Chapter 952: Chapter 55: Declaration of War
The attack operation is over.
Regarding the Hidden Sand troops in Windmill Town, Ayane is generally somewhat dissatisfied with the results tabulated from the assault.
Of the fifty air combat ninjas dispatched, twenty-one lost their aircraft, and although thanks to the protection system of the aircraft, there were no fatalities, there was a real loss of twenty-one aircraft.
According to the initial estimate, Ayane believed the aircraft loss would be between ten to fifteen.
Regardless of how many people Hidden Sand lost, the aircraft’s damage rate exceeded expectations by nearly a third, making it a relatively failed operation.
This kind of result is completely disappointing.
However, Ayane has no intention to punish, only the Jonin acting as the Squad Captain of the Land of Demons reprimanded the returning ninjas briefly before disbanding, and provided replacement aircraft for those who lost theirs.
Gathered here are a total of one hundred air combat ninjas, divided into two batches to alternately bomb Windmill Town, until the Hidden Sand troops within can no longer withstand the pressure and withdraw from Windmill Town, which is the main objective of the Land of Demons.
"So, should we go over and get a detailed count of the Hidden Sand’s casualties, Ayane-sama?"
The Jonin serving as the Squad Captain asked.
With her arms crossed, Ayane opened her Byakugan and glanced at Windmill Town in the distance, taking in the situation there completely.
She shook her head at the Squad Captain and said, "No need, I’m already clear on Hidden Sand’s casualties, it’s plain to see in front of the Byakugan. This time, Hidden Sand sacrificed seventy-nine ninjas, thirty-seven severely injured, and ninety lightly injured."
Accurately describing Hidden Sand’s losses easily brought a helpless smile to the Squad Captain’s face.
He had momentarily forgotten that Ayane possessed the Byakugan; even with high-performance aircraft to map the enemy’s defenses from the air, it’s still insufficient in front of Ayane’s Byakugan.
Although the source of information isn’t accurate, Ayane’s Byakugan observation range is at least a radius of fifteen kilometers...
This is incredibly daunting.
Generally, a Byakugan’s observation range is within a radius of one to two kilometers, and those with a Byakugan surpassing a two-kilometer radius are typically highly skilled ninjas of the Hyuga Clan.
Previously, pilots were dispatched to Windmill Town’s skies not only to detect enemy situations but also to evaluate the pilots’ ability to scout accurately, comparing deviations from the correct answers.
Air combat units aren’t invincible, often requiring personnel to investigate enemy anti-air capabilities first to better deploy air raids.
Originally, even though the balista as a weapon lacks significant military technology, with a too far firing range and high precision, it poses no threat to the Land of Demons’ pilots; yet with an explosive tag attached to arrows, the power is at a completely different level.
"Tomorrow morning at 6 o’clock, let the other five squads attack the Hidden Sand troops in Windmill Town; this time, I’ll personally observe the battle."
"Understood. Then, should we also issue a pre-battle notice to Hidden Sand for this attack?"
"No need, even if we don’t issue a notice, they are now ready to engage with us anytime, anywhere. Just prepare accordingly."
Ayane instructed and turned to walk inside the tent.
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As Ayane predicted, after the air raid, Maki had already anticipated that the conflict between the Land of Wind and the Land of Demons can only be resolved through war.
General negotiation methods are no longer usable to resolve the tensions between the Land of Wind and the Land of Demons unless a powerful third party intervenes now to stabilize talks between both sides.
But as of now, Hidden Rock and Hidden Cloud, watching from the sidelines, seem to have no such intentions; rather, they are eager for the conflict between the Land of Wind and the Land of Demons to erupt on a large scale.
This way, not only can they probe the depth of the Land of Demons, they can also drain Hidden Sand’s strength.
However, this aligns with Hidden Sand’s anticipated outcome; although the execution process isn’t perfect, as long as they achieve final victory in war, Hidden Sand will stand on the side of justice, while the Land of Demons’ actions will seem unreasonable.
At that time, the Land of Demons will also allow the Land of Wind to carve them up as they wish.
For the Land of Demons, this is a battle betting the fate of the nation, whereas for the Land of Wind, it’s merely a mid-sized local skirmish.
Thus, the fierce resistance and counter-attack from the Land of Demons are entirely within Maki’s expectations.
The only thing not anticipated was that once the Land of Demons’ air combat units formed a scale, they became more troublesome than he imagined.
Even with prior preparation, there were still around two hundred casualties.
Seventy-nine people lost their lives in combat.
For Maki, this isn’t a good start.
Because the enemy attacked from the air, many ninja techniques and combat skills became meaningless in this war.
Instead, what’s useful are ultra-long-range tools like balista which previously Hidden Sand didn’t pay much attention to.
Maki orderly implemented post-battle commands and properly managed the casualties, but regarding the sky, he dared not be careless anymore.
The Land of Demons’ strategic layout may be immature, akin to a child’s whimsical nature, but their sophisticated weaponry allows them to overlook these shortcomings.
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