Battlefield Clash

Contrary to Uchiha Aoba's expectations, although Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato had already formulated specific plans for the upcoming hostilities, they did not take any action over the following week.

What surprised Uchiha Aoba even more was that while Konoha remained idle, Iwagakure also showed no signs of movement, leaving both sides in a stalemate.

Uchiha Aoba couldn't help but wonder if the war might not happen after all.

However, seeing the atmosphere in the camp where everyone was actively preparing for battle, he felt he was just overthinking things.

Just like that, a few more days passed.

One morning in July, Konoha Year 46.

After Uchiha Aoba woke up, washed, and finished his breakfast, he received a notification from a messenger ninja.

Jiraiya had summoned everyone on the front lines, excluding the Logistics Department, to assemble.

Uchiha Aoba's eyes lit up; after packing his gear, he immediately rushed to the assembly point.

Soon, over two thousand three hundred ninjas gathered in the center of the camp, and under the joint leadership of Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato, they marched toward the battlefield.

The Land of Grass.

A pitiful and humble little country sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth.

In times of peace, it struggled to survive in the cracks between the great powers.

In times of war, the entire country would be reduced to a battlefield.

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

On the Iwagakure side.

Ōnoki of Both Scales floated in mid-air, surveying Konoha's front-line formation with a cold gaze.

His focus was primarily on the leaders, Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato.

Naturally, the same was true for the Konoha side.

Uchiha Aoba stood not far behind the two leaders, his brows furrowing slightly after glancing at Ōnoki of Both Scales.

It wasn't that Uchiha Aoba feared his opponent; after all, his current strength was not weak.

He simply found Ōnoki of Both Scales' abilities to be incredibly troublesome.

Dust Release, a Kekkei Tōta, was absolutely a lethal weapon on the battlefield.

Whoever touched it died.

However, this old man would naturally be dealt with by Namikaze Minato or Jiraiya. Those two had plenty of ways to prevent Ōnoki of Both Scales from using Dust Release against Konoha's main force, so there was no need to worry about that.

After the two sides stood in a standoff on the battlefield for several minutes.

There was no stage of exchanging threats as one might imagine; instead, the killing intent grew increasingly intense.

Almost simultaneously.

Ōnoki of Both Scales and Jiraiya each moved to the very front of their respective formations and slowly spat out a single word.

"Kill!"

"Ahhhh!!!"

Accompanied by the command to kill, a massive roar suddenly exploded across the battlefield.

Everyone seemed to be using this shouting method to bolster their own morale.

Oh, that's wrong.

That did not include Uchiha Aoba. Far from shouting to boost his spirits, he didn't even blink, merely giving a final reminder to Uchiha Obito and Kakashi, who stood by his side, to be careful and protect themselves.

As for Nohara Rin.

As a member of the Logistics Medical Department, she had not come to the front lines.

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

"Aoba has lost his mind!"

Uchiha Obito shouted in horror, "This is way too reckless!"

"Shut up!"

Kakashi scolded him irritably.

"Aoba doing this must mean he has absolute confidence in his own strength. Instead of wasting time worrying about him, you'd better worry about your own safety, and keep an eye out to cover me!"

"Got it!"

Uchiha Obito quickly composed himself, uncharacteristically refraining from retorting, and began to coordinate with Kakashi with great tacit understanding on the ensuing battlefield.

On the other side.

Seeing a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy dare to charge so boldly into their ranks, the surrounding Iwagakure ninjas wore cruel expressions on their faces.

As enemies, they would not show mercy just because the opponent was young.

Instead, they only sought to kill, eager to seize what everyone saw as a war merit delivered right to their doorstep.

They fantasized about securing the first victory and receiving commendations from the Tsuchikage after the battle.

It must be said, this was a very fine idea.

However, reality was cruel.

As Uchiha Aoba launched his attack, the Iwagakure realized that the youth before them was no lamb for the slaughter, but a man-eating beast.

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly within his pupils, pushing his dynamic vision to its absolute limit.

After side-stepping a sneak attack from an Iwagakure ninja, Uchiha Aoba delivered a simple backhanded slash, severing the man's throat. Feeling the spray of blood, he immediately turned his gaze toward his next prey.

At this moment, in the sector of the battlefield where he stood.

It appeared as though a dozen Iwagakure ninjas had him surrounded, but in reality, he was the one surrounding them.

Dashing left and right, parrying and counterattacking.

Combined with his proactive assaults, Uchiha Aoba, whose strength had fully reached the Kage level, displayed the grace of a battlefield rose under the enhancement of his system panel.

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

Soon, the area around Uchiha Aoba was littered with the corpses of Iwagakure ninjas, their blood staining the ground red.

Yet, he himself remained barely dusted.

Watching the group of Iwagakure ninjas who dared not advance, Uchiha Aoba casually brushed the dust off his clothes.

The damage was minimal, but the insult was immense.

The next second.

Just as the Iwagakure, consumed by rage, prepared to launch another attack and risk their lives against this detestable brat.

The 'Horse' hand seal formed in Uchiha Aoba's hands.

"Fire Style!"

"Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

A powerful storm of fire, bolstered by Uchiha Aoba's chakra, swept over the Iwagakure like a tidal wave, instantly turning the surroundings into a sea of flames.

The range was so vast it spread for dozens of meters.

The scale was so immense it drew the attention of the entire battlefield.

"Don't just stand there, defend!"

By the time the few Iwagakure ninjas closest to Uchiha Aoba were engulfed by the flames, letting out shrill screams.

An elite Jonin of Iwagakure finally snapped out of his shock.

However, due to the geographical location, the number of ninjas in the Land of Earth capable of using Water Style could be counted on one hand.

Therefore, suppressing Uchiha Aoba's Majestic Destroyer Flame through elemental advantage was simply impossible.

Helpless, in order to avoid further casualties.

The Iwagakure could only resort to Earth Style for defense.

In doing so, while it appeared they had blocked the attack, it had no actual beneficial effect.

When the might of the Majestic Destroyer Flame finally dissipated.

Counting them up, over a dozen Iwagakure ninjas had been buried in the sea of fire, including even one Jonin.

This undoubtedly made Uchiha Aoba a primary target.

Without even needing an order from Ōnoki, dozens of Iwagakure squads, composed mainly of Jonin and supplemented by Chunin, spontaneously gathered together and rapidly surrounded Uchiha Aoba, determined to cut him down.