Five days ago.
Konoha gathered its superior forces and pushed the battlefront back to the area between Tenfu Gorge and Mount Fukyu. After occupying the corresponding positions, they divided their troops into three parts.
Minato held the center, while Jiraiya and Kushina were positioned on the more forward left and right flanks of the center force, forming a pincer-like formation.
Konoha's strategic decision-makers placed great importance on the area from Tenfu Gorge to Mount Fukyu because it was the most important pass in the eastern Land of Fire.
If completely occupied by Kirigakure, Konoha's Ninja Forces would have to retreat to the second line of defense.
The second line of defense area contained numerous prosperous towns, mineral veins, and farmland. If fighting occurred there, regardless of victory or defeat, the Land of Fire would suffer huge losses.
This was a particular feature of the geopolitical strategy between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.
Other great nations were surrounded by small countries that served as strategic buffer zones.
Once war broke out, the great nations would tacitly agree to place the main battlefield within these small countries. This way, no matter how fierce the war, the great nations would suffer limited losses.
Correspondingly, the small countries serving as battlefields would become hellish places.
Between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, however, there was no strategic buffer zone. Once war broke out between the two, the battlefield was inevitably within their own borders.
During the First Great Ninja War, Konoha advanced onto the isolated island and nearly smashed the Land of Water's capital.
This time, the Land of Water seized the opportunity of the Third Great Ninja War to bring the flames of war into the Land of Fire's territory.
Therefore…
For Konoha, the first line of defense was extremely important. Once breached, the battlefield would extend into the Land of Fire's interior. If it turned into a protracted, destructive war there, smashing all the valuable assets within the country, the Third Hokage would likely have to consider more than just stepping down… he'd probably have to consider seppuku.
Furthermore, Kirigakure was inherently isolated overseas, with an objectively long coastline. Konoha's Ninjas weren't gods, so how could they defend against Kirigakure landings at all times?
Since they couldn't prevent Kirigakure landings by advancing, and couldn't accept the battlefield extending into the prosperous interior by retreating, it became completely acceptable for Konoha's leadership to open the battlefield in the area between Tenfu Gorge-Mount Fukyu and the coastline.
In short,
According to Konoha's original plan, they intended to let Kirigakure's forces in, then close the door and beat the dog, utterly destroying their effective strength.
After that, they could transfer troops from this front to deal with the more troublesome Kumogakure.
However, right now, Konoha leadership's strategic plan had suffered a massive shock.
It's because Kirigakure, whom they hadn't paid much mind to originally, had bizarrely produced a monster-level Ninja who successively severely injured Jiraiya, Minato, and even the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki. This completely stunned Konoha's leadership.
You've got to be kidding!
Don't tell me the Village of the Bloody Mist's brain-dead policy of pitting people against each other actually managed to produce a thousand-year genius!???
Too absurd!
Konoha's leadership was exasperated.
So they began reinforcing, transferring large numbers of elites to the Kirigakure's front. For this, the Third Hokage even made a political sacrifice, signing a ceasefire agreement with Iwagakure while the war situation was favorable, all to pull back his fist and push down the newly emerged threat from Kirigakure.
With her thoughts complex, Kushina's expression was also somewhat troubled. These strategic games were not something she was good at.
What she liked most was using her fists to solve problems. If that really couldn't solve the problem, then she could always solve the person who raised the problem.
"Yuki Sora…"
"Sigh…"
Kushina looked up at the sky, then lowered her head and sighed. She always felt this problem would be very difficult to solve. As for the person who raised the problem, she just hoped she wouldn't be the one getting solved first when the time came.
…
Dense raindrops fell from the sky, stirring rustling winds that echoed incessantly above the gorge.
Under the rain curtain, teams of Kirigakure Ninjas wearing rain cloaks were swiftly approaching the Konoha's camp, using the natural cover of forests and mountain rocks.
Tenfu Gorge.
7 kilometers away, along a circular perimeter.
