On the border of the Kingdom of Demons, close to the Kingdom of Bears, the ninja troops of the Demon Kingdom's military have already secretly assembled.
There are only a hundred ninjas gathered here.
The difference is that the one hundred ninjas here belong to a very special unit.
That is, all of them possess aircraft, and they are a relatively special air combat unit in the Ghost Country's military.
While holding aircraft, they will also be equipped with detonating charms, poison gas bombs and other high-altitude invasion weapons, which can carry out full-coverage strikes against enemies on the ground from distant air.
Due to the high cost of aircraft, many resources cannot be effectively utilized under the existing technology. Therefore, within the military of the Kingdom of Ghosts, the output of aircraft has not been high.
So far, the air combat force has only 300 official members.
One-third of the air force is assembled here.
It can be said that they attach great importance to the ninja troops of Sunagakure Village.
The captain leading this unit is Ayane.
The enemy force they dealt with was the Sunagakure force, which included a thousand ninjas.
After a recent survey, it has been discovered that the anti-air weapons they possess are basically long-range ballistas, supplemented by bows and arrows and detonating charms, specifically to suppress the air forces of the Kingdom of Ghosts.
However, Ayane didn't take this to heart.
Although that kind of ballista is a bit troublesome for air troops, it is not capable of suppressing air troops head-on.
Moreover, the role of the air force, for the time being, is to harass, disrupt the enemy's formation, and create favorable opportunities for the remaining frontal forces. It is their job.
In a head-on firefight with the enemy, if too many aircraft are damaged, the gain will outweigh the loss.
"Lord Ayane, the third team has completed its patrol."
A Jōnin from the Kingdom of Demons came to report.
He is the squadron leader of this air combat unit.
The air combat unit is composed of ten people in a team, with a captain and deputy captain, and eight team members.
The one hundred air combat ninjas here are divided into ten teams, led by the squadron leader.
"How's it going?"
Ayane knows the importance of fighter planes.
In the past, I had the honor to see many battles in Konoha. For commanders, when to launch an attack and when to hide the team are very important things.
Although she herself is not very good at commanding, Shiraishi's reminder to her was very clear, that is, Sunagakure Village can directly attack Sunagakure troops after crossing the national border.
Before this, the Kingdom of Ghosts had publicly announced that any foreign force armed with force was not allowed to cross the borders of the Kingdom of Ghosts in any form without permission.
The Bear Country is a small country isolated from other countries by a long and narrow valley. This long and narrow valley is the Hell Valley, which is filled with poisonous gas all year round.
As long as the Sunagakure troops cross the Hell Valley and launch an attack on the Sunagakure troops, the Kingdom of Oni will be justified.
The time Ayane was waiting for was the time for Sunagakure's troops to cross the Hell Valley and advance into the Kingdom of Demons.
"They are gathering troops and preparing to cross the Hell Valley. It seems that they are planning to take real military coercion."
The Jonin of the Demon Country reported.
With flying ninjas monitoring Sunagakure Village's every move from the air, to the Kingdom of Ghosts, the position of the ninja force in Sunagakure Village has long been exposed.
All their actions are also under the surveillance of the Kingdom of Ghosts.
"As expected, be careful to temporarily evacuate residents on the border and not attack Sunagakure."
The corners of Ayane's lips curled up.
The commercial channels between the Kingdom of Wind and the Kingdom of Ghosts have been unilaterally closed by the Kingdom of Ghosts, and the supply from the Kingdom of Ghosts has been lost. After this month of fermentation, various problems must have occurred in the internal business chain of the Kingdom of Winds.
Although it is not fatal, it will definitely affect the economic output of the Kingdom of Wind, which means a reduction in taxes for the nobles.
At the same time, the Kingdom of Wind relies heavily on imported food, water, medicine and other commodities. Many people secretly resent the Kingdom of Ghost for its lack of appreciation.
Looking at Sunagakure's current actions, it seems that he does not intend to be secretive, but directly adopts the most direct method to put pressure on the Kingdom of Demons, so that the Kingdom of Demons can reopen its trade routes with the Kingdom of Wind.
After more than a month of brewing, it was finally time for both sides to use force.
At this time, it is necessary to ensure that the surrounding residents evacuate safely and stay away from this smoky battlefield to avoid being affected by the fighting.
"Yes, arrangements are already being made over there. In an hour, the border residents will be evacuated."
"Very good. After that, let's evacuate quickly."
"Huh? Don't we need to attack directly?"
Nominally, the moment Sunagakure Village crosses Hell Valley, the Oni Country can launch an attack on Sunagakure's troops and prevent Sunagakure ninjas from entering.
