Escape From Konoha

"...Konoha has already taken action."

In the conference room, Shiraishi casually pulled out a fortress belonging to his side in the eastern region of the Bear Country on the military sand table.

There are a total of 1,400 ninjas stationed in the Bear Country, stationed in five militarized fortresses.

One in the southwest, two in the east, one in the north, and one in the northeast.

This time Konoha attacked the most peripheral military fortress in the east. In other words, there was only one military fortress placed in the eastern region.

But the military fortress in the northeast is very close to the east and has sufficient troops. If Konoha wants to continue to penetrate deeper into the country of bears, it must consider uprooting this fortress in the northeast. Otherwise, at the critical moment, this will become a sharp thorn piercing the rear of Konoha's troops.

Therefore, if Konoha wants to take action next, it will most likely be to attack the military fortress in the northeast. They will be the horns of each other, and by the way open up the connection with the Iwagakure troops, so that the areas where the two ninja troops are located will form a joint trend.

"Next, it's Iwagakure and Sunagakure's turn. According to reports from the security forces of Langye City in the Country of Bears, multiple sections of railway tracks located on the outskirts of their city were blown up in the morning, causing extensive damage. The rails may have been damaged to some extent...it will take some time to completely repair them.”

Liuli crossed her hands on her chest and stared at the military sand table with black and white pupils indifferently.

Langye City is an important resource city in the Bear Country. It has rich mountains and forests and a large amount of mineral resources. It is located in the north of the central part of the Bear Country. It has always been an important hub connecting the four sides of the Bear Country.

"Iwagakure's demolition force? A little more capable than expected. But it doesn't matter, Ayane has passed, and Iwagakure won't have much time to deal with Konoha. Sunagakure also has arrangements, so Konoha ... Just let the 'Thorns' team become an obstacle on their way forward. Speaking of which, they should be halfway there by now, right?"

Shiraishi held a model flag with asters printed on it and played with it with an interesting look on his face.

"Hmph, is that the vanguard unit you formed, imitating the White Fang team we used to belong to?"

Liuli snorted softly, then leaned against the wall, closed her eyes, and smiled.

"There is nothing wrong with this. After spending so much energy, I also want to see if the actual combat effectiveness of this unit is worthy of our investment over the years. But I think that the ninjas who have gathered from the Demon Country's military will The jounin elite, led by our daughter, will definitely be able to overcome all obstacles on the battlefield this time and overcome all difficulties!"

After speaking, a sharp light flashed in Bai Shi's eyes.

He threw the model flag in his hand onto the sandy terrain in the eastern part of the Bear Country without hesitation, and stuck it in the center of the Konoha camp, like a sharp blade about to pierce the heart of Konoha.

The word "Thorn" is clearly engraved on the model flag.

"Before ringing the death knell of Mt. Myouki, let's use this to warm up the atmosphere."

◎

Konoha, one o'clock in the afternoon.

In the lounge of the Hokage Building, there were only Tsunade, Koharu and Mito Monobu who were members of the advisory team.

Compared to the sitting postures of the two consultants, Tsunade's sitting posture seemed a bit casual. She was holding a bottle of wine in her hand and looking at the gray sky outside the window. She didn't know what she was thinking. .

The war has begun.

No matter how reluctant he is, this matter is already an indisputable fact.

However, Tsunade has no idea how big this war will be and how it will end.

"Judging from the current situation, it should be considered smooth. The vanguard force has successfully broken through a stronghold in the Kingdom of Demons. Next, we only need to open up the fortress stronghold in the northeast to connect with Iwagakure."

Over there, consultant Xiaochun was expressing his opinions.

"No, I think there's a huge problem here."

Tsunade's gaze shifted back, and she glanced at the information on the battle situation on the front line that she had read countless times on the table, her brows furrowed.

"Break a fortress with less than 300 ninjas, and invested more than 1,500 ninjas. It was difficult to conquer with one-third of the casualties, and in the end, people were able to successfully retreat... Regardless of both sides. There is a world of difference in their fighting will, combat effectiveness and equipment, and their ability to act during wartime."

