**Afternoon the next day**
Heavy, brooding clouds loomed low, casting a shadow over the land.
Between a winding river and a deep canyon stretched a dense forest, its towering trees swaying as a restless wind whispered through the branches. The air was thick with tension, the scent of war mingling with the damp earth.
Beneath the storm-laden sky, two forces clashed—both wielding supernatural power.
One side commanded flames, their fire roiling like molten fury, scorching the darkness and painting the sky in shades of ember and gold. The other controlled water, their torrents surging with relentless force, threatening to drown the battlefield in an unyielding flood.
Fire met water in an unrelenting dance of destruction, each technique colliding with raw, unrestrained power. Flames licked hungrily at the river's surface, evaporating it in hissing clouds of steam. Water surged forward, dousing infernos and carving new paths through the war-torn land.
Each impact reshaped the battlefield—the towering trees burned and blackened, their leaves reduced to drifting ash. The once-pristine river boiled in places, its surface disrupted by the ceaseless battle.
Scattered across the ruined land lay the fallen—bodies twisted and broken, their wounds deep and merciless. Blood darkened the scorched earth, a silent testament to the brutality of war.
The devastation was absolute. Charred ground, shattered trees, and crumbling terrain bore witness to the fury of the battle.
Here, amidst the ruin, ninjas fought—not just for victory, but for their beliefs, their homes, and the loved ones they swore to protect.
A weary voice broke the chaos.
"It seems… I've truly grown old."
Taking a deep breath, the Sandaime steadied his rapid breathing, his sharp gaze locking onto the enemy before him.
She was young and strikingly beautiful—an elegant figure that, at first glance, seemed ill-suited to the battlefield. Yet from her delicate frame erupted a force of sheer devastation, a power that defied her appearance.
"The younger generation these days… truly remarkable. It's hard not to admit that I've grown old."
Uchiha Toshiro was one such example, and now, standing before him, Terumi Mei was another. Both relied on their youth, their strength unburdened by time. Their relentless energy was overwhelming.
At nearly sixty-five, how could he possibly keep up with such relentless vitality?
"Sandaime Hokage, you're too kind," Mei responded with a respectful smile. "Compared to veterans like you, we still have much to learn."
Despite the exhaustion evident in his stance, she did not dare lower her guard.
Though age had diminished his stamina and chakra reserves, his mastery over ninjutsu, his precise tactical execution, and his seamless control of combat rhythm had taught her a valuable lesson.
Against a seasoned veteran like Sarutobi, a single misstep could be fatal.
"Sarutobi, stop wasting time and finish this!"
Enma in the Sandaime's grip cracked slightly, revealing a single eye that darted between Sarutobi and his opponent. Enma, his trusted companion, assessed the battlefield with urgency. His time in this world was running out.
The Sandaime wasn't surprised by Enma's impatience. After all, they were both past their prime.
"Explode!"
With a single motion, Sarutobi raised his hand like a blade, pointing directly at Mei Terumi. At his command, a series of explosive tags suddenly materialized beneath her feet.
"When—?!"
Mei barely had time to gasp in disbelief before the ground erupted in flames. She hadn't even noticed when the trap had been set, let alone realized she had walked right into it.
Boom!
A deafening chain of explosions shook the battlefield. Yet, Sarutobi did not smile in victory. Instead, his eyes remained sharp, scanning his surroundings with even greater vigilance.
He had seen it clearly—the figure consumed by the detonating tags had been nothing more than a clone. As for the real Mei Terumi, she could be anywhere: lurking in the puddles scattered across the battlefield, buried underground, or concealed in some unseen corner.
"The older the ginger, the spicier it gets, huh?"
Despite being outmaneuvered, Mei wasn't particularly upset. After all, she had only lost a clone—not a significant price to pay. More importantly, she had successfully neutralized a trap Sarutobi had meticulously prepared. From her perspective, it was a fair trade.
"Lava Release: Lava Hell!"
After observing from the shadows and finding no openings, Mei swiftly formed a series of hand seals before slamming her hands against the ground.
A surge of chakra spread outward, and within moments, the terrain around Sarutobi—spanning nearly hundred meters—transformed into a bubbling sea of molten lava.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
Faced with the vast expanse of molten lava surging toward him, the Sandaime remained composed.
Without hesitation, he exhaled a concentrated stream of refined earth-natured chakra. The moment it touched the ground, the terrain shifted dramatically, rising and solidifying into an immense earth wall towering over twenty meters high.
Calling it a mere "wall" hardly did it justice—its sheer size and thickness resembled a fortress barrier rather than a simple defense.
