"This battle will be tough!"
On the mountain peak that had been cleaved in two by Wang Hao's sword energy, the Third Hokage gazed at the massive mountain dozens of miles away, his expression enigmatic.
"They're simply using themselves as bait to lure us into making a move!"
The Third Raikage wore a disdainful expression. Although he looked like a brute, he was actually very perceptive and had already seen through Wang Hao's plan.
If the other party truly wants to spread and continue the Ancient Sword Dao, the best way is to first secretly pass it on to a group of people, and then promote it on a large scale after enough strong individuals have been trained.
Although this method takes a lot of time, it is reliable. Even though the five great ninja villages have basically infiltrated most of the Land of Iron, it is impossible for them to find out this secret in a short period of time.
But the other party chose to announce this in front of them, clearly trying to entice them to take action.
However, this was an open conspiracy, and even if they knew it, they had no choice but to participate.
Furthermore, the contingency plans they left behind indicate that the kid was indeed badly injured, perhaps even severely wounded.
This is the best time; otherwise, once he recovers, he will become another peerless powerhouse at the level of a Amane Admiral.
Moreover, that Mifune is no ordinary person either. Although he is not as monstrous as Wang Hao, he is no weaker than Admiral Amane.
The opponent has only just broken through and cannot yet fully grasp the true strength of High-Dan Swordmaster. His combat power is not much Middle-Dan Swordmaster.
Therefore, all things considered, now is truly the best time to take action.
Even if they don't have many men at the moment, they will definitely have to take action.
Otherwise, once it recovers and integrates the forces of the entire Land of Iron, and with the help of a powerful figure like Mifune, even if the five great ninja villages join forces, they will have to pay a considerable price to take it down.
Therefore, this battle is a must!
"I never imagined that the Five Kage would one day join forces against a junior. It's truly shameful!"
The Third Kazekage sighed; his fighting spirit was at its lowest point in this battle.
After all, the Land of Iron is the furthest away from their Land of Wind, and the Land of Fire is in between. No matter how powerful the Land of Iron, it doesn't have much of an impact on their Village Hidden in the Sand.
But he couldn't back down now, otherwise the other four Shadows would definitely join forces to kill him first.
"Instead of wasting time talking nonsense here, we should save our energy to prepare for the upcoming battle. That kid is no simple character!"
The Third Mizukage said coldly, then his figure flashed and disappeared into the thick fog that had appeared out of nowhere.
The Third Hokage and their companions each used their own methods to sneak towards the mountain where the Battle of Swords had originally taken place.
Admiral Amane knew the terrifying power of his own, the power to split mountains and cleave seas once unleashed. Therefore, the arena for the Battle of Swords was not set up inside the main city of the Land of Iron, but on a mountain peak a hundred miles outside the city.
The current Five Kage are all Third. Although they cannot compare to the second and first generation Five Kage, they are not weak either, and are all mid-level peak Kage Level powerhouses.
Even the strongest among them, the Third Raikage and the Third Tsuchikage, could rival the fighting power of the Amane Admiral when they unleashed their full power. If these five powerful figures joined forces to attack, even if beings like Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were to be resurrected, they would have to be cautious.
Of course, the Five Kage couldn't rashly make a move, since all the Swordmaster masters of the Land of Iron had gathered on that mountain peak, powerful beings no weaker than the Kage Level ninjas.
There are more than fifty of these Swordmaster, both openly and secretly. If they were to foolishly charge in, even if they were incredibly strong, they would be torn to pieces by so many Swordmaster.
This is where the Kage Guard's role becomes apparent.
At the mountaintop, numerous Swordmaster from the Land of Iron prepared their Iaido Slash stances, awaiting the appearance of their enemies.
Swish swish swish...
A dark mass of figures appeared from all directions, numbering over two hundred, and they all unleashed their Ninjutsu as they charged towards the numerous Swordmaster.
"It's Clone Technique! Everyone be careful!"
An elderly, experienced Swordmaster shouted, and then unleashed the prepared Iaido Slash sword energy.
