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Two days later.
Sunagakure's front line camp.
The Third Kazekage sat haggardly in the center of the barrier.
Although only a short time had passed, he seemed to have lost a size, and even his hair had turned much grayer.
Having wasted so much time, no matter how much his temper flared, he had already understood that the current situation was beyond remedy.
Helpless, he slowly stood up and asked the person beside him:
"How much material is left?"
"Enough for seven days."
A Sunagakure staff officer beside him replied.
Hearing this, the Third Kazekage seemed to have aged several more years, as if he had already foreseen the outcome of this war, and his eyelids slowly drooped.
But when he turned his head, he noticed that the Ninja in the command center were still looking at him.
He instinctively paused, as if realizing something, and the suffocating feeling that was about to be exhaled from his chest was difficultly blocked in his throat, and he bit his teeth tightly.
Some people ascend to high positions to scheme for supreme power.
But some people sit in high positions to bear the heavy responsibility that no one else can shoulder.
When he saw the gazes of the people around him, the Third Kazekage knew that there were certain words, certain expressions, and certain emotions that he absolutely could not reveal.
Because many people were still relying on him.
"That's enough."
Almost instantly, the heavy expression on his face turned into a coldness like a Blade, meeting everyone's gaze one by one, and he said deeply:
"It took two days, but we finally deterred Sawara Kiri from outside the camp. Our waiting during this time was worth it."
"From today onwards, we can fully attack Kikyo Castle."
As soon as he opened his mouth, the Third Kazekage already had a plan in his mind, and his voice was unwavering: "As long as we take Kikyo Castle, no matter what price we pay, it will be worth it."
"The materials stored inside are enough for us to continue holding this land on the border of the Land of Fire, enough for us to reorganize our forces and withstand Konoha's next offensive, and also enough for us to deal with the trouble appearing from behind us!"
"Because I am still here."
His voice was confident and sharp, and his majestic gaze swept over the expressions of everyone present, gradually giving courage to every Sunagakure Ninja who had unconsciously begun to worry.
Only those older Sunagakure Ninja seemed to realize something, but they merely looked at each other and said nothing.
The Third Kazekage ignored their thoughts and quickly instructed: "From today onwards, the entire army will be divided into three shifts, continuously attacking Kikyo Castle day and night!"
"Materials will be distributed to individuals, and everyone must be prepared for continuous fighting, to the death!"
"Only by breaking through Kikyo Castle can the Land of Wind have a future, and Sunagakure have a future!"
"The command of the entire army is entrusted to all of you."
He looked deeply at everyone and said calmly: "Next, I will also lead by example and fight on the front lines."
"For Sunagakure."
"For Sunagakure!!"
Everyone was moved and responded in unison.
In the afternoon, the first wave of attacks from the entire Sunagakure army began.
The dark tide swept in like a storm, rushing at the forefront of the entire army, breaking through layers of seemingly solid defenses with extremely violent means, and smashing every fortress that stood in his way with a heavy hammer constructed of iron sand.
The young Sunagakure Ninja were incredibly excited by this, and they all desperately followed behind That Person.
However, only the elders could realize it.
Kazekage-sama, he has begun to fight with his life.
No matter how powerful a Ninja is, his Chakra is refined from his body and spirit. No one can fight endlessly like a machine forever.
Especially on this battlefield where tens of thousands of Ninja are concentrated.
However, whether it was the terrifyingly powerful Konoha now, or the potentially even more terrifying Konoha in the visible future led by the monster Sawara Kiri, it made the Third Kazekage's mood extremely heavy.
For him, perhaps fighting so recklessly might make him feel a little more at ease?
These experienced veteran Ninja thought this in their hearts, and couldn't help but feel a little sad.
How could they not see that the hope of Sunagakure winning this great war was becoming increasingly slim?
At this moment, there was only war.
Under the leadership of the Third Kazekage, the entire Sunagakure army charged repeatedly against Kikyo Castle as if tireless, and the dark iron sand waterfall swept over every inch of land visible below the castle like a tide.
Whether it was trees, rivers, or soil, everything was swept away, turning into dense fragments, and the Konoha Ninja hidden within were simply unable to resist.
Hundreds of Ninjutsu corps continuously clashed with him using combined Ninjutsu, but due to the difference in numbers, they were constantly defeated by the larger number of Sunagakure Ninja behind the Kazekage.
