Naruto: I have an attribute panel

Chapter 462 The Situation Deteriorates

Needless to say, anyone who isn't blind can see that Jiang is terrified.

He trembled all over, even his jaw started chattering, because he knew that this was the effect of Taiyi's ninjutsu and not a real ghost.

Yami felt sorry for Jiang Tai. It seemed that Teacher Tai was planning to use the most violent means to break Jiang Tai's fear.

That's really—really—really so interesting.

If she had a camera, she would definitely have taken a picture of this scene, and she could use this as leverage to laugh at Jiang Tai for the rest of her life!

"Teacher, I feel much better."

"Oh, really?"

Taiyi's spirit approached Jiang Tai, with most of its spirit clinging to Jiang Tai's body. A chilling aura permeated Jiang Tai's mind as Taiyi drew near, causing him to tremble more and more violently.

Of course, Taiyi's spirit itself wouldn't have this chilling aura, but for Taiyi, who has mastered Ice Release, making the air a little chilly is incredibly easy.

Seeing that Jiang Tai was about to faint, Taiyi also knew that training should be done step by step and that it was impossible to see results immediately.

Taiyi's spirit returned, and his physical body opened its eyes again, staring at Jiang Tai, whose face was now completely bloodless, and gave him a long and earnest plea.

"Jiang Tai, I'm not afraid of the living. What's there to be afraid of when those who can't even live are dead? It's just a matter of killing them again."

He looked at the three of them, his gaze finally settling on Jiang Tai's face. "The journey to the Land of Demons will be fraught with danger. I will give you special training along the way to help you overcome this difficulty before we reach the Land of Demons. You must be prepared."

"No way, teacher!"

Jiang Tai's pale face flushed red in that instant, and she exuded a sense of despair.

In this situation, Yami and Itachi finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs.

Even the nine-tailed fox let out a strange "whimpering" laugh, its four legs flailing in the air as it paddled around.

When the demons of the Land of Demons escaped, Konoha was not the first ninja village to receive the news.

The closest major powers to the Land of Demons are actually the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth, and these two countries are the ones most affected. In comparison, the Land of Fire is relatively far away.

And that was indeed the case. As a country bordering the Land of Demons, the Land of Earth was the first to obtain the intelligence.

When Onoki received the letter of appeal for help from the official authorities of the Land of Demons, he didn't initially realize the danger involved.

After all, the demon worō is an ancient relic from a bygone era. Ōnoki knew of its existence, but for many years, the ninja world had never personally experienced its harm.

You'll never know the pain unless you get hit yourself, and the same goes for Onoki.

As the leader of Iwagakure, whether out of vigilance or personal motives, Onoki still dispatched a full-strength Jonin squad to the Land of Demons in response to their plea for help.

That's right, this is a four-person ninja team, an elite team with one Jonin as the captain and three Chunin as members.

Their mission wasn't to support the Land of Demons; they were there to gather information.

Onoki had no idea what kind of destructive power the demon possessed, as he was also responsible for the ninjas of Iwagakure.

Thus, under these combined circumstances of caution and underestimation, the ninja world missed the best opportunity to extinguish the disaster as quickly as possible.

Similar problems are not limited to Iwagakure; Sunagakure, the second closest ninja village, also faces the same issue.

Both ninja villages chose to play it safe when a quick response was needed. It's not that their actions were wrong, but modern people haven't experienced the terror of that time.

The Land of Earth, Hidden Rock Village.

When Onoki received news of that Jonin squad again, his small eyes widened like saucers.

"What did you say? Say it again!"

The communications ninja who came to report was immediately covered in cold sweat; Onoki's aura had just been too terrifying.

"Lord Tsuchikage, Kira's squad just sent a message via emergency communication. The sender is squad member Iwatsuchi. The message states: The demons have grown stronger, the Land of Swamp has fallen, and Captain Kira and two other members have all been killed in battle. Please send reinforcements from the village immediately."

That's it? That's all?

Before the communications ninja could reply, Onoki walked around the desk, stood in front of him, and snatched the intelligence from his hand. With just one glance, his heart sank to the bottom.

This intelligence was sent back through special channels, and the information it could convey was limited.

"Damn it, how could this happen?"

The Kira squad he sent was an elite Jonin squad, whose main mission was not to eliminate Kairyo, but to gather intelligence. Yet even the Jonin captain was killed in battle. What exactly is Kairyo, and what is the current situation in the Land of Demons?

"Pass on the order." Onoki turned abruptly to the communications ninja, his tone ruthless: "Border troops are to immediately enter the Land of Demons, ascertain the situation, and organize a defensive battle. At the same time, urgently mobilize a thousand-strong unit from within the village to support the frontline troops."

