Chapter 33: The Third Raikage and Ten Thousand Shinobi
At the border between the Land of Frost and the Land of Hot Water, two minor countries lying between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, the battlefield had become a nightmare.
Rumble—!
In the middle of a massive canyon, the combined Earth Release technique of the Iwagakure shinobi erupted across the battlefield.
Earth Release: Great Earth Rampart!
One enormous earthen wall after another rose from the ground, throwing the Kumogakure shinobi into chaos.
Working in conjunction with other ninjutsu, the Iwagakure forces steadily pushed the Cloud shinobi back.
The terrain of the canyon was gradually being reshaped.
Before long, the battlefield had undergone a tremendous transformation, resembling the Valley of the End in the Land of Fire.
Boom!
A bolt of lightning tore across the sky and blasted a huge hole through the massive earthen wall.
A burly, elderly man stood beyond it, a lightning-shaped scar running across his chest. Lightning crackled between his fingers, while arcs of chakra surged across his body.
Whoosh!
A streak of black lightning flashed beside him, transforming into a leopard-shaped bolt that smashed apart an incoming Earth Release attack.
"Raikage-sama! We've fallen into that old man's trap! We have to retreat!"
Darui's face was filled with determination.
The Third Raikage swept his gaze across the battlefield.
The losses were severe.
Because of Ōnoki's attacks and the coordinated assaults of Iwagakure's specialized units, the Cloud forces had already suffered tremendous casualties.
With such a disparity in numbers, Kumogakure had no chance of winning.
They were in danger of being completely wiped out.
The Third Raikage grabbed Darui and, ignoring the young man's anxious expression, hurled him backward while using Black Lightning to destroy the attacks surrounding them.
"Order the troops to retreat. I'll cover the rear."
As Darui flew backward, he heard the Third Raikage's words.
Pain filled his eyes.
"Raikage-sama..."
He could feel the Third Raikage's resolve.
As one of the guards personally trained by the Third Raikage, Darui was filled with guilt.
He had failed to protect his Raikage.
But he wasn't a fool.
Quite the opposite.
Compared with many of the hot-blooded warriors in Kumogakure, Darui understood very clearly that the difference in strength between Kumogakure and Iwagakure was simply too great.
Retreat was their only choice.
Only the Raikage could buy enough time for the main force to escape.
"Damn it! Where exactly did the intelligence go wrong?"
His face was filled with anger.
He swore that he would find the spy responsible.
Darui immediately passed on the Third Raikage's order to retreat.
The Cloud shinobi began withdrawing in confusion, following the main force while attempting to fend off the attacks coming from behind.
At the same time, a lightning-fast figure appeared in the middle of the battlefield.
It was as though he had unleashed every ounce of chakra he possessed, surging forward with overwhelming force.
Iwagakure shinobi were torn apart one after another beneath his attacks.
Blood and severed limbs rained across the battlefield.
However, Iwagakure had planned this ambush specifically with the Third Raikage in mind.
They naturally had countermeasures prepared.
Earthen walls continued rising in front of him, blocking his path.
Huge numbers of Iwagakure shinobi concentrated their attacks on the Third Raikage.
But that also gave the retreating Cloud forces an opportunity to escape.
Whoosh!
"Let me test myself."
The Third Raikage grinned.
"I want to see what the people of Iwagakure can actually do to me."
He was becoming increasingly exhilarated by the battle, unleashing the full strength he had cultivated throughout his life.
But Iwagakure was the village with perhaps the strongest large-scale cooperative combat capabilities among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Its army-level combined ninjutsu was no joke.
More than ten thousand shinobi moved in coordinated formations, supporting one another with astonishing efficiency.
Demolition squads.
Trap units.
Combined Ninjutsu units.
Different divisions possessed different specialties.
They couldn't break through the Third Raikage's defenses, but they could steadily drain his stamina and chakra.
One man against ten thousand.
That was the Third Raikage's current situation.
"Hehehe... I never thought the Third Raikage himself would stay behind to cover the retreat!"
