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Chapter 1141: The Uchiha Who Summoned the Flame Dragon! (Three-in-One)
In front of the Gate of Ginza on the Hill of Alnus.
Everyone was surprised by the fact that Raiga Kurosuki was instantly defeated, and it took them a while to calm down.
"Regardless, let's first contact the Tekka Squad and the Gekko Squad to decide on the next course of action."
Yamanaka Inoichi said, taking out a Den Den Mushi from the tactical pouch strapped to his leg.
Seeing this, Bud did not rush to leave. Although he already had a plan in mind, it didn't hurt to listen to more intelligence.
Just then, as the other side connected.
The Den Den Mushi began to imitate Captain Gekko Hayate's demeanor.
"Captain Gekko, this is Yamanaka Inoichi. Our five ninja squads have arrived at the Hill of Alnus. How is your situation?"
The Den Den Mushi first showed surprise, then spoke with considerable joy: "That's great!"
"Our squad previously followed the trail of Louise and others, tracking them all the way to this city called Rondel."
"However, we discovered that nearly a hundred thousand mages live in this city. We were worried about unexpected incidents and didn't immediately make a move to capture them."
"To increase the success rate of the mission, I contacted Captain Tekka Uchiha this morning and asked them to come over and help."
Captain Gekko Hayate quickly and clearly explained the current situation.
Yamanaka Inoichi was immediately surprised: "Rondel again?!"
"Hmm?"
"That's right. We just searched the memory of a Japanese Self-Defense Force officer and found that Captain Raiga Kurosuki and his team..."
Yamanaka Inoichi also shared the intelligence he had just obtained.
Bud, Ay, Anma Yun Hai, Yuhi Shinkuren, and Inuzuka Kurotsuchi, who hadn't been mentioned before, all listened silently to their conversation.
"So that's it. So Cato, Lelei, and the others are bringing Captain Raiga Kurosuki and Chunin Taketori Kazushi back towards us. Do we need to intercept and rescue them?"
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Captain Gekko Hayate, hidden in a corner of Rondel City using the Transformation Technique, asked in a low voice.
"No!"
Yamanaka Inoichi immediately refused.
With a solemn expression, he spoke into the handset in his hand: "That old mage Cato can easily defeat Raiga Kurosuki. With the help of the other two magical girls, it will be difficult for the four of you to fight them!"
Although saying this was a bit blunt.
Captain Gekko Hayate understood Yamanaka Inoichi's good intentions.
"However, you can try to extract more intelligence from them, and then wait for us to arrive!"
Yamanaka Inoichi spoke somewhat vaguely, but Captain Gekko Hayate immediately understood his meaning.
Gathering intelligence was something they, as ninja, were very good at.
"Captain Gekko, I'll tell you the intelligence we know here first."
"Thank you."
Yamanaka Inoichi paused, then continued.
"According to the images in this person's memory, the blue-haired girl named Lelei possesses very strong Ice Magic. Its range is large, and its precision is also very high. She can freeze only the enemy targets on a chaotic battlefield."
"In addition, she also has magic that can release energy bullets in midair, and a Magic Barrier that can block Captain Raiga Kurosuki's Lightning Release..."
Yamanaka Inoichi spoke seriously, and Captain Gekko Hayate on the other end listened carefully.
The importance they placed on intelligence.
Was now fully displayed before Bud.
"Finally, that girl named Lelei speaks Japanese!"
"Understood!"
Yamanaka Inoichi put away the Den Den Mushi, but did not immediately stand up.
Instead, he took out a strange-looking kunai from his tactical pouch.
He casually threw it, and it stuck into the ground on the west side of the Gate of Ginza.
"Captain, what is this?" Uchiha Teru asked curiously.
"Nothing."
Yamanaka Inoichi shook his head, signaling him not to ask further.
Some people who recognized the kunai also stopped asking when they heard him say this.
Meanwhile, Yamanaka Inoichi turned his gaze towards Bud.
"Rear Admiral Bud, do you have any plans for what's next, or will you act together with us?"
These ninja no longer dared to underestimate the other party.
In terms of individual strength, even Ay was probably not Bud's opponent.
If they could have him join, the subsequent operation would definitely be much easier.
At least that mage Cato could be handled by Bud.
However, Bud calmly refused him.
"Since you are going to Rondel, I plan to head to the Imperial Capital. It seems these two cities are the most crucial places in this world, aside from the Shrine."
His mind was very clear. His goal for this adventure was military merit.
Instead of going to Rondel with this group of ninja, it was better to split up and find a way to 'independently' take down the Imperial Capital.
And frankly, he wasn't very optimistic about their mission.
Not to mention that Rondel had a large number of mages whose strength was generally stronger than those in the Familiar of Zero World.
Just Louise's Void Magic, which could open a World Gate at any time.
Was enough to make the possibility of her being captured extremely slim.
Bud had seen the explanation of the World Gate.
It could not only open a passage between two locations within one world, but also between two different worlds.
So, despite Bud's curiosity about Cato.
He still rationally made the choice he felt was correct.
"Alright then." Yamanaka Inoichi still wanted to try to persuade him.
But seeing Bud's expressionless eyes, he could only give up helplessly.
Fortunately, they, along with Tekka Uchiha and Captain Gekko Hayate's teams, had a total of seven ninja squads.
This included eight jonin and twenty elite chunin.
The elite chunin from Sea Ninja Village were equivalent to jonin in the former Ninja World.
If they planned their tactics well, they should be able to capture Louise.
Yamanaka Inoichi was truly confident.
