The wind howled, kicking up dust from the ground.
At the entrance of Iwagakure.
Over eight hundred shinobi stood in neat formation.
Each face was filled with murderous determination.
Ōnoki stood at the forefront, his Tsuchikage robe fluttering in the wind.
Behind him stood the Elders of Iwagakure.
"Tsuchikage-sama."
A white-haired Elder stepped forward, voice trembling, "This journey... please take care."
Ōnoki nodded. "I leave the Village in your hands."
"Please rest assured." The Elder bowed deeply. "We will protect Iwagakure with our lives."
Ōnoki turned to look at the eight hundred shinobi behind him.
These people.
Jōnin, Chūnin, and talented Genin.
Many might not return.
But not one of them hesitated.
Not one was afraid.
"Everyone!"
Ōnoki's voice echoed through the Village gate.
"This journey to the west is filled with danger!"
"We're facing a combined force of five thousand from the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind!"
"Many of us may die there, never to return!"
He spoke bluntly.
But no one flinched.
"But!"
Ōnoki raised his voice, loud as thunder. "Two thousand of our brothers in the Western Corps are waiting for us!"
"They are trapped in the central stronghold, cut off from food and water, on the brink of death!"
"They are our comrades!"
"They are our brothers!"
"Can we stand by and watch them die?"
"No!"
The eight hundred shinobi roared in unison, their voices shaking the sky and earth.
"Very good!"
Ōnoki nodded with satisfaction. "Then follow me!"
"We will show Konoha and Sunagakure with their own blood!"
"Iwagakure shinobi never abandon their comrades!"
"Iwagakure will never surrender!"
"Move out!"
With his command,
The eight hundred shinobi surged out of the Village like a tide.
Their figures quickly disappeared into the winding mountain path.
Those left behind at the gate stood silently, watching them depart.
Each heart weighed heavy.
The Iwagakure force advanced swiftly.
Ōnoki floated in mid-air, personally leading the charge.
The eight hundred shinobi followed closely. No one spoke. Only the sound of heavy breathing and synchronized footsteps echoed.
Everyone knew that time meant lives.
Arriving even a moment sooner could mean one more chance of survival for the Western Corps.
"Tsuchikage-sama."
A Jōnin leaped beside him. "At this pace, we should reach the western front by noon tomorrow."
"Still too slow." Ōnoki shook his head. "Increase speed."
"Yes!"
The command was passed down.
The entire force immediately pushed their speed up another thirty percent.
Ōnoki understood.
Ishikawa's plea for help had been sent a day ago. He'd said their food could only last three days.
Counting the time, tomorrow was the final day.
Meaning the Western Corps had, at most, one day's worth of food left.
If they didn't arrive by then… the Western Corps would be annihilated.
"Ishikawa... you bastards better hold on for this old man."
Ōnoki muttered under his breath.
…Meanwhile.
At the central stronghold.
The third day.
When the sun rose, Ishikawa knew that today was the last.
After today, the food supply would be completely gone.
Even the Military Ration Pills were running low.
"Report, Lord Ishikawa."
The adjutant approached, face pale. "The Allied Forces still show no signs of attacking."
"They've only surrounded us. They're not launching any assaults."
Ishikawa forced a bitter smile.
He understood.
The Allied Forces didn't intend to fight.
They planned to starve them out in this isolated fortress.
"How many men can still move?" Ishikawa asked.
The adjutant paused, voice low. "Roughly… one thousand."
One thousand.
In just three days, their two-thousand-strong elite force had been reduced to only half still able to wield a kunai.
And the enemy hadn't even attacked yet.
"Lord Ishikawa, what…" The adjutant's voice trembled with despair. "What should we do?"
Ishikawa didn't answer.
He only raised his eyes to the distant horizon.
In the direction of Iwagakure.
"Tsuchikage-sama…" He closed his eyes. "Will you… still come?"
...Outside the stronghold.
In the Allied Forces' camp.
Rasa stood over a large map.
"Iwagakure is almost out of supplies," a scout reported. "They won't last much longer."
"Mm." Rasa nodded. "Pass the order. Continue surrounding them. No one is to engage proactively."
"Yes."
Just then.
A Suna shinobi rushed into the tent in a panic. "Report, Kazekage-sama!"
"Speak."
"Our reconnaissance team has discovered a large enemy force approaching from the east at high speed!"
"What?" Rasa stood up abruptly. "How many?"
"The dust is thick. Initial estimate… between eight hundred to one thousand shinobi!"
Rasa's expression turned grim. "Immediately go and summon Orochimaru."
"Yes!"
Soon, Orochimaru arrived at Rasa's tent after receiving the news.
"Looks like Ōnoki couldn't sit still," Orochimaru said with a smirk as he entered.
"This isn't good." Rasa's brows furrowed. "Eight hundred to a thousand, plus the forces inside the fortress… their total force will be close to three thousand."
"And the most troublesome part… that old man Ōnoki is likely leading them himself."
"So what?" Orochimaru licked his lips. "We have five thousand on our side."
"Even if Ōnoki came in person, we still have the advantage."
Rasa fell silent for a moment.
Orochimaru wasn't wrong.
In numbers, they held the upper hand.
But… "Ōnoki's Dust Release is no joke," Rasa warned. "If he's really here, this battle will be tough."
"I know," Orochimaru nodded. "That's why we change our strategy."
"What strategy?"
"If Ōnoki wants to rescue them..." Orochimaru's grin turned sinister. "Then let him."
"Let him break through and save them."
"And the moment he's doing that…"
"Kill him."
Rasa's pupils shrank.
Behead the Third Tsuchikage?
If they pulled that off, the war would be as good as over.
Without Ōnoki, Iwagakure would lose its pillar.
The Village's morale would collapse.
"Are you confident?" Rasa asked.
"No," Orochimaru replied honestly. "But it's worth trying."
"After all…"
He turned to look in Iwagakure's direction. "If they've really deployed everything, then the Village must be nearly empty now, right?"
At those words, Rasa's heart skipped a beat.
Could Konoha have hidden personnel in the Land of Earth?
Hiss—
As soon as the thought surfaced, Rasa gasped sharply, recalling Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique.
Konoha… wasn't just aiming to kill Ōnoki.
They were aiming to strike at Iwagakure itself.
"You…"
Rasa opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Orochimaru said nothing more.
He simply stood there, staring off into the distance with a chilling smile.
And far away.
Inside Iwagakure.
Those rogue shinobi who had been lurking in the shadows all this time…
Began to move.
(To be continued.)