"Then let's keep the Third Raikage here. Even if we can't completely destroy the main force, eliminating him alone will be a tremendous victory."
"Demolition squad, deploy the mines."
"Special operations squad, prepare to move at any time."
"Construct the Great Earth Ramparts. Be ready to defend against his attacks..."
The senior officers of the Iwagakure army watched the Third Raikage stand alone against their entire force, cold smiles appearing on their faces.
So what if he was the Raikage?
Facing an army of more than ten thousand shinobi, surviving this long was already an incredible achievement.
"I never expected the Tsuchikage-sama's foresight to give us such a massive advantage at exactly the right moment!"
"It was the intelligence gathered by the new generation of Iwagakure shinobi that made this possible. With information this valuable, perhaps we're destined to become the victors of this Great Ninja War."
"Of course. With the Tsuchikage-sama here, how could the other villages possibly compete with us?"
...
"Heh. That old bastard Danzō really does have some ability."
Hidden within the shadows, Orochimaru watched the battle unfold with a faint, cold smile.
Without a doubt, the intelligence Ōnoki had received had all originated from the chain of events Danzō had orchestrated.
Orochimaru simply hadn't expected the impact to be this enormous.
The intelligence had actually allowed Iwagakure to surround the Third Raikage and inflict heavy casualties on Kumogakure's main force.
With Iwagakure's current strength, they truly possessed the ability to stand against Konoha.
But...
Things might be different afterward.
Orochimaru watched the Third Raikage move with astonishing speed.
Even after enduring wave after wave of ninjutsu attacks, the man's body remained seemingly unharmed.
Orochimaru understood that even if Iwagakure managed to kill the Third Raikage, they would pay an enormous price for doing so.
Konoha's burden would undoubtedly be reduced considerably.
In that regard, one had to admire that ancient old fox, Danzō.
His intelligence-gathering abilities were truly exceptional.
He had managed to stir up the entire shinobi world with nothing more than information.
Interesting.
"Forget it. The old man Danzō has already achieved his objective, and Konoha's pressure has been greatly reduced. It's time to tell that little fellow that he can come back."
Orochimaru was certain that the Third Raikage's end was approaching.
The outcome of this battle had already been decided.
Then he remembered the young man.
Since Danzō had been confident enough to entrust him with delivering such important intelligence to Ōnoki, the boy must have considerable talent.
I wonder if I can steal him away from Danzō in the future.
"Hiss..."
...
Rumble—!
In the Land of Frost and the Land of Hot Water, civilians heard the distant thunder and deafening roars of battle.
They fled in terror, not daring to approach the battlefield.
"Damn it. When will this war finally end?"
"Damn shinobi! Why don't they all just die?"
"I wish they would all disappear."
These were the thoughts of countless civilians.
But none of them dared to say them too loudly.
Their countries were only minor nations.
They were even weaker than the Land of Rain, and during wartime, all they could do was shrink back and desperately cling to their lives.
The shinobi and samurai of both countries didn't dare take the risk of approaching the battlefield either.
Instead, they hurriedly evacuated civilians and moved them as far away from the fighting as possible.
...
Meanwhile, hidden from sight, Gōenji continued experimenting with his new concept.
Twenty days passed.
The chakra between his hands constantly changed shape, gradually forming something resembling a chessboard.
"Chessboard, unfold."
Gōenji delivered his dramatic line with complete seriousness.
Chakra lines crisscrossed before him.
Using precise chakra control, he constructed a miniature chessboard and chess pieces entirely from chakra.
The forms were vivid and surprisingly realistic.
"Excellent."
Gōenji's eyes lit up.
"I've mastered chakra shaping."
With this level of control, he should finally be able to put the concept of Mathematical Chakra Form into practice, at least on a preliminary level.
After reaching this level of chakra control, Gōenji could clearly feel something changing in his mind.
Based on his own abilities and knowledge, his mind was beginning to reorganize the ninjutsu he already knew according to mathematical principles.
If he could successfully complete this process, those techniques would be able to unleash far greater power.
And perhaps develop entirely new levels of strength.