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West of the Land of Fire, a canyon.
Killing intent soared to the heavens.
Three thousand Kumogakure shinobi had assembled, a dense black mass.
Many shinobi's faces were pale from the long-distance teleportation, but their eyes gleamed with ferocity.
The shame of Third Raikage's solitary death, and the honor of being the shinobi world's strongest village, made each of them eager for battle.
To exchange their lives for a new future for Kumogakure was worth it.
At the center of the formation, Mabui leaned against a rock, breathing heavily, allowing the medical shinobi's chakra to flow into her body.
The reverse formation's consumption far exceeded expectations. She felt as if she was about to be drained dry.
But looking at the increasing number of comrades in the canyon, she felt that everything was worth it.
Killer Bee leaned on the other side, carrying seven swords on his back, humming a broken rhythm.
"Yo... yo... stupid brother, don't worry... watch me take them all down... Yeah..."
His rap was lighthearted, but his clenched hands showed bulging veins.
Even the Eight-Tails within him was unusually quiet, only slowly transferring its vast chakra to him, accumulating power.
Just then, Fourth Raikage A, shirtless, walked out from the crowd.
His bulging muscles gave off explosive power.
Everyone's gaze focused on him.
Young and weathered faces alike, their eyes burned with a fervent flame.
The entire canyon was so quiet that only the sound of the wind remained.
"We were discovered ahead of time!" A's voice was booming, echoing throughout the canyon. "So what!"
"We came here with no intention of returning alive!"
"Dodai and the others used their lives to give us the opportunity to stand here!"
"Therefore, Konoha's decades-long control will surely end in our hands!"
"Now, raise your heads, and grip your blades tightly!"
"Tell them with the enemy's blood and cries who is the strongest village in the shinobi world!"
"Roar!!!"
Three thousand Kumogakure shinobi roared in unison, carrying an infinite yearning for glory!
The sound wave soared to the sky!
A raised his right fist high, lightning release bursting from his body.
"All forces, attack!"
Inside the Hokage's office, a deathly silence.
The Hyuga shinobi who had rushed back from the front lines, risking his life, had been taken away to rest due to excessive chakra and mental energy depletion.
But the news he brought back left everyone present stunned.
Three thousand... this number, like a mountain, weighed heavily on their hearts.
Panic began to spread.
"Three thousand Kumogakure... how dare they!" a jonin exclaimed in alarm, his face gradually losing color. "How did they do it!"
"It's over... the village's main forces are all at the border. We... we only have less than eight hundred people!"
"A four-to-one troop difference, how can we fight!"
Even Minato, the Fourth Hokage, couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat at this moment.
He had thought of the worst-case scenario.
But reality was ten times crueler than the worst.
In the entire office, only one person's expression remained unchanged.
Shin.
He merely listened quietly, and watched.
But no one knew what kind of towering rage lay beneath his calm exterior.
Kumogakure's actions were beyond his expectations!
They were trying to destroy his sword!
Konoha must not suffer any damage!
Thinking of this, Shin's anger and killing intent transformed entirely into cold killing intent.
He gently placed the scroll back on the table.
Clack.
A soft sound brought all the noise to an abrupt halt.
Everyone instinctively focused their gaze on the daimyo.
"What's the panic?" Shin looked around, his cold gaze sweeping over every face present. "Three thousand people, is that a lot?"
"This is Konoha."
"It is the strongest village in the shinobi world."
"Beneath our feet is a home ground built for decades."
"The defensive fortifications outside the village, the underground trap barriers, the sensory network covering the entire village—these are not just decorations."
His voice was not loud, but it pulled those elites, whose minds were clouded by fear, back from the brink of collapse.
"Kumogakure has many."
"But they are deep in enemy territory, without supplies, without reinforcements. One dead means one less."
"And us?"
"We have Konoha, built over forty years, as our backing!"
"Two thousand reinforcements are on their way."
"Tell me, how can they win?"
Understanding.
That's right! This is Konoha!
And there are reinforcements!
As long as they hold out until reinforcements arrive... the panic was suppressed, and fighting spirit began to burn.
Minato was the first to react, taking a deep breath, and bowing deeply to Shin. "Your words are wise. I apologize for our mistake."
When he looked up, there was no longer any wavering in his eyes.
"Please give your command, my lord!"
All the Konoha shinobi roared in unison. "Please give your command, my lord!"
Shin was very satisfied.
What he wanted was this absolute obedience.
"Tsunade."
"Here."
From the back of the crowd, Tsunade, who had been urgently summoned, stepped forward upon hearing her name.
Although she was displeased with the daimyo temporarily taking command, the situation was urgent, and she could not be stubborn.
"Organize all the medical shinobi in the village." Shin's voice left no room for argument. "The wounded are your responsibility!"
"Also, transfer all civilians to the shelter behind the Hokage Rock."
"Yes!" Tsunade didn't hesitate for a moment, turned and left, acting with swift efficiency.
"Third Hokage."
"I am here." Third Hokage Hiruzen stepped out from the crowd, his expression more serious than ever before.
"You are responsible for leading the barrier squad and the village's security forces," Shin tapped a few key points on the map. "Guard every street in the village well. I don't want any rats to sneak out from within while we are fighting Kumogakure."
A glint flashed in Hiruzen's clouded eyes.
"Does my lord mean..."
"Just in case."
"I understand!" Hiruzen nodded heavily and also turned to leave.
"Orochimaru."
"Hehehe..." Orochimaru licked his lips, walking out from the corner. "What are your orders, my lord?"
"You will be responsible for cleaning up the battlefield later." Shin's tone revealed neither joy nor anger. "I need samples of Kumogakure's high-level combatants, especially those who can use the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. The more, the better."
"As you command." Orochimaru's smile grew even more sinister, and his figure merged into the ground.
He knew this daimyo possessed unknown strength.
"Fourth Hokage!"
"Daimyo-sama!"
"Will those two thousand reinforcements only return tonight?"
"From the travel distance, yes!"
Shin calmly looked at the map, and slowly shook his head.
"Two thousand people are not enough."
He raised his hand and pointed at two other directions on the map, one near the Land of Earth border, and one near the Land of Wind border.
"Have the troops stationed there each dispatch five hundred people to converge on Konoha, with a deadline for arrival."
At this command, even Nara Shikaku frowned.
"My lord, those two units are too far away. By the time they arrive, the battle will probably be over. A distant remedy cannot cure a present problem..."
"Cure a problem?" Shin turned his head. "I'm not asking them to cure a problem!"
He didn't explain further, but a cold sneer was in his heart.
Reinforce?
No, he never intended for them to reinforce.
What he wanted was never a defensive battle.
But... a complete and utter annihilation battle.
The thousand men drawn from the borders were not reinforcements.
They were coffin lids prepared for these three thousand desperate Kumogakure shinobi!
What they were to do was clean up the aftermath.
It was to wipe out this elite Kumogakure force that dared to penetrate deep into the Land of Fire, not letting a single one escape!