"Peh, peh, peh."
Inuzuka Ryoha and Inuzuka Rinko crawled out of the yellow sand.
What the hell was that?
How did that old man still manage a near-death burst like that?
And that earlier scene with Rasa—
Was this some kind of "Hidden Sand Chronicles"?
Was I the villain all along?
"Ryoha, don't do that again next time. If you hadn't said all that and just attacked directly, we might've already won."
Inuzuka Rinko looked displeased.
They had finally refined their trump card, yet they still let the enemy from the Sand Village escape.
"My fault, my fault."
Inuzuka Ryoha admitted it immediately.
Here's a life lesson for everyone:
When a man is in front of a woman—especially when that woman is your girlfriend—you apologize as fast as humanly possible.
This doesn't mean you're actually wrong, but if you don't apologize, things will get very troublesome later.
"But Hideki and Kamito's side is in trouble. In this situation, we at least need to recover a bit before heading over."
Inuzuka Ryoha crushed a bug— that extremely precious insect.
He used it to pass the information here to Aburame Shiken, Hyūga Hiyasu, Kamito, and Hideki.
"Let's go back and rest. We still have to reach the border of the Land of Earth tomorrow. Ah, such a hard-working life I've got."
Inuzuka Rinko supported Inuzuka Ryoha as they walked back to camp.
Ryoha wasn't so injured that he couldn't walk.
But—men, after all, always seem a bit weak and fragile in front of their girlfriends.
That's a secret trick.
...
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique."
"Damn, starting with the ultimate right away?!"
Senju Hideki quickly tilted the bunker to the right.
Inside, the Konoha shinobi were thrown into a chaotic mess, barely managing to dodge the attack.
"Kamito, hold that bastard Ōnoki back!"
"Got it."
"Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique."
Uchiha Kamito rose into the air.
"Ōnoki, prepare to die!"
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu."
"Earth Release: Rock Fist."
Ōnoki condensed two massive rock arms, blocking Kamito's fire attack.
"You from the Uchiha clan—how do you know our Hidden Stone's secret Light-Weight Rock Technique?"
"Old geezer Ōnoki, you already know I'm an Uchiha. What technique could possibly escape these eyes of mine?"
Uchiha Kamito pointed to his three-tomoe Sharingan.
As for why it wasn't the Mangekyō— come on, that kind of consumable needs to be used sparingly. He had no intention of going blind.
"What an inherently evil Uchiha. Other shinobi risk their lives to hide and master their techniques, yet for your cursed eyes, it takes only a glance. A wicked clan like yours shouldn't exist in the shinobi world."
"Rock Giant."
Ōnoki formed a hand seal.
But nothing happened.
The battlefield fell silent.
"So this is Konoha's method? It can actually sever my connection with the earth…"
Ōnoki's expression turned grave.
He had thought Gengan was exaggerating—how could there be a situation where someone couldn't use Earth Release?
But it turned out to be true.
"Hahaha, Ōnoki, scared now? If you are, just retreat. Don't worry—we won't do anything to you."
Uchiha Kamito continued his verbal pressure.
It might not do much, but if you don't try, how would you know it won't work?
Who knows—maybe it would.
"The stronger Konoha becomes, the more necessary this war is. Give it a few more years, and there won't be any place left for our Hidden Stone Village in this world."
"Roshi, Han—destroy that bunker."
"Yes."
"Boil Release: Unrivalled Strength."
The Steam Ninja Han, boosted by high-pressure steam propulsion, charged straight into the Konoha bunker.
"Tsunade-sensei, the bunker is useless now. How many people we can save depends on you."
"Alright. I am the greatest medical ninja in the shinobi world."
Tsunade sat atop another sealing formation.
"Summoning Jutsu: Katsuyu."
Countless small Katsuyu landed on the shoulders of Konoha shinobi.
Aside from the Uchiha, who looked utterly disgusted, the rest of the Konoha forces were overjoyed.
"So this is Tsunade-sama's technique?"
According to veterans from the Second Shinobi War, wherever Tsunade was present, Konoha shinobi effectively had an extra life.
The greatest healer of the shinobi world had officially begun to display her power.
Senju Hideki also released his protection over the bunker.
"The Four-Tails and Five-Tails, huh? This'll be exhausting, but I can hold them off for now. Hopefully Ryoha gets here soon…"
Hideki had no idea that Ryoha might not make it.
It was simply a matter of bad timing—while things were escalating here, over there they had just been buried under the massive final attack unleashed by Bunpuku in his desperate last stand.
"Earth Release: Rock Demon Colossus."
Two towering earthen giants rose from the ground.
The two earth giants made no other moves.
They simply stared at Roshi and Han.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
A monkey, and—a wild horse… or maybe a dog?
Whatever.
The Four-Tails and Five-Tails descended upon the battlefield.
"ROAR!"
The Four-Tails roared, trying to build momentum—only to be smashed by a massive stone fist.
"Roaring your ass off—so damn noisy."
Senju Hideki immediately commanded the Rock Demon Colossus to attack.
On the other side, Kokuō also charged toward the other colossus.
Finally getting a chance to appear—and still having to share an opponent?
Too embarrassing. The Five-Tails, Kokuō, absolutely refused to do that.
The four colossal beings clashed violently.
In the sky,
Ōnoki and Uchiha Kamito were locked in battle.
Meanwhile, the Hidden Stone forces quietly retreated a bit.
This is your stage now—we'll wait until you're done, then decide what to do.
We understand these unspoken rules perfectly.
But when seasoned veterans meet hotheaded fools, opportunities arise.
"Charge! Kill those Hidden Stone bastards!"
"Kill one and it's worth it, kill two and you profit!"
"Charge!"
???
Are the Konoha shinobi insane? What's the point of fighting now?
"AHHH!"
"ARGH!"
Screams rang out—and the fastest ones charging forward were the silent Uchiha.
Their eyes glowed crimson.
"Battle merit."
"Battle merit."
"Battle merit."
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
On the ground battlefield,
Konoha shinobi, buffed with healing, clashed fiercely against Hidden Stone shinobi who couldn't use ground-based Earth Release.
Ah…
What a fair fight indeed.