This was a combat power of twenty-eight jonin!
Back then, their own Second Hokage, facing the eighteen jonin who betrayed the Cloud Hidden Village led by Kinkaku and Ginkaku, didn't survive...
Of course, Second Hokage-sama was also very powerful.
He killed Ginkaku on the spot and severely wounded Kinkaku. Later, Kinkaku died from his severe injuries.
The eighteen jonin also suffered heavy casualties, with most of them dying or being injured.
But this was enough to show how terrifying a combat power twenty-eight jonin represented!
Not to mention, everyone present was a ninja from prestigious clans of various hidden villages.
Uchiha Clan, Hyuga Clan, Senju Clan, Yamanaka Clan, Kurama Clan, Inuzuka Clan, Aburame Clan, Akimichi Clan, Terumi Clan, Hozuki Clan...
Therefore, Yamanaka Inoichi said no more, picked up the map he had searched for in the camp.
And parted ways with Bud and the other three, quickly running towards the northwest direction where Rondel was located.
Because this was a joint operation.
They regrouped according to their respective ability characteristics.
First, the four people at the very front of the team.
Captain Inuzuka Kurotsuchi and his Doberman-like ninja dog were in the middle.
Aburame Katsuya and Aburame Chiyo were on either side of the former.
Senju Yūriki followed behind Inuzuka Kurotsuchi.
Because of their incredibly sharp sense of smell and the kikaichu they sent out, they were very good at detecting the enemy.
And Senju Yūriki provided protection for them. When encountering an enemy attack, he could also rush forward immediately to engage in close combat.
These Senju ninja who had regained their surname.
Had been taught the complete set of Nintaijutsu based on 'Monster Strength' by Tsunade.
Therefore, they possessed extremely strong close combat capability, and had even learned some of the Six Powers.
The left and right sides of the team were guarded by Uchiha Teru and three other Uchiha clan ninja.
In the center of the team were Yamanaka Inoichi, Anma Yun Hai, Yuhi Shinkuren, and two other Yamanaka clan ninja.
Behind them were three ninja from the Hyuga Clan.
They were responsible for reconnaissance in the front, back, left, and right directions respectively.
Because the World Government had removed the 'Cage Bird' from them.
So the Byakugan of these Hyuga clansmen, who were previously from the branch family, had become a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree, blind-spot-free panoramic vision, just like the main family members.
And at the very back of the team were Ay, Akimichi Jiro, Terumi Koji, and Hozuki Tetsurei.
They were responsible for vigilance against attacks from the rear, protecting the three Hyuga ninja in front of them.
These twenty ninja, all wearing black vests and headbands marked with the 'Five-Circle Cross' symbol.
Maintained their formation in an orderly manner, with their arms trailing behind them and their upper bodies leaning forward in a sprint.
On the vast plain, they moved at high speed towards the Lomaria Mountains at the edge of their line of sight.
At the same time, the distance from the Gate of Ginza behind them grew further and further.
Who could have imagined, once upon a time.
That the ninja of the Ninja World could run so freely in this world that possessed magic and dragons?
At this moment, every ninja present.
Felt that every gust of wind blowing towards them invigorated their spirit and stirred the hot blood within their bodies.
They were truly starting to enjoy the feeling of executing missions in an otherworld!
Especially Ay, the 'Fourth Raikage'.
He was having a blast right now, and was incredibly looking forward to combat with the mages.
The previous Nuclear World simply didn't have worthy opponents...
On the other side, the four people heading towards the Imperial Capital were not so particular.
They simply advanced in a basic four-corner formation.
Bud was in the front, Senior Colonel Mas was in the back.
And the two colonels were on the left and right sides, except they were flying in midair, overlooking the surroundings.
Before long, they saw a village.
But they had no intention of entering.
Instead, they bypassed it directly and continued on their way towards the northeast direction.
According to the information on the map, they needed to cross a mountain range called Duma before reaching the jurisdiction of the Imperial Capital.
However, it was said that the Duma Mountains were inhabited by a large number of monsters, making it a relatively dangerous zone in this world...
However, an unexpected situation occurred.
In front of them was a cavalry unit, estimated to be over a thousand strong, with an unknown number behind them.
Accompanied by the roar of hooves and thick smoke and dust, they were approaching.
Two different flags were flying at the front of their team.
One was red with gold trim, a pink rose, and two golden patterns.
Bud did not recognize it.
But the pattern on the other flag made him raise an eyebrow.
Because it was the flag of The Empire!
He had seen this type of flag, captured by Japan in the Nuclear World, before he came.
So this was an Imperial Army cavalry unit?
Looking at their direction of advance, they were clearly heading towards the Hill of Alnus.
In that case, let's take them down first!
Since they couldn't communicate due to the language barrier, saying anything was impossible.
"Prepare for combat!"
Bud gave the order to the three people around him with his authoritative voice.
"Yes!"
Senior Colonel Mas and the others immediately responded, their eyes becoming sharp.
On the opposite side.
A beautiful girl with fiery red, waist-length hair and eyes.
With a black scabbard long sword hanging at her waist, she rode on the back of an armored warhorse, galloping at the very front of the troops with skilled riding skill.
But her attire was very strange.
A white short dress, paired with white knee-high socks, and black high heels with gold straps on her feet.
Only her shoulders, chest, and knees were covered with iron armor, and a white cape hung behind her, flapping loudly in the gale.
Was this a knight?
The most interesting thing was that most of the people in this team were young women.
And their attire was identical, all wearing 'super short skirts', but their appearance and figures were quite good...
