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Yellow sand filled the sky, and smoke billowed everywhere.
Violent roars and piercing wails converged, performing the most magnificent symphony of life and death in this world. The dry desert was stained and clotted by countless dark red spots, then trampled and pulverized by countless footsteps, finally burying the powerless corpses.
Tens of thousands of troops clashed on this battlefield, completely abandoning the stealthy combat style that should belong to Ninja, instead resembling ancient Samurai legions as they collided, forming large, distorted masses that were indistinguishable.
Looking down from the high earthen mound, the Sunagakure Ninja, who had been ambushed for a long time through underground passages laid with barriers, seemed to appear out of thin air. As soon as they entered the fray, they merged with Konoha's battle group, pushing the intensity of the war to a climax from the very beginning.
Sawara Kiri watched the earth-yellow figures, his brows slightly furrowed.
The marching route and the central logistics transfer point had been exposed.
Those insects in the village truly couldn't be completely eradicated, no matter how many were killed.
Just as he was pondering this, a dust-covered figure came running from the rear camp, circling around to his side.
"Sawara-sama."
Hyuga Hizashi's expression was loyal and respectful, and his speech was extremely fast: "Sakumo-sama's legion was repelled two hours ago by the main force led by Fourth Kazekage Karura. Commander Hatake Sakumo suffered severe injuries and has been teleported back to the village. Currently, the remnants of the Eastern Army are being commanded by Mura Ibari and are retreating towards the Land of Rivers camp."
"According to Mura Ibari, dozens of giant puppets appeared in the Sunagakure legion, exceeding fifty meters in height. They displayed extraordinary combat power during the assault, and only the accompanying Chakra Cannons could quickly destroy them."
"Now, the Central Army led by Namikaze Jonin is returning from the direction of Ronglu and has notified our unit to continue advancing."
Sawara Kiri's expression shifted slightly, and he subconsciously asked, "Giant puppets? What kind of power source do they use?"
He wasn't too worried about Hatake Sakumo's safety. Before departure, all high-level Commanders had a Flying Thunder God talisman on them, which would automatically activate before they sustained a fatal injury.
Instead, it was the war machines that Sunagakure had deployed to the battlefield that piqued his interest.
During such a long period of preparation, Konoha Ninja had already demonstrated their versatile talents, researching related war machines from various angles, but most of them had significant limitations.
They had also researched giant puppets, with Sawara Kiri personally proposing the 'Gundam Unit 01 Project.'
However, after various attempts, it was discarded due to its low cost-effectiveness.
Hyuga Hizashi's expression was solemn: "I heard it should be Human Puppets."
"Each of those giant puppets requires five or more Jonin as sacrifices to be activated."
"..."
Sawara Kiri merely heard the name 'Human Puppet' and quickly abandoned the thought in his mind.
However, Sunagakure was truly sparing no expense this time.
No.
It was only natural.
After all, his war plan had already been revealed during the battle in Hidden Mist Village.
He thought for a moment, then asked, "Who gave the order for our unit to advance?"
Sawara Kiri's question was not without reason.
Even he could sense that Sunagakure, despite knowing Konoha's marching route, was acting so aggressively, which surely meant they had another agenda. Naturally, the Konoha strategists in the rear couldn't have failed to notice something amiss.
"It was Orochimaru-sama."
"..."
"I understand."
Orochimaru's moral standards might be questionable, but his intelligence level could never be doubted.
Since he had made this decision, it meant that in his estimation, his own strength was fully capable of resolving any potential problems that might arise—or perhaps, he didn't care much about the potential Ninja casualties during this process.
Having worked with him for so many years, Sawara Kiri had this much understanding.
As Sawara Kiri spoke, he turned his gaze towards the battlefield ahead.
The vanguard Taijutsu unit had already slowed down under the heavy resistance of the Sand Ninja, likely due to exhaustion.
So, he took a step, rubbed his somewhat stiff neck, and a faint cracking sound was heard.
In that case, they also had to speed up their progress.
"Shave."
The next moment, Hyuga Hizashi felt the figure in front of him suddenly blur.
A fierce whistling wind surged backward, stirring up large clouds of yellow sand.
When he looked again, he saw that where Sawara Kiri had stood, a huge crater had appeared.
As for his figure, it had already crossed the entire battlefield like a meteor, shooting straight towards the vanguard Sunagakure blocking force, so fast that even afterimages were difficult to catch.
Suddenly, a deafening explosion erupted ahead.