Tsunade bit her finger. Even though she knew that the strength of the Demon Country was not simple, but after a real fight, she realized that some things were even more exaggerated in actual operation than the data compared on paper.

"However, as Konoha, as the attacking party, we can fully bear this loss."

Xiaochun replied after going to bed.

"So, what about the casualties of the defending side, Demon Country?"

Tsunade asked the question.

Xiaochun was speechless when she went to bed.

Because the report stated that no corpses of Oni Country ninjas were found on the battlefield.

Of course, the probability of zero death is a bit nonsense. After sleeping, Koharu believed that the bodies of those dead ninjas from the Demon Country were taken away by their companions, so it seemed to create the illusion of zero death.

After all, according to feedback from many Jounin of Konoha, when they successfully scaled the high wall of the fortress and fought against the Jonin of the Country of Demons, they broke the chakra armors of many Jonin of the Country of Ghosts, and even captured their weapons. Weapons inside, and severely damaged these Jonin of the Kingdom of Ghosts.

Logically speaking, it is difficult to predict the death toll in the Kingdom of Demons, but based on the oral accounts of the Konoha Jonin, there are probably quite a few people with minor injuries and serious injuries.

Just because no body was found does not mean that the Kingdom of Ghosts has no losses.

"The problem arises here. As the defender of the Ghost Country, even if there are not zero deaths, the number of fatalities must be pitifully low... And the casualties of our assault troops are close to one-third. If the opponent is defending If we fight to the death without retreating, although we can achieve total annihilation, the assault force will most likely suffer heavy casualties. There are only four such strongholds left in the Bear Country."

Tsunade's voice was low.

After going to bed, Koharu and Mito Kadoyan looked at each other.

Apparently they also noticed this problem.

"Konoha, no, today's great ninja village, attaches too much importance to the number of ninjas. It is true that the number of ninjas in Konoha now exceeds 20,000, and the overall strength has already caught up with Konoha in the Third Ninja War. , but in terms of elites, the work arrangements are very poor. The stronger the existence of ninjas, the more powerful they are, they can basically ignore the numerical gap until the opponent's strength has not reached a certain level. "

In other words, Konoha's current ninja army has the disadvantage of being bloated.

These shortcomings can be changed, given time.

But time is now being used to fight the war. Although war will quickly make ninjas stronger, when the number of sacrifices exceeds what Konoha can bear, then the idea of ​​relying on war training will ultimately be counterproductive.

Because the opponent is very cruel and powerful, once they fight, after seeing the weakness of Konoha, they will not give Konoha enough room to develop, but will quickly annihilate Konoha's effective strength.

The Kingdom of Ghosts has the strong confidence to do so.

This is one of the main reasons why Tsunade doesn't want to fight this war. It's not just that she approves of Shiraishi's approach... it's also because once the two sides fight, Konoha's current shortcomings will be infinitely magnified.

The performance of the assault battle made Tsunade even more certain of this.

Today's Konoha ninjas are organizationally bloated and have no time to accumulate their own strength.

In Tsunade's view, what Konoha needs most now is not war, but to stop expanding the scale of ninjas, change from quantity to quality, and fundamentally strengthen Konoha.

After all, the military expenses to maintain 20,000 ninjas are already very heavy for Konoha.

"How long has it been since you two went out to see the outside world?"

Tsunade looked sharply at Koharu and Mito Monen who were sleeping.

These words left the two consultants speechless. They wanted to open their mouths to explain something, but found that nothing could be said.

How long has it been since you took a look at the outside world?

This question, combined with the current intelligence, instantly put a layer of shame on their faces.

Data cannot fool anyone.

As Tsunade said, Konoha's ninja troops have serious problems now.

"So, how will the next battle proceed? Do we need to change our strategy?"

Mito Kabuto sighed.