They were the Rose Knights created by the Empire's third princess.
The third princess was the red-haired woman.
Her name was Pina Co Lada, and she was nineteen years old this year.
After watching an opera at the age of twelve, she gathered nobility children, especially girls, and began collective training in swordsmanship, riding skill, archery, and other subjects.
At first, everyone thought it was just children playing house.
But unexpectedly, they persevered.
Later, the current Imperial Emperor recognized the legal status of the Rose Knights and allowed Pina to recruit retired veterans.
This is how the current scene of the knight regiment, with more women than men, came about.
Their number was around one thousand five hundred.
Pina divided them into three cavalry divisions: Red Rose, Yellow Rose, and White Rose.
The Red Rose Division was personally led by her.
Interestingly, this Rose Knights Regiment was known as the 'First Legion' in The Empire...
"Grey!"
"Look at the sky!"
At this moment, Pina had already spotted the two blue and white figures in the air.
And the person she called was a middle-aged male knight who followed behind her.
Grey Co Aldo was a former instructor of the Imperial Army's regular forces.
After retiring, he joined the Rose Knights and became the strongest warrior here.
It was said that in his prime, he could duel fifty Imperial Army soldiers alone with one sword.
"Ah, I see them too, Highness. They seem to be two winged race!"
Grey shouted in response from his galloping warhorse.
"But they seem to be flying towards us. Do they have something to tell us?"
Saying that, Pina raised her right hand, signaling the people behind to start slowing down.
Soon, the knights of the Yellow Rose Division and White Rose Division behind began to quickly split to the sides.
This was a defensive formation to maintain vigilance while slowing down.
Suddenly.
Pina, Grey, and the front-row knights of the Red Rose Division saw a dazzling golden light appear in their vision, rushing straight towards them.
"Highness, be careful!!!"
Grey was experienced and saw at a glance that the approaching party meant no good and was a very powerful mage.
"Norma, you five come with me and block him!"
"Everyone else, disperse immediately!"
Grey quickly drew his blade and called out to the five few male knights behind him.
Amidst Pina's exclamation, they charged towards the lightning without hesitation.
[Thump thump thump thump...]
Grey led the charge, his eyes fixed on that golden light.
He knew that the warhorse beneath him wouldn't survive today.
But the battle-hardened Grey didn't hesitate at all, even though he usually cherished it immensely.
The next moment.
Just as he was about to collide with the lightning.
Grey kicked off the ground, detaching his body from the horse's back, performing two backflips in midair, and finally rolling upon landing.
Although it looked a bit messy, he successfully dissipated the force.
As for the warhorse, it was blasted into a bloody, messy mass of flesh and blood by the lightning magic in his eyes, splattering outwards.
Grey was not surprised. He intended to use the horse to absorb the lightning, then approach the mage for close combat.
However, just as he was about to look for the mage himself, he was shocked to find a tall figure standing within the golden, shimmering lightning.
This caused Grey's eyes to widen to their maximum.
He had truly never seen a mage completely enveloped in lightning.
At the same time, the unease in his heart grew stronger and stronger...
"Who are you, daring to attack the Empire's knights!"
There was no other way.
Knowing he was no match, Grey could only invoke the name of The Empire.
But when a dazzling golden light shot into his eyes.
Grey knew he was finished.
The other party was clearly a madman with no scruple towards The Empire!
"Princess Pina, This Old Man cannot protect you..."
This old warrior, nearing fifty, who had fought for The Empire his entire life.
Even in his old age, he voluntarily protected the princess. He turned into a charred corpse in the golden electric flash.
[Bang!]
His corpse fell to the ground, and Princess Pina in the distance was completely stunned.
At the same time.
The five male knights of noble origin who charged up with Grey also died under the lightning, both man and horse, amidst painful wails.
And that wasn't all.
A blue and white figure swooped down from the sky into the Yellow Rose Division on the left.
As a circle of white afterimages swept through the team.
One by one, the beautiful female knights wearing short skirts were instantly cut in half at the waist.
Crimson blood, along with messy internal organs, gushed out from the severed parts, tumbling up and down in the air.
"Ahhhhh!"
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
Screams, screams, still screams, filled with terror and despair, echoed throughout the entire scene in an instant, one after another.
On the other side, the White Rose Division on the right was also attacked by another Air Force colonel.
The long sword made of Iron Cloud could extend and retract in his hand.
When swung out, it turned into a sharp whip, cutting off beautiful heads one by one.
For these officers who had conquered multiple otherworlds.
There was no distinction of gender in their eyes, and appearance, whether beautiful or ugly, held no meaning.
As long as they were enemy warriors who picked up weapons.
In their eyes, they were just walking military merit!
They were even afraid that they were killing too slowly and someone else would 'pick up' the merit.
Senior Colonel Mas also thought the same way.
Seeing that Bud had no intention of personally rushing forward to kill.
He directly transformed into a gray-black bird and plunged into the Red Rose Division's cavalry formation, slaughtering every female knight around him.
Even if some people mustered courage and attacked him with their weapons, it would be blocked by his seemingly thin wings.
This Senior Colonel Mas was an Ability User of the Animal-Type, Bird-Bird Fruit, Common Species, Cuckoo Form.
Therefore, his strength, speed, stamina, and other aspects were stronger than the two Air Force colonels who had only been injected with the 'Winged Human Enhancement Serum'.
"No!"
"No!!!"
Princess Pina watched as her partners, with whom she had spent years together, were dismembered one by one before her eyes.
