Judging from the map, in the westernmost part of the Kingdom of Fire, there is a prominent location, which is like a sword that penetrates into the Kingdom of Wind. Platycodon City is at the tip of the sword, and its strategic significance is evident.

Hayama is no stranger to Platycodon Castle, he is even familiar with it. During the Second Ninja War, he was stationed here for a long time to guard against the Suna Ninja's counterattack. He knew every plant and tree in the city by heart. However, only a few years have passed.

I don't know what has changed.

I have to say that it feels great to be able to fly as a ninja. Not only does it look very stylish, but you don't have to worry about being attacked by enemies when you use it to travel. The only drawback is that chakra is consumed too quickly, which is unbearable for ordinary ninjas.

.

When the sun was about to set, a large plain appeared in the continuous ridgeline, which refreshed the exhausted Ye Shan. His wings flapped faster, and he knew that Platycodon City had arrived.

Platycodon Castle is located on a plain, facing mountains on three sides and water on the other. It is a rare city in the ninja world that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. It was originally affiliated to the Kingdom of Wind, but was ceded to the Kingdom of Fire after the Second Ninja War.

It's only a few years away now.

Why is it said to be easy to defend but difficult to attack? You must know that in the non-human profession of ninja, any high mountains and obstacles are a joke. Chakra gives ninjas unimaginable mobility. They can cross rivers and climb mountains and canyons as if they were walking on flat ground.

As is commonplace, the answer lies in the terrain.

The junction between the Kingdom of Fire and the Kingdom of Wind is quite peculiar. It is covered with endless mountains just like the Qinling Mountains in the previous life. This mountain range is too long, nearly 700 kilometers long! This is not an ordinary mountain.

The hills, all of which are mountains thousands of feet high, not only isolate the culture and business exchanges between the two countries, but also block the hot and dry winds from the desert, allowing the Fire Country to maintain fertile land and a humid climate.

There are no unnecessary gaps in the nearly 700 kilometers of continuous mountains. The only gap is the mountain road formed by the convergence of countless mountain streams, and Platycodon City stands above this river. In other words, if the ninjas of the Kingdom of Wind want to invade the Fire

In this country, Platycodon City is the only way and choice.

There may be objections from so-called military geniuses. He may think that with the mobility of ninjas, they can cross the continuous mountains and bypass Platycodon City to enter the Land of Fire, and then launch a sudden attack.

How should I put it? It’s not wrong to think so. In the eyes of ninjas, mountains nearly a thousand feet are no different from plains. But don’t forget, no matter how awesome a ninja is, he still has to eat and drink.

A large army of ninjas can climb over the mountains to fight in the Kingdom of Fire, but can supplies and food be transported over the mountains to the Kingdom of Fire? The answer is undoubtedly no. If Platycodon City is not captured, even a grain of food from the Kingdom of Wind will be lost.

Don’t even think about entering the Land of Fire!

Once they lose their logistical support, will the ninjas of Sunagakure Village rely on power generation to fight? As for plundering the people's food to use as military rations, that's fine, but do ninjas have no other material needs besides eating?

Explosive charms, ninja tools, military food pills, and medicines are also essential items for ninja combat, and they are even more useful than food!

With the backward transportation capacity of the ninja world, it is extremely difficult to ensure the daily needs of frontline ninjas. It is unrealistic to expect a group of ninjas to carry heavy supplies over mountains and ridges every day. What's more, once the war starts, let alone the country of wind, even if it is a fire,

It is impossible for our country to transport all its supplies by ninjas.

Therefore, Platycodon Castle is Sunagakure Village's top priority target. If Platycodon Castle can't be taken down, what's the point of talking about a ninja war? It's just a local conflict at most.

Only by capturing Platycodon Castle can Sunagakure Village have the logistical support to support the Great Ninja War. In other words, the Great Ninja War is not about the number of troops, but about the strength of the nation!

The reason why Konoha Village has been victorious in all the ninja wars is not because there are many strong people and the quality of ninjas is high, but because the Fire Country is rich and the daimyo is rich.