Wandering in the beautiful fantasy of Konoha in this era, the results shown by the assault force now, after Tsunade said this, made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

But the war has begun, and even if you know these shortcomings, it will be difficult to escape.

"Right now, we can only try our best and adjust our strategies in time by observing the actions of the Kingdom of Ghosts. Other than that, there is no better way." Tsunade put down the wine bottle in her hand, stood up from the sofa, and walked away He went to the window and looked at the heavy snowflakes falling outside, "But that's not what I'm most worried about now."

The two advisors looked around, confused as to what Tsunade meant.

"After reading this information, what worries me the most now is that it is not one of the three of them who is responsible for attacking Jiraiya in the Kingdom of Demons. In other words, the three of them do not need to personally deal with Jiraiya. The extent of the attack. If this is the case, the situation on our side will be very passive."

After Tsunade finished speaking, she remained silent.

"How is it possible? Jiraiya is also one of the three ninjas of Konoha, and he is a ninja who has learned the magic of Mt. Myoboku!"

Koharu turned to bed and looked at Tsunade in disbelief.

"Who knows about this kind of thing? After all, we have no idea what kind of strategy the Kingdom of Ghosts will adopt in response to this attack..."

Tsunade took a deep breath, the worried look on her face reflected in the glass of the window.

◎

Afternoon, one twenty.

"Eh? So today is Hinata's birthday?"

Naruto just got out of bed in the afternoon and had just finished washing when Sakura and Sai came to visit him.

Knowing from Sakura that today is Hinata's birthday, Naruto couldn't help but open his mouth with a confused expression of not knowing.

"Yes, otherwise what do you think? Why, didn't Master Jiraiya tell you?"

In the living room on the first floor, Sakura asked Naruto who had just walked out of the bathroom.

"No, after the lustful immortal sent me back yesterday, he left in a hurry and I don't know where he went. And since I came back yesterday, I have been sleeping at home and just woke up."

Naruto thought about what happened yesterday and made sure that Jiraiya had not told him anything about Hinata's birthday.

Moreover, now that he was seeking confirmation from Jiraiya, he had no idea where to look for Jiraiya.

"Really? Forget it, I knew you didn't have any preparations. There is still a little time before the birthday party in the evening, and there is still time to choose gifts. After that, Sao and I will help you choose together."

Sakura smiled and said.

"Does this guy want to come too?"

Naruto squinted his eyes at Saai, his expression a little depressed, and he felt that his body was not strong enough.

"There's nothing we can do about it. After all, Sai is now a member of Team 7. Moreover, Shikamaru also invited Sai to attend the birthday party tonight on behalf of Hinata, so don't say these things."

"I understand. Since it's your request, Sakura, I will cooperate well with this guy."

As he said that, Naruto secretly glanced at Sai, and found that the other person was still smiling, with an expression that didn't know what he was smiling about. He felt that the other person's smiling face was very flat, and he cut it in displeasure.

"Speaking of which, is there no problem with Miaomushan's training? Seeing that you look so tired, you must have achieved some results, right?"

Sakura asked curiously.

Sai also quietly pricked up his ears while maintaining a smile.

He was always paying close attention to the affairs of the Nine-Tailed Jinchuuriki. This was a task entrusted to him by Danzo.

Especially the fact that Naruto went to Mount Miaomu to practice celestial arts, even Danzo took it very seriously.

"Ah, are you talking about magic? I have just mastered a little bit of the trick. However, even if I have just mastered a little bit of the trick, I feel that my current strength has changed dramatically from the past. I will have the opportunity in the future. Come on, let me perform for you, Sakura!"

Naruto clenched his fists, suddenly feeling the desire to show off.

"Well, that's not necessary. As long as you can practice smoothly, that's better than anything else."

Sakura declined Naruto's performance plan.

"Oh, that's how it is."

A little disappointed, but Naruto quickly cheered up and walked to the bedroom upstairs to get dressed. Then he came down and took out a few slices of bread and a carton of milk from the refrigerator as today's lunch.

