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Land of Earth, western border.
The air was filled with a burnt smell, mixed with the harsh odor of earth burning into glass.
Mountain ranges stretched endlessly, their jagged outlines cutting heaven and earth.
This was once a natural barrier against sandstorms.
Now, this barrier was taking a destructive impact.
Boom!
Rumble!
Explosions echoed one after another, and falling debris and cut-off limbs rolled down the hillside together.
At the foot of the mountain, flames and yellow sand twisted and churned.
An Iwagakure shinobi was hit directly by a fireball, his flesh burning with a terrifying sizzling sound.
Beside him, his companion's legs were cut off by a wind blade, and his upper body fell heavily to the ground.
He crawled forward desperately, his outstretched hand without mercy stepped on by a foot.
"Hold them! All of you, hold them!"
Ishikawa, the Iwagakure commander, stood on top of the fortress, his voice hoarse from shouting.
Smoke and dust blackened his face, his eyes were bloodshot, and each explosion made the city wall beneath his feet shake violently.
Just a few hours ago.
He was still laughing with his colleagues about Sunagakure's weakness.
But in an instant, the fires of war had reached his doorstep.
And the blaze came with unbelievable speed!
"Report, Lord Ishikawa!"
"Southern outpost number three has been swallowed by enemy fire release clusters! First and third squads are all dead, requesting reinforcements!"
"Report! Western outpost number five has fallen! Sunagakure's puppet unit has broken through, and the defense line is being cut! Requesting reinforcements!"
"Report! The main fortress's defensive barrier is almost out of energy, it can't hold much longer!"
Bloody battle reports poured in like crazy, threatening to drown him.
Ishikawa's upset mood was completely set off.
"Damn it!"
He punched the battlements, and the hard rock instantly cracked with spiderweb-like patterns.
"When did those good-for-nothing sand-slingers from the Land of Wind become so strong?"
He couldn't understand.
He knew the Sunagakure shinobi's abilities inside and out.
But today, those Sunagakure shinobi were acting like madmen, their attack unreasonably fierce.
What made his scalp tingle even more was the other group of people mixed in with the Sunagakure forces.
Konoha shinobi!
Those guys in green vests, combined with Sunagakure's wind release, let loose a devastating power that brought despair.
Wind fueled fire, and fire borrowed power from wind.
This simple rule, on the battlefield, became a nightmare for their earth release defenses.
"Lord Ishikawa, what should we do?"
The assistant's voice was tearful. "The defense line is about to collapse completely!"
Ishikawa's expression flickered back and forth.
He knew that passively defending meant only death.
They had to counterattack!
His eyes narrowed, showing a murderous intent.
"My command!"
"All outer outposts abandon resistance, bring forces together, and gather at the central main fortress!"
"Yes! Lord Ishikawa!"
The assistant immediately took the order and ran off.
At the battlefield at the foot of the mountain.
"Hahaha! Die! All of you, die!"
"Satisfying! So satisfying!"
A Sunagakure jonin controlled a twisted puppet, piercing an Iwagakure shinobi's throat, and the high-speed rotating blade instantly shredded his head, splashing red and white matter everywhere.
At the same time, countless poisoned senbon shot out, forcing back all the surrounding Iwagakure shinobi who were giving support.
The Sunagakure jonin laughed wildly in a fit of release, his face splattered with warm blood.
It had been too long.
They hadn't fought such a glorious battle in too long.
Before, facing Iwagakure's unbreakable earth release defense line, they always felt choked.
But today, with Konoha's fire release shinobi acting as mobile artillery, their wind release could finally roar freely!
Just then, another Iwagakure shinobi attacked from the side, a powerful rock fist aiming directly for his head!
Without time to recall his puppet, a fierce glint flashed in the Sunagakure shinobi's eyes, and he didn't dodge, taking the punch with his body!
Crack!
The sound of breaking ribs was clearly heard.
But in the instant he was sent flying, he also threw a poisoned kunai, exactly cutting the enemy's throat.
A mutual kill! Unbelievably tragic!
Not far from him, a Konoha shinobi faced a similar surprise attack but made a completely different choice.
He shifted his feet, his body tilting at an extremely slight angle, avoiding the earth spear aimed at his heart, letting it pierce his left shoulder instead.
Sharp pain followed, but his life was saved.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Several fireballs shot accurately from his mouth, blocking the Iwagakure shinobi's retreat and setting off the explosive tags he carried.
Boom!
The Iwagakure shinobi turned to charcoal in the explosion.
Then the Konoha shinobi, clutching his bleeding shoulder, quickly pulled back.
A medical shinobi immediately stepped forward, skillfully bandaging the wound and stopping the bleeding, the entire process calm and efficient.
It was acceptable to be injured, but never to die.
This was the iron rule Orochimaru had given before they set out.
The Sunagakure shinobi were responsible for tearing open the enemy's defense line with their lives.
And they, Konoha, only needed to deliver the finishing blows from behind and survive.
The war continued.
"Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel!"
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Violent wind blades and roaring fire dragons came together in the air, fusing into a flame tornado that ate everything, fiercely rushing toward the Iwagakure position.
Boom!
The sturdy earth wall directly melted into scorching magma on its surface before this power, then collapsed with a roar!
The Iwagakure shinobi hiding behind it only let out half a scream before being swept away.
Their bodies were torn to shreds by the wind blades, then lit on fire by the intense flames in the next second, finally turning into charred remains, scattering with the hot wind.
"Well done!"
A Konoha jonin gave a thumbs-up to the Sunagakure shinobi who had just completed an attack.
The Sunagakure shinobi returned a smile.
"Your fire release... is truly fierce!"
Two shinobi from different villages, yet their eyes showed a friendship born of battle.
How ironic.
How absurd.
However.
Just as the allied forces were advancing victoriously, sweeping everything before them.
Orochimaru and Rasa, who were in the rear, both stopped at the same time.
Their brows furrowed together.
"Something's not right."
With a wave of Rasa's hand, golden sand surged, without mercy crushing the enemies in an area.
But there was no hint of triumph on his face.
"Too smooth."
"Iwagakure seems to have abandoned their outer outposts."
Orochimaru also noticed the problem.
His gaze was fixed on the Iwagakure forces that were orderly pulling back and coming together toward the central main fortress. "They are bringing their forces together!"
"Could it be a trap?" Rasa instantly understood Iwagakure's intention, his face serious.
"I don't know!" Orochimaru chuckled. "However, since they've given up the outposts, how can we disappoint their kindness?"
"Alright!" Rasa nodded in agreement, then turned to issue new orders.
"My command!"
"All forces, charge!"
"Target, the enemy's central main fortress!"
"Yes!"
The order was like lightning, instantly spreading throughout the army.
The allied forces of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind made their attack even stronger.
However, no one noticed that while the Sunagakure shinobi were shouting and charging forward, the Konoha shinobi were spread out very thinly.