Chapter 80: The War Begins and Two Days
At the border between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire.
On a barren desert, towering stone pillars were scattered everywhere. These pillars were originally man-made, but under the power of nature, the humans who tried to live here were defeated, leaving only these pillars behind, while other structures were buried beneath the yellow sand.
Some pillars were about thirty meters high, while others had been eroded by wind and sand to only a dozen centimeters. These pillars were arranged irregularly across the desert.
Su Xiao lay on top of one pillar. The position he was in would soon become the main battlefield.
Regarding the Ninja World War, Su Xiao wasn't actually afraid, provided he didn't encounter any ninjas whose strength completely surpassed his own.
Su Xiao had experienced human wave tactics many times before. Based on what he knew, the Allied Shinobi Forces had around 80,000 troops, mostly genin, with a fair number of chunin, but not many jonin or Kage-level fighters.
As for his own side, there were 100,000 White Zetsu, the Impure World Reincarnation army, plus Obito, Kabuto, and others. Kabuto himself wasn't considered combat strength; he had previously stated he wouldn't directly participate in the war.
Combined, the total forces were less than 200,000, most of whom were cannon fodder. The 100,000 White Zetsu mainly served to hold off the main offensive of the Allied Shinobi Forces.
In Su Xiao's view, ninjas were different from soldiers. Ninjas excelled in individual combat, but their teamwork was only so-so. At best, they could pull off a combination ninjutsu; formation tactics were out of the question.
Su Xiao had participated in a battlefield of hundreds of thousands during a World War. Those soldiers, one-on-one, were absolutely no match for ninjas, but they could form terrifying battle formations.
Su Xiao had personally witnessed giant demons with attributes of 80 points being torn into scattered chunks of flesh in just seven seconds under the assault of a battle formation.
Even more formidable was the charge of the dwarf heavy cavalry. A single charge left the ground littered with corpses, a veritable steel tide.
Su Xiao even suspected that if the ninja world didn't have those individually powerful ninjas, it was uncertain whether 80,000 ninjas, including jonin, could even withstand a charge from 20,000 dwarf heavy cavalry.
In truth, this comparison was somewhat unfair. Those dwarf heavy cavalry were bred specifically for war; their individual combat abilities were mediocre.
Ninjas, on the other hand, were suited for carrying out missions in small teams. It was like trying to form an army out of assassins—a ridiculous notion.
Yet, these assassins had indeed formed an army, and they were about to face Su Xiao, who had been tempered by medieval cold-weapon warfare.
"Having the White Zetsu form that kind of formation? Are you sure that's okay?"
Obito, standing on a nearby pillar, spoke up.
"Of course it's fine. Have you ever seen cold-weapon warfare?"
"War? I've even experienced it."
Obito's tone carried a hint of disdain. He had participated in the Third Great Ninja War.
"What you experienced wasn't war. At best, it was a chaotic brawl in the wilderness between some ninjas skilled in assassination."
Su Xiao sat up and lit a cigarette.
"Real cold-weapon warfare is when two armies charge at each other and then slaughter into a chaotic melee. When the war ends, thousands of tons of dead flesh are left on the battlefield. Have you ever tried charging up a high slope, only to have your ankles submerged in the blood of the dead? A river of blood isn't a metaphor. Piles of corpses, doused with oil on the slope, can be burned to ashes in less than half an hour."
Su Xiao exhaled a plume of smoke. He recalled the scenes from the war world, where everything on the battlefield was either green or red. Green was from the green phosphorus fire bottles, red was from flesh and blood.
Obito narrowed his eyes. In the wars he had witnessed, nothing like that had ever happened.
"Although the White Zetsu haven't undergone professional training, they can't just charge in blindly. That's the most brainless move."
When Su Xiao had first heard Obito's plan, he was shocked by its crude, eye-straining simplicity. Obito's method of using the White Zetsu was simply to form them into a large army and overwhelm the Allied Shinobi Forces with sheer numbers.
Of course, the White Zetsu's ability to disguise themselves as others was a significant advantage.
But in Su Xiao's view, having the White Zetsu form the simplest battle formations, using Wood Release to create shields or weapons, and then charging in a 'T-formation' or 'C-formation' was the correct choice.
Su Xiao had seen an infantry charge of 100,000 soldiers. That was the first time he felt his legs go weak. Later, he got used to it by killing.
Whether it was Obito or the Five Kage, they were all ninjas. Their forte was small-scale combat. Large-scale wars had only broken out three times since the advent of ninja villages. This was the fourth, and it was about to begin.
