Northern Land of Lightning, once the outskirts of Kumogakure.
This place had long been reduced to a scorched battlefield.
The ground was pockmarked with craters. Broken ninja tools were scattered everywhere.
The scent of blood and gunpowder mixed into a stench so thick it made one gag.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A furious roar echoed.
More than a dozen Iwagakure ninja pressed their hands to the ground simultaneously.
Rumble!
Thick earthen walls surged upward, seamlessly linking together to form a solid defensive line.
Several howling Water Dragons and Wind Blades slammed into the barrier, but aside from kicking up a cloud of dust, they did nothing.
"Damn it! That turtle shell move again!"
A Kirigakure jōnin nearby gritted his teeth in frustration.
They had been fighting over a chakra ore-rich mountain with Iwagakure for an entire day.
The enemy's earth-style defenses completely encircled the mountain like an iron barrel. No matter how they attacked, they couldn't break through.
"Ao! Haven't you found their weakness yet?" the jōnin roared toward a ninja behind him wearing an eyepatch.
Ao had pushed his Byakugan to the limit. Veins bulged around his temple as he stared into the Iwagakure position.
"No!" he panted, face pale. "Their Earth Release chakra flows perfectly. I can't find a single flaw!"
As someone who had transplanted the Hyūga clan's Byakugan, Ao's insight was far above that of ordinary ninja. Yet even he felt helpless in the face of Iwa's textbook defenses.
"Then we smash it down!" the jōnin growled. "Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
He formed hand signs rapidly. Dozens of Kirigakure ninja behind him also activated their jutsu.
Torrents of water appeared out of thin air, converging into a towering wave that crashed down on the earth-style wall.
"Good timing!" Laughter erupted from within the Iwagakure position.
The speaker was Kitsuchi, son of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.
"You want to fight a positional war with Iwa? Still too green!" Kitsuchi clapped his hands. "Earth Release: Multiple Earth-Style Walls!"
Boom!
Three more layers of thicker, taller walls rose behind the existing ones.
Four earthen barriers stood on the battlefield like immovable mountains.
The water wave slammed into the first wall with a thunderous crash.
The wall trembled violently, covered in web-like cracks, but still held firm.
And this was only the beginning.
Just as Kirigakure launched their assault, dozens of shadowy figures crept up from the flanks of the battlefield.
They wore no village insignia, but the fierce, mad aura they carried made everyone's heart tighten.
Kumogakure.
The Kumo avengers, now split into small strike groups, had emerged from hiding.
"Lightning Release: Running Current!"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Spheres!"
Blinding lightning flashed along the ground. Invisible Wind Blades slashed from tricky angles at the Iwagakure ninja, who were focused on maintaining their wall.
"Not good! It's Kumogakure!"
Chaos erupted within the Iwa lines.
Several outer perimeter guards failed to dodge in time. They were paralyzed by lightning, then sliced down by Wind Blades.
They didn't even have time to scream.
"Annoying flies!" Kitsuchi's face darkened. Killing intent surged. He stomped hard on the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth Rising Spikes!"
The battlefield floor erupted with countless stone spikes, shooting toward the ambushing Kumo ninja.
Pfft! Pfft!
Several Kumo ninja were skewered, impaled high above the ground. Their blood dyed the stones beneath them.
But the sight didn't shake the others.
Their eyes burned with hatred, not fear.
"Kill!" a Kumo ninja roared, charging straight for Kitsuchi with his body glowing dangerously.
"Explosive tag?"
Kitsuchi snorted, stepping forward instead of retreating. His rock-armored fist struck the Kumo ninja's chest.
Crack!
The ninja's chest collapsed. His body flew back, exploding mid-air into a massive fireball.
The explosion didn't even scratch Kitsuchi.
But the chaos created a brief opening in Iwa's defense.
Ao caught it instantly.
"Now!" Ao shouted, forming hand signs. "Water Release: Water Pistol Technique!"
The Kirigakure ninja responded immediately, forming hand signs in unison.
Compressed water bullets shot forward, as fast as lightning.
Bang!
The bullets pierced through the earth wall, striking an Iwa ninja in the chest.
A blood-hole burst open in his body. He collapsed, eyes dimming.
The wall he had maintained went out like a dying candle.
Boom!
The entire defense line, already on the brink, collapsed under the pressure of the Great Waterfall Technique.
"Charge!"
With a roar, the Kirigakure forces surged forward.
Hundreds of shinobi burst into the gap like wild tigers, slamming into the Iwagakure lines.
Ninjutsu, taijutsu, blood, and screams flooded the battlefield.
It had become a full-blown meat grinder.
Kitsuchi glanced between the Kirigakure wave and the Kumo assassins still attacking from the flanks.
Instead of panic, he grinned coldly.
"Finally took the bait?" He clapped his hands again.
"Earth Release: Super Added-Weight Rock Technique!"
Rumble!
The ground quaked violently.
The entire battlefield deformed, swelling upward and shifting.
The flat terrain became a chaotic maze of towering stone pillars.
The sudden change startled all Kirigakure and Kumogakure shinobi in the midst of combat.
"This is... a trap!" Ao's face turned pale.
Iwa had never intended to fight a simple positional battle.
They had lured both Kirigakure and Kumogakure into a prepared killing field.
"Hahahahaha!"
Kitsuchi's laughter echoed from above.
His figure stood at the top of a pillar, looming over the battlefield.
Hundreds of Iwagakure ninja appeared behind him, occupying every high point, forming hand signs. Chakra flared across the sky.
"It's over," Kitsuchi said flatly.
"Earth Release: Rock Shelter Collapse!"
Rocks tore free from the pillars above and rained down like meteors, smashing into the battlefield below.
Screams filled the air.
The Land of Earth, relying on terrain and strategy, had played both Kirigakure and Kumogakure like pawns.
From the start, they were the only ones meant to win.
In the distance.
A Sunagakure scout crouched in the shadows, witnessing everything. Cold sweat dripped from his brow.
"T-too strong..."
He didn't dare watch anymore. He turned and sprinted toward Suna's camp.
This intelligence had to reach the Kazekage.
The Land of Earth's power and ambition had exceeded all expectations.
(To be continued.)