Chapter 460: Advancing into the Land of Wind
Mangetsu Hōzuki stood at the front of Kiri's Third Unit, sized up the Konoha army opposite him, and immediately said to the person beside him: "Konoha's numbers are smaller than ours, and they haven't dispatched many ninjas from their major clans."
"A chaotic melee, like we did against Kumo last time, is to our advantage. We have the village at our backs, making medical care and resupply convenient."
The person nodded. "Don't worry, I know what to do. You, on the other hand, need to be careful of Kakashi Hatake's Lightning Release. He has that self-created jutsu, Chidori. He also has the Sharingan, so don't get caught in his genjutsu."
This man was the true field commander of the Third Unit; he would be responsible for the specific troop movements. Mangetsu Hōzuki was only the nominal commander; his real mission was to intercept Kakashi.
Soon, the two armies began to clash, but Kakashi and Mangetsu did not immediately seek each other out.
Last time, all sides were trying to end the battle quickly while the other nations' Kage were occupied. This time, both Konoha and Kiri had the same idea: take it slow and first gauge the enemy's true strength.
They started with squad-level probing, slowly searching for weaknesses. If there were no outside interference, this battlefield could be deadlocked for ten days to half a month.
Not too far from Mangetsu, Mei Terumī's army also encountered Suna's forces a short time later.
Suna was more direct than Konoha. They had crossed the entire shinobi continent to fight; they couldn't afford a war of attrition.
Therefore, the battle on this front escalated quickly. The sound of continuous explosions rolled across the land, the commotion even reaching Mangetsu and Kakashi's position. This, in turn, spurred the battle on their front to escalate at a faster pace.
The final front, where Kisame's First Unit faced Kumo, was the last to erupt.
Kumo had traveled by sea, which delayed them.
However, because their leader was the Fourth Raikage, it was an all-out battle from the start.
Although the Fourth Raikage acknowledged Kisame as an opponent, his fiery temper made him want to crush Kisame with his own hands. Thus, before the two main armies had even fully deployed, the Fourth Raikage charged ahead of his army, aiming straight for the Kiri line.
Only a reckless brawler-type Kage like the Fourth Raikage, who relied on his "Meat Release" style, would dare use such a simple-minded tactic. If any other Kage tried it, they would be instantly incinerated by the allied ninja forces.
Kisame showed no weakness. Hoisting Samehada, he charged out of his own ranks to meet him.
Last time, he was only a Quasi-Kage and had to rely on schemes to level the playing field against the Raikage. This time, he didn't intend to do that.
Kisame took the Fourth Raikage very seriously. He had assigned most of Kirigakure's elites to his own unit. If he was overpowered, they would coordinate to help him tie down the Raikage.
That's why he had sent Shinya Matsutani and the others to support Mei and Mangetsu—those two units were too light on elite ninja.
The Land of Water had kicked off the war that would later be known as the final battle of the Fifth Great Shinobi War.
Now, the other two fronts were about to engage.
The Land of Bears.
Ishiro arrived earlier than Ōnoki and the army from the Land of Snow. However, the army from the Land of Demons had already arrived.
Ishiro moved to the center of the Land of Demons army and asked its commander, "How was the journey? Any trouble?"
The man nodded. "Lord Tsuchikage, the journey was smooth. We encountered no enemy resistance."
Ishiro nodded. "Rest for now. Wait for the Third and the Land of Snow army to arrive. Then we will decide when to advance into the Land of Wind."
"Yes, sir!" The man immediately went to make the arrangements.
After a long wait, the other two armies finally arrived.
Ishiro, Ōnoki, and Kawakita convened, forming the army command center.
Ishiro asked, "Third, what's the full situation across the shinobi world?"
Ōnoki replied, "Kirigakure is already engaged."
"Konoha's Kakashi Hatake, leading 1,500 troops, is facing Mangetsu Hōzuki's 2,000 Kiri ninja. Shinya is supporting Mangetsu."
"Suna's 2,000 troops are led by Ryosuke. They are fighting Mei Terumī's 2,500 Kiri forces. Takuhiro Uchiyama, Akio Wada, and Himeki Suda are all with that unit."
"Finally, the Mizukage (Kisame) is facing the Raikage (A). It's 2,500 Kiri against 2,000 Kumo."
"All three fronts are active. If there are no variables, regardless of who wins, the result will be mutually assured destruction."
"However, since Konoha and its allies chose to strike Kiri first, they must have an ace up their sleeve we don't know about. We suspect the situation in Kiri may deteriorate."
"In addition, Kumo's Killer Bee and Darui are leading Kumo's main force, about 5,000 strong, in a standoff with us across the sea."
"I sent Ikura, Han, and Rōshi with 5,000 troops to the coast to face them."
"Right now, only Kitsuchi is left guarding the village. Our numbers there are low, only 3,000 troops. This force is assembled and ready to reinforce any front."
"However, we still have 1,500 troops at our Takigakure branch. This force is currently hidden in the mountains of the Land of Waterfalls."
"If Konoha's main army attacks, that small force won't be enough to stop them. Obito Uchiha is still in the Land of Earth, so Kitsuchi cannot easily leave the village. If that happens, we'll be forced into a defensive battle for the village itself."
Ishiro knew what Ōnoki was worried about. "Don't worry," he said. "Nagato is tying down Konoha."
