The next day, the Shinnosuke Squad, fully prepared, stood in front of the Konoha Camp's open ground, silently waiting for orders alongside thousands of Ninja.
"...Alright, that's the situation. Shikaku, you stay and command. The rest of you, go and prepare; we'll depart immediately."
At this moment, inside the commander's tent, Sakumo Hatake and a group of Jonin had finished their pre-battle meeting and assigned their respective tasks.
Soon after, Sakumo Hatake and Tsunade walked out of the commander's tent, looking at the hundreds of Leaf Ninja before them. Sakumo Hatake drew the short sword from his back and pointed it towards the Hidden Sand Village's Konoha Camp.
"Depart!"
With that, Sakumo Hatake led the way, with thousands of Ninja following closely behind, heading straight for the Hidden Sand Village's Konoha Camp.
The Land of Rivers, a country sandwiched directly between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, naturally became the optimal battleground, ensuring that no matter how the fighting unfolded, it wouldn't affect their own side.
This was precisely the sorrow of small nations; Nagato's words were not wrong. Great nations waged war for their respective "justice," disregarding the lives of others.
It wasn't just the Land of Rivers; there were also the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Moon, nestled between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.
And then there was the most tragic, the Land of Rain. It was sandwiched between the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth. Because it rained constantly, it was named the Land of Rain. The country had long been plagued by internal strife and civil war, and its affiliated Ninja Village was the Hidden Rain Village. Its current leader was the legendary Ninja, the "Demigod" Hanzou, but even someone as strong as Hanzou could not change the tragic fate of the Land of Rain as a buffer zone for the wars of the three great nations, ultimately having to compromise.
Open plains were the best battlefields for large-scale Ninja decisive battles.
Soon, thousands of people followed Sakumo Hatake to an open plain in the Land of Rivers, which was the best venue for a large-scale Ninja decisive battle, as there was no concern about enemy ambushes. After Sakumo Hatake stopped, the Ninja behind him stood still, waiting for the Sunagakure to arrive.
Konoha had already deployed eight thousand Ninja to the Sunagakure battlefield, and that was all they could send. After all, it wasn't the only battlefield; most of the forces had been sent to the Iwagakure and Kumogakure borders to guard against the two great Ninja Villages, and they also had to pay attention to the Hidden Mist. It was normal for forces to be stretched thin in multi-front warfare. The main thing was how the commander chose to fight.
Soon, a dense sea of people appeared at the edge of their vision. At a glance, there were significantly more than the four thousand Konoha had brought this time, estimated to be around five thousand.
The two sides confronted each other at a distance of less than two hundred meters. From the Sunagakure ranks, an old woman and an old man with long, thin eyebrows emerged. Behind them stood the young man who had attacked the Konoha Camp last night, manipulating gold dust to fight Jiraiya. On Konoha's side were Sakumo Hatake and Tsunade, with the Ino–Shika–Chō trio standing behind them.
"Sakumo Hatake, your Konoha maliciously assassinated our Third Kazekage, leading to the Kazekage's disappearance. You wantonly provoked this war. Is Konoha not going to give us, Sunagakure, an explanation?"
Ebizo stepped forward, and as he spoke, he used Chakra, causing his voice to be heard by thousands of Ninja.
The Hidden Sand Village's side immediately erupted in an uproar, with various insults that were unbearable to hear. Konoha's side was not to be outdone, and the two sides, totalling nearly ten thousand people, began to curse at each other like a massive marketplace.
"Ridiculous."
Sakumo Hatake stepped forward, raising his hand to signal the Leaf Ninja to quiet down. Chiyo also waved her hand to signal the Sunagakure to stop.
"Just because your Third Kazekage disappeared, you claim we did it? You have no evidence and yet you arrogantly bluster here."
As soon as Sakumo Hatake finished speaking, Tsunade took over.
"Your Third Kazekage didn't leave the Hidden Sand Village, did he? So he just silently disappeared within the Hidden Sand Village's territory? The so-called strongest Kazekage is nothing more than this..."
"Hmph!"
As soon as Tsunade finished speaking, Chiyo interrupted her with a grim expression.
"Tsunade Hime of Konoha is truly sharp-tongued. However, for Konoha to send only the two of you is perhaps too dismissive of us, Sunagakure. Sakumo Hatake, today, you will have to take responsibility for your past actions...!"
As for whether Konoha was truly responsible for the Third Kazekage's disappearance, it no longer mattered. The war had already begun, and it could not be resolved with a few words or a single alliance treaty. Both sides would have to pay a bloody price for it!
"Kill!"
Accompanied by earth-shattering war cries, two torrents of Ninja clashed, and in an instant, countless lives were lost!
"Konoha scum, prepare to die!"
"Hmph, sand-playing fools, go back to the desert!"
Amidst shouts of rage, the Chunin and Genin fought in a chaotic melee, while the Jonin each found their own opponents.
Chiyo summoned the "Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets," and any Leaf Ninja who approached Chiyo were instantly killed by the ten puppets. Sakumo Hatake, on his side, wielded his White Light Blade, rapidly charging towards Chiyo. All Sunagakure who blocked his path were decapitated with a single strike, their bodies dismembered.
As Chiyo and Sakumo Hatake became entangled in an intense battle, Tsunade also made her move. Her target was clear: the young man who could use gold dust.
Ebizo, meanwhile, was held up by the Ino–Shika–Chō trio. For a time, the high-level combatants on both sides fought fiercely. Even Shinnosuke separated from Ren and the others, facing off against two puppet masters. As for Hayama, his eyes lit up when he saw a Special Jonin, and he immediately struck with his blade. Now, only Ren and Ryufeng remained among the Genin, slaughtering enemies while observing the situation.
Although the Sunagakure had a numerical advantage, Konoha's quality compensated for some of the numerical disparity. So, for now, it still appeared to be an evenly matched fight t (t.
"Oh, isn't this the little brother from yesterday? Is Konoha Village so short on people that they send you kids to die?"
A mocking female voice rang out. Ren didn't react much to the sound, but Ryufeng's expression changed. He pulled Ren and turned around, retreating while preparing to counterattack.
What appeared before them was a beautiful woman with dark green hair tied in a bun, with yellow strands cascading diagonally down both sides of her face. She wore a black bandeau, revealing a large expanse of fair skin on her back, and white bandages wrapped around her waist. She had a tall figure and an oval face, and she was looking at the two of them with a slight smile.
For some reason, Ren felt that this beautiful woman looked familiar.
"Hmph, what arrogance. We'll see who dies. State your name. I, Uchiha Ryufeng, do not kill nameless nobodies."
Ryufeng immediately retorted, Who couldn't talk tough? Besides, he couldn't defeat this woman in a one-on-one fight, but with Ren, they might just be able to fight.
"I say, do you think finding a little companion will allow you to contend with me? As for my name, it's no harm to tell you."
The beautiful woman opposite opened her cherry lips slightly.
"My name is...
Ye Cang!"