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Chapter 211 Intermission - Support
🕑 Added 2025-01-24 16:24:56 +0000 UTCWhile Kirito and Madara were fighting, Kankuro and the others far away at the border of the forest were flying fast on the huge eagle drawn by Sai.
They belonged to the surprise attack force in the ninja coalition. Their mission was to take out the enemy's base before the opponent could react, leveraging their strong mobility.
Their original orders were to follow the traced route of the reconnaissance force. Fortunately, on the way, they encountered Mutan and the others, who were returning to headquarters with information. This allowed them to pinpoint the location of the Akatsuki organization's base and accelerate their advance.
"Hey, Omoi! Don't space out now. The next area is enemy-controlled airspace. Keep your eyes sharp, or you'll die before you know it!"
While traveling by air avoided most dangers, it didn't guarantee absolute safety. Overconfidence from their elevated position could lead them to overlook attacks from blind spots.
Kankuro, issuing orders for everyone to remain alert, noticed Omoi sitting on the giant eagle behind him, looking dazed. He reprimanded him sharply.
"Captain, you're about my age. You've probably never experienced war, right?" Omoi asked nervously. "Aren't you nervous?"
"Listen up! The outcome of this war hinges on the results of our surprise force. Even the casualties of the coalition depend on us. Stop worrying about things you can't control and focus on succeeding!" Kankuro shouted. "If you want to protect your companions and family, stay sharp!"
Kankuro noticed that many in the team were experiencing war for the first time. While he himself had never fought in a full-scale war, his upbringing in the Hidden Sand Village had conditioned him to adapt to such an atmosphere early on. He was confident that when the real battle began, his team would rise to the occasion—after all, they were ninjas, not civilians.
"Be careful! There's a massive storm coming this way!"
Just as Kankuro was scouting for a landing zone, a ninja at the front shouted a warning.
Whoosh!
A violent storm swept over them, scattering the once-organized formation and pushing the entire team back several meters.
Boom!
The deafening roar following the storm made everyone instinctively shield their faces, slowly lowering their altitude.
"That's... impossible…" Kankuro heard one of his companions exclaim faintly.
Assuming it was an enemy sneak attack, Kankuro quickly looked up—and froze.
In the distance, black smoke rose thickly into the sky as lava and debris erupted violently from the earth, resembling an active volcanic eruption.
"There's no volcano anywhere near here!" Omoi said solemnly.
"Exactly. That means..." Kankuro's mind raced. This level of destruction had to be caused by a ninja battle.
"That's Lava Release…" a ninja from the Hidden Stone Village muttered. "But with such terrifying power… could it be the Four Tails?"
At this distance, the scale of destruction was unimaginable, and it was hard to believe anyone could survive at the center of such a battle.
Whoosh!
Before the team could process what they had seen, dozens of lava meteors of varying sizes rained down from the sky, hurtling toward Kankuro's team.
"Watch out for the volcanic meteors! Land immediately!" Kankuro shouted.
Some of the meteors were massive—far larger than the eagle they were riding. A single glancing blow would be enough to wipe them out.
The giant white eagle flapped its wings hard, crash-landing into the dense forest as the red-hot meteors streaked across the sky.
"Captain, is our team fighting over there?" Sai asked while sealing the giant eagle back into his scroll.
"Most likely. The reconnaissance team survivors mentioned their captain went to rescue Mitarashi Anko. That must have led to a clash with the Akatsuki," Kankuro analyzed. "Check your equipment and physical condition. If everything's fine, we're heading out to support them immediately."
Omoi, still nervous, muttered, "But a fight of this scale… if we get caught in the crossfire, we'll be burned alive. It'll be so painful… no bones left. Then my village won't even have a grave to remember me by… I'll just disappear into a file somewhere…"
Thud!
"Ow!"
Omoi, lost in thought, bumped into Kankuro, who had suddenly stopped walking.
"Uh… did I hit an illusion?" Omoi wondered as he gripped his weapon, warily raising his head toward the sky.
And then his breathing stopped.
It was as if the earth itself had inverted. A massive meteorite—so large it blocked out the sun—was descending toward them through the clouds. The whistling sound of the meteor tearing through the air was deafening.
"We… we can't escape… Is this… war?"
Omoi's weapon slipped from his hands as he stared in despair at the approaching harbinger of death.
(End of this chapter)
