However, Hoshino did not linger.
Because the Armed Forces Department led by Arashi were less than half a minute away from Shayan, they were able to arrive in time.
The night was as dark as ink, and the desert outside Sunagakure gleamed with a cold, silvery light under the moonlight.
Nearly two thousand ninja soldiers who had left the border surged toward Sunagakure like a tidal wave, their footsteps and the clanging of ninja tools particularly jarring in the silent desert.
The Sunagakure is right in front of us. As long as we rush in, the Council of Elders ' orders can be fulfilled!
A ruthless glint flashed in Iwasaki's eyes.
As the commander of the border troops, he had experienced countless life-or-death battles, but tonight's mission made him inexplicably uneasy.
To be honest, he really didn't want to fight a civil war, because regardless of who won or lost, it would only benefit the other ninja villages.
After all, Sunagakure's power ranks last among the Five Great Shinobi Villages. If another civil war breaks out, it might even end up being bullied by other smaller ninja villages.
But he couldn't disobey his superiors' orders; after all, his whole family depended on the Council of Elders for support.
Without the Council of Elders, he'd probably still be floundering in some quagmire, let alone become Jonin and the commander of a ninja force.
People should know how to be grateful!
At worst, he could use his life to stop other ninja villages from invading in the future.
The desert under the moonlight should have been silent, but at this moment it was eerily quiet.
There was no wind, no insect chirping, and even one's own breathing sounded unusually harsh, as if the entire desert was holding its breath, waiting for something.
"Something's not right..." Iwasaki suddenly raised his hand, signaling the troops to slow down.
"Could it be that they sensed our arrival and deliberately set a trap?" the deputy asked in a low voice.
"Whether it's a trap or not, we have nowhere to retreat!" Iwasaki gritted his teeth and said, "Everyone on high alert, ready for battle at any moment!"
But as soon as the order was given, the sand dunes in the distance suddenly began to 'wriggle'.
"Prepare to attack!"
Hizuki's cold voice rang out over the communication network.
In an instant, five hundred pairs of scarlet prosthetic eyes lit up in the darkness, like the eyes of a demon awakening in the desert.
Boom boom boom--
Hundreds of Chakra beams ripped through the night sky, pouring down like a torrential rain.
The ninjas in the front row didn't even have time to Hand Seals before their chests were pierced by the intense heat.
Iwasaki's pupils suddenly contracted. The scene before him was completely beyond his comprehension. There were no Hand Seals, no Ninjutsu, only cold machinery and precise killing.
"Spread out! Form defensive formation!"
" Earth Release · Earth Style Wall!"
Several Jonin simultaneously Hand Seals, and a thick earthen wall rose from the ground.
But in the very next second, these defenses crumbled under the cutting power of the weapon modules.
Nearly a hundred cybernetic ninjas clad in Chakra Armor stormed into the formation like ghosts, their movements incredibly fast, each swing of their weapons sending up a spray of blood.
This wasn't a battle... this was a massacre!
Iwasaki's hands trembled slightly; he had never seen such an efficient method of killing.
"Everyone, hold on! Counter with Ninjutsu, don't let them disrupt your rhythm!"
At Iwasaki's command, the ninja army unleashed a variety of Ninjutsu to counterattack.
Dozens of ninjas rapidly Hand Seals and shouted, " Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
A massive curtain of water rose the instant the earthen wall shattered, temporarily halting the cybernetic ninja's attack.
The cybernetic ninja, who could wield firearms, did not stop attacking.
Bang bang bang--
Chakra beams continuously struck the water curtain, splashing up large sprays of water, causing the water curtain to sway precariously under the powerful impact.
Hizuki's eyes sharpened, and she issued the order via the communication network.
"The firearms units continue their suppression, Taijutsu ninjas seek an opportunity to break through their defenses! Ninjutsu units, prepare to deliver a fatal blow once the Taijutsu ninjas breach the defenses!"
Upon receiving the order, the cybernetic ninjas from the Armed Forces Department immediately began their operation.
Taijutsu ninjas, with the immense strength and agility granted by their full-body cybernetic modifications, weave through a hail of bullets, their various ninja tools constantly slashing at the ninja army's defensive barriers.
The firepower units maintained constant suppressive fire, unleashing Chakra beams as if they were free.
Meanwhile, the Ninjutsu squad, using various simple devices, could unleash hundreds of Ninjutsu in an instant, landing among the crowd.
The three forces cooperated effectively, managing to suppress a ninja force of nearly three thousand men with only five hundred men.
Seeing this, Iwasaki was extremely anxious. He had to come up with a solution as soon as possible, otherwise this battle would surely end in a crushing defeat.
"Everyone, listen to my command! Concentrate your Chakra and cast Genjutsu! Disrupt their movements!"
The ninja army responded enthusiastically, and some ninjas skilled in Genjutsu began to Hand Seals.
In an instant, the surrounding air seemed to distort, and the prosthetic ninja experienced various hallucinations.
Some witnessed their most fearful scenes, while others lost their way.
Sensing the effects of the Genjutsu, Hizuki immediately said, "Use Chakra to attack the brain and break the Genjutsu! Scan the surroundings with your prosthetic eye to find the caster of the Genjutsu!"
