The Third Raikage and an Army of Ten Thousand

At the border between the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Frost.

These small countries lay along the land route connecting the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning.

Rumble—!

Within the vast canyon, Iwagakure's combined ninjutsu, the Myriad-Mile Earth Flow Wall, threw the Cloud Ninja on the battlefield into utter disarray.

Combined with the tactics of other ninjutsu, it drove Kumogakure back again and again.

The canyon's terrain began to change.

Gradually, it underwent a massive transformation, much like the Valley of the End in the Land of Fire.

Boom!

A thunderous flash streaked across the sky, blasting a huge gap through the Myriad-Mile Earth Flow Wall.

A powerfully built old man with a lightning-shaped scar across his chest stood there, lightning roaring around the three fingers of his hand as chakra currents crackled over his body.

Whoosh, whoosh—!

At his side, a bolt of Black Lightning flashed, transforming into a leopard-shaped current that shattered the sneak attack of Earth Release ninjutsu.

"Lord Raikage, we fell for that old man Ōnoki's trap. We need to retreat!"

Darui's youthful face was filled with resolve.

The Third Raikage scanned the surroundings and discovered that, due to Ōnoki's assault and the forces prepared specifically for this battle, they had already suffered devastating casualties.

Against such an overwhelming disparity in numbers, Kumogakure had no chance of victory. They might even be wiped out entirely.

He grabbed Darui's body and, amid Darui's alarmed gaze, hurled him backward. At the same time, he used black Lightning Release to crush the attacks around them.

"Tell the troops to retreat. I'll cover the rear."

As Darui flew backward, he heard the Third Raikage's words and his eyes nearly split with rage. "Lord Raikage..."

He heard the Raikage's determination.

As the guard personally trained by the Third Raikage, immense guilt rose in his heart.

He had failed to protect Lord Raikage.

But he was no fool. In fact, unlike most of the hotheaded men in the village, he knew that the gap between Kumogakure and Iwagakure was simply too great. Retreat was their only option.

Only Lord Raikage had the ability to buy the troops time to withdraw.

"Damn it, where exactly did the intelligence go wrong?"

His face twisted with hatred as he swore to uncover the spy.

Darui then relayed the Third Raikage's order and commanded the entire army to withdraw.

Every Cloud Ninja followed behind the retreating force in a sorry state, defending against the ninja attacks coming from the rear.

Meanwhile, a lightning-like figure rapidly appeared, unleashing his strength with utter abandon as though chakra cost nothing.

Stone Ninja were continually torn to pieces by his attacks.

Blood and severed limbs rained down.

However, as the side that had devised this ambush, Iwagakure naturally had plans specifically for the Third Raikage. Earth Flow Walls continuously rose to block his path.

A great deal of manpower was focused on the Third Raikage, but that also gave the Kumogakure troops behind him a chance to escape.

Whoosh, whoosh—!

"Let this old man see the measure of his own strength, and while I'm at it, see whether the people of Iwagakure can do anything to me."

The more the Third Raikage fought, the more exhilarated he became, unleashing the full extent of his lifelong skill.

But Iwagakure was the strongest village when it came to coordinated warfare, and its legion-scale ninjutsu was no joke. An army of over ten thousand emerged in squads, joining forces to unleash their abilities.

The Demolition Corps, the Trap Corps, the Combined Ninjutsu Corps...

Different units possessed different abilities. Though they could not break the Third Raikage's defenses, they could still divide his attention to varying degrees.

One man held the pass against ten thousand.

That was precisely the Third Raikage's current situation.

"Hehehe, I never expected the Third Raikage to personally stay behind as rearguard!"

"If that's the case, then leave the Third Raikage here. Even if we fail to annihilate his main force, it will still be worth it."

"Demolition Corps, deploy the land mines."

"Sealing Squad, be ready to move at any time."

"Myriad-Mile Earth Flow Wall, stand ready and defend against attacks at any moment..."

Among Iwagakure's commanding officers, everyone wore cold smiles as they watched the Third Raikage face the army alone.

So what if he was the Raikage? Against an army of ten thousand, it would be impressive if he could last for even a while.

"I never expected Lord Tsuchikage's intelligence to be so timely. It gave us such an advantage!"

"Our new generation in Iwagakure is truly capable. They actually gathered such important intelligence. It seems the victor of this shinobi war can only be us."

"Of course. With Lord Tsuchikage here, how could the other villages possibly be our opponents?"

"Hehehe, that old bastard Danzo does have some ability."

Orochimaru hid in the shadows, watching the battle unfold with the corners of his mouth curling upward.

Without a doubt, he was the one who had passed that intelligence to Ōnoki.

He simply had not expected it to have such an enormous impact. Iwagakure had actually surrounded the Third Raikage, while his main force had also sustained heavy losses.

With Iwagakure's current strength, it truly could contend with Konoha.

But...

What came afterward was another matter.

Orochimaru watched the incomparably swift Third Raikage. His body bore not the slightest mark despite all the ninjutsu cast upon it, and Orochimaru knew that even if Iwagakure killed the Third Raikage, it would suffer grievous losses from this battle.

It seemed Konoha's side could ease much of its pressure.

In this regard, he had to admire that old bastard Danzo.

His intelligence-gathering ability truly was outstanding.

He had even managed to stir the entire shinobi world into such chaos.

Interesting.

"Forget it. That old man Danzo has achieved his goal, and Konoha has reduced its pressure as well. It's time to notify that brat that he can return."

Orochimaru was already certain that the Third Raikage did not have long to live.

The outcome of the battle had been decided.

He thought of that young man.

Danzo was actually confident that the young man could deliver the intelligence to Ōnoki. He must be an exceptional talent. Orochimaru wondered whether he could take him away from Danzo's side.

Hiss, hiss!

Rumble—!

At this moment, the people of the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Frost heard the rolling thunder and earth-shaking explosions in the distance, and they all fled without daring to watch.

"Damn it, when will the war end?"

"Those damned ninja, why don't they just die?"

"I hope every last one of them dies."

The civilians all harbored such thoughts, though none dared to voice them loudly.

Because their nations were merely small countries.

They were not even as strong as the Land of Rain. All they could do in war was cower and preserve themselves.

The ninja groups and samurai groups of both nations did not dare risk going to watch the battle. Instead, they hurriedly evacuated the civilians and kept them away.

Meanwhile, amid the concealment, Hao Yanji continued practicing his new concept.

Twenty days had passed. The chakra in his hands shifted unpredictably, and a chessboard rose between his palms.

"Chessboard, unfold."

Hao Yanji shouted his embarrassingly dramatic line.

Chakra threads crisscrossed in the air as Hao Yanji simulated a chessboard and chess pieces with chakra. His control over chakra made the board appear lifelike.

"Very good. I can already achieve chakra mimicry. With this level of control, I should be able to make the concept of Mathematical Chakra Form display its power in a basic way!"

Having reached this level of chakra control, Hao Yanji could already sense that his mind had arranged his existing ninjutsu into mathematical concepts based on his own abilities, allowing the ninjutsu to leverage a greater force and unleash greater power.