The Iwa Shinobi Retreat

Watching Chihane slaughter the Iwa Ninja nearby, Kitsuchi began to regret not bringing two elite Jonin along.

The news had arrived too late. Upon hearing that Konoha had deployed only two thousand Ninja, he had charged straight over with Iwa's vanguard.

Iwa's main force had only just set out, but he knew that if Konoha established a foothold without resistance, the situation would most likely settle into a stalemate.

Then they might need twice, or even several times, the fighting strength to crush Konoha.

"Earth Release! Opening Earth Rising Excavation!"

Kitsuchi forced Orochimaru back with a large-scale ninjutsu, then rushed toward Chihane. He could no longer allow Chihane to slaughter the Iwa shinobi. Every Jonin was a treasure to their village, a core part of its fighting strength.

"Earth Release! Fist Rock!"

Kitsuchi unleashed his signature ninjutsu at Chihane-the strongest technique in his arsenal, the one that had earned him the name Iron Fist. He swung his enormous rock arm and brought it crashing toward Chihane.

Even as Chihane threw himself into slaughtering the Iwa Ninja, how could he possibly overlook Kitsuchi, who had been displaying his overwhelming power in the center of the battlefield?

Besides, the killing had already set his blood boiling and filled his eyes with bloodlust. Seeing Kitsuchi charge toward him, he could not resist rushing to meet him.

"Three-Sword Style! Gyuki: Brave Claws!"

Chihane raised his blades and lunged at Kitsuchi.

The sword tips struck the enormous rock fist, and for a moment, the two were locked in a stalemate.

Chihane had never expected his three famous swords, coated in Haki, to be stopped by mere rock.

What he did not know was that Kitsuchi's Fist Rock was as hard as steel. Without mastering Iron-Cutting Swordsmanship, Chihane naturally could not cut through it.

A flicker of surprise crossed Chihane's eyes, but he had never feared anyone in a contest of strength. He kept pushing, driving Kitsuchi backward as Kitsuchi's feet plowed two deep furrows through the ground.

"Multiple Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Orochimaru followed close behind. Seizing his chance, he unleashed his unique ninjutsu, sending several venomous snakes at Kitsuchi's back to sink their fangs into him.

"Earth Release! Light-Weight Rock Technique!"

Kitsuchi truly lived up to his reputation as a top-tier fighter renowned throughout the Shinobi World. Faced with a desperate situation, he unleashed all his strength and shoved forward, holding Chihane off for a moment. At the same time, he used Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique to control the ground beneath him, lifting himself into the air and evading Orochimaru's attack.

"Earth Release! Mountain Earth Technique!"

From midair, Kitsuchi looked down at Orochimaru and Chihane, who had now joined up. Without hesitation, he unleashed a large-scale Earth Release ninjutsu, reshaping the terrain to summon two enormous hills that closed in on them from either side.

"Rashomon Technique!"

"Winding Evil Snake!"

At the crucial moment, Orochimaru summoned Rashomon to hold back the hills closing in from both sides. At the same time, he summoned a giant snake beneath Chihane's feet, which whipped Chihane toward Kitsuchi.

"Three-Sword Style! Secret Art! Three Thousand Worlds!"

Chihane spun two of his swords at tremendous speed, generating a powerful wind. The instant he closed in on Kitsuchi, he delivered eight rapid slashes. Even though Kitsuchi managed to shield himself with his rock arm, Chihane still struck him down to the ground.

"Shuriken! Shadow Clone Technique!"

Orochimaru raced toward the spot where Kitsuchi had fallen, rapidly forming hand seals as he threw a shuriken. Hundreds of shuriken appeared and flew toward Kitsuchi. Just as they were about to reach him, Orochimaru unleashed his secret weapon.

Orochimaru opened his mouth, and the Kusanagi Sword shot out, extending at tremendous speed.

"Earth Release! Earth-Style Wall!"

Faced with the incoming shuriken, Kitsuchi summoned an earthen wall in time. It blocked the shuriken, but it could not stop Orochimaru's Kusanagi Sword.

Schlick!

The razor-sharp Kusanagi Sword

pierced Kitsuchi's shoulder before returning to Orochimaru's mouth. Orochimaru licked the blood from it and smiled in satisfaction. "Three-Sword Style! Bull Needle!"

Seeing Kitsuchi wounded, Chihane seized the opportunity and sprinted toward him, ready to take his life.

"Earth Release! Light-Weight Rock Technique!"

At the critical moment, Kitsuchi summoned a rock that carried him off the ground, evading Chihane's killing blow. He immediately soared higher, out of reach of both Chihane and Orochimaru.

"Hmph! I'll give you the victory today! Kid, what's your name?"

Once Kitsuchi was airborne, he immediately gave the signal to retreat. Orochimaru also ordered Konoha's Ninja to stop pursuing; there were simply too few of them. The Konoha and Iwa Ninja faced off behind Orochimaru and Kitsuchi as Kitsuchi called out to Chihane.

"Chihane Hatake!"

Chihane answered coldly. Seeing that the battle could no longer continue, he put away his swords.

"Hatake? So you're White Fang's son! No wonder you're so strong. I'll remember you, kid. I'm Kitsuchi, a Jonin of Iwagakure! Next time we meet, I won't let you off so easily!"

Kitsuchi could not help marveling. Konoha was about to gain another White Fang! Still, out of respect for a powerful opponent, he had given his own name.

"A defeated man still dares to boast? The next time we meet, I'll cut you down."

Seeing that Kitsuchi still had the nerve to claim he would not let them off after losing, Chihane immediately mocked him.

He wished Kitsuchi would charge at him right now. He wanted to see what reward the system would give him for killing Kitsuchi.

"Hmph! All you can do is run your mouth! We're leaving." Though Chihane's taunt made Kitsuchi want to rush over and teach him another lesson, the wound in his shoulder kept reminding him to calm down. Swallowing his anger, he led the Iwa shinobi away.

Konoha had won a small victory at the outset of the shinobi war, and the name Chihane Hatake began spreading across the battlefield!

Yet Konoha's Ninja felt no joy in their victory.

Konoha's losses had been devastating. Of their two thousand Ninja, four hundred had died and over a thousand had been wounded. Although none of their Jonin had been killed or injured, they now faced their next problem.

They still had to set up camp before nightfall, dress the wounded shinobi's injuries, and dig graves for the dead.

This was war. Friends and family who had been smiling beside them only a moment before were now cold corpses lying on the ground. Konoha's hatred for Iwa truly began then. If they had initially fought only to fulfill their mission, now they fought for revenge.

Ding!

Congratulations, host, on earning the achievement: Kill a Jonin! Congratulations, host, on earning the achievement: Kill 100 Ninja!

Congratulations, host, on earning the achievement: First shinobi war victory!

Reward: Zoro's sword energy experience ×1. Reward: Zoro's sword energy experience ×1. Reward: Zoro's sword energy experience ×1.

Chihane paused in surprise at the system's rewards. Would every reward just be a sword energy experience until I reached the Swordmaster level?

The reward for the last achievement Chihane had earned in Konoha had been the same thing. Now he had received it three times in a row. Would this be the only reward from now on?

Unfortunately, the system was not intelligent. It could only issue missions and rewards; it could not answer questions.