He was joined by twelve others, whose twelve enormous and exaggerated sword energies directly shattered the Ninjutsu used by the Kage Guard's experts, and then, with undiminished momentum, enveloped the entire forest surrounding the mountain peak.
Those tall, century-old trees were torn to shreds by the sword energy, like tofu, clearing out a clear area of several tens of meters.
At the same time, a faint smell of blood lingered in the air, indicating that the battle had yielded considerable results.
This is the power of Swordmaster. This move Iaido Slash, can continuously accumulate momentum and unleash a strike that surpasses one's own limits, something that ninjas cannot match.
Even though the attacking Kage Guard members were all Kage Level experts, it was impossible for them to completely avoid the Iaido Slash that the twelve Swordmaster- level experts had been preparing for.
After Iaido Slash, the twelve Swordmaster in the outermost first row sheathed their swords, preparing to gather the sword energy for their Iaido Slash.
Meanwhile, the eighteen Swordmaster in the second row stepped forward, assuming the stance for Iaido Slash, and terrifying Iaido Slash energies once again raged forth.
Immediately following, the twenty-four Swordmaster in the third row stepped forward again and unleashed a powerful Iaido Slash, clearing a clear area of over a hundred meters in the surroundings. All the rocks and trees in the area, including some members of the Kage Guard, were pulverized by the sword energy.
They needed to clear an open battleground, since the more complex the terrain, the more advantageous it would be for the ninjas. Samurai were skilled in head-on battles and wouldn't be foolish enough to engage in jungle warfare with the ninjas.
As the third round of Swordmaster unleashed their strikes, the twelve Swordmaster of the first round were already prepared for their second strikes, waiting for the Kage Guard of the Five Kage to step forward again.
Those three rounds of slashes had terrified many of the Kage Guard members. Although they knew the Swordmaster's slashes were powerful, they hadn't expected them to be this strong. Even with their skills, it would have been difficult for them to dodge them.
Each of the Five Kage Summit's Kage Guard consisted of five members, totaling twenty-five members from the five major Kage Summits.
Most of the more than two hundred figures that appeared earlier were clones created by them using various attributes.
Unexpectedly, before they could even get close, all the clones they had created were annihilated, and five of their own were killed instantly by the three rounds of attacks.
In addition, the remaining twenty of them all had some kind of injury.
In the first round of combat, the ninja side suffered a complete defeat.
However, the remaining twenty Kage Guard members were not discouraged. After catching their breath, they exchanged glances and formed hand seals together.
" Earth Release: Mountain Collapse Technique!"
The fifteen Kage Guard, all experts in Earth Release, simultaneously formed hand seals, roared inwardly, and slammed their palms onto the ground.
The vast Chakra within his body surged into the earth and mountain beneath his feet through his palms, and then the entire massive mountain seemed to come alive, collapsing instantly.
The Swordmaster of the Land of Iron can create favorable fighting environments for themselves, and as ninjas, they can do the same, and even better.
Faced with the collapse of the entire body, many Swordmaster changed color, solemnly steadied themselves, and fell along with the collapsing mountain peak.
This kind of power, which resembles a natural Scourge, is indeed quite deadly to ordinary people, but for them, it's nothing more than that; it can't harm them.
However, with such a large-scale change in terrain, the subsequent battles will be much more difficult.
Wang Hao, who was guarding the center, kept his eyes closed as he refined the pills he had just swallowed to recover from his previous losses. Even without opening his eyes, he managed to keep his body steady and was not injured by the collapse of the mountain.
" General Hao, fighting here is disadvantageous for us. We should move our positions and seek another opportunity!"
Mifune, standing beside Wang Hao, looked coldly at the complex environment caused by the landslide and understood that fighting here would put them at a significant disadvantage, and they needed to move the battlefield as soon as possible.
"It's no use. If they can create a favorable combat environment once, they can create one a second time. Moreover, in such a complex environment, we will be even more passive when we retreat."
You know, ninjas are all born in the Year of the Nezumi, let alone a leader of five giant Nezumi!
After opening his eyes and surveying the collapsed mountainside around him, Wang Hao did not agree to Mifune's suggestion.
