On the third day, by mid-afternoon, the Iwagakure forces finally lost patience.
They had been bracing for Konoha's offensive since morning, but when no attack came, hunger and frustration took over. Before their supplies could run dry, they surged forward in a full-scale assault.
More than eight hundred Iwa shinobi poured down the mountainside from the northwest, the fastest path back toward their village. Their movement was a sudden flood of brown and gray against the green slopes, weapons glinting as they closed the gap.
Minato Namikaze didn't waste time wondering about their choice of direction as he had planned for this. His orders had already been clear: remain flexible, strike wherever they appeared. With the mountain's small size, reinforcements could reach any flank in minutes.
As soon as the first reports confirmed the northwest push, Minato blurred out of sight, reappearing in a yellow flash amidst the front lines. Every flicker of his presence marked another Iwa shinobi falling before they even realized death was upon them.
Team 7—his personal squad—was not far behind. Led by Jonin Kakashi, they cut through the forest toward the battle. Rin's pace was slower than the others, her role as a medic forcing her to balance speed with precision, but they still arrived fast enough to meet the fight head-on.
The battlefield was chaos. Steel hissed through the air, kunai and shuriken crossing paths with deadly intent.
Explosions from detonating tags rattled the ground. Ninjutsu collided; water against fire, earth against wind, in a deadly symphony.
Screams rose and vanished in the same breath. Even caution was no guarantee here; a moment's distraction could mean the end.
"Triangle formation!" Kakashi's voice cut through the din. "Gen, guard Rin!"
"Don't worry," Gen replied without breaking stride.
"I can take care of myself," Rin said, stepping into position, "Even Genin can't threaten me."
"I know," Gen answered with a faint smile, his two-tomoe Sharingan spinning.
They fell into formation, Kakashi in front, Gen to the right, Rin on the left flank where the field was marginally safer.
Shuriken whistled toward them. Gen's sword flashed, deflecting each blade in smooth, economical motions. His chakra surged, seals flowing beneath his hands.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!
Almost in the same breath, Kakashi followed
Wind Style: Breakthrough!
Matching Gen's speed so perfectly it was as if they'd practiced it for years.
The roaring sphere of fire swelled as the wind struck, ballooning from a few meters to a blazing wave more than ten meters wide. Heat rolled over the battlefield, scorching the air to blistering temperatures. Three Iwa genin tried to dodge but were swallowed whole by the inferno, their screams cutting short as charred forms hit the ground with dull thuds.
There was no pause. The trio pushed deeper into the fray, dispatching isolated genin with swift efficiency. Even Rin, the least offensively skilled among them, downed an enemy squad in moments when given the space.
But the display drew attention. Three higher-ranked Iwa shinobi, a special jonin flanked by two chunins, broke from the melee and charged straight for them.
They stopped short, hands blurring through seals before their mouths split wide.
Earth Style: Rock Cannon!
Pebbles spat from their mouths, swelling mid-air into boulder-sized projectiles. The attack screamed toward Team 7.
Earth Style: Earth Wall!
Kakashi slammed his hands into the ground. A thick semicircular wall of stone surged upward, the impacts pounding against it with a dull, heavy rhythm. Cracks formed, dirt crumbling away, but the barrier held.
"Protect Rin," he ordered, drawing his short sword and launching himself at the enemy without hesitation.
Steel clashed as the three Iwa shinobi met him head-on.
Kakashi was outnumbered and outweighed in raw strength, but his speed, White Fang swordsmanship, and Sharingan reading of their movements kept him firmly in the fight.
"Watch for genjutsu," Gen warned Rin quietly. Then he moved.
His seals were a blur.
Genjutsu: Temple of Nirvana!
And suddenly white feathers drifted from above, unreal yet impossibly vivid. The air seemed to thicken, dragging at eyelids as if each blink added another weight.
The two Chunins sagged first, weapons slipping from their hands. The special jonin resisted a heartbeat longer before collapsing with a thud.
Kakashi staggered back, blinking rapidly as he forced his chakra into disruption. "That… wasn't enemy jutsu?"
"Gen's," Rin answered, already moving to secure the fallen.
Kakashi's gaze sharpened. "An A-rank genjutsu… at Chunin level?"
"Temple of Nirvana," Gen confirmed with a small nod.
Kakashi said nothing, but the look he gave was part disbelief, part wary respect.
"Rin, sever their hand and foot tendons. Remove their jaws, no suicide risks," Gen instructed.
Without hesitation, she knelt beside them, hands steady as she disabled each in turn. The three were worth far more alive than dead.
With their prisoners secured, Team 7 shifted focus, keeping to the battlefield's edge where they could strike hard and fast without being swallowed by the chaos at its heart. Without Minato's teleportation, charging into the center was suicide—and none of them intended to die here today.