"Where did this brat come from?" the officer squinted. "Daring to obstruct military affairs?"
"What kind of soldiers are you, bullying civilians like this!" Naruto roared.
The officer sneered and waved for the soldiers to step forward. "Arrest these two troublemakers too; they'll be good for the army!"
Six soldiers, each wielding a spear, surrounded them.
Sasuke sighed, Sharingan activated instantly.
With just a glance, the soldiers froze on the spot as if struck by lightning, and then collapsed limply.
"Who... who are you people?" The officer retreated in fear, clearly never having seen anything like this before.
Naruto Body Flicker Technique appeared in front of him, his fist stopping just in front of the officer's nose.
"Listen, get your men out of this town right now, or I'll see you bullying civilians again..."
The officer was so frightened that he scrambled away, leaving the townspeople dumbfounded before erupting in cheers.
"Two heroes!" The old shopkeeper excitedly grasped Naruto's hand. "Are you... members of the resistance?"
Naruto blinked and quickly exchanged a glance with Sasuke.
Sasuke nodded almost imperceptibly.
"That's right, old man! We heard these bastards were coming, so we specially came early!"
The two confessed their identities and then used the knowledge they had learned at school to elicit information, eventually discovering that under the oppressive rule of the Heavenly Martial Empire, undercurrents were already swirling in the border regions.
Countless rebels rose up, but most of them failed to gain any real influence.
But there are always exceptions.
A resistance organization known as the " Red Eyebrow Army " has quietly grown stronger in the border region.
Members of this mysterious organization all wear red clothing and use vermilion ink between their eyebrows as a distinguishing feature when they take action, hence the name.
According to the old shop owner, the Red Eyebrow Army was different from other scattered soldiers and vagrants.
They were highly organized and operated in secrecy, specializing in attacking imperial convoys transporting military supplies and tax-collecting officials.
What's even more remarkable is that the Red Eyebrow Army never robbed civilians; instead, they distributed the spoils they captured to the poor.
The town's young people whispered to the two.
The leader of the Red Eyebrow Army is a mysterious woman known as the ' Red Eyebrow General,' who wields twin swords with unparalleled skill.
It is said that he once broke into the prefectural government office alone on a rainy night, took the head of a corrupt official, and escaped unscathed.
Today, her legendary story is told throughout the three border states, and it even shows a trend of spreading outwards.
Sasuke's eyes flickered slightly as he noticed the glint in the townspeople's eyes when they mentioned the Red Eyebrow Army.
It wasn't just reverence; it also contained a kind of fervent anticipation.
It is obvious that this organization called the Red Eyebrow Army has already sown the seeds of resistance in the hearts of the common people.
At the villagers' earnest request, Naruto and Sasuke stayed in Azure Creek Town for the time being.
The old shop owner tidied up his backyard and arranged accommodation for the two of them.
This is a simple but tidy wooden house. Opening the window reveals distant mountains and a winding official road, offering an excellent view.
As night fell, Sasuke relayed what he had seen and heard that day to the contact point far away at the Iron Wall Fortress.
Before long, a new mission was entered into the Shinobi Alliance Network's mission system.
[Special Mission in the Three Border States: Investigate the Red Eyebrow Army ]
[Task Level: A]
[Mission Description: Gather intelligence on the Red Eyebrow Army, assess their threat level and potential value]
[Participation Requirements: Ninjas stationed in the three border states can choose to participate.]
In the Shinobi Alliance's strategic plan, civilian resistance organizations like the Red Eyebrow Army were merely a ripple in the imperial rule, far from enough to shake the entire war situation.
But for those young geniuses scattered throughout the empire, this was a rare opportunity to hone their skills.
They went deep behind enemy lines, made contact with civilians, and honed their combat skills.
Similar side quests abound in the Shinobi Alliance's mission system.
Each ninja traveling through the empire can generate new missions based on what they see and hear, weaving together a vast intelligence network like a spider web.
This mission quickly attracted the attention of genius ninjas from all over the world.
At another observation point 500 miles away from Azure Creek Town, Shikamaru was studying mission details while chewing on a blade of grass.
"What a hassle..."
After a moment, he sighed and began packing his things, but he didn't intend to meet up with Naruto and Sasuke.
Since the intelligent puppets are protecting me, my Quanxing is definitely not a problem. I might as well train myself.
After all, the scale of a dimensional war far exceeds that of a war between two continents. They must seize every opportunity to strengthen themselves in order to protect those they cherish.
Ten days have passed in the blink of an eye.
The Shinobi Alliance's forces have swept across the borders of the Heavenly Martial Empire like a tidal wave.
With the fall of two northern states and three eastern states, the Shinobi Alliance's territory is expanding at an alarming rate.
As the flames of war spread, the empire's borders descended into unprecedented chaos.
Wealthy merchants and their families fled to the interior, and the roads were crowded with horse-drawn carriages loaded with valuables.
The poor mostly chose to stay, as they had nowhere to go and were dissatisfied with the empire's rule. Some of the bolder ones even volunteered to guide the Shinobi Alliance in exchange for meager rewards.
The most perplexing thing was the Empire's reaction.
Apart from issuing a telegram ordering local areas to 'organize their own defenses,' no reinforcements were sent.
Rumors circulate that the empire's high command is secretly planning a counterattack, but many believe that Martial Capital has already abandoned these border regions.
Within the occupied territory, the Shinobi Alliance quickly established a temporary ruling system.
Network towers were erected, and subsequent arrivals of intelligent golems were dispatched to patrol day and night. Meanwhile, medical teams provided free treatment to civilians, and engineering troops repaired the infrastructure destroyed by the war.
They planned to use this efficient and ruthless method of occupation to subtly change the local people's perception of the invaders.
Beneath this surface calm, the Empire's first large-scale campaign officially began.
Cloud Province.
Adjacent to Cold Province, which has already been occupied by the Shinobi Alliance,
The capital city, Dragon-Locking Pass, is situated in a rugged terrain with numerous canyons and strategic passes, serving as a vital passage between the eastern and central parts of the empire.
It is said that "one man can hold the pass against ten thousand".
The defensive force, including the Third Knight Order who came to support them, as well as the garrison troops and civilians they had gathered, totaled 100,000, but was publicly claimed to be 200,000, and was commanded by three Martial Saint.
The Dragon-Locking Pass was shrouded in a thin mist at dawn. The taxi drivers patrolling the city wall yawned, while the ' Iron Wall ' Martial Saint stood at the highest point of the city tower, his resolute face full of melancholy.
To be honest, he still doesn't know how to fight this battle.
After all, no one expected that in the five days it took him to leave Dragon-Locking Pass to meet His Majesty in Martial Capital, the three border prefectures had already fallen.
Their opponents, however, were tireless Faceless monsters of terrifying strength, likely comparable to His Majesty's Jinwu Guard.
The problem is...
The Jinwu Guard numbered only five hundred, while the enemy possessed at least twenty thousand Faceless monsters, and even shouted the slogan "Destroy the Empire in Three Months," which was utterly arrogant.
How can we fight like this?!