socalfunplaces Chapter 369 All Retreat!
Chapter 369 All Retreat!
Chapter 369 All Retreat!
Chi Quan did not deny it.
"right."
Shikamaru smiled. It wasn't a happy smile, but a smile that said, "I knew it all along."
"You've even planned out your own escape route. If you have no escape route, you'll burn it."
"Don't burn it," Chi Quan said, "it will burn other people."
Shikamaru looked at him without saying a word for a long time.
The emergency light at the stairwell flickered, as if it was about to go out, then came back on.
"Three days," Shikamaru said. "I'll go prepare."
Chi Quan nodded and turned to walk towards the medical department.
Three days later, in the western border.
Twenty miles east of the Yulie Basin lies an abandoned village.
Chi Quan stood at the doorway of a half-collapsed mud house, his knife tucked behind his waist, his right fingertips resting on the hilt, his thumb unconsciously tracing the old scratches on the scabbard. The wind blew in from the west, carrying the damp smell unique to the basin—mud, decaying grass, and a cold, fishy odor emanating from deeper within the earth.
It was still dark. The moon was just a crescent, hanging on the eastern ridge, its light unable to reach the basin, only outlining the surrounding mountains with a grayish-white border.
Kiba perched on a large oak tree on the outskirts of the abandoned village, while Akamaru lay on a branch beside him, his nose twitching occasionally as it pointed westward. Akamaru's ears twitched back and forth like two miniature radars.
"Fifteen miles to the west, chakra activity is starting to build up," Kiba said in a low voice to a miniature communicator clipped to his collar.
This thing was rushed out by Kagura last night. Its range is not large, only effective within 30 miles around the basin, but its advantage is that it has no chakra fluctuations at all—it uses sound transmission, not chakra communication.
Shikamaru's voice came through the communicator, tinged with a faint static: "How many people?"
"I'm counting." Kiba placed a hand on Akamaru's back, and Akamaru whimpered softly. "Akamaru says a lot. Not hundreds, not thousands. Tens of thousands."
There was a two-second silence on the communicator.
"Keep watching," Shikamaru said.
Chi Quan heard it. His fingertips paused on the hilt of the knife.
Thousands.
The allied forces have committed their main force.
On the western side of the Rain Ridge Basin, in the dense forest behind the ridge, the Allied Western Front Command was located in a natural cave. The cave was not deep, but wide enough, with cracks in the ceiling letting in light and allowing smoke to escape without leaving a trace on the outside.
The commander-in-chief was a veteran from the Land of Lightning, named Rasa, over sixty years old, with completely white hair and wrinkles etched on his face like knife cuts. He had fought against Konoha in the Third Shinobi World War when he was young, lost, and retired from the front lines for over thirty years. This time, he was invited back by the current high-ranking officials of the Land of Lightning.
A map lay spread out in front of Rasa, with the locations of various units marked on it using pebbles of different colors. Black pebbles represented the Land of Lightning, yellow the Land of Wind, and brown the Land of Earth. The three colors of pebbles were spread out from west to east, densely packed, like a three-colored snake slowly swimming towards the basin.
"Where is the striker positioned?" Luo Sha's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear, carrying a calmness that came with age but not senility.
A messenger ninja from the Land of Wind knelt at the cave entrance, head bowed.
"The vanguard of 3,000 men has crossed the western entrance of the Yulie Basin and entered the basin. The central army of 12,000 men is assembled outside the western entrance of the basin, while the rear guard and logistics force of about 8,000 men are still about 20 li behind."
"Has the terrain within the basin been thoroughly explored?"
"The Land of Earth's exploration team reported half an hour ago that the soil at the bottom of the basin is loose and contains underground rivers, making it unsuitable for heavy troops. However, passing through it is not a problem. The basin is about seven miles long from east to west, and its widest point from north to south is about four miles, while its narrowest point is less than two miles. Once you cross the basin to the east, the path opens onto a flat plain that leads directly to the heart of the Land of Fire."
Luo Sha looked at the sunken area on the map and tapped the basin twice with his finger.
"It's too quiet," he said.
A vice commander from the Land of Earth looked up at him.
"Lord Rasa suspects there's an ambush?"
"Konoha won't leave the western front empty," Rasa said. "The first two operations failed because of Ikezumi alone. This time we've sent 30,000 men. No matter how good he is, he can't possibly hold off 30,000 men by himself."
The vice commander said, "Perhaps Konoha didn't even have time to react. Only three days have passed since the Kushida Village incident, Ikezumi's injuries haven't healed yet, and Konoha's main force is still on the eastern front defending against Kumogakure. The western front is inherently a weak point."
