Although Gekko Nobuhiko had defended himself and avoided a fatal wound,
the enemy's desperate attack had still left him seriously injured.
Worse, there was no time or place to treat his wounds in the middle of the battlefield.
A furious jonin and a group of chunin were still surrounding them, watching for an opening.
"It looks like this may be as far as I go. I'll have to leave the rest to you, Iori."
Gekko Nobuhiko gritted his teeth and struggled to prop himself up. Blood streamed from his abdomen. The Iwagakure Ninja's attack had grazed its edge, tearing away a great deal of flesh.
The blood loss and the shock to his internal organs had cost him most of his fighting strength.
"Don't say that, Sensei. Didn't we promise that we'd all make it back alive?"
Iori tightened his grip on the spear, his expression resolute.
"Just watch, Sensei. I'll use this power to protect Konoha."
Protect my Konoha, he added silently.
Iori released his chakra and swung his spear.
Spear images filled the air in an impenetrable screen, deflecting the Kunai and Explosive Tags hurled at them.
Then he scooped up his teacher, used Fire Release to staunch the bleeding, and hurried with him to join Akimichi Doto and Inuzuka Gaku.
Akimichi Doto and Inuzuka Gaku were fighting three enemies between them, while also dealing with interference from the enemy chunin.
They had a slight advantage but still couldn't break the stalemate. When Uchiha Iori arrived carrying Gekko Nobuhiko, a faint, relieved smile appeared on Akimichi Doto's face.
"Nice work. You took out two of their jonin. Get out of here first; I'll cover your retreat," Akimichi Doto said gravely.
They had more or less accomplished their strategic objective. The enemy had suffered considerable damage, so it was time to consider withdrawing and fighting a defensive battle.
"Please protect my teacher, sir. I have a wide-area attack."
"The enemy's formation is in disarray, but their numbers are clustered together. It's the perfect chance for me to unleash its full power."
Iori hadn't released his Noble Phantasm earlier because the enemy's command structure had still been functioning. Any area attack would have given them time to organize a dodge and counterattack.
Now, their command had fallen apart, and their jonin were tied up. Even if they managed to counterattack, it wouldn't be nearly as fierce as it had been at the start of the battle.
"Are you sure?" Akimichi Doto gave him a long look.
Given the situation, Uchiha Iori didn't seem like the sort to make empty claims.
Though Akimichi Doto didn't know what gave him such confidence, he chose to trust his comrade.
Akimichi Doto fired a signal flare into the sky.
Before long, Minato Namikaze returned from the battlefield.
He had no visible wounds, but he was panting heavily. The long battle had drained him badly.
"What happened? Why did you signal for me to come back?"
Minato Namikaze asked between breaths. He was a little displeased at being called back when there was no emergency.
Still, he wasn't angry. He simply asked in a gentle tone.
Uchiha Iori explained the situation in full, his strong confidence inspiring the others.
After listening, Minato Namikaze nodded and said gently, "Then leave the retreat to me. Go ahead and use your secret technique."
"Even if it doesn't work as well as you hope, I can bring you back. Don't put yourself under pressure. We've already more or less accomplished our objective."
Minato Namikaze's voice was gentle but firm.
He truly lived up to his name, Little Sun. Even in the middle of such a tense battle, he still remembered to look after his teammates' morale.
With that, Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to take Inuzuka Gaku and the others to the rear, then quickly returned to Iori's side.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Minato Namikaze asked with a smile.
"No need. Just watch me work," Uchiha Iori replied confidently. Now it was his turn to take the stage.
With Minato Namikaze gone, the Iwagakure Ninja gradually regained command and began gathering together.
Watching them converge, Iori took a deep breath. The chakra within him rapidly gathered, all of it concentrating at the tip of the Demonic Spear.
The Iwagakure Ninja saw what Iori was doing and stopped in their tracks.
"Squad One, use Multiple Earth-Style Walls and prepare to defend! Squad Two, use the Rock Cannon Technique to disrupt him!"
Anzan was furious, but he kept his head and issued his orders at once.
Though he didn't know exactly what Iori was planning, that immense chakra buildup was clearly not to be taken lightly.
"Too late. Die—Gáe Bolg: Soaring Spear of Striking Death!"
Iori leaped high into the air, dodging the flying rocks.
He concentrated all his chakra into the spear in his hand. The veins in his arms bulged as he hurled it with all his strength.
Like a crimson meteor streaking across the sky, the Demonic Spear plunged down.
Like divine punishment, it tore through the Multiple Earth-Style Walls with ease.
The semicircular enclosure only amplified the explosion. A blood-tainted blast swept across the entire battlefield.
When the smoke cleared, nothing remained but scattered limbs and wreckage. The violent explosion had left many with no bodies to bury.
Of the dozens of Iwagakure Ninja who had gathered earlier, only a few jonin survived.
The rest had died in the explosion.
Even the surviving jonin were gravely wounded and no longer able to fight.
Minato Namikaze seized the opportunity. After carrying the exhausted Uchiha Iori back to the rear,
he used the Flying Thunder God again to enter the battlefield and easily finished off the remaining jonin.
"I've seen your strength now. It's an honor to have been your teacher, and I'm proud you're a shinobi of Konoha."
Gekko Nobuhiko spoke to Iori, his eyes shining with relief and pride.
"That power is already on par with a Tailed Beast Bomb. One day, I might even be able to boast that I taught a man who shook the Ninja World."
"Haha, compared to a Tailed Beast that can unleash Tailed Beast Bombs endlessly, I still have a long way to go."
Uchiha Iori smiled modestly. He knew his limits. For now, he could only manage one or two strikes. His chakra reserves were still a major weakness.
He would have to use genetic technology to revert to his ancestors and gain the physique of the Senju Clan.
After the explosion, the Iwagakure Ninja were utterly routed. Having lost their command and nearly half their forces, their vanguard no longer posed a threat.
By the time their reinforcements arrived, Jiraiya and Konoha's own support forces should have reached them as well.
The first battle between Konoha and Iwagakure ended in a decisive Konoha victory.
When they returned to camp, the jonin and Uchiha Iori were welcomed like heroes.
Everyone had been prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice in the face of the Iwagakure assault, but thanks to their efforts, Konoha had suffered almost no casualties.
Though it was still wartime and celebrating wasn't appropriate, the camp no longer felt as heavy as before.
"Don't let your guard down yet. We've routed the Iwagakure vanguard, but we still don't know when their reinforcements will arrive."
"Wait until the support forces led by Sensei Jiraiya get here before celebrating."
Minato Namikaze began restoring order. He had barely been injured in the battle, and as the highest-ranking commander on site, he had to step in.
Akimichi Doto, Inuzuka Gaku, and Gekko Nobuhiko were all taken to the medical tent. Each had been seriously injured in the battle.
Worried about Gekko Nobuhiko, Iori went along.
"He'll be fine. His internal organs only took a hit."
"But the flesh in his abdomen was first torn away and then burned by Fire Release. He'll need to rest for a while," Rin Nohara said seriously.
Iori heard her and rubbed his nose sheepishly. He didn't know Medical Ninjutsu, after all, and using Fire Release had been the only way he could stop the bleeding quickly.
At that thought, Iori suddenly remembered something. He left the medical tent and returned to his quarters.
Hall of Heroes, activate.