Chapter 175 Kikyo Castle (1)

Shimura Danzo's sadness and pain are unknown to outsiders. If Hayama knew this news, he would have to teach her a lesson no matter what. Don't get me wrong, it's just a simple lesson, not a lesson involving colors.

To be exact, Ye Shan had no intention of paying attention to anything happening in the outside world at this time. All his energy was put into Kikyo Castle. Even though he knew that his efforts might not be recognized by Konoha, it did not affect his continued efforts.

It has nothing to do with the boring Will of Fire. Yeshan's motivation for doing all this is only to ensure that fewer ninjas in Konoha will die in the upcoming Ninja World War. Even a three-year-old child understands the truth that when the nest is overturned, no eggs can remain intact.

That afternoon, which was the afternoon of the second day after Yeshan arrived in Kikyo Castle, all the ninjas responsible for the defense gathered in a square in the city, waiting for the pre-war training.

Having not experienced war for a long time, most ninjas would inevitably feel panic when suddenly facing the Ninja World War. This has nothing to do with personal strength. There are countless examples of even the strongest ninjas dying on the battlefield. Rather, human beings, without personally experiencing the baptism of blood and hatred, will more or less resist meaningless battles.

Yes, this battle seemed meaningless to most Konoha ninjas. Its cause was merely the unfounded speculation of the Sand Village without any strong evidence to support it, but it was still right in front of them.

On a temporary earthen platform, Yeshan and Nara Shikatsu stood side by side, and in front of them were more than 300 Konoha ninjas with solemn faces.

The atmosphere on the field was very subtle and solemn. Ye Shan even saw many people taking out the amulets they carried with them from their clothes and praying, which made him look a little dazed.

Once upon a time, he was a low-level Chunin, and before the war, he prayed to all the gods and Buddhas, praying that he could live until the end of the war.

Honestly speaking, praying has no effect at all. It can only enhance the psychological endurance of the person praying, but it cannot actually bring good luck. The enemies you are supposed to encounter will not be reduced, the traps you are supposed to step on will not disappear, and even death will not be avoided because of prayer.

Ye Shan had realized this a long time ago, so he threw away the useless amulet and turned to practice ninjutsu and taijutsu diligently. In this cruel ninja world, even the gods would have to endure a few ninjutsu bombardments, and asking them for help was just for temporary peace of mind.

Nara Shikatani had experienced two great ninja wars and had seen far more death and sorrow than a young man like Yeshan. As the saying goes, a man is established at thirty and is free from doubts at forty. Nara Shikatani is over forty years old this year and has his own views on the various aspects of the world. He knows what the ninjas under him want and what they want.

Now the small Kikyo Castle has suddenly become a battleground between the two great powers. This battle is not short-lived, but protracted. The ninjas standing below are all worried that they will die here.

Although Kikyo Castle is strategically located, it is still a dead object and cannot be moved at any time. It just so happens that the ninja profession is best at flexible combat, emphasizing infiltration, assassination, and destruction, and it is really inappropriate to use it to defend the city.

Nara Shika often dispelled the many distracting thoughts in his mind and scanned the ninjas standing below with his sharp eyes. His voice was heavy and powerful, making people feel at ease after listening to it.

"Everyone, Konohagakure is now at the most critical juncture in the past decade. Behind Kikyo Castle is the country that gave birth to us and raised us. If we take a step back here, the village and the country will have to take a hundred steps back. Do you think we can retreat?"

"No." Although the voice sounded generous, it also sounded weak.

Nara Shika often doesn't care whether the voice is confident enough. The strength of confidence comes from one's actual strength. Just talking about it has no effect.

"I know what you are thinking and what you are worried about. You just think that Kikyo Castle is difficult to defend and that the Sand Village has more people and is coming with hatred. Although Kikyo Castle is strategically located, it will be difficult to defend it with such a small number of people, and everyone will die."

"Of course I know that you are not afraid of death. Everyone present is an excellent ninja of Konohagakure and can stand the test. I can tell you responsibly that at the latest tomorrow night, thousands of reinforcements led by Lord Orochimaru will arrive at Kikyo Castle! Everyone, Lord Hokage has not forgotten us. He has been paying close attention to our lives. Now tell me, will you retreat?"

"No!!!" The voice was extremely loud at this time, and even a fool could hear the excitement in the words.

Nara Shikasho nodded with satisfaction and continued, "There are sufficient food reserves in Kikyo City, and ninja tools and medical supplies are piled up like mountains. Since yesterday afternoon, someone has set up a large number of traps according to my requirements. Now the area around the city is surrounded by traps, and it will take the Sand Ninjas half a day to dismantle them!"

"What's more, we have Ye Shan here to take charge. As long as we work together and do our duty, Kikyo City will not be lost in a short period of time."

"When Lord Orochimaru arrives with reinforcements, our mission will be successfully completed. By then, you will all be great contributors to Konoha Village!"

Ye Shan watched coldly as Nara Shikatsugu's motivating methods were carried out. He said nothing on the surface but he admired him in his heart. The other party was worthy of being the former Hokage's think tank, and his method of manipulating people's hearts was very unusual.

Is Kikyo Castle really as easy to defend as Nara Deer often says? The answer is undoubtedly no.

The Sand Ninjas are not fools. Even if there are traps all around Kikyo Castle, they can just overturn them all with a collective earth escape technique. Who would be stupid enough to send out a team of ninjas to dismantle them bit by bit?

Therefore, the only thing that Kikyo City can rely on is the numerous crossbows on the city walls. These crossbows can fire five extremely sharp crossbow arrows, and each crossbow arrow can be attached with up to ten detonating talismans. Not only are they incredibly fast and difficult to dodge, their power is also outrageous. Once affected, you will be skinned alive if you don't die.

The crossbow used by ninjas is naturally different from that used by samurai. It only looks like a crossbow, but the bowstring, hammer and other parts are replaced by a series of runes. The firing of the crossbow is very simple. It requires ninjas above the level of Chunin to input chakra into the technique, and then the huge force generated will shoot the crossbow arrow out, causing damage to the enemy.

Ye Shan had seen this kind of extremely lethal weapon many times in the past. It could be called the ninja version of the Italian cannon, and it made him shudder at the mere mention of it.

All in all, Kikyo Castle is very difficult to defend. The original intention of building this city was to be used as a huge warehouse. Its purpose was to provide logistical support for the large number of ninjas on the front line, and it was by no means a military fortress that could be defended.

This is a matter of course. Ninjas are very mobile. Asking them to stay in one place and passively defend is as inappropriate as using cavalry to defend a city.

The two warring parties stood facing each other at a not-so-distant distance, and occasionally carried out one or two group battles, with assassinations, infiltrations, sabotage, sneak attacks and other activities mixed in. This was the ninja's way of fighting.