"Sir,I have an urgent message from HQ!" A Mist shinobi yelled as he rushed through the trenches toward Kaga, who was currently taking cover from explosive kunai that the Grass forces were throwing occasionally to keep them at bay.
Kaga was currently leading a battalion of Mist ninja located on one side of Tenchi bridge, along with another company of Leaf shinobi that were being led by a member of the Uchiha clan that Kaga hadn't gotten the name of yet.
The forest on either side had been torn down and the trees used to build cover and defences while the war had been ongoing, making the bridge itself dead man's land.
Their forces had been using the trenches they had built for cover from the projectiles and ninjutsu that had been thrown at them so far. However, if Kaga thought this message was what he had been hoping for then, everything was about to change.
"Sir, HQ have ordered us to press on the attack! The Stone reinforcements have been disbanded and the bridges are open for attack!" The Mist shinobi yelled through the sound of explosions.
Kaga couldn't help but smile, even as a kunai with a paper bomb wrapped around the handle landed right next to his head, sticking in the top of the trench above him.
"It's about damn time!" Kaga yelled, quickly pulling the kunai out of the wall before he threw it back, standing to his feet as he did causing all of the others to look at him in awe.
"Alright men, let's take these bastards out once and for all!" He yelled, getting a powerful battle cry from his men as he rallied them to charge with him into battle.
Meanwhile... At Kannabi Bridge.
Mangetsu was currently leading the second company of Mist shinobi that had been keeping the combined Stone and Grass forces at bay. He too had another Leaf battalion backing him and his forces up, however, so far he felt like he had been doing most of the grunt work.
The situation was the same with trenches having been dug for cover and both the Mist and Leaf forces waiting for the order to attack while they took shelter in the defences they had made out of the trees.
"Sir, word from HQ has come, we are to attack at once." One of the messengers said, letting Mangetsu know.
"Is that right?" He said, taking a good look at the Grass shinobi who were currently defending Kannabi bridge, as they too watched them for any sign of advancement.
"Yes sir." The messenger said, wondering what he meant.
"Tell the Leaf that they can press on the attack first, rather than letting us do all of the work," Mangetsu said, clearly not happy that the Leaf were slacking.
"B-But sir, I don't have..." The messenger said, not sure what to do.
"Never mind, I will do it myself!" Mangetsu yelled before he climbed up onto the open ground, leaving himself wide open like target practice for the Grass shinobi as they watched him from the other side of the bridge.
However, Mangetsu didn't give it any bother whatsoever and simply walked toward where the Lead forces were, jumping back down into the trench in front of some of the Leaf forces.
"Where the hell is your commander!" He yelled, taking them all off guard.
"I'm here." A man resembling one of the Nara clan said, getting Mangetsu's attention.
"What the hell are you up to? My men and I are at the front doing all of the hard work and heavy lifting while you Leaf bastards, stay back here and take it easy?" He yelled.
The Nara captain didn't flinch at his attitude and instead looked Mangetsu in the eye before he rubbed the back of his head.
"Man, what a drag... Actually, Captain Mangetsu." He said, addressing him correctly all of a sudden.
"I too have just received word from HQ giving the order to attack." He countered, becoming serious.
"Is that right? Well then, please be my guest." Mangetsu said, urging him to lead the charge with his men and impress him.
"So be it... Men, we launch a full-scale attack just as planned." He said, getting a nod from the other captains around him before they ran off to spread the word.
The Nara clan captain walked passed Mangetsu letting his shoulder bump against his.
"Next time you address me, you should do it with a little more respect. My name is Shikaku nara. Make sure you use it next time." He said with a serious look in his eye, causing Mangetsu to smile, happy to see that the Leaf had some backbone after all.
Shikaku took centre stage as he assessed the situation, taking a kneeling position in the trench before he finished calculating his strategy.
"Alright men, launch stage one of the attack plan!" He yelled, getting a roar from the others.
"Let's do it, Inuzuka clan!" Tsume Inuzuka yelled as she suddenly burst out of one of the trenches along with her ninja hound that looked more like a wolf.