"It's not enough. A border conflict is not enough for us to have an excuse to launch an attack on the mainland of the Kingdom of Wind. Moreover, if it is solved at once, it will only make the Sunagakure Village weigh the pros and cons, and maybe it will just give up the war with us. Compromise is the end. Hmm... Let's fight them evenly when the time comes, and let them believe that the home court is still in the Kingdom of Wind."
"..."
Do you think this is fishing? The Jonin from the Kingdom of Demons was unable to complain.
◎
Ma Ji ordered people to build wide stone bridges at both ends of Hell Valley using earth escape techniques, then pushed the ballista, put on various important military supplies, and set off towards the Kingdom of Ghosts.
The crossbow has been loaded with a large number of bows and arrows that can be fired continuously. The bows and arrows are attached with detonating talismans, and their angles are also adjusted to point to the sky, ready to respond to various crises in the sky.
Ma Ji followed the team forward, but his eyes were fixed on the sky vigilantly. As soon as there was a change in the sky, he would ask the surrounding Sunagakure ninjas to launch their ballistae, launch a covering strike into the sky, and shoot down the aerial ninjas of the Demon Country. Ensure that the team can safely cross the borders of the Kingdom of Ghosts.
Because they had to pay attention to the problem of air raids, the troops composed of a thousand Sunagakure ninjas marched very slowly.
Reaching the Hell Valley, which is less than 500 meters wide, it took a thousand Sunagakure ninjas more than half an hour to cross the Hell Valley and officially enter the territory of the Kingdom of Demons.
The imagined air raid did not happen, which somewhat surprised Markey.
Judging from the previous performance, the Kingdom of Ghosts seems to be ready to go to war with Sand Hidden Village, but when they crossed the Hell Valley just now, the Kingdom of Ghosts had the best time to stop them.
Having lost that best period, Ma Ji couldn't figure out what the Demon Country should do to defeat the front troops of Sunagakure Village.
Could it be that the Kingdom of Ghosts is just lip service?
Markey had to think about it.
After all, the comprehensive national strength of large countries is far greater than that of small countries.
Under pressure from all aspects, even if the Kingdom of Ghosts talks tough, its actual actions may not be as resolute as what it says.
Maybe because of the issue of whether to officially start a war with Sunagakure, there was already a quarrel within their military.
That's why it was so easy for them to cross the border into Hell Valley.
Markey felt confident in this battle, and the time to avenge his shame finally arrived.
He also lived up to the Kazekage-sama's expectations. As long as the road to Hell Valley was opened, the door of the Demon Country would be completely opened to Sunagakure Village without any effort.
Just when Marki was in a happy mood, he suddenly heard a buzzing sound in the air.
Everyone subconsciously looked up and saw ten small black shadows flying over their heads, and the sound came from them.
The Sunagakure ninja who was next to the crossbow immediately changed his expression. He was about to use the crossbow to launch a bow and arrow into the sky. Maki immediately stopped him and shouted: "Wait, don't be impulsive!"
Upon hearing Maki's order, the Sunagakure ninja put down the ballista at hand and waited for the order.
The Oni Country ninjas in the sky saw that the Sunagakure ninjas had stopped their air attacks and did not pay attention. Instead, they continued to hover over the Sunagakure troops and continued to put pressure on them.
"They should have come to check on the situation."
Ma Ji frowned, sensing the intentions of the ninja from the Kingdom of Ghosts in the sky.
If it was for an air strike, they would have already launched an attack on Sunagakure's troops instead of waiting for Sunagakure to take the lead.
"Master Marki, what should we do now?"
"Well...as long as they don't take action, we don't need to take action to avoid wasting bows and arrows and detonating talismans. Let them check it out."
Marky ordered.
The Sunagakure ninja took the order.
After hovering over the Sunagakure troops for more than half and disappearing, the ten Oni Country ninjas flew into the distance and disappeared from the sight of the Sunagakure ninjas.
Ma Ji took a deep breath. The flexibility of this army seemed to be stronger than imagined.
And it's not sure how many people there are in such an air combat unit.
But according to Ma Ji's estimation, the Kingdom of Ghosts will not have many such special arms.
When the Kingdom of Sky declared war on the five major nations, the proportion of ninjas holding flying ninja tools was actually very rare. Not everyone had flying ninja tools.
Otherwise, the Kingdom of Sky would not have been quickly destroyed by the Kingdom of Fire.
Many Sunagakure ninjas were relieved to see the ninjas from the Kingdom of Oni flying away. If these guys kept flying over them, they might not even be able to sleep well.