Upon hearing the words "transmit the order," the communications ninja quickly took out paper and pen, memorizing each command. However, as he finished writing the last word, his pen stopped abruptly, and he looked up in shock at his own Tsuchikage.

Is this a prelude to mobilizing troops for a major war? Shouldn't we consult with higher-ups and make some preparations?

Onoki's face turned red with anger as he watched the communications ninja stand there dumbfounded. "What are you standing there for! Hurry up and pass on the order!"

"oh oh!"

The communications ninja, snapping out of his daze, quickly put away his paper and pen, bowed respectfully, and rushed out.

Onoki watched the communications ninja run away, his brows furrowing even more, his worries growing stronger.

"This is truly unsettling. Iwagakure hasn't had a single peaceful day since the Third Shinobi World War, and now this big one has arrived. Hopefully, it's not too late, and at least it won't affect the Land of Earth."

This incident in Iwagakure is not an isolated case; the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure also encountered the same thing.

The Sand Village was very lucky; their reconnaissance team did not suffer too many losses. At least the Jonin captain did not die in battle, and as for the Chunin who died, that was no big deal.

The Sand Village's reconnaissance teams were well-preserved, so they naturally transmitted back more intelligence.

Rosa looked at the thin page of intelligence in her hand, her hands trembling slightly.

What does it mean that the Swamp Country has been destroyed?

What is an immortal puppet army?

What does it mean that the Land of Demons has already fallen to the enemy?

These all sound incredibly magical, like listening to ancient myths.

But this was intelligence gathered by his own ninjas at great personal risk, every word stained with the blood of frontline ninjas, forcing him to take it seriously.

Putting down the intelligence in his hand, Rosa turned to look out the window at his own ninja village. The wounds of the Third Shinobi World War were far from healed. In order to complete the mission, Sunagakure had even abandoned the village's defenses, so how could they spare more manpower to go to the Land of Demons?

Rosa let out a long sigh and finally made her decision.

"Order: Recall the border troops of the River Country to reinforce the Demon Country."

Furthermore, forward this intelligence to Konoha and urge them to send reinforcements as soon as possible.

Rosa's idea was simple: if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up, and right now, the tallest person in the ninja world is naturally Konoha.

Naturally, the Land of Demons would seek help from Konoha when it faces a crisis. However, considering the timeframe, their plea for help might not even have reached Konoha yet. Furthermore, Konoha might verify the accuracy of the intelligence. It's uncertain when Konoha will send troops.

For the sake of peace in the ninja world, and to prevent the world from being further destroyed by demons, Sunagakure naturally has an obligation to deliver this information to Konoha as quickly as possible.

And indeed, Rosa's guess was correct.

Don't underestimate the gap between the five major villages and other small ninja villages.

It's not just a difference in actual combat strength, but a difference in every aspect.

For example, in terms of communication, major ninja villages have summoning techniques, secret arts, and even radio communication, while minor ninja villages are still stuck in the era of manual transmission.

For example, right now, the information about Sunagakure has been delivered to Minato, but the letter from the Land of Demons requesting help has not yet reached Konoha.

Upon seeing the intelligence relayed by Sunagakure, the young Hokage showed a bewildered expression for the first time.

Ghost country?

Wraith?

What the hell is all this?

Fortunately, it doesn't matter if he doesn't know; there must be someone in Konoha who does.

Soon, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the third generation, was invited by the Anbu to solve this problem.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi finished reading the intelligence sent by Sunagakure, his brows were furrowed into knots.

"Lord Third Generation, is this demon really that powerful?"

Minato didn't believe that Sunagakure would deceive him, but the situation described in the intelligence was so serious that he had to be suspicious.

"Minato, assemble the troops. The situation in the Land of Demons might be even more serious than the intelligence reports suggest."

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down the intelligence report in his hand, and with a serious face, explained the legend of the demon to Minato. Still not satisfied, he asked again, "Assembling the troops is still too slow. Are there any Konoha ninjas near the Land of Demons? Order them to immediately drop their current tasks and go to provide support as soon as possible."

Minato truly felt the danger now. You have to understand, even during wartime, Konoha never issued orders for ninjas on missions to abandon them.

Now, with the rampage of the Kairyo, Konoha needs to make such an emergency mobilization.

Minato's smile vanished, his brow furrowed in deep thought. His eyes glanced inadvertently at the map of the ninja world hanging on the wall. Below the Land of Demons was the Land of Bears. A glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"Taiichi, Taiichi is in the Bear Country, right next to the Demon Country."

