Chapter 569: Nekomata
Nagi Minazuki shouted, "Quickly, notify Kumo! Tell them Iwa has circled around to this side! Have them send reinforcements!"
"All units, battle formation! Assemble!"
He turned back to the sea, and the black dot was already noticeably larger.
Kiri had no option to retreat by ship. It might be hard for Iwa to annihilate Kiri's entire army, but destroying all their ships would be simple.
Therefore, rather than fleeing, it was better to meet them head-on. At least then, they might have a hope of holding out until Kumo's reinforcements arrived.
However, Kiri had never expected Iwa to come from the sea. Or rather, they had never expected Iwa to attack them first.
They were not prepared for a major battle here. It was not so easy for several thousand ninja to form up in a rush.
A moment later, as Kiri's forces were still scrambling, Ao reported, "Lord Nagi, several people from the Iwa side have taken flight!"
Nagi Minazuki's heart seized. The next moment, he roared: "Defense!"
As he spoke, he rapidly entered a partial Tailed Beast state. Without the slightest hesitation, he opened his mouth and fired a Tailed Beast Ball toward the Iwa army.
The black orb shot across the surface of the sea, parting the water in its wake.
The Tailed Beast Ball was fast, but it never reached the Iwa army. It was intercepted midway by a beam of white light.
Struck by Ōnoki's Dust Release, the orb detonated instantly, leaving a massive crater in the ocean.
This was within Nagi's expectations; his goal was only to buy time.
But it wasn't enough time. Iwa's attack was ready.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Like Kiri, Iwa also chose Tailed Beast Balls. And they opened with two of them.
Terumī Mei and Mangetsu Hōzuki struck simultaneously. They had been preparing their own jutsu ever since Nagi fired his.
Boom! Boom!
Both Tailed Beast Balls were intercepted mid-flight and exploded.
Seeing this, Nagi Minazuki roared, "Kae!"
At his call, an ANBU leaped out from the Kiri army, his body erupting with Tailed Beast chakra. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into the complete Three-Tails.
This Kiri ANBU, codenamed "Kae," was one of the ANBU captains Ishiro had heard about back during his time in Kiri. The others had died in Yagura's self-destruction, but Kae had somehow survived and had become the new Three-Tails Jinchūriki.
Kae used the massive body of the Three-Tails to shield the Kiri army.
Iwa hadn't expected this. In addition to the two Tailed Beast Balls, Ikura had also unleashed a full-power Five-Element Great Combo-Bullet Jutsu.
But the explosions from all three attacks were tanked by the Three-Tails's massive turtle shell.
The Three-Tails was undoubtedly injured, but from the outside, it looked unharmed. The Kiri army behind it was completely untouched.
However, Kiri was not without losses. After blocking the attack, Kae reverted from his Bijuu form. The Kiri ninja nearby could hear the heavy, ragged breathing from behind his mask.
That single block may not have hurt the Three-Tails, but the strain on Kae himself had been immense. He would be of limited use for the rest of the battle.
The Iwa side was stunned.
From his clay bird, Ikura said to Ōnoki, "The Tailed Beast Ball came from the Six-Tails Jinchūriki, Nagi Minazuki, but the one who blocked was the Three-Tails Jinchūriki. Add in Terumī Mei and Mangetsu Hōzuki... that's four of them. The Mizukage is supposed to be in Konoha. Is Kiri insane? They've deployed all their Kage-level assets! Aren't they afraid we'll attack their village?"
Ōnoki shook his head. "I can't figure them out either. But forget that. We have to finish this 5,000-man army before Kumo arrives!"
Ikura, Deidara, Han, and Rōshi all nodded.
This time, however, they didn't attack immediately. They advanced with the main warship, preparing for a full-scale army-on-army battle. With Kiri's formation set, a surprise attack was pointless.
Iwa held the advantage in both Kage-level numbers and army size; a direct confrontation favored them.
A few moments later, the Iwa warship entered ninjutsu range, and the battle began.
But the quick victory Iwa had expected failed to materialize.
Natsuki and Kawakita stood at the bow, not yet engaging.
Deidara, as Iwa's vanguard, had planned to use his explosive clay to blast an opening in Kiri's defenses.
