Chapter 156: Ambush

Two days later.

Having run another errand between the village and the camp, Dong Shilang once again received a reconnaissance mission.

Sitting cross-legged on the back of the Mountain Eagle, he carefully examined the mission scroll in his hand.

【Recently the reconnaissance missions have been frequent; could it be that the village is planning some major move?】

Frowning, Dong Shilang began to slowly recall the information he had recently come into contact with.

Recently, many new faces have appeared in the camp, all of whom just graduated from the ninja school this year and were then directly assigned here.

At the same time, the number of members in each family's garrison has generally increased, and the transport of supplies has become more frequent!

It seems…

He put away the scroll, lifted his head to look at the drifting clouds in the sky, felt the surging airflow, and his thoughts began to drift leisurely.

This is the exhilaration that supernatural power can bring; what's the point of fighting and killing all day?

Let's all sit down and chat amicably about how to improve trade and development—these people are really stubborn!

Although he wasn't personally feeling the joy of flying, even so, each time on the back of the Mountain Eagle, looking down over the forests, mountains, and rivers of the earth, it always gave him a feeling of refreshment and delight.

His gaze lowered, and he saw a distant mountain; Dong Shilang's brow involuntarily twitched. At this moment, he had just departed from the camp not long ago and was still within the territory of Huo Zhi Guo.

"Idiot! Fly a bit higher! Although we're inside the border, the necessary caution must not be abandoned, or else if something goes wrong, we'll both be in trouble!"

"This area already counts as enemy-occupied territory; beyond this lies River Country, and only after that can we reach the territory of Feng Zhi Guo."

And the destination of his mission this time is there.

Just as Dong Shilang reminded the spirit beast, in a dense forest on that distant mountain, a strange-looking giant machine painted with camouflage was silently hidden here.

Beside this machine, inside a rock large enough for one person to hide, a cylindrical object was now probing out, staring fixedly at the distant sky.

"Target spotted, distance about three kilometers, altitude around 1500 meters, rapidly approaching; it is expected to sweep past our ambush point from high altitude!"

In fact, that cylindrical object probing from the rock was a long tube telescope, secretly observing Dong Shilang's movements. As the old saying goes, 'You watch the scenery; the one watching the scenery is also watching you.'

"Good! Finally that damned fellow has arrived. Sha Cheng, the rest is up to you—be sure to shoot him down in one go!"

"Remember, the opportunity comes only once; once the enemy becomes alert, it will be hard to create a second chance to ambush them!"

A clear voice rang out at this moment, yet no one's figure could be seen on the scene.

At the same time, fearing that his subordinates might miss this hard-won opportunity, the speaker who made the sound did not forget to add a reminder.

"Don't worry, Captain! This time I'll definitely hit with one shot. Let that Leaf Village fellow taste the might of our Sand Ninja Village!"

It turned out that Dong Shilang, riding this large bird, was wandering back and forth inside the Leaf Village camp, occasionally flying to the rear of the Sand Ninja Village camp, which had already aroused the enemy's vigilance.

According to spy intelligence, they learned that the enemy would ride that large bird, often going to scout their rear movements.

Sand Ninja Village had long prepared to eliminate him quickly, but their own spirit beast was inadequate, so they could only choose this most clumsy method to ambush Dong Shilang.

Along every route Dong Shilang might take, they selected suitable locations, stationed capable personnel, and equipped them with specially developed secret weapons, ready to take out the enemy in one strike.

As for this, Dong Shilang was completely unaware; even after reminding the Mountain Eagle, he didn't give it much thought.

Because, as he knew, the attack range of ninjutsu is limited; having a distance of one or two hundred meters is already quite remarkable.

Even some large ballistae or giant shuriken launchers—when used as anti-aircraft guns—could not reach his altitude.

He is now flying at an altitude of over 1500 meters; even if the somewhat conspicuous mountain below hides enemies, it poses no danger to him……

"The target will soon enter our range, flight path unchanged. Wait, the enemy's altitude is rising!"

"Captain…"

Hearing this, the puppeteer named Sha Cheng hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to launch the attack or let the opportunity pass, lest he startle the snake.

"Damn! He's really a cunning fellow. Sha Cheng! How confident are you?"

"This captain obviously doesn't want to let go of this hard-won opportunity and wants to gamble again!"

You should know that, to successfully ambush the enemy, they have deployed over ten three‑person elite squads, hidden in the predetermined locations, and have been waiting for more than half a month.

If they miss today, they don't know when another opportunity like this will come.

"I'd say about… seventy‑five percent confidence!"

"Moreover, the opportunity is fleeting; as the enemy's altitude keeps rising, it will become harder and harder to hit!"

The puppeteer named Sha Cheng had originally wanted to say he had seventy percent confidence, but looking at the distant dot whose altitude kept increasing, his confidence kept dropping……

"Since you have a fifty percent chance, then the rest is up to you~"

Without the slightest hesitation, she, as the captain, decisively issued the order.

A fifty percent chance was already worth her taking a gamble; compared to the illusory next opportunity, she preferred to seize the present one.

Afterward, the entire mountain forest fell into silence. Only three long‑tube telescopes kept their gaze on the black dot in the sky, slowly turning as it moved.

"Now!"

As that figure in the high altitude approached, a loud shout broke the tranquility of the place.

Crack!

Buzz!!

A sound, deeper and duller than that of a ordinary ballista, reverberated.

Then, a bolt as thick as an egg and about two meters long, with a pair of small wings, its whole body glowing blue, shot furiously into the sky.

On those small wings were wound large amounts of wind‑attribute chakra, doubling the bolt's range.

Left behind was only that device, which after firing the arrow had lost its function.

Compared to an ordinary ballista, this secret weapon, while appearing sturdier, had two extra pairs of lever arms.

This is a weapon specially developed by Sand Ninja Village for the ambush!