The Front Line Collapses!

On Blackstone Reef Island, where the Land of Lightning met the Land of Water, waves crashed against the rocks.

Two figures stood inside a sheltered cave. A map of the Land of Hot Water's military defenses lay spread across the table.

Dodai of Kumogakure rubbed his aching shoulder and pointed to a red mark in the center of the map.

"Orochimaru is holding the eastern high ground, and Minato Namikaze is patrolling the canyon."

"They think we're after the Land of Grass. They haven't made the Land of Hot Water a priority at all."

Across from Dodai, the bandage-wrapped Hidden Mist frontline commander gave a cold laugh.

"All seven of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen have come ashore."

"Biwa Juzo and Suikazan Fuguki are leading the force. They can cut around behind the Hidden Leaf tonight."

A, the young shinobi from Kumogakure, stood with his arms folded as lightning danced over his body.

"The A-B Combo will tear through Minato Namikaze's defenses head-on."

"The Hidden Leaf has exhausted itself on the Iwagakure front. Let's rip out its eastern defenses by the roots."

The two sides quickly settled on a time to attack.

Under cover of darkness, they quietly set a deadly encirclement in motion against the Hidden Leaf's eastern main force.

Several days later, at the Hokage Building in the Hidden Leaf.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his mahogany desk, holding an expense report from the South District.

A letter of protest from Danzo lay at the corner of the desk.

It was packed with accusations against Qian Ye and that hulking man from another world.

"Two thousand specially made Explosive Tags and twenty crates of precious medicinal supplies."

Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped the ash from his pipe.

"That Qian Ye's appetite just keeps growing."

"And he actually managed to squeeze that much