Land of Earth, western border.
The air was filled with the scent of scorched earth, mixed with the pungent stench of stone melted into glaze.
The mountain ranges stretched endlessly, jagged peaks cutting across heaven and earth.
Once, this terrain was a natural barrier that blocked sandstorms.
Now, this barrier was enduring an overwhelming assault.
Boom!
Rumble!
Explosions roared one after another. Debris and dismembered limbs rolled down the slopes.
At the foot of the mountain, fire and yellow sand clashed and churned.
An Iwa shinobi was struck by a fireball, his flesh burning with a terrifying sizzle.
Beside him, his comrade's legs were severed by a wind blade, his upper body slamming heavily into the ground.
He crawled forward desperately, his outstretched hand stomped on without mercy.
"Hold them! Hold them all!"
Ishikawa, commander of Iwa's forces, stood atop the fortress wall, his voice hoarse from shouting.
Smoke and dust blackened his face. His bloodshot eyes stared forward as each explosion made the walls beneath him tremble violently.
Just hours ago,
He had still been laughing with his subordinates, mocking Suna's incompetence.
But in the blink of an eye, the flames of war had reached his doorstep.
And the blaze came at terrifying speed.
"Report, Lord Ishikawa!"
"Southern outpost number three has been engulfed by enemy Fire Release barrages! First and third squads are completely wiped out, requesting reinforcements!"
"Report! Western outpost number five has fallen! Suna's Puppet Unit has broken through, and the defense line is collapsing! Requesting reinforcements!"
"Report! The main fortress's defensive barrier is nearly depleted. It can't hold much longer!"
Blood-soaked battle reports poured in like a flood, almost drowning him.
Ishikawa's temper exploded.
"Damn it!"
He smashed his fist against the battlements. The solid rock instantly cracked in a spiderweb pattern.
"When did those damn sand-slingers from the Land of Wind become this strong?"
He couldn't make sense of it.
He knew Suna's capabilities inside and out.
But today, those Suna shinobi were like madmen. Their offensive was irrationally ferocious.
What made his scalp tingle even more was the other group mixed in with the Suna forces.
Konoha shinobi.
Those guys in green flak jackets, combined with Suna's Wind Release, unleashed a power that was nothing short of despair.
Wind fed fire. Fire borrowed strength from wind.
That simple principle, on the battlefield, had become a nightmare for their Earth Release defenses.
"Lord Ishikawa, what should we do?"
The adjutant's voice trembled. "The defense line is about to completely collapse!"
Ishikawa's expression darkened.
He knew that staying on the defensive would only lead to death.
They had to counterattack.
His eyes narrowed with killing intent.
"My command!"
"All outer outposts, abandon resistance. Regroup and gather at the central fortress!"
"Yes, Lord Ishikawa!"
The adjutant saluted and ran off at full speed.
...At the base of the mountain.
"Hahaha! Die! All of you, die!"
"This is amazing! So satisfying!"
A Suna Jōnin controlled a grotesque Puppet. The blade embedded in its arm spun wildly, piercing through an Iwa shinobi's throat and instantly shredding his skull. Blood and brain matter sprayed into the air.
At the same time, countless poisoned senbon launched in all directions, forcing nearby Iwa shinobi to retreat.
The Suna Jōnin laughed maniacally, blood splattered across his face.
It had been too long.
Too long since they had fought such a glorious battle.
In the past, facing Iwa's rock-solid Earth Release defenses, they always felt suffocated.
But now, with Konoha's Fire Release shinobi acting like mobile artillery, their Wind Release could finally roar freely.
At that moment, another Iwa shinobi ambushed from the side. A massive stone fist aimed directly at the Jōnin's head.
With no time to recall his Puppet, the Suna shinobi's eyes flashed fiercely. He didn't dodge and took the punch head-on.
Crack!
The sound of ribs breaking echoed clearly.
But in the instant he was sent flying, he also threw a poisoned kunai that slit the enemy's throat cleanly.
A mutual kill. Brutal and tragic.
Not far away, a Konoha shinobi also faced a surprise attack but made a completely different choice.
His feet shifted. With the slightest adjustment of his posture, he avoided an Earth Spear aimed at his heart, letting it pierce through his left shoulder instead.
Sharp pain flared up, but his life was saved.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Several fireballs burst from his mouth, accurately blocking the Iwa shinobi's escape route and detonating the explosive tags on his person.
Boom!
The enemy was reduced to ashes in the explosion.
The Konoha shinobi gritted his teeth, clutching his bleeding shoulder as he retreated.
A medical-nin immediately stepped forward, calmly bandaging the wound and stopping the bleeding with practiced ease.
Injury was acceptable. Dying was not.
This was the iron command Orochimaru-sama had given before departure.
The Suna shinobi were responsible for charging through the enemy defenses with their lives.
Konoha only needed to follow behind, deliver precise strikes, and survive.
The battle continued.
"Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel!"
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
Violent wind blades and roaring flames fused in midair, forming a towering tornado of fire that devoured everything in its path as it rushed toward the Iwa positions.
Boom!
The reinforced Earth-Style Wall melted under the heat. Its surface turned to molten stone before crumbling with a thunderous crash.
The Iwa shinobi behind it barely managed a scream before being swallowed whole.
Their bodies were shredded by wind, then ignited in the next second, reduced to charred ash that scattered in the scorching wind.
"Well done!"
A Konoha Jōnin gave a thumbs-up to the Suna shinobi who had just launched the jutsu.
The Suna shinobi grinned in return.
"Your Fire Release... is really something!"
Two shinobi from different villages. But in their eyes, a camaraderie born from battle.
Ironic.
Absurd.
However.
Just as the allied forces were pressing forward, tearing through everything in their path,
Orochimaru and Rasa, stationed in the rear, stopped at the same moment.
Their brows furrowed in unison.
"Something's wrong."
With a wave of Rasa's hand, golden sand surged forward, crushing a group of enemies.
But there was no hint of joy on his face.
"Too smooth."
"Iwa has abandoned their outer outposts."
Orochimaru also sensed the problem.
His gaze locked onto the Iwa forces, retreating in an orderly manner and regrouping at the central fortress.
"They're consolidating."
"Is it a trap?" Rasa immediately understood the situation. His expression turned grim.
"I don't know." Orochimaru chuckled. "But since they've so kindly given up their outposts, how can we not accept?"
"Agreed." Rasa nodded. Then he turned and gave the order.
"My command!"
"All units, advance!"
"Target, the enemy's central fortress!"
"Yes!"
The order shot through the ranks like lightning.
The joint forces of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind intensified their assault.
But no one noticed,
That while the Suna shinobi charged ahead with roars of battle,
The Konoha forces... had already spread themselves very thin.
(To be continued.)