If the Third Raikage said Kirigakure had already lost, then they had already lost.
For nearly twenty years, the Third Raikage's judgment had never been wrong. By now, Kumogakure's shinobi were used to it. None of them had the slightest doubt about his conclusions anymore.
As his order was passed down, the Kumogakure shinobi in the Land of the Moon rapidly gathered and began advancing toward the Land of Hot Water, heading straight for the current anchorage of Kirigakure's fleet.
The Raikage issued another order as well.
"Have A and B join me as soon as possible. I'll take them to see that Konoha unit."
"Maybe it'll inspire something and help us find the direction for creating our own elite force."
Dodai accepted the order and immediately arranged for shinobi to deliver it.
By the time he finished, the Raikage had already strode far into the distance.
He wanted to reach the front line at the first possible moment—
And lead Kumogakure into war.
For twenty years, every time Kumogakure fought the other Great Shinobi Villages, the Third Raikage had always stood at the very front of all Kumogakure shinobi, leading everyone forward.
Dodai watched the Raikage's broad back grow farther and farther away.
Suddenly, a thought surfaced in his mind.
Perhaps the betrayal of the Gold and Silver Brothers back then…
Had actually been an enormous blessing.
In that disaster, Kumogakure lost half its shinobi, along with the Second Raikage.
But the Third Raikage who succeeded him was an even better—
Almost perfect—
Leader.
As for Konoha…
Although they had only lost one Senju Tobirama, the Third Hokage who succeeded him was the greatest surprise fate had gifted to the other four Great Shinobi Villages.
Under the Third Hokage's command—
If not for the sudden rise of Konoha's White Fang, who single-handedly shattered Sunagakure, they really might have destroyed Konoha.
Such a thing would have been unimaginable in the Second Hokage's era.
Senju Tobirama was not merely a master of forbidden techniques.
He was also an outstanding politician and an extraordinary diplomat.
Under his leadership, Konoha had never fought two villages at the same time.
During the First Shinobi World War, Konoha had in truth fought three separate wars against individual villages one after another.
Through Senju Tobirama's diplomatic efforts, Sunagakure and Konoha had even ended their state of war without a single battle between their shinobi.
Dodai simply couldn't imagine what reason Tobirama had used to convince the Second Kazekage to remain completely neutral while Konoha and Iwagakure fought.
Fortunately—
He was dead.
…
Uchiha Yoru stared at the dozen or so crystal-clear beads in front of him, his expression extremely strange.
Miwa Masayo asked, "What are these things, nya? Can they be eaten?"
Yoru's expression became even stranger.
After hesitating for a moment, he answered, "These are Kaguya Gaiya's remains. I found them in that mountain of bone ash."
Miwa Masayo's expression also turned incredibly strange.
She even made a retching motion.
"These hard beads that appeared after being burned by intense flames should be the essence of his body, condensed onto the bones."
"There's a special name for this kind of thing."
"They're called relics."
"Generally speaking…"
"Human remains are not edible."
"Alright, nya. I understand, nya. Stop talking, nya. Urgh~~"
Miwa Masayo fled in a puff of smoke, leaving Yoru alone to silently stare at the dozen or so relic beads.
[There seems to be some terrifying power sealed inside. The intensity might not be high, but the level of the power definitely isn't ordinary.]
[How should I extract the power inside?]
[Eat… urgh~~]
[No. I can't get past that mental barrier. I'll slowly think of another method.]
Yoru put the relic beads away, then curled his lip and filled a bag with bone ash. He brought it to a freshly turned plot of land and scattered the ash evenly into the soil.
The next battle might come with a flood.
When that happened, these ashes would definitely be washed away.
So Yoru decided to collect as much as possible and bury it into the loosened earth.
As long as it was compacted, the flood would have a hard time carrying it off.
Once the water receded, soil mixed with bone ash and soaked thoroughly with moisture would become the finest vegetable field.
After staying in Kubota Village for three days, Yoru had stared at the fertile land surrounding the village for too long.
The instinct to plant something had begun acting up.
So during his rest time, he started gathering bone ash to prevent the flood from wasting this excellent phosphate fertilizer.
Who would have thought he would find something unexpected in the ash?
The Kaguya clan's shinobi could actually produce relics.
