Chapter 175: Concealment

The lingering smoke, the pitted and uneven ground.

From time to time, one or two collapsed bodies would lie still on the ground, motionless, devoid of any vitality.

The aura of fear, death, and slaughter could be seen everywhere here, turning each ninja on this land into something more like a wounded beast.

They were quietly licking their wounds, always ready to throw themselves into the next slaughter.

Things like peace and villages.

At this point, none of that mattered; killing the enemy across from them and avenging their comrades and kin was far easier than those illusory things, allowing these beasts mired in slaughter to unleash a potential even greater than usual.

This was the frontline of the Leaf Village's battlefield in the Grass Country, and our protagonist, Yuzhibo Dongshilang, was at this moment hiding behind a rock that could conceal his silhouette.

He carefully concealed himself, hid his tracks, and tried not to make any movement or sound that might give him away.

Since last year, after the village on the front line of Huo Zhi Guo's Platycodon Mountain had crushed the invading Sand ninja who had crossed the border in a head‑on clash.

They hadn't even had a chance to catch their breath and celebrate that they had barely survived a battle.

The war between Leaf Village and Earth Country broke out!

Seeing their so‑called ally, the Sand ninja, so useless, they had lost any usefulness and could no longer continue to drain Leaf Village's strength for them.

The Rock ninja, who had been stationed at the border of the Grass Country, could no longer hold back and finally took the field, beginning to fulfill their duty as allies.

The entire Grass Country became a battlefield where Leaf Village and the Rock ninja clashed, while the neighboring Sand ninja furiously cursed.

But how could the frantic barking of a pack of defeated dogs escape the eyes of the short‑statured, steadfast Third Tsuchikage Ohnoki?

These were already in his plan—why should he bother talking about bushido with those destitute desert folk?

Was he supposed to honor their verbal agreement and then let other villages take advantage of Earth Country?

How could such a thing possibly happen!

I suspect those Sand ninja had already realized this before the war, but reality forced them to strike first.

Although each ninja village kept many secrets, and each was preparing for the next war, how could they hide it from these old hands who had lived through the First and Second Ninja World Wars?

The arms race among the Five Great Countries had already begun quietly, even while ordinary ninjas were still immersed in peace.

But on this battlefield, the impoverished Sand ninja village, for various reasons, had been at a disadvantage from the start.

Moreover, the mysterious disappearance of their own Third Kazekage made it impossible for them to endure this drain, and they rashly launched the war.

They themselves probably held little hope for the Earth Country's pact to jointly attack Leaf Village; the situation had simply slipped beyond their control.

If they didn't act while they still had a breath left, once the war broke out, this so‑called ally would surely pounce first, turning their flesh and blood into its own nourishment.

Now, however, the situation for the Sand ninja village is not so urgent after all.

With the prosperous Huo Zhi Guo ahead, their treasury already drained and their people stripped of any wealth, they could instead bide their time, waiting to see who would emerge victorious from this war.

Then they could try to grab a share of the spoils!

Of course, if someone could meet the price, they wouldn't mind taking on some war‑related missions.

Aren't ninjas just those who take missions and earn payment……

"Mm! Here they come!"

As Dong Shilang did his best to conceal his presence, he faintly sensed something; without revealing his form, he poked his head out to check the situation.

Instead, he formed a sword finger with one hand, calmed his mind and breath, focused all his attention, and began to feel the slightest movements in the outside world.

His perceptual ability, as he continued to develop his body, has grown ever stronger; especially after he mastered Sage Mode, it received a great boost.

Now he can clearly sense changes within a five‑hundred‑meter radius, but this requires him to concentrate his focus.

Otherwise, his senses would only warn him of any discord within five meters around him.

This is fairly normal; otherwise, a person's mind and brain would constantly be stuck in perception and analysis of the surroundings, and even if the Second Hokage showed up, they'd probably be done for.

"Targets: 5…12…18 people……"

"They're six combat squads!"

As his focus tightened, Dong Shilang's senses immediately spread across this battlefield, and he instantly knew the numbers of the approaching forces.

"Judging by the chakra strength, it's a Jonin leading a temporary squad!"

As his perception deepened, the chakra responses of these individuals appeared one by one in Dong Shilang's mind.

One Jonin, plus three special Jonin, while the remaining chakra strength corresponded to Chunin‑level responses.

He slowly placed his hands behind his back, slowly made a few hand signs, and then Dong Shilang began to prepare.

Merely from what he sensed, it was clear this was an elite squad of Rock ninja; their purpose was obvious—they were coming for them.

Although a ninja's chakra strength doesn't necessarily equal his true power, at this point just having a rough idea of the opponent was already a blessing—no one would ask for more.

Holding his breath, he waited silently for their approach, making no rash move, merely feeling the Rock ninja as they rushed past from less than twenty meters away.

As his Sage Mode grew more practiced, merging with nature, he could better apply it to conceal his own presence.

Just like now, although the Rock ninja also had sensory‑type ninja among them, at this moment they detected no trace of Dong Shilang's presence.

Whether it was scent, chakra, body temperature, or the like, Dong Shilang concealed them extremely well, leaving not a hint of a gap.

His whole self was like an ordinary rock, blending perfectly into the surroundings, drawing no notice from the other side~

Not to mention being twenty meters away; even if someone passed right by him, without actually seeing him with their eyes, they probably couldn't detect his presence……