Chapter 125: Assembly
"What is this terrifying thing?"
"I don't have any expertise in mechanical aspects, so I can't say for sure what it is. I can only roughly tell that it's probably some kind of jutsu formula. Don't you feel anything yourself?"
"Nothing at all."
"There's nothing more I can do about this eye. I apologize."
"Why apologize? You haven't done anything wrong."
"I'll come find you after I've finished analyzing the chakra results."
"Alright then, goodbye."
After finally bidding farewell to Yakushi Nonou, the kind nun, Kakashi searched through his System for any potential functions his eye might possess, but found nothing on any of the existing panels.
Was this eye a bonus gift from a System upgrade, or did it, like the Mangekyo Sharingan, possess other unknown powers that needed to be slowly developed?
There wasn't a single hint, and compared to the Sharingan with its clear activation conditions, this seemed even more difficult to decipher.
The two functions he had unconsciously developed were likely just the most basic applications. He used to think his immunity to genjutsu was due to his Dragon Vein Chakra, but he never expected it was because of this eye.
So, given the System's usual quirks, could the eye's undeveloped functions be because his chakra wasn't sufficient?
Perhaps they would automatically unlock once his chakra reached a certain level.
With this thought in mind, Kakashi prepared to call on Nagato in a couple of days when he next trained Itachi.
After experiencing the Rinnegan's combat power firsthand, his left eye might yield new discoveries.
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Land of Earth, Iwagakure Village
Compared to the other Four Great Nations, Iwagakure Village, renowned for its formidable defensive capabilities, not only boasted ninja adept at defense, but the village itself was encircled by treacherous natural barriers. These were towering rocky mountains, forming an impenetrable natural fortress that provided an inherent defensive advantage, making it exceedingly difficult for enemies to breach its interior. Conversely, communication with the outside world became proportionally challenging for them.
"Third Tsuchikage-sama, all preparations are complete."
The Iwa Jonin leading the way brought the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, to the top of a rock formation at least twenty meters high, from where he could observe the assembled might of the Land of Earth's strongest ninja corps below.
This was an unprecedented mobilization for the Land of Earth. Looking back from the Warring States period to the Third Great Ninja War, the number of times such a massive contingent of ninja had been deployed in a single battle could be counted on one hand.
The unique nature of ninja warfare dictated that it would never resemble a conflict among ordinary people.
A full ten thousand ninja.
All of them were the backbone of Iwagakure's forces; Chunin without impressive battle records weren't even qualified to join this army.
Why had such an immense number of ninja been gathered?
The reason was their very clear objective: to eliminate all Kumogakure forces invading the Land of Earth and the Land of Mud. The enemy possessed a fifth of their strength, two thousand ninja.
But that wasn't the most crucial point.
Ten thousand ninja would certainly not lose to two thousand. The problem was that
the enemy commander wasn't some renowned Jonin, but the Third Raikage himself.
That monster, whose physical body and chakra rivaled that of a Tailed Beast, had never once been recorded as wounded by Iwagakure throughout the war thus far.
What they were reluctant to admit was that the Third Tsuchikage was already advanced in age. While the Third Raikage was also no longer young, the physical type's decline was ultimately a bit slower than that of the ninjutsu-focused type's chakra degradation. The Third Raikage was still in his prime, but the Third Tsuchikage was past his peak, and he wasn't confident in defeating the former.
Another objective this time was to fully assist the Third Tsuchikage in killing the Raikage. As long as that monster was dead, the remaining Kumogakure forces, even if they had a Jinchuriki, would be nothing to fear.
This might sound somewhat absurd, the idea of a single person changing the tide of a battle...
But it was indeed a reality.
Especially after Iwagakure had suffered enough at the hands of Konoha's "Yellow Flash," now the Fourth Hokage, brutal reality had drilled this lesson into the Iwa ninja.
Powerful ninja who attained the rank of Kage undoubtedly possessed the ability to alter the course of a battle single-handedly, whether through raw strength or sheer intellect.
The phrase "one man, an army" perfectly encapsulated this.
Onoki was determined to secure victory in this campaign, but even with himself and these ten thousand ninja, a sliver of worry still gnawed at him. This lineup might still not be enough to stop that monster, the Third Raikage.
This was because no one in the Land of Earth could match his speed. If he chose to evade direct combat and engage in guerrilla tactics, the Land of Earth would be at a disadvantage.
For this very reason, the large-nosed, short-statured Tsuchikage had specifically summoned back Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure, whose stubborn nature often put him at odds with Onoki. He had even humbled himself to travel to the Land of Rain to seek the aid of the Uchiha Clan, the family renowned for being the strongest in genjutsu.
It was fortunate that the Uchiha Clan had left Konoha; otherwise, he would never have gone to Konoha to seek out members of that ninja clan.
It was ironic, truly. The family of one of the two founders of Konoha had simply left the village without a moment's hesitation.
"Under the witness of the Will of Stone, the victory of this battle shall be claimed by me, Onoki."
The Third Tsuchikage spoke to Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, who had just arrived behind him.
Dressed in purple attire and chest armor ninja tools, his back hair tied into a small ponytail, the bearded Roshi watched the diminutive ninja from behind. After his recent travels across the four seas, he had gained new insights into life, and his control over the Four-Tails had become increasingly proficient. He hadn't expected to be recalled to Iwagakure by this guy just as he was about to depart for another country.
"Once this fight is over, I'll go back to being a monk," he thought to himself.
Having made this mental declaration, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki walked over to the Third Tsuchikage's side and, alongside him, gazed down at the dense mass of Iwagakure's elite ninja below the giant rock. An indescribable surge of heroic spirit welled up in his chest.
The sheer numbers and collective morale truly had the power to sway one's perspective.
As the ninja below roared their battle cries, filled with fighting spirit, Roshi felt an urge to join them and let out a shout or two himself.
This was partly due to the influence of the Four-Tails within him, which also seemed to enjoy such lively, crowded scenes.
Satisfied, Onoki looked at the ninja forces below, certain this time that he had made the right decision. In another ten or twenty days, it would be the Third Raikage's burial.
Now, all that remained was to wait for the scout to report the exact location of the Third Raikage's camp.
The reason for assembling at this particular time was also because the scout was expected to reach the village imminently.
As expected, Onoki took the intelligence report from the visibly excited scout.
"The Third Raikage's camp is currently in the northwestern part of the Land of Earth."
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