Kannabi Bridge

While Konoha was planning to launch a major war, in Sunagakure, many high-ranking officials were also engaged in heated discussions about whether to completely invade the Land of Fire.

"My lords, this is the latest intelligence. Konoha has begun preparing logistical supplies, and may be planning a protracted battle with us..." a Sunagakure ninja reported.

The Fourth Kazekage Rasa, and the other elders read the report, which detailed Konoha's military operations between Aoba City and Kikyo Castle.

In addition to transporting strategic supplies, many ninja squads were also deployed to the front-line outposts, clearly not wanting Sunagakure to easily occupy the Land of Rivers.

"This is a great opportunity!" said the elder of Sunagakure. "The situation in the north is favorable to us. Iwagakure has already crossed the Hiratsugawa River and will soon be close to the Land of Fire Border. Now is the perfect time for us to launch a major campaign and join forces with the Land of Earth to attack Konoha from both sides."

Through previous encounters, Sunagakure has discovered that Konoha's strength is insufficient, and the proportion of elite squads has clearly declined.

Now that they have mobilized all their forces, they have an overwhelming advantage in manpower. As long as they completely defeat the Konoha Ninja in Kikyo Castle, they will have a chance to truly occupy the entire Land of Land of Rivers.

Rasa frowned. The Konoha High Command would certainly not sit idly by and wait for their doom, but the fighting spirit in Sunagakure was high. If he were to pour cold water on it, he might end up getting burned.

Moreover, intelligence suggests that this is indeed an opportunity, and it would be a great pity to miss it due to excessive caution.

"Let's begin preparations!" After a moment's thought, realizing he couldn't ignore Konoha's actions, he continued, "Just in case, I'm preparing to use..."

"Well... alright!" The Sunagakure elders finally agreed. "Bunpuku's lifespan is already limited. If he can make one last contribution to the village before he dies, he should agree."

In the autumn of Konoha Year 48, the war in the Shinobi World became increasingly brutal.

On the meat grinder-like battlefield, human life has become a cheap commodity; in the blink of an eye, you may find your comrades dying in droves.

"Boom..."

A deafening roar echoed across the plains of the Land of Grass, sending massive rocks, dozens of meters high, flying through the air with terrifying force that shook the very earth.

The Konoha Ninja on the edge of the explosion all hid behind rocks, as a large amount of rubble hit them from above and to the sides, causing a dull ache in their bodies.

"Damn it, it's the Iwagakure Explosion Corps!"

Mimura Hamaki said through gritted teeth, "Several more team members have been blown to bits, making their resistance increasingly difficult."

As the smoke cleared, the battlefield was littered with corpses, some from Iwagakure, but mostly from Konoha Ninja.

At the critical moment, a figure suddenly appeared in the Konoha's territory.

"How is the situation?"

The newcomer had blond hair and a calm, Namikaze Minato; it was none other than Minato Namikaze Yellow Flash.

"You've finally arrived!" Mimura Hamaki breathed a sigh of relief. "The situation is dire. The enemy still has about 40 men, while we only have 10 left..."

On the other side, at the Iwagakure base, Commander Higashida's face lit up with excitement. "The battle is about to be decided! Everyone, keep your spirits up and finish off the Konoha Ninja in one fell swoop!"

As they prepared to launch their attack, Namikaze Minato produced a Scroll, unrolled it, and placed a large number of Kunai on the ground. "Everyone, please throw these Kunai at the enemy. Leave the rest to me..."

"Are you sure you can manage all by yourself?" a ninja nearby questioned.

Mimura Hamaki, without hesitation, picked up the Kunai. "Do as he says right now. The battle with the Yellow Flash is about to begin, so watch carefully!"

As Minato rose to his feet, a large number of Rock Village Ninja, led by Higashida, rushed toward the Konoha position, only to find that there was only one person standing at the front of the line.

"Um?"

This strange situation made Higashida hesitate for a moment. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the figure was none other than the nightmare of the Rock Village Ninja, "It's Namikaze Minato from Konoha!"

Upon hearing the commander's voice, many Rock Village Ninja were immediately terrified.

For the past six months, the Yellow Flash has been fighting against the Cloud's AB Combo on the Land of Land of Lightning battlefield, but now he has unexpectedly returned to the Land of Grass front.

Higashida sensed something was wrong; his words seemed to have dampened his team's morale. Knowing this situation couldn't continue, he immediately said, "Everyone, just be careful. All our teammates are around us; he definitely won't dare to rush in..."

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

Before the words were even finished, a large number of Kunai shot out from the Konoha positions, not directly attacking the Iwagakure members, but instead landing in various locations on the battlefield.

"Brush..."

Minato vanished in a flash, reappearing amidst several Rock Village Ninja.

This lightning-fast movement seemed effortless to him; the rise and fall of the Kunai and the Flying Thunder God Technique were executed in one smooth motion.

Before many Iwagakure could react, several had a gash cut on their throats, clearly Minato's slash had left them no time to even move.

"Ugh..."

"Careful..."

"He's here..."

At this moment, the Rock Village Ninja were charging in a group found that they couldn't find the enemy at all. It seemed that they were surrounded by friendly forces, but now the large number of people became a burden, making it impossible for them to use their Ninjutsu coordination.

"Wow, this is the power of the Yellow Flash?" The Konoha Ninja had previously questioned it was completely stunned. This didn't seem like a war at all; it was a simple harvest.

"Everyone spread out a bit and quickly Kunai!"

Higashida roared loudly. In just a short while, his teammates were falling one after another. Waiting in place seemed to be a dead end. The only option was to try to disperse the formation.

Some of the surviving Iwagakure cleverly leaped towards areas free of Kunai, but as soon as they moved, they overlooked the Kunai flying past them, "Swish, swish, swish..."

Those who moved more dramatically only felt a figure flash by in the air, then everything went black, and when they hit the ground, they were already motionless corpses...

"Huff, huff..."

Minato stood in the field, slightly out of breath. There were no Rock Village Ninja left beside him, and a strong smell of blood filled the air.

With the outcome seemingly decided, Mimura Hamaki and the other surviving Konoha teammates arrived on the field. "Minato..."

"Sorry." Minato vanished in a flash, his voice trailing off before he left. "My disciple might be in danger. I have to get there quickly. Sorry to take my leave."

As the situation in the Land of Grass began to change, Shuichi's squad was not idle either. In order to investigate the movements of the main force of Sunagakure, they had no choice but to operate deep inside the Land of Rivers.

In the jungle, the three stood close together, each finding a relatively secluded spot to hide. Nearby was a flat road at a low elevation, flanked by steep mountains on both sides; this was a small path leading to the Land of Fire Border.

"Judging by the time, the Battle of Kannabi Bridge should be coming to an end soon," Shuichi thought to himself.

Konoha only ordered a surprise attack on Kannabi Bridge after discovering the large-scale movements of Sunagakure, in order to prevent Sunagakure from realizing the change in the situation and to give them the illusion that Konoha was still fighting on all sides.