Naruto: I have an attribute panel

Chapter 465 Frontline

In the western part of the Land of Demons, there is a canyon with steep mountains on both sides, forming a natural barrier.

Using this as a base, the armies of the Iwagakure ninja and the Land of Demons set up several lines of defense to block Kai and his ghost army's attack on the heart of the Land of Demons.

When Taiyi's shadow clone followed Huangtu to the watchtower, the sight before him made his pupils shrink slightly.

The rock walls on both sides of the canyon were covered with makeshift defensive fortifications, and the soldiers of the Demon Kingdom, wearing simple armor and holding spears and shields, formed tight square formations.

They were faced with a tidal wave of greyish-white figures surging in from the other side of the canyon—the Ghost Legion.

These puppets, made of clay and stone, are dressed as standard Warring States period armored warriors. At first glance, each one looks imposing. As they move, they emit a rustling, grinding sound; thousands of these sounds converge into a chilling low hum.

"Ordinary soldiers are responsible for holding the main battle line," Huang Tu said, pointing to the battlefield below, his voice hoarse. "These puppet soldiers aren't strong individually; three to five soldiers working together can take one down. The ninjas are responsible for reinforcements and penetrating deep into enemy territory. Everyone needs to cooperate—"

Before he finished speaking, a blinding burst of fire suddenly erupted in front of the canyon.

More than a dozen Iwagakure ninjas attacked from the flank, all of them Earth Release ninjas slamming their hands on the ground.

Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spear.

Suddenly, a series of sharp stone pillars shot out from the ground, instantly stringing together hundreds of ghost puppets.

Another team of ninjas followed closely behind, their fire-style ninjutsu crashing into the enemy ranks like meteors, blasting a scorched earth.

But just as the Iwa ninja team withdrew for rotation, the shattered clay fragments began to slowly wriggle, gathering together as if they were alive. In just two or three minutes, the scattered ghosts began to reform.

"See that?" Huang Tu sighed, pointing at the newly formed puppet soldiers. "They can't be killed. After being completely shattered, they will reassemble under the influence of the demon's power. Depending on the degree of shattering, they can be fully restored in a few minutes to half an hour."

What we're doing now is using this "break-and-delay regeneration" method to forcefully slow down the Ghost Legion's advance.

Taiyi's gaze swept across the entire battlefield.

The canyon is only two hundred meters wide, which is why the Rock Ninja chose this location. The narrow terrain restricts the Ghost Legion's deployment of forces.

Even so, the grayish-white tide still stretched as far as the eye could see. Every fifty meters along the rock face, there was a recess carved out by the rock ninjas, which was used as a resting area, but at this moment most of the recesses were empty.

"How many ninjas are left to rotate in from the rear?" Taiichi asked.

A scarred Jonin from Iwagakure standing nearby smiled wryly: "Besides the wounded, there are still 234 people who are still capable of fighting. But everyone has been fighting at high intensity for four days, and most of them have less than 4% of their peak chakra even after resting."

A brief silence fell over the watchtower.

Outside the tower, another wave of puppet soldiers broke through the defenses of the left-hand soldier formation. Three soldiers from the Demon Kingdom were tackled by several puppets, and stone swords were about to be slashed at their necks.

Just when things were at their most critical, an earthen wall rose from the ground and smashed the puppet soldier aside. Two Iwa ninjas arrived in an instant and swiftly tore the puppet soldier to pieces.

Before the Iwa ninja who had saved the lives could even catch their breath, a new attack came from behind.

"Be careful!"

Taiyi formed a hand seal with one hand, and a Vacuum Jade shot out, accurately blasting away the head of the sneak-attacking puppet.

Naiwa ninja glanced back at the watchtower, nodded wearily, and then turned back to the battle.

"If we continue fighting like this, it's only a matter of time before our lines are breached."

Taiichi's voice was calm, but it made all the Iwa ninja in the tower feel a chill in their hearts. "Ninjas are human too. Even if they can take turns resting, continuous battles will make them tired and numb, not to mention ordinary soldiers."

He turned his head and stared directly at the yellow earth: "Didn't you try to kill or seal the Kui Liang directly? If the source isn't eliminated, these ghost legions will only multiply as we fight them."

The yellow earth clenched its fists so tightly they cracked.

"We tried." His voice was filled with suppressed anger. "When we arrived, we organized an elite ninja assault. That time, we fought our way through these puppet soldiers for fifteen miles. Two Jonin were killed, and hundreds of Chunin were killed or wounded. But even so, we could only see the figure of the demon in the distance before we were too exhausted to continue and retreated."

Looking at these tireless puppet soldiers before him and listening to Huang Tu's brief account, Taiyi could imagine the ferocity of the battle at that time.