Ma Ji guessed what the intention of the Ghost Country was, and sent a dozen Sunagakure ninjas out to spy on intelligence. Most of the Sunagakure ninjas camped in place and spent the night here.
◎
"Have everyone evacuated?"
The next day, Ma Ji received information from the Sunagakure ninjas who were out. The nearest town on the edge of Oni Country was deserted. It was unknown when the evacuation operation was completed.
"This is strange. What on earth does the Kingdom of Ghosts want to do?"
Since crossing the Hell Valley, except for being under surveillance at the beginning, the air has been quiet since then, and no ninjas from the Kingdom of Oni have come to visit.
Not only that, but the Ghost Country’s garrison at the border was not seen.
Now even the people in the border town have been evacuated.
Are you afraid of the powerful soldiers of Sunagakure Village? Markey felt that this was the only reason that could be explained clearly.
"Go over and have a look, everyone break out of camp."
"yes."
Lead the Sunagakure ninja to continue marching forward.
Soon we arrived at the deserted border town mentioned in the intelligence.
There was nothing wrong with what was reported in the intelligence. There was not a single human eye in the town, and it was deserted. There was the occasional soft sound of the wind, but it made the town even more quiet and unusual.
There was no damage or attack, and all the people in the town disappeared.
This was the first time Markey had encountered this kind of thing.
In the past, on the battlefield of the Kingdom of Rain, many villagers of the Kingdom of Rain, in order to defend their land, would take up arms and fight with the ninjas even if they knew they were not enemies of the ninjas, and died on their own land, which gave Ma Ji a lot of hope. Big touch.
The Kingdom of Ghosts seemed to lack such desperate determination and directly chose to evacuate... which made Marky feel a little uncomfortable.
It seems that overwhelming the Demon Country in terms of momentum is a little easier than imagined.
We were all prepared for a hard fight, but we didn't expect the Kingdom of Demons to give up their land so easily. No matter how you look at it, it proves that the Military of the Kingdom of Demons lacks initiative in fighting and cannot even passively counterattack.
"Lord Markey, what should we do next?"
"Search carefully to see if there are any problems in this town, but be careful not to cause damage."
"yes."
Fifty Sunagakure ninjas came out and began to sweep the entire town.
Maki was also worried that the Oni Country was using this town as a bait to plant some terrible explosive weapons in the town to attack the Sunagakure troops.
Although this possibility is unlikely, you still need to take precautions.
An hour later, the sweep team returned.
Markey's concerns proved unfounded.
There was no problem at all in the town. No detonating devices or surveillance cameras were found.
Not only that, the raiding team also found a small amount of important supplies such as food and medicine in residential houses in the town.
Naturally, these supplies were accepted one by one by Ma Ji's troops.
Holding the parallel map of the town, Maki became thoughtful and began to issue orders to turn the town into a temporary Sunagakure ninja station.
A large number of ballistae began to be moved and placed in important locations in the town, making it possible to advance, attack, retreat and defend.
By the time the arrangement was completed, it was time to get dark.
Looking at the sky full of brilliant sunset, Ma Ji still didn't see the ninjas from the Kingdom of Ghosts appearing in the sky. He smiled coldly and sarcastically.
If the ninja from the Kingdom of Ghosts came to stop him before he invaded this town, he might be able to spend a lot of effort to stop his troops from moving forward.
Unfortunately, when crossing the Valley of Hell, the Kingdom of Ghosts stopped him in the future.
Now, when he led his army to invade this small town, the Kingdom of Ghosts still did not come forward to stop him.
After losing two major fighter planes in a row, Ma Ji had to believe that the top military leaders of the Ghost Country were a group of idiots who did not understand war and were operating behind the scenes.
During the Third Ninja World War, the ninja villages of the five major countries competed against each other for the important geographical environment, in order to occupy more geographical advantages and gain the upper hand.
But Marki felt relieved after thinking about it.
Although the Kingdom of Oni has ninja troops, it has never participated in a ninja war. If it encounters a war, it probably doesn't know how to command it.
Marky felt that he had discovered the biggest weakness of the Ghost Country.
◎
After two days in the town, everything was calm, and there was still no sign of the ninja from the Kingdom of Ghosts in the sky.
Although many Sunagakure ninjas have lowered their guard about this, Maki still maintains a high degree of vigilance to face the situation that may be encountered next.
Contempt is one thing, but the Demon Country is well-equipped, and this cannot be ignored.
