The battlefield in the Land of Rain.
The allied forces of the Hidden Sand Village and Iwagakure had barely launched their surprise attack on the Land of Fire's border when Konoha met them with a crushing blow.
Konoha's economy was thriving. Before it had even spent the twelve billion the Land of Fire's daimyo provided each year, the village had revitalized its own finances through commerce and trade.
Now Konoha's treasury was full, its wealth piled high. Uchiha Yan had long anticipated that war would eventually break out, so the Ministry of Works produced enormous quantities of explosive tags every month. Now those explosive tags were proving their worth.
The ninja from Sunagakure and Iwagakure had only just caught sight of the Land of Fire's border when the vast array of explosive tags beneath their feet went off. Just as on the Land of Iron battlefield, Konoha had laid dense traps in advance, and the explosions blended into one continuous roar.
"Wind Release: Sandstorm!" Kazekage Reto unleashed his ninjutsu immediately. Vast clouds of sand and wind, mixed with broken stones, swept toward Konoha's positions, attempting to cover the advance of the troops behind him.
"Earth Release: Earth Moving Core!" Tsuchikage Ishikawa joined the battle as well, organizing a large group of Iwagakure jonin to unleash Earth Release ninjutsu together.
The ground beneath Konoha's positions instantly heaved upward and collapsed, but the Konoha ninja had been prepared. Before the collapse began, they had already withdrawn to their second defensive line.
"Secret Technique: Explosive Tornado!" Black smoke billowed from Aburame Shikuroo's body, forming a spinning tornado in midair before sweeping toward the allied Sand and Stone forces. The instant the black smoke touched a ninja, their entire body blackened. They screamed and writhed before collapsing.
That black smoke was actually the micron