On the mountain ridge, all 1,500 Konoha Ninja charged forward simultaneously.
Eight battalions moved together like eight sharp blades unsheathed at once. The first three battalions advanced in an arrow formation while the middle two battalions protected both flanks. The final three battalions remained behind to stabilize the defensive line and prevent any counterattack from breaking through.
The sound of 1,500 people charging together caused the entire battlefield to tremble violently.
Meanwhile, the Iwagakure formation had still not completely reorganized itself after the explosion earlier. Command flags waved frantically while some people shouted, "Form up!" and others yelled, "Scatter!"
But it was already too late.
Konoha's forces had arrived.
The spearhead of the charging formation slammed directly into the disorganized Iwagakure ranks. The Ninja standing at the very front had only just raised their heads when Konoha blades cut them down instantly. The second row attempted to form hand seals, but before they could complete them, someone kicked one of them in the chest hard enough to send him flying backward into the three people behind him.
The third, fourth, and fifth rows were smashed apart in succession.
Konoha's forces poured into the opening like a flood, refusing to give the enemy any opportunity to reform their hand seals. Blades slashed, Kunai stabbed, fists smashed, and blood sprayed everywhere.
The Iwagakure Ninja were stunned.
They excelled at standing in formation and unleashing large-scale Ninjutsu, but they were not accustomed to brutal close-range combat.
Blade light flashed everywhere.
Blood splattered everywhere.
People fell continuously.
Standing atop the mountain ridge, Nara Shikaku stared fixedly at the enormous opening carved into the Iwagakure formation. More and more Konoha Ninja surged into the battlefield through that gap while forcing themselves deeper and deeper into the enemy ranks, tearing the formation apart from the inside.
A sharp glint of excitement flashed through Shikaku's eyes.
"Second Battalion, roll left. Third Battalion, roll right. Fourth and Fifth Battalions, wrap around from both flanks. Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Battalions, push upward and split them into four sections."
Orders flowed from his mouth one after another without pause.
The troops below moved exactly according to the direction of his command blade. They cut once, then cut again, then split the battlefield apart once more.
In less than three minutes, the originally orderly 2,000-man Iwagakure army had already been divided into eight separate sections.
Each isolated section contained only two to three hundred people, yet every one of them was now being surrounded and beaten by barely more than a hundred Konoha Ninja.
That was right.
Groups of several hundred Iwagakure Ninja were actually being chased down and overwhelmed by smaller Konoha units.
The sudden change on the battlefield, combined with Konoha's explosive all-out charge, had directly destroyed the enemy's formation. Iwagakure no longer had the opportunity to organize any effective counterattack. Facing Konoha's tightly coordinated assault, they could only suffer passively while being cut apart piece by piece.
The war had only just begun, yet they had already fallen into the exact situation Nara Shikaku most wanted to create.
Standing atop the mountain ridge, Shikaku slowly sheathed his command blade while watching the enemy forces continue being split apart below. Only then did he quietly release a long breath.
At this stage, Iwagakure had already lost strategically.
Their goal had always been to break through Mount Kikyo and invade the heartland of the Land of Fire, but under the current circumstances, even if they somehow won this battle, it would only become a pyrrhic victory. Whatever survivors remained afterward would no longer possess enough strength to threaten Konoha.
This alone already counted as a strategic victory for Konoha.
Of course, saying that Iwagakure might still win was merely one possibility.
In reality, the current battlefield situation favored Konoha far more heavily.
Even so, Shikaku's expression did not completely relax.
He clenched his fists tightly while staring toward the battlefield below.
After all, deaths in war were inevitable.
"What happens next depends on everyone."
Shikaku muttered quietly.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield below, Team 9's Seventh Battalion occupied the far left side of the combat zone.
Might Guy, Ebisu, and Genma followed closely behind Akimichi Choza while advancing together. This was a battlefield, not some fair one-on-one duel, nor was it a place where anyone could recklessly play the hero.
You might kill a Genin one moment only to be stabbed through the heart by a passing Jonin the next. A single moment of carelessness could instantly lead to death.
Staying together meant they could protect one another.
The three of them had already agreed upon this beforehand.
"Multi Size Technique!"
Choza roared loudly as his body instantly expanded outward before smashing directly into three panicked Iwagakure Ninja.
