socalfunplaces Chapter 338 Explosives?
Chapter 338 Explosives?
Chapter 338 Explosives?
The daimyo of the Land of Earth remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded.
"One month."
The daimyo of the Land of Wind closed his eyes, tapped his fingertip on the table, and finally responded softly.
"Okay. One month."
When those words were spoken, something finally managed to suppress the chaos in the tent.
Helian looked at the picture on the table, his voice low.
"Now that it's decided, let's stop arguing."
"Who should replenish the granary, who should transfer personnel, and who should distribute the grain should be clearly stated tonight. We'll start moving things out first thing tomorrow morning."
The daimyo of the Land of Lightning looked at him with a complicated expression.
"Helian, if it weren't for you this time—"
Helian raised his hand to interrupt, seemingly uninterested in such formalities.
"I just don't want a group of people to starve to death before they even enter the Land of Fire."
The commander of the front lines of the Land of Wind asked in a low voice, "What about Konoha—"
Helian raised his eyes, his gaze as cold as frost that hadn't melted in the night.
"They will come again."
The people inside the tent all looked at him at the same time.
Helian's voice was steady.
"Last night's move wasn't about winning, it was about stalling. If they can stall for time, they'll keep stalling."
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning frowned: "Then we—"
"Wait," Helian said. "Wait for their next move. Or rather, wait until they feel we've been forced to settle down."
The old minister of the Land of Earth's throat bobbed: "Are you planning an ambush?"
Helian did not answer directly, but slowly rolled up the supply map on the table.
"Disperse the warehouse locations, and create fake ones as well. Mix real warehouses with fake ones, light teams with heavy teams, and operate with both overt and covert operations. If they want to sneak in, let them. Once they get in, they won't be able to get out unscathed."
No one spoke in the tent anymore.
A gust of wind blew in from outside, causing the lamplight to flicker slightly.
Helian stood up, the hem of his cloak brushing against the corner of the table. He paused for a moment, then added a casual remark.
"But before that, keep your own people in check."
"If I hear anyone making a scene in the camp over a few bags of rations again, I'll deal with them before Konoha even has to lift a finger."
After he finished speaking, he turned and left the tent.
The curtain fell, and the sound of the wind outside became even clearer.
After a moment of silence in the tent, the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning slowly spoke: "This person is still the same as ever."
The daimyo of the Land of Wind whispered, "At least for now, only he can keep those people under his control."
The daimyo of the Land of Earth didn't accept the order; instead, he stared grimly at the document on the table that set a new date.
One month.
Last night's fire didn't burn them apart, but it did force them to stop for a month.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, as night fell again, the lights in the testing grounds were still on.
The second round of small-scale test explosions has ended, leaving several new pits on the ground and a thick stack of recording papers. Some people are still arguing about the thickness of the wires, some are testing the deformation of different substrates after heating, and some have already begun working on making smaller chain explosive tokens more suitable for field burial.
Silently crouching to one side, watching the recording, she suddenly heard someone running quickly from afar.
They are from the intelligence unit.
"Lord Chiquan."
Chi Quan was standing at the edge of the testing area, watching the researchers recalibrate the lines, when he heard the sound and turned around.
"explain."
The person handed over a newly copied urgent report, speaking in a very low voice.
"The coalition forces have set a new time."
Shikamaru, who was dozing against the wooden stake, immediately opened his eyes upon hearing this.
"So fast?"
Chi Quan took the paper and glanced at it twice.
"One month later."
She immediately stood up straight and went silent.
"You were absolutely right."
Kakashi stood to the side and closed the book.
"And they didn't break up."
"They won't disperse." Chi Quan handed the paper to another ninja who had been sent by Tsunade to record the events. "The three daimyo are reluctant to disperse, and those below haven't reached the point where they can't hold on any longer. Last night, we only hurt them, we didn't kill them."
Ya sat on the wooden box and clicked his tongue.
"You're still coming even though it hurts?"
Shikamaru glanced at him.
"The more it hurts, the better. If you were slapped in front of a group of people, would you just let it go?"
Ya thought for a moment.
"Won't."
That solves it.
Neji frowned slightly as he looked at the love newspaper.
"Who has kept them in check?"
It's not a question.
Chi Quan nodded.
"Um"
heart.
"Who?"
"We don't know his full name yet, we only know that he's someone who's tacitly allowed by all three parties to get involved in overall coordination," Chi Quan said. "The intelligence mentioned that after last night, the allied forces almost fell out over resource allocation, but he managed to quell it."
Kakashi slowly said, "Anyone who can suppress the three kingdoms and those smaller countries at the same time is no ordinary person."