With practiced agility, the Sandaime propelled himself upward, gripping the rough surface as he climbed to the top of his own creation.
"Such mastery over earth chakra transformation… truly worthy of the title 'Ninjutsu Professor.'"
Mei couldn't help but admire his seamless manipulation of earth release. Even as her Lava Hell swallowed nearly ten meters of the structure, the towering wall remained unshaken, holding firm against the relentless tide of magma.
But she had no intention of stopping there. Without missing a beat, her hands began forming seals once more.
"Lava Falls!"
Despite its name, this technique did not involve magma cascading from a great height. Instead, it erupted violently from the Lava Hell Mei Terumi had created, surging upward with blistering intensity toward the Sandaime Hokage.
"This is becoming... quite troublesome."
Watching the molten surge approach, the Sandaime's expression tensed slightly. In that moment, he couldn't help but reflect on the relentless passage of time—youth slipping away, the weight of age settling in.
But now was no time for nostalgia.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
"Combined Ninjutsu: Wind Water Dragon Bullet!"
Even as he sighed inwardly, his hands moved with practiced precision, forming seals at lightning speed. A massive water dragon materialized, spiraling forward. A gust of wind followed, cooling the water mid-flight and lowering its temperature drastically.
Sizzle!
The instant the chilled water dragon clashed with the searing magma, steam erupted in violent bursts. Though it did not reach the subzero extremes of Ice Release, the sheer cold was enough to solidify the molten rock, halting Mei Terumi's attack in its tracks.
As the battle between the Sandaime and Mei Terumi raged on, flames and thick white mist filled the battlefield, creating an atmosphere of chaos and destruction.
"Where do you think you're taking your little girlfriend, Uchiha brat?"
Mangetsu Hōzuki, his body wrapped in a thin veil of water, trailed behind a pair of young Konoha shinobi, his twin flat-bladed swords gleaming ominously.
"Itachi! Leave me behind and run!"
Uchiha Izumi, injured and draped over Itachi's back, clenched her teeth in frustration. Panic filled her voice as she urged him to escape.
Her leg was badly wounded—her calf bone shattered, leaving her unable to move. On a battlefield like this, such an injury was nearly a death sentence. The last thing she wanted was to become a burden that cost them both their lives.
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, everything will be fine."
With his crimson Sharingan glowing in the mist, Itachi's expression remained eerily calm. His gaze never wavered from Mangetsu, who was steadily closing the distance.
Even as he carried Izumi on his back, Itachi found the time to reassure her.
"It's pointless. With Samehada by my side, your Sharingan's illusions won't work on me."
Mangetsu Hōzuki was bold, staring directly into Itachi's crimson eyes without the slightest hesitation. Confident in his companion's abilities, he even took the time to comment casually.
"The Uchiha Sharingan truly lives up to its reputation as a top-tier bloodline. You're so young, yet you're already holding your own against me. If it weren't for that injured girl slowing you down, I might not even have the upper hand right now!"
Clicking his tongue, Mangetsu recalled the other Uchihas he had faced before—none of them had been easy opponents.
Compared to those encounters, this boy and his wounded companion were far more manageable.
"Hmph."
Itachi hesitated for a moment. Mangetsu was staring directly into his eyes without the slightest sign of fear. Did he have some kind of countermeasure Itachi wasn't aware of?
No shinobi would recklessly meet an Uchiha's gaze unless they had a way to counter the Sharingan's illusions.
Did he truly believe that simply having a sword by his side made him immune?
As Itachi debated whether to cast Tsukuyomi and end the fight immediately, something shifted in the battlefield's center…
"Everyone, are you ready?"
Upon receiving affirmative nods from his team, Mimura wasted no time. He unrolled a scroll, took a small vial of blood from his pouch, and smeared it onto the parchment with practiced precision.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With the combined effort of him and his companions, a dense cloud of white smoke erupted in the middle of the battlefield. As it cleared, an enormous lizard emerged—Toshiro's formidable summoned beast, Shiromari.
"Another giant summon? Someone, alert the Yondaime Mizukage—we need reinforcements immediately!"
A frontline commander of the Kirit Ninjas watched the massive lizard warily. Then, his gaze shifted skyward to the eagle circling overhead, its presence continuously dispersing their Hidden Mist Jutsu.
The eagle was a nuisance, but it posed no immediate combat threat beyond nullifying their mist. The lizard, however, was an entirely different story.
Though it had yet to engage in battle, it was clear that this beast was a force to be reckoned with.
"Lord Shiromari, your aid is needed!"
Standing before the colossal lizard, Mimura couldn't suppress his excitement. Summoning such a powerful creature alongside his comrades filled him with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.
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