Malphegor
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IUTT: Ch. 86
🕑 Added 2025-05-22 16:27:04 +0000 UTC"Even if you die, I won't!" Suiten immediately said.
"Enough!" Genji roared in fury. He shed his usual gentle demeanor and glared viciously at the two, making both of them lower their heads and fall silent.
Although he had already interrogated the ninjas who returned earlier and received consistent answers, he still asked, "What exactly happened this time?"
"We walked into a trap," Suiten said. "From start to finish, this was all a scheme, it felt like everything had been calculated in advance."
"You think I don't know it was a trap? But why did it turn out this way?"
"I suspect someone from our village leaked the information," Suiten said in frustration. "If I hadn't run, hid fast enough, I might not have made it back either."
Genji shook his head. "That still doesn't add up. How could the enemy know even when Fuguki suddenly split off his forces? Even if someone could leak intel, it's not like they could constantly transmit information right under your and everyone else's noses without being discovered, right?"
"It's almost as if..." His eyes turned cold. "As if the enemy is monitoring our every move in real-time."
"Could it be..." Yumi suddenly covered her mouth, as if she'd just realized something terrible.
"Did you discover something?" Genji quickly asked.
"Please wait," Yumi didn't have time to explain and immediately ran out.
Two minutes later, she returned to the command tent, holding a strange black helmet-like device. The device was covered in neatly arranged antennas and looked highly technological.
"What is this?" Genji frowned and asked.
"I'm not sure. One of my subordinates found it during patrol," Yumi explained.
"This thing is clearly man-made, but it was found three miles southwest of our camp, extremely well hidden. If someone hadn't tripped by chance during patrol, we never would've found it."
"Let me see," Before she could finish, Suiten stepped forward and snatched the device from Yumi's hands.
Before Yumi could get angry, his eyes widened in shock.
"What the... What the hell is this?" He looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"Tell us! What did you find?" Genji asked urgently.
"When she took this thing out, I already felt something was off. I just tried injecting some chakra into it... And I discovered, it seems this thing can enhance sensory abilities. Though only slightly, probably because I don't really know how to use it properly."
"So what the hell is this thing?" Genji's expression suddenly turned very grim. He asked Yumi, "How long have you had this thing?"
"O-One day..." Yumi stammered. At that moment, she completely panicked.
"Case closed!" Genji gave a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. "So all our actions were under the enemy's nose. No wonder we failed so completely."
"So you're the mole?" Suiten suddenly pointed at Yumi in disbelief.
"What nonsense are you spouting?!" Yumi cried out in a panic, quickly denying it.
"Genji, I really didn't know what this thing was," Yumi explained with a distressed face. "After my subordinate brought it back, I examined it. I didn't find anything strange, so I just left it there..."
"I believe you," Genji said. "You said this thing was buried three miles from our camp?"
"Yes!"
"Even if you hadn't brought it back, our operations had likely already been exposed. The enemy placed it three miles away, which shows that even from that distance, it could track our every move, without our sensory ninjas ever noticing it. Judging by the location, it was probably left there during the enemy's first raid on our camp. We thought that first attack was just a lure, but it turns out it was all just a cover."
"If they could plant one of these three miles away, they could have planted more elsewhere. That's why all our movements have been under surveillance from the start. With everything planned out in advance, and the enemy knowing our every move and preparing accordingly, how could we possibly win?"
Thinking about how half of his army was now gone, and even Fuguki was lost, Genji felt like his heart was bleeding. At least now he understood where he had failed, and he could give the village an explanation. But this also meant that the war was far more difficult than he had imagined.
If the entire Land of Whirlpools was filled with devices like this strange object in front of him, did that mean there would be no secrets, no matter where they went?
"Should we retreat?" Suiten asked, still a little shaken as he glanced at the helmet. "We've lost a lot of troops, our combat power is seriously weakened, and Uzushio is at its peak. If they attack us now..."
For once, Genji seriously considered Suiten's suggestion. After a long pause, he finally shook his head and said, "Let's retreat to the ships for now. We'll stay offshore and wait for an opportunity, maybe land again when other ninja villages attack Uzushio and draw their attention."
"Then…" Yumi spoke up as well, "Should we ask the village for reinforcements? We've suffered huge losses. We can't just let it go."
Genji fell into deep thought, then after a while said, "Yes, request reinforcements. Go make arrangements immediately. But even if reinforcements come, we must not be the vanguard again. We have to let the other villages wear down Uzushio's forces first."
At that, everyone's mood grew heavier. They had thought they were here to reap the spoils, but not only did they gain nothing, they had paid a heavy price right from the start.
"Can this thing be copied?" he suddenly raised the helmet and asked, a flash of inspiration in his eyes.
"Probably not," Yumi replied after a dry gulp. "This thing seems to have a self-destruct mechanism. If you try to force it open, it'll explode immediately. That's why I didn't touch it, planning to study it slowly."
Off to the side, Suiten observed everything.
This sensory amplifier had two functions:
One was signal transmission, it acted like a base station. With the signal receiver as the center, it formed a dense signal network. But to do that, it relied on a modified Flying Thunder God mark inside, forming spatial nodes. The signal transmission between amplifiers actually relied on spatial transmission, instantaneous, across distances. This was a fusion of technology and ninjutsu, especially space-time ninjutsu, making it impossible for others to replicate.
The second function was sensory amplification, like a radar. He could channel chakra across space to activate the sensory amplifier and massively extend his perception range. A small amount of chakra could amplify his sensing ability dozens of times. But the chakra used to activate the device had to be Shin's. Chakra from anyone else wouldn't work at all.
Even without the self-destruct system, even if you opened it up and laid it in front of someone, they still couldn't figure out how it worked. Just mastering the improved version of the Flying Thunder God Technique was something only a handful of people in the shinobi world could do.
The only reason he allowed Yumi to "accidentally discover" this device was to completely remove any suspicion from himself. Because his scheming against Kiri wasn't over yet.
Uzushio could indeed take this opportunity to raid the Kiri camp.
But first, even though the Kiri only had about 800 ninjas left, their camp was well fortified. Even with superior numbers, a direct assault would cost Uzushio dearly.
Second, Kumo was eyeing the situation hungrily, ready to move south at any time.
If too many of Uzushio's forces stayed locked in the eastern battlefront, they could be flanked by Kumo, leading to a disastrous, passive war situation. That risk couldn't be ignored.
And Kiri, for now, no longer posed a significant threat.
But at sea, things were different. They'd be like fish in a barrel, unable to last until reinforcements arrived.
"Oh, right!" Suddenly remembering something, Suiten pointed at the helmet with a grin. "Should we share this secret with the other ninja villages?"
Seeing Suiten's expression, Genji immediately understood what he was getting at and replied with a knowing smile. "What do the other villages have to do with us? We're the ones suffering losses, why should they get to profit?"
"Heh heh, wise as always, Genji!"