But Kiri was prepared. A large number of ninja in their ranks were wielding handheld ninja tools. No matter what shape Deidara's clay took, it was shot down by a dense barrage of lightning—the perfect counter.
His explosive clay was rendered useless.
Deidara was forced to resort to regular Earth Release, reducing his effectiveness from that of a Kage to a mere Elite Jonin. He was so angry he almost charged in to self-destruct.
Ōnoki, Ikura, Han, and Rōshi managed to suppress Terumī Mei, Mangetsu Hōzuki, and Nagi Minazuki. But the three Kiri shinobi, backed by their army, refused to be drawn out, stubbornly turtling up and just barely holding on.
Kiri's conservative tactics shattered Ōnoki's hopes for a quick battle.
But Iwa still held the absolute advantage. In the chaotic battle, they began to slowly bleed the Kiri forces.
Land of Fire, in a dense forest.
Four people and one cat were moving quickly. It was Uchiha Izumi, Karin, Kō (in ANBU gear), Himeki Suda, and her ninja cat Fūka.
Suddenly, the red-haired Karin spoke. "Found them. Front left, about ten kilometers."
Uchiha Izumi nodded and led the group in that direction.
She said to Kō, "Kō-senpai, please get a precise location on all Konoha ninja. We kill them first, then we make contact with the cat tribe!"
Kō nodded. A moment later, he reported, "There are three squads surrounding the cat tribe's territory. They are in three different positions. Should we split up?"
"No," Izumi said. "We move together, one squad at a time. Silent combat. Karin-chan and I will use genjutsu. Kō-senpai, Himeki-san, Fūka, you handle the physical attacks. Be as quiet as possible."
"Yes."
They crept up on the first squad.
Karin unleashed a wide-area genjutsu, while Uchiha Izumi activated her Mangekyō Sharingan and locked the squad leader in a one-on-one illusion.
The instant the four-man squad was compromised, Kō, Himeki Suda, and Fūka struck, instantly eliminating the three members. The squad leader, still trapped in Izumi's genjutsu, was finished off with kunai from both Kō and Himeki.
After confirming the kills, the team moved on and silently assassinated the other two squads.
Only then did they enter the ninja cat tribe's territory.
Though their assault was stealthy, the smell of blood had not escaped the cats. As they entered, they were being watched by dozens of pairs of eyes, hidden in the shadows.
To show her identity, Izumi deliberately kept her Mangekyō Sharingan active.
Upon seeing her eyes, the ninja cats, big and small, all bowed their heads to her. They were no strangers to the Sharingan. But the Mangekyō... that was different.
One of the larger cats stepped forward and led the group to Nekomata.
Nekomata confirmed Uchiha Izumi's identity and was very direct. She immediately agreed to move the entire cat tribe to Iwagakure.
She had only one condition: the ninja cat tribe would only contract with ninja of Uchiha blood.
Ishiro had already anticipated this, and Uchiha Izumi readily agreed. (Ishiro had told her that even if the cats did nothing, it was a victory, as it denied them to Konoha.)
Nekomata was pleased. She ordered the cats to pack.
Izumi had assumed they wouldn't have much, but she was wrong. The cat tribe wasn't just summons; they were also the guardians of the Uchiha clan's important assets.
Izumi watched as the cats began strapping storage scrolls full of strategic supplies to their backs.
"These..." Izumi asked, "were these... for Clan Head Fugaku's rebellion against the Konoha elders?"
Nekomata nodded. "Yes. A pity... they were never used. He was not decisive enough. He even told us not to interfere on that night."
Izumi realized... that was why no cats had fought. Fugaku must have known the clan was finished and wanted to preserve the cat tribe.
"Konoha has been pressuring us for these supplies for years," Nekomata continued. "I was going to give them up in exchange for peace, but... Konoha's elders seized all of the Uchiha's assets. Little Sasuke-kun got nothing. So, out of spite, I kept them. I wonder how little Sasuke-kun has been... He never signed our contract, and they restricted our movements. I was never able to contact him."
Izumi nodded. "Konoha is holding a Joint Chunin Exam today. Sasuke-kun is a participant."
"He's becoming a Chunin?" Nekomata said happily. "My, how time flies!"
