"Come over here and be our snack—"
Pfft.
The four Cloud ninja sent to scout were quietly advancing toward Raimeijō Village, already close enough to see it.
"Um… didn't the people who sent you mention that this area is full of Hyūga?"
Hyūga Hiyasu slowly stepped out in front of them, his expression oddly twisted.
To put it simply—imagine someone sneaking around right under your nose, ducking and crawling with a deadly serious face. That was the feeling.
"Damn, we've been spotted! Retreat!"
The lead Cloud ninja shouted.
It would've been better if he hadn't.
The moment he did, people with pale white eyes poured out from all directions. Veins bulged around their eyes, making them look especially terrifying.
The ninja world always says that a group of Uchiha brings unmatched pressure.
But a group of Hyūga—those pupil-less white eyes, the bulging veins, those fierce expressions…
Tsk, tsk.
Honestly, I wouldn't want to run into either.
"Alright, let's just do it. Cloud ninja are stubborn—no point interrogating them. Just take them out."
Four Cloud ninja: ??? Hey, how about at least asking a question first? You can't just assume things!
But the kind-hearted Hyūga Clan obviously wouldn't let them make such a "principled mistake."
Twenty ninja moved in instantly.
A few minutes later, the four Cloud ninja lay motionless on the ground.
They had upheld their final line of defense.
Let us applaud these heroes.
"Hiya, what do we do next? Shikaku wants us to cut off their supply lines. Should we go scout?"
Namikaze Minato asked.
"Right… I got carried away and almost forgot the real objective. Still, I wonder—are the Cloud richer, or is the Land of Lightning just loaded? There was so much food and ninja tools in that one village. Just burning it all took us ages. By the way, Minato, where do you think their supply line is most likely located?"
Hyūga Hiyasu and Namikaze Minato had no idea just how massive a thing they had just done.
A village guarded by only two hundred trash-tier Cloud ninja—how important could it be?
The greatest pain in war is when the enemy deals your side a heavy blow.
But even worse… is when they deal that blow without even realizing it, as if it were nothing.
That's just plain disrespectful.
"Let's go. We'll roam around Cloud's territory first and see how many people they send after us. If there are too many, we retreat immediately. If there are few…"
Hyūga Hiyasu let out a chilling grin.
...
Grass Country battlefield—
"Earth Release: Rock Rain."
From Konoha's position, countless sharp stones shot into the air and rained down toward the Iwa encampment.
"You dare use Earth Release against us Iwa ninja? That's like showing off your blade in front of Guan Yu!"
"Earth Release: Triple Layer Earth Flow Wall!"
A battle-hardened Iwa jonin stepped forward, unleashing a massive surge of chakra.
Three enormous earthen walls rose in front of the Iwa camp, blocking all incoming stones.
Cold sweat dripped down the jonin's face, but he forced himself to stand tall.
"Konoha? Is that all you've got?"
"Wow! Lord Gengan is amazing!"
The jonin waved calmly, pretending to be composed, triggering a wave of cheers.
Even though he had nearly drained all his chakra, the feeling was… pretty great.
Konoha, on the other hand, probably didn't feel so good.
Dozens of ninja casting Earth Release together, only to be blocked by one man—morale should be crushed, right?
"Hideki, how about we hit them with a few more rounds?"
Uchiha Kamito asked.
"Easy. I could spam this kind of small jutsu dozens of times without even breaking a sweat."
Senju Hideki replied boldly.
Placing his hands on the ground—
"Earth Release: Rock Rain!"
Another wave of sharp stones descended.
Gengan froze. Wait—there's more?! Don't Konoha ninja ever take a break?!
"Defend! First defense squad—Earth Flow Wall!"
Twenty Iwa ninja stepped forward.
"Earth Release: Combined Earth Flow Wall!"
Twenty slightly shorter walls rose up, blocking the attack.
But then—
Another wave came immediately after.
Gengan could only call up another squad.
"Second defense squad, move!"
"Earth Release: Combined Earth Flow Wall!"
And so it became—
A performance between Rock Rain and Combined Earth Flow Wall.
Meanwhile, Konoha's side was completely relaxed, casually watching Senju Hideki perform.
The dozen or so newly deployed Senju ninja stared at him with shining eyes.
As expected of Hideki—so strong… so strong.
On the Iwa side, however, the feeling was… incredibly strange.
Sure, their defense was airtight, and there were no casualties.
But why… were they being suppressed in a contest of Earth Release?
This battlefield situation would likely continue for a while.
Unless a great opportunity appeared, Iwa excelled at defense but not offense, while Konoha's strategy was also defensive.
Two turtles clashing…
That always takes a very, very long time.
...
Deep within the desert of the Sand Village—
Many days had passed.
Rasa had gone from a spirited young man to a disheveled, scruffy middle-aged man.
Pressure really does make people ugly.
"Can't find him… can't find him… how is this possible? Where did sensei go?"
Rasa was on the verge of collapse.
What should I do?
What am I supposed to do?
A gentle hand caressed his face.
"Husband, it's alright. Everything will get better."
It was Karura, heavily pregnant.
"Karura, you don't understand. The Sand Village's strength rests entirely on sensei alone. As long as he's there, the village won't fall, and our ninja will have the confidence to face anything. But if he never comes back… Sand is finished. Do you understand?"
Karura pulled him tightly into her embrace.
"I know you're under a lot of pressure. But you have to believe in yourself. The Third Kazekage has always been grooming you as his successor, hasn't he? Even if you don't believe in yourself, you should believe in his judgment. He wouldn't choose the wrong person."
The emotions Rasa had suppressed for so long were finally about to burst.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
"Lord Rasa! We've found a place the Third Kazekage once visited!"
A Sand ninja rushed in at that moment.