allendalepharm Chapter 124 Grouping, Clearing Supply Lines
Chapter 124 Grouping, Clearing Supply Lines
"Huh? I..."
Tianzang was tongue-tied and couldn't find the words to refute him.
But he always lived with Qingwu, and he didn't want to be separated from her at times like this.
Qingwu realized what was happening and turned to look at Xiyan with a puzzled expression. It was easy to understand why Tianzang wanted to be on his team, but what did Xiyan mean by this?
"What are you looking at!"
Concealed by the fox mask, Xi Yan said in a cold and hard tone, "I lent you money, so it's necessary for me to keep an eye on you."
"Oh, it means you're afraid I won't be able to repay the money," Qingwu suddenly realized.
Kakashi didn't want to waste time on this. "Let's settle it like this. Tenzo and I will be in the same group. Let's go back and rest first, and we'll talk about the specifics tomorrow morning."
Kakashi yawned again as his peaceful sleep was interrupted by a night raid.
Qingwu confirmed that Kakashi had indeed changed.
In the past, Kakashi would only appear cold and aloof in matters other than missions, but now... he is increasingly revealing his relaxed nature.
"Disperse!"
The Konoha ninjas were left behind to clean up the battlefield, while the four members of the Shadow Guard left first.
Silent all night.
The next day, Kakashi somehow obtained a map and pointed to two directions with his finger:
"Tenzo and I will focus on the southern section, investigating potential hazards around the supply line transfer stations, and also keeping an eye on whether Iwagakure will make any large-scale mobilizations."
"And Elephant and Fox, you're in charge of the northern section of the supply line, clearing out the hidden scouts and supply raiding squads lurking in the mountains. Any objections?"
After asking about some terrain details, Xi Yan shook her head and said, "No objection."
The mountainous terrain was her and Qingwu's "home turf," and Kakashi's arrangement was very reasonable.
Qingwu nodded as well.
He didn't really care; no matter where he went, his troops could expose the Iwagakure forces that were caught off guard.
"Yes!" Tianzang glanced at Qingwu, his tone somewhat aggrieved.
He couldn't understand how Xi Yan had managed to steal the spot next to Qing Wu.
"Remember, taking the initiative is not reckless action." Kakashi's tone became more serious.
"Send a signal immediately if you encounter any unexpected situation. No one is allowed to fight alone. Fox, you are skilled in assassination and reconnaissance, and you have more experience than Elephant. When the two of you work together, you should focus on understanding and assessing the enemy's situation before deciding whether to take action."
Qingwu retorted, dissatisfied, "Hey, do you think I'm a reckless person in the captain's eyes?"
"Anyway, if I see the Tsuchikage, I'll definitely run as far away as possible the moment I see him," Kakashi retorted with a single sentence.
Because he fought against the Tsuchikage, Onoki, that day.
"Tenzo is in my group. He's responsible for using Wood Release to defend and hold the line, creating opportunities for me to attack."
"yes!"
"Remember, never let your guard down." Kakashi seemed still uneasy and added, "Anything can happen on the battlefield."
"Yes!" the three responded in unison.
Looking at the three people in front of him who were working in perfect harmony, Kakashi coughed lightly with a sigh of relief. "Alright, each of you prepare for twenty minutes, then we'll set off separately."
……
Over the next week, the Shadow Guard continued to take the initiative.
Qingwu and Xiyan are a pair.
Relying on its own natural senses and the Great Spirit's far-reaching vision, it accurately located the lurking Rock Cave.
Then the dwarves advance from the front, the centaur leaders intercept them from the outside, and the Pegasus cut off the retreat route.
Xi Yan's remaining tasks were quite simple; she only needed to assassinate and pick up any loose ends.
The two-person team always wins battles quickly and decisively with zero casualties.
【Ding! 】
[Battle Results: Experience +350, Natural Energy +35, Gold +35]
Hearing the system's battle settlement notification, Qingwu curled his lip.
The battles weren't difficult, so the rewards were limited; I only leveled up once a week... It's better than nothing, I guess.
On the other side, Kakashi and Tenzo were also making rapid progress in the southern section.
The Sharingan sees through the ambush, and the Lightning Blade eliminates the threat precisely.
Tenzo's Wood Release, combined with the Dog Head Earth Wall, created a temporary defensive line, while Kakashi seized the opportunity to strike and then retreat.
The Iwagakure guerrilla squads were wiped out one by one before they even had a chance to engage in direct combat.
After a week.
It was visibly cleared up around the supply line, and Konoha's logistics personnel no longer had to worry about being attacked.
With the western front gradually stabilized, Shikaku, upon receiving the news, made a bold move, transferring even more ninja forces to the main battlefield on the eastern front.
Under Shikaku's strategic planning, Konoha achieved a great victory over Iwagakure, pushing the battle line forward by a full fifty kilometers.
In this way, the eastern front and the allied Land of Waterfall are now completely connected, and Konoha's situation is extremely favorable.
News kept reaching the main camp of Iwagakure.
The atmosphere inside the command tent was deathly silent.
Commander Huang Tu held the battle report in his hand, his face ashen.
After the failed raid by five Jonin, the entire Konoha rear supply line seemed to have become a black hole that swallowed people.
More and more squads lost contact, with no distress signals or intelligence reports, as if they had vanished into thin air in the mountains.
His father was indeed the Tsuchikage.
But... such a battle report would surely enrage my father if it were sent back.
What worries him even more is the complete lack of intelligence.
No one knows the specifics of the situation; none of the teams that lost contact have sent back any information.
That means that a very strong ninja must have appeared in Konoha, a powerful ninja capable of instantly killing the Iwagakure team.
Conversely, their side in Iwagakure... is now also suffering from a severe shortage of talent.
Huang Tu slowly closed his eyes, his heart filled with helplessness.
Iwagakure is no longer the Iwagakure of yesteryear.
Looking back, Iwagakure was once full of talented people, including Daishi, Kagami, Higashi no Shijin, Sumashi, Kari, and Bunga.
However, most of those elites died at the hands of Konoha's "Yellow Flash" during the Third Shinobi World War.
Could it be that Konoha has produced another genius of that caliber?
As if it were a premonition, Huang Tu immediately thought of the young man his father had mentioned.
"Senju... Wood Release..."
Either of these labels is something that cannot be taken lightly.
Thinking of this, Huang Tu immediately got up and wrote down a battle report and his own analysis, without hiding anything. Then he ordered in a deep voice to the outside of the tent: "Send the intelligence back to the village."
A member of the Iwagakure ANBU appeared, took the scroll, and vanished in an instant.
The loess soil exhaled a long, stale breath.
Regardless of whether it was that young man from the Senju clan or not, it is a fact that an insurmountable enemy has appeared on the western front, and sending ordinary Jonin there would only be suicide.
As the commander-in-chief, he needed to be stationed on the main battlefield and could not move lightly.
The only option was to ask her father for help.
I believe my father will make the right decision!
……
The intelligence sent by Huang Tu was delivered to the Tsuchikage Building by the evening of the following day via the Ninja Hawk.
In the Tsuchikage's office.
Onoki tore open the scroll and quickly scanned the text on it.
At first, his expression was calm.
However, as he saw the words "Five Jonin's raid failed", "The team lost contact one after another", and "Suspected to be a Thousand Hands Wood Release expert", his expression gradually darkened and the atmosphere around him became increasingly oppressive.
Attendant by his side was Akatsuchi, a member of the Iwagakure Shadow Guard whom Onoki had modeled after Konoha.
Young Akatsuki sensed something was wrong and asked in a naive voice, "Sir, what happened at the front?"