Naruto's civilian cannon fodder starts with the three-body technique

Chapter 262: Lack of Supplies
The atmosphere at the Sunagakure front camp was both tense and fervent.

Ebizo stood on the high platform, his emaciated body radiating a suffocating sense of oppression.

Before him stood the main force of the Sand Village army, a dark mass, the air thick with a chilling aura of killing intent.

"Konoha slaughtered our compatriots and trampled on our dignity!"

Ebizo's voice, filled with deep-seated hatred and inflammatory rhetoric, was clearly transmitted to the ears of every Sand Ninja through his Wind Release technique: "Today is the day we wash away our shame and avenge the fallen heroes! Invade the heart of the Land of Fire and reclaim everything that rightfully belongs to us!"

With a wave of his hand, his personal guards carried out dozens of sealed boxes. When the boxes were opened, they were filled with neatly stacked high-quality explosive tags, the very batch that the Sandstorm Clan had smuggled from the Leaf Village ninjas.

"Did you see these?!"

Ebizo grabbed a handful of explosive tags, held them high, and the tags fluttered in the wind. "These are the spoils we took from Konoha, the weapons to shatter their defenses, and the flames of our revenge!"

A gasp and a greedy gasp immediately rose from the audience. These were explosive tags, especially high-quality ones. In the resource-scarce Sand Village, they were definitely hard currency and strategic military supplies. They were usually controlled by the major ninja clans and Sand Village Jonin. Ordinary Chunin and Genin were lucky to get one or two inferior ones.

"This time, I give the order!"

Ebizo's voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable authority, his cold gaze sweeping over the Jonin from various factions in the front row below the stage.

"Every ninja must be issued all explosive tags. Genin will receive two, Chunin will receive double, and Jonin and Special Jonin will receive double again. We must ensure that every ninja participating in the battle has an explosive tag!"

Ebizo's words struck like a hammer blow, causing an uproar.

The faces of the Sand Village representatives instantly turned extremely ugly, their eyes filled with resistance and heartache. So many explosive tags were being distributed according to headcount; it was as if their rightful benefits were being forcibly taken away and given away.

"Elder Hai Bizang, this might not be appropriate."

An elite Jonin from the Sandfall clan couldn't help but step forward, trying to persuade them, "Such precious supplies should be prioritized for the elite troops who can unleash their full combat potential. It's a waste for ordinary Genin to have them..."

It's one thing for the Sandfall Clan to spit out these explosive tags, but to actually want to distribute them to ordinary civilian ninjas is simply outrageous!

"waste?!"

Ebizo suddenly turned his head and stared intently at the Sand Waterfall Jonin. A violent killing intent swept over him, instantly turning the Sand Waterfall Jonin's face pale and causing him to sweat profusely.

"Are you questioning my orders? Or are you questioning whether these ninjas who shed blood and sacrificed their lives for Sunagakure are qualified to use these explosive tags?"

The murderous intent in Ebizo's eyes began to subside, clearly indicating that he had already planned to kill someone to establish his authority.

The Sand Waterfall Jonin immediately dared not say anything more, fearing that Ebizo would use this as an excuse to settle scores with him for smuggling with Konoha ninjas as well.

Seeing that the Sand Village Jonin had backed down, Ebizo was actually somewhat disappointed. He then continued to rally the troops, saying in a deep voice, "Listen! This battle concerns the life and death of the Sand Village in the Land of Rivers, and whether we can avenge our humiliation. What I need is the full power of the entire army, and for everyone to become a sharp blade of revenge!"

All detonating tags must be distributed according to my orders, one per person. No one, no family, dares to withhold a single tag, hoard one, or attempt to tamper with the distribution—”

Then, he paused, his voice becoming even colder and more chilling: "That means making an enemy of me, Ebizo, and the entire Sunagakure! After the war, I will personally go to his door and chop off his greedy hands. I, Ebizo, mean what I say!"

His words carried a bloodthirsty aura, sending a chill down the spines of all the ninja representatives. They had no doubt that Ebizo, driven to near madness by his obsession with revenge, was absolutely capable of doing it.

Ebizo is not the same as before; he has become somewhat obsessive, so it's best not to be the first to act.

Under immense pressure and caught up in the atmosphere of a decisive battle, the Sand Village ninja clan ultimately had no choice but to grit their teeth and admit defeat.

Distribution has finally begun, and the efficiency is higher than ever before.

Originally, the supervision was to be carried out by a commoner Jonin, but the Sand Village representative personally supervised the task with a dark expression, fearing that Ebizo might find fault with him.

A large number of brand-new explosive tags were distributed to each Sand Ninja.

When those ordinary junior ninjas, who had struggled at the bottom for years and rarely even had the chance to touch a low-quality explosive tag, actually received one, the immense shock made them almost unable to believe their eyes. "This, this is for me?"

An old Chunin, his face weathered by time, held the explosive tags he had been assigned in trembling hands. His voice choked with emotion, and his cloudy eyes were filled with excitement and disbelief. His rough fingers carefully stroked the flowing runes on the tag paper, as if he were caressing a rare treasure.