On the battlefield, viewed from beneath the earthen mound, it was as if a sudden heavy hammer had smashed open a gap, and then a surging current, led by that tiny figure, like an ant, continuously pushed forward, forward.
Watching this from afar, even though his physical strength had reached its limit in the previous battles, and he hadn't closed his eyes for three days and two nights, Hyuga Hizashi subconsciously straightened his back, his expression invigorated as he watched this scene, like gazing at an unyielding banner.
"Strongest in the Ninja World."
This was the unique charisma of Sawara Kiri.
At the same moment Sawara Kiri led his army steadily pushing forward.
There was another team, advancing towards their direction.
Leading this unit at the very front was Sasori.
At this moment, his fair and handsome face was expressionless to the extreme. The earth-yellow cloak draped over him flapped in the air, and his red hair fluttered.
Closely following behind him were ten grotesquely shaped puppets.
It wasn't just him.
Everyone in the entire unit he led carried more or fewer puppets as they advanced, their expressions all cold and composed, their movements swift and silent.
After an unknown amount of time, they finally arrived at their destination for this operation.
Sasori stood on the sand dune, gazing at the first oasis they had seen after traversing a thousand-mile uninhabited zone.
It was a strikingly abrupt Poplar forest, standing in the middle of the desert.
The entire Poplar forest spread out around the internal oasis lake, appearing in the distance as a dark red amber, dotting the center of this endless yellow sand.
This was their planned location for this operation.
Sasori's expression was calm on the surface, but his thoughts were still racing in his mind.
'There are only three conventional routes from Gaochang to Sunagakure. Among them, only this Poplar oasis can provide the water and resting place needed by the army led by Sawara Kiri.'
'If Karura, who is acting as a decoy, succeeds, Sawara Kiri will arrive here in about two days.'
'That day will be the turning point of this war.'
'If it can succeed...'
Sasori thought, his fists unconsciously clenching.
Strangely, what surfaced in his mind at this moment was not the joy and cheers of Sunagakure being able to preserve itself under Konoha's oppression after his plan succeeded.
Instead, it was Karura's face.
And the subtle tenderness when she calmly named her child 'Gaara' during the meeting that day.
And the puppet she always kept with her.
'...Surely, even Fourth-sama will approve of me, right?'
Unrequited love always torments the body and mind.
This is most evident in those who lost their parents at a young age, then lost their last remaining relative as they grew up, always growing up amidst war and separation.
"Sasori of the Red Sand" was a typical example.
He was willing to bet everything.
"Sasori-sama."
Just as he was silently contemplating, a Sunagakure Jonin had already stepped forward quickly beside him.
Sasori silently gazed at the maple-red Poplar trees in the distance and said:
"Begin the plan."
The Sunagakure Puppet Masters behind him showed fanaticism and nodded:
"Yes!"
"Bang."
The door to the Hokage Office was heavily pushed open, and Tsunade walked in from outside with her long legs, her expression still carrying a hint of anger, and she said irritably:
"That Sakumo, that bastard, I told him to retreat immediately if he saw anything wrong, and he still got himself into such a state."
"Just wasting my time."
In the office, Orochimaru, who was working at the Hokage's assistant's desk, didn't even lift his head, still busily processing the work at hand.
Having grown up with this irritable woman, Orochimaru knew very well that Tsunade at this moment had no intention of confiding in anyone; she was just annoyed, and once she vented her anger, it would mostly dissipate.
Tsunade was not only the Fourth Hokage now, but also served as the temporary Commander of Konoha Hospital during wartime.
It had to be said that the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest's attainments in Chakra transmission truly surpassed the ordinary.
Don't let Tsunade lying on the sofa looking fine fool you; in reality, she might be performing surgeries for countless people through the Slug Sage's avatars.
It was understandable that she was tired.
Moreover, Orochimaru also knew very well that even though she specifically brought up Sakumo's injuries, she probably didn't actually mean to, but rather used this topic as a springboard to bring up another matter.
As expected.
The next second, Tsunade seemingly casually changed the subject:
"Hey, Orochimaru."
"You think something won't go wrong with that Kiri kid's side too?"
"What exactly does Sunagakure want?"
Orochimaru, as if he had seen through everything, put down his pen and couldn't help but let out a long sigh:
"Instead of wasting my office time making me think about what a bunch of pigs at the end of their rope are thinking, you might as well figure out how to deal with the remaining logistical supplies for the defense line Jiraiya is responsible for."
"..."
Unfortunately, Tsunade seemed not to have heard his reply, lying on the sofa and feigning death.
It was clear she wanted a definite answer.