Yoru's curiosity surged.
He secretly made up his mind.
If he had the chance in the future, he would definitely capture a few Kaguya shinobi and properly study the secrets of the Kaguya clan and the Shikotsumyaku.
After all, in cultivation novels, relics and golden cores always had some kind of vague, unclear connection.
Although in orthodox cultivation the two were completely different things—
This was the shinobi world.
Who knew whether there was a relationship?
In short, it was worth Yoru spending time to research.
Even if he eventually discovered the two were unrelated, the Shikotsumyaku itself was still extremely worth studying.
This bloodline limit was completely different from Ice Release, Lava Release, or Scorch Release.
It was like the Sharingan and Byakugan—
A power directly inherited from the body of the Ōtsutsuki clan.
And the Ōtsutsuki clan were absolutely high-level lifeforms above transcendence.
According to Daoist understanding, this long-lived, undying race would either be classified as natural gods or celestial beings—
Or as outer-heaven demons.
In any case, they were existences on the same level as immortals.
Excellent targets for body possession.
Of course, if he could use research to trace the bloodline backward and make his body atavistically transform into an Ōtsutsuki body, that would be even more suitable for cultivation than possession.
Just like cultivating into an immortal—
It would be a supreme leap in the essence of life.
Thinking of future goals, Yoru's movements became faster and faster.
He continuously scattered bone ash evenly over the ground, turned the soil to fully mix it in, then used Earth Spirit · Earth Release when no one was paying attention.
He liquefied the mixed soil, then solidified it again, forming waterproof hardened slabs.
Under his efforts, by dawn of the fourth day, he had actually processed nearly half of Kaguya Gaiya's bone ash.
And then—
Kirigakure's third attack began.
Dense masses of Kirigakure shinobi surged forward from three directions at the same time.
Their numbers were so great that people were squeezed against people, shoulder against shoulder.
This was not what shinobi were supposed to look like.
Seeing so many Kirigakure shinobi, the Uchiha of the Tiger Unit were briefly at a loss.
Even these boys who had been tempered through war felt frightened by the sheer number of enemies.
The few feared the many.
Numbers gave courage even to cowards.
This was human animal instinct.
But Uchiha Yoru felt no fear at all.
Because of chakra, the shinobi world had leapt abruptly from the age of cold-weapon samurai into the age of shinobi, skipping who knew how many forms of warfare in between.
Through the practice of war, shinobi had chosen the squad-based organization style, instinctively adopting correct tactical principles—loose formations and concealment first.
But shinobi had never personally experienced what kind of tragedy would occur when overwhelming numbers formed dense formations and charged defenders with powerful firepower.
Yoru had not experienced it either.
But he understood it deeply.
Because on the banks of the Somme on Blue Star, the British and French had used sixty thousand casualties in one day to prove to everyone on that planet—
What happened when dense formations charged dense firepower.
Seeing Kirigakure's formation today, Yoru was so excited his heart almost leapt out of his mouth.
But he was not happy.
This posture from Kirigakure was not a charge of several hundred people.
This was over a thousand people charging together.
If they could not break Kirigakure halfway through the charge, and allowed enemies more than ten times their number to close in for melee combat—
The Uchiha of the Tiger Unit would undoubtedly die.
But if they intercepted and fired halfway—
It would create a massacre that shocked the entire shinobi world.
As the commander, Uchiha Yoru would become famous throughout the world, a "great figure" known to everyone.
Looking at the increasingly dense Kirigakure ranks, Yoru felt more and more troubled.
He even had the urge to look up at the sky and sigh—
O vast heavens, why are you so cruel to me?
Of course Yoru wanted fame.
He had stepped forward to organize the Tiger Unit precisely because he wanted results, then use those results as capital to compete for the clan head's seat.
But he didn't want to become this famous.
Too much fame would become a problem instead.
Once Uchiha Yoru became a famous figure throughout the shinobi world, if he told people he only wanted to become Uchiha clan head, and that he would retire after ten years—
Would the Third Hokage believe him?
Of course not.
He didn't even trust the most devoted believer in the Will of Fire, Hatake Sakumo.
Let alone Uchiha Yoru, an Uchiha.
Fortunately—
Yoru really did harbor ulterior motives.
