On the day of the decisive battle, the sun had yet to rise above the desert horizon. The desolate desert lay in darkness, and even the sand seemed to be coated in a layer of bluish gray.
The reconnaissance unit, including Riyue, had set out early. Their job was to survey the battlefield before the battle, monitor the enemy's movements, and watch for possible ambushes. The 420 scouts spread out to inspect the entire battlefield.
Riyue, Mizuki, and Shibi formed a three-person team and surveyed the terrain behind a small dune.
Mizuki lowered her Byakugan and shook her head. "No sign of an ambush."
A moment later, Shibi held out his index finger. A tiny Kikaichū folded its wings and landed on it, relaying information to him. Shibi looked up. "We've finished surveying this area. Nothing suspicious. The battlefield is wide and flat, with few places for people to hide."
"Konoha really is better. This place is nothing but sand, without a trace of life. The climate is dry, and the temperature is high," Mizuki complained about the weather.
"Once we win this battle, the outcome should be all but decided," Riyue said reassuringly. The three continued on toward another dune.
The battlefield's secrets gradually became clear to the reconnaissance unit. They would regroup only when the battle began.
It was soon noon.
The sun blazed overhead, and the desert was unbearably hot. The uneven air density made the horizon shimmer and blur beneath the scorching sunlight. In some places, the view even looked like a reflection on water. The endless expanse of yellow sand was eerily empty and quiet. Even the breeze had stopped, and the oppressive atmosphere felt suffocating.
A few vultures circled in the sky nearby. Whether they had caught the scent of blood or sensed that a great battle was about to unfold, they had all come to feast.
Suddenly, human silhouettes like tiny black dots appeared on both sides of the desert. More and more appeared, then dense ranks of soldiers surged forward, raising clouds of yellow dust behind them. The Hidden Sand and Konoha armies ran toward the battlefield, both advancing toward the center of the desert.
Tsunade and Sakumo Hatake ran at the head of the formation, followed by many guards and elite troops. Behind them came Konoha's main force of 11,000, with another 1,000 soldiers following at the rear as a reserve force.
Chiyo, Ebizo, and Kalo led the 8,000 Hidden Sand troops from the other side. The two armies slowed to a stop once they had covered enough distance.
The armies faced off as the wind picked up, sand began to swirl, and tension rose.
Tsunade saw the fighting spirit in the Hidden Sand shinobi's eyes. They looked like a suppressed volcano on the verge of erupting. A sense of foreboding rose in her heart, and she frowned.
"Monster Strength Woman! Today I'll avenge Dosa!" Chiyo snarled as soon as she spotted Tsunade. Enemies who met face-to-face were consumed by hatred, and when women met, they were ready to kill each other.
"Hmph! Bring it on, old woman!" Tsunade refused to back down. Smiling confidently, she beckoned Chiyo with a finger.
"Monster Strength Woman! Who are you calling an old woman?" Chiyo glared at Tsunade with wide, pale eyes and waved her fists.
"Whoever calls me Monster Strength Woman!" Tsunade roared at Chiyo, a vein bulging on her forehead.
"Slug Woman! Monster Strength Woman! Monster Strength Slug!" "Old. Wo. Man!" The two began hurling insults at each other from a distance.
"Hmph!" "Tch!" Both women flushed red and turned away, ending their verbal battle.
The armies prepared to clash. The decisive battle was about to begin!
Meanwhile, in the reconnaissance unit, Shikaku studied a map, with Riyue and the others beside him. A shinobi arrived with a report.
"A small Hidden Sand unit is circling east. From the looks of it, they're trying to get around behind our forces! About 1,000 troops. We haven't spotted anything else unusual." The shinobi reported his findings.
"Are they planning to flank us from behind once the battle begins? Or attack our base? Or are they trying to cut off our retreat?" Shikaku wondered.
"One thousand troops aren't enough to surround us. A raid on our base would be too obvious, and the base is heavily guarded. They couldn't break in with just 1,000 men. That leaves blocking our retreat and pursuing us if our main force withdraws or is routed!" Shikaku said after thinking it over.
