Chapter 337: Blitzing Sunagakure! (Two-Part Chapter)

One day later, in the early hours of the morning, deep within the jungle along the border in the Land of Rivers.

All was silent.

Dark clouds obscured the moonlight, making the already dim jungle so dark that one could barely see one’s own hand in front of one’s face.

Several sharp sounds of something cutting through the air suddenly rang out, startling a few resting birds from the trees.

“Report!”

A figure wearing a Konoha forehead protector and a jōnin flak jacket appeared beneath a large tree. He raised his head and called out solemnly toward the treetop.

“Speak!”

With a young voice, Uchiha Ren’s figure emerged from the branches at the top of the tree.

Through the gaps between the branches, the faint silhouettes of Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Uchiha Shisui could also be seen concealed among the trees.

“According to our preliminary reconnaissance, another five hundred meters ahead we’ll encounter the various traps and warning barriers deployed by Sunagakure. Some of these barriers are even beyond the range of my Byakugan’s ability to see through.”

“There are a great many of them. It will be practically impossible for our main force to pass through this area without triggering any of the traps or barriers.”

“Sunagakure may also have deployed hidden sentries among them. However, since we haven’t ventured any deeper, we can’t confirm that yet.”

As the Konoha shinobi spoke, he slightly turned his head, revealing a pair of pure-white eyes.

It was none other than Hyūga Hizashi!

After the decision to launch a surprise attack on Sunagakure had been made, Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Ren had acted without delay. That very night, they assembled their forces, traveled light, and swiftly made their way into the Land of Rivers.

Both Konoha and Sunagakure had established their border outposts within the Land of Rivers in this region. Thus, when Uchiha Ren led his forces into the Land of Rivers, they encountered no obstacles whatsoever.

As for why they had established military outposts inside another country’s territory…

The entire Land of Wind was covered in desert. Not only did that provide almost no cover, but the environment was also unsuitable for establishing military outposts. Therefore, Sunagakure had simply crossed the national border and established its outposts inside the Land of Rivers.

Konoha, unwilling to suffer a disadvantage and wanting to leave itself some additional room for maneuver, had followed suit and established its own outposts within the Land of Rivers.

The daimyō of the Land of Rivers had opposed this arrangement, but the Land of Rivers was merely a small country. It did not even possess a shinobi village of its own, so there was little it could do to enforce its sovereignty.

Uchiha Ren continued questioning him.

“Did you find out what the situation is like inside the Sunagakure outpost?”

Hyūga Hizashi replied, “This Sunagakure outpost normally has a permanent force of five hundred shinobi, but there are only around three hundred there at the moment. The other two hundred should have gone out to patrol the section of the border under their jurisdiction.”

Uchiha Ren frowned slightly.

This situation was somewhat troublesome.

“Looks like there’s no way for us to enter the Land of Wind without alerting anyone.”

Jiraiya poked his head out from a nearby treetop and analyzed the situation.

“Since this is a surprise attack, we can’t afford to waste time dealing with those two hundred Sand shinobi who are spread out on patrol. Doing so would simply cost us more than it’s worth!”

“But if we don’t deal with them, the moment we attack this outpost, there’s a chance they’ll discover us.”

“They must have some way of contacting Sunagakure’s main forces!”

“No matter.”

Uchiha Ren shook his head.

“With our jōnin’s speed, once we break through the border defenses, it’ll only take us a day to reach Sunagakure. There’s no need to conceal our movements for very long. All we need to do is exploit the time gap.”

“And the key now is figuring out how to eliminate this Sunagakure outpost in front of us.”

“The less time we spend here, the more advantageous it will be for us.”

Sunagakure had deployed nearly six thousand troops across its various border defense lines, so Uchiha Ren had been prepared from the very beginning for their movements to be exposed.

As long as they destroyed the Sunagakure outpost quickly enough and didn’t give its defenders time to contact the village, it would take at least several hours for neighboring outposts and the patrol units outside to discover what had happened and report it to Sunagakure.

At their current top speed, that would leave Sunagakure with only a dozen or so hours to respond.

A dozen hours simply wasn’t enough for Sunagakure to mobilize sufficient forces.

“So how do you intend to attack?” Tsunade emerged from among the branches and asked.

“Attacking and infiltrating are two completely different things. With two thousand of us, we’ve already reached the limit of how close we can get without alerting the Sand shinobi. If we go any farther, we’ll definitely be exposed.”

“And it’ll take us time to charge across that distance. That’s enough time for the Sand shinobi inside the outpost to contact nearby outposts or even Sunagakure itself.”

“Moreover, although we have an overwhelming advantage in both numbers and strength, the enemy still has around three hundred men. Eliminating them will take some time as well.”

