blogombal Chapter 201 Sabotage, Behind the Scenes
Chapter 201 Sabotage, Behind the Scenes
Chapter 201 Sabotage, Behind the Scenes (Seeking monthly votes and donations)
Nowadays, in the rear of Sunagakure, teams traveling between Sunagakure and the front-line camps are required to form at least a company before they can move, except for a few teams with special missions or those who are particularly confident in their abilities.
This was a last resort, as they were terrified of being harassed by Taiichi. Although it put Sunagakure's logistics under strain, it was still safer this way.
Compared to that slight difference in efficiency, it's clear that the Sand Village's higher-ups prioritized preserving the lives of their ninjas.
At this moment, Taiichi was staring at a supply team in the distance through his chakra perception.
After such a long period of fighting, Sunagakure had a general understanding of Taiichi's various abilities. For example, Taiichi's chakra perception had a range of about two kilometers, and the closer one was to Taiichi, the clearer the perception became. Similarly, Taiichi was also more easily detected by other ninjas with keen senses.
Therefore, Taiichi now has to be extremely cautious if he wants to successfully ambush a Sunagakure supply team. He can no longer release his chakra perception as freely as before.
He had to carefully control the spread and intensity of his detection, otherwise he would be easily detected by the Sand Village's sensory ninjas.
Just like now, when this supply team appeared at the edge of Taiyi's perception range, Taiyi immediately perked up and moved towards them while constantly reducing the intensity of his detection, for fear that his presence would be discovered by the other party in advance.
After the team came into his line of sight, he carefully withdrew his chakra perception and directly used the corner of his eye to detect the team's movements.
This was an escort team of nearly 100 people, escorting a long camel caravan. The Sand Ninja's formation was also very good, with guards stationed at the front, middle, rear, and both flanks.
What troubled Taiyi was their "Z"-shaped route of advance. Although this would lengthen their marching time to some extent, it would effectively prevent Taiyi from setting up an ambush.
This is a trick that Sunagakure has developed after a long period of confrontation with Taiichi, in order to prevent Taiichi from hiding under the sand or launching a surprise attack using the Flying Thunder God Kunai that were buried in advance.
But for every clever plan you have, there's a countermeasure.
While the Sand Village ninja were summarizing their experiences, Taichi was also constantly trying new methods.
A desert lizard, about 30 centimeters long, with a flying thunder god incantation drawn on its waist, was seen crawling rapidly across the sand. Its target was clear: the supply team that was gradually approaching.
This sand lizard is one of Taiyi's achievements during this period. He used illusion magic to give the small animal a command, making it act according to a certain pattern.
Compared to controlling humans, controlling animals, especially reptiles which have little intelligence, is much more difficult. Taiyi had to experiment and improve many times before he succeeded today.
Illusion Magic: Guided by Intention.
This is the first time this ninjutsu has been used, and so far the effect seems to be quite good.
The sand lizard was swaying its slender waist as it rapidly approached the supply convoy.
40 m.
Taiyi kept a close eye on the sand lizard's every step.
30 m.
Taiyi's peripheral vision began to inadvertently sweep towards the direction the sand lizard was heading.
20 m.
Taiyi slowly stood up, drew the short sword from his back, and prepared to start the battle.
10 m.
A kunai whizzed past and pierced the sand lizard's head, pinning it to the ground in the desert.
"Kia, go check it out. That sand lizard is rushing towards the group from so far away; it looks really strange!"
"Yes, Captain."
As expected, none of the ninjas are simple. Even such a slight abnormality immediately alerted them. It seems that my ninjutsu still needs improvement.
However, this distance is sufficient for a surprise attack.
The ninja named Qiya had already arrived in front of the sand lizard's corpse. Without him even needing to examine it closely, he could tell that the sand lizard's waist was bound with a ninja's technique.
Chia's pupils dilated instantly, and she opened her mouth to issue a warning.
But it was too late.
A short knife had already pierced his chest from the front; with a gentle push, he fell backward.
The captain, who was keeping a close eye on the Chia operation, naturally noticed the anomaly immediately.
The cry of "Enemy attack!" instantly echoed throughout the entire team.
Meanwhile, Taiyi also completed the hand seals.
Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
A bright golden fire dragon was instantly blown out of Tai's mouth. As if it had intelligence, it rushed straight into the Sand Ninja's ranks, and then with a shake of its head, it charged horizontally.
