Battlefield Rose

"So that's roughly the situation."

After briefly explaining why he had appeared, Sosuke handed over the roasted chicken wing he had just cooked. "I didn't realize you had that much guts."

"Of course, don't you know who I am?" Uzumaki Mito took it without thinking, but only after the food entered her mouth did she suddenly realize: "In the middle of nowhere, where did you get chicken wings?"

"I just picked them up outside."

"Really?"

"Fine, I bought them from an old farmer at the foot of the mountain. Eat up without worry."

"That's more like it."

For some reason, despite having just faced a life-and-death crisis, Uzumaki Mito's mood was unusually cheerful.

After hurriedly devouring the chicken wing, she tossed the skewer aside and looked at her companion with sparkling eyes. "Let's go out and play together."

"Aren't you going to reunite with your clan?" Sosuke found it a bit strange, thinking that if she didn't hurry back, the Land of Whirlpools would probably announce her death.

"What's the rush?" The ponytailed girl didn't care at all. Having just survived a life-or-death crisis, she now only wanted to cast everything aside and travel around.

Once she'd had enough fun, she'd go back and shock everyone.

Imagining that scene, Uzumaki Mito couldn't help but feel delighted.

"Sosuke, let's go to the Land of Hot Water first, okay?"

"No."

"Then the Land of Snow would work too. I've never seen snow before."

"What's so great about snow?"

"Then let's go visit the Daimyo's Mansion in the Land of Fire."

Looking at the eager girl beside him, Sosuke sighed and glanced at the points that were about to accumulate.

After thinking for a moment, he suddenly spoke up. "How about we take a trip to the Land of Iron instead."

The Land of Iron was full of skilled craftsmen. His Flying Thunder God Technique required special kunai to be forged, and going there to search felt like the right move.

He could also inquire about better weapons. He'd realized that fighting empty-handed was far too disadvantageous.

Especially when facing close-combat experts, the gap in weapons could very well determine life or death.

He wasn't asking for a divine weapon on the level of the Kusanagi Sword, but at least special metal that could conduct Chakra.

That way, he could fully unleash the power of the Chidori Blade.

While seeking out famous artisans, he could also casually farm some points.

As for the troops, Uchiha Shū would look after them for now. He trusted that no major trouble would arise in the short term.

"Going to the Land of Iron, huh." Uzumaki Mito nodded, having no strong objections.

She hadn't been anywhere anyway, so no matter the destination, it would be a brand-new experience.

The most critical point was that Mito had no money in her pockets.

No money meant no say. She didn't even have the courage to suggest changing the route.

For the first time in her life, the Princess of the Land of Whirlpools realized the importance of money.

"Hey, when we get to the Land of Iron, remember to buy me some gifts."

"You have no money?"

"Hehe, you caught me."

"Tch, don't stand so close for no reason. We're not that familiar."

The two bickered all the way as they began traveling along the coastline toward the Land of Samurai.

On the other side, news of Mito's "death" reached home. Uzumaki Ashina flew into a rage and immediately led troops to land on the territory of the Land of Water.

He wanted to personally kill Kaguya Hisao to comfort his daughter's spirit in the afterlife.

Faced with the aggressive invasion of a foreign enemy, the Kaguya Clan launched a fierce counterattack.

What started as small skirmishes gradually escalated into large-scale armed conflict.

Against the naturally powerful Sage Descendants, the Kaguya Clan fought with extreme tenacity. Even when outmatched, they stubbornly held the battle line at the border.

They gave the Uzumaki Clan no chance to strike straight at their heart.

The two sides' forces were temporarily locked in a stalemate there.

The Land of Fire, Southern War Zone.

This was the domain of the Five Secret Jutsu Clans.

Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi—the famed Ino-Shika-Cho formation.

The Aburame Clan, who controlled poison insects, and the Inuzuka Clan, who raised ninja hounds—these five families were collectively called the "Five Secret Jutsu" clans.

Aside from Ino-Shika-Cho, the relationships among the other families weren't particularly good. If not for the foreign enemy eyeing them hungrily, the Five Secret Jutsu Clans might have started fighting among themselves.

That so-called foreign enemy was, of course, the infamous Uchiha.

A few years ago, Yamanaka Koji orchestrated an Extinction Plan that nearly cost the Uchiha their future.

With such a deep-seated grudge, how could the proud Uchiha possibly let it go unanswered?

Over the following year, the two sides clashed in frequent, full-scale battles.

Facing a vengeful and formidable enemy, the Ino-Shika-Cho chose to huddle together for warmth, even surrendering a large portion of their clan's mission quotas.

To the outside world, it appeared that the Uchiha Clan was relentlessly aggressive, leaving the Ino-Shika-Cho no room to survive.

A certain "accident" forced the Inuzuka Clan into the fray, yet even then, the tide of battle remained unchanged.

The reason was simple: the Southern Legion had a young commander named Uchiha Madara.

Entering a rapid growth phase, Madara's strength evolved almost daily, making him feel stronger with every battle.

The title of Young Clan Head drew him a great deal of hostility and targeted attacks, yet Madara always emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Until two months ago, the Inuzuka Clan, swayed by Yamanaka Koji, dispatched a powerful Captain-level strongman to ambush him on the road.

The two fought fiercely for half an hour, and in the end, it was Uchiha Madara, wielding the Flame Gunbai, who survived.

In that life-or-death battle, Madara's Sharingan successfully evolved into the Three Tomoe form, signifying that he now officially possessed power surpassing most Captain-level fighters.

By later-era calculations, Uchiha Madara's strength at this point was infinitely close to the Elite Jonin level.

Over two months, Madara fully mastered the application of the Sharingan.

With the Flame Gunbai in hand, Uchiha Madara feared no challenge from any strong enemy, even daring to proactively challenge veteran powerhouses like Yamanaka Koji.

Under his leadership, the clan's morale soared, and they practically ground the Five Secret Jutsu Clans into the floor.

Even when the Aburame Clan was forced to join in, they still couldn't get the better of the rising Uchiha.

No matter how dire the battle, Madara was always the most dazzling rose on the battlefield.

As long as he was there, it seemed defeat was never an option.

The Five Secret Jutsu Clans, gradually pushed into a corner, planned to muster their strength for a desperate counterattack, but instead they were met with a large-scale enemy reinforcement.

Izuna, who had been training somewhere out of sight for over a year, personally led the clan's forces to support.

The two brothers joining hands completely severed the last hope of the Five Secret Jutsu Clans.

Uchiha Madara even put out the word: if they handed over Yamanaka Koji, he would guarantee no harm to the remaining members of the Ino-Shika-Cho three clans.

As for the Inuzuka and Aburame, for daring to kick a man when he was down, they could expect nothing but a heavy blow from the Uchiha.

When the Ino-Shika-Cho three clans humbly handed over their clansman, the Southern War Zone no longer had any force capable of contending with the Uchiha.

"Mere grains of sand, worthy of competing with the Uchiha?"

Uchiha Madara was filled with contempt for the so-called Ino-Shika-Cho.

A clan that would hand over its own people to save itself would never be worthy of being his opponent.

Too sleepy, will edit after posting.