"Oh! This is really great. If Taiichi can rush to the Land of Demons, at least we can stop the pace of its fall and buy us time to mobilize our troops."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a drag of his cigarette, his brows relaxing. It was a pity that his opponent was a demonic puppet; otherwise, Taiichi alone would have been confident in quelling this turmoil.

Swamp country.

When Kakuzu and Hiruko arrived in the Land of Swamps and reunited with Zetsu and Blood Raven, the scene before them shocked even those who were used to killing.

The once soft, damp swampy land of the Swamp Country is now covered with countless dark purple figures—thousands upon thousands of puppet soldiers made of clay and resentment.

They moved on in silence, and wherever they went, all things perished.

At the heart of all this, a colossal creature, hundreds of meters tall, stands proudly in the depths of the swamp—the true form of the demon.

Five ferocious dragon heads swung wildly across the massive, dark purple body, each swing creating towering waves of mud that swept nearby puppet soldiers into the air before scattering them like broken dolls.

"This—is this the future team member you were talking about?" Kakuzu's dark green pupils contracted slightly as he pointed at the distant demon and looked at Zetsu beside him.

The four were currently standing on a high swampy hill, temporarily unaffected by the puppet army.

Jue's half-black, half-white body looked particularly eerie in the dim light of the day.

"How is the situation?" Kakuzu withdrew his hand, calmed his emotions, and asked the question that concerned him most at the moment.

Black Zetsu took control of the body, and a deep voice rang out: "The demon has completely broken the seal, and the Land of Swamp is now on the verge of falling. As you can see, it created this puppet army, but its numbers are far from reaching their peak."

"Cooperation?" Hiruko squinted at the behemoth in the distance that seemed utterly irrational. "Judging by its appearance, it doesn't seem like the kind of creature that's willing to sit down and negotiate."

"That's not how it works," Bai Jue chimed in, his head bobbing again. "At least these puppet soldiers haven't attacked us, have they? That means the Wraith isn't hostile towards us, or rather, it's too busy to bother with us right now."

Kakuzu snorted coldly: "This is not what we expected. The organization's goal is to absorb controllable combat power, not to support a beast that only knows how to destroy."

"Don't rush." ​​Black Zetsu's voice rang out again. He straightened his back a little more and looked at the distant demon with a face full of relief. "The demon has been sealed for thousands of years and has just been freed. Naturally, it needs to vent."

Let it cause a ruckus. Once the five great nations realize what's happening, they can teach it a lesson, and it will understand how foolish it was to face the entire ninja world alone.

He paused, a strange smile appearing on his strikingly black and white face: "Besides, this monster doesn't only have this one form."

Once its power stabilizes, it will naturally recede.

Horn waved his hand impatiently, his black tentacles twitching erratically: "Just say it, what do you need us to do? The leader sent us here, not to watch a show."

"Create chaos," Black Zetsu stated succinctly. "The demon has just broken free, and its puppet army isn't large enough to expand rapidly. We need to create more bloodshed and panic in the Land of Swamp and the surrounding areas to provide it with more nourishment," while simultaneously restraining any potential ninja forces that might come to suppress it, allowing it to safely weather this period of weakness.

A knowing glint flashed in Kakuzu's eyes, which quickly turned into practical consideration: "Perfect timing. We lost four hearts in Hoshigakure, and I need to replenish them."

He turned to Beiruhu and the Blood Raven, who had remained silent to the side: "And you?"

Blood Raven slowly raised its head, and a hoarse, deep voice came from beneath its hood: "My god needs fresh flesh and souls as sacrifices. The chaos here suits me perfectly."

Hiruko flexed her fingers, her long, greyish-white hair fluttering in the wind: "Creating chaos is just killing people, right? I'll just go 'take a stroll' then."

Jue nodded in satisfaction: "Very good. Remember, the support from the five great nations will arrive one after another. Do not become enemies with them. It is important for the Wraiths to grow stronger, but the organization should not expose itself too much at this stage. Everyone should be careful to hide yourselves."

Kakuzu took one last look at the still rampaging dark purple giant shadow in the distance. Its five dragon heads were simultaneously spewing out jet-black energy beams, turning a village in the distance into ruins. The shrill screams could be faintly heard even from this distance.

"action."

As soon as he finished speaking, the four figures vanished from the mound.

The arrival of the four caused the Swamp Kingdom to fall even faster, and all the chaos and death turned into invisible nourishment, continuously converging towards the dark purple giant shadow in the center of the swamp.

The body of the demon seemed to swell even more, and the roars from its five dragon heads became even more ferocious. More puppet soldiers crawled out of the mud and joined the relentless legion of death.