“Don’t worry. I came prepared.”

Uchiha Ren gave Tsunade a brief answer before turning toward Orochimaru.

“Orochimaru-senpai, it’s your turn.”

“Heh heh heh… I didn’t expect that thing to be put to use so soon. I’m rather looking forward to this.”

“Give me a little time to set everything up.”

Orochimaru leaped down from the tree and found a relatively flat patch of ground. He took several Storage Scrolls from inside his robes and began making preparations.

“That thing? What’s ‘that thing’?”

Tsunade asked curiously.

“It’s the latest creation of Konoha’s Research Institute. You’ll see.”

Uchiha Ren gave her a brief explanation before turning toward Hyūga Hizashi.

“Hizashi, have your people get as close to the Sunagakure outpost as possible. Once the signal is given, immediately rush into the outpost and take control of the situation.”

“Understood!”

Hyūga Hizashi acknowledged the order and vanished from the spot with a shunshin.

Uchiha Ren then turned toward Jiraiya.

“Jiraiya, pass the order down immediately. Prepare for the attack.”

“Yes!”

Uchiha Ren was the commander of this operation, so Jiraiya didn’t say anything further. He acknowledged the order and went to carry it out.

By this point, Orochimaru had summoned ten bizarre-looking machines from his Storage Scrolls.

They looked extremely strange, seemingly constructed from more than a dozen enormous metal tubes. Their appearance was bizarre, yet they somehow emanated an unsettling aura that made one’s heart tremble.

With ten of these machines lined up in a row, even the air around them seemed to grow heavier.

“Type-A No. 1 Ninjutsu Artillery Launcher. Each launcher is equipped with fifteen barrels and can fire fifteen Ninjutsu Artillery Shells in a single salvo. Its maximum range is twenty kilometers, while within a range of five kilometers, the deviation of the shell impact point is no more than thirty meters!”

“For this operation, we’re using Fire Release Artillery Shell Type-3. Each shell has an effective destructive radius of one hundred meters!”

“With such a broad bombardment, a thirty-meter deviation is completely negligible!”

“And with a single salvo of one hundred and fifty Fire Release Artillery Shell Type-3 rounds, we can completely flatten this Sunagakure outpost in an instant!”

Standing before the ten Type-A No. 1 Ninjutsu Artillery Launchers, Orochimaru spoke with obvious excitement as he introduced them.

“So this is the new ninja tool you and Jiraiya went to test the other day?”

Tsunade also jumped down from the tree and examined the Type-A No. 1 Ninjutsu Artillery Launchers with considerable interest.

“That’s right! Of course, this is only one of the new weapons.”

Orochimaru nodded before turning toward Uchiha Ren.

“Everything is ready. When should I fire?”

It was obvious that Orochimaru cared greatly about the debut of this new weapon.

Uchiha Ren thought for a moment.

“Give Hizashi and the others some time. We’ll officially begin the attack in three minutes.”

Orochimaru nodded and said nothing more, simply waiting in silence.

The seconds passed one by one, and the atmosphere in the jungle grew increasingly tense.

Three minutes later, Uchiha Ren’s eyes narrowed.

“Fire!”

“Yes!”

Orochimaru answered, formed a hand seal, and simultaneously activated all ten Type-A No. 1 Ninjutsu Artillery Launchers with his chakra.

A series of sharp sounds tore through the air.

One after another, Fire Release Artillery Shell Type-3 rounds—each roughly as long as a person’s arm and as thick as a thigh—shot from the launchers, trailing flames as they flew toward the Sunagakure outpost one kilometer away.

“Kill!”

At the same time, Uchiha Ren shouted and charged toward the Sunagakure outpost at the head of the assault.

In the next instant, figures leaped out from treetops, bushes, and behind rocks, transforming into blurs as they rushed toward the Sunagakure outpost.

“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!”

Several seconds later, a series of earth-shaking explosions erupted in the distance.

As the ground trembled, even the dark night sky was illuminated by towering flames!

Almost every Konoha shinobi charging forward instinctively stopped for a moment.

It wasn’t until a wave of scorching heat washed over them that they snapped out of it and resumed their advance.

Before long, Uchiha Ren and the others were the first to arrive at the location of the Sunagakure outpost.

Apart from encountering a few traps designed more to raise an alarm than to cause casualties, they had faced virtually no resistance along the way.

But now, where was the Sunagakure outpost?

All that remained before Uchiha Ren and the others were shattered buildings, collapsed earth, and burning trees.

“Hiss…”

Tsunade sucked in a cold breath as she stared at the scene before her.

