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Chapter 0081: Schemes, Malicious Schemes
🕑 Added 2024-10-26 00:57:53 +0000 UTCChapter 0081: Schemes, Malicious Schemes
Crack! Crack!
On the smoke-filled battlefield, the sound of shattering glass rang out.
"That was close; thank goodness I'm skilled at one-handed hand signs," I sighed in relief, nestled within a transparent, oval crystal adorned with intricate patterns. "Otherwise, I’d be in serious trouble. You really went all out, huh?" I glanced at Yekura, pinned beneath me.
"So, you can use Ice Release too? And that still didn’t kill you," Yekura said with a hint of resignation, her demeanor oddly relaxed despite our precarious position.
"Seriously, is living so hard?" I shook my head, still hesitant to get off her. I was afraid this crazy woman might try to fight me again.
With an impassive expression, Yekura replied, "If I could die with you, it would certainly be better than living in this world."
"What kind of grudge do you hold against me?" I raked my fingers through my hair, exasperated. "It was just a small matter! I didn’t take your dignity! Besides, even if I wanted to, my body can’t do that!"
"Heh." Yekura let out a cold, cryptic laugh.
True, we hadn’t gone that far. But to Yekura, being toyed with by a young boy from an enemy village was a humiliation far worse than losing her dignity! It was a disgrace that she felt needed to be avenged at all costs!
"That smile of yours is intriguing," I remarked, sensing the tension in the air. Killing her was definitely off the table, but letting her live could complicate things. I found myself torn.
"Hey, you can keep sitting here chatting with me; I don’t mind," Yekura suddenly said after a long pause. "After all, our plan has already been completed."
"Plan? What plan?" A sudden unease gripped my heart as I sensed something foreboding.
In the next instant, that ominous feeling morphed into a terrifying reality.
Even without the keen senses of a ninja, I could detect a massive, foreboding chakra rising from the distance.
Damn it!
My expression turned grave as I realized the implications. The sheer volume of chakra radiating across such a vast area could not be produced by a human. There was only one answer—a tailed beast!
My earlier suspicions were confirmed!
Including Yekura, these Sand ninja had been mere bait all along! Their real goal was Konoha’s main camp.
Of course, even with the nearly thousand remaining troops, assaulting our main base would be nearly impossible. Thus, the higher-ups in the Sand had resorted to unleashing a tailed beast—a weapon of war!
"Oh? It seems you sensed it too," Yekura commented, a hint of playful malice creeping into her voice. "In light of your weakened high-end forces, I wonder how long you can hold off Shukaku."
"Are you trying to provoke me? Do you really want to die?"
My eyes transformed into dark, slit pupils, resembling a top predator staring coldly at Yekura. "Don’t let me see you again!" I stood up and, as if I had never existed, vanished from her sight.
"Not wanting to see me again, huh?" Lying on the ground, Yekura turned her head, focusing on the ninja sword stuck in the earth. She gently grasped the hilt and pulled it free.
The blade shimmered with a cold light, the hilt engraved with a prominent "moon." It was the sword I had previously wielded, left behind in our chaotic struggle.
Yekura caressed the blade delicately, as if wiping away the visage of a loved one. She sighed softly, "Alright, let’s leave it like this."
...
...
At this moment, the Konoha front line had descended into chaos.
When I arrived, my eyes were immediately drawn to the massive, dark brown creature standing at the center of the command post.
Even though night had fallen, its enormous form was unmistakable, with a long, snake-like tail sweeping back and forth. Its sandy body bore strange patterns reminiscent of a tanuki, exuding a chakra that felt ominously deep.
One-Tail Shukaku!
This was my first time witnessing a real tailed beast in this ninja world, and it was one that wasn't being controlled by a jinchūriki—an unrestrained, complete beast. It must have been brought here by the Sand ninja using some sort of sealing device.
I had to admit, the Sand ninja had guts!
They were willing to sacrifice most of their remaining troops as bait, just to unleash this "monster" to destroy Konoha’s main camp. This was a classic case of taking down one thousand enemies while sacrificing eight hundred of their own—a desperate, high-stakes strategy!
If the Sand were successful, Konoha would be left utterly exposed, forced to retreat and regroup. We might even have to accept a ceasefire as the losing side.
The reason was simple.
Unlike the Sand ninja, whose base was in the Wind Country, easily replaceable if destroyed, Konoha’s forward camp was located far in the River Country. This camp housed not only the command center for frontline operations but also field hospitals, various supplies, and food reserves.
If it were to be destroyed, resupplying would take days. During that time, we would be left to starve, unable to continue fighting.
It was likely this very insight that drove the Sand ninja to such reckless lengths, unleashing the tailed beast to strike a blow directly at the heart of Konoha.
