The battlefield between Konoha and the Iwagakure–Kusagakure coalition was set in the Land of Grass.
There was never much choice in the matter.
Small nations had no voice. The battlefields of the Great Ninja Villages, Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure, were always the same; the Land of Grass, the Land of Rain, The Land of Rivers, and The Land of Waterfalls.
The Land of Rivers lay between the Fire Country and the Wind Country. The Land of Grass and the Land of Rain sat wedged between three giants: the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth.
The Land of Waterfalls bordered Iron, Fire, Grass, and Earth, and boasted Takigakure, hidden behind an enormous waterfall, easy to defend and difficult to assault. On top of that, Takigakure held the Seven-Tails, making it a poor target for unnecessary provocation.
The Land of Rain had Hanzō the Salamander, a small-nation hegemon whose reputation alone deterred invasion. He was far too dangerous compared to the opportunistic Kusagakure.
And the Land of Rivers? It didn't even border Earth Country. For Iwagakure to march an army there, they would have to pass through the entire Land of Rain or Land of Grass first—completely impractical.
So the Land of Grass was the only natural battlefield. Kusagakure's involvement removed even the slightest suspense. Without Iwa's backing, Kusagakure wouldn't dare step into the Land of Fire. Losing meant paying a price too steep for forgiveness.
Thus, Orochimaru and Uchiha Gen led Konoha's forces, intercepting the allied armies at the eastern border of the Grasslands.
As a perennial buffer zone, the Land of Grass had long since adapted to being trampled. Both Iwa and Konoha understood Kusagakure's fence-sitting nature, punishing them but never too harshly, careful not to drive them fully into the enemy's arms.
The confrontation began much like the war against Kumogakure. Sensors on both sides detected the enemy in advance, and orders were given. Marching lines shifted into battle formations.
Kunai and shuriken rained down, explosive tags detonating across the open fields. Fire blossomed in sudden bursts, screams punctured the chaos, and blood sprayed the green earth. A battlefield in an instant became hell itself.
Yet pity and sympathy did not exist here. Only killing intent burned hotter, driving every shinobi forward with increasing ferocity.
Orochimaru found himself squared against Han, the Five-Tails' jinchūriki.
Han wore crimson steam armor, a straw hat, and a half-mask hiding one side of his face. Unlike Rōshi, who often quarreled with Ōnoki, Han was fiercely loyal to his Tsuchikage. From a young age, he had trained relentlessly to master Kokuō's power.
By now, he could extract and wield tailed beast chakra almost at will, as fluidly as Naruto would one day in his Tailed Beast Mode.
Kokuō, the Five-Tails, was renowned for raw physical strength. And Han, with that strength in hand, was among the greatest taijutsu specialists in the world, his speed, reflexes, and combat experience overwhelming. Ordinary ninjutsu shattered on contact with him. Only Raikage A surpassed him in sheer close-quarters might.
Orochimaru's taijutsu was respectable, but nowhere near Han's. He relied instead on ninjutsu and genjutsu, keeping his distance. His body modifications were not yet perfected, far from the grotesque resilience he would one day possess.
Direct confrontation was suicide.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Gen faced Kitsuchi, commander of Iwagakure's forces.
Tall, broad, wearing red combat gear and a jōnin's chainmail, Kitsuchi looked simple, even honest. But his earth-style taijutsu, particularly Rock Fist, was anything but simple.
In the Fourth Shinobi War, he would one day send a transformed Kinkaku flying with a single punch.
At this point, Kitsuchi was already formidable. His raw power eclipsed Gen's youthful frame.
But Gen was Uchiha. With Sharingan insight and blistering body flicker speed, he refused to be hit. Kitsuchi's fists tore the air, yet never found their mark. To him, Kitsuchi seemed slow.
Still, Kitsuchi did not fight alone. An Iwa jōnin supported him, disrupting Gen's attempts at genjutsu. Everyone in the ninja world knew better than to face an Uchiha one-on-one.
By now, Gen was no unknown. He had fought in the Whirlpool skirmishes, the Land of Rice Field war, and now in the Third Shinobi War itself. He was Orochimaru's disciple, a genius of the Uchiha, and one of Konoha's three deputy commanders. If Iwagakure failed to take him seriously, they would be fools.
And Ōnoki, haunted by the memory of Madara, took him very seriously indeed. Before Kitsuchi departed, the Tsuchikage had given clear orders: If you meet that boy, destroy him. One Madara was enough. The world cannot endure another.
Gen quickly adapted to Kitsuchi's rhythm, then called out Shuryu to aid him.
Konoha was slightly outnumbered, so Gen targeted Kusagakure directly. Shuryu cut through their ranks, scattering them. As Kusagakure faltered, Iwagakure's morale wavered in turn.
This time, Orochimaru and Gen fought with restraint. Their aim was not annihilation but pressure, bleeding Iwa slowly, forcing retreats, prolonging the war.
For Orochimaru, it meant a steady flow of research material. For Gen, a steady harvest of souls.
In truth, both had decided they would eventually slacken, but not yet. A premature rout would shorten the war. They needed time. Gen even withheld Shizukamaru, his most effective counter to Earth Release, saving him as a hidden card for the final battle.
Kusagakure's shinobi crumbled quickly. Their quality paled next to the Five Great Nations, and their captain had no desire to waste lives. They had joined Iwa for profit, not sacrifice. Once losses mounted, they pulled back.
Iwagakure expected nothing more. They knew Kusagakure's nature well. But without their allies, the balance tilted. Konoha's smaller but sharper units gained the edge.
When Han failed to break Orochimaru, and Kitsuchi failed to pin down Gen, the tide turned steadily. Losses mounted, morale sagged. Kitsuchi gave the order to withdraw.
Orochimaru and Gen did not pursue. They simply watched Iwa fall back, then raised a cordon and secured the field.
Konoha cleaned the battlefield, then set about raising a new camp. Across the plains, Iwagakure did the same.
By nightfall, two fortified lines faced each other once more, and the long grind began, skirmishes, raids, months of bloody stalemate.
The Land of Rice Fields front was already stuck. Now, the Land of Grass bogged down too.
Military expenses bled away month after month, feeding two wars with no end in sight.
Back in Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen grew anxious.