I, Ōnoki, Am Furious!

"The enemy has invaded the Land of Earth with a squadron-sized force led by White Fang, and the members are almost all elite Jonin of the Uchiha clan. One of the Uchiha likely possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan that Father mentioned."

"This guy is likely the same Uchiha who defeated the Cloud Ninja in the last war."

"Although you, Han, are a perfect Jinchūriki and Kokuō can alert you to dispel genjutsu, I do not believe you have any chance of winning against that squad."

Although Kitsuchi had lost the desire to fight, his mind remained incredibly sharp.

He grabbed Han, who was intending to seek revenge, and quickly relayed the intelligence he had gathered.

Listening to Kitsuchi's report, beads of cold sweat broke out on Han's forehead.

A Tailed Beast's resistance to the Sharingan's genjutsu is practically zero—and that is putting it kindly; the resistance capability against Sharingan genjutsu is effectively negative!

The Nine-Tails had personally demonstrated this to them, and Kokuō did not believe it was any more capable than the Nine-Tails at resisting the hypnotic genjutsu of a squadron of Uchiha ninja.

And that was not even accounting for the presence of a Mangekyō Sharingan.

As for mutually dispelling genjutsu? They might both end up hypnotized before they even got the chance!

"First, we must notify Tsuchikage-sama," Han said in a deep voice. "Otherwise, once the army splits into two paths, no one will be able to resist this force that has broken into the Land of Earth."

The Raikage had led a surprise attack to snatch a batch of supplies and had breached a layer of defenses, which led to Ōnoki leading his own forces to clash with him.

They were already old enemies, but as they fought and talked, the two somehow reached an agreement—to join forces and give Konoha a good pounding!

However, the thick-browed, big-eyed Raikage had his own little schemes and did not tell Ōnoki the specific intelligence regarding Uchiha Yuji.

He was counting on the Iwagakure ninja to collide with that piece of iron, just to see whether the rock or the iron was harder.

It would be best if the old rock, Ōnoki, were shattered; then, the Iwagakure village would be his to come and go as he pleased!

But Ōnoki was no ordinary man.

Although he did not know what the Third Raikage was hiding, it did not stop him from planning to steal from Kumogakure. I can fight Konoha head-on, of course, but there are plenty of ninja left over to deal with you Cloud Ninja on the side. That doesn't violate the alliance, does it?

The two scheming Kage hit it off immediately and began returning to their respective countries to prepare to pull Konoha's beard.

However, before leaving, the thieving Raikage still made off with the original Iwagakure supplies.

This reckless move infuriated Ōnoki so much that he nearly unleashed a Dust Release on the Cloud Ninja's forces, but the short-tempered Ōnoki managed to restrain himself.

While still distributing supplies, Ōnoki received the intelligence from Kitsuchi at the first opportunity.

Because it was a direct report to the Tsuchikage's office, Kitsuchi had not encrypted it, allowing Ōnoki to grasp the frontline situation all the faster.

"The Kannabi Bridge defense line breached, the fortress destroyed, the Land of Grass defense line collapsed, and Kitsuchi humiliated by an Uchiha?! Uchiha again! And a Mangekyō Sharingan again!"

With every piece of intelligence he spoke, Ōnoki's voice rose an octave, and by the last sentence, the words were squeezed out from between his teeth.

His teeth were on the verge of shattering from the rage, his molars aching, as an infinite fury erupted from within Ōnoki's small frame.

"Ganga!"

"Pass the order: the army will not split into two groups. There is no need to carry large amounts of supplies. Everyone is to concentrate and advance toward the Land of Grass to annihilate the Uchiha led by White Fang!"

Although his judgment was somewhat clouded by rage, Ōnoki was still the Tsuchikage, after all. In the face of national interest, he immediately grasped the most critical detail.

White Fang was leading a group of elite Uchiha in a raid.

Konoha was a cradle of geniuses, and the Uchiha clan members were almost all geniuses once they awakened their eyes, but even with their vast resources, they could not possibly field so many elite ninja for a single raid.

These people were likely high-ranking commanders dispatched to the Land of Earth!

As long as they wiped this group out within the Land of Earth, the defense line at Kannabi Bridge in the Land of Grass would be easily breached. From there, they could charge straight into the Land of Fire and occupy the most fertile land in the entire Shinobi World.

Perhaps they could even sever the head of Sarutobi Hiruzen! And usher in a new era for Iwagakure!

However, the biggest problem right now remained this vanguard force.

"Suspected possession of the Mangekyō Sharingan, is it?"

After carefully reviewing the intelligence again, Ōnoki's gaze grew increasingly firm.

A Mangekyō Sharingan is just a Mangekyō Sharingan; it's not as if the Uchiha clan hasn't had them before.

Didn't Uchiha Madara's brother get killed even after awakening the Mangekyō? I refuse to believe the Uchiha clan can produce another figure like Uchiha Madara.

And even if it were Uchiha Madara, could his chakra reserves sustain him against my army of twenty-five thousand ninja?

Let alone a junior Uchiha!

I will wear you down until you die!

Do you really think your chakra is infinite?

White Fang's short blade is indeed formidable, but his strongest swordsmanship is useless against sheer numbers!

"Uchiha! I will repay the humiliation you brought upon our Iwagakure a hundredfold!" Ōnoki was small in stature, and naturally, his heart was just as petty.

With no supplies to carry, the mobilization of the troops was naturally swift. Not long after Ōnoki's order was issued, the Iwagakure ninja had completed their assembly.

Floating in mid-air via the Light-Weight Rock Technique, Ōnoki looked down at the dense mass of the army. Within those perfectly aligned formations were sturdy, burly Iwagakure ninja, and his heart filled with growing confidence and pride.

Iwagakure was different from Konoha; Konoha was at its peak during the time of the First Hokage, whereas Iwagakure had reached its most prosperous era under Ōnoki's leadership, in his own time.

On this barren land! In this era, after having been suppressed by two previous Kage!

"Move out!"

Though short in stature, his voice was exceptionally resonant, echoing instantly into the ears of everyone present.

Tenacious rock and united earth; the Will of Stone ensured their movements were exceptionally disciplined and organized.

The power of Earth Style jutsu is generally formidable, but its sole drawback is that it is incredibly chakra-intensive—the kind that can drain one's reserves in a flash.

For those ninjas without a high aptitude for chakra, Earth Style is practically lethal.

Yet, for individuals like Kitsuchi who possess vast chakra reserves, they are the ones who have forged the might of Earth Style.

Uchiha Yuji and his party were heading straight toward Iwagakure, while the army marched directly toward the Land of Grass; the two groups, rushing toward one another, sensed each other's presence at midday.

Gazes locked instantly, and footsteps halted in unison.