Iwagakure's shinobi fled all the way from the border to the stretch of the Nian River deep within Iwagakure.
The Nian River ran through the whole of Iwagakure, and much of the Land of Earth depended on it for its basic water supply.
It could be considered half of Iwagakure's lifeblood.
Reaching this point essentially meant fighting their way into Iwagakure's heartland.
But the Konoha shinobi pursuing them showed no sign of letting up.
They kept advancing, advancing, and advancing again.
Every time Iwagakure's shinobi tried to establish a defensive line, Konoha's shinobi broke through it in next to no time.
A few shinobi would be taken prisoner, and the rest would turn and flee.
The villages Konoha passed through were also stripped bare.
Fortunately, Konoha's forces still had something of a conscience. They did not massacre anyone, only looted gold, silver, and valuables.
Even so, wherever Konoha passed, practically nothing remained, leaving the people destitute.
This made things even worse for the already impoverished Land of Earth. The places Konoha passed through ended up in roughly the same state as the Land of Grass.
Finally, Ōnoki led Iwagakure's forces in a retreat behind the Nian River.
Only then did Fugaku stop on the opposite bank, standing within his Susanoo.
Crossing the river would be too difficult.
This stretch of the Nian River running across Iwagakure was exceptionally wide, well over a hundred meters across.
As the pursuers, they would undoubtedly face a heavy assault from Iwagakure on the other bank if they tried to cross. So Fugaku stopped chasing them.
By this point, they had already pushed through roughly a third of the Land of Earth's territory.
Standing on the opposite bank of the Nian River, Fugaku shouted at the Iwagakure shinobi across from him.
**"Those who attack Konoha