Under three full days of continuous fierce attacks, the various fortresses around Kikyo Castle, which formed a mutual defense, were constantly removed, rebuilt, and then broken through again and again.
The Sunagakure Ninja's battle line was getting closer and closer to Kikyo Castle.
Orochimaru, as the overall Commander of the Konoha side, remained in the castle, holding his troops, and at the same time, he absolutely forbade the Konoha Ninja in the surrounding defense zones from retreating into the city, which was completely opposite to his previous proactive strategy of shrinking the battle line, making him seem extremely ruthless.
At this time, Konoha and Sunagakure were completely pressing each other with the lives of Ninja, constantly stretching out time.
Until the fourth day.
"Whoosh—"
Dense, tide-like iron sand suddenly surged towards the figure at the top of Kikyo Castle's wall, converging into a dark waterfall, emitting a roar mixed with vibrations and friction.
The Third Kazekage stood in mid-air, looking down at the figure swallowed by the dark iron sand, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Clang!"
Accompanied by a series of piercing metallic sounds, a massive snake coiled and rolled out from the center of the iron sand. Its hard scales rubbed against the dark iron sand, but there was no sign of it being crushed.
Orochimaru's figure stood in the open space where the giant snake coiled, raising his head to look at the figure in the sky.
His tongue slowly licked the corner of his lips.
A sinister smile appeared on his face, his voice hoarse: "To think that the esteemed Third Kazekage-sama has been forced to personally fight to the death by a mere junior, how truly pathetic."
"What? Are you still unwilling to send the Jinchuriki you brought to the front lines?"
The Third Kazekage stood high in the sky and scoffed:
"Jinchuriki? To deal with you?"
"I alone am enough."
The smile on Orochimaru's face grew even more intense, and he raised a hand in his direction:
"That's truly... Arrogant!"
Almost at the instant the voice fell, countless small snakes suddenly shot out from Orochimaru's seemingly close-fitting sleeve towards the sky like an arrow rain, emitting continuous whooshing sounds.
"Secret Technique! Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
The Third Kazekage's figure floated swiftly through the sky like a swimming fish, the sand iron wings behind him, like wings, continuously flapped, making him fly faster and faster in the sky.
At the same time, he also stretched out his hand towards the top of the city wall, forming a hand seal.
"Magnet Release: Sand Iron Shower!"
Dark raindrops continuously fell from the sky, rushing towards the small snakes and Orochimaru, directly penetrating the thick city walls.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Earth Release: Earth Wall!"
The Ninjutsu combined unit behind Orochimaru immediately reacted, releasing various Ninjutsu towards the sky, but they could not keep up with the Third Kazekage's movements. They merely blew the iron rain in mid-air into a chaotic mess and barely blocked a portion of it.
However, the Third Kazekage did not relax his vigilance in the slightest.
Just as those veteran Jonin and Commanders had seen, he was now forced to adopt the extreme strategy of personally entering the fray because he had no other choice.
Although there were many Sunagakure Ninja now, they were like rootless duckweed, completely without any support. The logistics system and the re-collection of materials would be enough for Konoha and the Land of Fire to push the front line back to its pre-war position.
If he could not break through the Kikyo Castle defense line as quickly as possible this time, Sunagakure would inevitably face a major defeat with no gains.
Therefore, no matter what method he used, he had to break through the city wall in front of him.
Just as he was thinking this.
Before the Third Kazekage could increase his flight altitude further, a cold metallic gleam suddenly appeared between the earth walls.
"Kusanagi sword: Long Sword of the Sky!"
The suddenly flashing metallic light streaked across the mid-air.
The kusanagi sword, which usually hung at Orochimaru's waist and seemed unremarkable, actually extended hundreds of meters in an instant, its blade pointing directly at the Third Kazekage's chest and abdomen.
In that instant, the Third Kazekage's eyes suddenly flashed.
With a 'thud,' his figure was completely pierced by the kusanagi sword.
"Third Kazekage-sama!"
The Sunagakure Ninja below were all stunned and couldn't help but shout out.
However, the figure hovering in mid-air suddenly transformed into a series of dark sand iron, tightly coiling around the surface of the kusanagi sword like ropes.
At the same time, it continuously extended towards Orochimaru's head, forming a large hand that suddenly opened.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Coffin!"