She slumped powerlessly on her warhorse, letting the terrified horse run wildly beneath her.
Clear tears streamed down her eyes, and she instinctively kept roaring and shouting.
She didn't understand why this was happening?
Why were they attacking them?
But she seemed to have forgotten that their mission this time was to go to the Hill of Alnus to investigate the situation of the otherworld troops.
This was already considered participating in the war between the two worlds.
It was completely different from fighting bandits or catching goblins before.
But clearly, Princess Pina had not yet prepared herself to face the cruel slaughter...
Bud watched all of this with cold eyes.
The reason he didn't intervene further was actually to give the merit to Senior Colonel Mas and the other two.
As a former Empire general, he knew very well what interests should be yielded and what interests should not be yielded. This was the art of subordinate management.
What he wanted was the great merit that could promote him to vice admiral!
---Separation Line---
After staying one night in Italica.
And helping them solve the bandit gang composed of routed soldiers, Second Lieutenant Itami Yoji, Lelei, Cato, and others.
Had now arrived in front of the Lomaria Mountains by military jeep.
"It seems the jeep can't pass through this area."
Second Lieutenant Itami Yoji looked at the overlapping mountains before him with a troubled expression.
"We can continue west, and you'll see the Great Bridge built over the Luo River. Once you cross the river, it's a plain, and you can go all the way east to reach Rondel."
At this point, Lelei walked forward and pointed to the west with the sapphire magic wand in her hand.
"Wouldn't that be a very long detour? Is that how you always went before?"
Second Lieutenant Itami Yoji asked curiously, but Lelei replied indifferently.
"No, if we wanted to go back, we could fly over on our magic wands."
"Uh, alright. We could originally fly over by helicopter too..."
Second Lieutenant Itami Yoji shook his head bitterly.
Then he turned to look at Kuribayashi Shino, Kurokawa Mari, and others around the convoy.
"Hasn't Sergeant Koumoto Akira returned yet?"
Kuribayashi Shino shook her head: "No. Oh, he's back!"
Before she finished speaking, she saw Sergeant Koumoto Akira running from the direction of the mountain range.
Earlier, he had suggested taking a break during the stop to relieve himself.
He had gone after getting permission from Second Lieutenant Itami Yoji.
"Ah, sorry, sorry. Was I gone too long?"
Sergeant Koumoto Akira, who had reached them, saw everyone looking at him and apologized sheepishly.
Speaking of which, he was the soldier in the 'canon' who blew off the Flame Dragon's arm with a rocket launcher.
His personality was rather flippant; he liked to fool around and joke.
It was rare to see him apologize so seriously.
However, Second Lieutenant Itami Yoji and the others didn't mind and got back into the jeep, heading west.
But they didn't notice that shortly after the convoy left, two ninja figures appeared in the distance.
It was Hyuga Takeshi and Uchiha Kokuu, who had released their Invisibility Technique.
Among them, Hyuga Takeshi was holding Yamanaka Yosuke, who seemed to have lost consciousness.
"Fortunately, our eyes can see the fluctuations of mental energy, otherwise we would have been discovered if we had gotten any closer..."
Hyuga Takeshi looked relieved.
Their Byakugan and Sharingan had clearly seen that centered around that mage Cato, mental energy permeated the air, forming a semi-circular zone with a diameter of about a hundred meters.
This was clearly a Detection-type Barrier Jutsu.
It was somewhat similar to the Canopy Formation that Konoha once used to cover the entire village.
"But it seems Captain Gekko and Yamanaka Yosuke weren't found."
Uchiha Kokuu said in a deep voice.
"Hmm, that's not surprising. After all, the Captain's See-Through Release is a Bloodline Limit, much stronger than our Invisibility Technique. As for Yamanaka Yosuke, hehehe..."
Hyuga Takeshi chuckled as he looked at Yamanaka Yosuke in his arms.
"Alright, we've put enough distance between us. Let's go too."
Uchiha Kokuu's personality seemed more composed.
He squatted down and bit his right thumb hard.
When blood flowed out, he smeared it on his left palm, then slammed both palms onto the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
Uchiha Kokuu shouted loudly.
Accompanied by a loud noise, thick white smoke burst out in front of him.
The next moment.
A familiar fiery red giant figure appeared before the two of them.
A Flame Dragon!
The ancient giant dragon that had appeared before them earlier!
It had actually become Uchiha Kokuu's summoning beast!
He flashed and leaped onto the Flame Dragon's back.
Then Hyuga Takeshi, carrying Yamanaka Yosuke, followed closely behind.
The Flame Dragon waited for them to stand firm, then obediently flapped its wings and flew into the sea of clouds.
"Speaking of which, I only saw Raiga Kurosuki's figure in their jeep. Taketori Kazushi wasn't there, nor was the girl with the great scythe..."
Hyuga Takeshi said to Uchiha Kokuu beside him, sitting on the dragon's back.
"Hmm?"
Uchiha Kokuu's brow furrowed: "Not in the jeep? Then where did they go? Were they killed?"
"Who knows? I hope the Captain and the others can find out."
Hyuga Takeshi spread his hands, indicating helplessness.
"Regardless, let's rescue Raiga Kurosuki first!"
With his arms crossed over his chest, Uchiha Kokuu stood on the Flame Dragon's back, facing the gale blowing towards him, and muttered with a serious expression.
"For the current Sea Ninja Village, a ninja with the hope of reaching elite jonin is a combat power that cannot be ignored and cannot be easily given up!"
