Land of Earth — at this moment, Shimura Danzo was leading Konoha's forces in a fierce clash against the Iwagakure army. The battle had become utterly brutal.
"Wind Style: Shuriken."
"Wind Style: Vacuum Blade."
With a flick of his left hand, Danzo caught a shuriken and exhaled lightly over it. Dense wind-nature chakra immediately enveloped it, transforming it into a massive spinning blade nearly a meter in diameter.
His right-hand standard issue blade shimmered with a gleaming white edge of wind chakra.
As the enemies charged forward, Danzo hurled the shuriken.
Like slicing through melons, the Iwa-nin were cleaved in two as they rushed in.
Enemy forces still surged from all directions, and Konoha's troops were clearly stretched thin.
After another round of skirmishes, the surrounding Iwa-nin began to collapse, their attacks rendered useless as Danzo's wind-imbued sword sliced through everything in his path.
"Damn it... these gnats just keep coming."
Danzo leaned heavily on his sword, panting. He had been fighting for a long time now — both his stamina and chakra were nearly depleted. The number of lives ended by his blade was already beyond counting.
The strength of Iwagakure didn't lie in quality — it lay in numbers. That was their advantage: if you lacked large-scale jutsu, they could simply bury you with bodies.
"But if we can take that city up ahead, Konoha will finally have a foothold in the heart of the Land of Earth. Even if they throw ten times more troops at us, Iwa won't be able to recover."
If they could secure that city, Iwagakure would be forced to surrender, and Danzo could redeploy his forces to the Land of Hot Water to strike at Kumogakure's front lines.
Iwa had long been mired in internal chaos, unable to mount effective resistance. Danzo had advanced unimpeded, pillaging resources to sustain the war effort. Now it was finally time to reap the rewards.
This battle would be Konoha's final push against Iwagakure.
And right now, the advantage was theirs.
"Lord Danzo! Iwa's forces have lost over half their numbers — they're barely holding on!"
A masked Konoha shinobi sliced down two nearby enemies and rushed over to Danzo.
"We should be able to end this battle within half a day."
"Good." Danzo's strength returned in an instant. He yanked his blade from the ground and brandished it once more.
"Continue the assault. Speed up! There's no time left — the Hot Water front won't wait for us."
With that, Danzo charged back into the fray.
---
Elsewhere — atop the city gates of a fortress in the Land of Earth
Two elderly men stood side by side. One was clad in crimson armor; the other wore a plain white uniform.
"To think... at the end of my life, I'd still be offered such a gift," the red-armored elder said. "I truly had no intention of ever returning to the battlefield."
"Our forces have been decimated — we're down to barely thirty percent," the white-robed elder added, sighing deeply. "I never thought I'd see combat again either."
"When Ōnoki seized the Tsuchikage's position, his methods were ruthless. I wanted no part in the politics and stepped down. I believed that, blood-stained hands aside, he was a worthy leader... but I was wrong."
"After his death, Iwa was nearly left with no one to take command."
The man in crimson paused. "Second Elder... you mean...?"
"Yes." The man known as Second Elder nodded. "Though there were obstacles, the Fourth Tsuchikage has now taken command."
"Him?" the other elder asked.
"That's right. Fortunately, Ōnoki didn't burn all his bridges. This one's no less capable, and right now, he's the only one who can rally Iwagakure."
"I respect his strength. It's just... his origins..."
"At this point, who cares? Anyone who can lead us to victory is a hero."
The red-armored elder looked at the ranks of Iwa-nin behind him.
"So... the Fourth Tsuchikage sent you to lead this force?"
"He did."
"Then I see he's still thinking strategically."
The Second Elder looked at his comrade in silence for a long time.
"…Looks like we really are going to die here," he said quietly. "Remember how we used to say we'd die side by side someday? Looks like we were right."
The red-armored elder leapt from the gates and looked down upon nearly two thousand Iwa-nin.
"They sent everyone from the village's garrison? Aren't they afraid of being caught unguarded?"
"You know him — he's bold."
"Good. Then I'll go first."
"Sealing Corps — begin."
A squad of Iwa sealing-nin surrounded the red-armored elder with scrolls and hand seals. Black sealing scripts crept up and enveloped his body.
Once complete, everyone backed away. The elder stood alone.
"To think there'd be a day like this... I've kept you locked away for so long. Come out and stretch your legs a bit," he muttered.
"Come forth... Kokuō, the Five-Tails!"
Crimson chakra erupted from his body, quickly darkening. The elder's sanity seemed to unravel as he began to howl like a beast.
The sinister chakra spread across the battlefield. Even the Konoha shinobi — Danzo included — felt a chill down their spines.
The elder's body, now wrapped in a dark red chakra cloak, began to swell — growing to monstrous proportions.
Danzo stared in horror.
"What is that…?"
"I don't know…"
Though he had heard of tailed beasts and jinchūriki, Danzo had never seen one lose control before. He didn't like what he was sensing.
"Is this some Iwa forbidden technique? Or something else entirely… this ominous pressure…"
Still, the battle was at a tipping point. He couldn't afford to stop. Victory was within reach.
"No matter the cost, we must win this war. That chakra… it's still far away. We have time."
But the cloak finally shattered — and with it, the Five-Tails fully emerged.
Its white body, five sweeping tails, dolphin-like head, deer antlers, and horse body loomed large on the battlefield.
Danzo's eyes widened in shock.
"He plans to sacrifice even his own troops?!"
"Retreat! Everyone fall back!!"
Even without understanding the full situation, Danzo's instincts screamed danger. His shout sent Konoha's forces into retreat.
But it was too late.
As the Five-Tails roared, a massive Tailed Beast Bomb formed at its mouth — black and red chakra swirling into a dense sphere.
"Raaahhhhhh!"
With a furious howl, the bomb shot forward.
In an instant, the battlefield was engulfed in a colossal explosion — the fiery dome visible even from deep within the city.
"Sealing Corps, retrieve the Five-Tails! Everyone else — follow me!!"
At the Second Elder's command, Iwa's troops surged toward the battlefield.
The Five-Tails, writhing in agony, was covered in glowing black sealing formulas — the result of the runes etched into the red-armored elder's body.
Screaming in pain, the beast collapsed.
The sealing corps arrived quickly, surrounding the Five-Tails and unfurling an enormous scroll. As they performed the sealing jutsu, the Five-Tails' body twisted into black and red chakra, which was sucked into the container.
When the sealing was complete, only the red-armored elder's corpse remained on the ground — lifeless.
Iwa-nin rushed past, charging into the battlefield. The sounds of carnage reverberating from the distance.
Danzo now lay motionless on the battlefield — barely clinging to life. After the blast, his right arm was gone, half his face shredded, blood pouring from his mangled eyes.
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2000 P.S – Bonus
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