At the same time, several enemy Ninja from the left side finally reacted and rushed toward them. The person at the front had already completed half a set of hand seals.
Might Guy never gave him the chance to finish.
He charged forward in long strides.
"Precept Breaking Blade, First Form, Severing Purity!"
The blade slashed upward from below.
The enemy's wrist split open instantly while the Kunai flew from his hand and blood sprayed into the air. Before the man could even scream, Might Guy's second slash had already reached his throat.
Pfft!
Blood burst outward as the enemy collapsed immediately.
Yet in the next instant, another Kunai stabbed toward Might Guy from the side.
Clang!
The Kunai struck his body with a metallic sound before sliding harmlessly away.
Golden Bell Shield!
On a battlefield like this, attacks could appear from any direction at any moment. From the instant he entered combat, Might Guy had already activated the Golden Bell Shield continuously.
The attacker froze for only a split second.
That instant was enough.
Might Guy reversed his blade and slashed downward toward the enemy's collarbone. The edge cut deeply into the bone and became stuck there momentarily.
Then he violently dragged the blade downward.
"Aaaagh!"
Before the enemy could even finish screaming, Might Guy's foot smashed into his knee.
Great Vajra Leg!
The sound of bone cracking traveled upward through the sole of his foot. The enemy collapsed forward onto his knees while Might Guy seized the opportunity to slash downward again.
The blade named Youth tore all the way from the man's collarbone down to his chest.
Might Guy yanked the blade free.
The enemy collapsed onto the ground while twitching violently for several seconds before finally stopping altogether.
Even after killing two people consecutively, Might Guy did not relax in the slightest.
Their battlefield section alone still contained over two hundred Iwagakure enemies while Konoha only had slightly more than one hundred thirty people here. Although the enemy was currently panicking and suffering from low morale, that panic would not last forever.
Right now was the moment Konoha possessed the greatest advantage.
Killing one more enemy now meant facing one fewer enemy later.
"Might Guy!"
A hurried shout suddenly rang out nearby.
Might Guy snapped his head toward the sound and immediately saw Genma surrounded by three enemy Ninja. One attacked from the front, another stabbed from the side, while the third had already circled behind Genma with a Kunai aimed directly toward the back of his neck.
Genma only held two shuriken in his hands.
If he blocked the front, he could not block the back.
If he blocked the back, he could not stop the side attack.
He retreated one step after another until his back nearly collided with someone else.
Might Guy's pupils contracted sharply.
He exploded forward instantly.
His body flashed twice through the battlefield crowd, and on the third movement, he was already standing directly behind Genma.
"Mercy Blade, First Form, Stopping to Ask for Directions!"
The blade blocked horizontally above Genma's neck and intercepted the incoming strike directly.
Clang!
Sparks exploded as the Kunai struck the blade.
The enemy froze momentarily.
Might Guy's blade immediately slid along the edge of the Kunai before slicing off three of the enemy's fingers.
The man screamed in agony.
Might Guy's foot smashed into his knee instantly.
The enemy dropped to his knees while Might Guy reversed the blade and cut across his throat.
Immediately afterward, Might Guy twisted the blade and struck toward the second attacker at the side.
"Mercy Blade, Second Form, Boy Hanging Painting!"
The blade slid sideways along the enemy Kunai while redirecting the force completely away. The enemy's center of gravity lurched forward from the deflection, and Might Guy's blade immediately slashed across the man's wrist.
The injured enemy turned around and fled immediately.
Might Guy did not chase.
Instead, he bent down, grabbed a shuriken from the ground, and threw it.
The shuriken pierced directly through the back of the enemy's neck.
The man lunged forward before collapsing face-first into the mud without moving again.
Genma panted heavily while turning back toward Might Guy.
"I owe you one."
Might Guy ignored the comment.
At that moment, Ebisu ran over rapidly. His left arm hung limply while blood continuously dripped from it, and his right hand still tightly gripped a Kunai. Clearly, he had already been injured during the earlier fighting.
Might Guy glanced at him, then looked back toward Genma.
"Stay close to the Captain."
The three immediately rushed toward Choza together.
Choza stood twenty meters ahead while surrounded by six enemy Ninja. His massive body made him an easy target, and several wounds had already appeared across him. A deep slash along his left arm exposed flesh and muscle while blood dripped steadily from his elbow.
Even so, he continued fighting.
