In the western Land of Earth, along the winding and rugged mountain paths.
The Iwa shinobi, led by Ōnoki, were on a forced march.
It had been less than half a day since they evacuated the Central Fortress, and they had already been attacked three times by the Allied Forces.
Now, news came from the rear—the Allied Forces were preparing yet another assault.
"Tsuchikage-sama!" A scout Ninja ran over. "The Allied Forces have split up again. They're preparing to attack!"
"Approximately how many?" Ōnoki asked.
"The entire army, divided into three routes!"
"Damn it!" Ishikawa's expression darkened as he cursed under his breath. "Aren't they afraid we'll stop and fight them to the death?"
Ōnoki said nothing.
The exhausted Iwa shinobi behind him had just endured several days of siege.
They hadn't eaten properly. They hadn't rested.
Now they had to fight while retreating.
If this continued, they wouldn't last much longer.
"Give the order," Ōnoki said. "Increase the marching speed."
"Try to open some distance from the Allied Forces."
"Yes!"
Their pace quickened again.
But the pursuers behind them did the same.
The distance between both sides continued to shrink...
One hour later.
"Report! The Allied Forces are only five kilometers away!"
The scout's voice was tense.
Ishikawa's face changed. "That fast?"
Five kilometers.
For a Ninja, that was only a two or three-minute sprint.
Ōnoki stopped walking and said, "Give the order. The entire army halts and sets up defenses on the spot."
"Prepare for battle."
"Yes!"
Soon, two thousand Iwa shinobi stopped in a mountain valley.
They swiftly formed ranks.
Waiting for the enemy to arrive.
They didn't have to wait long.
On the horizon, a wave of dark shadows emerged.
The black dots split into three formations, launching a pincer attack toward Iwa's position.
The distance rapidly closed.
"Prepare to fight!" Ishikawa roared.
All the Iwa shinobi began forming hand seals. Earth Release: Earth Flow Walls rose from the ground, forming layered defenses.
"Kill!"
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Rain!"
Rasa led fifteen hundred shinobi, attacking from the left flank.
With a wave of his hand, a torrent of golden sand surged toward Iwa's position.
Each grain of gold dust was infused with chakra.
As hard as iron. As fast as lightning.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!" The Iwa shinobi roared in unison.
Earthen walls shot up to block the attack.
But the power of the golden sand was overwhelming.
Cracks began to spread across the walls.
On the right, Konoha shinobi led by Orochimaru also began their assault.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Massive fireballs screamed through the air.
Boom! Boom!
Explosions tore through the valley as fireballs slammed into the earth walls.
From the front, another two thousand Allied Forces pressed the attack with coordinated Ninjutsu barrages.
Under the three-pronged assault, the pressure on Iwa intensified dramatically.
"Damn it!" Ishikawa clenched his teeth.
The Allied Forces' offensive was far too fierce.
They wouldn't be able to hold much longer.
Just then...
Up in the sky.
Ōnoki slowly rose, hovering mid-air.
"Dust Release..."
"Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
A bright white beam shot forward, disintegrating everything in its path.
"Ahhh!"
More than ten Allied shinobi at the front were instantly vaporized before they could even scream.
Not a trace of them remained.
"Ōnoki has made his move!"
The Allied Forces' advance came to a sudden halt.
Everyone froze, warily watching the figure floating in the sky.
They had all seen the power of Dust Release.
A true instant-kill technique.
If it hits, you die.
"Continue the attack!"
Rasa shouted, "His Dust Release can't be used endlessly!"
The Allied shinobi gritted their teeth and charged again.
But Ōnoki struck once more. Another white beam.
Another dozen lives erased in an instant.
The momentum of the Allied Forces was broken again.
"Damn it!" Rasa's face darkened.
With Ōnoki present, approaching the Iwa formation would come at a great cost.
"Don't worry," Orochimaru walked over. "As long as they don't group together, his Dust Release won't be effective."
"You have a plan?" Rasa asked.
"Just wait." Orochimaru licked his lips. "Dust Release consumes an enormous amount of chakra. He won't be able to maintain it for long."
"When he's drained, we attack again."
"But..."
Rasa glanced at the battlefield.
The Iwa forces were already using the pause to retreat.
If they waited any longer, Iwa might slip away.
"It doesn't matter," Orochimaru said casually. "The monk may flee, but the temple remains."
"They'll return to Iwagakure eventually."
"We have time."
Rasa remained silent.
In the end, he gave the order to halt the offensive.
Up in the sky...
Ōnoki saw the enemy withdraw and let out a long breath.
His face was pale.
Dust Release had taken a heavy toll on him.
"Retreat!"
He gave the command with a low shout.
The Iwa forces resumed their withdrawal.
But the Allied Forces didn't let them off easily.
They unleashed long-range Ninjutsu one after another, bombarding the Iwa ranks.
Fire Release. Wind Release. Magnet Release. Attacks blanketed the sky.
The Iwa shinobi retreated while defending.
But not everyone was fast enough.
Screams rang out.
Blood stained the mountain path.
This retreat had already become a road of blood...
Land of Grass, border mountains.
Iwa's retreating forces were also on a forced march.
This unit had around two thousand five hundred shinobi.
It was the entirety of Iwa's military presence on the Land of Grass front.
"Faster! Keep moving!"
The commander, Kitsuchi, roared at the top of his lungs.
He was in charge of leading the retreat from this front.
"Report, Kitsuchi-sama!"
A scout Ninja ran over. "Konoha's pursuit force is less than three kilometers away!"
Kitsuchi gritted his teeth.
Konoha's speed was faster than expected.
"How many?"
"Approximately... three thousand!"
Three thousand.
Kitsuchi's face turned grim.
They had only two thousand five hundred.
They could fight if they had to.
But these Konoha shinobi didn't intend to fight head-on.
They stayed at a distance, throwing Ninjutsu nonstop like sticky glue.
"Give the order," Kitsuchi growled. "Speed up!"
"Run as fast as possible!"
"Yes!"
The formation accelerated again.
But many were already at their limit.
Before their retreat this morning, they had just fought a major battle.
Their stamina was already on the verge of collapse.
Now they had to run at full speed again.
One by one, shinobi began collapsing on the road.
"Get up!"
"Don't stop!"
Iwa's captains roared.
But some couldn't keep going.
They fell, gasping for breath.
"Damn it!"
A captain ran over to pull one up.
But the shinobi shook his head.
"Captain... I... I can't run anymore..."
"You... go ahead..."
"You bastard!"
The captain's eyes reddened. "We're Iwagakure shinobi!"
"Iwa shinobi never abandon their comrades!"
"But..."
The Ninja gave a bitter smile. "If you carry me, you'll be dragged down too..."
"Shut up!"
The captain yanked him up. "Even if I have to carry you on my back, I'll take you with me!"
Scenes like this kept repeating across the retreating unit.
The Iwa shinobi did everything they could not to leave anyone behind.
But that only slowed them down even more.
(To be continued.)
***
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