Otherwise, how could Konoha survive the siege of several villages? Judging from the number of ninjas, Sunagakure Village, Iwagakure Village, and Kirigakure Village combined far outnumber Konoha Village, and it’s not because of their wealth.

.

To give a simple example, Konoha can equip every ninja fighting on the front line with five detonating charms. Can Sunagakure Village do the same? If it can really do that, it will not develop the profession of puppet master. Puppet Master

The original intention was to increase the number of ninjas participating in the battle without increasing the number of ninjas, that's all.

In short, war costs money, and Platycodon City is vital to both sides.

Not long after, Hayama saw a large city appearing in the field of vision from a distance. He reached into his ninja tool bag with his left hand and took out the flare, and threw it out without hesitation. Then the orange light exploded, which was enough to scare the ninjas in the city.

aware of.

Sure enough, a ninja shouted loudly below: "Enemy attack!"

The slightly silent city became lively, with shouts of anger and the sound of swords being unsheathed at the same time. Ye Shan, who was sharp-eyed, actually saw a dozen large crossbow launchers, with a thick stack of detonating talismans tied to the dark arrows, and the reflection from the side.

It shows Konoha's wealth.

A ninja from the Hyuga clan opened his white eyes and locked the intruder in mid-air. He kept calibrating the position in his mouth, and suddenly his expression changed drastically and he stopped the attack of his companions.

"Stop, the person coming is Mr. Hayama!"

"Ah?! Lord Hayama is here? Did you read that correctly?"

"It's impossible to be wrong. I met you sir last year, and the chakra aura on my body cannot be faked."

It was getting late, and someone was afraid that Hayama would not be able to find the landing site, so he took out a spare flashlight and flashed it to guide him. Hayama nodded with satisfaction, satisfied with the alert status of the ninjas in the city, and satisfied with their cleverness.

Under the gaze of dozens of ninjas, Hayama whipped up a whirlwind and landed on the top of the city. After putting away his chakra mode, he revealed his true appearance.

"Lord Hayama!"

All the ninjas did not dare to neglect and hurriedly came forward to greet him. Although Hayama and the senior officials did not deal with it, the courtesy that ordinary ninjas should have was indispensable. After all, the ninja world is a world that respects the strong.

"Well, are you on duty tonight?" Ye Shan nodded and asked.

"Exactly, what are your orders, sir?" A ninja who looked like a team leader took a step forward and replied respectfully.

"If there is an emergency, where is the command post in the city? I have important information that I need to inform immediately."

Everyone's expressions froze, knowing that something serious had happened. Someone immediately led the way to the command post. The remaining ninjas remained silent and looked at each other. The atmosphere became solemn unconsciously.

Not long after, Hayama arrived in front of a three-story building. Nara Shikazune and others, who had received the news earlier, stood at the foot of the steps waiting with bated breath. When they saw that it was Hayama who had arrived in person, they all came forward to greet him.

Nara Shikatsuki is the current clan leader of the Nara clan and the father of Nara Shikaku. He is now around forty years old and has a compelling aura, especially his eyes, which are as sharp as if they can see through people's hearts.

"I didn't expect Mr. Yeshan to be here. I just didn't believe it when I received the notice. It's bitterly cold in Platycodon City. You didn't even say hello in advance, so we didn't prepare anything."

It is indeed bitterly cold in Platycodon City. It is only June, and the temperature at night is as low as about ten degrees. I don’t know why.

Ye Shan smiled faintly and said: "I am not taking the liberty to come here tonight as a guest, but I have urgent information to inform you."

Nara Shikazune's eyes flashed, and he said with a smile: "This is not the place to talk. Let's go in and drink tea. You can have a few more drinks during the meal later. I haven't seen you for a long time since I said goodbye the year before last."

"

Everyone gathered around Hayama and Nara Shikatsune into the conference room on the first floor. After some humility, Hayama took the main seat, flanked by Nara Shikatsune, the commander of Platycodon City.

Ye Shan hadn't eaten any water or rice all day, and he was really thirsty at this time. After drinking the tea in one gulp, he lit a cigarette and then said: "You are all acquaintances, so I won't beat around the bush. Feng Zhi

The third Kazekage of Kunisa Hidden Village has disappeared for no reason. According to reliable information, a new ninja war is about to break out."

