The village was surrounded by towering rocky mountains, forming naturally strong defenses that made it difficult for enemies to penetrate. However, the land was barren. In his past life, there was an applicable saying here too: "Infrastructure leads to prosperity."
No wonder the Tsuchikage wanted to start a war. Surviving in such a harsh environment filled with rocky mountains was undoubtedly difficult. Compared to Konoha, it was like heaven and earth—there was simply no way around it. After all, they couldn't beat Konoha back in those days.
Back then, Konoha, led by Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, was practically invincible. They had no choice but to submit. Had Hashirama not been so merciful, he himself might never have allowed the Five Great Nations to form—he would've brought everything under one rule ages ago.
This was what Anya was thinking as he stood atop a rocky mountain, overlooking the Iwagakure village below. The other three members of the team had already chosen their positions and were ready to sneak in.
Surveying the natural defensive formation shaped by the encircling peaks, Anya took out pre-prepared explosive tags and surrounded the base of the mountain with them. Then, sealing with both hands, he said, "Lightning Release, Thunder Bomb."
The surging blue lightning detonated the explosive tags. The powerful explosion shattered half of the mountain, sending massive boulders charged with electricity rolling down with a deafening roar, kicking up a storm of dust.
[Enemy attack!] The village quickly raised the alarm. Soon after, a group of ninjas arrived at the area where the rocks had fallen and formed hand seals, shouting, "Earth Release: Earth-Flow Wall!"
The rocks, charged with lightning, continuously smashed through several walls before finally stopping, but more rocks quickly followed.
One burly man commanded, "You few, quickly find the enemy. The rest of you stay here with me and hold the line. Don't let these rocks roll into the village!"
Anya watched the approaching Iwagakure ninja with a cold smirk, his tanto already drawn and ready.
[Sword Art: Draw Technique.]
A blinding arc flashed through the air. The group of ninjas, still surrounded by falling boulders, never even saw the attack coming before a bone-chilling aura swept over them. Their vision blurred—then they were gone.
After eliminating those few, Anya continued rushing toward the next hill, preparing for the next round of destruction.
Just then, an entire mountain rose out of nowhere, completely blocking Anya's path forward. It turned out that the same burly man who had commanded earlier—Kitsuchi—had created the mountain and now stood before Anya, locking him in place.
Anya looked at Kitsuchi and frowned. "Your Earth Release can actually create a mountain?"
Incredible. Just the amount of chakra required was terrifying.
Kitsuchi stared at Anya and asked, "Who are you?"
Anya wasn't above stalling and replied with a smirk, "Aren't you supposed to introduce yourself first before asking for someone else's name?"
"I'm Kitsuchi."
Hearing the man actually say his real name, Anya couldn't help but be taken aback. Was Kitsuchi really being honest, or was this just a trick?
Kitsuchi continued, "Now it's your turn to give your name."
Instinctively, Anya responded, "My name is Yunbai."
Kitsuchi demanded angrily, "Yunbai, I saw your forehead protector. You're a ninja from Kumogakure, right? Why are you attacking our village? Don't you fear retaliation?"
"Retaliation?" Anya sneered with a disdainful look. "Our Raikage is the strongest ninja in the entire ninja world. Besides, our Lightning Release has an advantage over your Earth Release. Do you really think you've got a shot? The Raikage alone could wipe out your entire village. I'm merely here to deliver a message."
"Tch." Kitsuchi indeed became furious. He covered his fists with massive chunks of rock and threw a punch toward Anya.
Anya didn't dare to take the hit directly and immediately switched places using the Substitution Jutsu.
Missing his target, Kitsuchi formed hand seals and slammed both hands onto the ground. [Earth Release: Rising Drill Attack!]
Anya felt intense pressure erupting from the ground below. A huge crater split the earth open like a volcanic eruption, spewing endless streams of soil in all directions, completely blocking off escape routes.
Anya snorted coldly, drew his blade infused with Lightning Chakra, and sliced through the oncoming torrents of earth, shattering them effortlessly. Without a second glance, he turned and fled.
"You think you can escape?"
Kitsuchi quickly gave chase.
Meanwhile, Minato and his team had found an ideal location. With Kushina's Sealing Formation, even someone standing face-to-face wouldn't be able to detect them.
Dan Kato said, "As planned earlier, we'll destroy their symbolic Tsuchikage Office first—the heart of Iwagakure's leadership. I'll sever communication between everyone, leaving them clueless like headless flies."
Minato clearly understood Dan's abilities already and simply nodded before setting off.
His speed was so great that he became invisible to the naked eye mid-air. Even if some ninja sensed something wrong and tried to shout out, they would instantly black out and collapse.
These mysterious deaths spread panic throughout the village.
In this chaos, Minato approached the Tsuchikage Office and immediately made hand seals without hesitation. [Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!]
A powerful gust blew forth from Minato's mouth. Under his Chakra control, this wind solidified into high-pressure air spheres capable of obliterating anything straight ahead.
When this swirling tempest struck the Tsuchikage Office, it caused massive detonations. All surrounding structures collapsed instantly. The terrain was left utterly shattered and uneven, as if gnawed apart by some monstrous force.
Seeing this scene, the Iwa ninjas turned red-eyed with rage, shouting furiously, "Find the enemy! We'll rip them apart limb from limb!"
Successfully igniting their anger, Minato wasted no time and left immediately, retracing his steps. Thanks once more to Dan Kato's support, there was no danger of being discovered.
After returning to the Sealing Formation, Minato grabbed the other two and departed from Iwagakure entirely. Everything unfolded silently and stealthily while the ninjas of Iwagakure helplessly boiled with impotent fury.
Meanwhile, the battle between Anya and Kitsuchi had reached a fever pitch. Blow after blow, neither side yielding easily. While Lightning Release might have superiority over Earth Release, Kitsuchi's Chakra reserves far exceeded Anya's—he was no mere Jonin. Additionally, his immense physical strength forced Anya never to dare block attacks head-on.
However, Anya's sword art also gave Kitsuchi quite a headache. That chilling cold light constantly locked onto his vulnerable spots like his throat and eyes. One moment of carelessness would mean instant death.
Realizing neither had the upper hand, Anya spoke up first, "Still wanna chase? Keep chasing and you'll cross the national border."
Kitsuchi snorted coldly, "It was you who started this war first. Even if I cross the border, we're still in the right."
What a reckless fool! Still arguing about principles at a time like this. If it were Anya himself, he wouldn't even respond to such words. When war has already started, arguing over borders like this is just absurd.
Anya, on the other hand, continued messing with him, "I'm just here to drop by this time. I don't really intend to start an actual war with you. Once you enter our territory, though, I won't be fighting you one-on-one anymore. You better think carefully about the consequences."
"How cowardly," Kitsuchi thought for a moment, then said resentfully, "You wait, Kumogakure. We won't let this slide."
After saying that, Kitsuchi turned back toward his village.
Anya, on the other hand, plopped down on the ground, shaking his slightly sore arm while exhaling in relief…
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