Instantly, the Sand Ninja were thrown into chaos, with everyone and everything in disarray.
However, to the delight of the Sand Village, although the ninjutsu attack was sudden, they did not suffer many casualties.
Although everyone was a bit disheveled, except for a few unlucky ones, everyone was basically safe and sound.
"Damn it, caravan, put out the fire!"
Taiichi, who was not far away, watched the group of Sand Ninja who had just breathed a sigh of relief after escaping danger, only to be scolded by their captain who had arrived. He couldn't help but find it amusing.
My primary objective was the supplies, not these ninjas.
How could we possibly watch you so easily go and put out the fire?
Taiyi activated his Instantaneous Movement Technique and charged into the still somewhat chaotic crowd, sword in hand.
Most of the people here are Chunin, so how could they withstand Taiichi's attacks?
The short sword was enveloped in bright golden flames. Taichi slashed left and right, and any Sand Ninja who did not have the ability to enhance their weapons with chakra was either cut in two along with their weapon, or left with missing limbs.
In just a few breaths, not a single Sand Ninja dared to approach Taiichi.
This situation only came to an abrupt end when Taiichi was intercepted by a Sand Village Jonin.
However, it was clear that this Jonin was barely holding on.
"You bunch of idiots, using ninjutsu for ranged attacks!"
"Oh, even in this state, you still have the energy to get distracted!" Taiyi's lips curled up slightly as he couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark, while his hands moved a little faster.
Immediately, the Jonin stopped speaking and focused entirely on dealing with Taiichi's attacks.
Meanwhile, ninjutsu attacks came from afar. In order not to accidentally injure the Jonin who was entangled with Taiichi, the Sand Ninja used single-target ninjutsu such as wind bullets and wind blades.
Taiichi wielded his sword with his right hand, easily suppressing the Jonin, while still having the energy to scan his surroundings. Looking at the ninjutsu attacking him, he smirked disdainfully, "Child's play!"
Immediately, he formed a hand seal with his left hand, and fireballs instantly appeared around him, crashing into the ninjutsu.
Instantly, bursts of dazzling flames erupted around Taiyi, and sparks quickly spread around him. These were not ordinary flames, but blazing, bright golden flames.
Even if it lands on empty sand, it can burn for a while before its chakra runs out. This is a real problem for the Jonin who is entangled with Taiichi.
He was no match for Taiyi to begin with, and now he was surrounded by these deadly flames, which greatly reduced his room to maneuver. If he hadn't had to concentrate on dealing with Taiyi's attacks, he would have cursed aloud long ago.
"You bunch of fucking useless trash, are you here to help me or to get me killed?"
This was a fleeting thought in the Jonin's mind. However, perseverance is bound to fail. After taking more than ten more blows from Taiichi, the Jonin finally became careless and stepped on the bright golden flames that had splashed onto the ground.
"Ah—" A shrill scream rang out, and the Jonin stumbled. Taiichi was not about to let such a good opportunity slip by. He skillfully bypassed the opponent's block with his short sword and easily stabbed it into the opponent's throat.
The screams stopped abruptly, and the whole scene fell silent for a moment.
Although the entire battle took a long time to describe, from the moment the Jonin rushed up and entangled Taiichi to the moment Taiichi ended his life, it only took about twenty seconds. At this time, the other Jonin who came to provide support arrived just in time.
Seeing the boy standing with his sword amidst the flames, the Sand Ninja who had rushed over gritted their teeth, wishing they could tear him apart. Taiichi's harassment lately had been a real headache.
If there are too few of you, you can't beat him; if there are too many of you, he runs away. He's like a leech, sticking to you and you can't get rid of him. It's utterly hopeless.
Just now, Taiyi was completely surrounded, but the leading ninja sighed inwardly, thinking it was yet another futile battle.
Sure enough, before Sunagakure could take any further action, Taiichi, amidst the flames, merely flicked his sword to shake off the bloodstains, then raised it to point at the Sunagakure ninja surrounding him, looking around with an expression as arrogant as could be.
"I will be back!"
Then, right before everyone's eyes, his figure vanished from the spot.
Only a group of Sand Ninja were left behind, their expressions a mixture of anger and helplessness. There was nothing they could do; the Sand Ninja had experienced this many times before, and they were currently completely powerless against Taiichi's shameless fighting style.
The only option is to deploy enough manpower to drive Taiyi away before the damage escalates, thereby minimizing the team's losses.
