One of the first places to come under attack was the strategic stronghold personally guarded by Fugaku Uchiha.
It was a stretch of elevated, rugged terrain. A few patches of snow still lingered on the higher slopes, yet to melt.
But the scene held none of spring's budding vitality. Instead, it was steeped in bloodshed and cruelty.
Bodies lay scattered across the ground in gruesome poses. Clotted blood stained the tufts of green grass, lending them a touch of tragic beauty.
Boom!
An Explosive Tag erupted in a thick cloud of smoke, flames bursting through it. A Cloud Ninja who had carelessly stepped into the trap was blown into several pieces.
The explosion jolted the resting Konoha Ninja awake.
"Enemy attack!"
"Enemy attack!"
Sharp cries rang out, spreading swiftly through various means to every part of the mountainous region.
This was the Cloud Ninja's third charge. The range of mountains held a crucial strategic position: once an army crossed these towering peaks, the land before Konoha Village was almost entirely flat.
If this area were breached, or even partly occupied, the Konoha Ninja would be left without any natural defenses—or the enemy could fortify the high ground, leaving both sides locked in a drawn-out battle here.
Fugaku Uchiha understood the danger all too well. His strategy was to hold the slope at the very front of the mountain range and keep every enemy outside it at all costs!
"Water Release: Water Wave!"
Several Cloud Ninja leaped high and spewed great torrents of water from their mouths. The deluge poured down like a river falling from the heavens, crashing straight into the Konoha Ninja on the slope.
"Stop that water!"
"They're trying to use Water Release first again, then channel Lightning Release through the water and its vapor!"
A Konoha Ninja