Tsunade huffed angrily, her hands on her hips, the scenery quite eye-catching. This brat... his face is so calm. No matter how you look at it, he looks like he thinks we're even!
Good heavens. You looking at me and me looking at you... can those two things be the same?
"Hmph! I'm not going to argue with you about this," Tsunade snorted delicately, then her expression turned serious. "By the way, I came over this time because there's something important to tell you. The Tsuchikage, Onoki, has made his move. Our lurking ninja sensed the news and immediately transmitted it back."
Onoki has made his move? Kusuo's eyes lit up. No wonder even Tsunade had rushed over from the village.
In the first, second, and third great wars, there was almost an unwritten rule: soldiers fight soldiers, generals fight generals. Only a Kage can fight a Kage. Therefore, the classic battles of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, all happened before he succeeded the title. After being elected Hokage, he actually didn't have many opportunities to make a move.
"Understood," Kusuo said faintly. In any case, he was hoping the Tsuchikage would come. It would save him the trouble of having to personally go to the Hidden Stone Village to carry out another village annihilation operation.
"Don't underestimate that old man."
"Let me tell you, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, is different from the other Kage. He possesses chakra transformations of three attributes: wind, fire, and earth. He has mastered a Kekkei Tōta that is above a Kekkei Genkai! His strength cannot be underestimated!" Tsunade said seriously through gritted silver teeth.
Although it was not explicitly stated, all the villages had tacitly acknowledged him as the current strongest Kage. (The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's self-praise didn't count.) Onoki's Dust Style was divine; to be touched by it was to die.
In the original story, Sasuke, who had just gotten his Susanoo and thought he possessed Kage-level power, had foolishly crashed the Five Kage Summit. The result? He was instantly defeated. If it weren't for Obito using Kamui to teleport him into the Kamui dimension in time, he probably would have been reduced to molecules and returned to the embrace of nature long ago.
"So what? Do we have a way to retreat?"
"No matter who comes, it's enough for me to cut them down with one slash," Kusuo said, looking at Tsunade with composure. The latter was stunned.
Tsunade gave him a deep look. Being looked at like this by him, her face blushed again. "Alright! Your words are enough!"
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. If that old man Onoki dares to come, I'll crush him with one punch!"
霸气 (bàqì) - domineering, and it was leaking out. If one ignored the blush on her face, these words were spoken with the aura of a heroic female Hokage.
"I know, I know," Kusuo said with a faint smile, waving his hand. He didn't need anyone to protect him. Tsunade's speech was very touching, but he was sorry, he didn't need it. On the contrary, he even really wanted to know if the Third Tsuchikage's Dust Style could disintegrate his sword aura. It should be known that although his sword aura carried various elemental transformations, it did not have a single trace of chakra fluctuation. In that case, could Dust Style still work?
The clash of sword aura and Dust Style... what would the result be?
Kusuo's heart was on fire. He... was looking forward to it.
...
Land of Demons. At the border close to the Land of Earth.
Because of Kusuo's all-around support, sweeping through several large battlefields and annihilating all the troops sent out by the Hidden Stone, the entire front line had now been compressed back to the border of the Land of Earth. The invading side had actually been beaten back to their own country's territory. If word of this got out, it would be a huge joke.
But at the same time, because they were far from the territory of the Land of Demons, the terracotta army could not be used. The Hidden Stone had lost half of its combat power, but Konoha could only send out less than a third of its own.
The ninja of Konoha were still locked in a slaughter with the ninja of the Hidden Stone Village. The dry wind of the Land of Earth howled continuously, and the hard rocks on the ground were stained with blood. Severed limbs, ninja tools, fresh blood, fallen banners... this was the main theme here now.
The commander sent by the Hidden Stone Village this time was none other than the Tsuchikage's son, Kitsuchi. Having been taught by his father, the Tsuchikage, since he was a child, although he had not inherited his father's Dust Style Kekkei Tōta, his own strength was not weak. It was very likely that he had already stepped into the Kage-level of combat power. Perhaps he would be at a disadvantage against a veteran Kage, but his great strength needed no doubt.
And Guy, leading the remnants of the Konoha forces, looked at him from across the battlefield. Neither of them took the initiative to strike. He had opened the Eight Gates multiple times in one day before, and the pain in his body was long since unbearable. But it was all well-hidden by Guy. His face always had a carefree laugh, his mouth always full of youth and struggle. But when he wanted to follow through on the Will of Fire, no one could stop him.
Neji had also grown rapidly in this month-plus of war. At this moment, he was calmly analyzing the situation on the battlefield.
"Guy-sensei, our numbers, overall strength, and high-end combat power are all far inferior to the other side. If we continue to fight, it's very likely that our losses will be magnified."
Guy listened to Neji's words and nodded heavily. He knew Neji was right. But there was no other way. They had already received the news that the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, had made his move and was now at an unknown location. Once they retreated, the territory of the Land of Demons that they had just retaken would immediately be taken back. At that time, if they wanted to take it back again, it wouldn't be so easy. Without the buffer of the Land of Demons' territory, if the battle were to take place on the soil of the Land of Fire, it would inevitably greatly damage Konoha's vitality.
The Hidden Stone Village side had sent out no less than twenty jonin-level combatants, and the number of chunin was still several hundred. Konoha had gathered all its scattered forces, and counting Special Jonin like Anko and Hayate, there were still a good dozen or so. Neji, Tenten, and Lee could also entangle one or two jonin. The combat power... was still not enough.
Kitsuchi stood quietly at the rear of his own army, his icy gaze looking in the direction of the Konoha side with a cold killing intent. In the current situation, although Guy and the other Konoha ninja had caused huge losses to their Hidden Stone Village, what he truly hated was that sword-wielding boy.
Hatake Kusuo!
He had killed his classmate, Akatsuchi, and his uncle, Onoki Shio. A blood feud. Kitsuchi wished he could immediately tear the enemy to pieces with his bare hands to avenge them. Therefore, just by standing there calmly, he gave people a sense of extreme depression and bloodiness. His aura was very heavy. Some of the Konoha genin and chunin didn't even dare to meet his gaze, lowering their heads even from across the entire battlefield.
"Where is he now?" After a moment of staring, Guy shifted his attention from Kitsuchi opposite him and asked Neji in a low voice. They had already received the news that Kusuo was still active on the Land of Demons battlefield. And Lady Tsunade had even personally rushed over. Everything seemed to be a matter of waiting for a sure victory.
But Guy knew deep down that in the current situation, the strongest and most experienced of the Hidden Stone Village, the Third Tsuchikage, had not yet appeared. The Kekkei Tōta that fused three attributes... was one of a kind in the entire current ninja world.
Caution. They had to be extremely cautious.
The Third Tsuchikage's strength was too much of a counter to Lady Tsunade's monstrous strength steel fist. His Dust Style... could completely suppress her to the point where she wouldn't dare to get close.
Only Kusuo... was their, and also Konoha's, only hope.
-------
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