"Furthermore, I've sent word to our people inside Konoha. If Konoha's leadership is spread too thin, they are to create chaos and instigate the Uchiha clan to rebel."
"I believe Konoha won't be able to spare any Kage-level fighters to attack us. If they only send conventional troops, their numbers will be limited."
"The ambush force in Takigakure might be enough to stop them. We might even be able to repel them at the border."
Ōnoki nodded, finally relaxing. "Then let's enter the Land of Wind. I imagine the Kazekage has been waiting for us."
Ishiro nodded. "The Kazekage has no idea that we've chosen him as our breakthrough point."
His expression hardened. He addressed the command staff: "Relay the order: Full advance! Target: Sunagakure!"
"Yes, sir!" A unified shout came from the command tent.
A short time later, the 5,000-strong Iwa army crossed the border into the Land of Wind.
Rasa was not waiting at Sunagakure.
Although fighting near Suna offered advantages, the post-war reconstruction would be a massive headache. Therefore, Rasa had chosen a battlefield inside the Land of Wind: a canyon, about a hundred kilometers from the border.
Rasa had seized the tactical advantage of the terrain and was, as Ōnoki had said, waiting for Iwa's invasion.
Ishiro had already entered Sage Mode, expanding his perception across the battlefield. Not long after entering the Land of Wind, he found Suna's tracks.
Ishiro smiled faintly, speaking to Ōnoki, who was flying beside him. "Third, the Kazekage and his army are eighty kilometers from here."
Ōnoki was pleased at first—Ishiro had found the enemy early. But then he froze, looking at Ishiro in disbelief. "Ishiro, you... you can sense things eighty kilometers away?"
Ishiro shook his head. "That's the absolute limit. I don't usually try to sense things that far out."
Ōnoki ignored Ishiro's humblebrag. "How many men does the Kazekage have?"
This time, Ishiro shook his head, this time in embarrassment. "It's still too far to count them accurately. I'll tell you when we get closer."
After a while, the Iwa army had advanced another ten kilometers.
Ishiro spoke: "Suna has likely mobilized everyone. There are about 6,000 ninja ahead."
Ōnoki asked, "What's their formation?"
Ishiro, still flying, used his Porcelain Release to simulate a rough map of Suna's defenses in the air. He pointed to one area. "They are divided into multiple zones. Each zone's formation is tight. Suna wants to fight a positional war."
Ōnoki thought for a moment. "Is Suna's Puppet Brigade there?"
Ishiro pointed to one area on the map. "Here. At least 800 puppet masters are gathered."
Ōnoki nodded. "So, the Kazekage is really betting everything. He didn't even deploy this brigade in the last few conflicts."
"Ishiro, how do you plan to counter?"
Ishiro said, "We won't fight a chaotic melee. The casualties are too high, and even if we win, it's bad for maintaining the new order post-war."
"But I also don't intend to fight the positional war Rasa wants. In a positional battle, Suna's army can partially compensate for their lack of top-tier fighters."
"Besides, Kawakita is a close-combat specialist. A positional war doesn't play to our strengths."
Ōnoki nodded. "The Kazekage must have realized this, which is why he dares to face us head-on."
"But if you're not fighting a melee and not fighting a positional war, how are you going to fight?"
Ishiro smiled. "I'm going to duel him!"
"We have more Kage. The best way for us is to force the Kazekage and his high-end fighters into one-on-one duels."
Ōnoki was confused. "How do you force him? The Kazekage isn't stupid. He won't give up his advantage to match Kage against Kage with us."
Ishiro just smiled and didn't answer directly. "Third, we are the new hegemons of the shinobi world. But being the hegemon isn't easy."
"Why did Konoha dominate for decades? The biggest reason wasn't their strength, but because Konoha once produced a Kage who could suppress all four other villages by himself."
"In the eyes of every regular ninja, since the dawn of the village era, all Kage can be divided into two categories."
"There is Hashirama Senju, and then there are all the other Kage."
"Konoha had Hashirama, so Konoha was special. That's why, even as fellow great villages, we tolerated Konoha standing above us."
"Now, Iwagakure will be the hegemon. We will stand above the other four. Why should they accept that? On what basis?"
"Today, I will show the entire shinobi world why. Because Iwagakure also has a Kage who, like Hashirama, can take on an entire village alone."
"Of course, I can't compare to Hashirama yet. But in this era, I must create that impression. I want others to see me as the Hashirama who put Konoha on its pedestal."
"I am the one who gives Iwagakure the confidence to rule. Our village also has a warrior who stands above the Kage."
"I will use my personal strength to make all of Sunagakure submit."
Ōnoki was stunned. He blurted out, "Ishiro, you're going to fight the entire Suna army alone?"
Ishiro nodded. "That's right. I am challenging all of Sunagakure."
"This will be my battle of ascension. This will be the war that establishes Iwagakure's dominance!"
"I dragged you all the way to the Land of Wind, but not to fight a war of attrition. On this front, we will crush Suna with absolute, overwhelming power."
As they spoke, the Iwa army had drawn closer to the Suna forces.
Ishiro loaded the Gedo Statue fragment into a backpack and slung it over his shoulder. He then said to Ōnoki, "Third, I'm going ahead. You follow with the army."
With that, Ishiro accelerated and shot away from the Iwa army's ranks.
Every Iwa ninja saw their Tsuchikage fly off, but no one knew what he was going to do, not even Kawakita.
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