Even tens of thousands of Explosive Tags detonating simultaneously couldn’t produce this kind of power!

The new weapon Orochimaru had developed was simply outrageous!

“Hizashi? Where’s Hizashi? Is Hizashi here?”

Uchiha Ren wasn’t particularly surprised by the scene before him. After all, this weapon was a combination of Fire Release ninjutsu and explosives. Its destructive power was already comparable to some of the missiles from his previous life.

“I’m here! I’m here!”

Hyūga Hizashi appeared in front of Uchiha Ren in a shunshin.

Hizashi had also been stunned by the explosion just moments ago, which was why he hadn’t immediately returned.

“How’s the situation?”

Uchiha Ren’s gaze swept across the shattered ruins before him.

“Did anyone escape?”

Hyūga Hizashi swallowed, still shaken.

“Not a single Sand shinobi who was inside the Sunagakure outpost managed to escape. Only a few hidden sentries who were farther away survived, but we’ve already dealt with them.”

Uchiha Ren nodded.

“And what about our side? No casualties?”

“No!”

Hizashi hesitated for a moment before finally shaking his head.

He wasn’t sure whether psychological trauma counted as an injury.

He had just quietly infiltrated to within less than one hundred and fifty meters of the Sunagakure outpost.

The shockwave from the detonation of the one hundred and fifty Fire Release Artillery Shell Type-3 rounds had sent him flying.

He had come within a hair’s breadth of meeting his ancestors!

“Excellent! We continue moving! Full speed ahead! Enter the Land of Wind as quickly as possible!”

Uchiha Ren paid no attention to what Hizashi was thinking. He simply waved his hand and charged forward once more.

Tsunade, Hyūga Hizashi, and the others followed, with the Konoha shinobi transforming into blurs as they rushed toward the Land of Wind.

However, even these battle-hardened Konoha shinobi couldn’t help changing expressions as they passed the ruins of the Sunagakure outpost.

This was the first time they had ever encountered this kind of warfare.

They had experienced surprise attacks on enemy outposts before. But no matter how sudden the attack was, after the initial confusion, they could always organize an effective defense or counterattack.

An attack that could wipe out an entire outpost in an instant…

Only a Tailed Beast Ball could accomplish something like that!

But a Tailed Beast Ball created far too much commotion. It required an enormous amount of chakra to form, and even from several kilometers—or even more than ten kilometers—away, sensory-type shinobi could detect it and take effective countermeasures.

The artillery barrage just now, however, had produced virtually no chakra fluctuations.

Most of the Sand shinobi inside the Sunagakure outpost had probably gone to meet their ancestors while still asleep.

That feeling was simply terrifying.

Fortunately, this technology wasn’t in the hands of an enemy village’s shinobi. Otherwise, they probably wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully ever again.

Less than half an hour later, Uchiha Ren and his group finally emerged from the jungle and arrived at a vast sea of sand.

Seeing the desert meant that they had already entered the Land of Wind!

“Stop! All squad leaders and deputy squad leaders, come here for a meeting! Everyone else, rest where you are!”

Uchiha Ren stopped in a relatively concealed depression and shouted.

The next moment, more than a dozen figures gathered around him.

“Map!”

Uchiha Ren called out again.

Uchiha Shisui immediately unfolded a topographical map of the Land of Wind before everyone.

Without wasting words, Uchiha Ren marked their routes on the map while issuing his orders.

“Yamanaka Shibi, you’ll lead the First Squad in a surprise attack on the chakra metal mine here. Then move on to the gold mine here, and the iron mine here…”

“Inuzuka Tsume, you’ll lead the Second Squad in a surprise attack on Sunagare City, then turn toward Karura City…”

Uchiha Ren assigned the operational plans for four squads in succession.

Finally, he turned toward Uchiha Shisui and said solemnly:

“Shisui, take the Fifth Squad straight to the Daimyō’s Residence of the Land of Wind. Be quick. Don’t linger.”

After a pause, Uchiha Ren looked at the others and reminded them:

“Remember this, everyone! Disguise yourselves as Sand shinobi or wandering shinobi. Focus on plundering wealthy merchants and nobles for their valuables, and avoid harming ordinary civilians whenever possible!”

“More importantly, prioritize your own safety. Don’t remain in any one location for more than half a day if you can avoid it. Take what you need and leave immediately! Destroy all the facilities at those mining sites!”

“The rest of you, come with me and blitz Sunagakure!”

“We’ll rendezvous at the Ruins of Rōran in three days!”

With that, Uchiha Ren’s gaze swept across each of their faces.

“Gentlemen, may we be victorious!”

“Victory!”

“Victory!!”

“Victory!!!”