The stealthy advance of the Kirigakure's force halted abruptly.
"Tsk tsk…"
"Sora!"
"It seems the Konoha's Ninjas aren't fools either!"
Mei raised her soft chin, revealing the pretty face hidden under the rain cloak, and said in a displeased tone, "The forest ahead has been cleared, and the streams flowing into the gorge lake have been blocked with giant stones by Konoha's Ninjas. Our village's Ninjas aren't skilled at Earth Release stealth either. Looking at it this way, the plan to heavily damage the enemy camp with a surprise attack probably won't work."
Sora lifted his gaze, looking through the rain curtain towards the end of his line of sight.
"This distance…"
"Is enough."
Sora said faintly.
"Enough?"
Mei blinked, puzzled. "Sora, you already have a plan? But the surprise attack plan clearly won't work. Are we going for a frontal assault?"
"Surprise attack?"
Sora shook his head: "This plan was never about a surprise attack. Stealth was just to get close to the Konoha camp, surround it, and then…"
"Annihilate them in one go!"
Sora's right hand gently stroked the Hyorinmaru at his waist, his eyes gleaming coldly as he said, "In an annihilation battle, no prisoners are needed. Everyone…"
"Go and kill to your heart's content!"
The next instant, Sora's figure disappeared from the spot.
…
Konoha Camp.
In the heavy rain, Kushina grew increasingly uneasy. She watched the curtain of rain falling from the sky to the ground, as if it were weaving a bloody maw ready to devour its prey.
"I feel…"
"Something isn't right!"
Kushina's small face turned pale.
At that moment, as if in a trance, she seemed to hear a chilling voice sound from high above in the sky.
"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast!"
"Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring!"
"Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle, Hado #63…"
"Raikoho!"
The cold, clear voice flowed out as if from the depths of hell.
Kushina's heart tightened, and she immediately shouted loudly: "Be careful, enemy attack! An attack from the sky!!!"
Before her words faded, a blast shockwave gleaming with lightning descended from the sky and struck the Konoha's camp.
Instantly, intense high heat spread along with the exploding lightning.
Boom!
Boom!
Deafening explosions rang out.
White light shot towards the sky.
A wave of scorching air swept across, engulfing the entire Konoha's camp in an instant.
Scorching heat!
Impact!
Thunder!
The violent lightning flashed recklessly.
The first second: The roaring lightning fell, the camp's barrier shattered accordingly, the falling rain evaporated from the heat, and the earth cracked with fissures.
The next second: The rampaging lightning spread, engulfing countless Konoha's Ninjas. Amid the flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, those engulfed Konoha's Ninjas were turned into horrifying charred corpses.
The third second: The very air was ignited by the intense heat of the spiritual pressure, emitting an eerie red glow like molten iron being poured over those blackened corpses. The terrifying high temperature instantly vaporized the charred corpses into white mist, releasing waves of a nauseating smell.
The fourth second: The previously blocked rain curtain fell again. Large amounts of rainwater were evaporated by the scorching remnants of the explosion, carrying the vaporized stench of the charred corpses, hissing as it swept out in all directions.
The fifth second: There were no screams, only silent terror and despair.
Even though Kushina's warning was timely enough, too few Konoha's Ninjas had managed to react.
Just from the first wave of attack, a large section of the camp had turned into a living hell, everywhere filled with a stomach-churning, charred stench.
It wasn't just disgusting, because the air was also scorching and boiling hot… breathing it in directly would probably burn through a person's windpipe.
Everyone held their breath.
No one dared to breathe, even less dared to call out.
Some had their skin burned by the high temperature, others were affected by the residual power of the lightning.
Their skin and flesh, as if touched by scalding molten iron, immediately began to fester, revealing the terrifying white bone beneath.
The dead were dead, the wounded wounded. With just one flash of lightning, nearly half of the roughly three hundred Ninjas in Konoha's left camp were brutally killed.
The decisive battle had abruptly begun in the most bloody and despairing way.