Upon hearing the order, the cybernetic ninjas mobilized their Chakra, surging into their brains to break free from the Genjutsu's control.
At the same time, the prosthetic eye began a high-speed scan to find the source of the Genjutsu. Once found, the firearms and Ninjutsu units immediately followed up and provided fire coverage to that area.
Boom boom boom--
Thick smoke, along with sand and gravel, was hurled up by the explosion, creating billowing dust that filled the sky above the battlefield.
The flashes of Kakkō from the explosion illuminated the night, making everything around them as bright as day and revealing the ninjas' faces, some filled with fear, others with determination.
As the aftershocks of the explosion dissipated, large craters were blasted into the ground in the attacked area, and the surrounding soil was scorched by the high temperature, cracking and spreading outwards like a spider web.
Those ninjas who used Genjutsu were either killed or wounded in this round of fire, lying scattered on the ground, their blood spreading across the dry sand, turning it into an eerie dark red.
"Damn it!" Iwasaki's face turned extremely ugly.
Even Genjutsu didn't work? What kind of monsters are these?!
"Everyone, listen up! Change tactics!"
Iwasaki shouted, "Melee fighters, engage them! Ranged fighters, prepare your combined Ninjutsu! Medical team, be ready!"
The ninja army quickly adjusted their formation.
Hundreds of ninjas skilled in Taijutsu rushed to the front lines, attempting to hold off the cybernetic ninjas with close-quarters combat.
A Jonin the Ninja Army wielded his Ninja Blade and successively killed several ninja with physical bodies.
However, several more ninjas quickly surrounded him, not launching an attack but simply defending, using defensive magic items to hold him off, and then calling for remote support via the internet.
Boom boom boom--
As more than a dozen Ninjutsu and countless beams of Chakra struck, the Jonin was instantly reduced to ashes, unable to unleash Jonin full potential.
Similar scenes played out across the battlefield.
With the coordinated efforts of the three major forces, the roar of engines continued to resound. The ninja army's melee units were no match for them, falling in droves like harvesting rice.
Seeing this situation, Iwasaki knew he couldn't delay any longer.
"Remote team, now's the time!"
Hundreds of ninjas simultaneously Hand Seals, their Chakra fluctuating violently in the air.
Fire Style: Fire Dragon Technique!
" Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Lightning Release: Earth Flow!
The three elements of Ninjutsu are perfectly combined to form a terrifying composite Ninjutsu.
A colossal fire dragon, accompanied by lightning and propelled by a fierce wind, roared in, melting the sand in its path into glass.
Despite the devastating attack, Hizuki remained unusually calm.
"Defensive formation, full energy shield activation!"
The cybernetic ninjas immediately gathered together, their energy shields on their mechanical arms connecting to form a massive blue barrier.
boom--
The fire dragon slammed into the barrier, unleashing a dazzling light. The shockwave swept around, creating sand waves tens of meters high.
When the smoke cleared, the cybernetic ninja still stood tall.
Although some soldiers' armor had cracks, the overall formation remained intact.
Iwasaki stared wide-eyed in disbelief. "How is this possible? Even combined Ninjutsu is ineffective?"
"It's our turn," Hizuki said coldly. " Annihilation Mode, activate."
At her command, a blinding red light suddenly shone through the gaps in the armor of all the cybernetic ninjas, instantly increasing their speed and strength several times over.
What followed was a completely one-sided massacre.
In addition to firearms, the gunnery unit was also equipped with small hand cannons, whose power was in no way inferior to that of large-scale Ninjutsu.
The Ninjutsu squad was even more outrageous; they were basically a mobile Ninjutsu arsenal, bombarding wherever they went without any regard for accuracy.
The roles that require slightly more skill are the Taijutsu ninjas responsible for containment, who need to deal with enemy attacks while also guarding against indiscriminate bombardment from their teammates.
If it weren't for the complete body modification and the fact that he was equipped with at least three defensive magical artifacts, he might have died at the hands of his own people far more than he had been killed by the enemy.
Faced with such well-coordinated cybernetic ninjas, the fate of the ninja army was not hard to predict. Even though they had the advantage in numbers, they fell one after another, and their blood gradually stained the entire desert red.
"It's over... it's all over..."
Iwasaki watched as his troops were being slaughtered by the enemy, his eyes filled with despair. Trembling, he raised his Kunai, preparing for a final stand.
Before he could even make a move, a figure appeared in front of him.
"Pfft!"
Hizuki's mechanical arm pierced through his chest, blood splattering everywhere.
Blood continued to trickle from the corner of Iwasaki's mouth as he struggled to say, "How... how could this be!"
He had considered the possibility of losing, but he never imagined he would lose so badly; there was practically no hope of victory in sight.
Because times have changed.
Hizuki withdrew her arm, watching his corpse slowly fall, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes.
Ordinary ninjas are like lambs to the slaughter when faced with cybernetic ninjas, completely powerless to fight back.
After all, for ordinary ninjas, injuries, disabilities, and even battlefield factors can greatly affect their combat effectiveness.
But for a cybernetic ninja, injuries? They're just a few cracks in the cybernetic body. Disability? They can just get a replacement. It's no big deal.
As long as their core energy source remains intact and their Chakra supply is uninterrupted, they can sustain high-intensity combat.
500 vs. 3000? The advantage is in my hands!