(Starting from the 28th, it's double monthly pass, everyone can save up their monthly passes)
(End of this chapter)
In front of the Gate of Ginza on the Hill of Alnus.
Everyone was surprised by the fact that Raiga Kurosuki was instantly defeated, and it took them a while to calm down.
"Regardless, let's first contact the Tekka Squad and the Gekko Squad to decide on the next course of action."
Yamanaka Inoichi said, taking out a Den Den Mushi from the tactical pouch strapped to his leg.
Seeing this, Bud did not rush to leave. Although he already had a plan in mind, it didn't hurt to listen to more intelligence.
Just then, as the other side connected.
The Den Den Mushi began to imitate Captain Gekko Hayate's demeanor.
"Captain Gekko, this is Yamanaka Inoichi. Our five ninja squads have arrived at the Hill of Alnus. How is your situation?"
The Den Den Mushi first showed surprise, then spoke with considerable joy: "That's great!"
"Our squad previously followed the trail of Louise and others, tracking them all the way to this city called Rondel."
"However, we discovered that nearly a hundred thousand mages live in this city. We were worried about unexpected incidents and didn't immediately make a move to capture them."
"To increase the success rate of the mission, I contacted Captain Tekka Uchiha this morning and asked them to come over and help."
Captain Gekko Hayate quickly and clearly explained the current situation.
Yamanaka Inoichi was immediately surprised: "Rondel again?!"
"Hmm?"
"That's right. We just searched the memory of a Japanese Self-Defense Force officer and found that Captain Raiga Kurosuki and his team..."
Yamanaka Inoichi also shared the intelligence he had just obtained.
Bud, Ay, Anma Yun Hai, Yuhi Shinkuren, and Inuzuka Kurotsuchi, who hadn't been mentioned before, all listened silently to their conversation.
"So that's it. So Cato, Lelei, and the others are bringing Captain Raiga Kurosuki and Chunin Taketori Kazushi back towards us. Do we need to intercept and rescue them?"
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Captain Gekko Hayate, hidden in a corner of Rondel City using the Transformation Technique, asked in a low voice.
"No!"
Yamanaka Inoichi immediately refused.
With a solemn expression, he spoke into the handset in his hand: "That old mage Cato can easily defeat Raiga Kurosuki. With the help of the other two magical girls, it will be difficult for the four of you to fight them!"
Although saying this was a bit blunt.
Captain Gekko Hayate understood Yamanaka Inoichi's good intentions.
"However, you can try to extract more intelligence from them, and then wait for us to arrive!"
Yamanaka Inoichi spoke somewhat vaguely, but Captain Gekko Hayate immediately understood his meaning.
Gathering intelligence was something they, as ninja, were very good at.
"Captain Gekko, I'll tell you the intelligence we know here first."
"Thank you."
Yamanaka Inoichi paused, then continued.
"According to the images in this person's memory, the blue-haired girl named Lelei possesses very strong Ice Magic. Its range is large, and its precision is also very high. She can freeze only the enemy targets on a chaotic battlefield."
"In addition, she also has magic that can release energy bullets in midair, and a Magic Barrier that can block Captain Raiga Kurosuki's Lightning Release..."
Yamanaka Inoichi spoke seriously, and Captain Gekko Hayate on the other end listened carefully.
The importance they placed on intelligence.
Was now fully displayed before Bud.
"Finally, that girl named Lelei speaks Japanese!"
"Understood!"
Yamanaka Inoichi put away the Den Den Mushi, but did not immediately stand up.
Instead, he took out a strange-looking kunai from his tactical pouch.
He casually threw it, and it stuck into the ground on the west side of the Gate of Ginza.
"Captain, what is this?" Uchiha Teru asked curiously.
"Nothing."
Yamanaka Inoichi shook his head, signaling him not to ask further.
Some people who recognized the kunai also stopped asking when they heard him say this.
Meanwhile, Yamanaka Inoichi turned his gaze towards Bud.
"Rear Admiral Bud, do you have any plans for what's next, or will you act together with us?"
These ninja no longer dared to underestimate the other party.
In terms of individual strength, even Ay was probably not Bud's opponent.
If they could have him join, the subsequent operation would definitely be much easier.
At least that mage Cato could be handled by Bud.
However, Bud calmly refused him.
"Since you are going to Rondel, I plan to head to the Imperial Capital. It seems these two cities are the most crucial places in this world, aside from the Shrine."
His mind was very clear. His goal for this adventure was military merit.
Instead of going to Rondel with this group of ninja, it was better to split up and find a way to 'independently' take down the Imperial Capital.
And frankly, he wasn't very optimistic about their mission.
Not to mention that Rondel had a large number of mages whose strength was generally stronger than those in the Familiar of Zero World.
Just Louise's Void Magic, which could open a World Gate at any time.
Was enough to make the possibility of her being captured extremely slim.
Bud had seen the explanation of the World Gate.
It could not only open a passage between two locations within one world, but also between two different worlds.
So, despite Bud's curiosity about Cato.
He still rationally made the choice he felt was correct.
"Alright then." Yamanaka Inoichi still wanted to try to persuade him.
But seeing Bud's expressionless eyes, he could only give up helplessly.
Fortunately, they, along with Tekka Uchiha and Captain Gekko Hayate's teams, had a total of seven ninja squads.
This included eight jonin and twenty elite chunin.
The elite chunin from Sea Ninja Village were equivalent to jonin in the former Ninja World.
If they planned their tactics well, they should be able to capture Louise.
Yamanaka Inoichi was truly confident.
This was a combat power of twenty-eight jonin!