After eating a simple lunch and feeling a little full, Naruto locked the door, left the house with Sakura and Sai, and walked towards Konoha's commercial street.

"Well, Sakura, are the ninjas on the street a little deserted recently? They seem to be missing a lot."

Naruto looked around and found that the proportion of ninjas in the crowd was much lower than before, which made him confused.

"You are observing very carefully, Naruto. It seems that the raid training arranged for you was not a waste of time. Your attention to the surrounding environment has obviously improved a lot."

She didn't expect Naruto to see these problems at a glance, and Sakura smiled in surprise.

"That's of course. Now I, even Captain Yamato, will be shocked when I see it!"

Naruto who said this clearly felt confident in his current strength.

Sakura smiled and said nothing. Naruto was always so happy, as if he didn't know what sadness was. Being by his side, she really relaxed a lot.

"It's best not to mention this kind of thing in front of Captain Yamato." Sakura paused and glanced at the crowd around her, "However, there have been some changes in the village recently, but I remember that two days ago, there were so many people in the crowd. There aren’t that few ninjas yet, is it because there have been more people coming to entrust us with tasks recently?”

"But isn't it almost the New Year?"

"Maybe this year is special."

Sakura thought for a while but couldn't figure it out, so she could only give this ambiguous answer.

But Sai, who was following the two of them like an invisible man, narrowed his eyes carefully.

His intuition told him that the reason why there were fewer ninjas in the village was definitely not what Sakura said, but because there were more mission clients.

"Okay, let's go pick out gifts quickly. We will gather at the designated place at five o'clock in the afternoon. By the way, Naruto, have you thought about what gifts to pick out?"

Sakura asked as she walked down the road.

"Well..." Naruto stopped in the middle of the road, tilted his head and began to think hard, frowning in distress, "I have no experience in giving gifts to girls. As for Hinata, what will she like?"

You just need to pack yourself up and send it there. Although Sakura thought so in her heart, she didn't say it with her mouth.

"As for that, I don't know. Besides, you and Hinata are probably closer than me and Hinata."

Sakura said.

She really didn't know much about Hinata. Before graduating from the ninja school, her impression was that she was a distinguished lady who was shy and came from a wealthy family.

They rarely play together, and even after graduating from school, the number of times they meet is not considered frequent.

The most in-depth contact was only during the Chunin Examination.

Naruto nodded in approval and began to think about it.

"I think it's better for gifts to be more practical. If you don't use the gift often, it doesn't mean much."

I think a more romantic gift would make Hinata happier. Sakura sighed.

However, he also knew that if someone with a brain like Naruto gave a gift to a girl, it would be impossible for him to choose a romantic gift.

"So, have you decided what to give me, Naruto?"

"That's the one!"

Naruto pointed at the shop opposite and blurted out.

◎

Unlike Konoha Village, which is still in peace, due to the raid by Konoha ninja troops, the towns and military fortresses in the Bear Country have begun to be completely closed, and a war is inevitable.

The Konoha ninja troops that successfully overthrew a military fortress in the Kingdom of Demons in the east, under the command of Jiraiya, one of the three ninjas, gradually turned this fortress into Konoha's own camp stronghold, which is in line with the Demon Kingdom in the Kingdom of Bears. National ninja troops engage in a confrontation.

While both sides stood still and were monitoring the movements of their troops, a ninja force of three thousand people broke through the obstruction of ice and snow at an extremely fast speed and began to run wildly within the Kingdom of Birds.

Three thousand ninjas are divided into thirty hundred-man squadrons. The captain of each squadron is a jounin, or a special jonin.

The rest of the squadron is composed of Chuunin and Genin.

They trampled on the thick branches of the big tree, which were strong enough to withstand the trampling of the human body. They kept shaking under the ninja's trampling, with no tendency to stop.

The snow above has long since fallen off, revealing the bare bark of the trees.