Many more of the Inuzuka also did the same, all charging forward with their ninja hounds, leading the front line of the attack, along with a number of chunin Leaf ninja that specialized in close-quarter combat.
"Now, lay covering fire!" Shikaku yelled, getting the second wave to fire a combined fire-style jutsu, and storm of projectiles with at least 30 men and women combined shooting fireballs toward the Grass and Stone shinobi in front of the bridge.
"Look out!" The Grass shinobi yelled, seeing the Leaf forces charge from the trenches toward the bridge as they tried to ready their weapons.
However, the sudden rain of fire lit the sky and the Grass forces were forced to take cover or return fire in an attempt to intercept the large fire-style jutsu and storm of projectiles that was heading their way.
The Stone forces tried to put up earth-style walls, however, the Inuzuka clan had been too fast, closing the distance before they launched a full close-range offensive counterattack, not allowing the enemy to counter the fire-style jutsu.
"Don't let any of them live boys!" Tsume shouted as she cut down two Grass ninja with his own hands, watching as her ninja hound did the same, jumping on one before he sank his teeth into the poor boy's face, killing the Grass ninja with ease.
"Fang over fang!"
Mangetsu watched from the rear, impressed so far with the Leaf's efforts as they pushed onto the bridge with ease.
"Not bad, it's about time you boys did something." He said to himself.
"Sir, are we going to help them?" One of the Mist shinobi asked, waiting for his orders.
"Not yet," Mangetsu said, seeing that this Leaf captain had a greater plan, not wanting to get in his way until he asked for help.
"Now send in the tactical unit to plant the charges on the bridge while the enemy is distracted." Shikaku Nara said, giving his orders like a pro.
"Heavy unit move out!" He then yelled, getting another battle cry as more Leaf shinobi rushed forward to join the fighting.
"Spiked human boulder!" A number of them yelled, showing the power of the Akimichi clan as they smashed into the lines of Grass and Stone ninja, allowing the Inuzuka clan members to deal with the stranglers before they pressed forward now that the Akimichi clan had made an opening, along with those more suited to tanking heavy damage.
"Feel free to join in the fight now," Shikaku said as he turned to Mangetsu with a smirk on his face, seeing that his plan had worked perfectly.
"Hold the line men, we can't allow them to take the bridge!" One of the Stone captains yelled, doing his best to cut down another Mist shinobi with his kunai before blocking another attack from a ninja hound, feeling its powerful jaw close down, breaking the kunai in his hand, forcing him back.
Meanwhile.
Kaga and his men had launched their assault on Tenchi bridge and were engaged in close-quarter combat with the combined Stone and Grass forces on the bridge.
Kaga was cutting through anyone who got in his way, taking full advantage of the Kabutowari, or helmet splitter as it was more commonly known.
It was one of the seven ninja swords of legend, a sword consisting of a single-sided axe and a hammer joined by a length of chain, giving it incredible destructive power.
Kaga used the hammer to smash his foes into the ground and his axe to hack them down with ease. Sometimes using both to increase the amazing power of the Kabutowaria as it was ment to be used. None could defend themselves against its power and no one was able to stand in its way as Kaga used its power to smash, crack, hack and completely destroy all of the enemy ninja that stood before him.
The Leaf forces had also joined the battle, giving reinforcements to Kaga and his company, lending aid from the other side of the bridge as they provided supporting ninjutsu and fighters for the front lines with a mix of Leaf ninja from many clans.
"They are falling back!" Kaga yelled as he crushed the skull of a Stone ninja with his hammer, before using the chain that connected both of his weapons to block an attack and then using the axe to rip his torso wide open with one clean strike.
"The bridge is ours, get the demolition team there now!" He ordered before he charged back into the fight.
"Sir, the Mist forces have almost taken the bridge and have ordered that we plant the charges." One of the Leaf ninja reported to the Uchiha captain, who had been watching the battle from their side of the bridge.
"I can see... Do as he asks and plant the charges." The Uchiha captain said, agreeing with the request.