Riyue pondered. But does the Hidden Sand know for certain that we'll retreat or be routed? Could it be... they're confident they'll win? But what makes them so confident? They don't have any particular advantage...
Shikaku was puzzled, too. "Let's inform Lady Tsunade first."
When Tsunade heard the news, she immediately sent 500 troops to intercept the enemy.
A gust of wind swept across the battlefield, lifting the yellow sand. (BGM: Lightning Speed, Yasuharu Takanashi)
A sharp glint flashed in Tsunade's eyes. She raised her hand. "Attack!!" The commander of Konoha's ninjutsu unit immediately raised his right hand and issued the order. "Ninjutsu unit, advance! Prepare to use ninjutsu!" Nearly a thousand Konoha shinobi leapt out of the formation, took up positions in several rows at the front, and rapidly formed Hand Seals!
"The ninjutsu unit is deploying!" Chiyo of the Hidden Sand lost no time in issuing the order to attack. Hundreds of Hidden Sand shinobi leapt out as well.
"[Fire Style: Flame Bullet]!" Hundreds of Fire Style users exhaled Flame Bullets at once. Hundreds of fireballs shot toward the Hidden Sand shinobi across from them.
At the same time, the shinobi beside them formed Hand Seals. "[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough]!" They blasted out a fierce gale. Hundreds of powerful gusts propelled the dense barrage of fireballs toward the enemy. Fanned by the wind, the flames linked together, forming a massive wall of fire that devoured everything in its path!
"Everyone, together! [Water Style: Water Formation Wall]!" Twice as many Water Style users leapt out from the Hidden Sand side. Each one spewed a stream of water, and working together despite the lack of nearby water, they merged their streams to raise a churning wall of water in front of their troops.
"Crash! Hiss~~~" The flames collided with the surging water. The wall held back the raging inferno, and steam billowed into the air, spreading across the battlefield until a thick fog formed between the armies.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!" Several fireballs flew out of the fog and exploded among the Hidden Sand troops. At the same time, several blades of wind sliced through the mist. "Whoosh! Whoosh!" They cut through several Konoha shinobi, instantly decapitating them. "Boom! Boom!" Several Kunai fitted with Explosive Tags detonated among the crowd. Ninjutsu and concealed weapons kept flying out of the fog.
"Kill! Charge in!" Konoha's shinobi were the first to rush into the fog, intent on engaging the Hidden Sand in close combat.
"Go! Take them out!" The Hidden Sand shinobi had been itching for a fight, too, and charged forward at once.
"Clang! Clink! Clang! Clang! Thud! Thump!" The sound of weapons clashing rang out in the fog, mixed with shouts and cries. Sparks occasionally flashed where weapons struck. The desert heat quickly evaporated the mist, revealing the vanguard locked in fierce combat.
"Everyone, attack!" "Give them everything you've got!" Tsunade and Chiyo both waved their hands, sending their main forces surging forward. The armies collided, and the battle immediately became a back-and-forth clash of blades.
"Die!" A Hidden Sand shinobi plunged his Kunai into an enemy's chest, grinning savagely. But in the next instant, his grin vanished as another Konoha shinobi's blade swept across his back, splitting his vest in two and leaving a long gash. The Hidden Sand shinobi fell to the ground, unwilling to accept his defeat.
"Urgh... kill..." A Hidden Sand shinobi had his throat slit by a Kunai, but still tried to shout for his comrades to attack. Blood welled up and choked off his voice. He clutched his throat, and the harder he tried to shout, the more blood poured out. Before long, he died.
"Ah!" A Konoha shinobi drove a sickle into a Hidden Sand shinobi's stomach, thinking he had finished him off. But his enemy countered with a slash that severed his arm, and he fell as blood gushed from the wound.
"Thump!" A burly Konoha Chunin punched an enemy flying and was about to follow up when he heard something whistling past beside him. He turned his head. "Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Several Kunai flew straight at him, turning him into a pincushion.