Izumi didn't tell her the truth. She figured that with her Tsuchikage at the exams, no one from Konoha was graduating today anyway.
When the cats were ready, Izumi led them out.
On the way, she asked, "Nekomata-sama, has Itachi Uchiha been here... in all these years?"
Nekomata shook her head, her voice full of hatred, "No!"
Izumi nodded. It was a normal reaction. She felt the same way.
"Little Izumi-chan," Nekomata asked, "how many children are in Iwagakure now?"
Izumi told her the number of Uchiha children Ishiro had evacuated. When Nekomata heard that dozens of children were still alive, her old eyes lit up.
This was why she hadn't become the bitter, lifeless woman from the original story. In this life, the Uchiha clan would survive... just in a new home.
Nearby, the other ninja cats curiously sniffed at Fūka, who was able to completely suppress his chakra. They were envious.
One of them meowed at him. Fūka meowed back.
Soon, the entire procession was filled with meows.
Izumi, who had not signed a contract, couldn't understand them. But Himeki Suda, who could understand, kept laughing.
Izumi led them to a pre-built sanctuary in Iwa's new territory (formerly the northwestern Land of Fire). The area was identical to their old home. The new homes had been designed by Iwa's cat-contracted ninja, and the cats loved it.
"Nekomata-sama," Izumi said, "Himeki-san will stay here with you. She is one of the Tsuchikage's disciples and an Elite Jonin. Telling her your needs is the same as telling the high command."
Nekomata nodded.
Izumi then signed the ninja cat contract. Nekomata assigned the tribe's strongest cat, an Elite Jonin-level fighter, to her.
Izumi then left Himeki Suda and Fūka behind, and, along with Karin, Kō, and her new summon, headed for Konoha.
Back in Konoha, the invasion had been raging for some time.
Ishiro had to admit, Konoha's foundation was deep.
Despite their initial advantage, the Sky Ninja were being pushed back. The Sky Fortress itself was heavily damaged.
Shinnō was stronger than Konoha's new Seven-Tails Jinchūriki, but with the support of other Konoha ninja, the Jinchūriki was holding his ground.
Meanwhile, Mito Uzumaki had single-handedly pushed the five Kage-level Edo Tensei out of the village, containing their fight miles away.
Through all this, Ishiro had been sitting and watching, occasionally offering combat analysis to Kakashi (who ignored him).
Orochimaru was also surprisingly calm, watching the show.
But then, Ishiro's Mind's Eye caught Hiruzen's movement. It's time.
He suddenly said to Kakashi and Kisame, "Hokage-dono, Mizukage-dono, it's been a while since we've seen each other. We're all here. How about we have a friendly spar? Watching other people fight is making me itch for a little fun."
Kakashi turned. "Is the Tsuchikage declaring war on Konoha and Kiri?"
Ishiro waved his hands. "What? Of course not! We're the most peace-loving village! It's just a spar! We'll stop when we've made our point."
"The crowd is upset that the exam was interrupted. If we give them a show, a battle between Kage, I'm sure it will smooth over their bad feelings. See? I'm just trying to help Konoha!"
"Besides, I practically watched you two grow up. I'm curious to see if you've... improved."
Kakashi stared at him. Kisame turned to look.
Ishiro continued, "If you're not objecting, I'll take that as a 'yes.' This area is too small... I'll make a platform for us. That way, the crowd can see better. See? So thoughtful!"
Before they could respond, Ishiro waved his hand. A massive stream of porcelain mud flew into the air and formed a giant platform above the arena.
The crowd gasped.
Ishiro, along with Akino Atsumi and Kanako, flew onto the platform.
He then addressed the entire stadium: "Everyone! Today's exam has been unfortunately interrupted! But do not worry, Konoha has this under control!"
"To make up for this, the Hokage, the Mizukage, and I have discussed it, and we have arranged a special battle between Kage for you! I will now spar with the Hokage and the Mizukage! Please, enjoy!"
The crowd, which had been confused and angry, now erupted in a collective, ecstatic cheer.
No one stopped to ask why the Tsuchikage was the one making this announcement, and not the host.
All they knew was that they were about to witness the most high-level battle of their lives.
This... this was a story they could tell forever!
(End of Chapter)
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