These words were like a bomb, instantly detonating the atmosphere in the conference room. The faces of the ninjas were filled with astonishment, and all of them opened their eyes in disbelief.

The third Kazekage is missing? A new ninja war?

They knew that Yeshan came because of an emergency, but they didn't expect it to be so urgent.

"Do you really mean what you said?" A ninja in his twenties stood up and asked regardless of etiquette.

"Of course it's true."

Nara Shikacho came to his senses and asked hurriedly: "Does the village know?"

"have no idea."

Nara Shikazune took a long breath, suppressed the anxiety in his heart, and his usual calmness returned to him: "Xinsi, immediately encrypt the information and send it to the village, use Takamaru to send it!"

"yes!"

Hayama nodded approvingly. He had heard of Takamaru. It was said that he was the fastest falcon in Konoha Village. It could fly thousands of miles with the sun. If nothing unexpected happened, the information would be sent to Konoha Village tonight.

Nara Shikazune unconsciously tapped the wooden table with his fingers and made a "doo" sound, and then said: "Recall the patrol team immediately. From now on, no one can leave the city without my order!"

"yes!"

"Sir Hayama, I hope you can stay in the city. Of course, I will send a request to the Hokage immediately."

Hayama did not refuse Nara Shikazune's request, which was the main reason why he came to Platycodon Castle in a hurry: "That's natural, I will always stay in the city unless the Hokage sends someone else to take charge."

In peacetime, Kikyo Castle has Nara Shikatsune under its command, which is enough to cope with it. But once the war breaks out, his combat power is really not enough. After all, the Nara clan is famous for their intelligence. Most of the clan members are smart, but their combat effectiveness is not strong.

It is impossible for Kikyo Castle without strong men to resist the attack of Sunagakure Village. In the face of Kage-level strongmen who surpass the strength of ordinary ninjas, the so-called quantity is a joke. Chiyo has the record of destroying Xiao Ninja Village by one person.

Shikazune Nara felt relieved and issued orders in an orderly manner. They were nothing more than instructions to tighten the defense line, which was very different from what Masato Uchiha did.

"Hayama-sama, do you have anything to add?"

After receiving Hayama's promise, Nara Shikatsune called him "sama" and no longer dared to act as an equal to the clan leader.

Hayama laughed secretly in his heart, feeling that ninjas were also able to adapt to the changing circumstances, so he said meaningfully: "Don't the civilians in the city and the caravan need to be evacuated?"

Nara Shikazune smiled bitterly. With his resourcefulness, how could he forget this? The involvement was so great that he did not dare to give the order without authorization: "My lord, you don't know. The caravans in the city involve many people from the Fire Country."

The dignitaries and even the daimyo-sama are also involved, and I dare not disperse them without the Hokage-sama's order."

Since ancient times, smuggling, business and other huge profit industries cannot do without the secret support of the powerful. The Kingdom of Wind is barren. A pound of food transported from the Kingdom of Fire to the Kingdom of Wind is worth five times the profit when resold, not to mention salt, steel, tea, etc.

How can those nobles who regard money as their life be willing to be lonely when they only have goods to make money? Naturally, they all secretly started doing business in tandem.

Hayama smiled coldly, knowing clearly the corruption involved. During peacetime, he could turn a blind eye, but once the ninja war breaks out, smuggling is digging into the roots of Konoha!

He remembered clearly the incident of the Fire Nation Daimyo reselling military rations during the Second Ninja War. These so-called nobles had no sense of propriety, justice or shame at all. They were as crazy when seeing money as if they were seeing their own fathers.

"You don't have to be afraid, just go ahead and do it. If anything happens, the Hokage will be there to take care of you."

Hayama looked like there was someone behind me and spoke very forcefully, but I wonder if Sarutobi Hiruzen would be so anxious that he would curse after hearing this.

If I think about it carefully, I will definitely scold my mother, and I will even miss Danzo Shimura, a good friend, because he was the one who took the blame for all these things before. It is a pity that he has passed away and the blame king is no longer there...
Chapter completed!