Ōnoki Was Livid!

"The enemy invaded the Land of Earth with a force the size of a company. White Fang is leading them, and almost all the members are elite Uchiha jonin. One of the Uchiha may possess the Mangekyō Sharingan Father mentioned."

"This may be the same Uchiha who defeated the Cloud ninja in the last war."

"Han, although you're a perfect Jinchuriki and Kokuō can warn you so you can break free of genjutsu, I don't think you have any chance against that squad."

Though Kitsuchi had lost his will to fight, his mind was still remarkably sharp.

He grabbed Han, who had been about to avenge him, and quickly shared the intelligence he'd received.

As Han listened to Kitsuchi's report, a little cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

Tailed Beasts had almost no resistance to Sharingan Genjutsu. That was putting it mildly—their ability to resist it was actually below zero!

The Nine-Tails had demonstrated this firsthand. Kokuō didn't think it was any more capable than the Nine-Tails, or that it could withstand the hypnotic genjutsu of a company-sized group of Uchiha ninja.

And one of them might even have the Mangekyō Sharingan.

What if they tried to break each other out of the genjutsu, only to end up hypnotized together?

"First, we should inform Lord Tsuchikage," Han said gravely. "Otherwise, once our forces split into two groups, no one will be left who can stop this unit that's invaded the Land of Earth."

The Raikage's unit had launched a raid and stolen a load of supplies, then breached one of the defensive lines. That had led Ōnoki to take command and fight the Raikage himself.

They were old enemies already, but as they fought and talked, the two somehow reached an agreement: they would team up and give Konoha a good thrashing!

But the Raikage, despite his imposing looks, had his own little scheme. He hadn't told Ōnoki anything specific about Uchiha Yuji.

He was counting on the Iwa ninja to test that lump of iron. He wanted to see whether rock or iron was harder.

Better yet, if they smashed that old rock Ōnoki to pieces, the Iwagakure shinobi would be free to come and go as they pleased!

But Ōnoki was no ordinary man.

He didn't know what the Third Raikage was hiding, but that didn't stop him from planning to steal Kumogakure's chicken. He had no problem fighting Konoha head-on, but with so many ninja behind him, he could also take out the Cloud ninja along the way. That wouldn't violate their agreement, would it?

The two scheming Kage had reached an understanding at once. They immediately began preparing to return to their villages and give Konoha a good plucking.

But before leaving, the Raikage the bandit still made off with the supplies that had originally belonged to the Iwa ninja.

The brute's actions enraged Ōnoki so much that he nearly fired a blast of Dust Release at the Cloud ninja. But despite his poor temper, he managed to hold himself back.

As Ōnoki was still dividing up the supplies, he received Kitsuchi's report at once.

Since the message had gone straight to the Tsuchikage's office, Kitsuchi hadn't bothered encrypting it. That let Ōnoki learn what was happening at the front even faster.

"The Kannabi Bridge defenses have been breached, the fortress has been destroyed, the Land of Grass front has collapsed, and Kitsuchi was humiliated by the Uchiha?! The Uchiha again! Another Mangekyō Sharingan!"

With every piece of news, Ōnoki's voice rose another notch. By the time he reached the last one, the words were practically forced through his clenched teeth.

His teeth were about to crack from grinding them, and his molars ached with the pressure. An endless fury erupted from Ōnoki's small frame.

"Ganga!"

"Send word! Don't split the force into two groups. We don't need to carry a large amount of supplies. Gather everyone and head straight for the Land of Grass. Wipe out the unit led by White Fang at all costs!"

Though rage had clouded his judgment somewhat, Ōnoki was still the Tsuchikage. When it came to his country, he immediately picked out the most important details from the report.

Hatake White Fang was leading a force of elite Uchiha on a raid.

Konoha was a cradle of geniuses. Once the Uchiha awakened their Sharingan, almost all of them became prodigies. But no matter how powerful their clan was, they couldn't possibly send so many elite ninja on a raid all at once.

This force was probably made up of high-ranking commanders assigned to the Land of Earth front!

If they wiped out the whole group in the Land of Earth, they'd be able to break through the Kannabi Bridge defenses in the Land of Grass with ease. After that, they could march straight into the Land of Fire and seize the richest land in the entire Shinobi World.

Perhaps they could even take Sarutobi Hiruzen's head and usher in a new era for the Iwa ninja!

But the biggest problem for now was that spearhead unit.

"Possibly in possession of the Mangekyō Sharingan, huh?"

After carefully examining the report again, Ōnoki's gaze grew more resolute.

The Mangekyō Sharingan was the Mangekyō Sharingan. It wasn't as if the Uchiha had never produced one before.

Even Uchiha Madara's younger brother had been killed after awakening the Mangekyō! Ōnoki refused to believe the Uchiha could produce another figure like Madara.

Besides, even if it were Uchiha Madara, could he really have enough chakra left to defeat the Iwa ninja after facing an army of twenty-five thousand?

Let alone some younger Uchiha!

They could wear him down!

Did he really think his chakra was inexhaustible?

White Fang's short blade was certainly formidable, but even his greatest swordsmanship would be useless against sheer numbers!

"Uchiha! I'll repay the humiliation you've brought upon the Iwa ninja a hundredfold!" Ōnoki was small, and his heart was just as petty.

With no supplies to load, the force assembled quickly. Not long after Ōnoki's order went out, the Iwa ninja had already gathered.

Floating in the air with the Light-Weight Rock Technique, Ōnoki looked over the densely packed army. Every neat formation was filled with burly, broad-shouldered Iwa ninja. His confidence and pride swelled.

Unlike Konoha, which had been at its strongest under the First, Iwagakure had reached its peak under Ōnoki's leadership, in his era.

On this barren land! In an age when two Kage had been beaten down in succession!

"Move out!"

He was short, but his voice rang out loud and clear, echoing in every listener's ears.

Sturdy rock and united earth—the Will of Stone made their ranks move in perfect order.

Earth Release techniques were generally powerful, but their one drawback was that they consumed a tremendous amount of chakra. It could vanish in an instant, leaving you completely drained.

That was especially true for ninja with poor chakra reserves. Earth Release was practically a death sentence for them.

But for people like Kitsuchi, who had plenty of chakra, it was what made Earth Release so powerful.

Uchiha Yuji and his group headed straight for Iwagakure, while the army marched directly toward the Land of Grass. The two groups, heading toward one another, noticed each other around midday.

Their gazes locked at once, and their steps halted simultaneously.