we continue fighting like this, it's only a matter of time before our lines are breached."

Taiichi's voice was calm, yet it sent a chill down the spines of all the Rock Ninja inside the tower. "Ninjas are human too. Even if they can take turns resting, continuous battles will exhaust them and leave them numb, let alone ordinary soldiers."

He turned his head, staring directly at the Kitsuchi: "Didn't you try to kill or seal the Moryo directly? If the source isn't eliminated, these Ghost Legion will only multiply with each battle."

The Kitsuchi clenched its fists so tightly they cracked.

"We tried." His voice was filled with suppressed anger. "When we first arrived, we organized an elite ninja assault. That time, we fought our way through these Puppet Soldiers for fifteen miles. Two Jonin were killed, and hundreds of Chunin or killed. But even so, we only caught a glimpse of the Moryo in the distance before we were too exhausted to continue and retreated."

Looking at these tireless Puppet Soldier before him and listening to Kitsuchi's brief account, Taiichi could imagine the ferocity of the battle at that time.

The scarred Jonin added, "That was the only time we saw the true form of the Moryo. Since then, the Ghost Legion has grown larger and larger, and we have never found any trace of the Moryo again."

He punched the watchtower's railing, slightly warping the wooden frame. "We arrived too late, missing the best opportunity to destroy it. To reseal it, we must withstand the onslaught of these Ghost Legion and find the true form of the Moryo first."

Taiichi's gaze swept over the Rock Ninja inside the tower.

Apart from Kitsuchi, who had just arrived, the others were all injured. Keep in mind that they were all Jonin, with top-notch experience and strength, so you can imagine how brutal the battle was.

"With our current strength, even defense is extremely difficult." A sense of helplessness lingered in the scarred Jonin's voice. "To organize another force to penetrate deeper into enemy territory and find the Moryo, I'm afraid—"

He didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood.

This canyon is the last natural barrier in the heart of the Land of Demons.

Once this area is breached, the area behind will be completely open, allowing the Ghost Legion to disperse and attack densely populated towns.

Taiichi fell silent.

He stood at the edge of the observation deck, looking down at the battlefield. The Rock Ninja were still unleashing their ninjutsu, but the frequency was noticeably slower than when he first arrived.

A young Rock Ninja staggered after unleashing his Fire Style and was helped by his companions and dragged to the rest area.

The soldiers of the Land of Demons were also slowly retreating in formation.

It wasn't a rout, but an organized rotation, but each retreating contingent suffered at least a 10% reduction in personnel.

The soldiers' faces were a mixture of fear and numbness; some even mechanically brandished their weapons during the retreat, as if they had forgotten that the battle had temporarily ceased.

In such a situation, if the soldiers hadn't known that the enemy was a heartless monster, they probably would have already laid down their weapons and surrendered on their knees.

"Taiichi."

The sound of the Kitsuchi pulled him back to reality.

The Tsuchikage's son wore an unusually earnest expression. "When will Konoha's reinforcements arrive? The Land of Demons has already sent requests for help to Five Great Nations, but—"

"I arrived so quickly because I was on a mission nearby," Taiichi said without hiding anything. "Konoha's reinforcements have probably just started assembling and departing; it will take at least seven days to reach the front lines."

Suppressed gasps filled the tower.

"Seven days—" a young Rock Ninja murmured, his right hand trembling involuntarily, a consequence of overuse of his muscles.

Taiichi continued, "Cloud Village and Mist Village are too far apart, so it takes time for messages to travel. It will be at least half a month before they make a decision and assemble their forces. You also know the situation in Sunagakure; their strength was greatly diminished Third Shinobi World War. Even if the Fourth Kazekage wanted to help, the forces he could send would be limited."

With each word he spoke, the atmosphere inside the tower grew heavier.

"So now, are we Iwagakure really going to have to hold out like this?" The scarred Jonin's voice carried a hint of anger, but more so, helplessness.

Taiichi nodded. "At least until Konoha arrive, yes."

"But we can't hold out for seven days!" the young Rock Ninja suddenly exclaimed, "Look down there! The brothers are almost at their limit! We've already run out of Chakra recovery potions, and the Medical Ninja are overwhelmed. If we keep fighting like this—"

"Shut up," Kitsuchi hissed.

But after reprimanding his subordinates, he fell silent.

As the person in charge of this support mission, he knew better than anyone how bad the situation was.

Iwagakure is indeed known for its resilience, but even the most resilient force has a breaking point.

At the current rate of casualties and attrition, we can only hold out for three more days at most before a fatal breach inevitably appears in the defensive line.

Taiichi took in everyone's expressions.

Morale had plummeted to a dangerous level. Ninjas are human too; even the strongest will wavers when hope is lost. Moreover, these Rock Ninja had been fighting on the front lines for days, and were exhausted both physically and mentally.

This can't go on.

"Don't worry," Taiichi suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a resolute tone, "Konoha, as the number one ninja village in the Ninja World, will never sit idly by in the face of a disaster that threatens the safety of the entire Ninja World."

I will personally write to the village explaining the critical situation. I believe the Hokage-sama will organize an elite force, lightly equipped and on a forced march. If all goes well, this reinforcement should arrive in five days.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over each face. "Besides, don't forget, I, Taichi Matsushita, am worth an entire ninja squad."

