The Great Battle (1)

On the other side, the Great War in the Land of Wind was on the verge of breaking out. After days of small-scale probing, both sides had identified the locations of each other's main camps.

The main camp of Konoha Village was established at the summit of Mount Kikyo, while various other Konoha camps and outposts were stationed along the mountainside and at its base.

Inside a tent at the summit, the jonin were discussing the situation of the upcoming battle.

"The Third Hokage has sent word from the village. He hopes we can resolve this battle as quickly as possible, as the Cloud Village of the Land of Lightning is already stirring."

After Nara Shikaku finished speaking, he turned to Yamanaka Inoichi and nodded.

"Inoichi, tell everyone the intelligence that has been passed down from the village."

"Intelligence indicates that the Cloud Village is purchasing a large quantity of ninja tools in the Land of Iron, and the Land of Lightning is transporting massive amounts of provisions into the Cloud Village. Training within the village has intensified. All these signs suggest that the Cloud Village is ready to enter the war at any moment."

Upon hearing the report from Yamanaka Inoichi, the gathered jonin could not help but frown.

Inside the tent, only one person sat in his seat, calm and relaxed, his thoughts already drifting toward the Battle of Kannabi Bridge. I wonder how things are going over there.

As far as Li Yu was concerned, if he were willing, he could settle this Third Shinobi World War very quickly. But hadn't he been lying low for so long just for Lord Madara and Black Zetsu? If he didn't play along with their grand performance, how could he ever find the exact location of Lord Madara?

Li Yu couldn't afford to sabotage the scheme Uchiha Madara had arranged for Obito, lest he draw the attention of Black Zetsu and Lord Madara. He had to make them believe their plan was proceeding smoothly so they would lower their guard.

How could Li Yu, who knew the original plot, not make good use of it? A hunter needed enough patience to wait for the prey to take the bait, then strike a fatal blow to get what he wanted.

Li Yu had been coveting the Uchiha body for a long time. At the thought of Uchiha Madara, a trace of drool uncontrollably began to leak from the corner of his mouth.

Akimichi Choza, sitting beside him, noticed Li Yu was slow to offer an opinion and seemed lost in thought. He nudged Li Yu with his elbow and whispered, "Nawaki, is listening to Shikaku and Inoichi talk that boring? It's even making me hungry."

Coming back to his senses, Li Yu immediately smacked his lips and followed Akimichi Choza's lead to defuse the awkward moment.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm hungry too."

"Let's go hunt some game later. It's been a while since I've had grilled meat."

Nara Shikaku noticed the two whispering to each other during the meeting and said, feeling a bit frustrated, "Choza, what is your take on the current situation?"

Seeing he had been called upon, Akimichi Choza put on a simple-minded expression, rubbed his belly, and replied, "I think this battle has dragged on a bit too long. We've lost quite a few ninja tools and provisions, so we need to keep up with logistical supplies and ensure they are well-protected."

Li Yu was inwardly surprised. Akimichi Choza looks simple-minded with that smile, and he clearly cares more about food, yet he can still hit the nail on the head when it's time to speak.

Just a moment ago, he was talking about food, yet his reaction was so sharp. Li Yu silently dubbed him a "Scheming Fatty" with a smile.

No, no, that assessment is a bit harsh. It should be 'a man of hidden depths'.

Hearing Akimichi Choza's response, the jonin nodded in unison, and Nara Shikaku turned his gaze toward Li Yu.

Seeing this, Li Yu knew it was his turn to speak and coughed a few times. Just then, the ground shook violently—a tremor that was impossible to ignore.

"What's happening?"

"Quick, go outside and see!"

The jonin rushed out of the tent and into the open.

Looking out, a massive wave of gold dust surged from the flank, rushing toward the base of Mount Kikyo like a tsunami.

The direction the gold dust was heading was perfectly chosen; it was aimed directly at the heart of the Konoha camp at the foot of the mountain.

"Oh no, enemy attack!"

"There are a large number of Sunagakure ninja moving on the other side!"

Sweat beaded on Nara Shikaku's forehead as he urged, "Go save them! Organize everyone to retreat and get out of the gold dust's range!"

