Battlefield Clash

To Uchiha Aoba's surprise, although Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato had already made detailed plans for the battles ahead,

they took no action for nearly a week.

Even more surprising to Uchiha Aoba, not only did Konoha make no move, but Iwagakure remained completely still as well. The two sides simply continued to face off.

Uchiha Aoba couldn't help wondering if perhaps the fighting would never break out after all.

But when he saw everyone in camp actively preparing for battle, he decided he was probably overthinking it.

And so, a few more days passed.

One morning in July of Year 46.

After getting up and washing, Uchiha Aoba had just finished breakfast when a messenger ninja informed him that

Jiraiya had summoned the front-line forces. Everyone was to assemble, except for those in the Logistics Department.

Uchiha Aoba's eyes lit up. He gathered his gear and immediately headed for the assembly point.

Soon, more than two thousand three hundred shinobi had gathered in the center of camp. Then, led by Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato, they set off for the battlefield.

The Land of Grass.

A pitiful, insignificant little country wedged between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth.

In peacetime, it struggled to survive in the narrow space between the great nations.

In wartime, the entire country became a battlefield.

As the main forces of both sides gradually converged here, a fierce and bloody battle was about to begin.

On Iwagakure's side.

Ōnoki of Both Scales floated in midair, surveying Konoha's front-line forces with a cold gaze.

His attention was mainly focused on Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato, who led the formation.

Of course, Konoha's side was doing the same.

Uchiha Aoba stood not far behind the two men. After glancing at Ōnoki, he furrowed his brow.

Uchiha Aoba wasn't afraid of his opponent. After all, his own strength was nothing to scoff at.

He simply found Ōnoki's abilities extremely troublesome.

Dust Release, a Kekkei Tōta, was undoubtedly a deadly weapon on the battlefield.

Anyone it hit was dead.

But Jiraiya or Namikaze Minato would naturally deal with the old man. The two of them had plenty of ways to stop Ōnoki from using Dust Release against Konoha's main forces, so there was no need to worry about that.

The two sides faced off on the battlefield for several minutes.

There was no exchange of threats as one might have expected. As the killing intent grew more and more intense,

almost at the same time,

Ōnoki and Jiraiya each moved to the front of their respective forces and slowly uttered a single word.

"Kill!"

"Aaaah!!!"

At the cry of "Kill," a thunderous roar suddenly exploded across the battlefield.

Everyone seemed to be shouting to psych themselves up.

Oh, that wasn't quite right.

Uchiha Aoba was the exception. He didn't shout to steel his nerves; he didn't even blink. He simply gave a final reminder to Uchiha Obito and Kakashi, who stood beside him, to watch out for themselves.

As for Nohara Rin,

she was a member of the Logistics Medical Department and hadn't come to the front lines.

Then, under the astonished gazes of Uchiha Obito and Kakashi, Uchiha Aoba suddenly leaped over the crowd and charged to the very front of the formation, hurtling straight into the enemy ranks like a human missile.

"Aoba's lost his mind!"

Uchiha Obito cried out in shock. "That's way too reckless!"

"Shut up!"

Kakashi scolded him irritably.

"Aoba must be absolutely confident in his strength to do that. If you've got time to worry about him, worry about your own safety instead. And watch my back!"

"Got it!"

Uchiha Obito quickly composed himself. For once, he didn't argue back, and as the battle went on, he and Kakashi worked together with surprising ease.

Elsewhere.

Seeing a boy of twelve or thirteen boldly charge into their ranks,

the Iwagakure shinobi around him wore cruel expressions.

They were facing an enemy. They wouldn't go easy on him just because he was young.

If anything, they would strike harder, eager to claim the easy credit for a kill that everyone thought had practically been handed to them.

They imagined they would score the first victory and earn Lord Tsuchikage's praise after the battle.

It was, admittedly, a very appealing prospect.

Reality, however, was harsh.

Only after Uchiha Aoba launched his attack did the Iwagakure shinobi realize that the boy before them was no helpless lamb waiting for slaughter, but a man-eating beast.

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly in his eyes, bringing his dynamic vision to its absolute peak.

After dodging an Iwagakure shinobi's sneak attack by leaning aside, Uchiha Aoba simply slashed back and cut the man's throat. As he felt the blood gush out, he turned his gaze toward his next prey.

In the area where Uchiha Aoba was fighting,

it looked as though a dozen or so Iwagakure shinobi had surrounded him. In reality, he was the one who had surrounded them.

Darting left and right, blocking and counterattacking,

and launching attacks of his own, Uchiha Aoba had already reached Kage Level. With the boost from his fused panels, he was beginning to show the makings of a battlefield rose.

Except for a few elite jonin, no one could last a single round against him.

Before long, the ground around Uchiha Aoba was strewn with Iwagakure corpses, their blood staining the earth red.

As for him, only the hem of his clothes was a little dirty.

Watching the Iwagakure shinobi who now hesitated to approach, Uchiha Aoba casually brushed the dust off himself.

The damage was minor, but the humiliation was immense.

The next moment,

just as the Iwagakure shinobi, burning with rage, prepared to attack again and risk their lives against the hateful brat,

Uchiha Aoba formed the Sign of the Horse.

"Fire Release!"

"Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

Fueled by Uchiha Aoba's chakra, a mighty storm of fire swept across the Iwagakure forces, instantly turning the surrounding area into a sea of flames.

The flames spread for dozens of meters.

The sheer scale of the attack drew the attention of the entire battlefield.

"Don't just stand there! Defend yourselves!"

Several Iwagakure shinobi nearest to Uchiha Aoba were already caught in the flames, screaming in agony.

An elite Iwagakure jonin finally came to his senses.

However, because of the Land of Earth's geography, only a handful of shinobi throughout the entire country could use Water Release.

Using an elemental advantage to suppress Uchiha Aoba's Majestic Destroyer Flame was simply impossible.

With no other choice, and to prevent even greater casualties,

Iwagakure had to use Earth Release to defend themselves.

That seemed to block the attack, but in reality, it did nothing to turn the situation in their favor.

By the time the force of Majestic Destroyer Flame had faded,

more than ten Iwagakure shinobi had perished in the sea of fire, including an elite jonin.

That undoubtedly made Uchiha Aoba a prime target.

Without even waiting for Ōnoki to give an order, dozens of Iwagakure shinobi—mostly jonin, with chunin supporting them—gathered together of their own accord and rapidly closed in around Uchiha Aoba, determined to kill him.