Rasa arrived riding on Yata Crow.
Though both involved flying at high altitude, Rasa quickly realized that when it came to long-distance, high-speed flight, Yata Crow far surpassed him.
If he relied on his own chakra to cover such a distance without stopping, then by the time he arrived, most of his chakra would already be spent, and he would have little combat power left.
Yata Crow was different.
For it, high-altitude flight seemed to consume very little.
Even now, Yata Crow still retained around eighty percent of its peak strength.
"Even setting aside its combat ability, Yata Crow is exceptional as a means of transportation alone."
A smile appeared on Rasa's face.
"With Yata Crow, I can rapidly travel back and forth between the village and the front lines."
"I can guarantee the village's safety."
"And I can also provide support to the front."
Suddenly, Rasa noticed something below.
"What's that down there?"
"A gathering of Kirigakure shinobi?"
He saw a vast mass of Kirigakure ninja clustered together below, so dense and numerous that a rough estimate placed them at close to six thousand.
And the Kirigakure army only had a little over six thousand in total.
"According to earlier intelligence, the Kirigakure forces had already split into two groups. One was led by Fuguki Suikazan."
"The other was led by Jinin Akebino."
"Earlier, I used the Dream Card to drive a wedge between the two of them, which slowed Kirigakure's offensive."
"But now that so many Kirigakure shinobi have gathered in one place, it proves they've already resolved the conflict between Fuguki Suikazan and Jinin Akebino."
"It looks like they're preparing to launch an all-out assault on Sunagakure."
A cold glint flashed in Rasa's eyes.
"Kirigakure really is relentless."
"If you insist on crushing Sunagakure, then I'll give you a present first."
"You're all packed together so nicely. Perfect for taking a few more of Yata Crow's explosive eggs."
Rasa gave Yata Crow a signal.
Yata Crow lowered its head to look below, excitement flashing through its eyes.
It had been summoned for no reason, only to be beaten soundly by Rasa the moment it appeared, without ever posing the slightest threat to him. That had left a deep well of frustration in Yata Crow's heart.
Now that it had become Rasa's summoning beast, it was naturally close to him. There was no way it could vent its anger at Rasa anymore.
But the anger itself had not disappeared.
And at this moment, the Kirigakure shinobi below became the perfect target for Yata Crow to release it on.
A giant white egg appeared beneath Yata Crow.
Then another.
And another after that.
One after another, they fell toward the ground.
All of them aimed deliberately at the densest part of the crowd.
Below—
The Kirigakure shinobi carrying Genjiro's order had not even fully arrived before they started shouting at the top of their lungs.
"By Lord Genjiro's command, begin the attack at once!"
Jinin Akebino's eyes lit up.
"Attack!"
"You all heard him, Hozuki Yunwu. Announce the order!"
Hozuki Yunwu did not look at Jinin Akebino immediately. Instead, he took the written order from Genjiro first. Only after confirming it was authentic did he raise his head and look at the assembled Kirigakure shinobi.
"The entire army advances!"
Every Kirigakure ninja instantly grew excited.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Slaughter every last Sunagakure ninja!"
"Crush Sunagakure!"
"Take all their wealth!"
"Violate their kunoichi!"
"..."
At that moment—
One Kirigakure shinobi suddenly felt that something was off. Instinctively, he looked up.
And saw an enormous bird hovering directly above them in the sky.
Several white objects were falling from it.
"Bird droppings?"
"No, not droppings. Eggs!"
Confusion rose in the shinobi's heart.
"Where did this stupid bird come from?"
"Laying eggs here? They'll just shatter."
"Is this thing congratulating our Kirigakure army?"
"Does even this stupid bird think Kirigakure is bound to win?"
He stared fixedly at where the egg was about to land.
Boom!
The instant the egg hit the ground, an intense shockwave erupted outward.
Centered on the blast point, hundreds of Kirigakure shinobi in the vicinity were struck by the violent force.
Those nearest to it were blown apart on the spot.
Those in the middle were hurled into the air before they could make any response at all.
Those on the outer edge felt only as though some massive object moving at incredible speed had slammed into them.
"What?"
Only now did the Kirigakure shinobi realize that it had not been a bird egg at all.
It was a bomb.
"Enemy atta—"
Before he could finish shouting, the second egg had already fallen.
Then the third.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
A chain of explosions erupted one after another, all of them striking the center of the Kirigakure army. With the shinobi packed together so tightly, every single blast caused devastating casualties.
In an instant, over a thousand Kirigakure shinobi lost their lives.
Only then did the remaining Kirigakure ninja finally react.
"Enemy attack!"
"Spread out!"
"The enemy's above us!"
"..."
The Kirigakure shinobi looked up into the sky.
Yata Crow gave an excited cry.
Plop.
A lump of white-and-gray matter fell from above.
And it just so happened to be headed straight for the first Kirigakure shinobi who had spotted Yata Crow.
His pupils shrank and he hurriedly tried to dodge.
Too late.
It struck him head-on.
But the expected explosion never came.
"I'm... still alive?"
A look of relief flashed across his face.
Then he caught a whiff of a revolting stench.
And realized it was coming from his own body.
The Kirigakure shinobi's expression changed instantly.
"This is... bird droppings?"
In a flash, his face turned hideous.
In front of so many people, he had been struck by a mass of bird droppings. And not a little, either. It was enormous, covering his entire body from head to toe, drenching him completely.
The Kirigakure shinobi trembled with rage.
"Damn it!"
"Damn you, you filthy bird! I'll kill you!"
At this moment, he would rather have been hit by one of the explosive eggs.
Being buried in bird droppings—
What kind of humiliation was that?
He would become the laughingstock of all Kirigakure.
His life was over.
"What do I do?"
He no longer cared about the war at all.
All he could think about was how to keep others from noticing him so he wouldn't become a joke forever.
"That's it. I can play dead."
"The battlefield's chaotic right now. If I lie on the ground, I can clean myself up quietly."
The thought had just formed when he dropped flat onto the ground.
At that very moment—
A figure rushed over from the side at high speed.
"Biwa Tan! Why did you collapse? Don't die! I'm here to save you!"
Biwa Tan: "..."
Biwa Tan's mood hit rock bottom.
For the first time in his life, he desperately wanted his friend to shut up.
But the one whose mood was even worse was Jinin Akebino.
"Sunagakure's summon?"
"Why did it suddenly appear here?"
Suddenly, Jinin Akebino remembered how he had proposed acting ahead of schedule yesterday, only for Fuguki Suikazan to reject it firmly.
"Could it be... Suikazan sold out the village?"
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