"The sand and gold of Rasa can fly, and with Minato mastering the Flying Thunder God technique, he can directly cause damage to the enemy. So, Rasa will be left to Minato. Chiyo, as before, will be held back by the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. As for Ebizō, he will be engaged by Sarutobi, Aburame Shinichi, and Inuzuka Ken. Tsunade will provide support from the rear. Orochimaru and I will seize the opportunity to strike a heavy blow against Sunagakure."
Prior to the outbreak of the war, Jiraiya had already laid out the battle configuration based on the known capabilities and tendencies of the enemy leaders.
Sarutobi was an elite jōnin from the renowned Sarutobi clan—formidable and experienced. When teamed up with Aburame Shinichi and Inuzuka Ken, their collective strength might not reach the strategic level of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, but they were still more than capable of holding off someone like Ebizō. Despite his status, Ebizō's level wasn't comparable to Chiyo's. As a puppeteer, his threat level was somewhat overestimated, and Jiraiya recognized this gap.
But wars never go entirely according to plan. With so many shinobi engaged, outcomes were rarely determined by individual prowess alone.
Jiraiya's deployment was the most optimal for Konoha, yet Sunagakure would certainly adjust their own formations accordingly. Even so, Jiraiya was confident. That confidence was rooted in Minato's existence—his mastery of the Flying Thunder God technique tipped the scales.
The jutsu wasn't only fast; it allowed Minato to instantly appear anywhere pre-marked, overwhelming enemies with speed and precision. If Minato could reach Rasa before anyone else, he could engage him directly and prevent any counter-assignments. Once Rasa was occupied, the rest of the battle plan could fall into place.
And just as expected, war erupted in full force. The hatred accumulated over the last year between both villages exploded all at once. Shinobi from both sides clashed in a chaotic storm of jutsu, blades, and blood. Within moments, hundreds had perished.
"Minato!"
With Jiraiya's signal, Minato activated his signature teleportation technique. The yellow flash surged forward, scattering his marked kunai as he moved. As soon as the kunai landed several dozen meters ahead, Minato vanished and reappeared in an instant. His chakra surged as he prepared his attack.
"Rasengan!"
"Gold Dust Wall!"
Rasa responded immediately, summoning a massive wall of gold dust that intercepted Minato's Rasengan. The impact sent shockwaves through the battlefield, but Rasa remained grounded.
In a flash, Minato disengaged, tossing more of his Flying Thunder God kunai. His marksmanship was unparalleled—even before mastering the Flying Thunder God, his kunai technique rivaled that of the Uchiha clan. After refining it in tandem with the teleportation jutsu, his skill had become otherworldly. Now, kunai traced graceful arcs from every angle, curving around Rasa to strike from blind spots.
"Flying Thunder God!"
Minato vanished once more, reappearing at Rasa's rear-right flank. Chakra swirled again—another Rasengan blasted into Rasa's back.
Boom!
The force sent Rasa skidding forward. Though wounded and bleeding at the corner of his mouth, his injuries weren't enough to diminish his battle potential. Gritting his teeth, Rasa summoned gold dust to form massive wings on his back. With a mighty flap, he launched into the air.
Though Minato was dominant on the ground thanks to his speed and technique, aerial combat posed challenges. While he could teleport into the air, it lacked the same agility and positioning. Rasa, on the other hand, had full control while airborne, reducing the pressure from Minato's attacks.
With their battle escalating, the rest of the battlefield descended into a frenzy. Chiyo clashed against the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, while Ebizō fought Sarutobi, Shinichi, and Ken.
"Does Konoha have no other high-rankers?"
Rasa glanced across the battlefield and saw that only six elite jōnin were facing two Kage-level fighters. He couldn't help but feel some relief—Sunagakure might truly win this.
Tsunade's absence from direct combat did not raise suspicion. Konoha's medical corps was stretched thin, especially after the deployment to the Land of Lightning. Tsunade had chosen to prioritize healing and medical logistics over direct confrontation, a decision accepted by both leadership and fellow shinobi.
But this final confrontation was brutal. Nearly every puppeteer from Sunagakure had mobilized. Their puppets carried poisons potent enough to kill on contact. Dozens of Konoha shinobi were poisoned within the first hour alone.
In the rear, Tsunade stood atop Katsuyu, the massive slug summoned from the Shikkotsu Forest. Her Yin Seal bloomed on her forehead as she issued healing orders. Small slugs split from Katsuyu's main body and rapidly moved across the battlefield, falling on the poisoned and wounded to deliver life-saving treatment.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Lightning…
Uchiha Kiyo could no longer hold back. Despite the lack of formal orders, his instincts screamed that now was the moment to act.
Discussing such a plan with village elders might have jeopardized the entire operation—any information leak would lead to disaster.
"Sea Contract!"
Hui formed a complex sequence of hand seals. This was a custom-developed seal meant to anchor the instantaneous body flicker technique to an external object—in this case, a vast body of seawater. Unlike swapping with living beings, swapping with natural elements like water required precise control but expended far less chakra.
The sea he had chosen for this exchange had already been prepped. A few kilometers from the front lines, a designated ocean area had been marked for substitution. Hui solidified the body flicker technique to allow a massive exchange of chakra-infused seawater.
As soon as the technique activated, his chakra signature flared violently.
"Who's there?!"
"It's Hui!"
"Damn it! How did he get so close!?"
Yugito Nii, Bee, and A advanced from the tents, eyes wide in disbelief. Hui's chakra was too distinct. He had caused too much damage to Kumogakure over the past year for them not to recognize him instantly.
"Suiton: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Hui's hands blurred through the full sequence of hand seals. This time, he didn't skip a single motion. The scale of the jutsu was so vast that even the smallest mistake could collapse the entire construct.
From far off in the sky, Hui's silhouette appeared—barely a black dot. But they knew who it was.
Water streamed from his mouth, expanding rapidly mid-air. The technique he had anchored with the sea's contract began to unfold...
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