War broke out once again. This time, the Iwagakure Ninja attacked with unprecedented ferocity. They knew that if they failed to recover their Jinchūriki, Tsuchikage Ōnoki would punish them severely. Although he could hardly punish everyone, the senior ninja among them might all face harsh treatment. Their lives certainly would not be easy.
Under Kagami Uchiha's leadership, the Konoha Ninja Forces stubbornly held off the enemy's assault. There had never been much difference in strength between the two sides, and neither could overwhelm the other in one stroke. If that had been possible, the war would have been decided long ago.
Thus, the leaders on both sides understood that the true outcome would be determined by the squad battles to come. With their main forces tied down, only small squads had any chance of completing their missions.
After fighting for a full day and night, both sides had no choice but to enter a period of rest. The Iwagakure Ninja consumed less chakra because they could combine their efforts to use Earth Release, while the Konoha Ninja had greater staying power thanks to their Chakra Storage Blocks. On closer comparison, however, the difference was not very large.
Once the fighting ended, Kagami Uchiha followed the plan that Hatake Sakumo and the others had discussed. He first assigned a group to pretend to take Katsuyu somewhere for safekeeping. Asuna had already sent the real Roshi to Shikkotsu Forest, while she and the others waited for the time to act.
To deceive the Iwagakure Ninja, they had to direct the enemy's suspicions toward that group. Kagami Uchiha instructed them to deliberately let some Iwagakure Ninja through. While taking care to evade them, they also had to reveal the Katsuyu they carried in a natural way, allowing the enemy to see her.
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