Sunagakure Village is short of resources. After years of ninja training, he has only obtained explosive tags a handful of times. This is the first time he has seen such high-quality explosive tags. He hasn't used explosive tags for so many years that he has almost forgotten what they look like. He wonders if he will be rusty in using them.

"Captain, how do we use this explosive tag?"

A young, fresh-faced genin, who looked like he had just graduated, blushed and mustered up the courage to ask his chunin squad leader a question. His eyes were filled with excitement and a hint of fear. He had never received training in using such high-level ninja tools before, and he was worried that if he used them incorrectly, they might blow him up or his teammates.

"Fool!"

Although the squad leader was cursing, he couldn't hide his excitement. He carefully hid his explosive tags on his body and explained impatiently but with a hint of pride, "Inject chakra and throw them quickly. Remember to lock onto the target before throwing. This is a good thing that the elder went to great lengths to get for us, so don't waste it!"

He glanced around at his equally excited colleagues and raised his voice: "Everyone, cheer up! The elder has treated us so well, we must fight bravely in this battle and repay the elder's kindness with the blood of Konoha ninja!"

"Yes, we will fight for the elders, avenge the humiliation of Sunagakure, and wipe away our hatred!"

Fanatical shouts rose and fell among the ordinary Sand Ninja. They rubbed the explosive tags in their hands, feeling the powerful force contained within them, as if they could already see themselves using these explosive tags to blow up Konoha ninja and achieve great feats of valor.

The long-standing scarcity of resources and exploitation, the frustration of being treated as cannon fodder ninjas, seemed to be compensated for in an unprecedented way at this moment. The image of Ebi in their hearts was instantly elevated to an unattainable height.

Standing on the high platform, Ebizo looked down at the ninja army below, their morale soaring as if they had been injected with chicken blood. Especially the undisguised gratitude and fanaticism in the eyes of the lower-ranking ninjas. A twisted sense of pleasure welled up in his heart. He seemed to see victory beckoning to him, and he could see the scene of the white blood demon being reduced to ashes in the explosion and fire.

"White Blood Demon!" he murmured, a sinister and expectant sneer spreading across his face. "Your end has come!"

He drew his ninja sword abruptly, the blade pointing directly at the Konoha camp, and with all his might, roared in a hoarse voice, "All troops! Attack! Crush the Konoha defenses!"

Amidst deafening battle cries and billowing dust, the Sand Village army, like a flood bursting its banks, launched a desperate all-out attack on Konoha's defenses, fueled by the fervor and confidence of those equipped with advanced bladed explosive tags.

However, none of them, including Ebizo who stood smugly on the high platform, realized that the explosive tags they held tightly in their hands, filled with chakra, could kill Konoha ninjas, and they could kill them as well.

The Sand Village army poured out in full force, and their deafening battle cries were clearly heard by every Konoha ninja, even through the sturdy fortifications of the Konoha defenses.

Akimichi Torifu's massive body stood before the lookout hole, his brows furrowed, the fat on his face taut with a heavy expression.

Looking at the Sand Ninja in the distance, their fanaticism and charging momentum far exceeding expectations, he couldn't help but slam his fist on the thick defensive fortifications.

"Has that old fox, Ebizo, gone mad or taken the wrong medicine?"

Akimichi Torifu's voice was filled with deep confusion and a hint of anxiety. "We've already cracked the Purple Scorpion Poison. What gives him the confidence to launch such a desperate all-out attack? Does he think he can break through our carefully constructed defenses with brute force?"

He turned around and looked at the calm-looking Umino Sasuke beside him. "Sasuke, what do you think? This is too abnormal. Ebizo is not a reckless man. He must have something to rely on for doing this. Could it be that Sunagakure has some hidden tricks that we don't know about? Like another new type of poison? Or a group of puppeteers secretly trained?"

Umino Sasuke, however, spoke calmly: "We'll meet force with force, and water with earth. Lord Tofu, whatever he has to rely on, we'll just accept it. According to intelligence, the Sand Village has only gathered about two thousand troops, while we Konoha have nearly three thousand ninja on the front lines in the Land of Rivers. In terms of troop strength, we have the advantage."

The most urgent task is to stabilize our position and defeat them head-on. If we retreat in this battle, our morale will be severely damaged.

"Stronger troop numbers?"

Akimichi Torifu shook his head, the worry on his face not fading. "You can't think of it that way. Sunagakure has sent out all its forces this time, all of them are elites, especially their puppeteer units. You and I both know how destructive they are on the front lines. You yourself are a puppeteer, so you should understand better than me how powerful puppeteers are in group battles. This can't be offset by a simple numerical advantage."

"Hmm." Sasuke Umino nodded, neither confirming nor denying.

Akimichi Torifu clenched his fist tightly, his massive body radiating a powerful aura: "However, you're right. In any case, we must defeat them head-on in this battle. For the sake of morale, for the sake of control over the land of rivers, we cannot retreat. Issue the order!"

Akimichi Torifu turned to the ninja messengers and immediately issued tactical orders: "Order all units to rely on fortifications and defend with all their might. Ranged ninja units, prepare to cover the enemy with fire. Melee units, prepare to engage the enemy and fight, even in urban warfare. Tell everyone that Sunagakure is fighting like a cornered beast. In this battle, we must show the might of Konoha and completely crush them!"

(End of this chapter)