After dealing with two powerful jonin, the remaining rabble of Iwa-nin were quickly defeated by Uchiha Ryun and the Land of Rice ninja.
This battle resulted in the capture of nearly thirty Iwa-nin. Jonin Itō did not dare to kill them all, so he asked Ryun to spare them as bargaining chips for negotiations.
Ryun had no interest in getting too involved in the Land of Rice's troubles, so he agreed to the request.
This battle largely eliminated the Iwa-nin invaders within the Land of Rice. However, according to the prisoners' intel, two squads—totaling 72 Iwa-nin—were set to arrive in the Land of Rice by ship the next day.
Ryun did not yet know the exact strength of these two squads or how many jonin were among them.
Based on the original mission objective, Ryun was supposed to wait one more day to eliminate these two squads before leaving, as the Konoha-nin had not yet arrived to take over the Land of Rice's border defense.
Before he could send a message to Orochimaru to ask for his opinion, his teacher had already dealt with the Land of Lightning's invaders and came to find him.
While Ryun had to clear out bandits village by village, Orochimaru did not. After defeating the Kumo-nin, he handed over the remaining tasks to the Konoha-nin.
This was also the Daimyo of the Land of Rice's intention, as only a major nation could oppose another major nation. The Land of Fire had already failed the Land of Rice's Daimyo once, so they could not afford to be careless again.
"Teacher, why don't you return to the Land of Rain first? I'll stay behind to deal with the two Iwa-nin squads before leaving," Ryun suggested.
"No, you go first. I'll stay and handle it…" Orochimaru felt his student should leave first.
"You should return first. If the commander doesn't see you for days, he'll definitely grow suspicious. If Hanzō of the Salamander attacks again, we'll both be in serious trouble…"
"Our situations are different. The commander rarely looks for me but often consults you on battle strategies. Me staying an extra day or two isn't a big deal, but if you stay, we're both at risk…"
Ryun explained his reasoning seriously.
"Besides, you have the authority to assign me missions. Just make up an excuse, and my absence won't be considered desertion."
"Two squads at most will only have two jonin leading them. I can handle them easily on my own."
Ryun's argument convinced Orochimaru, who no longer insisted on staying. After giving a few instructions, he left first for the Land of Rain battlefield.
He had full confidence in Ryun's abilities and strength. His student had never let him down and was extremely reliable.
A day later, Ryun went to the Land of Rice's coastal port but did not encounter the supposed Iwa-nin squads.
He originally intended to hand over the mission to the Konoha-nin as completed, but in the early morning of the next day, he received news that the enemy ships had docked.
Thus, another battle broke out, and Ryun led the Land of Rice ninja to successfully drive off the new wave of Iwa-nin bandits.
This time, the Daimyo of the Land of Rice insisted on driving them away rather than killing them, as the newcomers had not yet committed any atrocities. If they were slaughtered, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, would undoubtedly seek revenge against the Land of Rice.
It might even escalate into a full-scale war.
The previous invaders had clearly committed crimes, so their deaths were justified. Iwagakure would swallow the loss and not use it as a reason for war. But if these two new squads were wiped out, the situation would be entirely different.
By the time the Land of Rice's affairs were fully resolved, it was nearly dusk. At the Daimyo's enthusiastic insistence, Ryun stayed overnight at the Daimyo's palace.
Since Orochimaru had already returned to the battlefield, Ryun didn't need to rush back.
At the palace, Ryun enjoyed music, dances, feasts, foot baths, and massages—everything was attended to by dedicated servants, allowing him to indulge as a VIP for a night.
On the battlefield in the Land of Rain, he was either training or fighting. It was only right to take a brief break and relax his exhausted body and mind…
After a comfortable night's sleep, Ryun had a luxurious breakfast with the Daimyo before departing the palace and heading straight for the Land of Rain battlefield.
"He refused money, gifts, and all the beautiful women. This man is clearly destined for greatness, truly worthy of being Orochimaru's student!" the Daimyo of the Land of Rice murmured in admiration.
"At such a young age, he already has the strength of an elite jonin. His future achievements will undoubtedly be extraordinary. If only such a genius had been born in the Land of Rice…"
As the Daimyo's guard jonin, Itō couldn't help but sigh in agreement.
"Indeed… The Land of Rice simply lacks talent. Otherwise, we wouldn't be bullied so easily by the major nations!"
The Daimyo couldn't help but entertain the idea of establishing a ninja village to develop military strength.
It took Ryun two days to return to the Land of Rain. However, before he could reach Ryūmon Town, he found the area engulfed in battle—Hanzō of the Salamander had indeed led the Rain-nin in an attack!
Fortunately, he had foreseen this and made Orochimaru return two days earlier. Otherwise, both master and student would have faced severe consequences for desertion.
Ryun felt a surge of relief but quickly refocused, joining the Konoha forces in repelling the enemy.
"Lord Ryun! What are you doing here?"
Ryun cut down a Rain-nin with his sword while saving a Konoha chunin.
The question left him momentarily speechless, as he didn't yet understand the situation. Instead, he asked in return:
"Where is Orochimaru-sensei?"
The chunin paused briefly before pointing in a direction.
"The main battlefield outside Ryūmon Town. The situation is unstable—Hanzō of the Salamander brought a huge force this time. It seems he's determined to retake Ryūmon Town!"
Without wasting another second, Ryun rushed toward the indicated location.
Along the way, he fought continuously, encountering numerous Rain-nin ambushes while occasionally aiding Konoha comrades.
The battlefield was chaotic. To counter the Rain-nin's poison mist, the Konoha forces had split into smaller teams to avoid being wiped out in a single attack.
Unable to locate the Sannin or Hanzō in the chaos, Ryun drew his chakra blade and engaged the enemy directly.
Thus, the final decisive battle between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain began!
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