At this moment, at the border of the Land of Lightning.
A main force of over ten thousand Iwagakure ninjas was camped here, led by Kurotsuchi, the Fourth Tsuchikage, nicknamed the "Leg-Kage" in the present era.
Though their numbers were large, compared to the Fourth Ninja World War, this Iwagakure force was clearly much weaker.
Of the over ten thousand, most were Genin, with very few Special Jōnin and Jōnin.
The Chūnin level revealed a glaring gap.
Clearly, after the Fourth Ninja World War, Iwagakure also faced a severe shortage of successors, and the Leg-Kage suffered greatly because of it. Combined with a series of upheavals and losses caused by Ōnoki's androids in his later years, Iwagakure had declined further.
Even Sunagakure, once at the bottom, had vaguely surpassed Iwagakure.
After Ōnoki's death, without this anchor, Kurotsuchi, who succeeded him, grew increasingly anxious and pressured.
She was no longer as cheerful and vibrant as before.
Not to mention, the sudden outbreak of the Fifth Ninja World War nearly drove Kurotsuchi to her wit's end.
"Yondaime, up so early? Not resting more?"
As a senior Tsuchikage guard, Akatsuchi brought two meat buns for breakfast and found Kurotsuchi gazing into the distance.
"Can't sleep!"
Kurotsuchi irritably ruffled her hair, pulling out a few strands of black hair.
"Eat something! Worrying won't help. The coming war can't be avoided."
"I'm not afraid of fighting, but of losing."
"Losing?"
"This time, it seems no one will back us up. You've seen the latest war report from Kumogakure: the Fourth and Fifth Raikages are dead, Kumogakure and Kirigakakure are destroyed. Our village might be next…"
Behind Kurotsuchi's cheerful facade, she was always highly rational, even more so than her father Kitsuchi. Otherwise, Ōnoki wouldn't have passed the title to her directly.
Losing in the Fourth Ninja World War didn't matter; Uzumaki Jigen turned the tide.
Losing to Otsutsuki Momoshiki before didn't matter; the Seventh Hokage turned the tide.
But this time, no one was backing them up…
The Seventh Hokage was dead.
Frankly, if Iwagakure lost again this time, it would mean the village's destruction!
Just like Kirigakure and Kumogakure…
This was what Kurotsuchi feared and worried about most.
"Don't worry too much. We have numbers. Even if it's over ten thousand pigs, the enemy can't kill them all at once."
"Akatsuchi, you don't understand. Against Otsutsuki, numbers are useless."
"How so? Even the Third Raikage, strong as he was, died of exhaustion, didn't he? Besides, hasn't the Kazekage sent word? In a few hours, Sunagakure's forces will arrive and join us…"
Akatsuchi looked at Iwagakure's massive army behind him, feeling a bit more confident.
"Gaara? Even with him, it won't change anything…"
Kurotsuchi hadn't forgotten her humiliating defeat, knocked out in one blow by Momoshiki.
In comparison, Momoshiki could still be defeated by Uzumaki Jigen.
And this Otsutsuki Sasuke killed the Seventh Hokage Uzumaki Jigen, so the enemy was surely stronger than Otsutsuki Momoshiki!
Facing such a powerful foe, she didn't think she and Gaara could win together…
"If only Grandpa were here…"
"Yeah! If Grandpa were here, with his Jinton, we might have a chance to turn the tide. It's a pity I didn't inherit Jinton. It's all because of that idiot Deidara—he should've been Tsuchikage but refused…"
The more Kurotsuchi spoke, the angrier she got, sighing that being Tsuchikage was no easy task!
If Deidara hadn't died and became Tsuchikage, she wouldn't have to worry about this.
With his talent, Deidara could've learned Jinton, right?
"Deidara? It's a pity… but…"
Akatsuchi felt a bit regretful and was about to say something when the ninja scouts sent out delivered the latest enemy force information.
Kurotsuchi took the report, glanced at it, and her face changed drastically.
This was the technological era. Though Iwagakure's technology wasn't as advanced as Konoha's, they still had basic radio technology.
Thus, the scouts, upon detecting enemy traces, could instantly relay information without going back and forth.
So, shortly after Sasuke set out, Iwagakure received the news.
"Yondaime, what's wrong?"
"The enemy is attacking! Their target seems to be us!"
"So soon? How many enemies? When did they set out?"
"They left less than an hour ago—ten thousand enemy troops, including many Kumogakure and Kirigakure ninjas…"
"That's good news! Maybe in battle, we can turn the Kumogakure and Kirigakure ninjas."