Then a series of afterimages passed by. Except for the sound of stepping on branches, no one made a sound during the period. Therefore, this ninja troop advancing at an extremely fast speed seemed quiet and did not attract anyone's attention.

On the forehead protectors tied to their foreheads,

Wearing Konoha's ninja forehead protector, revealing the forehead protector mark that only belongs to Konoha ninjas.

The affiliation of this ninja force is obvious. They come from the Konoha Ninja Village.

Judging from the direction in which this army was heading, it was heading straight towards the Bear Country.

The sky is dark, the cold wind is howling in the forest, and the white snow is flying in the feathers. Occasionally, the howling of wolves can be heard from the distance.

"There are only thirty kilometers left to the destination. Teams should not relax. Sensing ninjas and ninjas from the Hyuga clan must be on guard!"

The leading Jounin of Konoha wears the Jounin uniform of Konoha. In addition to the family crest of the Uzumaki clan printed on the uniform, there is also another family crest on the shoulders.

That was the family crest belonging to the Sarutobi clan.

This Konoha Jonin was born in the Sarutobi clan, a clan member of the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen.

He was about forty years old, with a tall body and a scar under his lip, which made his already tall body look even more ferocious.

"yes!"

On the radio next to my ear, the angry responses from the captains of each squadron came.

Although they knew that during this period of time, as reinforcements, they would not be attacked by any attack, the teams still maintained a high level of vigilance.

The team continued to move forward, except for the squadron leaders who occasionally communicated via radio, other than that, it was just a boring journey.

——The end of the forest.

The waterfall washes away the snow, and the pool below freezes into ice.

Eleven figures stood on the rock.

Except for the girl who led the team, everyone else was wearing pitch black trench coats, with the chakra armor underneath vaguely exposed, reflecting the metallic luster.

Different from the color of ordinary chakra armor, which is mostly silver-white, the chakra armors they wear are jet black armor that looks thicker in appearance.

In the center of the armor is a purple jade with a strange color.

The waist is uniformly equipped with two standard sabers, one long and one short. On his face is a black mask as long as a bird's beak, with only a pair of bright pupils exposed.

Judging from their height and body shape, these people are either tall or short, male or female.

They were either standing, sitting on the kneeling rock, or squatting on the ground. Their eyes under the black beak masks stared unblinkingly at the forest ahead.

Clang!

The blade fell into the dirt.

Ichiji gently pressed her hands on the hilt of the Kusanagi sword stuck in the snow. Snowflakes fell on her shoulders and her long black hair, bringing a slight chill.

The red three-magatama Sharingan stared straight ahead with a calm expression. In the cold and cruel environment, there was no wavering in his eyes.

"How close are they to getting here?"

The ninja squatting on the ground touched the ground with his black-gloved fingers.

A tender tree bud broke through the soil and stood firm in the wind and snow.

"About six kilometers."

After getting this answer, without warning, blue chakra spewed into the sky like an out-of-control volcano on the surface of Yiji's body. Then this torrent of chakra quickly turned into rolling flames, making the entire space, All were enveloped in high temperatures.

The cold winds that rage across the land cannot invade.

The snowflakes covering the ground also began to melt, and drops of water emitted scalding heat.

A giant warrior burning lava rises from the ground, his eyes are as bright as the flames of the sun, and he holds a flaming sword in his hand.

The warrior raised the flaming sword, and the sword grid extended to both sides, turning into a cross sword.

Immediately, the sword grid bent back, and a golden flaming bowstring connected the two ends of the revolving sword grid, forming a bow that could shoot from a long distance.

"Now there's less than five kilometers left."

The voice came again.

The warrior was like a living creature, spewing hot white steam from his nostrils, making the surrounding blizzard inaccessible and exuding an extremely dangerous aura.

Ichihime held the hilt of the Kusanagi sword with one hand, pulled the sword out of the soil, and raised it forward.

The three magatama's Sharingan began to release a blood-like luster.

"Then, let's fire off a salute first to celebrate the arrival of the blood feast at night in advance."