As the year slipped into autumn, the air grew colder with the turning of the season.
On the plains where the Cloud Shinobi clashed with the coalition of three villages, the battles were short and decisive. Compared to the brutal bloodshed in the Land of Earth, this front seemed almost merciful.
Every clash ended too quickly.
So quickly that it hardly resembled the long, drawn-out wars of the past.
Although ninja historians later classified this as the Fourth Great Ninja War, here on the Lightning Country's side, it looked less like war and more like Uchiha Kenya leading the coalition in a series of devastating raids.
And the reason for that came down to one man—
Uchiha Kenya.
The [Shinigami] Uchiha Kenya.
On the battlefields he strode, the souls of the fallen were inexplicably drawn to him. Coupled with his terrifying, godlike power, he earned this dreaded title.
Though Kenya himself disliked the name, it stuck.
In the bleak autumn wind, Kenya sat in his camp, quietly sipping the black tea his disciple Temari had brewed for him.
Of course, black tea was not something one could easily find on the battlefield.
A few days ago, Kenya had carelessly mentioned it aloud, and some eager soldiers had actually dispatched a messenger all the way to the Land of Tea to fetch it. When he heard of this, Kenya could only rub his forehead in exasperation.
He couldn't help but recall the old tale of Tang Xuanzong, who had lychees packed in ice and rushed across the land so his beloved concubine could taste them before they spoiled. Absurd, indulgent—and yet, was it not the same sort of devotion?
Meanwhile, in the Cloud Shinobi camp, intelligence had arrived through a spiritual technique akin to the Yamanaka clan's jutsu.
C had relayed reports of Kenya's "illusion arts."
But with that report came dire news: five hundred Cloud Shinobi had fallen, along with the village's second and third commanders.
When the Fourth Raikage heard this, he nearly tore down his own camp in fury.
He had expected losses in this war, but never to this extent. Even the man he had once marked as his successor… was gone.
"Master Raikage, at least now we know the true nature of Uchiha Kenya's illusion," Tutai, his long-time advisor, said quickly, trying to calm him.
"What's your strategy?" the Raikage demanded curtly.
"His genjutsu completely overwhelms the five senses. It's possible he's even inherited Shisui Uchiha's ability to trap opponents without them realizing. Even when facing multiple foes, he can twist illusions so they slaughter each other. To put it bluntly… this genjutsu is nearly invincible."
The Fourth Raikage slammed a fist into his palm, voice booming:
"I didn't ask you to praise him! I asked how to defeat this genjutsu!"
His fury was barely restrained. Were it not for Tutai's seniority, he might have struck him already for stalling with words.
Tutai, however, remained calm. "Raikage-sama, I said nearly invincible. Genjutsu attacks the mind, but a physical attack cannot be faked. If he truly launches an assault, you will sense it."
The Raikage's eyes narrowed, catching on. Though brash and hot-tempered, he wasn't a fool. He had begun to grasp Tutai's meaning.
"Perhaps, Raikage-sama… your unique ninjutsu style is the one true counter to Uchiha Kenya's illusions," Tutai murmured, leaning close to whisper a strategy.
The Raikage's eyes lit up. His anger sharpened into determination.
"Summon the barrier unit!" he barked.
From the ridgeline outside the camp, he glared down at the enemy base far across the plains, a dark scowl twisting his features.
"Uchiha Kenya… I'll show you the true terror of rage!"
At the coalition camp, a Mist Jōnin burst into Kenya's command tent.
"Master Kenya! The Cloud forces are advancing! Their numbers are overwhelming—thousands, at least. This could be an all-out assault!"
Kenya set down his teacup calmly.
"All-out assault? Then the commander must be…"
"Yes!" the Jōnin said breathlessly. "It's the Fourth Raikage himself! And even the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer Bee, is with him!"
Kenya chuckled faintly. "Even the Eight-Tails, hm? So they've truly decided to gamble everything. But no… the Raikage isn't a gambler. He must have thought of a new strategy."
"Master Kenya, what are your orders?"
"Fight. Was there ever another option?" Kenya rose smoothly to his feet. "Send word to Ming and the others: prepare for battle. Tell Temari to watch the flanks—Cloud Shinobi may try an ambush."
"Yes, sir!"
Elsewhere, the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee advanced with their forces, their eyes locked on the coalition's base in the distance.
"There it is, brother!" Bee rapped in his usual wild rhythm, pointing across the mountain slope. "That's the camp of that bastard, Uchiha Kenya! Let's smash it with a Tailed Beast Bomb!"
"Do it," the Raikage growled.
"Yeah! Brother!" Bee howled, his rhymes clumsy but full of fire. His body swelled and twisted, transforming into the colossal Eight-Tails.
A massive sphere of condensed chakra gathered in its maw, formed faster than even the Two-Tails Jinchūriki could manage.
The Tailed Beast Bomb roared toward the coalition camp like a meteor, its destructive power capable of deciding the outcome of the war in a single strike.
"Bakudō #81 — Splitting Void!"