"Victory in this war will belong to Iwagakure."
"That's right. As long as we stand together, there's no enemy we can't defeat."
The quiet murmurs sounded almost like self-hypnosis. They grew louder and louder until they became shouts.
The entire camp seethed with fervor. Commander Shiye pointed his right hand straight toward the Kumogakure Camp and shouted, "Charge!"
Nearly five thousand ninja followed Shiye out of the camp, the barren ground of the Land of Earth flashing beneath their feet.
The nearly five thousand Iwagakure ninja formed a sharp arrowhead, heading straight for the Kumogakure Camp.
At the Kumogakure Camp, the Kumogakure ninja had already assembled.
The commander of the Kumogakure Forces had learned of Iwagakure's condition from the intelligence reports. If they retreated now, all the fighting spirit in the ninja before him would likely drain away.
With the rapidly approaching Iwagakure ninja pursuing them, they would not only fail to inflict much damage on Iwagakure, but also suffer heavy losses themselves.
"Lord Raikage willingly went to Iwagakure alone for Kumogakure's sake. This time, we'll crush the Iwagakure Forces in one push and rescue Lord Raikage!"
"Crush Iwagakure! Rescue the Raikage!"
The thunderous chant rang throughout Kumogakure.
"Let's go meet Iwagakure in battle!"
A large force of ninja rushed out of the camp. Iwagakure and Kumogakure advanced toward each other like two sharp arrowheads, the distance between them shrinking. The ninja on both sides knew this would be a bloody battle.
As the two sides drew closer, the ninja in each force unleashed deafening curses and roars.
In the blink of an eye, the two torrents of ninja collided. Countless ninja failed to survive even the first exchange, dying instantly.
Dense patches of red soon covered the ocher ground, and blood flowed in rivers.
On a distant cliff overlooking