Back then, their own Second Hokage, facing the eighteen jonin who betrayed the Cloud Hidden Village led by Kinkaku and Ginkaku, didn't survive...
Of course, Second Hokage-sama was also very powerful.
He killed Ginkaku on the spot and severely wounded Kinkaku. Later, Kinkaku died from his severe injuries.
The eighteen jonin also suffered heavy casualties, with most of them dying or being injured.
But this was enough to show how terrifying a combat power twenty-eight jonin represented!
Not to mention, everyone present was a ninja from prestigious clans of various hidden villages.
Uchiha Clan, Hyuga Clan, Senju Clan, Yamanaka Clan, Kurama Clan, Inuzuka Clan, Aburame Clan, Akimichi Clan, Terumi Clan, Hozuki Clan...
Therefore, Yamanaka Inoichi said no more, picked up the map he had searched for in the camp.
And parted ways with Bud and the other three, quickly running towards the northwest direction where Rondel was located.
Because this was a joint operation.
They regrouped according to their respective ability characteristics.
First, the four people at the very front of the team.
Captain Inuzuka Kurotsuchi and his Doberman-like ninja dog were in the middle.
Aburame Katsuya and Aburame Chiyo were on either side of the former.
Senju Yūriki followed behind Inuzuka Kurotsuchi.
Because of their incredibly sharp sense of smell and the kikaichu they sent out, they were very good at detecting the enemy.
And Senju Yūriki provided protection for them. When encountering an enemy attack, he could also rush forward immediately to engage in close combat.
These Senju ninja who had regained their surname.
Had been taught the complete set of Nintaijutsu based on 'Monster Strength' by Tsunade.
Therefore, they possessed extremely strong close combat capability, and had even learned some of the Six Powers.
The left and right sides of the team were guarded by Uchiha Teru and three other Uchiha clan ninja.
In the center of the team were Yamanaka Inoichi, Anma Yun Hai, Yuhi Shinkuren, and two other Yamanaka clan ninja.
Behind them were three ninja from the Hyuga Clan.
They were responsible for reconnaissance in the front, back, left, and right directions respectively.
Because the World Government had removed the 'Cage Bird' from them.
So the Byakugan of these Hyuga clansmen, who were previously from the branch family, had become a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree, blind-spot-free panoramic vision, just like the main family members.
And at the very back of the team were Ay, Akimichi Jiro, Terumi Koji, and Hozuki Tetsurei.
They were responsible for vigilance against attacks from the rear, protecting the three Hyuga ninja in front of them.
These twenty ninja, all wearing black vests and headbands marked with the 'Five-Circle Cross' symbol.
Maintained their formation in an orderly manner, with their arms trailing behind them and their upper bodies leaning forward in a sprint.
On the vast plain, they moved at high speed towards the Lomaria Mountains at the edge of their line of sight.
At the same time, the distance from the Gate of Ginza behind them grew further and further.
Who could have imagined, once upon a time.
That the ninja of the Ninja World could run so freely in this world that possessed magic and dragons?
At this moment, every ninja present.
Felt that every gust of wind blowing towards them invigorated their spirit and stirred the hot blood within their bodies.
They were truly starting to enjoy the feeling of executing missions in an otherworld!
Especially Ay, the 'Fourth Raikage'.
He was having a blast right now, and was incredibly looking forward to combat with the mages.
The previous Nuclear World simply didn't have worthy opponents...
On the other side, the four people heading towards the Imperial Capital were not so particular.
They simply advanced in a basic four-corner formation.
Bud was in the front, Senior Colonel Mas was in the back.
And the two colonels were on the left and right sides, except they were flying in midair, overlooking the surroundings.
Before long, they saw a village.
But they had no intention of entering.
Instead, they bypassed it directly and continued on their way towards the northeast direction.
According to the information on the map, they needed to cross a mountain range called Duma before reaching the jurisdiction of the Imperial Capital.
However, it was said that the Duma Mountains were inhabited by a large number of monsters, making it a relatively dangerous zone in this world...
However, an unexpected situation occurred.
In front of them was a cavalry unit, estimated to be over a thousand strong, with an unknown number behind them.
Accompanied by the roar of hooves and thick smoke and dust, they were approaching.
Two different flags were flying at the front of their team.
One was red with gold trim, a pink rose, and two golden patterns.
Bud did not recognize it.
But the pattern on the other flag made him raise an eyebrow.
Because it was the flag of The Empire!
He had seen this type of flag, captured by Japan in the Nuclear World, before he came.
So this was an Imperial Army cavalry unit?
Looking at their direction of advance, they were clearly heading towards the Hill of Alnus.
In that case, let's take them down first!
Since they couldn't communicate due to the language barrier, saying anything was impossible.
"Prepare for combat!"
Bud gave the order to the three people around him with his authoritative voice.
"Yes!"
Senior Colonel Mas and the others immediately responded, their eyes becoming sharp.
On the opposite side.
A beautiful girl with fiery red, waist-length hair and eyes.
With a black scabbard long sword hanging at her waist, she rode on the back of an armored warhorse, galloping at the very front of the troops with skilled riding skill.
But her attire was very strange.
A white short dress, paired with white knee-high socks, and black high heels with gold straps on her feet.
Only her shoulders, chest, and knees were covered with iron armor, and a white cape hung behind her, flapping loudly in the gale.
Was this a knight?
The most interesting thing was that most of the people in this team were young women.
And their attire was identical, all wearing 'super short skirts', but their appearance and figures were quite good...
