Iwagakure, command center.
Ōnoki, waiting anxiously, finally received news.
Akatsuchi stumbled in, almost bowing to Ōnoki.
Ōnoki's heart sank. Akatsuchi's appearance indicated that the battle report from the Land of Grass direction would not be good.
He quickly asked, "How is the situation in the Land of Grass?"
Akatsuchi adjusted his breathing, and said, "Tsuchikage-sama, we encountered an ambush by Konoha ninjas and suffered heavy losses."
"At least a third of our thousand-strong vanguard ninja force was wiped out."
Hearing this, Ōnoki's brow furrowed even deeper.
A third, that's over three hundred ninjas. To lose so many before the fight even truly began would have a huge impact on the entire village's morale.
Ōnoki took a deep breath and helped Akatsuchi up.
"Speak slowly, no need to rush."
The two moved to the large strategic map. Akatsuchi pointed to the border area between the Land of Grass and the Land of Earth.
"Soon after we entered the Land of Grass, we were attacked by Konoha. They arrived faster than we expected."
Ōnoki nodded, his assessment and apprehension of Konoha's command rising another level.
If that was the case, Konoha's ninjas must have set out several days earlier than them, clearly having prepared for a fight to the death.
"What about Konoha's casualties?"
"They also suffered heavy losses, but..."
Ōnoki glanced at Akatsuchi. "Don't dither, just say it directly."
"Konoha seized the initiative and caught us off guard. But we quickly organized a counterattack, and relying on our numerical advantage, we even pushed them back."
"But..."
"Those Uchiha madmen aren't afraid of death at all. No, they're practically rushing to their deaths."
Recalling the scene, Akatsuchi's face showed shock.
"Every heavily wounded Uchiha who fell, as long as they still had a breath, would cling tightly to the nearest person and detonate the explosive tag on their body."
"The remaining Uchiha became crazier the more they killed. I personally watched their Sharingan evolve in the bloodbath. The more they killed, the stronger they became, and the stronger they became, the crazier they got."
"From top to bottom, they simply didn't treat themselves as human. They broke three or four swords. Even with broken legs, they still screamed like madmen..."
Hearing this, Ōnoki sighed deeply.
The Uchiha were still the Uchiha, they hadn't changed at all from decades ago.
"There's one more thing." Akatsuchi wiped the sweat from his face.
"Kusagakure has allied with Konoha. While we were locked in a fierce battle with the Uchiha, they stabbed us in the back."
Ōnoki nodded, his mood becoming heavy.
Konoha's actions were too fast. If it wasn't for their extreme adaptability, then they must have rehearsed it many times in their minds long ago. That's why they could arrange every task meticulously, always one step ahead.
If it was the latter, this wisdom of preparing for danger in times of peace was very much like Tobirama of old.
Ōnoki patted Akatsuchi's shoulder. "Go rest and await my next command."
"Yes, Tsuchikage-sama."
Akatsuchi, dragging his battered body, slowly moved out of the command center.
—
Land of Wind border.
While Iwagakure encountered some trouble, Sunagakure was not doing well either.
Over a thousand Konoha elites led by Kakashi and Guy crossed the Land of Rain overnight and entered the Land of Wind. Their target was clear and deadly: Sunagakure's vital water sources.
Once the water supply was cut off, Sunagakure immediately fell into chaos.
The order, barely maintained by war mobilization, instantly collapsed.
Sunagakure's high command was in a frenzy, forced to urgently pull back some valuable combat forces from the front lines.
Some were to maintain order, and some formed a pursuit squad, vowing to eliminate this Konoha thorn that had penetrated deep into their territory. This also alleviated the pressure on Konoha's main battlefield.
But to Sunagakure's frustration, the Konoha ninjas were as slippery as loaches, they simply wouldn't engage head-on. They just kept using explosive tags and various large-scale Ninjutsu to dismantle their water sources, even killing a few guards at the village gate.
Achieving such a result was largely due to the command of Kakashi.
Kakashi didn't know why, but every time he killed these Sunagakure ninjas, it felt particularly smooth. It was as if his father was teaching him by his side.
Plus, he wielded a Chakra short sword obtained from the Land of Iron. Older Sunagakure ninjas who saw him even thought that the White Fang had returned. They lost half their morale before even fighting.
Of course, Kakashi's inability to deactivate his Sharingan often led to him running very low on Chakra. He would frequently tire out in the middle of a fight.
At that time, his good friend Guy would burst out. He carried Kakashi in and out of the fray seven times, leaving only a green silhouette behind.
Later, the Sunagakure ninjas all knew that White Fang's son from Konoha had a comrade who couldn't be killed.
The war between Konoha and the Three Village Alliance continued.
After simple probes, both sides deployed more and more ninjas to the battlefield.
Such large-scale operations were naturally observed by Black Zetsu, the Ninja World's top intel dealer.
Inside the cave, Madara and Obito looked at each other, feeling that something was amiss.
According to Obito's script, after collecting the Tailed Beasts, he would naturally fight the entire Ninja World, triggering the Fourth Great Ninja War.
But not like this, with the various nations fighting each other to a standstill first.
Obito scratched his head. The result was right, but the process was wrong. How was he supposed to deal with this?
Madara, who had been revived for a long time and had been biding his time, thought of a good idea.
"While the Five Great Nations are fighting amongst themselves, gather the Tailed Beasts as much as possible."
"The Gedo Statue has not been destroyed, it can still be used to absorb the Chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts."
"As for the Rinnegan... I will personally retrieve it from Konoha when the time is right."
Madara tapped the back of his chair and glanced at Obito. "My existence cannot be exposed for now. The plan to seize the Tailed Beasts is entrusted to you, Obito."
Obito nodded and disappeared into the vortex.
—
Land of Rain.
Chidori!
Kakashi finished off the last Sunagakure ninja in front of him, panting heavily.
He leaned against a tree and glanced at Guy lying on the ground. "Guy, are you alright?"
Guy laboriously gave a thumbs-up. "Still holding on."
Just this morning, Sunagakure had sent out the next Kazekage candidate, Gaara.
He swaggered into the Land of Rain, intending to teach the Konoha ninjas who had repeatedly humiliated him a lesson. Then, he encountered Konoha's Green Beast.
Guy only casually opened the first few gates of the Eight Inner Gates, and he beat Gaara like an idiot.
If it weren't for Kurotsuchi from Iwagakure coming to his aid, he might have been kicked to death by Guy.
Gaara retreated with his battered forces into the Land of Wind, resting in a relatively sheltered sandy valley deep in the desert, preparing to regroup.
Suddenly, a figure appeared silently. He wore a black Akatsuki robe with red clouds and an orange spiral mask that only exposed one eye.
Gaara's pupils suddenly constricted. "Uchiha Obito!"
He raised his hand.
Sand Coffin!
The yellow sand beneath his feet surged like a living thing, instantly coiling towards Obito. However, the sand only struck air.
"Foolish brat."
The battle erupted instantly.
The heavily injured Gaara was quickly defeated, his body pierced by several wooden spikes.
"It's over."
A powerful vortex sucked in the dying Gaara, and Obito also entered the Kamui dimension.
(End of Chapter)
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