And all of this was thanks to the adult who developed the aircraft. It was precisely because of his wisdom and creativity that the Sand Ninja Village possessed such a powerful weapon of war.
The pilot held deep respect for this adult, knowing full well that without him, he would likely still be an unknown cannon fodder, and the Sand Ninja Village would have struggled to achieve victory in this Ninja World War.
Compared to this advanced weapon of war, the puppets previously used by the Sand Ninja Village were like child's play.
Although those puppets had some power, they required the support of a Ninja's strength. Puppets used by weak Ninja had limited lethality and were largely ineffective. Moreover, they were easily damaged and had poor endurance. Compared to piloting a Zero fighter, they paled in comparison in terms of speed, maneuverability, and lethality; they were not even on the same level.
Because the Zero fighter could be piloted even by ordinary people who were not Ninja. The reason for selecting from Ninja was simply as a precaution.
Furthermore, even if selected from Ninja,
only the weaker Ninja were chosen. The truly powerful Ninja were kept in ground forces for direct assault.
Even if those powerful Ninja wanted to snatch the safe and comfortable position of a pilot, the higher-ups of the Ninja Village would not agree to it.
After all, the upcoming war's assault would not allow powerful Ninja to evade combat.
"However, although the pilot's position is safe, comfortable, and well-compensated, its true value surpasses that of powerful Ninja. In terms of impact, one or two powerful Ninja cannot compare!" the pilot thought to himself, looking at the machine below him with full confidence.
Even if his Zero fighter sacrificed its weapon system, it could carry more personnel. Its existence provided strong support for ground reconnaissance missions.
This acquisition of intelligence.
Could ordinary Ninja achieve it?
The answer is:
Absolutely not.
Normally, if the Sand Ninja Village wanted to obtain sufficient intelligence, it would have to sacrifice countless lives.
But now, it was different.
Having him, the pilot, was enough.
At this moment,
the pilot in the front of the aircraft meticulously controlled the plane, precisely managing its altitude. Their mission was not only to ensure the safe flight of the aircraft but also to provide the best observation angle for the ground reconnaissance personnel behind them.
The ground reconnaissance personnel in the back seat used high-precision telescopes developed from the Great Zhou black technology provided by Uchiha Tenxiu to carefully observe and analyze various situations below.
This type of telescope had extremely high precision, capable of magnifying its own field of vision up to a hundred times.
Although it could not penetrate obstacles like the Byakugan to see the flow of Chakra within the opponent's body or easily observe their meridians and acupoints, it could easily match or even surpass the Byakugan in terms of distance.
At the same time, this high-magnification telescope could also switch to thermal imaging vision, using heat distribution to determine the opponent's hidden movements. Even if they were hiding several meters underground, this thermal imaging mode could easily detect them.
Thus, critical information could be easily obtained without the enemy's reconnaissance personnel noticing.
"Hey, is this flight altitude okay?" the pilot asked the two reconnaissance personnel behind him. He knew the importance of this mission, which was merely to complete the initial reconnaissance and ascertain the deployment of the enemy's frontline personnel.
One of the reconnaissance personnel replied, "Hmm, for now, this altitude is fine. We can clearly observe the situation below."
After confirming the appropriate altitude, the pilot continued to steadily control the aircraft, maintaining a circling posture.
The two reconnaissance personnel focused on observing the terrain below, the distribution of personnel, and the location of the Ninja's main forces.
Through this tacit cooperation, they believed they could successfully complete the mission and provide accurate intelligence support for subsequent actions.
Another reconnaissance personnel also said, "Don't worry, not to mention that the sky has never been a reconnaissance target for Ninja in the Ninja World, at an altitude of 1,500 meters, even the Byakugan cannot see us."
"Moreover, according to our intelligence, the branch family's Byakugan only has a range of several hundred meters, and only through long training can it see up to 1 kilometer, and only a very few top-tier individuals!"
"But such people, whose strength is all at the Elite Jonin level, how could they be on routine patrol?"
"Such Ninja will definitely not be assigned to deal with us!" the reconnaissance personnel asserted confidently, as if he had full assurance on this point. As he spoke, he swiftly drew a map of the River Country in his hand.
His brushstrokes flowed naturally like clouds and water, and every river, every mountain, every forest in the River Country was vividly depicted under his pen. Not only that, he also precisely marked the locations of all Konoha Ninja army headquarters and the routes of Konoha's dispatched Ninja.
On these routes, he meticulously recorded the number of Ninja and their formations, even clearly detailing each Ninja's strengths and weaknesses. All of this demonstrated his mastery of intelligence work and attention to detail.
Beside him, his teammate watched the drawing of the reconnaissance map intently, a fervent light in his eyes. He couldn't help but exclaim, "As expected of someone taught by that adult! This mapping technique is simply too amazing!"
Previously, when they drew topographic maps, they were often troubled by the ever-changing geographical locations, which affected the entire Ninja army's movements.
But now, this reconnaissance personnel's mapping technique was completely different; he could easily and simply depict everything in the entire River Country, making it clear at a glance.
"Now every river, every mountain peak, every city road, all are clearly displayed within it. With this assistance, we, the Sand Ninja, are sure to win this war!"
He immediately said, "Now, while the entire Ninja World has not yet focused its attention on the sky, we must take down the entire River Country in the first wave of battle. By then, we will surely be able to penetrate the Land of Fire, seize the wealth from the Land of Fire, and live in prosperous places. It's about time for our Sand Ninja Village to go and enjoy it!"
"Who would have thought that our Sand Ninja Village could actually rely on the Zero fighter to dominate the skies of the Ninja World!" His tone carried excitement and pride, and in his agitated eyes, he seemed to already see the wonderful life of the Sand Ninja Village after defeating Konoha.
In fact, just as he said, the high altitude was like an insurmountable chasm, always a forbidden zone for Ninja.
It was never guarded by the Ninja of the Ninja World, as if it were a forgotten corner.
Especially at an altitude of 1,500 meters, it made the patrolling Ninja of the Ninja World like blind men feeling an elephant, completely unable to detect any clues.
Thus, the Sand Ninja Village's reconnaissance aircraft moved freely in the high sky, unscrupulously reconnoitering all intelligence within the entire River Country and the Land of Fire, already gaining an absolute advantage in the prerequisites for battle.
At the same time, as the intelligence of the entire River Country leaked like a bursting dam,
the Sand Ninja Village conducted a series of meticulously planned conspiracies before the battle began, like a master strategist, carefully laying out various war response plans. Uchiha Tenxiu also occasionally offered some pointers as a wise man.
Subsequently, the curtain of war officially opened.
Sand Ninja Village, Headquarters.
The Third Kazekage stood firmly atop the Kazekage Tower like a towering mountain. His voice, like a grand bell, spoke majestically to the assembled army below: "The Third Shinobi World War is initiated by our Sand Ninja Village!"
"Go forth, go plunder!"
"Let our Sand Ninja battle flag flutter in every corner of the Ninja World, proclaiming to the Ninja World that our Sand Ninja Village will surely embark on the most glorious path to prosperity in the Ninja World!"
"Let the nations of the Ninja World know that our Sand Ninja Village is no longer the Sand Ninja Village of old! War, war..."