Therefore, no matter it is day or night, Maki will ask the serving Sunagakure ninja to pay full attention and stare at the sky.
The Sunagakure troops, who have already taken the lead, cannot give the Kingdom of Oni any opportunity to take advantage of it. They must try to gain as many advantages as possible before Sunagakure's reinforcements arrive, until the Kingdom of Oni has no power to resist at all.
At dusk, Ma Ji inspected the defense situation in the town. When he was about to eat, a buzzing sound suddenly appeared in his ears.
He and the surrounding Sunagakure ninja looked up.
I saw a ninja from the Kingdom of Ghosts flying in the air with the help of an aircraft, and the sound came from there.
"Are you alone?"
Ma Ji looked calmly at the sky, trying to see the purpose of this ninja from the Kingdom of Ghosts.
Not long after, a large amount of snow-white paper suddenly fell from the sky. They were leaflets with written text, and they were scattered by the ninja from the Kingdom of Ghosts in the sky.
Marki didn't pay attention, casually took a flyer that was about to fly by, and looked at it intently.
Sincerely——
You have invaded our land for no reason at this time. In order to pray for the safety of the country, if you do not return Windmill Town within three hours, our army will launch an air raid on Windmill Town.
After reading this letter, I ask you to think twice before acting to avoid accidentally damaging the friendship between the two countries.
…
After releasing the leaflet, the Ninja of the Ghost Country did not stop, and flew directly into the distance to return to his life.
As for whether the Sunagakure ninja took this threat seriously after seeing it, it had nothing to do with him.
Marky quickly read the contents of the flyer and sneered. The flyer in his hand was torn from the middle and floated away in the wind.
"Is it finally here? How can you spit out what you got? And you come to ask for it at this time. Don't you think it's too late? Prepare for combat operations and let them see the power of our Sunagakure Village!"
"yes!"
The surrounding Sunagakure ninjas were in high spirits, ready to give the Kingdom of Demons a head-on blow.
◎
Night, eight o'clock.
In the forest of the Kingdom of Demons, black shadows flew into the sky with the roar of machines and powerful electric lights, flying towards Windmill Town, the border town where the Sunagakure ninjas were located.
The wings of the aircraft trailed light, and gradually began to accelerate in the air, flashing with electricity and disappearing in a flash.
After crossing the forest, we saw the plain under the night, and then we saw the border town standing on the plain.
There is Windmill Town, a border town in the Kingdom of Oni with simple folk customs and affluent life, but it is now under the control of the Sunagakure ninjas. The purpose of their operation tonight is to carry out an attack on the Sunagakure ninjas in the town above Windmill Town. Raid.
There are only fifty air combat ninjas in action.
That is the number of five teams.
The opponents were a thousand battle-experienced Sunagakure ninjas, which not only did not scare them, but also made them feel excited.
They have extremely high confidence in the aircraft on their backs.
Although the prototype of the aircraft is the aircraft of the Kingdom of Sky.
However, after improvements by the military, the aircraft has been replaced for several generations.
Although they are rare in number, they far exceed the aircraft of Sky Country in terms of flexibility, stability, defense, and durability.
The air combat force composed of fifty people saw Windmill Town, and the Sunagakure ninjas in Windmill Town, who were already well prepared, naturally saw the enemy target through military telescopes.
The security area of Windmill Town was divided into more than thirty small areas by Marki.
Each area is equipped with anti-air ballistas, sufficient detonators and bows and arrows, which are effective weapons against the air combat troops of the Kingdom of Sky.
Each area is under the responsibility of a captain, and each captain wears a radio. Maki can command them at any time and connect a thousand Sunagakure ninjas as a whole instead of fighting individually.
Seeing that fifty ninjas from the Kingdom of Ghosts were about to arrive in the sky over Windmill Town, Ma Ji's face became serious.
"All attacks!"
Marki's voice reached the ears of the captains in each area through the radio. There was a delay of about one to two seconds. Countless bows and arrows with detonating symbols flew into the sky like black raindrops.
Boom, boom, boom boom boom...
The originally dark and calm night sky was suddenly replaced by the sound of explosions, and the entire sky seemed to be on fire.
call out--
Such sounds also came from the air.
The kunai flew down, also attached with the detonating talisman, and when it came into contact with buildings and people, it suddenly emitted a terrifying flash and explosion, and exploded with a boom.
Not only that, along with the kunai, there were a large number of projectiles that also exploded on the ground.
The terrifying lavender poisonous mist spread over Windmill Town.