When the Third Hokage's faction suspected you of being an enemy, it was best if you truly were.
Because against confirmed enemies, they became full of hesitation and fear, unwilling to act casually.
Why had Danzo been able to act without restraint against Hatake Sakumo, Uchiha Shisui, Hyūga Hizashi, and even outsiders like Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan?
Wasn't it because their relationship with Konoha was too close?
They would only try to refute with words—
Not resist with weapons.
But Yoru had long since regarded Shimura Danzo and the Third Hokage as enemies.
The education he accepted was simple—
Only by striking the enemy could one preserve oneself.
Therefore, the moment he noticed even the slightest sign of Root following him, he would directly annihilate them with force.
[Wait…]
[Right now… it seems I no longer need to fear Danzo.]
Yoru suddenly realized—
He didn't need to worry about Shimura Danzo anymore.
He even had the qualifications to openly declare his position:
I look down on Danzo.
The reason he had hidden himself before was because his strength was insufficient.
Shimura Danzo had the ability to assassinate him silently.
But today's Uchiha Yoru was no longer fragile.
Perhaps he still couldn't defeat the Third Hokage.
But Shimura Danzo, who only knew Wind Release—
What did he even count for?
After killing Yahiko, what decent battle record did he have left?
That's right.
As long as one's strength was sufficient, the more openly hostile the attitude, the less Danzo would dare to act.
In that case, the negative effects of fame no longer existed.
No matter how exaggerated a battle record Yoru produced here, there would only be benefits.
No drawbacks.
With his worries gone, Yoru smiled and placed the copper whistle into his mouth.
At that moment, Miwa Masayo suddenly appeared on his shoulder and anxiously said,
"What do we do, nya? Yoru, has Kirigakure gone insane, nya?"
"How are we supposed to retreat, nya?"
With the copper whistle between his lips, Yoru gently scratched the little cat's chin with one finger and smiled.
"Kirigakure has indeed gone insane."
"But we don't need to retreat."
"Not at all."
"Nya?"
"They have no idea what charging in such a dense formation means for them."
"So let me properly teach them—"
"And the entire shinobi world—"
"A lesson to make up for this missing piece."
A sharp whistle rang out.
Its firm, rhythmic pattern conveyed an extremely simple tactical arrangement.
Yoru ordered all divisions to merge. Using squads as the unit, they would form two ranks facing the enemies on the left and right.
All Uchiha would use Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.
They would attack targets between one hundred fifty and three hundred meters away.
Even if someone broke through, they were to ignore them.
The division captains would handle it.
The attack would continue until the enemy retreated—
Or until jonin-level and above shinobi attacked.
Only then could they stop.
There was a huge flaw in Yoru's arrangement.
It was so obvious that the division captains had no choice but to ask through whistle signals:
What about the center of the formation?
The direction facing the enemy's main force?
Yoru replied through the whistle as well.
I'll handle it.
…
The first wave of Kirigakure shinobi, driven forward by the three great clans behind them, began their charge while gritting their teeth and cursing.
As they ran, they instinctively tried to spread out as much as possible.
But fifteen hundred people was simply too many.
Even after trying their hardest to pull apart, the distance between each person was still no more than three meters.
When they approached five hundred meters, the division captains' whistles sounded.
The Uchiha genin began forming hand seals in unison, using the same steps to perform Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.
This C-rank ninjutsu, together with Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, was known as one of the two useless Fire Releases.
Techniques said to have never hit an enemy.
As the shinobi most skilled in Fire Release, every formal Uchiha shinobi knew at least four Fire Release techniques—
And among them, Great Fireball and Phoenix Sage Fire were almost guaranteed.
Their use of Great Fireball was mostly supportive.
For example, after one attack failed, it could connect into the next round during a gap in combat.
Or block the enemy's vision.
Under the cover of Great Fireball, they could use Body Flicker, Transformation, or shift position to change tactics.
As for Phoenix Sage Fire—
Its use was even more useless.
When two sides were locked in a standoff and no opening could be found, Phoenix Sage Fire could force the opponent to move.
Once they moved, there would definitely be an opening.
Then the shinobi could attack that opening.
The weakness of both techniques was speed.
The flames flew too slowly.
They simply couldn't catch up to shinobi.
