Feint East, Strike West

The residence of the Uchiha Clan patriarch.

Fugaku Uchiha and his wife Mikoto Uchiha were kneeling in the hall.

The eldest son Itachi Uchiha, is currently massacring his clansmen, and the younger son hasn't returned from the Ninja Academy yet; barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should have become a hostage of the Konoha High-ranking officials.

Suddenly Fugaku Uchiha looked up at the courtyard, and Mikoto Uchiha followed suit.

The next moment, a figure jumped from outside the wall into the courtyard.

The visitor was none other than Yichen.

Yichen glanced at Fugaku Uchiha speechlessly. Even at a time like this, he was still sitting comfortably at home.

"Senior Fugaku, I'm curious, at this point, have you made up your mind?" Yichen asked.

"If you're on the side of Konoha High-ranking officials, then this is the time to turn your sword against your clan and secure a better future for your two sons."

"Your intervention can reduce casualties among Konoha High-ranking officials; they'll likely remember your kindness."

"If you're on the side of your clan, then you should stop Hiruzen Sarutobi from slaughtering your people."

"Out of anger, even knowing I'll die, I have to teach the Konoha High-ranking officials a lesson they'll never forget."

"Whether it's stopping Hiruzen Sarutobi, charging into the ranks of ordinary ninjas among the Konoha High-ranking officials and wreaking havoc, or leaving the battle zone and wreaking havoc..."

"At the very least, if you chose to retreat with your family members, you should be trying to break through the encirclement now."

"I'm very curious, what's the reasoning behind sitting here watching the two sides fight without doing anything?"

Fugaku Uchiha ignored Yichen's sarcastic remark and instead Yichen said, "What are you doing here?"

Yichen thought for a moment and said, "I have many things to do here. First, I want to fulfill my wish to Sokai."

"This child has always been attached to his family. If I don't come today, he will hate me."

"Secondly, I'll see if I can get one or two Mangekyō Sharingan. It's said that these can be used to synthesize the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."

"Although there are no blood brothers among you Uchiha who have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, I still want to try and see if I can help Sokai awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan."

Fugaku Uchiha frowned; he hadn't expected Yichen to know even this.

Ignoring Fugaku Uchiha's expression, Yichen asked curiously, "By the way, Clan Leader Fugaku, do you know that your son has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

Upon hearing this Fugaku Uchiha indeed displayed an expression of disbelief.

Although he had some understanding of his son's talent, he never expected that Itachi Uchiha would awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan at such a young age.

Fugaku Uchiha asked, "Tsuchikage, where did you get this information from?"

Yichen curled his lip and said, "I watched him awaken it. His first real battle after Mangekyō Sharingan was against me."

"I also witnessed one of his eye techniques that could unleash black flames."

Fugaku Uchiha for a moment and then asked, "Tsuchikage, why are you telling me all this?"

Yichen said, "I'm not the only one interested in the Mangekyō Sharingan; the Hokage even invited Orochimaru this time."

"I think if Orochimaru hadn't learned the secrets of the Mangekyō Sharingan from you, he would have gone after Itachi Uchiha."

Both Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha's expressions changed.

Yichen added, "Orochimaru will be here soon. It's up to you. Choose whether to wait to die or eliminate a threat to your dutiful son."

Fugaku Uchiha glanced at Yichen and said, "You want me to help you deal with Orochimaru?"

Yichen shrugged indifferently and said, "It has nothing to do with me. If I wanted to leave, I could fly away right now. Even if I can't beat the Hokage and the others, I can still run away, right?"

"I'm genuinely worried about your filial son."

Fugaku Uchiha glanced at his wife and saw the worry for Itachi Uchiha in her eyes. He then sighed.

Seeing this, Yichen smiled slightly, his goal achieved. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and stopped in his tracks.

After thinking for a moment, Yichen tentatively asked, "Clan Leader Fugaku, your Uchiha Clan is on the verge of destruction, but judging from the situation, your two sons should survive."

"We're friends, would you like me to take care of them for you?"

Fugaku Uchiha looked at Yichen strangely, not understanding why he was saying this, then he thought about Yichen's personality.

After hesitating for a moment, Fugaku Uchiha got up and went to his bedroom to take out a few scrolls. He tossed the scrolls to Yichen and said, "I don't expect the Tsuchikage take care of them; I just hope he won't scheme against them."

Yichen chuckled and used his Porcelain Release to accept the gift, saying, "Clan Leader Fugaku, please rest assured, I will definitely take good care of your two sons."

After inspecting the scroll, Yichen put it away and then used the Light-Weight Rock Technique to prepare to greet Tsunade and the others.

The scrolls given by Fugaku Uchiha represent the wealth accumulated by the Uchiha Clan over many years. Yichen has just started the Little White Ball Research Project and is short of money.

This windfall came at just the right time.

Before long, Tsunade, along with the Fourth Raikage, Rasa, and Orochimaru, quickly approached Yichen's location, following Shikaku Nara's directions.

The four encountered several Uchiha along the way, but although the Uchiha clansmen were arrogant, they were not stupid. There was no one who would dare to go up and court death when they saw the three Kage and Orochimaru passing by.

Therefore, Tsunade and her companions traveled without any obstacles and quickly arrived at the door of the Fugaku Uchiha.

Seeing Yichen floating in the air, Rasa was the first to make a move.

He merely raised both hands slightly, and immediately a large amount of golden sand appeared.

The golden sand quickly gathered in the air above Yichen, Rasa formed a cage to trap Yichen directly.

Yichen smiled slightly, quickly Hand Seals, and unleashed a ninjutsu at the sea of golden sand in the air.

Upon seeing Yichen's Hand Seals, Tsunade and the others frowned.

Because Yichen used a Fire Release hand seal! All four of them recognized this hand seal; it was none other than the A-rank Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!

"Using Fire Release against Golden Sand, is the Tsuchikage crazy?" Tsunade asked the Fourth Raikage beside her.

Yichen was certainly not stupid. Tsunade was reminding the others that there was something wrong with Yichen's ninjutsu.

Actually, no reminder was needed; the Fourth Raikage had originally planned to attack Yichen, refrained from making a move.

Yichen Hand Seals very quickly, and soon a blue sea of light rose into the sky centered on him, quickly covering the golden sand that Rasa had unleashed.

Rasa in the air was also within Yichen's attack range, and he was greatly surprised when he saw Yichen's attack.

"Is this the Tsuchikage's Bloodline Limit Release: Light Release? Light Release can be used like Fire Release?"

Rasa used all his strength to form layers of golden sand in front of him for defense, while simultaneously retreating rapidly.

Tsunade and the Fourth Raikage below were also taken aback, not expecting that Yichen would come up with new tricks again after not seeing him for a while.

Seeing this, Orochimaru licked his lips and said to Tsunade, "I'll go deal with Fugaku Uchiha."

After saying that, Orochimaru rushed into Fugaku Uchiha's house.

He preferred to confront the Mangekyō Sharingan rather than the Light Release, which could vaporize any object it attacked.

This was merely a probing attack by both sides, and neither immediately launched a follow-up attack.

The Light Release technique was incredibly dazzling when it was activated, but it ended very quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the blue light dissipated, and the sky returned to its original clarity. Except for the area in front of Rasa, there was not a speck of gold dust left.

Rasa moved aside the golden sand blocking him and Yichen, and when he looked at Yichen again, his expression was even more unpleasant than when he had arrived.

In order to block Yichen, he used a lot of golden sand, which directly accounted for one-third of all his golden sand.

His golden sand is unlike Yichen's Porcelain Release Porcelain Release, which is formed directly from Chakra and is Kekkei Genkai of the elemental nature.

However, the golden sand used by Rasa is an upgraded version of the Sand Manipulation Technique that the Sunagakure learned from the One-Tail Beast. It is Magnet Release, a special ability-type Kekkei Genkai.

The iron sand and gold sand used when casting Magnet Release are all prepared in advance. The more they are vaporized, the less they are stored.

Of course, if there is gold around the battlefield, Rasa can also be used.

However, gold is not iron, and there's no way to replenish it in a short time.

If this happens twice more, like before, Rasa's Magnet Release will be ruined.

Even now, it still pains Rasa deeply. Replenishing with gold sand isn't just about restoring Chakra; it requires mining it bit by bit to obtain.

Yichen smiled at Rasa and said, "Kazekage, you're really rich! Want to do it again?"

Rasa did not answer; his heart had sunk to the bottom.

If he hadn't blocked the sky with golden sand, Yichen could have come and gone as he pleased, and their best-case scenario of keeping Yichen there would no longer be possible.

Now, he couldn't bear to let Rasa use the golden sand to block Yichen's movements again.

This was also the first time Yichen had used this method to Light Release.

Yichen couldn't have done this before; this tactic was only conceived recently after discussions with Ōnoki.

Yichen first formed Light Release Chakra his body, and then unleashed Chakra like a regular ninjutsu.

Due to the characteristics of Light Release, Yichen can only control the shape and range of Light Release like he can control Fire Release.

However, it cannot control Light Release- based attacks like Earth Release or Water Release.

This is also a drawback of Light Release.

However, for now, this method of use is sufficient to handle Kage Level battles.

When Light Release Chakra to unleash Area of Effect Ninjutsu like Great Fire Annihilation, Yichen doesn't need to consider the power of the ninjutsu, because the destructive power of Light Release itself is already sufficient. Yichen only needs to expand the range as much as possible to leave the enemy with nowhere to escape.

Yichen then turned his gaze to Tsunade and the Fourth Raikage below, and said, "Hokage, Raikage, since you won't make the first move, then I'll be impolite."

After speaking, Yichen quickly Hand Seals: Light Release - Phoenix Fire Technique.

Small orbs of light rushed towards the Fourth Raikage and Tsunade.

Two Taijutsu Ninja could have easily withstood Fire Release of this level and launched a counterattack.

However, when faced with the Fire Release: Phoenix Fire Technique Light Release: Phoenix Fire Technique, neither of them dared to let the blue light get close.

The two could only dodge the Light Release attack from a distance, constantly retreating to create more distance.

Seeing this, Yichen Ichiraku. What a coincidence! None of these three are conventional ninjutsu-type ninjas, and it seems none of them have a good way to deal with Light Release.

Conversely, if Tsunade and the Fourth Raikage were replaced by Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi, Yichen's ninjutsu wouldn't be as effective.

They only need to engage in ninjutsu exchanges with Yichen from a distance; they don't need to worry about the power of the Light Release.

Light Release is powerful, but it lacks sustainability; it can be easily countered by Earth Release.

Tsunade quickly realized the problem and said to the Fourth Raikage, "Raikage, you and Orochimaru switch opponents."

Without waiting for the Fourth Raikage's response, she directly said to Shikaku Nara, "Shikaku, inform our teacher and have him come and exchange opponents with me."

"Yes," Shikaku Nara quickly replied.

At that moment, a huge roar suddenly came from Fugaku Uchiha.

Immediately afterwards, a huge blue skeletal arm appeared and slapped a figure away.

The battle between Orochimaru and Fugaku Uchiha has reached a fever pitch.

Upon seeing the blue Susanoo skeleton, Tsunade's expression darkened. Although she had some suspicions like Orochimaru, she still felt the pressure when she actually saw Fugaku Uchiha use the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Fugaku Uchiha was not like Shisui Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Izumi Uchiha, or Sokai Uchiha.

Fugaku Uchiha was originally a powerful Uchiha, and the fact that he was able to secure the position of Uchiha Clan Head before revealing his Mangekyō Sharingan volumes.

For such a powerful individual to possess the Mangekyō Sharingan carries a different significance.

Fortunately, Orochimaru was least afraid of this kind of physical attack. Although he was knocked away, he quickly used the Snake Substitution Jutsu to transfer his injuries.

At that moment, Tsunade shouted to Orochimaru, "Orochimaru, let's deal with the Tsuchikage together. Leave Fugaku Uchiha to the Raikage."

Orochimaru glanced at Tsunade, ignored her, and continued charging towards Fugaku Uchiha.

Upon seeing this, Yichen grinned and said to Tsunade, "Hokage, Orochimaru seems to be disobeying orders. That's true, he's missing-nin of Konoha after all, no longer under the Hokage's command."

Tsunade's expression was unpleasant, but she didn't say anything; discussing this with Yichen wouldn't do her any good.

She bit her finger, Hand Seals, and cast Summoning Jutsu. The next moment, a giant Katsuyu appeared beneath her feet.

Tsunade's ninjutsu level is average; it's not that she can't do it, but it's not impressive at the Kage Level.

On the contrary, the Katsuyu's acidic fluid can block the Light Release a few moments.

Tsunade was actually reluctant to use the Summoning Jutsu when dealing with Yichen, because Yichen had already destroyed a large part of the Katsuyu's body.

If they suffer a few more losses, even the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest will become dissatisfied.

Although the Slug Sage's form of existence is unique, its recovery still takes time.

The damage caused by Yichen last time hasn't been fully recovered yet.

Tsunade is currently in a similar state to Rasa, somewhat hesitant and timid.

Yichen quickly noticed Tsunade and Rasa's concerns, grinned, and rapidly Hand Seals to increase the pace of his attacks.

Next, as if practicing ninjutsu, Yichen continuously Light Release Chakra to perform various Fire Style Ninjutsu.

Large swaths of blue light continuously enveloped Tsunade, Rasa, and the Fourth Raikage.

The battle between the two sides escalated rapidly, entering a decisive battle mode!

While Yichen and Tsunade were engaged in a fierce battle, in the Konoha Command Center...

"Shikaku, there's urgent military intelligence!" an Anbu rushed in to report.

"Speak." Shikaku Nara was pondering a way to deal with Yichen's Light Release, but upon hearing the urgent military news, he still managed to spare some of his attention to respond.

The Anbu said, "Our ninjas stationed near the Iwa ninja Land of Snow Branch have suddenly reported that more than half of the ninjas inside Iwa ninja Land of Snow Branch have been lost, and the number of ninjas remaining is very small."

Shikaku Nara was taken aback and asked, "How is this possible? Didn't the intelligence ninjas guarding the perimeter notice?"

The Anbu replied, "No, our people have been guarding the perimeter of the Iwa ninja Land of Snow Branch and haven't seen any large-scale relocation of Iwa ninja."

Shikaku Nara a moment, then suddenly thought of something and immediately ordered, "Have all the ninjas near the Iwa ninja, Land of Bears Branch, Land of Demons Branch, Land of the Falls Branch, and Land of Fire branches confirm the number of ninjas in each of these branches."

The member of the Anbu quickly responded and then hurriedly left.

The first reply came very quickly.

"Shikaku, something terrible has happened! The ninja monitoring outside the Land of Bears Branch Iwa ninja lost contact."

Shikaku Nara's heart sank; his worst fears had come true.

A while later, the ninjas responsible for monitoring the other branches also sent back intelligence through special channels.

"Shikaku, the number of Iwa ninja in the branches you mentioned has decreased significantly, but our people haven't seen any large-scale Iwa ninja movements."

Shikaku Nara a deep breath and slowly said, "It's Space-Time Ninjutsu!"

A few seconds later, Shikaku Nara suddenly remembered something and said, "Quickly contact the ninjas at the border and inquire about the movements of Ikura and Kawakita."

This time it went smoothly; the Anbu returned quickly and said, "Ikura and Kawakita last appeared two hours ago."

"Back then, they pretended to fight Lord Danzō. They pretended to be two against one but were still no match for Lord Danzō, so they retreated and never appeared again."

Shikaku Nara's heart began to pound. It was over; the Iwa ninja had definitely launched an attack on some target.

Judging from the situation in the Land of Bears, the Iwa ninja have probably set their sights on the Sunagakure.

The others in Command Center weren't stupid either; they had guessed the outcome from Nara Shikaku Nara's questions and the feedback from the Anbu.

Inoichi Yamanaka Shikaku Nara, and he tentatively asked, "Shikaku, should we inform the Kazekage?"

Shikaku Nara silent for a few moments, then shook his head and said, "Let's not inform the Kazekage yet. The village still needs the Kazekage to keep the Tsuchikage occupied."

Everyone else fell silent upon hearing this; no one voiced any objection, and they all agreed with Shikaku Nara's decision.

Putting aside whether informing the Kazekage at this point would be of any use.

Even if the Kazekage can still return to Sunagakure in time, it's better to let Kazekage stay in Konoha a little longer, since Konoha needs Kazekage too.

Just as Shikaku Nara had guessed, Iwagakure had mobilized most of its troops from the Land of Snow's base branch, the Land of Demons Branch, the Land of the Falls Branch, and the Northwest Region branch of the Land of Fire.

Each branch assigned one thousand ninjas.

These ninjas arrived at the Land of Bears Branch Teleportation Array and joined the thousand ninjas who had already assembled there.

Also heading to the Land of Bears Branch were a thousand ninjas who had gathered in Iwagakure but had not yet been deployed.

The Iwagakure has mobilized a total of 6,000 ninjas, led by Ōnoki, Ikura, Kawakita, Matsutani Shinya, and Roshi, and they are on their way to the Sunagakure.

Since the army's starting point was the Land of Bears Branch, Ōnoki and his group moved very quickly and had already penetrated deep into the Land of Wind.

By the time Shikaku Nara realized something was wrong, Ōnoki had already led his army and was almost at Sunagakure.

Many Sunagakure Ninja scattered in the Northern Land of Wind were killed by the Iwa Ninja Army.

Some who managed to escape had only just returned to Sunagakure by this time.

In other words, the Sunagakure only received the intelligence that Ōnoki and the other four Kage-level Combatant, along with an army of six thousand, were about to arrive at Sunagakure.

At this time, some of the Sunagakure were scattered across the Land of Wind on missions, while others were in the Sunagakure, but neither had yet been mobilized or assembled.

Ryosuke, who stayed behind in the village, was shocked to receive the information brought back by the spies who had escaped the net.

Thousands of the Iwa Ninja Army are already approaching the village? How is that possible? Why didn't the intelligence system give any warning?

The situation was urgent, and Ryosuke didn't have time to convene a battle meeting. He directly ordered, "Pass down the order: immediately assemble all the village's ninjas and infiltrate the village's defenses."

"The Anbu will immediately set out to the north to scout out the strength of the Iwa ninja, find out which Kage-level experts Iwa ninja are there, and at the same time delay their advance to buy time for the village."

"Notify Baki to organize the evacuation of civilians and young ninjas from the village. Do not enter the shelters. The Iwa ninja are here to wipe out the entire village; the shelters are useless."

"Notify the Logistics Department to transport the supplies to First Line of Defense as quickly as possible."

Ryosuke's response was swift. By the First Line of Defense Ōnoki led his men through the Sunagakure Anbu at the entrance to Sunagakure, he was already there, ready for action.

However, Ryosuke was in a very bad mood.

Looking at the densely packed Iwa ninja, Ryosuke's heart immediately sank into a shadow. There were at least six thousand Iwa ninja! Even the number of ninja gathered by the Sunagakure was not that many!

He then turned to an intelligence ninja and asked, "Has the intelligence network been established?"

The intelligence ninja nodded and said, "Ryosuke, the sensory system has covered the entire battlefield."

Ryosuke nodded and said, "Very good, immediately scout the enemy's Kage Level enemies."

"Yes." The intelligence ninja replied and immediately began to sense things.

Unfortunately, the Sunagakure didn't really master this technique very well. It was the first time they used it in actual combat. The intelligence ninjas spent a long time sensing it, but they could only detect Ōnoki's Chakra.

Ryosuke glanced at Ōnoki floating in the air, his lips twitching, but he didn't get angry. Instead, he comforted him, "Don't worry, let me know as soon as the battle starts and the opponent unleashes their Chakra."

"Yes." The intelligence ninja retreated with a look of shame.

Instead of launching an immediate attack, Ōnoki halted his army at a distance and began a brief rest.

Similarly, the Sensory Barrier of the Iwa ninja also needs to be set up.

Although the Iwa ninja have an absolute advantage in terms of top-tier fighters, minimizing casualties is always a good thing, and being well-prepared is never a bad idea.