In a certain battlefield within the Land of Earth.
The sounds of slaughter rose from all sides, and the roar of countless explosions echoed from every direction, accompanied by the glare of fire.
Large groups of Konoha ninja were spread across the area, locked in a continuous struggle against the Stone Ninja.
In a central location, more than a hundred Konoha ninja were gathered, including Shinku Yuhi and Hizashi Hyuga.
"Eight Trigrams Revolving Heaven!" Hizashi shouted, immediately unleashing the Hyuga Clan's signature defense. Countless incoming attacks were deflected by the rotating dome of chakra. Seizing the opening, Hizashi charged forward and cut down several Stone Ninja.
Nearby, Shinku Yuhi was casting genjutsu, causing many Stone Ninja to perish in a daze, unaware of their own deaths.
Shibi Aburame's insects also swarmed the field, launching relentless attacks that left the Stone Ninja screaming in agony.
The battle was reaching a fever pitch.
"I didn't expect the Stone Ninja to launch such a massive general offensive," Shinku said as he regrouped with Hizashi.
"Yes. It seems their previous constant scouting of this battlefield was all for thisto discover our headquarters," Hizashi replied.
"They used a massive number of ninja to continuously block and narrow down the area until they finally found us," Shinku said, his expression grim. "The Stone Ninja must have taken heavy losses during the early stages to pull this off. They fought as if they didn't value their own lives at all."
"Are they trying to end the fighting on this battlefield as quickly as possible?" Hizashi asked. "We are currently fighting on two fronts, and we are clearly at a disadvantage in terms of manpower."
"I didn't expect Onoki to be so ruthless," Shinku noted. "To achieve his goal, he's willing to sacrifice so many of his own Stone Ninja."
"In that case, the mission Tianyuan went on to provide rescue must have been a trap," Hizashi said, his voice heavy.
"I'm afraid so. The power of Tianyuan's Mangekyo is enough to contend with many ninja. If he were here, the Stone Ninja wouldn't have such a clear advantage; at the very least, we could have maintained a stalemate." Shinku deflected an enemy kunai as he spoke.
"Tianyuan should be fine. After all, he possesses the Flying Thunder God Technique."
"Damn those Stone Ninja. Konoha might actually lose this time."
"Even if we do, the Stone Ninja won't have the strength to invade the Land of Fire in the short term."
"Who knows what that Onoki is thinking."
The Konoha Jonin across the battlefield discussed the dire situation.
The Konoha ninja continued to fight bravely, but their dwindling numbers forced them to shrink their defensive perimeter, pulling back from all sides. They were forced to concentrate all their remaining strength into a single point.
Suddenly, Shinku's face changed. He saw a massive force of Stone Ninja appearing in the distance.
"Another Stone Ninja unit," Hizashi said, his face darkening.
"Konoha ninja, the victory is ours this time." The leader of the unit spoke calmly as he looked at the gathered Konoha forces.
Naturally, the leader recognized Shinku, Hizashi, and the other Konoha Jonin. They had been fighting each other for a long time, and every village made it a point to study the elites of their rivals.
"We haven't lost yet," Shinku said slowly. "If Tianyuan returns, our chances of winning will return with him. We only need to hold out until then."
"Haha!" The Stone Ninja leader burst into laughter. "To place your hopes on a mere brat... you lot have lived all these years for nothing."
"Age has nothing to do with strength," Shinku replied calmly. "We believe in Tianyuan because he has the power to back it up."
"Believe in him all you want," the Stone Ninja leader sneered. "I'm telling you, even if your Konoha's Tianyuan appeared here right now, Konoha is still destined for defeat. Do you really think you can turn this around? Look behind meI have hundreds of Stone Ninja at my back."
"Is that so?" Hizashi let out a cold laugh. "If that's really the case, why did you resort to a feint to lure Tianyuan's unit away from here?"
The Stone Ninja leader's face stiffened. To be honest, they still feared Tianyuan. His combat record was undeniable.
Even with the Tsuchikage himself leading the attempt to kill Tianyuan, the rank-and-file ninja had no certainty that they could actually handle him. That was why they had poured all their effort into finding and crushing Konoha's main force.
If the main army was routed, the impact on the war would be so great that even a single man like Tianyuan would find it nearly impossible to salvage the situation.
With Konoha's army present, they could track the Stone Ninja's movements at any time. If only Tianyuan remained, he might miss something, allowing the Stone Ninja to slip into the Land of Fireand that would be a disaster.
"Enough talk! Regardless of the reason, Konoha ends here today!" the Stone Ninja leader barked.
Just as he was about to order his subordinates to move, the space next to Hizashi warped slightly. Two figures flickered into existence beside him.
"Tianyuan!" Hizashi cried out in surprise and joy. He hadn't expected Tianyuan to appear at such a critical moment.
"Tianyuan?" The Stone Ninja leader's face turned incredibly ugly.
The Konoha ninja all broke into smiles. Tianyuan was like a pillar of support on the battlefield, his mere presence putting them at ease.
"I'd like to know," Tianyuan said, his gaze shifting to the Stone Ninja leader, "who was it that said Konoha would end here?"
The Stone Ninja leader felt a chill run down his spine.
"Tianyuan, are you all right?" Shinku and the others asked.
"Let's put that aside for a moment," Tianyuan said. "First, we deal with the Stone Ninja and end this battle."
"Do you think you can change anything alone?" the Stone Ninja leader spat, his face twisted.
"Alone? Then I'll start by settling these local skirmishes." Tianyuan wove a series of hand signs. Dozens of identical copies of Tianyuan suddenly appeared around him. These clones immediately blurred away, heading toward different parts of the battlefield.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu? And so many of them," the Stone Ninja leader muttered grimly. "But using that many must have drained a massive amount of your chakra."
"No, those aren't Shadow Clones," Tianyuan said with a smile. "That was the Multiple Wood Clone Technique."
"Now, witness my new jutsu... one that will bury the thousand ninja you brought here."
A massive amount of chakra, as vast and potent as that of a Tailed Beast, erupted from Tianyuan's body.
"Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees!"
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).