"At once sir." The Leaf shinobi said before he rushed off, leaving the Uchiha captain alone to watch the battle from afar again.
It didn't take long for Kaga and the other combined Mist and Leaf forces to push the small Grass and Stone battalion back, finally gaining control of the bridge as they had been forced to retreat to the other side.
"We need reinforcements now!" One of the Stone captains yelled, knowing they were going to lose this fight if they didn't get help.
"I'm trying sir, but no one is replying over the radio!" One of the messengers said, trying his best.
"No... That cannot be!" The captain said, thinking the worst.
However, the worst was the case for the Stone, with their radio towers that had been in the camp Kimimaro had destroyed, they were unable to send radio communications and were now alone in this fight until someone realized what was going on. However, by then it would be too late.
"ARGH!"
The screaming of his men being slaughtered snapped him out of his thoughts before he turned his attention back to the fight.
"We have no choice, we must retreat!" He yelled, knowing they stood no chance now that the enemy had pushed passed the bridge.
"Sir, the explosives are set." One of the Leaf ninja said as he joined Kaga at the front.
"Good, wait until we get everyone off of the bridge and then blow it!" Kaga yelled, seeing that the enemy forces were retreating.
"The bridge is ours! Everyone off of it now!" He yelled, getting all of their men to retreat off of the bridge until it was clear.
"Blow it now." The Uchiha captain said, watching as the last of the men were about to clear the bridge.
"Yes sir." The Leaf ninja said, giving the order.
"Light it!"
The fuse had been lit and the sticks of dynamite ignited before they exploded, causing a huge plum of smoke to burst into the air as the bridge collapsed as a result.
"We did it... Tenchi bridge has been secured!" Kaga yelled while he watched the fireworks, feeling proud of himself and his men.
"I can only hope that Mangetsu and the others had the same result on the other side." Kaga then said to himself as he lowered his weapons, looking into the distance whilst his men cheered in victory.
"Sir we have pushed the enemy back far enough that our explosion team were able to set the charges without any casualties." One of the Leaf scouts reported to Shikaku who was still at the rear, watching his men take and secure the bridge while they pushed the Stone and Grass forces onto the rear of the bridge where they continued colliding for ground.
"Good work. Only ignite the charges on my order." Shikaku then said, knowing it wouldn't be long before they were able to push the enemy far enough back that they could blow the bridge.
Mangetsu was impressed that the Leaf battalion had been able to do this by themselves, putting it more down to the fact that the Stone and Grass shinobi were only low-level grunts that had been ordered to guard these positions before the reinforcements arrived.
However, no such reinforcements would be coming to help them, and as such it made them easy pickings for the more war-hardened veterans.
Mangetsu smiled while he watched the fighting, wondering how long they would be able to hold out until they ran for their lives.
-BOOM!-
"What was that?" Shikaku yelled, having felt a strong tremor in the ground, coming from the bridge as it caused the foundations to rattle.
"Sir, over there!" a member of the Hyuga clan said, having been using his Byakugan to keep an eye on what was going on.
Suddenly the screams of the Leaf shinobi burst to life as what looked like steam erupted from the bridge, causing many of the Leaf's forces to be blown back from the force of it.
"What in the hell is going on there?" Shikaku asked as he looked at the Hyuga clan member for answers.
"Sir... It looks like a very large man has just appeared on the front lines and is emitting what looks like steam from his back." The Hyuga said, trying to get a better look.
The smile on Mangetsu's face faded as he watched what happened next, feeling the powerful chakra come from the one responsible as a sudden burst of steam erupted once again from the bridge before Leaf shinobi were once again smashed through the air with some of them even being blown off of the bridge.
"So... He has appeared at last. Just like lord 5th said he would." Mangetsu said, being able to get a small glimpse of the man responsible as he stood tall while the steam faded just enough to make him out, hiding his face under the cover of his red kasa, (Straw hat) hiding his face.
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That's the end of this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it.
The war is really going to start picking up now, if anyone has any ideas of what they would like to happen feel free to message me and see if your ideas could be worked into the story!
Thank you and have a great weekend!