One enemy flew away from a punch.
Another collapsed from a kick.
The remaining four enemies retreated two steps before charging back simultaneously.
One attacked from the front.
One slashed from the side.
One crouched low while sweeping toward Choza's legs.
The final enemy in the rear was already forming hand seals.
The three rushed forward instantly.
The enemy at the front heard footsteps and turned his head, but Might Guy's blade had already arrived before him.
"Precept Breaking Blade, Third Form, Severing Karma!"
The blade cut cleanly across the man's throat while blood exploded outward.
The enemy collapsed instantly.
Meanwhile, the enemy on the side had already swung his blade toward Choza's waist.
Might Guy had no time to block it directly.
Golden Bell Shield!
Golden light erupted from his body while the enemy blade slid harmlessly away. Might Guy immediately smashed his elbow into the attacker's face.
Crunch!
The bridge of the man's nose shattered instantly while blood sprayed across the battlefield. He staggered backward and collapsed.
At the same time, the enemy sweeping low had only just stood up when Might Guy's kick smashed directly into his chest.
As the man flew backward through the air, two Kunai pierced through his body simultaneously.
It was Ebisu and Genma.
Choza turned around briefly and looked toward the three children.
"Are you all alright?"
"We're fine!"
Choza nodded once before immediately charging back into the battlefield without wasting another second.
He was the core combat power of this section.
Every second mattered.
Might Guy followed directly behind him while Ebisu and Genma followed closely behind Might Guy.
The battle continued endlessly.
The sun gradually moved from the eastern horizon to directly overhead before slowly sinking toward the west.
By now, Might Guy could no longer remember how many people he had killed using the Precept Breaking Blade. He also could not remember how many comrades he had saved using the Mercy Blade, nor how many sneak attacks he had blocked using the Golden Bell Shield.
He only knew one thing.
The Youth blade he had received today was already covered in countless chips and notches.
His entire body was soaked in blood.
Some of it belonged to him.
Most of it belonged to the enemy.
Suddenly, the sound of a horn echoed from the distance.
It was Iwagakure's retreat signal.
The surviving Iwagakure Ninja immediately began fleeing westward. Some could still run on their own while others had to be carried away by their companions.
More than a thousand corpses remained scattered across the battlefield.
Konoha's forces did not pursue.
They no longer possessed the strength to keep running.
Might Guy's body finally went limp as he collapsed onto the ground while gasping heavily for air and watching the retreating enemy backs disappear gradually into the distance.
The Youth blade slipped from his hand and stabbed into the muddy earth beside him.
Only then did he realize the skin between his thumb and index finger had already split open long ago.
Dense cracks covered his palms completely.
These were injuries caused by the constant recoil and vibration of killing enemies nonstop throughout the battle.
Ebisu sat down heavily beside him while leaning against a nearby stone. His left arm still hung limply while his right hand rested atop his knee and trembled uncontrollably.
It was not fear.
The battlefield had already moved beyond fear long ago.
This was simply the body failing to adjust after high-intensity combat suddenly stopped.
Genma removed the broken toothpick from his mouth, stared at the blood covering it for several seconds, then silently tossed it onto the ground.
Choza remained standing.
He stood there like a giant tower on the verge of collapse.
But he still did not fall.
Behind them, the medical teams finally rushed onto the battlefield. Some shouted for stretchers while others screamed for tourniquets or yelled that someone was still alive beneath the piles of bodies.
Might Guy quietly watched them drag survivors out from among the corpses.
The living were carried away.
The dead remained where they lay.
Eventually, someone walked over and stopped beside him.
Might Guy turned his head and saw an unfamiliar Konoha Chunin whose entire face was covered in blood, making it impossible to identify him clearly.
The man stared at Might Guy for a very long time before finally asking quietly, "How many did you kill?"
"I don't remember."
Might Guy shook his head slowly.
The Chunin said nothing more.
He simply turned around and left.
The sun had already disappeared completely beneath the horizon.
Torches gradually lit up across the battlefield.
Might Guy sat atop a stone while Ebisu leaned beside him and Genma squatted silently in front of them.
None of the three spoke.
In the distance, however, voices continuously called out numbers.
"Team 7, two dead. Team 3, one dead. Team 12, three dead..."
These were not enemy casualty reports.
They were Konoha's casualty counts.
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