"Not bad, Neji."
Hagoromo looked at Neji in front of him, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.
Although I knew Neji had some talent, I didn't expect his bloodline to have almost reached the third stage of reversion.
"Forehead···"
Hearing his master's praise, Neji scratched the back of his head, looking slightly embarrassed.
"It must be the recent tasks that make me feel like I'm progressing very quickly."
Seeing Neji's appearance, Hagoromo couldn't help but chuckle.
This kid...
She even got shy.
Reaching out to pat Neji's head, Hagoromo slowly said, "Next, Iwagakure is likely to launch a major attack."
"Remember to stick close to me when the time comes."
Neji nodded. For a novice like him, it was best not to wander off to the battlefield.
Being able to stay by one's master's side, safety is naturally not a major concern.
Ugh--!
Suddenly, a hurried voice rang out.
Hagoromo turned her head to look into the distance in surprise; this was the signal to start a war!
Neji, standing behind Hagoromo, was also taken aback; he had learned this back in the Ninja Academy.
But... so suddenly?
"Master, what should we do?"
Neji turned to look at Hagoromo beside him and asked, naturally prioritizing Hagoromo's actions above all else.
"Although it's sudden, Neji, we should move out of here. Remember to stay close to me."
"Protect yourself first, then help your seniors defeat the enemy!"
Hagoromo spoke, he immediately gathered Chakra; he had to rush to the battlefield as soon as possible.
If I'm not mistaken, it's not just Ōnoki has appeared this time; another Jinchūriki from Iwagakure has probably joined the battle as well.
"Yes!" Neji nodded, then took a step and followed Hagoromo's footsteps.
The battlefield is cruel.
Even though Neji had prepared himself, the sight before him was still shocking.
Everywhere you look, the soil is stained with blood.
Everywhere there were severed limbs or cracked ground; this was the scene almost every day as we approached the battlefield.
Not far ahead, people dressed in different ninja outfits were fighting each other.
One by one, they fell as if they were burdened with a deep-seated blood feud.
"Is this what war is...?"
Neji looked around and realized for the first time how naive he had been when he applied to graduate.
In that brief moment of Neji, the Iwagakure ninja naturally noticed.
The next instant, countless Shuriken came hurtling towards Neji's location.
Clang--
Hagoromo stood directly in front of Neji, deflecting all the Shuriken.
He turned to Neji and called out, "Neji, don't just stand there! Look around!"
Regaining his senses, Neji nodded solemnly, then cleaved aside Shuriken that was coming at him from the side with a single palm strike.
He also took care of the Stone Shinobi who tried to ambush him.
Seeing that Neji had come to his senses, Hagoromo was finally relieved.
Looking around, the battlefield was almost entirely filled with battles between various Genin or Chunin.
Behind them, Konoha Ninjas who had received the signal kept arriving to provide support.
However, Jiraiya was nowhere to be seen.
Hagoromo frowned, guessing that it really was the Jinchūriki and Ōnoki who were going to take the stage.
Otherwise, it's unlikely that he would look like this; it's highly probable that Jiraiya was worried about the threat posed by the Tailed Beasts.
He lured them away alone to prevent the Konoha ninja from being affected.
During the observation, Hagoromo led Neji forward, sweeping through the Iwagakure lines. Any Neji members that approached were killed by their combined attacks.
"Neji, keep up!"
Without hesitation, Hagoromo charged forward, rescuing Konoha Ninjas who were surrounded or in danger along the way.
Neji, standing behind him, saw his teacher effortlessly defeat the enemy, even looking after him at the same time.
"Master, you're so powerful!"
Although this was a fact that was already known, it still made Neji sigh with emotion.
Moreover, the Konoha Ninja were rescued one by one also noticed Hagoromo and began to deliberately pressure Iwagakure.
Upon seeing this, Hagoromo chuckled lightly, and then a bright blue Rasengan appeared as she raised her hand.
The next instant, a massive amount of Wind Nature was released.
The sound of the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken released by Hagoromo was completely drowned out by the sound of it.
Amidst the despairing gazes of the Iwagakure Ninja, the Rasenshuriken flew directly from their hands, heading towards the Iwagakure who were deliberately surrounded by Konoha.
Rumble--!
Amidst cries of agony and screams, the Iwagakure Ninja on this battlefield were wiped out by Hagoromo's single strike.
"So strong!"
"As expected of Lord Hagoromo!"
"Everyone, those seriously injured, retreat immediately. Those who can still fight, support the others!"
Without pausing, Hagoromo strode towards the battlefield further away, calling out as she went.
"Yes!"
Neji didn't hesitate and followed immediately.
With Hagoromo's arrival, Konoha immediately signaled its intention to counterattack.
More and more Konoha Ninja followed Hagoromo and Neji, and countless Iwagakure were captured before they could even call for backup.
"Master! I sensed several very strong Chakra ahead!"
Neji spoke towards a spot to the side.
Hagoromo nodded; that was probably Jiraiya fighting.
"Everyone, proceed to other positions to provide support!"
Hagoromo stopped letting the Konoha Ninjas follow him, in case it really was Jiraiya fighting Jinchūriki.
In that instant, a single Tailed Beast Bomb could take them all away.
It would be better to send these people to support other places.
"Yes, Lord Hagoromo!" The ninja behind him understood the situation and responded before proceeding to their respective positions in an orderly fashion.
Sizzle--
Two incredibly fast whooshing sounds came from the air. Hagoromo dodged to the side and then blocked the long sword with Kunai.
Two Iwagakure Jonin their teeth, trying to suppress Hagoromo.
"Eight Trigrams - Vacuum Palm!"
Neji was behind him, seized the opportunity and struck at the two Iwagakure with a Vacuum Palm Jonin.
"Damn it! Isn't this guy Genin?!"
The Iwagakure, sent flying by both blows, Jonin up blood and crashed to the ground.
"Chidori!"
Hiss--
A figure swiftly swept past the two fallen Iwagakure Ninjas, their heads falling to the side before they could even scream.
"Call--"
Hagoromo slowly exhaled a breath; the air now...
The air was already thick with the stench of blood, making it feel excessively oppressive.
Snap--
A figure landed not far in front of the Hagoromo.
Looking up, Hagoromo straightened up and said calmly, "As the commander, it's not appropriate for you to stop me, is it?"
Directly in front of the Hagoromo, Kitsuchi Tu's robust body stood firmly.
"My mission is to stop you."
"Only in this way can Iwagakure achieve victory!"