These words were spoken with force and conviction, even carrying a hint of self-praise. Under normal circumstances, the Rock Ninja would have already refuted them.

Number one in the Ninja World? Did they even ask us at Iwagakure?

But at this moment, not a single person uttered a word of doubt.

They desperately needed hope, even if that hope came from Konoha, their long-time adversary.

"Five days—can we really get there?" the young Rock Ninja asked softly, a faint light rekindling in his eyes.

"Believe in me, and believe in Konoha. Konoha will not let you down." Taiichi's words were firm, giving people a feeling of full confidence.

This statement was like a shot of adrenaline.

Kitsuchi took a deep breath and straightened his back. "Alright, we'll hold out for another five days! Pass down the order to readjust the rotation sequence, and incorporate the wounded who can still fight into the second-line echelon. The Medical Team will prioritize treating the seriously wounded; those with minor injuries will be handled by the medical staff!"

"Yes!" the scarred Jonin answered loudly, turning to relay the order.

Seeing the ever-growing Ghost Legion, Taiichi had no intention of sitting here and waiting to die.

"Simply holding out isn't enough; we need to cause some trouble for the Moryo." Taiichi walked to the edge of the watchtower, his Chakra beginning to flow slowly behind him. "The Moryo is the core of the problem. You continue to hold it off here; I'll penetrate deeper into enemy territory and find its location no matter what."

Kitsuchi was taken aback. "You're alone? That's too dangerous—"

He only got halfway through his sentence before realizing that the guy in front of him was just a Shadow Clone, completely unafraid of sacrifice.

But after a pause, he continued, "You need to be careful. In our previous attacks, we encountered ambushes by enemy ninjas. Now that I think about it, they were from the Akatsuki."

"It's precisely because there's an ambush that we need to go." Taiichi's lips curled into a cold smile. "If we don't figure out their situation first, the situation might become even more chaotic and dangerous once reinforcements from other ninja villages arrive."

These words made Kitsuchi instantly understand.

Indeed, the various ninja villages are not under each other's command. If they are still completely unaware of the enemy by then, and the enemy takes advantage of the situation, even if they impersonate ninjas from other villages to cause trouble, it will further worsen the war situation.

"Then... do we need to arrange for someone to cooperate?" Kitsuchi stopped trying to dissuade him and instead asked about the tactical details.

"No need," Taiichi shook his head. "Too many people would make us easier to be discovered. Besides—"

Behind him, pale blue Chakra began to materialize, condensing into a pair of broad wings that stood out conspicuously in the dim light.

I have this.

Kitsuchi looked at the pair of wings with a complicated expression.

How could he forget that this guy can fly?

As Ōnoki's son, he knew all too well the advantages of being able to fly freely.

In the current situation, Taichi Matsushita, who is capable of flight, has absolutely no need to worry about the danger from the Ghost Legion.

What was a perilous Scout mission for them was, in Taiichi's eyes, simply a matter of flying higher and circling a few more times.

The only thing to watch out for now is the attack from the main body of the Moryo and the Akatsuki.

Kitsuchi's face turned pale and ashen, but Taiichi was already prepared.

"Hold the line and preserve your strength as much as possible," Taiichi instructed finally. "If you notice any change in the Ghost Legion's offensive rhythm, or any large-scale disturbances, it means I've found the Moryo —or, the Akatsuki has found him."

After saying that, he said no more.

With a sudden unfurling of its wings, a violent gust of air swept outwards from the watchtower. The Rock Ninja inside instinctively raised their hands to shield themselves, and when they opened their eyes again after the wind pressure had subsided, Taiichi had already soared into the sky, transforming into a blue streak of light that shot into the depths of the canyon.

Kitsuchi strode to the edge of the watchtower, staring intently at the figure that disappeared into the gray-white Shuishang.

"Order all troops to enter high alert," he commanded in a deep voice. "Medical Team, treat the wounded immediately; logistics groups, distribute all remaining Military Ration Pill. We might—"

He paused, gazing at the faint, continuous silhouettes of the Ghost Legion visible on the distant horizon.

"----We'll soon need to go all out."

The wind in the canyon howled past, carrying the stench of blood.

Unlike usual, the stench of blood was entirely from the blood of their own ninjas and soldiers, making everyone's faces look particularly grim.

Shrine Maiden Palace.

Miroku had just finished reading the battle report sent from the front lines when she turned around and saw a scene that almost made her lose her mind.

She saw her daughter, who had just woken up, lying on the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, one little hand tugging at a tuft of fur on the Nine-Tails fox, the other hand chasing after the Nine-Tails's constantly swaying tail, making "ee-ee-ya-ya" sounds that seemed to be both happy and anxious.

Nine-Tails, that's Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Don't be fooled by its current small size; Miroku can sense the immense power contained within it.

--

At this moment, the face that had just regained some color thanks to Taiichi's treatment turned even paler.

Just as Miroku was thinking of taking his daughter away quietly before Nine-Tails got angry, Nine-Tails, who had been keeping her eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

The peace that had filled his eyes was gone; instead, there was endless violence.