Yamanaka Inoichi quickly formed hand seals, using his telepathy jutsu to notify the ninja below to evacuate the area.

The jonin rushed down the mountain one after another, leaving only the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and Li Yu behind.

Although Nara Shikaku was anxious to save his men, as the commander, he had to remain in place, preparing to direct the defense from a vantage point using Yamanaka Inoichi's telepathy.

The tsunami of gold dust plowed through the camps, burying people in a sea of golden sand. One could see people struggling and screaming within the shifting dunes.

"Help me!"

"I don't want to die!"

"Someone, save me!"

Large numbers of chunin and genin ran from the camps in a panic. In the distance, the gold dust was spreading rapidly, and at their speed, it was difficult to outrun it.

Li Yu saw the situation and had already calculated the speed of the gold dust; it was too late to run down the mountain on foot. The gold dust was surging directly toward the most densely packed area of the Konoha tents.

Seeing this, Nara Shikaku was like an ant on a hot pan. He turned to the calm and composed Li Yu and asked, "Nawaki, you're still here. What do you think?"

Hearing this "What do you think," Li Yu suddenly had a sense of déjà vu, as if he were being asked, "Yuanfang, what do you think?"

Li Yu's eyebrows twitched, and he turned to reply, "This matter is extremely perilous."

"In my opinion, it's just one word."

"Do it."

After saying this, Li Yu flickered and activated the Flying Thunder God to arrive beside Uzuki Yugao at the foot of the mountain.

Seeing that it was Li Yu, they calmed their nervous hearts and said in unison, "Teacher."

"Asuma, the great battle is about to begin. Take good care of the two girls; your teacher will go and block this gold dust."

Having said that, he turned and charged toward the golden wave of sand. Looking at the gold dust surging from several hundred meters away, which stood dozens of meters high, the effect was completely different from seeing it from the mountaintop; facing it head-on was far more oppressive, giving one the feeling that it was impossible to stop.

The three Konoha ninja running at the very back of the golden sea of sand were panting as they fled for their lives. One of the short-haired girls in the three-man squad, who had just graduated, tripped and fell while running at the rear.

The two teammates in front immediately took a few steps back to pull up the fallen girl.

"Qingqing, don't give up, run!"

"You guys run, don't worry about me!"

"We cannot leave you behind!"

Seeing this situation, Li Yu gripped a specially crafted kunai and tossed it out casually. Without pausing, his hands moved rapidly to form seals.

The kunai flew past the three of them and embedded itself diagonally into the ground. After a flash of light, Li Yu shouted loudly:

"Earth Release: Multiple Earth Style Wall!"

He knelt on one knee and slammed his hands onto the ground. Dozens of thick earth walls rose from the ground, arrayed in a formation that shot upward.

Where Li Yu stood, the golden glow reflected by the gold dust under the sun that had been covering his body was immediately replaced by shadows that blotted out the sky.

After the gold dust collided with the earth walls with several loud bangs and broke through a few of them, its momentum halted, followed by a "rustling" sound.

The three rookies who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy finally reacted, their mouths agape in an 'O' shape, their eyes shining with worship, completely devoid of the feeling of having just survived a disaster.

"So amazing!"

The ninja in the distance who were still running stopped one after another to watch.

"Who is that? Such a powerful Earth Release ninjutsu."

"Was that an Earth Release technique cast by a group of people?"

Li Yu pulled out his kunai, stood up with a flourish, and leaped a few times to the top of the earth wall, shouting loudly to the Konoha ninja below:

"Listen well, I am the Konoha Jonin Senju Nawaki! Leave this side to me; there is a large group of Sand ninja coming from the other side, prepare for battle!"

After saying this, he threw a kunai with all his might toward the location where the gold dust ninjutsu was being used and activated the Flying Thunder God to leave the scene in style.

"A member of the Senju Clan?"

"So cool!"

Nara Shikaku, watching the situation from the mountaintop, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the golden sea of sand had not breached the dense area of the Konoha camp.

"That was truly a close call; otherwise, the losses would have been heavy."

"He has gone alone to deal with the Fourth Kazekage. We must also step up our efforts on this side."