allendalepharm Chapter 139 The Attack Begins!
Chapter 139 The Attack Begins!
Chapter 139 The Attack Begins!
After several days, Shiba Kiyokawa once again launched his war plan.
The reason was simple: just recently, a little over half a month after he returned from Loulan, Yakushi Nonou sent him her first reply—
The Kannabi Bridge has been found!
In addition, this walking priestess went beyond her mission: she helped him explore most of the map of the Grass Country, thus helping him find the iron mine he urgently needed!
After acquiring the Loulan Dragon Vein, it can be said that Shiba Kiyokawa has grasped the key to unlocking industrial transformation!
Energy is already unlimited, so what he lacks now is resources.
So he wants to take over both the mine and the bridge!
Incidentally, after seeing the photos of the Kannabi Bridge sent back by Yakushi Nonou, Shiba Kiyokawa finally understood why the bridge was so important.
It turned out to be a stone walkway built on a cliff in a mountain stream.
This explains why, despite the ninjas' high mobility, the supply lines still rely on this bridge.
If it were just a bridge built over the river, then even if the bridge were gone, the ninjas could still cross the river by wading.
But the piers over the mountain stream have a completely different meaning!
No matter how skilled a ninja is at scaling walls and rooftops, they cannot easily leap over cliffs tens or hundreds of meters high while carrying supplies.
That's why this bridge is so important.
It was also because it was hidden deep in the mountains that it had always been relatively unknown and remained largely unknown before the battle broke out.
No wonder Shiba Kiyokawa couldn't find it on the map before.
Fortunately, Yakushi Nonou lives up to his reputation as a legendary spy. On the map that Shiba Kiyokawa has unfolded, all kinds of detailed terrain information have been completed and are now fully visible.
Pointing at the map in front of him, Shiba Kiyokawa slowly moved his finger forward.
"In the first phase, our goal is to take over these two mines in the southern part of the Land of Grass, while clearing out all Konoha ninja outposts on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass, and establishing our own supply lines."
In the second phase, we will advance northward, aiming to reach this mountainous area on the map within half a month.
In the third phase, we will build a defensive line in this mountainous area, set up traps and build fortifications along the mountain roads, and cut off all routes for Konoha to approach the bridge at the top of the mountain!
Then wait for the final battle to begin!
Shiba Kiyokawa finally pointed his finger at the mountain peak where Kannabi Bridge was located on the map, and then slammed his palm down heavily!
This time, he will face the established fate and history head-on!
Now, more than two months have passed since the news of Hiruzen Sarutobi's abdication as the Third Hokage of Konoha Village was released. Shiba Kiyokawa believes that Minato Namikaze must be keeping a close eye on this bridge at this moment!
To this day, Minato Namikaze has still not returned to the village to assume the position of Fourth Hokage.
Excluding physical reasons or sudden serious illness—a neurotic explanation—there was only one reason that Shiba Kiyokawa could think of:
Minato is waiting for a victory!
Waiting for a decisive victory to rewrite the course of the Ninja World War, to help Konoha clear away the gloom, so that he can stand in that high position in the most dazzling and flawless manner!
Personally, Shiba Kiyokawa didn't have any ill feelings towards Namikaze Minato, but unfortunately, from a strategic perspective, he couldn't allow Konoha to recover just like that!
The rise of the Land of Rain will take time. During this period, it would be best for Konoha, as the number one ninja village and a neighboring village of the Land of Fire, to remain weak.
Same time, different places.
In the command post on the northern front of Konoha, Minato Namikaze was also looking at the map.
Just as Shiba Kiyokawa had guessed, the place he was looking at was also the mountainous area where Kannabi Bridge was located!
The next moment, Minato raised his head, turned his gaze from the map to his subordinate in front of him, and asked.
"How far is our forward line from that mountainous region in the north-central part of the Land of Grass?"
The subordinate ninja replied, "According to the map that was just updated today, the distance is still... more than 220 kilometers."
Minato Namikaze sighed.
This distance is ambiguous.
Given the mobility of ninjas, if he goes all out now, taking only elite Jonin, he could launch a powerful surprise attack there within a day.
However, correspondingly, launching a surprise attack from this distance would mean that, apart from himself, none of the other accompanying ninjas would be able to retreat, and they would most likely all perish in the Land of Grass.
Even if the Kannabi Bridge is destroyed, Konoha will still suffer heavy losses!