Tianzang asked in a low voice, "So what do we do next? Continue with the inventory buildup, or wait until they finish rearranging it?"
Chi Quan paused for a moment, looking at the set of newly completed test pieces inside the barrier in the distance.
"There's no rush to make another move."
Ya was taken aback: "Huh?"
Shikamaru was the first to realize what was happening.
"Because they now know we can move."
"Yes," Chi Quan said. "If we go now, we'll only run into them when they're on guard."
Silently exhaled.
"At least we're not leaving right away again."
Ya muttered to herself, "I thought they wouldn't let me sleep tonight again—"
Chi Quan ignored him and continued, "Over the next month, they will redeploy warehouses, rearrange supplies, and redistribute resources internally. They will also set up sham warehouses, add surveillance lines, and deploy tracking teams. Let's take advantage of this month to complete all the necessary preparations."
Kakashi looked at him: "Including this?"
He pointed to the new chain explosive rune over there.
"Including this."
Chi Quan said, "If they come back a month later, it won't be as simple as just stopping them."
The wind blew through the examination hall at night, carrying with it a mixture of gunpowder and ink.
Not far away, the researcher suddenly looked up and shouted.
"The third version of the small loopback is finished! Can someone check the trunk lines?"
The old man from the sealing team immediately replied, "Don't worry, I'll handle it!"
Shizune glanced at the chaotic testing room, then at the intelligence report in her hand that read "Proceed again in one month," and muttered, "Looks like no one will have an easy time this month."
Shikamaru leaned back and let out a long sigh.
"I knew it."
Ya jumped off the wooden crate, grinned, and stretched his wrists.
"Then let's go."
Neji didn't speak, but his gaze quietly fell on the thin, almost invisible chakra threads in the center of the testing area.
Chi Quan stood in the night wind, his expression calm, but his eyes gradually grew colder.
"Come here," he said.
The night is already deep.
The lights were still on inside the Hokage Building.
When the intelligence team pushed open the door, their footsteps were faster than usual, causing the doorframe to bump slightly. Almost everyone in the room looked up at the same time. Tsunade's pen was still suspended in mid-air, Shizune was organizing the records of the new round of experiments, Kakashi was leaning against the window with his book half-read, and Shikamaru was lying on the other side of the long table, looking like he had just been captured and was still feeling sleepy.
Chi Quan sat near the map, with two border maps and a newly marked supply distribution map spread out in front of him. He didn't move, only glancing up briefly.
"explain."
The intelligence ninja was still breathing a little rapidly.
"Northwest border, Osmanthus Village."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Shikamaru lifted his eyelids, his drowsiness receding slightly: "Osmanthus Village?"
Tsunade had already reached out and pulled over the border map next to her, her eyes quickly scanning over it.
"specific."
The intelligence ninja immediately said, "In the latest round of discussions within the Allied Forces regarding the advance, someone suggested not rushing to push the main storyline directly, but instead using several villages on the border that are located inland but in suitable locations as bridgeheads. Osmanthus Village is the top choice among them."
Shizune paused, then asked, "Why Osmanthus Village?"
The man handed over another transcribed report.
"It's not the furthest point from the border, but the terrain is good. There's a gentle slope to the east, a forest belt to the west, a fairly wide dirt road in front of the village, and two low hills behind it that can hide troops. A little further south are the trails leading to the inside of the Fire Kingdom. Some people on the Allied side said that as long as they take Osmanthus Village, even if they don't use it as a formal camp, they can use it as a first-level transit and temporary foothold."
Tsunade's gaze darkened.
"They want to drive this place in, slowly wedging it in."
"Yes."
Kakashi straightened up a bit by the window: "Who suggested that?"
"I didn't hear the name of the intelligence source, but judging from their tone, it's not the daimyo himself, but more like a pragmatist in the military. Also," the intelligence ninja paused, "they also know from within the organization that Katsura Village might have problems."
Shikamaru chuckled coldly: "Nonsense. In the current situation, it would be strange if Konoha didn't take any action at these locations."
"Yes," the intelligence ninja continued, "but they still intend to target this place first. The reason is quite straightforward—even if there are problems, they can't avoid it. Because its location is too convenient."
The room fell silent again.
Jingyin subconsciously looked at Chiquan.
Chi Quan's expression didn't change much; he simply tapped the edge of the map lightly with his finger.
"How much longer?"
"If they continue at the current pace of regrouping, the advance scout team could reach the outskirts of Guihua Village in about seven to ten days."
Tsunade looked up abruptly: "So fast?"