The Sunagakure ninjas who had been prepared for a long time were also prepared with the antidote to resist the poisonous mist, but they still felt physically uncomfortable and their brains were dizzy. They could only rely on their firm willpower to wake themselves up.
The strong wind blew, and some of the Sunagakure ninjas used the wind escape technique to blow away the poisonous mist.
The sound of the explosion was still ringing. A Sunagakure ninja who was using his wind escape to blow away the poisonous mist accidentally dropped a kunai at his feet. The detonating talisman on it exploded instantly, and the fire engulfed his body. He didn't even have time to scream. , and flew out in a bloody mess.
Marky was shocked and angry.
It was probably because Sunagakure Village took the upper hand in the first two times that he had the idea in his mind that the ninjas of the Demon Country were vulnerable.
But seeing this scene, the contempt in my heart slowly disappeared, and I began to take the enemy's tactics seriously.
There is no doubt that the mobility of the air combat troops of the Kingdom of Demons is very terrifying, and because they are in the air, their range of movement is much more flexible than the Sunagakure ninjas on the ground.
Because of this, they were able to use a small number of people to contain a thousand Sunagakure ninjas in Windmill Town.
The town was full of buildings that had collapsed due to the explosion, and gray dust was thrown up on the streets.
Boom boom boom!
The Sunagakure ninja's counterattack was more ferocious than expected. Countless bows and arrows flew into the air. Although the trajectory of the attack was easy to see, there were too many of them, which also caused a lot of trouble for the Oni Country ninjas who carried out the surprise attack in the air.
The surroundings were filled with fire, and it looked like there was no way to escape. At the center of the front of the aircraft, a blue gem suddenly lit up.
A light blue protective light shield immediately surrounded the ninjas and aircraft from the Kingdom of Ghosts.
The fire and impact were resisted by the light blue light shield, but it also caused the aircraft to show signs of instability. However, under the skillful control of the Ninja of the Ghost Country, it quickly regained its balance and rushed to a safe area, looking at the ground with lingering fear. Sunagakure ninja.
I think they are not without the ability to fight back, and they were almost beaten down.
"Damn! Can that kind of flying ninja still produce a protective barrier!?"
Ma Ji stared at the ghost country ninja who had narrowly escaped death in the sky.
He never knew that that kind of aircraft could have the protective function of a barrier.
This makes it even more difficult for Sand Hidden Village to counterattack.
Marki was not discouraged and began to command calmly.
Many ninjas from the Kingdom of Ghosts began to activate the protective devices of their aircraft.
Under Ma Ji's careful observation, he gradually discovered that the aircraft's protective barrier was not omnipotent, and the aircraft's flight speed would decrease the more it was used.
It is probably because the use of protective devices has led to insufficient energy supply in the aircraft.
Finally, as the first Demon Country ninja followed the black smoke-emitting aircraft and flew crookedly into the dark forest, the Sunagakure ninja was excited.
Then, the second and third ones also appeared one after another, and the air attack capabilities of the Ninjas of the Ghost Country were reduced again.
The war lasted for a full hour, and a total of twenty-one aircraft were shot down by Sunagakure ninjas. Although no hostages were captured, it also greatly encouraged the Sunagakure ninjas' combat motivation.
Seeing that Sunagakure's anti-air firepower had completely exceeded their own, the remaining Oni Country ninjas knew that nothing could be done and immediately evacuated the air battlefield.
As a result, the first battle ended with the Sunagakure ninja being slightly superior.
However, there was no joy at all on Ma Ji's face. According to the statistics of the people below, Sunagakure's side suffered at least two hundred casualties in this air strike, while the Demon Country only lost twenty-one aircraft. As for the pilots, it should be that all Minor injuries.
And no one was captured. Under the cover of intensive firepower from high altitude, they all escaped safely, which meant zero battle losses.
This was achieved only with sufficient preparation on their side.
If the Kingdom of Ghosts did not give any warning and directly launched a surprise attack on Windmill Town, Ma Ji couldn't imagine it.
Sunagakure's battle losses will likely reach more than 400 people by then.
Although the Kingdom of Ghost's control of fighter planes is seriously insufficient, the advanced flying equipment they possess is more difficult to deal with than the Kingdom of Sky in the past. It makes up for the immaturity of tactics.
At this rate, Ma Ji knew that Windmill Town would not be able to hold on for long before it would be captured by the air combat troops of the Kingdom of Ghosts.
"We must report the battle situation here to Mr. Kazekage. The Kingdom of Demons is not without its strength to fight. The reinforcements must not only be fast, but also increase in number..."
Ma Ji looked at the starry sky that was reddened by the previous war and muttered to himself.
