They would continuously drain Konoha's energy, so that by the time the final battle arrived, Torifu and the others would be completely exhausted, and their strength would have significantly decreased. This would give Hanzō a chance to succeed.
However, Torifu wouldn't let him have his way so easily.
The night passed quickly, and early the next morning, the army immediately mobilized and quickly advanced toward the border. Along the one-kilometer path, they encountered some reconnaissance ninja who Torifu effortlessly dealt with. They were all low-level ninja, a seemingly intentional choice. Their combat strength was minimal, and they would not have served any purpose in the army. If they succeeded in obtaining useful information, it would be a gain; if they died, it would be no great loss.
After marching for about ten minutes, Konoha's army reached the Land of Fire's border. They could now see Amegakure's troops. Just by looking at the formation, Konoha's army was a full half larger than theirs.
Torifu waved his hand, and all the ninja behind him immediately stopped.
From the opposing Amegakure army, a ninja slowly walked out. His golden hair seemed out of place in the entire squad. A black filter covered his face, making it impossible to see what he looked like. But his presence alone showed that he was the leader of this squad and the strongest of them all. Following him, over twenty other ninja walked out and stood silently behind the golden-haired man.
"I have only ever heard of the Hokage-sama's reputation from others. I thought it was very magnificent, but seeing you today, I'm a little disappointed."
Torifu smiled calmly. "Oh? Why don't you tell me what it is that disappoints you."
The golden-haired man sized Torifu up. "I can't quite put my finger on it, but I just feel that you are not worthy of the title of Hokage."
The golden-haired man showed no fear in front of Torifu, and his words were full of condescension. This made Konoha's ninja feel insulted, and they all began to roll up their sleeves, ready to teach him a lesson.
"Whether or not I'm worthy is not for an insignificant person like you to decide. If Hanzō hadn't gone mad and declared war on Konoha, would you even be qualified to look me in the eye?"
The golden-haired man tried to say something else, but Torifu cut him off. "That's enough. I don't have time to waste with you here. Attack!"
With Torifu's command, Konoha's ninja rushed toward Amegakure like a raging wave!
The golden-haired man was a little flustered. He had wanted to stall for a bit more time, but he didn't expect the Hokage wouldn't fall for it and would attack directly. But he quickly regained his composure. "For Hanzō-sama! For the future of the Land of Rain! Kill!"
Although Amegakure's ninja were not as strong as Konoha's, they gave it their all for the sake of their country! The two armies quickly became entangled in a fierce battle!
In an instant, Torifu appeared in front of the golden-haired man. A crystalline green blade immediately formed on his arm, heading straight for the man's throat!
The golden-haired man immediately retreated! His hands quickly formed a hand sign. "Water Release: Raging Waves!"
A stream of water shot out of his mouth, directly dousing Torifu. The blade-like water fiercely cut at Torifu's body. Before long, it cut Torifu in half.
But the golden-haired man did not relax in the slightest. He wasn't stupid; he didn't think such a low-level ninjutsu could kill the Hokage! He was now using all his senses to perceive everything around him, not letting any small fluctuation escape his notice.
Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet began to shake! A crystal-sharp spike emerged from the ground! He barely dodged it, avoiding being pierced by just a centimeter.
"Is the Hokage only capable of hiding in the shadows? It seems I was right after all."
But his provocation had no effect on Torifu. Torifu wouldn't pay any mind to what a mere clown had to say.
Following that, more and more crystal spikes appeared on the ground. Even with the golden-haired man's incredible speed, the crystals managed to inflict several cuts on him. Blood flowed continuously.
"Your strength is lacking, but your mouth is quite impressive. I haven't even used much power yet, and you're already in such a sorry state."
A mirror condensed out of thin air, and Torifu walked out of it. The golden-haired man immediately made a hand sign, and the next moment, a water vortex appeared beneath his feet, and a vicious-looking water dragon surged out! It lunged at Torifu!
But Torifu just snapped his fingers, and a ring of blue-and-white light spread from beneath his feet. Everything it passed over was instantly frozen. The water dragon, with its mouth still wide open, ready to tear at Torifu, was frozen mid-air and shattered into dust when it hit the ground.
"Your strength feels unstable. I'm guessing you didn't obtain it through a legitimate method."
Hearing Torifu's words, the golden-haired man panicked a little. "What nonsense are you talking about! My strength came from my own hard work and training, one step at a time!"
Torifu waved his hand. "Deny it all you want. When I make it to Amegakure, I'll see what kind of shady methods you used to increase your power."
Torifu clapped his hands! Countless white cloud chains shot out from all directions toward the golden-haired man, binding him tightly, making him unable to move.
He was about to say something, but the next moment, a crystal spear pierced through his chest. However, no blood flowed out, and his body turned into a puddle of water.
"A substitution jutsu. You're quite skilled at escaping."
"All Amegakure forces, retreat!"
The golden-haired man's voice came from an unknown location. Upon hearing it, Amegakure's ninja immediately abandoned the current battle, turned around, and used their various ninjutsu to cover their retreat.
Konoha's ninja wouldn't let them get away so easily. They increased the intensity of their attacks, launching a barrage of assaults on the retreating Amegakure forces.
"Stop." With Torifu's order, the ninja gradually ceased their attacks. In this battle, Konoha only had a few hundred ninja with minor injuries; there were no major casualties.
"That guy sure got away fast."
A few of Amegakure's ninja died, but it was not a significant number in the grand scheme of things.
"What do we do now, Hokage-sama?" Hiruzen asked excitedly.
Torifu pointed in the direction they had retreated. "Let's go. Follow them. We can't let them get too far ahead."
With that, Torifu immediately began to run. The ninja saw this and quickly followed. Just as Torifu said, Amegakure had retreated after only a few minutes of fighting. From this point on, they would likely be fighting all the way. But this wasn't necessarily a bad thing for Konoha. This kind of fast-paced war gave Konoha a huge advantage. Because their overall strength was far superior to Amegakure's, very few of their ninja would die.
But this was only the beginning; the army led by the golden-haired man was nothing but the appetizer.