A Plan to Ambush Them on the Road

The sky over the Land of Rain seemed to mourn the shinobi who had died in the war. It grew darker, and the rain fell harder.

An occasional gale turned the rain into a downpour, severely limiting the shinobi's vision as water pelted their bodies.

Konoha's strongest fighters fought desperately to keep the senior shinobi of Stone and Sand occupied.

Fugaku leaped up again and formed hand seals.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

Sparks filled Chiyo's view and shot toward several Puppets. Fugaku followed close behind, hurling two Kunai bearing Explosive Tags at the two Puppets that had dodged the flames.

Boom! Boom!

The blasts erupted in fire. Chiyo's ten fingers flicked rapidly. One of the Ten White Pine Guardians was scorched black, while a Puppet she had made herself had lost an arm.

Chiyo's expression hardened. Her fingers moved again, and six of the Ten White Pine Guardians and her half-destroyed Puppet surrounded Fugaku. All seven attacked in succession.

The Puppets worked together, giving Fugaku no chance to catch his breath. Metal clashed against metal again and again.

Suddenly, three dark streaks shot toward Fugaku. His Sharingan spun rapidly, and he dodged the attacks by a hair.

Three Kunai hung in the air, covering the gaps between the seven Puppets. Fugaku narrowed his eyes, then vanished and reappeared before one of the Ten White Pine Guardians.

Chiyo swept her hands through the air, and the two clashed once more.

Konoha was on the defensive at both battlefields, but its losses were not heavy. Its clan shinobi had tied down many of the Allied Forces' senior fighters, while the lower-ranked shinobi lacked the power to inflict serious casualties. With Konoha deliberately drawing out the fighting, they did little damage.

The fighting continued until afternoon, when both sides finally broke