The advance of Konoha's Northern Army proceeded exceptionally smoothly, encountering no obstacles or harassment along the way. Apart from two unlucky genin who fell into quicksand and perished, there were no other casualties.
Danzo wasn't in any hurry. Starting from the Night-Howling Sand Sea, he methodically constructed bunker fortifications as temporary supply stations—seventeen in total along the route. Each supply station was garrisoned by at least fifty ninja to ensure logistical security.
Drinking water mainly came from wells in the Night-Howling Sand Sea. Though the area had been abandoned for years, eight wells remained intact. Time had restored the well water to clarity, but for some unknown reason, Danzo personally insisted on drinking only water delivered from Amegakure, forcing the logistics team to add an extra step each time and creating considerable trouble.
Ten days later, the army reached the outskirts of Moon Lake New District. Yet Danzo didn't rush to launch an attack. Instead, he had his forces raise sand and compact earth around the city's perimeter, setting up camps and building fortifications—as if they were an engineering corps rather than a combat unit. Fortunately, Konoha's army had plenty of ninja skilled in Earth Release, so the massive encampment was quickly constructed. But Danzo seemed unsatisfied, refusing to let the troops rest and continuously improving the fortifications. Not only did they build a ring of bunkers around the camp, but they also erected numerous watchtowers and observation posts. It left everyone puzzled—who exactly was the attacking side here?
"What the hell is Konoha trying to do? Planning to settle down in the desert permanently?"
Lushu watched the bustling Konoha "construction site" in the distance.
"Hmph!"
Rasa snorted coldly.
"Ignore him. No matter what tricks he pulls, I'll stick to my one principle—as long as he doesn't step into my puppet formation, I won't pay him any mind."
"Could Danzo be plotting something?" Lushu asked.
"There's definitely a plot, but I can't be bothered guessing what it is."
Rasa pointed behind him.
"I only know one thing—my back is to Moon Lake. Food, ninja tools, water, equipment—supplies flow endlessly. Konoha has to transport everything from three thousand miles away. Given time, they'll be the first to collapse, not us."
"Is Konoha trying to besiege Moon Lake New District to cut off our grain shipments to Sunagakure?" Lushu worried.
"If that's what Danzo's thinking, that would be perfect."
Moon Lake New District Administrator Karuke suddenly arrived on scene, first bowing respectfully to Rasa.
Rasa smiled and nodded. He was quite satisfied with this brother-in-law—from mobilizing civilian workers to logistics support, everything was arranged perfectly.
"A full year before the war began, Lord Kazekage secretly issued preparation orders, continuously shipping food and supplies to Sunagakure for stockpiling. Six massive underground granaries were built beneath Sunagakure, all packed to the brim with grain—roughly enough to feed the village for at least five years. Besides, Sunagakure produces its own food too. Though the yield isn't as high as Moon Lake's, with careful rationing, self-sufficiency isn't a problem. If Danzo thinks he can starve us out with a siege, he'll be the first to die of hunger."
"But we still can't be careless. Here's what we'll do."
Rasa pondered for a moment.
"Lushu, I have a task for you."
"Yes! Lord Rasa's orders."
"Starting today, you'll have to work harder. Reverse your schedule—sleep during the day, stand watch at night."
"Huh?!"
Lushu was quite surprised.
Seeing Lushu's confusion, Rasa quickly explained.
"Yanmao, Dahuangluo, and Dunzhang are all locked in combat at Lishi Fortress. You're the only sensory ninja here who can cover the entire Moon Lake New District area. During the day, I'll have the elders from the Xuechi clan keep watch. Night surveillance is yours. This way, even if Danzo tries a sneak attack, he won't get the chance."
Rasa pointed domineeringly at the puppet formation before them.
"Without sacrificing three to five thousand lives, if they think they can get through—hah! Pure delusion!"
"We need to build a large warehouse in the camp's center. Water storage, granaries, and equipment depots should be categorized separately. Notify Kōtō Kimoku-jōnin, who's in charge of transport—during this period, incoming supplies should be double our daily consumption. All excess goes into storage. We need at least a month's worth of supplies guaranteed in the warehouse."
Danzo pointed to the empty ground in the camp's center.
"Sir, are we... planning to face off against the enemy?"
Dan Katō, following beside Danzo, couldn't help but ask.
Danzo glanced sideways at Dan Katō.
"Do you think my actions are too cowardly? That I'm hesitating and afraid to advance?"
"No! No! No!"
Dan Katō quickly shook his head in denial.
"It's just that I heard the Eastern Army's progress is unfavorable and they urgently need our Northern Army to break the deadlock. But we've already reached the front lines, yet you're..."
Dan Katō pointed at the bustling "construction site" before them.
Danzo didn't rush to answer Dan Katō, instead scanning the other two commanders, Hamaki Mimura and Iwana Akame.
"You two think the same?"
Neither spoke, which amounted to agreement.
"You all... sigh, fine. It's good for you to know. Hamaki Mimura!"
"Here!"
"Assemble one thousand ninja at this location."
"Yes!"
Soon, a thousand Konoha ninja appeared before the command platform.
"Everyone listen to my order—each person create two Shadow Clones!"
Danzo issued the command.
Instantly, the camp filled with popping sounds as the thousand-man unit immediately became "three thousand."
"All Shadow Clones attack toward Moon Lake New District! Originals remain!"
In a flash, dust clouds rose as two thousand "Konoha ninja" charged toward Moon Lake New District.
"Come on, let's go up the watchtower. You'll understand once you see." Danzo waved his hand, beckoning the others to climb the tower.
...
"Report to Lord Rasa! Approximately two thousand Konoha ninja are charging our puppet formation!"
A sensory ninja reported.
"Order the 28th and 29th regiments to activate the puppet formation—annihilate all invaders!"
Rasa answered decisively.
...
Two thousand "Konoha ninja" charged toward Moon Lake New District with battle cries. Just as the force approached the city's edge, countless puppet warriors suddenly emerged from the yellow sand, unleashing a barrage of fists, feet, blades, and swords at the invaders without question. In no time, the two thousand Shadow Clones dissolved into clouds of white smoke.
Dan Katō and the other two stood atop the watchtower, stunned speechless, staring at each other in shock. How could they have known that Moon Lake New District's front lines harbored such a massive combat puppet formation? A rash attack would have had unthinkable consequences.
"Now do you understand? Without knowing how to defend, how can you attack? As commander of the Northern Army, I must be responsible for these ten thousand ninja. Reckless action always comes at a price."
With that, he walked down the watchtower without looking back.
"Tonight, there will be a strategy meeting in the main command tent!"
...
"Danzo's finally learned—he knows to probe with Shadow Clones first. Heh, he's making progress."
Rasa chuckled.
"Should we continue defending like this? What if he tries some feint tactic..."
Karuke worried.
"No! Continue maintaining the original defense system! Even if it's fake, treat it as real. Each regiment takes turns on duty anyway—no one gets exhausted."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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