Minato Namikaze was still unwilling to take such a risk.
"Let's try pushing the forward line a bit further."
At this moment, a young ninja dressed as an ANBU member, wearing a black vest but without a mask, walked in and looked at Minato Namikaze with a slightly impatient expression.
"Lord Minato, how long do you intend to stall?"
The ninja dressed as an Anbu who spoke was named Sarutobi Shinnosuke, the current captain-general of the Konoha Anbu and also the eldest son of Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Two months after Hiruzen Sarutobi hastily announced his abdication, Shikaku Nara was forced to return to Konoha to help stabilize the chaotic situation within the village.
It was from that time that Sarutobi Shinnosuke succeeded Nara Shikaku and came under the command of Namikaze Minato, becoming the new advisor on the northern front.
However, Sarutobi Shinnosuke's wisdom and shrewdness were far inferior to Nara Shikaku's.
Two months have passed, and he is becoming increasingly impatient.
"Lord Minato! Two months have already passed! How long are you going to wait?"
The Hokage position has been vacant for two months! Aren't you worried at all? What exactly have you been wary of?
Minato Namikaze was exasperated, not understanding why this person was so eager to improve.
This person is even more anxious than he, the Hokage candidate, himself.
"Shin-chan, you've been working in the village for too long and you don't know enough about the situation on the front lines. We can't rush things now!"
The situation here doesn't allow us to recklessly gamble everything!
Moreover, there's been no movement from the Land of Rain yet; we need more intelligence.
Unlike others, Minato Namikaze always took the Akatsuki organization in the Land of Rain very seriously and was very wary of them!
He still remembers the scene where the boy named Shiba Kiyokazu defended against his Flying Thunder God technique without leaving a single flaw.
He had a vague premonition that the ambitious young man wouldn't let Konoha off so easily!
However, Shinnosuke Sarutobi seems to have a different opinion on this.
"The Land of Rain? What's there to care about in such a small country? Even Hanzo the Salamander is gone. What can a few young people possibly accomplish?"
Several months have passed since they declared war on us, and there hasn't been a sound. I think they were just being verbally aggressive back then!
As the captain of the Anbu, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, like his father Hiruzen Sarutobi, hasn't left the village for quite some time.
He exuded an exceptionally strong sense of confidence and arrogance befitting a ninja from a major ninja village!
As a member of the Anbu ninja, he also had access to many intelligence channels, and at this moment he spoke with disdain.
"According to the latest intelligence, the Akatsuki leader named Shiba Kiyokawa went to the desert of the Land of Wind and brought back a princess from Loulan City."
The princess has now moved into the capital of the Rain Kingdom in a grand manner, without any intention of hiding it.
What is there to be wary of in a leader who indulges in his lust during wartime?
Shiba Kiyokawa probably never imagined that his move to bring Sara back to the Land of Rain as a hostage would inadvertently become a clever tactic to deceive the enemy.
After all, very few ninjas possess the vision and strategic thinking to revitalize the real economy.
Not to mention that on this timeline, Konoha had no idea about the wonders of the Dragon Vein.
While Sarutobi Shinnosuke's suspicion contained an element of contempt, it was in line with the common understanding among ninjas.
Even Minato Namikaze, despite frowning, couldn't guess Shiba Kiyokawa's true purpose in bringing Sara back.
As a result, the entire frontline command post fell into a collective silence when questioned by Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
Many people began to waver.
Could it be that Lord Minato is being overly cautious?
The next instant, a ninja hurriedly teleported into the house and anxiously reported to his superior.
"Lord Minato, something terrible has happened! The Akatsuki has launched a massive attack!"
Our first line of defense has just been breached! Their attacking ninjas are of very high caliber! They're in no way inferior to us!!
At that moment, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who had been talking eloquently for most of the day, seemed to have been slapped hard in the face and stood frozen in place.
Just a second ago, he was laughing at the Akatsuki organization for being reckless and at Shiba Kiyokawa for being foolish, and he was giving a long speech arguing that the Land of Rain was nothing to fear.
The next second, we heard the result: they attacked, and—they were unstoppable!
"How is this possible? How could the average skill level of ninjas from a small country be no worse than ours?"
Shinnosuke Sarutobi still refused to believe it.
But the facts left him no choice but to believe them!
The suffering in the north of Konoha has only just begun!
(End of this chapter)