The scarred ninja added, "That was the only time we saw the true form of the demon. Since then, the ghost army has grown larger and larger, and we have never found any trace of the demon again."

He punched the watchtower railing, slightly deforming the wooden structure. "We arrived too late and missed the best opportunity to destroy it. To seal it again, we have to withstand the attacks of these ghost legions and find the true form of the demon first."

Taiichi's gaze swept over the Iwa ninja inside the tower.

Apart from Huang Tu, who had just arrived, the others were all injured. Keep in mind that they were all Jonin, with top-notch experience and strength, so you can imagine how brutal the battle was.

"With our current strength, even defense is extremely difficult." A sense of helplessness lingered in the scarred ninja's voice. "To organize another force to penetrate deeper into enemy territory and find the demon, I'm afraid—"

He didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood.

This canyon is the last natural barrier in the heart of the Land of Demons.

Once this area is breached, the area behind will be completely open, allowing the Ghost Legion to disperse and attack densely populated towns.

Taiyi fell silent.

He stood at the edge of the observation platform, looking down at the battlefield. The Iwa ninja were still unleashing their ninjutsu, but the frequency was noticeably slower than when they first arrived.

A young Iwa ninja staggered after unleashing his Fire Release technique and was helped by his companions and dragged to the rest area.

The soldiers of the Land of Demons were also slowly retreating.

It wasn't a rout, but an organized rotation, but each retreating formation suffered at least a 10% reduction in personnel.

The soldiers' faces were a mixture of fear and numbness. Some even mechanically waved their weapons during the retreat, as if they had forgotten that the battle had temporarily ended.

In such a situation, if the soldiers hadn't known that the enemy was a monster without humanity, they probably would have already laid down their weapons and surrendered on their knees.

"Lord Taiyi."

The sound of the loess earth pulled him back to reality.

The Tsuchikage's son wore an unusually earnest expression: "I wonder when Konoha's reinforcements will arrive? The Land of Demons has already sent requests for help to all five great nations, but—"

"I arrived so quickly because I was on a mission nearby." Taiichi didn't hide anything. "Konoha's reinforcements have probably just started to assemble and set off. It will take at least seven days to reach the front line."

Suppressed gasps filled the tower.

"Seven days—" a young Iwa ninja murmured, his right hand trembling involuntarily, a consequence of overuse of his muscles.

Taichi continued, "Kumogakure and Kirigakure are too far apart, so it takes time for messages to travel. It will be at least half a month before they make a decision and assemble their troops. You also know the situation in Sunagakure. Their strength was greatly reduced after the Third Shinobi World War, and even if the Fourth Kazekage wanted to help, the forces he could send would be limited."

With each word he spoke, the atmosphere inside the tower grew heavier.

"So now, we Iwagakure are really just going to hold out like this?" The scarred Jonin's voice carried a hint of anger, but more so, helplessness.

Tai nodded: "At least until Konoha reinforcements arrive, yes."

"But we can't hold out for seven days!" The young Iwa ninja suddenly became agitated. "Look down there! The brothers are almost at their limit! The chakra recovery potions are long gone, and the medical ninjas are overwhelmed. If we keep fighting like this—"

"Shut up," Huang Tu hissed.

But after reprimanding his subordinates, he fell silent.

As the person in charge of this support mission, he knew better than anyone how bad the situation was.

Iwagakure is indeed known for its resilience, but even the most resilient force has a breaking point.

At the current rate of casualties and attrition, we can only hold out for a maximum of three more days before a fatal breach inevitably appears in the defensive line.

Taiyi took in everyone's expressions.

Morale had plummeted to a dangerous level. Ninjas are human too; even the strongest will wavers when hope is lost. Moreover, these Iwa ninjas had been fighting on the front lines for days, utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

This can't go on.

"Don't worry," Taiichi suddenly spoke, his voice resolute. "As the number one ninja village in the ninja world, Konoha will never sit idly by in the face of a disaster that threatens the safety of the entire ninja world."

I will personally write to the village explaining the critical situation. I believe the Hokage will organize an elite force, lightly equipped and on a forced march. If all goes well, this reinforcement should arrive in five days.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over each face: "Besides, don't forget, I, Matsushita Taichi, am worth an entire ninja squad."

These words were spoken with force and conviction, even carrying a hint of self-praise. Under normal circumstances, the Iwa ninja would have already refuted them.

Number one in the ninja world? Did they even ask us at Iwagakure?

But at this moment, not a single person voiced any doubt.

They desperately needed hope, even if that hope came from Konoha, their long-time adversary.

"Five days—can we really get there?" the young Iwa ninja asked softly, a faint light rekindling in his eyes.

"Trust me, and trust Konoha. Konoha will not let you down." Taiichi's words were firm, giving people a feeling of full confidence.

This sentence was like a shot of adrenaline.

Huang Tu took a deep breath and straightened his back: "Alright, we'll hold out for another five days! Pass down the order to readjust the rotation sequence, and incorporate the wounded who can still fight into the second-line echelon. The medical team will prioritize treating the seriously wounded; those with minor injuries will be handled by the medical staff!"

"Yes!" the scarred ninja answered loudly, turning around to relay the order.

Seeing the ever-growing ghost army, Taiyi had no intention of sitting here and waiting to die.

"Just holding out isn't enough; we need to cause some trouble for the Wraith." Taiyi walked to the edge of the watchtower, his chakra beginning to flow slowly behind him. "The Wraith is the core of the problem. You continue to hold them off here; I'll penetrate deeper into enemy territory and find its location no matter what."

Huang Tu was taken aback: "You're alone? That's too dangerous—"

He only got halfway through his sentence before realizing that the guy in front of him was just a shadow clone and was completely unafraid of sacrifice.

But after a pause, he still said, "You have to be careful. In our previous attacks, we encountered ambushes by enemy ninjas. Now that I think about it, they were from the Akatsuki organization."

"It's precisely because there's an ambush that we need to go." Taiyi's lips curled into a cold smile. "If we don't figure out their situation, the situation might become even more chaotic and dangerous once the reinforcements from other ninja villages arrive."

These words made Huang Tu instantly understand.

Indeed, the various ninja villages are not under each other's command. If they are still completely unaware of the enemy by then, and the enemy takes advantage of the situation, even if they impersonate ninjas from other villages to cause trouble, it will further worsen the war situation.

"Then—do we need to arrange for someone to cooperate?" Huang Tu stopped trying to dissuade him and instead asked about the tactical details.

"No need," Taiichi shook his head. "Too many people would make us easier to be discovered. Besides—"

Behind him, pale blue chakra began to materialize, condensing into a pair of broad wings that stood out conspicuously in the dim light.

"I have this."

Huang Tu looked at the pair of wings with a complicated expression.

How could he forget that this guy can fly?

As Onoki's son, he knew all too well the advantages of being able to fly freely.

In the current situation, Matsushita Taichi, who is capable of flight, has no need to worry about the danger from the Ghost Legion.

What was a perilous exploration mission for them was, in Taiyi's eyes, simply a matter of flying higher and circling a few more times.

The only thing to watch out for now is the attack from the main body of the Kui-ryu and the Akatsuki members.

Huang Tu's face turned pale and then red, but Taiyi was already prepared.

"Hold the line and preserve your strength as much as possible," Taiyi instructed in his final words. "If you notice any changes in the Ghost Legion's offensive rhythm or any large-scale disturbances, it means I have found the Wraith—or, the Akatsuki have found it."

After he finished speaking, he said no more.

With a sudden unfurling of its wings, a violent gust of air swept outwards from the watchtower. The Iwa ninja inside instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes, and when they opened them again after the wind pressure had subsided, Taiichi had already soared into the sky, transforming into a blue streak of light that shot into the depths of the canyon.

Huang Tu strode to the edge of the observation platform, staring intently at the figure that disappeared into the gray-white tide.

"Order all units to go on high alert," he commanded in a deep voice. "Medical teams, treat the wounded immediately. Logistics teams, distribute all remaining rations. We may—"

He paused, gazing at the faint, continuous silhouettes of the ghostly army visible on the distant horizon.

"—We'll soon need to go all out."

The wind in the canyon howled past, carrying the stench of blood.

Unlike usual, the smell of blood was entirely from the blood of their own ninjas and soldiers, which made everyone's faces look particularly grim.

Shrine of the Witches.

Maitreya had just finished reading the battle report sent from the front lines today when she turned around and saw a scene that almost made her lose her mind.

She saw her daughter, who had just woken up, lying on the nine-tailed fox. One of her little hands was tugging at a tuft of fur on the nine-tailed fox, while the other hand was chasing the nine-tailed fox's constantly swaying tail back and forth. She was making "ee-yah-yah" sounds, as if she was happy or anxious.

Nine-Tailed Fox, that's a nine-tailed fox demon. Don't be fooled by its current small size; Miroku can sense the immense power contained within it.

-

At this moment, the face that had just regained some color thanks to Taiyi's treatment turned even paler.

Just as Miroku was thinking of taking his daughter away quietly before Kurama got angry, Kurama, who had been keeping her eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

The peace in his eyes was gone, replaced by endless violence.