Chapter 26: War of Attrition
They had thought this venture for the mine would continue to go smoothly. Unexpectedly, just as they were about to leave, a battle became unavoidable.
Half an hour later, the six-clan allied army arrived at the base of the mine.
The six clan heads stood at the front of their forces. The Nara Clan Head shouted across the distance to Hashirama: "Lord Senju! Thank you for mining the ore for us. As thanks, we'll let you keep 20% of the chakra-conducting metal."
Hashirama ignored him and glanced at Masahiko. Masahiko nodded slowly.
Hashirama took a few steps forward. "Wood Release: Birth of a Dense Forest!" Same as always. The terrain around the mine was completely transformed by Hashirama, turning into a lush forest.
"All units, attack! My brother's Wood Release won't harm our own people!" Tobirama shouted, charging out. Senju Ten'yu followed close behind.
Masahiko did not follow Tobirama toward the enemy. Instead, he retreated several dozen steps and sat down.
The six clan heads exchanged a look. The Nara Clan Head shouted, "Engage!"
Following the order, all but the Hatake Clan Head used the Body Flicker Technique, surrounding Hashirama in the center and entering a standoff.
The Hatake Clan Head, meanwhile, went to find Masahiko.
Masahiko smiled and waved his hand. "Lord Hatake, is it? You and I won't be able to settle this in a moment. You don't need to exhaust yourself for those other clans. Why not sit here with me and watch the battle?"
The Hatake Clan Head gave Masahiko a cold look, slowly nodded, and sat down, holding his sword. After a moment, he spoke: "A fight between us... would be decided in an instant. But you are right, I have no need to die for them."
Masahiko's mouth twitched. He almost jumped up and fought him right there.
The Inuzuka Clan Head saw this and was about to question the Hatake, but the Nara Clan Head stopped him.
"Leave him. As long as that Uzumaki is tied down, it's enough. Our true opponent is Senju Hashirama. As long as we hold him back, we will win!"
Faced with this situation, Hashirama was not anxious at all and showed no intention of attacking the five clan heads. Although the five felt something was off, they also didn't make a move. Their forces outnumbered the enemy three-to-one; a stalemate was to their advantage.
However, an hour later, the state of the main battlefield was completely outside their expectations.
First, Tobirama was unbelievably strong. He wasn't losing ground even while being ganged up on by six of the allied clans' Peak Jonin. Second, Senju Ten'yu was also holding off the majority of the Elite Jonin by himself. Finally, and most ridiculously, the Senju's Chunin and Genin forces, despite being outnumbered three-to-one, were actually winning.
The recovery ability of these Chunin and Genin was astonishing. Minor wounds healed in an instant. After an hour, aside from those who had suffered fatal blows, every single one of them was in the same condition as when the battle started.
"Something's not right," the Nara Clan Head muttered. "If the Senju had this kind of regeneration, they would have conquered the Land of Fire long ago..."
He couldn't pinpoint the problem, until he saw a small slug fall from the robes of a Senju Chunin.
"A slug? A medical-type summoning? In that case..." The Nara Clan Head turned. "Lord Aburame! Check the status of that Uzumaki!"
"His chakra is abnormal," the Aburame Clan Head replied. "It seems to be half of what it was before."
"Just as I thought..." The Nara's face darkened. "Lord Hatake, make your move! That Uzumaki you're facing is using his summonings to heal the Senju forces!"
"So I was found out..." Masahiko sighed and stood up. Across from him, the Hatake Clan Head also drew his sword.
A terrifying chakra fluctuation pulsed from the Hatake's blade. The edge was so bright it looked like it could split anything in two.
"Hatake swordsmanship?" Masahiko murmured. "The famous 'White Fang' sword style from my past life was always a mystery. Now I get to experience it firsthand in the Warring States."
The Hatake Clan Head slashed. In the blink of an eye, the blade was already at Masahiko's head.
But as the blade struck, the Masahiko who should have been split in two... turned into a log.
"Substitution?" The Hatake's brow furrowed.
The Hatake sword style involved infusing the blade with chakra, using its flow to lock onto an enemy. Ever since the Hatake Clan Head had mastered this, no opponent had ever dodged his blade; at best, they could only block it.
Masahiko had felt the lock-on, but his LV10 Substitution Jutsu wasn't something that could be so easily interfered with.
"Whew, that was close..." Masahiko let out a breath and said with a grin, "No wonder you were so confident you could finish me in an instant. That Hatake sword style... is terrifying."
Masahiko's tone was deliberately casual and infuriating. Even for someone as stoic as the Hatake Clan Head, it was maddening.
The Hatake didn't speak, but simply slashed at Masahiko again. This time, it was an ordinary slash. Infusing the blade with that much chakra was taxing on both his chakra and his spirit.
Masahiko didn't substitute this time. He was still channeling chakra to Katsuyu and needed to conserve where he could.
After adding points in Shikkotsu Forest, his "Tai" stat was over 300. In terms of pure taijutsu, he was no less than a Peak Taijutsu Jonin.
He blocked the Hatake's blade, and the two began to trade blows. Though he couldn't match a true taijutsu-master Clan Head, Masahiko held his own, using his shuriken skills and Academy basics, and didn't fall behind.
The fight lasted for an hour. Masahiko's chakra was nearly depleted, and he was slowly losing ground. Fortunately, the Hatake clan wasn't known for large reserves, and their Clan Head was also becoming a spent force.
By now, the main battlefield was decided. Thanks to Masahiko's slug summoning, the Senju had gained the absolute upper hand.
The Nara Clan Head shook his head. "One wrong move, and the whole game is lost... Lord Senju, tell your men to stop. There's no need for any more casualties."
"As for the chakra-conducting metal... let's have us decide its ownership. You seem very confident you can beat all five of us alone. So, let's settle this with one match."
He turned to the other four. "Any objections to my decision?"
The others could see the situation was lost and did not object.
Hashirama saw they were in agreement and nodded. "Tobirama! Take the men and fall back! Leave the rest to me!"
Tobirama acknowledged the order and pulled his forces back. The allied troops were also recalled by their Jonin. The Hatake Clan Head shook his head and left with them.
Masahiko recalled Katsuyu and followed Tobirama, leaving the battlefield. He had even more faith in Hashirama than Tobirama did.
Now, in the center of the battlefield, only Hashirama and the five clan heads remained.
The battle was about to begin.