Back at the Land of Hot Water battlefield, inside his tent, Tengen smiled.
He hadn't used the Flying Thunder God Technique to reach Kakuzu, it was the Rinnegan's power.
"The Rinnegan has indeed deepened my mastery of space." Tengen mused.
Space was like two sheets of paper; the challenge was moving from one to the other. The Flying Thunder God Technique overcame this with markers.
"My method now feels somewhat like Instant Transmission from Dragon Ball." Tengen reflected. "But for close-range combat, Flying Thunder God is still superior."
"My understanding of space isn't deep enough yet." He said softly.
"Then let's test other powers." Tengen's figure vanished, leaving a clone behind as he teleported elsewhere to experiment with his Rinnegan.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the Land of Hot Water, Kumogakure's encampment bustled with activity.
In a meeting room, Kumo's high-ranking ninjas convened. What should have been a crushing victory over Konoha had been undone by Tengen's arrival, leaving them to plan their next move.
"You all know what happened today." The Third Raikage said to the gathered ninjas.
These were Kumo's elite, leading the charge in battle.
At the Raikage's words, they bowed their heads in shame, aware of their failure.
"I don't blame you." The Raikage said slowly. "We didn't anticipate such a terrifying enemy. That Konoha genius, Tengen, wields not only the Uchiha's supreme power but also the First Hokage's Wood Release kekkei genkai."
"Against Wood Release, we had to retreat temporarily." He continued. "We knew Tengen was on the Iwagakure front, planning to exploit a time gap, but we didn't expect the Third Hokage to send him here."
"Perhaps the Iwagakure front has stabilized." A Kumo ninja suggested.
"Hm, that's possible." The Raikage said, stroking his chin. "We need to investigate the battles between Konoha and the other two villages to stay informed."
"Understood, Raikage-sama. What's our next move?" Another ninja asked.
"Defeating Konoha quickly is now unlikely." The Raikage said. "Tengen's arrival means Konoha's other reinforcements are likely here or close."
His guess was accurate. No matter how strong Tengen was, the Raikage doubted he'd been sent alone to resolve an entire battle.
The Third Hokage had dispatched reinforcements, and they'd arrived.
Konoha's strength was restored.
With Orochimaru, Tengen, and other powerful ninjas, Konoha's forces gained confidence, their earlier defeats fading.
Learning Tengen wielded Wood Release snapped them out of their despair.
Such was the reassurance power brought.
"Our ninjas must avoid grouping up. Fight in small squads to prevent Tengen from breaking through with large-scale attacks." The Raikage ordered.
"Understood, Raikage-sama." The Kumo ninjas replied.
"Good. Dismissed." The Raikage said, waving them off.
"Yes, Raikage-sama." They left the room.
Alone, the Raikage's face betrayed his frustration. They'd been one step from victory, but now the battle with Konoha was a stalemate.
"There will be a chance. Three villages against Konoha." He said, eyes glinting coldly.
Under such pressure, the Raikage was confident Konoha would crumble. The three villages' strength rivaled Konoha's.
The Land of Hot Water battlefield settled into an uneasy calm.
Konoha and Kumogakure remained locked in a standoff, with occasional small-scale clashes.
On the front with Tengen and Orochimaru, Kumogakure seemed to shrink back.
Days passed.
On the Iwagakure front, in Konoha's encampment, a meeting convened in a command tent.
"According to reports, Iwagakure has mobilized over a thousand ninjas from their village, planning to bypass this battlefield, cross the Land of Grass, and enter the Land of Fire's border." A Konoha ninja reported to Yūhi Shinku and Hyūga Hizashi.
"Iwagakure's moving again." Shinku said, his expression tightening. It had been some time since Tengen left this front.
Iwagakure was stirring, seizing an opportunity.
"Our numbers here are insufficient. We have two priorities: send a letter to Konoha requesting reinforcements, and find ways to disrupt Iwagakure's plan to crush them." Hizashi said.
"Let's discuss." Minato said.
The ninjas deliberated, deciding to first sever Iwagakure's supply line.
"We'll send teams to engage their front-line ninjas. Minato, can you and your squad destroy the supply line at the Kannabi Bridge?" Shinku asked.
"No problem." Minato nodded.
"Good. As planned, prepare to intercept the Iwa ninjas."
The battle between Konoha and Iwagakure reignited.
***
Every 5 reviews and 200 power stones, a bonus chapter will be dropped.
(5,10,15, 200, 400, 600, and so on then two bonus chapters will be dropped, 1 for 5 reviews and 1 for 200 power stones, so that's 2 bonus chapters!)
And if you want to read more than 50 chapters early, feel free to visit pat re on. com / Xelenea (remove space).