The night wind howls.
The army of ten thousand Iwagakure is advancing quietly in the night.
They wore dark night clothes and their footsteps were so light that they almost made no sound.
The main force of seven thousand was in the middle, and the elite three thousand were in front, forming a long dragon that stretched for several miles.
The ninja tools are all wrapped in cloth to prevent reflection, and even breathing is suppressed to a minimum.
Ōnoki is suspended in mid-air, his short body almost invisible in the night. But his chakra is like a beacon, guiding the team in the direction of progress.
Behind him are hundreds of Iwagakure's elites - those strong men carefully selected from among tens of thousands of people.
Some are experienced veteran Jonin, some are young geniuses with extraordinary talents, some are Anbu elites who are proficient in assassination, and some are combat experts who have mastered special Kekkei Genkai.
Further behind, there is a dense army, ten thousand people, covering the ground like a moving forest.
This is the family background of Iwagakure.
This is all Ōnoki is betting on.
"Keep moving forward." He said, "We must surround the camp before dawn."
The team of ten thousand people continued to advance quietly in the night.
However--
The moment Ōnoki finished speaking, a red figure appeared out of thin air twenty feet away in front of the army formation.
There are no signs.
There is no chakra fluctuation.
There is no trace of Body Flicker Technique.
He just showed up.
The red armor glowed with a dull luster under the moonlight, the black hair fluttered gently in the night wind, the eyes were as calm as water, and there was a faint smile hanging on the corner of the mouth.
Uchiha Shaoyu.
Ōnoki's pupils suddenly contracted.
"What--?!"
His heart sank suddenly, and his whole body froze in mid-air as if he had been struck by lightning.
How is that possible?!
He is obviously still twenty miles away!
He is obviously still in that camp!
Twenty of his men are still guarding there!
Why did it suddenly...
"Enemy attack--!"
The sharp siren instantly tore through the silence of the night.
The ten thousand Iwagakure army moved almost at the same time. This was an instinct engraved in the bones, a reaction honed in countless battles. There was no need to think, the body would automatically make the most correct response.
The ninjas in the front row quickly formed a defensive formation.
Their movements were uniform and coordinated, as if they had practiced it thousands of times.
The ninjas in the back row immediately distanced themselves. The long-range attacker quickly occupied the high ground, Shuriken was cocked, and Kunai was in hand, ready to pour out firepower at any time.
The sensing ninja closed his eyes and spread chakra, trying to lock in every subtle movement of the red figure.
As for the real elites, those hundreds of strong men carefully selected from tens of thousands of people, they instantly dispersed and surrounded them from all directions, forming an airtight encirclement.
Someone is good at Earth Release. At this moment, his hands are on the ground and he can launch a large-scale Earth Release technique at any time.
Someone is good at Taijutsu. At this moment, his legs are slightly bent and he can burst out at amazing speed at any time.
Someone is good at concealed weapons. The Kunai in his hand has been adjusted to the optimal angle and can pour out a deadly rainstorm at any time.
Ten thousand people.
A total of ten thousand people.
From shock to martial law, from chaos to order, it only took less than two minutes.
This is the elite of Iwagakure.
This is the army trained by Ōnoki himself.
This is a war machine that can scare any enemy.
However--
Shaoyu just stood there quietly, watching them complete all this.
He didn't stop it.
He didn't even make any moves.
There was no Hand Seals, no movement, no speaking. He just stood there, his hands hanging naturally, letting the ten thousand people surround him, and letting the Kunai and ninjutsu aim at him.
That attitude was like an adult watching a group of children playing house.
The moonlight shines on his red armor, coating it with a silvery luster.
His expression was as calm as water, and there was no wave in his eyes, as if the ten thousand people in front of him, these hundreds of elites, and the legendary Third Tsuchikage were just insignificant existences.
That kind of calmness is more disturbing than any arrogant attitude.
Ōnoki's heart sank to the bottom.
Why didn't he stop it?
He could obviously take advantage of the chaos to kill a wave of people. Ten thousand people had just recovered from the shock, and the formation was not yet completely stable. If he had taken action at that time, he would have killed at least dozens or hundreds of them.
With his strength, he can definitely do it.
But he didn't.
He chose to wait.
Wait until they are all ready.
Wait until all 10,000 people enter combat mode.
He still stood there, motionless.
Is this confidence?
Or arrogant?
Or...
Ōnoki dare not continue thinking about it.
But he knew that now was not the time to hesitate.
Now that the army is ready, we must seize this opportunity.
Ten thousand people versus one person.
The advantage is mine.
Hundreds of elites add one Tsuchikage to one Uchiha.
Ōnoki took a deep breath, suppressed the anxiety in his heart, and spoke slowly.
"Uchiha Shaoyu."
His voice was low and hoarse, carrying far away in the night wind.
Shaoyu looked at him, his smile unchanged.
"Lord Tsuchikage, good evening."
That tone and attitude were like saying hello to an acquaintance you met on the street.
Ōnoki's brows furrowed even more.
"How did you get here?" he asked, "Body Flicker Technique? No, there is no chakra fluctuation. Flying Thunder God? Isn't that the technique of Minato Namikaze?"
Shaoyu did not answer, but tilted his head slightly. Under the moonlight, his eyes looked particularly deep.
Is it the secret of the Uchiha Clan?
Or some new technology from Kumogakure?
He doesn't know.
But he knew that now was not the time to ask questions.
"Uchiha Shaoyu." He said coldly, with the majesty of Tsuchikage of more than seventy years in his voice, "Since you dare to die alone, then don't blame us for being rude."
He raised his hand and pointed at the red figure.
"With ten thousand people here, even if you are Uchiha Madara alive, you may not be their opponent. You can't escape even if you have wings!"
As soon as he finished speaking, ten thousand people shouted in unison.
The sound was earth-shattering, echoing in the night sky, as if it was going to drown the red figure.
What kind of momentum does ten thousand people scream?
That is enough momentum to make anyone's heart break with fear.
That is enough momentum to scare any strong person.
It was a momentum that was enough to make the mountains and rivers tremble and the wind and clouds change color.
However--
Shaoyu smiled.
The smile was very light, very light, with just the corners of the mouth slightly raised. But there was no fear or nervousness in that smile, just a... light joking.
"Ten thousand people." He repeated, his tone was like saying that the weather is good today, "Lord Tsuchikage really thinks highly of me."
His eyes swept across the ten thousand people in front of him.
From left to right, front to back, near to far.
His gaze was as calm as water, but it made everyone who saw him feel an inexplicable heart palpitation.
It was as if that was not a person's gaze, but some kind of higher-level existence, overlooking the ants at his feet.