"Lord Kazekage, the Iwagakure ninjas are pushing through a forced march! They're not far from us now," reported Shangshuiliu Pengman, his tone urgent.
"They're still forcing a march? Aren't they afraid of vomiting their guts out?!" exclaimed Jing Hang, his voice tinged with surprise.
"Exactly, I find it surprising too. They must be desperate!" replied Pengman.
That was probably the case. Jing Hang sighed inwardly, realizing he had been a bit too lax. If they had started their own forced march earlier, Iwagakure would never have been able to catch up. Now, in this situation, while he and the Third Raikage could probably escape, would they have to abandon an entire regiment here in the Land of Earth?
"Where are the Third and Fourth Divisions now?" Jing Hang asked.
"Half an hour ago, the Fourth Division reported they had reached Area 17. The Third Division is a bit farther away and should arrive about half a day later," Pengman replied.
"And how far is it from here to Area 17?"
"A little over 280 kilometers."
That meant the Fourth Division would need at least three days of forced marching to get here. However, for this operation, Jing Hang had authorized both the Third and Fourth Divisions of the standing army to use chakra-enhancing stimulants, so reaching this location shouldn't be an issue.
The real problem now was how to hold off the pursuing Iwagakure forces for three days.
Jing Hang couldn't help but glance at the Third Raikage standing beside him.
Should he trouble the old brother to go wild once more?
But then he shook his head. What was the point of coming all the way here? Wasn't it to rescue him? If, after all this effort, they ended up in the same situation, wouldn't this just be a sightseeing tour of Iwagakure? This godforsaken place was nothing but plateaus and ravines, ridges and valleys—uneven terrain as far as the eye could see. It was the quintessential Loess Plateau landscape. What was there to see?
Wait, Loess Plateau landscape? That could be useful.
Back in the day, during the Chinese Civil War, Commander Chang had shifted his strategy from a full-scale attack on the Liberated Areas to focused offensives. He ordered his top disciple, Commander Hu, to lead 34 brigades—250,000 troops—to invade the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia revolutionary base. How many troops did the other side have? Just one corps of 30,000 men, with vastly inferior weaponry.
Yet, the revolutionary forces made full use of the favorable terrain in northern Shaanxi and their strong ties with the local population. They lured the enemy deep into the mountains, leading Commander Hu's forces on a wild goose chase through the valleys of northern Shaanxi. Occasionally, they employed "mushroom tactics" to pick off portions of the enemy forces.
In the end, not only did they successfully complete the central command's strategic relocation, but they also inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy's main forces. It was a textbook example of mobile warfare.
The terrain around Sunagakure was quite similar to northern Shaanxi. The problem, however, was that this wasn't Sunagakure's territory—it was Iwagakure's home turf. They were unfamiliar with the geography here. Without satellites or navigation, they'd definitely get lost in these ravines.
If only he had brought along Dan Yan or Yan Mao. One had sharp ears, the other a keen nose. Either one would be like having a fully lit map. Then, this mobile warfare strategy would be much more feasible.
Suddenly, Jing Hang's eyes fell on the large beehive strapped to Shangshuiliu Pengman's back, and his eyes lit up.
Wasn't this a ready-made "living map"?
Without hesitation, Jing Hang wrapped an arm around Pengman's shoulders and asked, "Captain Shangshuiliu, how many bees do you have in that hive?"
"Strange! This is really strange!" Wenya frowned as he studied the tracks left by the Sunagakure ninjas.
"What's wrong?" asked Yellow Earth, his tone curious.
"Lord Yellow Earth, these Sunagakure ninjas have abandoned the flat road and entered the ravines below," Wenya replied.
"What?!" Yellow Earth's tone was not one of surprise but of delight.
"It seems the Third Kazekage wants to exploit the crisscrossing gullies here to play cat-and-mouse with us, buying time," Wenya analyzed.
"Haha! Such tricks cannot possibly fool me. Do you know where we are? This is the Land of Earth's territory! Every mountain and stone here is etched in my memory. Playing hide-and-seek on my turf? Jing Hang, how naive of you," Yellow Earth laughed heartily.
"However, Lord Yellow Earth, this terrain is unfavorable for deploying our army. With all these ravines, finding four hundred people will be no easy task. If we split up to search, we risk being picked off by the Sunagakure forces," Wenya expressed his concerns.
"Ha! Finding four hundred people in these hills? That's no challenge at all. Danar! Come here!" Yellow Earth called out.
From the crowd emerged a golden-haired boy, no older than ten, with strikingly handsome features.
"Get up there and locate the Sunagakure ninjas. Once you've found them, signal me. You can even drop a few bombs on them," Yellow Earth instructed.
"Understood, senior brother," the boy nodded. He reached into his pouch, and soon the sound of chewing could be heard.
Wenya watched the boy curiously, trying to discern what made him special.
After the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, the boy withdrew his hand, and a small clay bird with four wings appeared. What was even more astonishing was that the boy's palm had a large mouth, which was still licking its lips!
"What is this?" Wenya was full of questions.
"This is my junior disciple, my father's last apprentice. He's extraordinary. He inherited the Zhengzhang'e Secret Technique from my father. His strength is not to be underestimated. I've been saving him for a moment like this," Yellow Earth said with pride.
The boy, Danar, formed a hand seal and shouted, "Expand!"
With a loud "poof," a cloud of white smoke erupted. The small clay bird suddenly grew massive. Danar climbed onto its back, forming another hand seal to control it. The bird flapped its wings and took flight, soaring into the sky.
"Is this the late Lord White Earth's clay bomb technique?" Wenya asked.
"Indeed. But this kid is even more daring than White Earth. He underwent body modifications to master the Zhengzhang'e Technique. Given time, his strength will far surpass White Earth's, and he'll become a pillar of the village," Yellow Earth said proudly.
From the sky, Danar soon spotted the Sunagakure ninjas marching through a ravine. He let out a long whistle and began circling above them, reaching into his pouch once more.
"See? With aerial superiority, they have nowhere to hide. Wenya! Mojiru! Dashi! Pursue them in the direction Danar is pointing. Akatsuchi, prepare the sealing unit!" Yellow Earth commanded.
The long whistle from above naturally caught Jing Hang's attention.
When he looked up, his expression changed drastically.
What the hell? Deidara isn't even a thing yet! How is there already someone like this?!
At that moment, three clouds of white smoke erupted in the sky. Three bird-like clay constructs, each the size of a goose, dove toward the Sunagakure forces.
"Not good! Everyone, get down! Magnet Release: Rakshasa Shield!"
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