While Katsuro was fending off the 2 Kage and Jinchurki squad, the rest of the battle was going better for the Leaf than expected. Their main soldiers such as Minato, Orochimaru, the Hyuga brothers, Might Duy, experienced Jonin, and even the younger not yet established prodigies like Kakashi and Shisui, were able to make up the difference in numbers between the Konoha shinobi and their oppositions'. Konoha had the momentum, having successfully shaken up their enemy thanks to the sudden huge forest and left over 9,000 unconscious for a period of time thanks to their lack of knowledge about it. It meant those left were separated and left scrambling allowing Konoha to take advantage when the numbers were far more equal.
The Hyuga brothers' and Might Duy's masterful Taijutsu tore through enemy lines single-handedly, Orochimaru and his summon Manda, the giant snake, swept across the battlefield using its flexible body to move through the trees and branches, swiftly dropping the number of enemy shinobi without much difficulty. The younger prodigies such as Uchiha Shisui and Kakashi also made a significant impact on the war, even at their younger ages, more so than some of their older comrades of the same rank.
Shisui, being one of the youngest on the battlefield, not even 10 years old, using his very advanced Bodyflicker technique and proficient use of his base Sharingan, was a serious threat to most Chunin, regardless of their ability or age. Being able to use the base Sharingan at such a high level for his age made him a huge prodigy, even among the Uchiha clan, and his use of Bodyflicker was above the capability of many shinobi. Kakashi, being a student of the White Fang and the Stormbreaker put him much further ahead than nearly everyone his age, and even his rank. His use of Shunpo, high proficiency with Lightning Style as well as his advanced Tai and Kenjutsu also made him a high-ranking Chunin despite his younger age. Furthermore, he had been able to perform and use Earth Style Jutsu quite easily. Being proficient in 2 chakra natures as a Chunin, was an uncommon sight, and considering his age made it even rarer.
Both Kakashi and Shisui's innate talent, training and genius could be seen through their efforts and skill in the battles they had fought in, and surpassed the regular expectations of a Chunin, much less someone their age, expected to be at least at the level of an academy student or possibly a Genin.
While the two were recognised prodigies among the youth of Konoha, they were still children, with Kakashi being barely a teenager, and Shisui as a pre-teen. They were still assigned to squads but considering their ability, had more freedom and use on the battlefield.
However, above all, the biggest threat to the Kumo and Iwa forces was the Yellow Flash of the Leaf, Namikaze Minato. He was already a renowned prodigy within Konoha, becoming a Jonin as a teenager, and all of his successful missions only emphasised this. However, his frequent use of Flying Raijin, a technique developed by the Second Hokage, and was regularly used by only the Senju Patriarch, gave rise to the title as the 'Yellow Flash of the Leaf'. The Jutsu made him essentially untouchable, and put him at the top rankings of all Jonin. Furthermore, the fact that he went head to head with the Third Raikage made Minato a Kage-level shinobi and a strong one at that, which only heightened the fame tying him to the Flying Thunder God technique.
So when Katsuro's technique was starting to wear off, and more and more Iwa and Kumo shinobi were waking once again thanks to the efforts of comrades who helped to destroy the trees, Minato made the step to bridge the gap. The numbers rising once again swiftly put Konoha back at a heavy disadvantage, but their situation was still far better than it might've been. Many of their enemies had been exhausted already, and they had taken advantage of the brief opportunity Katsuro gave to take out as many as they could, also neutralising those that were unconscious or taking them prisoner if they could. But still, the sheer quantity made things difficult, but Minato's use of flying raijin with the Light Step Styles allowed him to equal a small army by himself, alleviating the tough time somewhat.