In contrast, in that war world, large-scale warfare was the most ordinary thing for its soldiers. It was a part of their lives.
Although Su Xiao had never commanded an army, he had personally participated in cold-weapon warfare. He knew how terrifying a large group of orcs could be once they formed a battle formation. If the orcs formed a formation of 5,000 or more, Su Xiao would turn and retreat immediately. There was no way to fight that.
While the White Zetsu couldn't form a tightly organized, disciplined battle formation, following Su Xiao's arranged formation was still much better than charging in blindly.
In Su Xiao's view, the White Zetsu should be formed into ten columns, each with 10,000 White Zetsu. Then, two or three smaller squads would form an encirclement, trying to surround and eliminate small and medium-sized units of the Allied Shinobi Forces. After quickly devouring them, they would immediately retreat, putting pressure on the Allied Shinobi Forces.
As for who would command, it would naturally be Kabuto Yakushi. Kabuto's Impure World Reincarnation ability allowed him to oversee the entire battlefield.
Unfortunately, whether it was Obito or Kabuto, they only had a partial understanding of large-scale warfare. Su Xiao had participated in large-scale cold-weapon warfare, but he wasn't skilled in command.
[Tip: The Hunter is about to participate in the large-scale plot event 'Fourth Great Ninja War'.]
[During the Hunter's participation in this large-scale plot event, killing enemies will not immediately grant World Source. After the event concludes, rewards will be calculated, and World Source will be obtained.]
[Tip: The large-scale plot event 'Fourth Great Ninja War' is divided into three stages.]
[Stage One: Obito's Six Paths Transformation.]
[Stage Two: The Resurrection of Uchiha Madara.]
[Stage Three: The Otsutsuki Clan.]
[Tip: After completing any of the three stages, the Hunter may withdraw from the large-scale plot event 'Fourth Great Ninja War' and settle rewards.]
[Tip: If the Hunter forcibly withdraws from the 'Large-Scale Plot Event: Fourth Great Ninja War' before completing any stage, rewards will not be settled.]
[Tip: The development of 'Stage Three: The Otsutsuki Clan' may change. If the Hunter forms an alliance with 'Uchiha Madara' during Stage Two and prevents the resurrection of Kaguya Otsutsuki, Stage Three will change to 'The Strongest Madara'.]
[Tip: Main Mission: The Prelude to the Ninja World War (Completed).]
[Yes/No to complete 'Main Mission: The Prelude to the Ninja World War'. If this mission is completed, the Hunter will return to the Reincarnation Paradise within 10 seconds (must be in a non-combat state).]
[Tip: Because the main mission is completed but not submitted, the remaining stay time is 3 natural days.]
...
This series of prompts contained a lot of information. The most important was that Su Xiao's remaining time was reduced to 3 days. It seemed short, but it was actually enough, because in the original story, the Ninja World War only lasted two days.
Although it was funny, that was the truth. A war of nearly 200,000 people was completely decided in two days. This alone showed the level of warfare in the ninja world.
If the total forces were over a million, then a war of nearly 200,000 people lasting only two days indicated a brutal conflict. But a decisive battle lasting only two days was somewhat confusing. Were both sides just killing each other without much strategy?
In fact, both sides were just killing each other, with little strategy. This wasn't due to incompetent command, but because the individual strength of humans in this world was too great.
The battles of the main ninja forces were nothing more than first using a large number of ninjutsu against each other, and then, after running low on chakra, engaging in close-quarters combat.
In contrast, small unit engagements were fiercely fought, full of schemes and counter-schemes.
Just as Su Xiao was checking the prompts, a loud, chaotic sound of footsteps came from afar. It was the vanguard of the Allied Shinobi Forces, about several dozen ninjas.
Su Xiao lost interest. He now wanted to know one thing: what would happen if he charged into the formation of the Allied Shinobi Forces? Based on his experience in large-scale cold-weapon warfare, he should be able to kill a large number.
In close-quarters melee, most ninjutsu were very impractical abilities. They required hand seals, leading to long activation times. Although their area of effect was large, they easily caused friendly fire in a melee. Moreover, even a jonin would have little chakra left after using a few A-rank ninjutsu.
Su Xiao was different. His swordsmanship was very suitable for melee combat, and his talent ability, Soul Devourer, restored health and mana after killing enemies. As long as he wasn't instantly killed or exhausted from killing, he would be in almost no danger in large-scale cold-weapon warfare.
PS: (Recommending a friend's book, title: My Ninja World Has Reincarnation.)