Compared to the furious Sand Village ninja, Taiichi was much happier. This sneak attack not only burned a small portion of the Sand Village's supplies, but also successfully killed one of their Jonin, making it a very fruitful operation.
It's important to understand that Jonin are not as common as cabbages. Even the weakest Jonin cannot be defeated in just a few moves. With this buffer period, the Sand Village's support can usually arrive in time.
If that Sand Village Jonin hadn't made a mistake, Taiichi would have been able to retreat if he had held out a little longer. Otherwise, if he had been surrounded by so many Sand Village ninja, even with his Flying Thunder God Technique, he might not have had time to escape.
Overall, the results of this battle were enormous, with the capture of that Jonin being the biggest gain in recent times.
He reappeared in an underground cave that Taiyi had prepared beforehand. After cleaning the blood off his body, Taiyi used earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique in Chinese fantasy novels) to leave the place.
During this time, Taiichi was not only targeting Sunagakure. His shadow clones were also attacking everywhere. Now they have traveled all over the Land of Wind, creating underground caves in various places and setting up Flying Thunder God Technique in them.
Firstly, it provides a convenient evacuation point for strategic retreats like today, since the Flying Thunder God Technique consumes a significant amount of chakra when moving long distances. Secondly, it allows for rapid deployment to various locations within the Land of Wind when necessary.
This is the closest underground cave to the battlefield. After resting for a while and recovering his strength and chakra, Taiyi immediately used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to the vicinity of the previous battlefield.
The battlefield had been cleaned up, leaving only traces of ninjutsu damage, charred camel carcasses, and some unusable supplies.
Sand was already swirling above the corpse in the sky, flying lower and lower as if to check if the area was safe.
Taiichi activated his chakra perception and quickly discovered that the Sand Village's supply team had already moved far beyond his detection range. Following the traces left at the scene, he chased after the supply team and found the Sand Village's team after only five minutes of travel.
Having just been attacked, the team was on high alert. Soon after Taiyi spotted them, the entire team reacted immediately.
The originally long line was rapidly shrinking, and the pace of movement slowed down. One of the guys, who was probably a sensory ninja, was pointing in the direction of Taiichi and talking to the ninja next to him.
It seems they've discovered me. This team's sensory ninjas are really skilled. I wonder what the principle behind their perception is. They've already discovered me, but I haven't felt like I've been detected at all.
If you were being chased, that would be really dangerous. The initiative would be in the hands of the other side, and you would be a step behind in everything you did.
It seems that when I have some free time, I need to make some improvements to my chakra perception. The fluctuations in my current chakra perception technique are still too great, and it can be easily detected by some people with keen senses.
This was most evident in the clashes with Sunagakure during this period. Many of their advantageous sneak attacks were detected in advance by Sunagakure, allowing them to prepare.
Just like now, Taiichi knew that he was out of luck with this team. Such a heavily guarded team of over a hundred people was not something he could force his way through. Moreover, they were already close to the border. Once they entered the Land of Rivers, the team would be protected by the Sunagakure front-line camp.
Unwilling to give up, Taichi tried several more times from different directions, but after discovering that the Sand Village's sensory ninja had detected him each time, he finally gave up on his goal.
There are plenty of opportunities; there's no need to take greater risks for this one goal.
Having left the battlefield, Taiyi headed deeper into the Land of Wind. Now, with his superior skills and daring, he was not worried at all about the Sand Village discovering his whereabouts, and just boldly made his way quickly through the swirling sandstorm.
Rather, he was hoping that a Sunagakure mission team would discover his whereabouts, thus saving him the time of searching for targets everywhere.
In a secluded underground base on the distant border of the Land of Earth.
In the deepest part of the hall, a frail old man with a full head of white hair and a withered face sat on a huge chair made of a dead tree stump.
-
Behind him, three flexible tubes connected his body to a huge flower bud. Judging from the wriggling on the surface of the tubes, they were clearly constantly delivering some special substance into the old man's body.
This person was none other than the former Asura of the ninja world—Uchiha Madara.
In the silent hall, only the faint sound of Ban's breathing could be heard. It was unknown how long he had been sitting there, his whole being in a state of deathly stillness.
At this moment, not far from the withered tree seat, a mound of earth gradually rose from the ground, and a figure slowly rose from the ground. This person was half black and half white, and was none other than Hei Jue, who had recently investigated the scene of Taiyi's battle.
"Lord Madara, I'm back!"