Even surprise attacks were useless.
The sound and light effects of these techniques were too obvious. No matter how suddenly they were used, shinobi could notice in time and dodge easily.
But one thing had to be understood.
Great Fireball and Phoenix Sage Fire could kill.
And both were powerful Fire Release techniques that killed on contact.
They were far more lethal than explosive ninjutsu like Fire Release: Flame Bullet.
Otherwise, enemies wouldn't immediately dodge or use ninjutsu to defend the moment they saw them.
Yoru had realized long ago—
If the density of Phoenix Sage Fire reached the point where evasion was impossible…
Wouldn't it undergo a qualitative change?
Wouldn't it become the Maxim gun of ninjutsu?
When the Kirigakure shinobi saw bright, beautiful flames rising opposite them, shaped like peacock tail feathers, they burst into laughter.
Who didn't recognize this trash Fire Release?
As long as I dodge slightly—
Dod—
The first row of Kirigakure shinobi suddenly discovered that there were too many Phoenix Sage Fireballs in front of them.
Left, right, forward—
No matter where they moved, they would crash into another flame.
Naturally, the Kirigakure shinobi tried to retreat.
Then, in horror, they realized they had bumped into their comrades behind them.
They had no room to dodge backward at all.
The ninjutsu they had assumed posed no threat drew closer and closer.
All traces of ease vanished from the Kirigakure shinobi.
They stopped, rapidly formed hand seals, and spat out torrents of water.
Water Release: Water Shockwave.
Water Release: Water Chain Bullet.
Water Release: Water Fang Bullet.
Water Release: Water Wild Wave.
All kinds of low-level Water Release ninjutsu surged upward to meet the falling flames filling the sky.
In a direct clash between the two types of ninjutsu, Water Release naturally won, extinguishing the flames rushing toward them.
But not a single Kirigakure shinobi was happy.
Because they discovered—
Water Release could only extinguish the few flames it touched.
Compared to the Phoenix Sage Fire covering the sky, that number was insignificant.
Phoenix Sage Fire's greatest trait was quantity.
As long as the caster was willing to spend chakra, blowing out dozens of flames in one breath wasn't difficult.
To stop the attack, they had to continuously use Water Release, only then blocking the endless stream of fire.
The difference in chakra consumption between the two sides was enormous.
And the Tiger Unit's members were uniformly trained.
Every single one was an Uchiha shinobi with the Sharingan awakened.
They were genuine elites.
Kirigakure's side, on the other hand, consisted of small clan shinobi and civilian shinobi driven forward as cannon fodder.
Their level was not only low—
It varied wildly.
Some Kirigakure shinobi could easily use Water Release repeatedly.
But others ran low on chakra after only two or three techniques and began to weaken.
Worse still—
Kirigakure lacked organization and leadership.
Forget using Water Release in perfect unison.
They couldn't even counterattack together.
After the first round of Water Release, chaos appeared on Kirigakure's side.
Some gave up on ninjutsu and began charging forward.
Phoenix Sage Fire passed through the gaps they created in the Water Release defense and fell into the Kirigakure crowd.
In an instant—
Screams tore through the sky.
The palm-sized Phoenix Sage Fireballs showed different colors from inside to outside.
This was because the temperature at their center was extremely high, while the outer layer was comparatively lower.
When Phoenix Sage Fire landed on a human body, the high-temperature core rapidly burned through clothing, roasting flesh and skin until they hissed.
If the flames could not be extinguished in time, the burning area would expand rapidly.
Large-scale skin burns could easily cause fatal dehydration.
They could also lead to burn shock.
The moment the screams began, Kirigakure fell into complete chaos.
Some launched offensive Water Release toward the village.
Some used Hidden Mist Technique to block vision.
Some used defensive Water Release like Water Barrier.
Even more shinobi desperately charged forward, thinking that as long as they rushed into the Konoha shinobi's ranks, they could escape the danger of Phoenix Sage Fire coverage.
In short—
It was a complete mess.
And the result of that chaos was even more disordered Water Release.
Even fewer Phoenix Sage flames were intercepted and extinguished.
More flames fell into the crowd.
Causing even greater casualties.
Kirigakure's shinobi sank into a vicious cycle—
And could no longer pull themselves out.
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