They were the Rose Knights created by the Empire's third princess.
The third princess was the red-haired woman.
Her name was Pina Co Lada, and she was nineteen years old this year.
After watching an opera at the age of twelve, she gathered nobility children, especially girls, and began collective training in swordsmanship, riding skill, archery, and other subjects.
At first, everyone thought it was just children playing house.
But unexpectedly, they persevered.
Later, the current Imperial Emperor recognized the legal status of the Rose Knights and allowed Pina to recruit retired veterans.
This is how the current scene of the knight regiment, with more women than men, came about.
Their number was around one thousand five hundred.
Pina divided them into three cavalry divisions: Red Rose, Yellow Rose, and White Rose.
The Red Rose Division was personally led by her.
Interestingly, this Rose Knights Regiment was known as the 'First Legion' in The Empire...
"Grey!"
"Look at the sky!"
At this moment, Pina had already spotted the two blue and white figures in the air.
And the person she called was a middle-aged male knight who followed behind her.
Grey Co Aldo was a former instructor of the Imperial Army's regular forces.
After retiring, he joined the Rose Knights and became the strongest warrior here.
It was said that in his prime, he could duel fifty Imperial Army soldiers alone with one sword.
"Ah, I see them too, Highness. They seem to be two winged race!"
Grey shouted in response from his galloping warhorse.
"But they seem to be flying towards us. Do they have something to tell us?"
Saying that, Pina raised her right hand, signaling the people behind to start slowing down.
Soon, the knights of the Yellow Rose Division and White Rose Division behind began to quickly split to the sides.
This was a defensive formation to maintain vigilance while slowing down.
Suddenly.
Pina, Grey, and the front-row knights of the Red Rose Division saw a dazzling golden light appear in their vision, rushing straight towards them.
"Highness, be careful!!!"
Grey was experienced and saw at a glance that the approaching party meant no good and was a very powerful mage.
"Norma, you five come with me and block him!"
"Everyone else, disperse immediately!"
Grey quickly drew his blade and called out to the five few male knights behind him.
Amidst Pina's exclamation, they charged towards the lightning without hesitation.
[Thump thump thump thump...]
Grey led the charge, his eyes fixed on that golden light.
He knew that the warhorse beneath him wouldn't survive today.
But the battle-hardened Grey didn't hesitate at all, even though he usually cherished it immensely.
The next moment.
Just as he was about to collide with the lightning.
Grey kicked off the ground, detaching his body from the horse's back, performing two backflips in midair, and finally rolling upon landing.
Although it looked a bit messy, he successfully dissipated the force.
As for the warhorse, it was blasted into a bloody, messy mass of flesh and blood by the lightning magic in his eyes, splattering outwards.
Grey was not surprised. He intended to use the horse to absorb the lightning, then approach the mage for close combat.
However, just as he was about to look for the mage himself, he was shocked to find a tall figure standing within the golden, shimmering lightning.
This caused Grey's eyes to widen to their maximum.
He had truly never seen a mage completely enveloped in lightning.
At the same time, the unease in his heart grew stronger and stronger...
"Who are you, daring to attack the Empire's knights!"
There was no other way.
Knowing he was no match, Grey could only invoke the name of The Empire.
But when a dazzling golden light shot into his eyes.
Grey knew he was finished.
The other party was clearly a madman with no scruple towards The Empire!
"Princess Pina, This Old Man cannot protect you..."
This old warrior, nearing fifty, who had fought for The Empire his entire life.
Even in his old age, he voluntarily protected the princess. He turned into a charred corpse in the golden electric flash.
[Bang!]
His corpse fell to the ground, and Princess Pina in the distance was completely stunned.
At the same time.
The five male knights of noble origin who charged up with Grey also died under the lightning, both man and horse, amidst painful wails.
And that wasn't all.
A blue and white figure swooped down from the sky into the Yellow Rose Division on the left.
As a circle of white afterimages swept through the team.
One by one, the beautiful female knights wearing short skirts were instantly cut in half at the waist.
Crimson blood, along with messy internal organs, gushed out from the severed parts, tumbling up and down in the air.
"Ahhhhh!"
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
Screams, screams, still screams, filled with terror and despair, echoed throughout the entire scene in an instant, one after another.
On the other side, the White Rose Division on the right was also attacked by another Air Force colonel.
The long sword made of Iron Cloud could extend and retract in his hand.
When swung out, it turned into a sharp whip, cutting off beautiful heads one by one.
For these officers who had conquered multiple otherworlds.
There was no distinction of gender in their eyes, and appearance, whether beautiful or ugly, held no meaning.
As long as they were enemy warriors who picked up weapons.
In their eyes, they were just walking military merit!
They were even afraid that they were killing too slowly and someone else would 'pick up' the merit.
Senior Colonel Mas also thought the same way.
Seeing that Bud had no intention of personally rushing forward to kill.
He directly transformed into a gray-black bird and plunged into the Red Rose Division's cavalry formation, slaughtering every female knight around him.
Even if some people mustered courage and attacked him with their weapons, it would be blocked by his seemingly thin wings.
This Senior Colonel Mas was an Ability User of the Animal-Type, Bird-Bird Fruit, Common Species, Cuckoo Form.
Therefore, his strength, speed, stamina, and other aspects were stronger than the two Air Force colonels who had only been injected with the 'Winged Human Enhancement Serum'.
"No!"
"No!!!"
Princess Pina watched as her partners, with whom she had spent years together, were dismembered one by one before her eyes.
She slumped powerlessly on her warhorse, letting the terrified horse run wildly beneath her.
