Facing the southwestern defensive line between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, Uchiha Soren arrived in a rush—and vanished just as quickly.
The usually composed Aburame Mushi, covered in dirt and blood, stared at the shredded corpses of the Sand shinobi corps. Their will to fight had been utterly annihilated. Behind his sunglasses, his eyes trembled in silent shock.
The Second Kazekage and a Kage-level elite had been slapped to death outright by the fully-armed Two-Tails. The puppet techniques and sand manipulation that had plagued Konoha for so many years were, before Uchiha Soren, nothing more than children's toys.
That overwhelming strength filled both Aburame Mushi and Inuzuka Jin with a mix of relief—and a bitter kind of awe.
"What a pity about Shimura Isshin… dying on the eve of victory."
Near the Land of Grass, on the northwestern defensive line, the Konoha encampment buzzed with movement.
Dust-covered, exhausted shinobi stared with excitement and curiosity at the massive Two-Tails lounging not far away. In unspoken agreement, they all arrived at the same realization:
Big is beautiful—especially when "big" is on your side.
Yet inside the central command tent, the air was suffocatingly heavy.
"The Fire Core Division Commander is dead, and eight hundred troops lost a quarter of their numbers?!"
"Crushed by a mere Third Tsuchikage?!"
"Are you all useless?!"
The sharp, icy rebuke filled the tent. Uchiha Shihō, Hyūga Ashisa, and Sarutobi Sasuke all lowered their heads, not daring to breathe in front of Uchiha Soren, who wasn't even half their age.
After three long seconds of silence, Soren finally waved his hand.
"I'll handle the Third Tsuchikage. The rest is up to you."
"Mobilize the entire army."
"Within one hour, I want the Iwa forces dead across the field—corpses everywhere and flames reaching the sky."
"Yes, sir!"
The command spread instantly. The entire Konoha army surged out of the encampment, their movement so massive that the Iwagakure forces—who had planned a second assault—froze in shock.
A short, stocky old man with a thick nose, green-striped vest, and the Tsuchikage hat—Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage—floated in the sky above. His cold gaze swept across the advancing Konoha forces, but when he noticed the massive Two-Tails running on the air, his pupils contracted sharply. A chilling dread gripped his heart.
"Isn't that the Two-Tails from the Hidden Cloud?!"
"Konoha… actually captured it?!"
Onoki shot upward. Of all people, he understood the destructive might of a tailed beast. He absolutely could not allow the Two-Tails to fire Tailed Beast Bombs freely. Even his fearsome Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique, devastating as it was, could not save his troops from being obliterated if several mountain-splitting blasts rained down.
Below, Onoki's deputy took command, issuing rapid countermeasures.
The Iwagakure base stood upon a massive elevated platform of Earth Release. Looking down at the charging Konoha forces, the deputy roared:
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"
Hundreds of Iwa shinobi slammed their fists into the ground, shattering it into a river of shifting sand that cascaded downward like an avalanche toward Konoha's army.
"Earth Release: Moving Earth Core!"
At Sarutobi Sasuke's signal, Konoha's Earth-style shinobi formed seals together. Pillars of stone erupted upward, creating footholds for the charging forces.
Then Sasuke shouted:
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"
Dozens of wind blades tore forward, sharp enough to slice flesh and bone clean through.
Behind them, Uchiha Shihō raised his hand, and the clan's assault squad surged forward.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Dozens of blazing fireballs smashed into the Earth Flow Wall the Iwa shinobi raised in defense.
But the Iwa forces pressed on.
"Earth Release: Ten-Thousand-Li Earth Flow Rampart!"
A colossal wall surged up, blocking the exploding fireballs. Behind it, the Iwa middle ranks formed new seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Spears!"
Front-line Iwa shinobi dashed atop the rampart, unleashing the Earth Release: Rock Cannon Technique.
Instantly, countless stones shot upward, swelling midair into cannonball-sized projectiles.
"Watch your footing!"
Embedded within Konoha's elite squad, Hyūga Ashisa and several Hyūga jonin released palm shockwaves, shattering most of the projectiles. The rest were dodged by the swift elite.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique!"
Under Uchiha Shihō's command, countless flaming projectiles erupted forward like exploding phoenix seeds, shredding the stone barrage.
"Uchiha, prepare—Fire Release: Dragon Flame Formation!"
More than twenty fire dragons roared into the sky. They tore through the Ten-Thousand-Li Rampart, then surged onward, incinerating everything in their path.
Amid the rising heat, the Iwa deputy frowned, glancing upward. Onoki was still locked in aerial combat with the Two-Tails, and worry deepened in his eyes.
Their early advantage had come entirely from Onoki's aerial dominance—from his overwhelming Dust Release that had struck down enemies like falling pillars of annihilation.
His first kill had been Uchiha Fire Core, caught mid-battle and unable to dodge.
That terrifying power had forced both Sarutobi Sasuke and Hyūga Ashisa into caution. Even later, with Uchiha Shihō joining them, the three together had failed to deal with the airborne Tsuchikage.
But now—with the Two-Tails holding Onoki down, and Uchiha Soren commanding—
Konoha's full might was unleashed.
There was no hesitation.
No fear.
Blood spilled every second, every heartbeat.
Terror. Frenzy. Roaring battle cries.
The Uchiha, advancing atop heaps of corpses, danced between blades and sang within the flames. Their cold crimson Sharingan spun, and none dared meet their eyes.
"Don't get arrogant, Uchiha!"
"Earth Release: Steel Edifice Technique!"
An Iwa Kage-level shinobi summoned a towering stone titan—a technique from the Second Tsuchikage himself.
Uchiha Shihō sneered, preparing a high-rank Fire Release.
But before he could strike—
Hyūga Ashisa moved.
A full Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms obliterated the Kage-level foe's chakra network. Exhaling heavily—venting years of suppressed frustration—Ashisa stepped forward and unleashed a monstrous blow surpassing even his brother Ashirō.
"Eight Trigrams: Mountain-Splitting Strike!"
A pillar of chakra as thick as a water tank smashed into the stone giant, shattering it instantly. The lingering force blasted into the Kage-level shinobi behind it, crippling him.
Uchiha Shihō shot a startled glance at Ashisa—this was the true power of a Warring States-era clan head, finally revealed.
"Fire Release: Great Flame Prison!"
Sarutobi Sasuke's flames formed a blazing cage around the wounded Kage-level shinobi.
Uchiha Shihō followed with three blazing dragons.
"Eight Trigrams: Sky Wall Palm!"
With his Byakugan fully open, Ashisa struck the enemy's vitals precisely—just as the fire dragons swallowed the man whole.
"Third Tsuchikage—are you watching?"
"This is the fate of those who jump around blindly."
A figure stepped out of thin air.
His hand closed around Onoki's throat.
In the Tsuchikage's wide, disbelieving eyes, a gentle squeeze ended him—the man who would have carried Iwagakure into a new era simply… ceased.
"Leave a few survivors."
"Let them return to Iwagakure and deliver a message: in five days, Konoha will decide the rules of the shinobi world."
Storing Onoki's corpse into a sealing scroll, Uchiha Soren gazed indifferently at the sea of flames below. Amid the triumphant roars of the Konoha army, he mounted the Two-Tails and departed.
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