"That's not the point. The point is, the scouts observed that the Fifth Raikage, who was dead, has come back to life!"
"Come back to life? How's that possible?"
"It's Edo Tensei! They also saw ninjas suspected to be Edo Tensei Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui, plus one of Konoha's Sannin, Orochimaru!"
"What? Orochimaru?!"
"Correct."
"So, Orochimaru has sided with Kara? With Otsutsuki Sasuke?"
Akatsuchi was shocked.
He didn't fully grasp the terror of Otsutsuki, but he vividly remembered Orochimaru's.
Even ignoring Orochimaru's own power, Edo Tensei alone was enough to make anyone tremble.
Even if the enemy didn't have ten thousand troops, just reviving a few past Hokages would be enough to destroy Iwagakure multiple times.
They were an opponent they couldn't defeat no matter how hard they tried!
And now, he had betrayed Konoha and joined Kara?
How could they fight this?
"Maybe it is Orochimaru. As for betraying Konoha, isn't that normal for him? Without the Seventh Hokage, who can keep him in check? Besides, he defected from Akatsuki before…"
Though Kurotsuchi looked grim, she found this quite plausible.
"Senior, what now? With Orochimaru and his Edo Tensei army, we can't win!"
"I don't have any good ideas either…"
"How about retreating first?"
"We can't run. Should we flee back to the village and bring the war there?"
"…"
"Wait. The enemy from Kumogakure will take about half a day. Sunagakure's forces might join us first. We'll discuss with Gaara then."
"Seems that's all we can do."
"If that doesn't work, just surrender. We can't beat them anyway."
Kurotsuchi raised her hands, complaining as if resigned.
"Surrender? It's Otsutsuki! How could they let ninjas surrender?"
"I heard the former Fifth Mizukage Terumi Mei didn't die after Kirigakure's destruction! If she didn't die, there must've been negotiations!"
"That's true, but…"
"Anyway, we'll try first. I always feel Otsutsuki Sasuke might not be as evil as we think. Negotiating first can't hurt."
Kurotsuchi, somewhat resigned, could only hope for negotiations.
Then she grabbed a meat bun and bit into it fiercely.
There should still be time before the enemy arrived. Might as well eat and rest—worrying too much was pointless.
As Kurotsuchi bit into the meat bun, chewing and swallowing…
A black-purple space portal suddenly opened above Iwagakure's army!
Six Paths Sasuke and Boruto descended, an overwhelming chakra pressure surging, making the tens of thousands of Iwagakure ninjas present hold their breath, hearts pounding.
"Cough cough cough—!"
Kurotsuchi was startled, nearly choking. She couldn't imagine how the enemy appeared so suddenly.
Did he really plan to take on Iwagakure's entire army alone?
Wait, stay calm!
The enemy might not be here to attack—there was still a chance to negotiate!
The Seventh Hokage's Talk no Jutsu was renowned. Kurotsuchi felt it was time to show her negotiation skills.
"Otsutsuki Sasuke, I want—"
Kurotsuchi shouted loudly toward Otsutsuki Sasuke in the air, attempting to unleash her Mouth no Jutsu.
Unfortunately, Six Paths Sasuke, in a great hurry, had no intention of negotiating. He immediately shut her down and launched a massive attack.
"Chibaku Tensei: Skyfall!"
Kurotsuchi was stunned: Not a friend? You…
Soon, nine massive Chibaku Tensei meteorites rapidly formed, engulfed in blazing Katon: Kagutsuchi flames, crashing down from the sky onto Iwagakure's entire army.
Kurotsuchi: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
Akatsuchi: !!!∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ
Iwagakure ninja army: o(ﾟДﾟ)っ!!!
On this day, many Iwagakure ninjas were reminded of the fear and despair they felt when dominated by Tengai Shinsei!
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At the same time Sasuke attacked Iwagakure's ninja army…
On the other side, the infiltration team led by Orochimaru had arrived outside Konoha.
Sasuke couldn't open a teleportation portal directly into Konoha to avoid detection by Isshiki due to spatial fluctuations.
And Konoha was still enveloped by a large detection barrier, making normal infiltration extremely difficult.
But this was no issue for Orochimaru and the others.
Orochimaru boldly led Kawaki and the others through the village's main gate.
Konoha's great barrier naturally detected the group, identifying their identities one by one.
Except for Daimon, who wasn't registered, the rest—Orochimaru, Kawaki, Edo Itachi, and Edo Shisui—were all recorded as allies in the system.
