"Father, Iwagakure has already sent troops toward the Land of Rain."
"Judging by the timing, they may have already clashed with the Akatsuki ninja by now."
The Fourth A had kept his word—he had personally gone to the Land of Earth to monitor Iwagakure's movents.
"Very well. It's ti for us to take the stage."
"Let's go."
The Kumogakure rchant ships, which had been waiting for days, finally set sail again under the Third A's orders.
Although the fog had long since cleared, Akatsuki had successfully drawn Iwagakure's firepower away, making the once-formidable natural barrier seem almost unnecessary.
As the ships sped forward, the coastline of the Land of Earth soon ca into view.
At the sa ti, the Kumo ninja also beca visible to the Iwagakure forces.
Since Kumo had ambushed them during the Second Shinobi World War, Iwagakure had kept this coastal area heavily guarded.
"Sir, dozens of unidentified ships are rapidly approaching!"
An Iwa ninja wasted no ti, rushing to the guard post at full speed to report to the captain.
"What?!"
"Hurry, follow to intercept them!"
The Iwa ninja captain imdiately dropped the magazine he had been reading and sprinted outside without a second glance.
In no ti, he was leading a hundred n across the sea, moving swiftly to block the approaching Kumo fleet.
Allowing unidentified ships to enter the harbor was unthinkable—if anything went wrong, he wouldn't be able to bear the consequences.
Praying in his heart that this was rely an unreported rchant convoy, he gathered his courage and halted less than a hundred ters from the ships.
"The ships ahead must stop imdiately for inspection!"
"Otherwise, we will be forced to attack!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Iwa ninja captain realized his forehead was drenched in sweat.
If these ships truly belonged to the enemy, then today—his two-hundred-pound fra would have to answer for it.
"Lord Raikage, what should we do?"
Dodai's expression remained cold and unreadable, betraying no emotions.
"Keep going. I'll warm up."
The Third Raikage casually pulled back his cloak and flung it behind him.
The next second, he shot forward like a bolt of blue lightning.
"Oh no, it's Kumo ninja!"
The captain knew imdiately who was coming the mont he saw the familiar glow of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
He had fought Kumo ninja in the Second Shinobi World War—he would never forget the terror of that blue figure.
His worst fear had beco a reality. Now, he was prepared to die.
Even though he knew it was a losing battle, he had no choice but to fight. That was his duty as a ninja.
"Attack!"
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"
Pushing aside his fear, the Iwa captain unleashed his strongest ninjutsu and charged forward.
Though Wind Release was theoretically superior to Lightning Release, the power gap between them was simply too vast.
The enormous wind blade, sharp enough to slice a man in half, failed to even slow the Third Raikage down.
"Your courage is admirable."
With a single raised hand, the Third A effortlessly dissipated the wind blade—it was as easy as breathing.
Puff!
The sickening sound of flesh being pierced echoed through the air.
The Third A's hand had impaled the Iwa captain's chest, making him the first casualty.
The captain looked down, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Am I... dying?
But the Third A showed no rcy. In the blink of an eye, he pulled his arm free and lunged at the next Iwa ninja.
Within minutes, the sea was stained red. Severed limbs and lifeless bodies drifted on the water's surface.
The Third A walked calmly across the sea, drenched in blood, while the Kumo fleet behind him thodically carved through the crimson waves.
"They're all dead... dead~"
In a hidden corner along the shore, an Iwa ninja slumped to the ground, his eyes empty and unfocused.
A mont later, he snapped back to reality, rembering that he still had a mission to complete.
The captain had left him behind before charging ahead, precisely to ensure that at least soone would survive to deliver the report.
Wiping away his tears, the Iwa ninja took several deep breaths before forcing himself to his feet.
Without daring to look back—without even pausing—he poured every ounce of chakra into his body, pushing himself to move faster and faster toward Iwagakure.
When the tragic news reached Ōnoki, his rage exploded once again.
The new desk he had just replaced shattered into pieces, and the Iwagakure officials standing in his office fell into a tense, fearful silence.
"Damn it... damn it!"
For once, Ōnoki didn't even have the heart to scold his subordinates.
He knew exactly what this ant.
Iwagakure was now facing the most dangerous crisis since its founding.
"The Akatsuki are attacking from the front, and the Kumo ninja are following right on their heels."
"Do you think sothing like this happens by coincidence?"
Ōnoki could clearly sense it—this was a carefully orchestrated conspiracy against Iwagakure.
"You're right... Akatsukigakure must have already allied with Kumogakure."
"This is my failure. Lord Tsuchikage, please punish ."
The head of the intelligence departnt fell to his knees with a heavy thud, no longer holding onto any hope.
If only the Akatsuki had attacked, he might have been able to salvage the situation with an explanation.
But with the Kumo ninja launching their assault as well, he was now the perfect scapegoat.
Regardless of how well Kumo had concealed their movents, the failure to detect any clues still rested squarely on his shoulders.
"Punishnt?"
"Of course there will be punishnt."
"From now on, you'll report directly to the Operations Division."
"Even if you have to die, you'll die on the front lines for ."
"Do you understand?"
Ōnoki sneered, imdiately demoting the intelligence officer to the lowest rank.
If the man wasn't still sowhat useful, Ōnoki might have simply killed him on the spot.
"...Yes."
The forr intelligence officer stood up in a daze and slowly exited the office.
He was no longer qualified to attend this eting.
"Lord Tsuchikage, the most urgent matter now is stopping the Kumo ninja's advance."
"Please give the order."
With a scapegoat established, soone finally dared to speak up.
"Gather every available ninja in the village and prepare to depart imdiately."
Ōnoki made the decision without hesitation.
Even if he didn't want this war, there was no longer any choice—he had to face it head-on.
"Yes, sir."
All the Iwa ninja present responded in unison, though worry was evident on their faces.
They had fought against Kumo before.
Even in a one-on-one battle, victory was never guaranteed.
And now, with many of their troops already drawn away by Akatsuki, their chances looked even bleaker.
Yet, no one dared voice their doubts in front of Ōnoki.
"What are you all still standing here for?"
"Get out."
As soon as the last of them left, the commanding presence Ōnoki had maintained instantly faded.
It was as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
"...Sensei, I wish you were still here."
Muttering to himself, Ōnoki thought back to the wisdom his sensei had imparted.
At this mont, he no longer carried the presence of an unshakable strategist—only the weight of an old man struggling under the burden of war.
An hour later, a report ca in that the troops were assembled.
Ōnoki finally returned to his senses.
"...Let's go."
Draping his Tsuchikage robe over his shoulders, he straightened his posture and took a deep breath.
Though his heart remained heavy, he forced himself to recover his composure.
Arriving at the village entrance, he addressed the mass of assembled warriors before him.
"The Kumo ninja have invaded our land again."
"Can we just sit back and do nothing?"
"No!"
The thunderous response echoed like a mountain roar.
"So what should we do?"
"Kill them!"
"Kill them!"
"Kill them!"
"Good."
Then follow —let's go wipe out those Kumo bastards.
With that, Ōnoki soared into the air, leading the charge at the head of his army.
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