"One down!" the Hidden Sand shinobi laughed as he stowed the scroll he had used to release the Kunai. But when he turned around, a fist slammed him into the ground. The Konoha Chunin appeared again and sneered. "That was a substitution, idiot!" He turned and charged at another enemy...
The two sides quickly became entangled, each fighting amid the other as the melee grew more and more intense. Groups of shinobi on both sides worked together, covering and supporting one another in a fierce, deadlocked battle. The faint smell of blood gradually spread across the battlefield.
Outnumbered, the Hidden Sand troops were at a disadvantage from the start. Yet Chiyo and the others remained composed as they directed the battle from the center, seemingly unconcerned by the situation.
Since Chiyo and the others hadn't moved, Konoha's commander, Tsunade, stayed in place as well. She stood at the center, keeping a close eye on Chiyo. It was still too early for the commanders to enter the fight.
But the White Fang of the Leaf, Sakumo Hatake, paid no heed to that. He led Konoha's elite straight into the thickest part of the enemy ranks. At the head of his men, White Fang sprinted forward and reached for the short white blade on his back.
"Kill!" Two Hidden Sand shinobi charged, Kunai in hand, one in front of him and the other behind. Sakumo dipped slightly as he ran, changed his footing, and suddenly accelerated. The next moment, he "swam" through the gap between them like a fish.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!" Two flashes of cold light swept past in beautiful arcs, and the two Hidden Sand shinobi abruptly froze. Sakumo had already sheathed his White Fang Blade. It was as if he had never drawn it at all. He continued running, while the Konoha elites close behind him leapt past the two without a glance.
A moment later, thin lines of blood appeared across the two motionless men's vital points. After a few seconds, blood spurted from their wounds, and they collapsed, dead. Sakumo was already a hundred meters away. His blade flashed coldly once more, taking down several more unlucky enemies.
Sakumo Hatake used the Body Flicker Technique, appearing in an instant among more than ten enemies. He spun sharply, using his momentum, and the gleaming White Fang Blade in his hand traced a beautiful arc. The enemies around him froze in place, then fell one after another.
The enemy farthest from him instinctively jumped back and escaped with severe injuries. He clutched his chest wound and tried to flee, but an elite shinobi following behind Sakumo caught up and finished him off with a slash. The Konoha elites continued to follow White Fang without pause, charging through the Hidden Sand ranks and scattering their formation.
Sakumo Hatake's arrival immediately tipped the entire battle in Konoha's favor. He led Konoha's elite troops through the enemy ranks as if they were unguarded, relentlessly reaping lives.
The Hidden Sand shinobi were terrified. White Fang was too fast. Those who tried to attack him were no weaklings; they threw everything they had into ambushing, surrounding, and flanking him, only to be defeated by White Fang's fiercer, faster, and more skillful techniques!
Those who tried to flee couldn't get more than ten meters from him. Often, a Hidden Sand shinobi would take only two steps before a flash of cold light appeared behind him, and then his head was severed. The area around White Fang was like the domain of death. Within ten meters of the flashing White Fang Blade, not a single Hidden Sand shinobi remained alive.
Gradually, the Hidden Sand troops could no longer hold out, and signs of a rout began to emerge.
"It seems we won't be able to hold out much longer..." Chiyo watched the unfavorable battle.
Ebizo looked into the distance, then nodded to Kalo. "Our reinforcements should be here soon. Go make preparations. The Hidden Sand will prevail!"
Kalo immediately turned and left, taking more than a hundred Hidden Sand Wind Release users with him.
Just then, the wind began to rise in the depths of the desert. It picked up the dry sand, creating a haze of dust that spread over the desert floor and continued to grow. The wind grew stronger and stronger, eventually becoming a gale!
Riyue, in the reconnaissance unit, noticed the dust haze and the change in the wind. A sense of unease came over him, and he activated his Byakugan to look into the distance.
"This is... Oh no! A sandstorm!!"
Before you continue