Kirigakure's east coast has never been so quiet.
There is a thick layer of dark clouds on the horizon in the distance, grey-blue, piling up from the sea to the sky.
Mitokado Homura stood on the high ground of the coastal defense line, looking at the dark clouds.
Behind him were Konoha Ninja, who were in their early 2,000s, standing in a loose formation along the coastline.
Two thousand people sounds like a lot, but scattered along this long coastline, they are like a handful of sesame seeds scattered in the desert.
Among the two thousand people, nearly 900 were children who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy.
They stood at the back of the team, wearing brand new uniforms that were several sizes too big. Forehead Protector was so shiny that it reflected light.
Some people can't even hold the Kunai firmly, their knuckles turn white due to tension, and sweat seeps from their palms, making the handle of the knife slippery.
But there was an expression on their faces that Mitokado Homura couldn't bear to see.
Glory.
"Mirror... what we have done over the years is right or wrong..."
Mitokado Homura withdrew his gaze and looked at the sea in the distance.
Kirigakure's army is under that dark cloud.
Three thousand people, led by Karatachi Yagura, a disciple of Third Mizukage.
Seven Ninja Swordsmen Due to some reasons, he has not arrived on the battlefield yet.
The young man looked like a child, with a round face, a short stature, and two dimples when he smiled, but Mitokado Homura knew that there was an extremely sharp knife hidden under that face.
Karatachi Yagura's Water Release Ninjutsu is unrivaled among the younger generation of Kirigakure. Taijutsu is also quite solid and is already an opponent that no one can underestimate.
(At this time, he has not become Three-Tails Jinchūriki.)
Mitokado Homura silently calculated the comparison of the combat power of the two sides in his mind.
His strength is higher than Karatachi Yagura, and he is confident in this.
He has lived for most of his life, fought against countless people, and seen countless ways to die. He still doesn't look down on a young man who has not yet reached his peak.
But the problem is that behind Karatachi Yagura, there are three thousand Kirigakure Ninja, and behind him, there are only two thousand Konoha Ninja, nine hundred of which are children.
How long can those children last? Ten minutes? Twenty minutes? Or will they break up after just one face-to-face meeting?
Mitokado Homura doesn't know. He only knows that this battle is not easy to fight.
"Lord Yan." A voice came from behind, hoarse and steady.
Mitokado Homura turned around.
Uchiha Fugaku stood a few steps behind him, wearing a dark blue combat uniform.
Behind him stood the remaining hundreds of people from the Uchiha Clan.
Mitokado Homura Looking at those people, an indescribable emotion surged in his heart.
Uchiha Clan, Konoha was once the strongest, largest, and most feared ninja clan, but now there are only about a hundred people left.
The old ones, the young ones, and the ones in between can only fight dozens of them.
There are five jounin, fifteen Chunin, thirty Genin, and the rest are reserves who can't even be counted as Genin.
There are even some kids.
Those children stood at the back of the line, standing with the Konoha Ninja Academy graduates.
They were wearing Uchiha ethnic uniforms, with the Gunbai coat of arms printed on the back, but the clothes were obviously one size too big, the cuffs were rolled up several times, and the belts were still loose after being tied twice.
There were no smiles or fear on their faces, just a very faint silence that did not belong to their age.
Mitokado Homura looked at Fugaku, opened his mouth, and wanted to say something. Thank you? Thank you for your hard work? Konoha will not forget Uchiha?
"Mirror... I'm sorry..."
"Fugaku." Mitokado Homura finally spoke, his voice hoarse, "I'm leaving it to you."
Uchiha Fugaku is very excited.
"Don't worry, leave it to me, Lord Yan."
On the distant sea, the dark clouds were getting closer and closer.
Karatachi Yagura stood on the bow of the flagship of the landing fleet, looking at the thin coastline in the distance, with an expression on his face that was focused, calm, and free of unnecessary emotions.
Behind him stood several Kirigakure Jonin, one of whom was holding a piece of information and reading it to him in a low voice.
The landing battle began at noon.
When Kirigakure's fleet approached the coast, Konoha's long-range ninjutsu opened fire first.
Fire escape, Wind Release, Lightning Release, lights of various colors flew up from the coastline, drew arcs, landed in the middle of the fleet, and exploded into colorful fireworks.
Several ships were hit, sawdust flew, Kakko shot into the sky, and the screams of Kirigakure Ninja came from the sea. Some of them were blown away by the sea breeze, but those sounds still got into the ears of every Konoha Ninja.
But Kirigakure had too many ships. Several were sunk, and there were dozens more.
Dozens of ships were sunk, and hundreds more were sunk.
The ships swarmed up like locusts, so densely packed that they covered most of the sea.
Kirigakure Ninja on the ship jumped into the water, sneaked under the water, detoured from the side, and attacked from the front.
When the first wave of Kirigakure Ninja landed on the beach, Konoha's defense line began to move.
Mitokado Homura did not wait until all Kirigakure landed before fighting. He knew that he had few people and could not fight a war of attrition.
He must fight back, disperse, and scare Kirigakure before they can gain a foothold.
He personally led the remnants of the Anbu down the high ground, rushed onto the beach, and rushed into the middle of the Kirigakure Ninja who had just landed and had not yet stood firm.
His knife was very fast. As soon as a Kirigakure jounin raised his Kunai, his throat had already been cut open.
As soon as three Kirigakure Chunin rushed forward at the same time, before they had time to take action, they were already beheaded by the sword.
Kirigakure Ninja, who was approaching, saw his old face and the bloody knife, and instinctively took a step back.
What a strong old man.
But there are too many people in Kirigakure. Kill one, and two more will come.
Two were killed, and four more came.
They came up like a tide, wave after wave, killing and cutting them all.
Mitokado Homura's knife is getting slower and slower because he is old, because his hands are numb and his arms are sore. Every knife must use all his strength to cut open the enemy's bones.
Then Karatachi Yagura arrived.
He rushed out of the water, like a fish jumping out of the water, his body flipped around in mid-air, and the short stick in his hand was pointed directly at Mitokado Homura's face.
That short stick is a special weapon made by Kirigakure. It is heavier than iron and harder than steel. If it hits a person, the bones will be broken on the spot.
Mitokado Homura's knife came forward, and the stick and knife collided with each other, making a dull loud noise and sparks flying everywhere.
The two of them took a step back at the same time.
Karatachi Yagura stood firm and looked at Mitokado Homura with a smile on his face.
There was a youthful energy in that smile, and it also seemed a bit provocative.
"Senior Mitokado Homura." He said, "I have admired you for a long time."
Mitokado Homura said nothing. He just clenched the knife and stared at the opponent who was decades younger than himself.
His jaw was numb, and his entire right arm was trembling slightly. This kid was stronger than he expected.
If he was young, he could easily kill the kid in front of him.