On the eve of battle

Meanwhile, in Minato Namikaze's tent...

"Minato-sensei, Chihane said the Iwa Shinobi are all ten feet tall and ten feet around the waist, and they're monsters who love eating people. Is that true?"

Obito Uchiha had just rushed into Minato Namikaze's tent and asked him in a panic.

"Chihane actually told you? That's right, everything he said is true!"

Minato Namikaze visibly froze at Obito Uchiha's question, but then looked at Obito with a serious expression.

Minato Namikaze had never quite known what to do about Obito Uchiha's tendency to let things go to his head.

Of all his students, Obito Uchiha was the one he worried about most when it came to entering the battlefield.

He feared that once Obito Uchiha reached the battlefield, he would get carried away and think the Iwa Shinobi were cabbages he could harvest at will. Then he would probably become the first piece of cannon fodder to be cut down.

After all, this was a battlefield. Even if Minato Namikaze wanted to protect them, he might not be able to keep an eye on everyone once things grew crowded.

Since Chihane had already helped him put some fear into Obito Uchiha, he would certainly play along and back up Chihane's lie.

That way, when they actually reached the battlefield, Obito would not foolishly charge straight at the Iwa Shinobi.

Obito Uchiha had thought Chihane was only trying to scare him, but hearing Minato Namikaze confirm it immediately filled him with fear!

As far as he remembered, Minato Namikaze had never lied to him. Nor had he ever imagined that Minato Namikaze would lie about something like this.

"So it's really true, haha! Minato-ninjutsu, I'm going to practice my teacher!"

Obito Uchiha was so frightened and flustered that he walked away without even knowing what he was saying.

"Ah! He's far too simple-minded!"

Left behind, Minato Namikaze watched him go and sighed softly.

A long while later, Kakashi returned.

"Minato-sensei, please give me special training!"

Kakashi ran up to Minato Namikaze and stared intently at him as he spoke.

Was this really his student, Kakashi?

Minato Namikaze stared in disbelief at the bruised and swollen boy before him.

His mask could not even contain his swollen face, and rings of blue and purple bruises surrounded his eyes. Several pink little bumps stuck out from his head, giving him quite an impressive set of horns!

"Kakashi, what happened to you?"

Looking at Kakashi, Minato Namikaze could not help asking.

"Minato-sensei, please give me special training!"

Kakashi recalled how, just minutes earlier, Chihane had brutally beaten him barehanded without even drawing his blade. Tears of hurt welled up despite himself, but he still spoke stubbornly.

"All right! But let's leave it until tomorrow. It's already too late tonight."

Seeing that Kakashi did not want to talk about it, Minato Namikaze stopped asking. Still, he could more or less guess that Chihane had beaten him.

While shocked by Chihane's strength, he could not help marveling that he had been so ruthless even toward his own brother.

If not for Kakashi's mask and the White Fang short blade on his back, Minato Namikaze really would not have recognized the boy before him as Kakashi.

But he had truly never expected Kakashi to lose to Chihane. He knew Kakashi's strength better than anyone; even an ordinary Jonin was probably no match for him.

Yet even Kakashi had been beaten this badly by Chihane, who was only a year older. Was everyone in the Hatake Clan a genius?

First came Konoha's White Fang, and now both his sons had shown the potential to become top-tier fighters.

It seemed talent really did run in the blood!

At that moment, Chihane was marveling as well!

Ah! Kakashi's improving so quickly. Next time, if I want to beat him without swordsmanship, Haki, or the Eight Gates of Death,

or Lightning Release Chakra Mode, using only my bare hands, it'll be a little difficult. Ah! Kakashi's improving too quickly.

Konoha's border

Orochimaru's command headquarters

"According to our scouts, the Iwa Shinobi's main force has already reached Kitsuchi's camp."

"They're led by Higashishibito and Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. Their force is estimated at three thousand shinobi, though we can't rule out the possibility of other hidden combat assets."

Early that morning, Orochimaru had received word that the Iwa Shinobi's main force had reached the front lines and immediately convened the Jonin Council. Jonin Moonlight, who was in charge of intelligence, was briefing everyone.

"Three top-tier fighters? Our Uchiha Clan can handle the Iwa Shinobi's Elite Jonin and their Jonin teams, but we'll have to leave their top-tier fighters to Lord Orochimaru."

After hearing Jonin Moonlight's report, Uchiha Kageyama considered it for a moment before speaking.

Wars in the Shinobi World had never been decided by sheer numbers, but by the number of powerful fighters.

Although Konoha's mid- and lower-tier forces numbered only a third of the Iwa Shinobi's current strength,

when it came to their higher-tier forces, the presence of the Uchiha Clan actually gave them the advantage.

However, Orochimaru was currently Konoha's only known top-tier fighter, while the Iwa Shinobi had three: Kitsuchi, Higashishibito, and Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. With such a vast disparity at the very top, no number of Jonin could secure victory.

"Leave Higashishibito to me. I've heard of him for a long time, and I've always wanted to see which of us is faster."

Minato Namikaze, who was sitting to one side, volunteered.

Higashishibito of the Iwa Shinobi specialized in killing with speed. He had once killed five Jonin from Kirigakure in an instant, earning a fearsome reputation throughout the Shinobi World.

"Then leave Kitsuchi to me! He got away last time, but I don't believe my sword can't cut through his fists."

Seeing that Minato Namikaze had volunteered to take on Higashishibito of the Iwa Shinobi, Chihane spoke up as well.

Clearly, Chihane was still bothered by the fact that his attacks had failed to break through Kitsuchi's defenses in their last battle.

In Chihane's mind, there was nothing he could not cut through. He also felt that this might be an opportunity to achieve a breakthrough in Iron-Cutting Swordsmanship.

"Very well. I'll handle Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki! It's settled, then."

After hearing Chihane and Minato Namikaze choose their opponents, Orochimaru spoke up and took responsibility for the Iwa Shinobi's Jinchūriki.

"Lord Orochimaru, Kitsuchi suffered such a heavy loss last time. Now that his reinforcements are here, he'll probably launch an attack on us before long. Should we prepare the battlefield in advance?"

A Jonin sitting nearby spoke up.

"Then I'll leave that to you! Ideally, choose somewhere near the Land of Earth's border. Don't put it inside the Land of Fire."

Orochimaru thought the suggestion made sense and answered him quietly.

Preparing a battlefield meant setting a large number of traps in a particular area and stationing shinobi there to keep watch day and night. At the slightest sign of anything suspicious, they would immediately detonate Explosive Tags to buy time while notifying the camp.

After all, a force of several thousand could not simply hide unnoticed like a handful of people.

But such a battlefield had to be set up along a route both sides would inevitably take. Otherwise, no matter how much preparation went into it, it would all be pointless if the enemy never came that way.