Konoha.
Hokage Tower.
Inside the office, a massive map of the Land of Fire was spread flat across the desk.
Shimura Danzō held an intelligence scroll in his hand, his expression so dark it looked as though water could be wrung from it.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood to the side, exhaling smoke in slow curls, his brows equally furrowed.
After a long silence, Danzō finally spoke.
"Hiruzen, Shikaku has sent word from the front line. They can't hold any longer."
"The Cloud Village's offensive is overwhelming. Casualties among the various ninja clans are severe."
"Yamabuki Ridge has fallen. Every member of the Nara clan stationed at Kigi Village was slaughtered."
"Several minor clans have already been wiped out, and even the surviving ones are unwilling to keep sending their people to die. In each battle, they put up only token resistance before collapsing and fleeing…"
Danzō finished his report and extended a finger, pointing at the map on the desk.
"Kikyō Castle, the Valley of the End, Tanzaku Town, the Fire Temple…"
"If the defensive line formed by these four locations collapses, Konoha will be completely exposed to the enemy."
Hiruzen fell silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice.
"Danzō, our contingency preparations are basically complete. We can free up manpower and send reinforcements to the front."
Danzō nodded.
"I'll leave this matter to you."
"Send Minato and Jiraiya. Right now, they're the only ones with the power to turn the tide."
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Kikyō Castle.
Countless kunai carrying explosive tags tore through the sky, triggering a chain of thunderous explosions.
"Konoha's turtle-headed cowards! Let's see how much longer you can hold out!"
"Hahahahaha… you traitors! The rightful rule of the Land of Fire belongs to the Cloud Village!"
"You ungrateful wretches don't deserve to enjoy the fertile land of the Land of Fire!"
Cloud Village ninja hurled curses as they continuously flung kunai and explosive tags toward Kikyō Castle.
The Land of Lightning had been preparing for this war long in advance, so ever since hostilities began, supplies had poured steadily into the front lines.
As a result, even with Kikyō Castle's geographical advantage, the Konoha ninja were still being beaten down hard.
"Damn it, do these spendthrift lunatics really feel no pain at all?"
Watching explosive tags detonate again and again against the city walls, Sarutobi Shinnosuke cursed in frustration.
He had never seen such a frenzied war before—explosive tags were being thrown around as if they cost nothing.
One explosive tag cost at least 2,000 Ryō. Even the Sarutobi clan had to budget carefully when using them.
Yet these Cloud Village madmen didn't seem to care in the slightest.
Just as Shinnosuke was baffled, the captured Cloud spy burst out laughing.
"I say, you Konoha ninja don't seriously have to pay out of your own pockets for your weapons in war, do you?"
"In our Cloud Village, explosive tags, kunai, soldier pills—every kind of supply is issued daily in fixed quantities. Why would we feel any pain using them?"
Hearing this, Shinnosuke finally understood, though it only made him more irritated.
In his view, the Cloud Village's approach was nothing short of wasteful excess.
Issuing supplies directly to ordinary ninja would only lead them to hoard or squander them recklessly.
Over time, no matter how vast their reserves were, they would eventually be drained dry.
It was far better to make ordinary ninja purchase their own equipment—only then would they truly value it in battle.
"Shinnosuke-sama…"
A subordinate's quiet reminder snapped him out of his thoughts, and he noticed the complicated expressions on the faces of those around him.
His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly ordered the Cloud spy to be dragged away.
"Luckily, most of the people here are our own clansmen or allied clan ninja. Otherwise, who knows what kind of chaos that could have caused."
"It seems we'll have to be on guard against these Cloud spies in the future. We can't give them any chance to stir up trouble."
Just as Shinnosuke was silently congratulating himself, the walls of Kikyō Castle finally gave way under the relentless bombardment and collapsed.
In the next instant, the Cloud Village ninja surged forward excitedly toward the city.
"They've got huge numbers of explosive tags! Close in and engage in close combat!"
Under Shinnosuke's command, the Konoha ninja abandoned their original positions and charged straight toward the Cloud forces.
The two sides collided in an instant, shouts and killing cries shaking the air.
Because of Kikyō Castle's strategic importance, the Konoha ninja stationed there were all elite members of their respective clans.
The Sarutobi clan formed the core, with over a thousand ninja.
The remaining two thousand or so came from the Inuzuka, Nara, Shimura, Aburame, and other clans.
Once the melee began, the Konoha side actually began to gain the upper hand.
"Hahahahaha… shouting so fiercely, and this is all you've got?"
"You really thought Konoha ninja were easy to bully? Today, none of you are leaving alive."
"Fire Release: Grand Flame Technique!"
"Secret Technique: Insect Sphere!"
"Fang Over Fang!"
The various secret technique clans unleashed their signature arts. Many Akimichi ninja swallowed their clan's secret pills, expanding their bodies several times over as they charged straight into the Cloud ranks.
Under the onslaught of the Konoha ninja, the Cloud Village forces began to retreat step by step.
Seeing this from afar, the tension in Shinnosuke's heart finally eased.
So much for the so-called strongest ninja village—this was all they amounted to.
The Konoha ninja had been chased and insulted by the Cloud Village for so long that everyone was holding in a burning resentment.
Now that they had the upper hand, they were ecstatic, completely unaware that the battlefield had shifted more than ten miles away as the fighting continued.
"Cloud Village scum, today is your day to die!"
The Konoha ninja shouted triumphantly—only to see mocking smiles spread across the faces of the Cloud forces.
"You finally took the bait."
In the next moment, the Cloud ninja who had been struggling moments before suddenly withdrew to both sides.
Then, pairs of crimson Sharingan appeared before the eyes of the Konoha ninja.
"Not good—it's the Uchiha clan!"
"Don't look into their eyes! You'll be caught in genjutsu!"
"Everyone stay calm! As long as we stand together, the Sharingan isn't that big of a deal!"
Thanks to their earlier battles against the Cloud Village, the Konoha ninja quickly steadied themselves.
At the same time, the Uchiha ninja had already charged into their midst.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Nearly a hundred ninja cast Fire Release simultaneously, the fireballs merging into a sea of flames that instantly swallowed the front line of Konoha forces.
Then the Uchiha ninja burst into wild laughter as they charged straight into the Konoha formation.
"Konoha bastards—the Uchiha… have returned!"