No enemies at all, so the barrier team didn't raise an alarm.
"Entering like this, is it okay?"
Kawaki was a bit nervous, asking worriedly. He didn't fully understand Konoha's barrier system.
He just felt that entering Konoha, now an enemy stronghold, so brazenly was too risky.
"Don't worry. If something happens, just run before me."
Orochimaru grinned slyly, sending chills down spines.
He was doing this on purpose. With Otsutsuki Boruto absent, their return to Konoha wouldn't be seen as hostile.
And bold infiltration had its advantages—it could quickly test the enemy's movements.
If Isshiki and Kaguya were in Konoha, they could retreat and escape immediately.
If not, Orochimaru would be the great hero who infiltrated Kara alone and rescued the Seventh Hokage's son, Uzumaki Kawaki!
Sure enough.
Seeing the five enter the village, the nearby Konoha residents didn't panic. Some even wanted to greet Kawaki, who had replaced Boruto, but Orochimaru's reputation kept them at a distance.
Moments later, two Anbu ninjas approached Orochimaru and the others first.
"Greetings, Orochimaru-sama!"
"I was ordered by the Hokage to rescue Uzumaki Kawaki. Just report that."
"Sorry, the Hokage is out, not in the village."
"Then who's in charge now?"
"The Sixth Hokage is temporarily in charge…"
"Good, summon the Sixth Hokage here!"
Orochimaru gave orders arrogantly, as if not calling Kakashi but a lowly subordinate.
In the entire village, only he and Tsunade had the qualifications and power for this.
"Understood!"
The two Anbu exchanged glances, pulled out walkie-talkies, and began reporting.
"Looks like our Hokage isn't in the village! That's good news."
Orochimaru sighed, feeling relieved. The Hokage he meant was, of course, Otsutsuki Isshiki controlling Code.
"Great opportunity—let's act quickly!"
"Where's my sister? Hurry and save her!"
Daimon tugged at Kawaki's hair, shouting urgently.
"Itachi, what do you think?" Orochimaru looked at Edo Itachi.
Itachi asked Daimon: "Can you sense your sister's presence?"
Daimon shook his head: "I can't."
Daimon's sensory abilities were strong. If Eida was in the village, he should've sensed her immediately.
Unless she was taken out of Konoha or hidden by some barrier or secret jutsu.
Itachi paused, then offered a new suggestion:
"Then meet Sarada first. She and the target Eida have communicated privately, so they're closer. She might know Eida's location."
"Alright."
The group decided, led by Orochimaru, to head to Sarada's location.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Meanwhile, Sarada and Sumire were still in their small room, quietly watching interesting content on the computer.
Last night, after receiving Eida's secret disclosure invitation, they had no choice but to comply.
But they were fortunate to learn that Eida wasn't a loyal enemy supporter and even planned to defect to their father's side.
Of course, cautious Sarada didn't immediately trust Eida.
But Eida showed significant goodwill, sharing all her information with Sarada and Sumire and asking them to quickly use Mitsuki's channel to relay the message to Orochimaru and Sasuke.
Sasuke and the others would surely judge the information's authenticity.
What else could they do? Under the enemy's terrifying, near-omniscient information advantage, Sarada and Sumire could only follow orders.
They wrote the information last night and handed it to Mitsuki this morning to pass to Orochimaru.
As for the outcome, they didn't know.
But Sarada chose to trust her father's judgment and abilities, far better than her and Sumire guessing blindly.
"Sarada, what do we do next?"
"Just wait. See if Dad and the others respond."
Sarada had no good ideas now. She'd been fully exposed, so she could only wait obediently.
"By the way, why haven't I seen Aunt Sakura since yesterday?" Sumire asked, puzzled.
Usually, when visiting her friend Sarada's house, she'd see Sakura.
"No idea. Maybe she went out. Mom's really strong, so she should be fine."
Sarada had been busy secretly installing monitors the past two days and was exposed by Eida yesterday, so she was overwhelmed and hadn't noticed where her mother went.
"Alright."
The two girls ate breakfast, chatted, and watched the monitor footage.
*KNOCK!* *KNOCK!*
A loud knock sounded, but not from the door—from the window.
Someone was knocking on the window?
This was the second floor—who would knock on the window?
Sarada and Sumire were startled and looked over.
At a glance, they saw Orochimaru's head, extended several meters, pressed against the window, grinning slyly at them, utterly terrifying.
"Ah~~~!"