Orochimaru's golden snake eyes seemed to freeze, and his entire body, surrounded by the giant snake, was suddenly enveloped in the dense iron sand, instantly being controlled.
However, his struggles did not cease. Countless streams of snakes continuously poured out from his body, and with incredibly resilient bodies, they forcibly drilled out tiny crevices in the equally hard Iron Sand.
Orochimaru's body rapidly softened, darting out through these crevices, and then he suddenly formed hand seals.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Successive air bullets shot at extreme speed towards the Iron Sand figure entwined with the kusanagi sword in mid-air, but in the booming explosions, they were blown into scattered iron blossoms.
Above the sky, the Third Kazekage's figure gradually dispersed, finally revealing a provocative smile towards Orochimaru.
"Iron Sand Clone?!"
Orochimaru seemed to finally realize something at this moment, exclaiming in astonishment.
Suddenly, the Third Kazekage's clone completely vanished.
However, he did not notice it.
As his clone dissipated, Orochimaru, standing on the city wall, slowly reined in his astonished expression and coldly ordered his subordinates beside him:
"Begin."
On the other side, the Third Kazekage's true body appeared below Kikyo Castle, pressing his hands together to fully unleash his Chakra.
From the ground behind him, an enormous amount of sand iron, more terrifying than any previous time, erupted and continuously surged towards the city wall and barrier ahead, emitting a heavy thud like a tsunami crashing against a dam.
"Rumble—!!!"
The torrent of sand iron completely rushed forward, producing one, two, three resounding crashes.
Until finally, there was a 'snap'.
All the Konoha Ninja on the city wall of Kikyo Castle couldn't help but show expressions of slight panic when they heard this sound.
But Orochimaru, who was their backbone, was now completely covered in the center by the black sand iron, seemingly having breathed his last.
Amidst this indescribable despair, the section of the Kikyo Castle wall and the barrier's surface finally revealed cracks, fine as a spiderweb, continuously spreading in all directions.
"Boom!"
Until the very end, at the moment the Third Kazekage was almost exhausted.
That section of the city wall collapsed.
The countless Sand Ninja behind him all let out sharp, beast-like screams, their eyes bloodshot, continuously swarming towards the direction of the breach.
The Konoha Ninja on their side also resisted with desperate efforts, continuously moving to the breach.
However, they were outnumbered, and for some reason, there seemed to be fewer Konoha Ninja guarding the city wall today than usual. In just under a quarter of an hour of fighting, the section of the city wall, completely stained red with blood, had already been completely captured by the Sand Ninja.
Thousands of Sand Ninja poured into the breach, desperately fighting the Konoha Ninja guarding this outer district of Kikyo Castle, all killing with bloodshot eyes.
Watching this scene, the Third Kazekage unconsciously revealed a relieved smile.
However, when he felt the section of sand iron he controlled, his heart involuntarily skipped a beat.
There seemed to be an ominous premonition.
'Wait.'
'Something isn't quite right.'
If it were in normal times, he would have noticed the problem with the current situation much earlier.
But under the cumulative factors of Sawara Kiri's repeated provocations, the constant attacks on logistics, the imminent depletion of the entire army's supplies, several days of bloody fighting on the front lines, and Orochimaru's careless capture, the Third Kazekage's reaction was much slower than usual.
By the time he suddenly noticed that the city was overly quiet, the order for a full army assault had already been issued for some time.
"Squish."
The figure bound in the center of the Iron Sand was crushed into a putrid, slimy hide under the immense pressure.
At that moment, the Third Kazekage felt his heart skip a beat.
In the distance, Orochimaru stood on the roof of the Lord's Mansion, the highest point in Kikyo Castle, gazing into the distance at the Sand Ninja pouring like water into the outer district through the breach in the city wall, forming hand seals.
At the same time, hundreds of Konoha Ninja, who had been prepared for a long time, also stood on the city wall, facing the outer city, forming hand seals.
The remaining hundreds of Konoha Ninja in the outer district retreated steadily under the assault of thousands of Sand Ninja, yet they still held their ground.
The Sand Ninja looked at these wounded soldiers, whose injuries had not yet healed, with increasingly ferocious expressions, fighting with even greater vigor.
Konoha's resistance was at its last gasp. It was clearly the final moment, yet only these weak, old, and injured remained to guard the outer perimeter of the district.