Luo Sha neither refuted nor nodded. He looked at the basin on the map and felt that the depression resembled an open mouth, waiting for something to fall in.
"Have the vanguard slow down. Send out three scout teams, one each from the southern edge, northern edge, and center of the basin. Confirm there are no ambushes before proceeding."
The deputy commander accepted the order and left.
The ninja messenger was still kneeling at the cave entrance.
Luo Sha looked at him.
"Is there anything else?"
"The forward commander asked, 'If we encounter Chi Quan, should we capture him or kill him?'"
Luo Sha paused for a moment.
"Catch them. Alive."
The ninja nodded, got up, and ran off.
Behind a protruding rock at the eastern entrance of the basin, Shikamaru crouched, holding a small telescope in his hand. It wasn't a ninja tool, just an ordinary glass telescope, showing no chakra reaction. He adjusted the telescope to its furthest focus, looking towards the western entrance of the basin.
The sky was beginning to brighten. The morning light spilled in from the east, gradually outlining the basin. Through the binoculars, the bottom of the basin appeared hazy, with a thin layer of mist clinging to the ground like a translucent veil.
The sound of teeth coming through the communicator.
"The forwards have entered the basin. There are about three thousand of them. They're moving slowly, like they're scouting ahead."
Shikamaru put down his binoculars and turned to look at an old pine tree not far behind him. In the canopy of the pine tree, Hyuga Hido was using his Byakugan, the veins on his forehead bulging, and the blood vessels around his eyes were red from continuous use of the Byakugan.
"How many people?" Shikamaru asked in a low voice.
The fire door made a very soft sound, as if afraid of disturbing something.
"The vanguard numbers between 2,800 and 3,000. They are all low-ranking ninjas. The central army is assembled outside the western entrance of the basin, numbering approximately 12,000. Among them are about 200 Chunin and around 30 Jonin. The rear guard is even further back, about 20 li from the western entrance of the basin."
Shikamaru quickly did the mental calculations. Three thousand in the vanguard, twelve thousand in the center, and eight thousand in the rear, totaling twenty-three thousand. That was three thousand more than Ikezumi had estimated.
"Are there any Konoha people in the basin?" Shikamaru asked.
Huomen rolled his eyes at everyone.
"No. There are only Allied forces inside the basin. Outside the eastern entrance of the basin, there's no one else besides us."
Shikamaru pressed the call button on the communicator.
"Chi Quan. It's your turn."
Chi Quan's voice came through the communicator, very calm, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.
"receive."
Abandoned village.
Chi Quan walked out of the door of the mud house and stood in the open space in the center of the village. The abandoned village was very small, with only seven or eight mud houses that were half collapsed. At the entrance of the village, there was a dead old locust tree with a large crack in its trunk, like a mouth that could not be closed.
He drew the knife from behind his waist, gripped it in his right hand, and tucked the scabbard back into his waistband. The knife remained sheathed.
A wind blew from the west, carrying the dampness from the basin and the distant clamor of men and horses. He closed his eyes; the brand on the back of his neck remained unresponsive—Herlian hadn't plucked the string today. Perhaps he was waiting, perhaps he was watching, perhaps he had already reached somewhere not far away, but simply hadn't made a move.
Chi Quan opened his eyes.
He walked westward.
At the western entrance of the Yulie Basin, the vanguard of the Allied forces is slowly entering the basin.
The vanguard commander was a Jonin from the Land of Lightning, surnamed Kuroishi, in his early forties, with a burly build, carrying a massive sword wider than himself on his back. He rode a short-legged horse—not because he couldn't walk, but to conserve chakra. The horse was provided by the Land of Earth; it was short, cold-resistant, and didn't slip on muddy ground.
Black Stone reined in his horse and looked at the basin in front of him.
The bottom of the basin was wider than he had imagined, but not as flat as the intelligence had described. The ground was uneven, with some areas filled with water and others exposing black silt. The air was thick with the smell of rotting vegetation. A thin mist clung to the ground, obscuring distant objects.
"Has the reconnaissance team returned?" Blackstone asked.
The messenger beside him shook his head.
"The ones on the southern edge haven't returned yet. The ones on the northern edge have returned and said they didn't find any trace of the enemy. The one in the middle—still no news."
Blackstone frowned.
"How long did the middle one take?"
"Forty minutes."
Forty minutes. The basin is only about seven li (approximately 3.5 kilometers) long, and the middle line is the shortest. With reconnaissance and back-and-forth travel, forty minutes should be enough. Unless they get lost, or—
"Report!" A scout ran back from the depths of the basin, drenched in sweat, his clothes splattered with mud and water so thick they were unrecognizable. "The reconnaissance team along the middle route has been found!"
Blackstone asked, "Where are they?"
The scout's expression was somewhat strange.
"They—are all unconscious in the eastern part of the basin. There are no external injuries, no signs of poisoning, and their chakra levels are normal; they're just asleep."
Black Stone's face darkened.
"Asleep?"
"Yes. It's like he was knocked down instantly by some kind of magic. There was no one else around. We checked the ground, and there was only one footprint."
"one?"
"One. Judging from the direction of the footprints, that person came from the east and went west—that is, towards us."
Blackstone gripped the reins tightly.
Is that person still in the basin?
The scout shook his head.
"We didn't find it. The footprints disappeared in the middle of the basin. They didn't fly away, they didn't jump away, it's like the person was standing there and suddenly disappeared."
A name flashed through Blackstone's mind.
Chiquan.
He had heard about Ikezumi. During the last ambush, Orifu died, Mizuki was crippled, and Hamura Saku lost an arm and almost lost his life. Ikezumi, on the other hand, was suffering from a penetrating wound and poisoning at the time.
"Give the order." Blackstone's voice deepened. "The vanguard should slow down, advance in groups of three, twenty meters apart, in a net-like formation. Signal immediately if any abnormalities are detected. Do not engage in single combat. No one is allowed to advance recklessly before I arrive."
The messenger ran away.
Black Stone jumped off his horse, handed it to the support staff behind him, and led a few Chunin on foot into the basin.
The muddy ground was soft and yielding underfoot, sinking a little deeper with each step. A thin mist hung at knee height, obscuring his own feet. Black Stone grew increasingly uneasy—this terrain was perfect for an ambush. The mountain walls on either side were covered in shrubs and vines; if someone were hiding above, they would be completely invisible to those below. And his men were lined up in a long queue, pouring into the basin from the west, like water being poured into a jar with a narrow opening and a large belly.
His pace slowed down.
"Stop." He raised his hand.
The vanguard troops halted one after another behind him, forming a long, thin line of three thousand men that stretched from the western entrance of the basin to the western part of the basin's center. The morning light shone from the east, casting long shadows of the troops onto the muddy ground, like writhing snakes.
Blackstone was about to say something.
Then he saw someone.
In the eastern part of the basin, in the thin mist, there was a shadow. Not large, just one person. Standing, facing west. The face was not very clear, but it was clear that the person was wearing dark clothes, and their right hand hung at their side, holding something—a knife.
Black Stone's pupils suddenly contracted.
Chiquan.
It's not an illusion, not a shadow clone, it's a real person.
Because Black Stone could see that the person's footprints in the mud were real, and the patterns on the soles of their shoes were clearly imprinted. There were no other footprints around, just this one, standing alone in the middle of the basin, like something that had appeared out of nowhere and shouldn't be there.
Some in the vanguard also saw it. A commotion began to break out in the ranks; some drew their weapons, some whispered, and some pushed forward to get a better look.
Blackstone turned around and roared, "Don't panic! Keep formation!"
But it was too late.
The pond and spring moved.
He didn't charge forward, didn't draw his sword, and didn't form any hand seals. He simply raised his right hand, sword tip pointing upward, above his head, and then pressed it down.
That action wasn't an attack. It was a signal.
Before Blackstone could figure out what the signal was, the ground began to shake.
It wasn't an earthquake. Earthquakes are those that start from your feet and move upwards. This tremor came from both sides—the north and south sides of the basin's mountain walls.
The mountainside is moving.
It wasn't a collapse, it was movement. It was as if someone was lifting the mountainside from its base, raising the entire wall slightly, and then tilting it inwards. The sound of rocks breaking came from the ground, not a single sound, but a continuous sound, like bones being broken one by one. Rock fragments rolled down the mountainside, first small ones, then large ones, and then whole chunks of rock.
Blackstone had only one thought in his mind.
Earth Release. Large-scale Earth Release. More than twelve Jonin simultaneously activated it from the north and south sides of the mountain walls.
"Retreat!" Blackstone roared with all his might, "Retreat! Retreat west! Out of the basin!"
But the procession of three thousand people had already stretched out into a long line. Those in front wanted to run backward, while those behind were still unaware of what was happening. The two streams of people were crammed together in the middle of the basin. The mud was trampled into a pulp. People slipped and fell in the mud, and those behind stepped on them, while those in front were trampled into the mud. Screams and cries mingled together, echoing back and forth in the basin, creating a chilling noise.