Clear tears streamed down her eyes, and she instinctively kept roaring and shouting.
She didn't understand why this was happening?
Why were they attacking them?
But she seemed to have forgotten that their mission this time was to go to the Hill of Alnus to investigate the situation of the otherworld troops.
This was already considered participating in the war between the two worlds.
It was completely different from fighting bandits or catching goblins before.
But clearly, Princess Pina had not yet prepared herself to face the cruel slaughter...
Bud watched all of this with cold eyes.
The reason he didn't intervene further was actually to give the merit to Senior Colonel Mas and the other two.
As a former Empire general, he knew very well what interests should be yielded and what interests should not be yielded. This was the art of subordinate management.
What he wanted was the great merit that could promote him to vice admiral!
---Separation Line---
After staying one night in Italica.
And helping them solve the bandit gang composed of routed soldiers, Second Lieutenant Itami Yoji, Lelei, Cato, and others.
Had now arrived in front of the Lomaria Mountains by military jeep.
"It seems the jeep can't pass through this area."
Second Lieutenant Itami Yoji looked at the overlapping mountains before him with a troubled expression.
"We can continue west, and you'll see the Great Bridge built over the Luo River. Once you cross the river, it's a plain, and you can go all the way east to reach Rondel."
At this point, Lelei walked forward and pointed to the west with the sapphire magic wand in her hand.
"Wouldn't that be a very long detour? Is that how you always went before?"
Second Lieutenant Itami Yoji asked curiously, but Lelei replied indifferently.
"No, if we wanted to go back, we could fly over on our magic wands."
"Uh, alright. We could originally fly over by helicopter too..."
Second Lieutenant Itami Yoji shook his head bitterly.
Then he turned to look at Kuribayashi Shino, Kurokawa Mari, and others around the convoy.
"Hasn't Sergeant Koumoto Akira returned yet?"
Kuribayashi Shino shook her head: "No. Oh, he's back!"
Before she finished speaking, she saw Sergeant Koumoto Akira running from the direction of the mountain range.
Earlier, he had suggested taking a break during the stop to relieve himself.
He had gone after getting permission from Second Lieutenant Itami Yoji.
"Ah, sorry, sorry. Was I gone too long?"
Sergeant Koumoto Akira, who had reached them, saw everyone looking at him and apologized sheepishly.
Speaking of which, he was the soldier in the 'canon' who blew off the Flame Dragon's arm with a rocket launcher.
His personality was rather flippant; he liked to fool around and joke.
It was rare to see him apologize so seriously.
However, Second Lieutenant Itami Yoji and the others didn't mind and got back into the jeep, heading west.
But they didn't notice that shortly after the convoy left, two ninja figures appeared in the distance.
It was Hyuga Takeshi and Uchiha Kokuu, who had released their Invisibility Technique.
Among them, Hyuga Takeshi was holding Yamanaka Yosuke, who seemed to have lost consciousness.
"Fortunately, our eyes can see the fluctuations of mental energy, otherwise we would have been discovered if we had gotten any closer..."
Hyuga Takeshi looked relieved.
Their Byakugan and Sharingan had clearly seen that centered around that mage Cato, mental energy permeated the air, forming a semi-circular zone with a diameter of about a hundred meters.
This was clearly a Detection-type Barrier Jutsu.
It was somewhat similar to the Canopy Formation that Konoha once used to cover the entire village.
"But it seems Captain Gekko and Yamanaka Yosuke weren't found."
Uchiha Kokuu said in a deep voice.
"Hmm, that's not surprising. After all, the Captain's See-Through Release is a Bloodline Limit, much stronger than our Invisibility Technique. As for Yamanaka Yosuke, hehehe..."
Hyuga Takeshi chuckled as he looked at Yamanaka Yosuke in his arms.
"Alright, we've put enough distance between us. Let's go too."
Uchiha Kokuu's personality seemed more composed.
He squatted down and bit his right thumb hard.
When blood flowed out, he smeared it on his left palm, then slammed both palms onto the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
Uchiha Kokuu shouted loudly.
Accompanied by a loud noise, thick white smoke burst out in front of him.
The next moment.
A familiar fiery red giant figure appeared before the two of them.
A Flame Dragon!
The ancient giant dragon that had appeared before them earlier!
It had actually become Uchiha Kokuu's summoning beast!
He flashed and leaped onto the Flame Dragon's back.
Then Hyuga Takeshi, carrying Yamanaka Yosuke, followed closely behind.
The Flame Dragon waited for them to stand firm, then obediently flapped its wings and flew into the sea of clouds.
"Speaking of which, I only saw Raiga Kurosuki's figure in their jeep. Taketori Kazushi wasn't there, nor was the girl with the great scythe..."
Hyuga Takeshi said to Uchiha Kokuu beside him, sitting on the dragon's back.
"Hmm?"
Uchiha Kokuu's brow furrowed: "Not in the jeep? Then where did they go? Were they killed?"
"Who knows? I hope the Captain and the others can find out."
Hyuga Takeshi spread his hands, indicating helplessness.
"Regardless, let's rescue Raiga Kurosuki first!"
With his arms crossed over his chest, Uchiha Kokuu stood on the Flame Dragon's back, facing the gale blowing towards him, and muttered with a serious expression.
"For the current Sea Ninja Village, a ninja with the hope of reaching elite jonin is a combat power that cannot be ignored and cannot be easily given up!"
(Starting from the 28th, it's double monthly pass, everyone can save up their monthly passes)
(End of this chapter)