Orochimaru glanced at her, then suddenly felt a little helpless and silently mourned for his old friend Jiraiya for half a second.
Tsunade, this fellow, truly cared about that kid.
Could prolonged feigning youth actually bring about such psychological changes?
Orochimaru suddenly began to consider whether he should maintain a relatively elderly appearance when extending his lifespan.
However, the thoughts in his mind naturally didn't show the slightest trace in front of Tsunade. He merely picked up his pen again and said calmly:
"Don't worry."
"That's Sawara Kiri."
Hearing this abrupt answer, Tsunade, who was feigning death, raised her head and looked at him, muttering:
"That's true."
"It should be there."
Sawara Kiri stood on the sand dune, pointing at the Poplar forest ahead, and said to the young man beside him.
Kakashi held up his binoculars, gazing at the Poplar forest in the distance, which dotted the center of the yellow sand like a crimson amber, for a while, but couldn't discern anything.
When he put down the binoculars, he turned his head and asked in confusion:
"Sawara-sensei, will anyone really try to ambush our unit with a one-hit kill, knowing you're present?"
Having experienced the Iwagakure Chunin Exams incident and personally witnessed Sawara Kiri's true strength, even Kakashi, a newly promoted Fourth-Class Jonin, could realize what it meant for a unit to have a powerful individual like Sawara Kiri stationed there.
He didn't think Sunagakure, with the strength of a village and a rich think tank, would fail to draw such a simple conclusion.
Moreover, after a deep understanding of modern warfare history, Kakashi also knew very well what his seemingly refined teacher beside him had done in the last war.
He had single-handedly invaded Sunagakure and directly destroyed their village's Tailed Beast.
How could Sunagakure, having learned its lesson once, repeat the same mistake and continue to wallow in the same pit?
Even delaying Konoha's main force by sacrificing lives would be more reliable than this idea, wouldn't it?
Sawara Kiri merely smiled at his words, then shook his head:
"This isn't a question of whether they want to or not."
Compared to the still young Kakashi, Sawara Kiri, having been on the battlefield for many years, had developed a systematic war logic.
"They have no choice."
"The madness of being at the end of their rope is just like this."
Whether in the last great war or this one, Sunagakure's situation was always like this.
The more they ran out of ammunition and food, the more they had to go all out, hoping to recover all sunk costs with a glimmer of hope.
Kakashi, hearing this, still looked at him in confusion.
How could people be so irrational?
Sawara Kiri didn't speak anymore, merely dotingly ruffled his white hair on top of his head.
"You guys, remember to stick close later."
"Yes."
Despite their continued confusion, the three youngsters behind him all responded in unison.
Soon, the bustling army stopped about three li away from the Poplar forest.
Sasori, hidden in the dense forest, watched this scene, and a hint of tension appeared on his indifferent face as he stared intently at the shadowy legion.
Soon, they'll come in, soon.
His heart rate unconsciously quickened.
In this Poplar forest, he had led a team to lay exactly three hundred nuclear landmines, each with a yield exceeding one thousand tons of TNT, enough to blow the entire oasis sky high.
As long as Konoha's legion walked in here...
Just as he was thinking this.
Suddenly, the sky seemed to dim a few shades, and even the originally scorching sunlight was obscured, giving rise to a strangely chilling sensation.
The next moment, as if suddenly realizing something, Sasori abruptly looked up at the sky.
And then, he saw the sky fortress that had previously appeared on the Land of Rivers battlefield, and had been heavily mentioned in the battle reports, pushing horizontally towards the Poplar forest with an overwhelming momentum, menacingly.
As if suddenly understanding something, Sasori's heartstrings tightened, and his throat felt as if it were being choked.
Immediately after, a sharp, almost distorted scream burst from his throat:
"Run!!!"
The Puppet Masters behind him froze in unison.
The fortress in the sky tilted towards the ground, and a shining light gathered in the center of its dark cannon muzzle.
Sawara Kiri stood quietly on the sand dune, watching this scene.
Knowing there was a risk and still rushing into it, that wasn't his style.
Before the infantry charged, it was only natural for the artillery to bombard, wasn't it?
He raised the radio in his hand and ordered:
"Air Transport, Chakra Cannon Level 1 ready."
A faint crackling sound came from the radio:
"Level 1 ready, completed."
"Fire."
With this command, a faint clicking sound came from the other end of the radio.
In an instant, the crimson amber dotting the center of the yellow sand was illuminated by an boundless light.
Heaven and earth roared.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones=1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr | 16 novels being updated, I can't read all comments