"Although they've set the overall advance timeline at one month, their preliminary probing at the bridgehead will begin even earlier," the intelligence ninja whispered. "First, they'll probe, first, first plant stakes. The real main force will follow a month later."
Shikamaru pulled the map closer, and the light fell on the small village name.
"That makes sense."
Silent frowned: "What do you mean, 'seems like'?"
"This shows they're not just focusing on sheer numbers this time; they're starting to think things through," Shikamaru said. "A place like Osmanthus Village, even if you take it and can't hold it for long, is disgusting enough. It's not as conspicuous as a big town, nor as easy to be driven back as a border outpost. Once the vanguard goes in, the rest of the line can slowly move closer to here."
Kakashi looked at the map, his voice lowering slightly.
"Furthermore, even if the village falls into the hands of the Allied Forces, it will still nominally remain an occupied point within the Land of Fire." This would act as a buffer against changes in their morale and the prevailing external winds.
Tsunade's expression grew even colder.
"So they really treat the Land of Fire like their own backyard."
Chi Quan finally spoke: "How many people are there in Guihua Village now?"
Silently flipped through the documents.
"The village has a permanent population of over 100 households, less than 500 people. Most of them are small villagers who work with herbs, grow grain, and provide rest stops for passing caravans. There are also some who gather timber and make crude medicinal powders. The village is not large, but the houses are close together."
As she spoke, she suddenly realized something and looked up at Chi Quan.
"You won't be one."
Chi Quan had already stood up.
"Go and bring me the household registration records, trade routes, granaries, wellheads, foundation distribution, and house structure maps of Guihua Village for the past three years."
Shizune opened her mouth: "Now?"
"Now."
Tsunade stared at him: "What do you want to do?"
Chi Quan looked up at her, his tone calm as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Move the villagers out first."
Shikamaru's eyebrows twitched slightly upon hearing this.
"and then?"
"Then leave the village to them."
Shizune's heart skipped a beat: "Leave it to them?"
Chi Quan walked to the large map and pointed his finger at the location of Osmanthus Village.
"They want to use Osmanthus Village as a bridgehead, don't they? Then let them in."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes: "An empty village?"
"A deserted village".
"Won't they notice?"
"They'll be able to tell," Chi Quan said, "but even if they do, we'll still let them in."
Kakashi's eyes crinkled into a smile, as if he had already understood.
"Open conspiracy".
Chi Quan hummed in agreement.
The people in the room fell silent for a moment almost simultaneously.
Shikamaru leaned back in his chair and slowly exhaled: "This is troublesome."
Silently, she asked, "Why is it called an open conspiracy?"
Shikamaru glanced at her, unusually not bothering to explain.
"Because even if the other side knows it's a trap, they can't avoid it."
He reached out and tapped on the map.
"The location of Osmanthus Village is too convenient for them. They can take advantage of it for everything: advance teams, reconnaissance teams, temporary outposts, wounded evacuation, and supply relocation. If they leave it untouched, they know that the subsequent advance will be uncomfortable; but if they go in—then they have to gamble on how much Konoha has buried."
Jingyin's expression changed: "What if they just burn the village down?"
Chi Quan said, "We won't burn it first."
Why?
"Because they still want to use it."
Chi Quan moved his finger, tracing the path south of Guihua Village. "The significance of a bridgehead isn't just about occupying space; it's also about having existing houses, wells, walls, roads, and cover. If you burn it down, it's like destroying half of what you can use first. Unless they're absolutely certain the village is untouchable, they won't just come up and burn it down."
Kakashi added, "And even if it really burns, it won't prevent the vanguard from getting in first."
Shikamaru nodded: "That's right. Some of them need to go in, some to scout, some to watch the wells, some to check the houses, some to capture points, and some to set traps."
Tsunade crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the pond.
"What are you planning to bury?"
Chi Quan remained silent for half a second.
"A talisman detonated remotely, plus explosives."
She paused for a moment, then looked up: "Explosives?"
Such things do exist in the ninja world, but compared to common explosive tags, explosives are heavier and more prone to going out of control. They are usually used in mines, rockfalls, sealing caves, or in very rare cases of large-scale destruction. Konoha isn't without reserves, but they rarely use them for deployment in places like villages.
Tsunade's expression darkened: "You're not talking about ordinary stacks of explosive tags."
"no."
"And its power?"
"Larger than a detonation tag."
Shizune nearly dropped the notepad in her hand: "Chi Quan, you—"
"Let him finish speaking first," Tsunade said in a deep voice.
Chi Quan gestured towards the area around Osmanthus Village.