Then we can leave it and move directly across the plain towards the eastern part of the country," he said, tracing his index finger along the map, starting from the temple. "The terrain there is not completely flat; there are hills and groves, but they can always be bypassed or checked. Further on..."
Listening to the peculiarities of the terrain we were about to cross, I estimated the approximate distance in my mind and realized that I would find myself near the hidden village in a little over a day, but since it made no sense to expect the same speed from the locals, and considering the presence of animals, which were much less resilient than chakra users, as well as needing regular rest and having poor vision in the dark, we could safely increase the time to four or five days, one of which would be spent preparing for battle — people also need to rest, despite their physical strength.
After the rough plan was approved, as well as preliminary sketches of the general battle based on knowledge of the tactics used by the demon worshippers in battle, the allies set the date for the next morning and took their leave.
Everyone had things to do, so after the meeting, the people quickly dispersed, and I went out into the street to look at the "army" that the swamp dwellers had managed to gather, since none of those present had mentioned the number of forces available, probably knowing it already.
A little way from the building, ninjas and samurai were bustling about, setting up a tent city and preparing something meaty in camp kettles, judging by the smells that wafted over.
In general, it was a familiar sight that I had seen enough of in the last war, except that here some of the fighters were in armor and the total number was not impressive.
There were about a hundred and fifty ninja, each with reserves no less than the local chunin, and only about a hundred iron enthusiasts of roughly the same level, plus cavalry in leather armor and with bows.
For a backwater of the elemental countries, it was a decent force, but completely insignificant even compared to small villages like Kusagakure, which had fielded several times more fighters in the last war, not counting the genin who were engaged in supply and were not allowed anywhere near the combat zone.
But if you add four dozen priests, they could easily deal with the demon worshippers or delay them for a while, while I, together with the high priestess, deal with the demon himself and possibly his strongest minions.
Considering his intelligence, Morieu should definitely take care of his own safety, especially given that his strength has not been fully restored, if we are to believe Miroku.
We set out the next morning without any problems, and not a single demon worshipper approached the temple during that time, while I occasionally received memories from the kage bunshin about their destruction, clearly demonstrating the effectiveness of sending the saboteur ahead.
Until the clone runs out of chakra, such small enemy units are no match for him, leaving only craters in the ground.
Incidentally, although the number of stone warriors gradually increased, the number of ninjas accompanying them decreased, which clearly indicated a rapid reduction in all possible human reserves in the hidden village.
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