The joy of impending victory made them even more arrogant, even reckless.
But just at this moment.
The entire outer district of Kikyo Castle seemed to suddenly fall silent for a moment.
The fiercely fighting Sand Ninja couldn't help but be startled, instinctively looking up into the distance.
And then, they saw one black pillar after another rising from the outer city wall into the sky, slowly covering this entire area.
The extremely complex formation beneath their feet continuously spread from the ground to the center.
Thousands of Sand Ninja were enveloped within this range, while the Konoha Ninja, acting as sacrifices, all revealed cruel smiles to these bastards.
The Third Kazekage stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at this scene, his expression sad, fearful, furious, almost distorted:
"Orochimaru—!!!"
Orochimaru, whose name was called out, had now completed his hand seals.
Along with him, the hundreds of Ninja who had been prepared in advance also completed their hand seals.
"Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Array."
As early as the first day of this war, the Konoha side had expended a great deal of manpower and resources to draw this gigantic formation, which covered most of the outer city.
At the same time, they also began the selection of 'sacrifices'.
The entire plan took several months to finally complete.
Almost the instant this Jutsu was completed, all the Ninja who had known in advance that they had become sacrifices stood in place, their bodies collapsing like they were disintegrating into black sludge, their entire flesh and blood melting into the long-prepared formation beneath their feet, transforming their resentment towards death into darkness, swallowing everything enveloped within it.
In an instant, the entire outer district was enclosed by a black, hemispherical seal.
"Hiss."
When all the dust settled, the seal completely receded.
Everything enveloped within it had turned into nothingness.
Disappeared.
What remained was only a void like an abyss.
The Third Kazekage stood in the distance, watching this scene with his own eyes, yet he could do nothing to stop it.
Finally, his legs gave way, and he knelt on the ground.
Orochimaru, in the Lord's Mansion, slowly extended an arm from his body, which had melted into a mass of skin, laboriously and with difficulty pulling out his brand new body, covered in slime.
"Hoo-hoo..."
Orochimaru breathed with difficulty.
Even for a Ninja with his absurdly strong vitality, that move just now was a forbidden Jutsu among forbidden Jutsu.
However, in order to withstand Sunagakure's offensive, he had no choice but to resort to such unscrupulous means.
After watching the black curtain descend just now, all the Sand Ninja who were about to attack Kikyo Castle stopped in unison.
This was both due to fear and because they didn't know if there would be a second super-large seal afterwards.
Orochimaru, however, did not show any hesitation because of this.
Assisted by the Aburame Ninja beside him, he struggled to stand up from where he was, and coldly ordered:
"Retake the outer city wall, and continue to prepare for defense."
"Yes."
All sacrifices are for survival.
Only on this point, Orochimaru's resolve was far stronger than that of the half-baked Third Kazekage.
It was also precisely because of this coldness and rationality that he was able to hold out until now against an enemy several times his size.
And he had to continue to hold out.
Land of Wind, Moro Mountains.
Standing at the peak of this mountain range, one could already see the outline of Sunagakure to the west.
After the seventh day, fewer and fewer Konoha Ninja gathered here. The army, which had started with over three thousand people, now only numbered six or seven hundred.
When the agreed time passed, Hatake Sakumo knew that the remaining people would likely not make it here.
Clearly, the Land of Wind was ultimately a large country. Even though all their Ninja had gathered to push into the Land of Fire with full force, the number of Ninja remaining within their own country was still quite considerable.
However, they had no time for sorrow, or rather, no time to dwell too much on the emotions for those who had died.
After two days and one night of rest and treatment, the remaining people would charge towards Sunagakure, which they didn't know how many troops it still held.
This was the military manufacturing center of the Land of Wind, with the largest steel refinery and Ninja tool manufacturing plant. No matter the cost, these two buildings had to be completely destroyed to ensure that Sunagakure would be unable to launch any special military operations against the Land of Fire for a considerable period afterward.
Hatake Sakumo had considerable confidence in this mission.
What weighed heavily on him, however, were the companions around him with their resolute gazes and calm expressions.
Once they charged into this Village and destroyed the targets, how many of them would truly make it out alive?
Hatake Sakumo did not know, and he tried his best not to think about it.
He just looked straight ahead.
This war, it was time for it to end.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for dozens of advance chapters for over a dozen fics | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter