Sudden Encounter

Two days later.

"What a mess." Hyuga Ao kept watch on the Rain Ninja ahead with her Byakugan.

The Rain Ninja who had barely escaped Hanzō's explosive water surge that day had no time to tend to their wounded before Konoha drove them onward.

Konoha's strategy was clear: use the Rain Ninja to restrict Hanzō, preventing him from breaking away from his unit and thus limiting his poison.

After Konoha crushed the Rain Ninja in one wave, they had been herded like sheep ever since.

Konoha didn't attack—they just hung back at a distance, refusing to let them rest, slowly draining the Rain Ninja's stamina.

Exhausted in body and mind after the great battle, low on Chakra, and with their injuries left untreated, the Rain Ninja were driven on by Konoha. In just two days, many collapsed as they walked.

Konoha expected the Rain Ninja to turn and fight to the death, but Hanzō simply commanded them to maintain the status quo, following Konoha's pace.

Konoha understood Hanzō was waiting for something, but they weren't worried. By the time the Third Hokage set out, two thousand troops in the village were already preparing to deploy—these were the forces meant to invade the Land of Rain.

In the earlier battle, Konoha's casualty ratio against the Rain Ninja was roughly one-to-one. Before the Third Hokage arrived, Konoha and the Rain Ninja had each lost about eight hundred men.

After the Third Hokage's arrival, the Rain Ninja lost another eight hundred in a series of casualties.

Out of over two thousand, only four hundred remained—but those four hundred were elites, which was why Hanzō couldn't bear to abandon them.

Over these two days, Konoha's forces split into two shifts, taking turns pursuing the Rain Ninja.

In Konoha's thinking, whatever Hanzō was waiting for, it would be affected once it joined these four hundred survivors. They'd cripple that too, then press on to the Land of Rain, aiming to flatten everything in one go and end it quickly.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh." A volley of Kunai wrapped in Explosive Tags flew out, landing behind the Rain Ninja and forcing those in the rear to squeeze out more Chakra to dodge forward.

"How is it?" asked Hori Noriyuki, the Jonin in charge of reconnaissance.

Hyuga Ao activated her Byakugan to observe the Rain Ninja's Chakra flames.

"Every Rain Ninja's Chakra is at its limit. Any more pressure and they'll break," Hyuga Ao replied.

After that battle, Hyuga Ao had been promoted to Chunin. Now, as a member of the Hyuga clan, she was assigned to the reconnaissance team to monitor the Rain Ninja's condition.

"Good, hahaha. Having a Hyuga teammate sure is convenient," Hori Noriyuki remarked.

Hori Noriyuki had formerly been a member of the Anbu, leaving shortly before the war. He excelled in sensory ninjutsu, Wind Release, and swordsmanship. Though a Sensory Ninja, his fighting style was primarily close-quarters.

It made one sigh in admiration.

Hyuga Ao smiled faintly, then turned her gaze to Hanzō. The battle two days ago hadn't affected him much—his Chakra flame was only slightly dimmed. This was another reason Konoha hadn't chosen to directly devour the Rain Ninja.

"No wonder he's called a demigod. That stamina is something else," Hyuga Ao muttered to herself.

Suddenly, a dense mass of Chakra flames burst into her field of vision. A rough count put it at a thousand.

Her expression turned serious. "Captain, enemy reinforcements. A thousand-man unit."

Hori Noriyuki clapped his hands. "Good, they're finally here. Fire a red signal flare. Execute Plan Two!"

"Whoosh." The red signal flare exploded in the sky. The earth seemed to jolt awake as a clamor began to spread.

Konoha's thousand-man unit, which had been trailing the Rain Ninja, surged forward. Large-scale ninjutsu rained down, driving the four hundred Rain Ninja survivors to crash into the arriving thousand-man unit.

The Rain Ninja were herded forward. Seeing the Iwagakure headbands ahead, despair filled their hearts—until Hanzō's voice rang out: "Our allies from Iwagakure have come to meet us."

Overjoyed, the Rain Ninja quickened their pace to join forces with the Iwagakure ninja.

Dong Siren stared in surprise at the battered Rain Ninja survivors. "Lord Hanzō, what happened here?"

Hanzō snorted coldly. The defeat infuriated him. "Where are the Sand Ninja and the unit led by Yajima Seiji?"

Dong Siren replied, "The Sand Ninja and the Rain Ninja are behind us. They should arrive soon after seeing the signal flare."

On Konoha's side, as they closed in, they realized the enemy was Iwagakure. Jiraiya ordered, "Halt."

He stared ahead at the well-equipped, murderous Iwagakure forces, knowing they meant trouble. He summoned a communication toad to call for reinforcements, then stepped forward. "Iwagakure appears in our country's territory. What is your intent?"

Dong Siren secretly observed the Konoha forces ahead. Can't take them, he thought.

He then called over a subordinate. "Have the Sand Ninja and Rain Ninja encircle them."

"Hahahaha." Dong Siren stepped out from the ranks. "Nothing much. We heard the Rain Ninja and Konoha were fighting, and since we're all neighbors, we thought we'd come mediate."

"Oh? But you don't look like mediators," Jiraiya said, pointing at the Iwagakure troops.

"Well, how can you mediate without a bit of strength?" Dong Siren put on a sheepish expression.

Jiraiya sensed something was off. The enemy was stalling, and there were more foes behind. His hand behind his back signaled the troops to prepare to retreat. "In that case, we'll be going. We can talk another day."

With that, he waved his hand. "Fall back!"

Seeing the ruse exposed, Dong Siren ordered, "Iwagakure, hold them back."

Jiraiya turned. "Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld."

A massive swamp appeared between Konoha and Iwagakure, cutting off the Iwagakure forces.

Dong Siren snorted. "Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall. Fall!"

A tall earthen wall rose and then toppled, forming a bridge over the Swamp of the Underworld.

"Damn it!" Jiraiya cursed under his breath. "Set up traps!"

Konoha quickly began laying traps to slow the Iwagakure advance.

Dong Siren waved his hand. "Demolition Team, go!"

The Iwagakure Demolition Team advanced, clearing the way with explosions.

Listening to the explosions behind him, Jiraiya clearly realized that this couldn't go on.

The warning bell clanged in his heart; his instincts screamed that if he didn't create distance soon, they were doomed.

He flipped his hand and pulled out a scroll. "Release." He tossed it, and a flood of Toad Oil gushed from the scroll. He ignited it with Fire Release, creating another wall of flames.

The Iwagakure ninja reached the fire wall, and many of them joined forces to cast their techniques. "Earth Style: Earth Tremor!" "Earth Style: Fissure Palm!"

The ground coated in Toad Oil sank, then was covered by a layer of earth. The Iwagakure ninja didn't stop; they kept up the pursuit.

Seeing how desperately the Iwagakure ninja wanted to pin them down, Jiraiya knew other pursuers must be nearby. He scanned the terrain and spotted a small hill. "Up the hill."

The Konoha force immediately changed course and climbed. Once they reached the top, Jiraiya asked Hyuga Ao, "Ao'er, your Byakugan sees the farthest. Take a look around—anyone else out there?"

Hyuga Ao swept her Byakugan across the area. "Jiraiya-sensei, no large enemy forces within five kilometers. But there are scattered ninja all around, likely scouts."

"Good." Jiraiya nodded and gave the order. "Everyone, hold position and defend!"