Alone, he swiftly cut down the enemy shinobi's numbers throughout the forests, which complimented and greatly enhanced Flying Raijin's effectiveness, with all of the places he could place kunai to teleport to and footholds to catch oblivious enemy shinobi. Reaping countless lives of the opposition, Minato seemed to act like he was the next Senju Katsuro. His kill count had nearly reached 1,000, and the ghost of his presence with the flash of his hair sent shivers down enemy Shinobi and soon an order was put out for the enemy Iwa and Kumo shinobi if they encountered Minato in any circumstance. An order no less embarrassing and shameful than the first time. Flee on sight.
It seemed as though the entire Leaf force had woken up as an entire, massive killing machine, ready to take on any opponent. But it couldn't last forever, 5,500 simply couldn't win against the 13,000 remaining when they were all battle ready. Luckily Konoha was a haven for geniuses, and if they wanted to win this fight, they would have to step up.
Back to Katsuro's fight…
Taking a moment to assess the rest of the battle around him as he calmly stood on his branch, Katsuro extended his senses, using the trees and several more of his wood clones. Wood clones had another advantage that Shadow Clones didn't - they could relay information in real time without having to be dispersed. But unfortunately, unlike Shadow Clones, the caster needed to focus for them to display combat power, essentially to use them in a fight Katsuro would have to partially split his mind. Hmm, I need to combine Shadow clones and Wood clones somehow to get the best of both worlds… He thought ignoring the nervous demands of Onoki below.
This is good. We took advantage of when they were unconscious, the Deep Forest Bloom worked even better than I had expected. But they have woken up now… it's better but the numbers are still bad. But diamonds are made under pressure, he thought with a smile.
It's not just our leaders like Orochimaru, Kaito, Minato, Duy and the Hyuga brothers - whose feats alone make this possible, but everyone's exceeding their limits, in the name of their fallen comrades. Katsuro smiled. I can tell Minato's really using Flying Raijin to its fullest potential in that forest, just as we expected. Now all that's left is- huh? What is that? Katsuro frowned. He looked towards the dark forest on the far corner of the battlefield. The chakra he had detected disappeared almost immediately.
That strange chakra, what was it? I've never sensed it before, it doesn't feel like the chakra of a regular shinobi. It feels almost like my Wood Clones, like a living tree… But I should be the only person alive capable of using the Wood Style. He couldn't dwell on it for too long, considering the enemy he faced wouldn't just wait forever for him. Their entire goal currently was to take him down after all. He almost felt flattered.
In the forest…
Minato had been rushing through the dark trees, teleporting behind and around enemy shinobi, and with no warning, taking their lives.
There's another.
He quickly caught sight of yet another Stone. He darted in front of the Iwa ninja's vision, clearly making it visible that he was hidden behind a tree stump. The shinobi smirked.
"You might as well come out, I've seen you now!" the shinobi called out. However, he didn't receive a response. Growing irritated, he started to move forward, stepping over a random kunai lodged in the ground, to approach the Leaf shinobi he had caught sight of. Suddenly, the chakra presence of the Leaf shinobi behind the tree disappeared.
Where did-
His thought was cut short, as a random kunai appeared before his neck. The Stone shinobi stopped his eyes widening, carefully breathing as to not cut his neck on the kunai. Even if he could use the Rasengan, it was still far less chakra consuming to use his Kunai, especially when it would more than suffice. And he had a feeling he would need to conserve his chakra for this battle.
"It can't be…y-you're the Yellow Flash of the Leaf!"
Those were the last words of the Iwa shinobi before his lifeless body thumped heavily on the floor. Minato sighed.
"That's another. I wonder how Kakashi, Rin and Obito are doing. Knowing those three, they're probably alright," Minato smiled, but his relaxed expression instantly faded.
What's that chakra I'm sensing? It's almost like my teacher's. But it's… different. Hmm, he's probably sensed it too, I need to stay wary.
In a corner of the battlefield…
Hoh… that pair of master and disciple, their senses managed to pick me up for a second. I've been careless, Master is going to shout at me!
The strange being hidden in the ground thought, as he turned his head to look at his target, a boy in a dark blue and orange outfit wearing goggles.
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