"Earth Release: Tearing Earth Palm!"
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Split!"
"Earth Release: Earth Core Shift!"
The Kumogakure forces attempting to break through from both sides quickly realized that Water Release techniques were unable to extinguish the flames of Flame Wall.
So they immediately changed tactics.
Instead of trying to put out the flames, they began using Earth Release to alter the terrain and create openings through the burning barrier.
For a ninja army, the most important factor was diversity of abilities among its shinobi, allowing them to respond to unpredictable situations.
Unless they were specialized squads with specific purposes, a force composed of a single elemental specialty would be extremely easy for enemies to counter.
Konohagakure was the village that pushed this diversity to the absolute limit.
This was also one of the main reasons Konoha had repeatedly defeated other villages in the Great Ninja Wars.
Although Kumogakure shinobi were famous for their mastery of Lightning Release, they still possessed many ninja skilled in other elemental techniques.
This time, using Earth Release against the Flame Wall proved surprisingly effective.
Sections of burning ground were split apart, flipped underground, or lifted into the air.
One by one, passageways were created for the Kumogakure army.
"Everyone listen! Concentrate your firepower on the openings in the flame wall!"
Seeing this development, Hyūga Hizashi, standing atop the fortress walls, shouted orders with a serious expression.
The next moment, waves of Kumogakure shinobi surged through the newly created passages.
At the same time, Konoha ninja on the walls launched kunai, shuriken, and other throwing weapons tied with Explosive Tags toward those narrow choke points.
Because the terrain was cramped and the crowd densely packed, the Kumogakure army suffered terrible casualties from the bombardment.
However, their numbers were simply too great.
Many powerful Kumogakure shinobi still managed to break through the barrage and rushed toward the walls of Kikyō Mountain Fortress.
"Archers, pay attention! Fall back in rotations—do not stop firing! Maintain suppressive fire!"
"Everyone else move forward and hold the line! Don't be stingy with supplies! Before they climb up here, throw out every Explosive Tag we have!"
With a Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Air Palm, Hizashi blasted a Kumogakure shinobi who had just leapt onto the wall back into the battlefield below.
At the same time, he continued issuing commands loudly.
The Hyūga archers immediately retreated in an orderly rotation while continuing to fire arrow after arrow without pause.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha of the Konoha Military Police Force opened their crimson Sharingan, hurling kunai tied with Explosive Tags toward the attacking Kumogakure ninja.
Once again, the Kumogakure forces suffered heavy losses.
After paying a bloody price, dozens of Kumogakure shinobi finally managed to climb onto the wall, engaging the Konoha defenders in close combat.
But reality quickly struck them like a hammer.
They had already suffered terribly from Konoha's long-range attacks.
They thought that once they entered close-quarters combat, things would become easier.
Instead, the sight of the scarlet Sharingan taught them exactly why the Uchiha Clan was considered the most powerful clan in Konoha—and perhaps the entire ninja world.
With the Sharingan's dynamic vision, the Kumogakure shinobi's taijutsu offered no advantage whatsoever.
In fact, many of them suddenly discovered something horrifying—
The techniques they used somehow became the enemy's techniques moments later.
The Sharingan's genjutsu caused even greater trouble.
Often, just a brief accidental eye contact was enough to rob them of the ability to resist.
The Kumogakure ninja were suffering immensely.
Most critically, under the suppressive fire of the Hyūga archers behind the lines, the Kumogakure army's numerical advantage could not be utilized at all.
Every assault wave was partially wiped out or forced to retreat.
Those who managed to reach the wall were swiftly eliminated by the Uchiha defenders.
Their supposed advantage in numbers had turned into a disastrous piecemeal assault under the layered defenses of fire wall, arrow rain, and fortress walls.
"Split the troops!"
"Send two battalions on each side to attack their flanks!"
"Send three more battalions behind them to cut off their retreat!"
A Kumogakure commander quickly made the decision.
If the battlefield remained confined to this small area, their numbers meant nothing.
Only by expanding the battlefield and forcing the Konoha defenders to stretch themselves thin could their numerical superiority finally show its value.
From atop the wall, Hyūga Hizashi noticed the Kumogakure movements.
But noticing them was one thing.
Stopping them was another.
They simply did not have enough manpower.
Altogether, there were only slightly more than three hundred defenders.
There was no way to spare troops to counter the enemy's maneuver.
At this point, Hizashi could only pray that Konoha's reinforcements would arrive soon.
On the Other Side of the Battlefield
Uchiha Ren swung his blade, a wave of flames instantly annihilating a lightning attack coming from the side.
In the next instant—
A's fist was already in front of him.
Ren had no time to dodge.
BOOM!
Ren 's head exploded into a burst of flames.
His feet moved instantly as he retreated more than ten meters, narrowly avoiding two incoming Swift Thunder Arrows.
"Uchiha Ren … surrender."
Standing amidst crackling lightning, A spoke calmly instead of continuing the attack.
"If you're willing to surrender and lead the Uchiha ninja in Kikyō Mountain Fortress to join us, I can forget everything that happened before."
"In the future, the Uchiha Clan will become part of Kumogakure."
At this moment, A believed victory was already certain.
More importantly—
The Sharingan, the Uchiha Clan's bloodline ability, was simply too tempting.
Kumogakure had long been notorious for coveting powerful bloodline limits, but they had never found the right opportunity to seize the Sharingan.
If they could capture this many Uchiha alive…
A was confident that within twenty years, Kumogakure could cultivate its own Sharingan bloodline clan.
As for the Hyūga shinobi inside the fortress…
They were merely branch family members—expendable substitutes.
They were worthless to Kumogakure.
So A didn't even bother mentioning them.
"Surrender?"
Ren 's head reformed from flames as he let out a mocking laugh.
"Even the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, once had to offer his own life as a bargaining chip just to convince the Uchiha Clan to lay down their weapons and reconcile with the Senju."
"And you?"
"You think a few words from the Raikage are enough to make the Uchiha surrender?"
"How ridiculous."
A's expression didn't change.
He simply shook his head with mild regret.
"So the Uchiha refuse to cooperate willingly…"
"That's fine."
"Kumogakure possesses plenty of special medicines that can ensure the continuation of bloodline limits."
"Don't worry. After you're captured alive, we won't kill you until the very last drop of your essence has been extracted."
"You'll probably enjoy the process."
Ren's expression darkened..
The shamelessness of Kumogakure was truly beyond imagination.
Doing such things was already disgraceful enough.
Yet A could even say it proudly.
Ren took a slow breath.
Looking around at the Kumogakure shinobi surrounding him, he finally made a decision.
He definitely didn't want to be captured and turned into a breeding tool for Kumogakure.
It seemed he had no choice but to use that.
"You really think you've already won?"
Ren 's expression suddenly turned serious.
The three-tomoe Sharingan in his eyes quietly transformed—
into the pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
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