"But we can at least make a show of it to lure out those hidden Nezumi, otherwise we'll suffer greatly if we keep fighting like this!"
A wicked smile curled at the corner of his lips, and Wang Hao shouted in a mocking tone, "Don't fight those ninjas! Get out of this area as soon as possible!"
After shouting, Wang Hao rushed out first.
Upon hearing Wang Hao's earlier words, a cold glint flashed in Mifune's eyes. He understood the meaning behind them, placed his hand on his long sword, and prepared to unleash his strongest attack at any moment.
The Kage Guard members hiding in the shadows panicked, knowing that Wang Hao was charging towards a vast wasteland with a huge amount of copper ore buried beneath it.
Even Earth Release Ninjutsu is difficult to use in that kind of place, so they must be left here, otherwise the upcoming battle will be difficult.
In order to complete the mission assigned by the Five Kage, the powerful members of the Five Kage Guard had no choice but to show themselves and stop the many Swordmaster who were charging forward.
The Land of Iron Swordmaster, who was well-prepared, unleashed another powerful sword aura with his Triple Iaido Slash. Even though the Kage Guard was also prepared, two of them were still killed.
Although they were all Kage Level powerhouses, most of them were only at the Kage Level Initial Dan.
Such strength is hardly a safe bet in such a brutal battlefield.
Most importantly, this is not like the Fourth Great Ninja War; they are all commanders without subordinates to assist them, making it difficult for them to fully demonstrate their strength.
Not to mention that the other side outnumbered them, putting them at a significant disadvantage!
Even so, they are not so easy to kill. You have to know that ninjas are the best at preserving their lives, and they are much better than samurai Swordmaster who only know how to fight.
Just as the numerous Swordmaster were about to break through the Kage Guard's obstruction and reach the wasteland, a thick fog covering dozens of miles rapidly spread in.
" Mifune, I have a very challenging task for you, but I don't know if you dare to accept it!"
Upon seeing the thick fog, Wang Hao suddenly stopped and asked with a playful smile.
"Please give your orders, Admiral Mifune will do everything in his power to complete the mission!"
Mifune knelt on one knee, his expression full of determination and resolve, clearly prepared to fight to the death.
"This is my deduction to revive the Ancient Sword Dao. I entrust it to you. If I unfortunately perish this time, you will become the new Admiral of the Land of Iron!"
Wang Hao took out a scroll he had prepared beforehand from his bosom and handed it to Mifune, his fingers inadvertently touching Mifune's forehead.
Mifune trembled slightly as if struck by lightning, took the scroll, and fully understood Wang Hao's meaning.
"Take care of yourself!"
"Take care of yourself!"
Mifune and Wang Hao exchanged a solemn greeting, and then Mifune resolutely charged into the thick fog, heading towards the Bronze Wasteland.
His journey ahead will not be easy. Having obtained the inheritance of the ancient Ancient Sword Dao so openly and legitimately, the ninjas of the five great ninja villages will certainly not let him get away with it. Even he is not confident that he can survive.
However, he must survive this battle. Only by surviving this battle can the warriors of the Land of Iron gain enough time to develop and create new glories.
After a brief silence, the many Swordmaster rose and followed Mifune in the charge.
They roughly understood Wang Hao's meaning. Now, the hope and future of their warriors were divided into two parts. Whichever part survived this battle would be considered a victory.
Therefore, they had to protect Mifune, not because Mifune was more important than Wang Hao, but because Mifune was too weak and Wang Hao was too strong.
Wang Hao, this junior, has already begun to possess the Invincible power of the First Hokage Hashirama Senju. This level of battle is beyond their reach; staying would only become a hindrance, unless they could possess the strength of the Amane Admiral.
Therefore, going to protect Mifune now is the right decision, and Wang Hao and the others can only pray silently in their hearts.
However, they weren't too worried, since even if such beings couldn't defeat the approaching Five Kage, surviving wouldn't be too difficult.
Not to mention they will remain in the Bronze Wasteland to provide backup.
At the same time, Wang Hao's complexion suddenly changed, no longer as weak and pale as before, and his aura soared, showing a high fighting spirit.
After glancing at Wang Hao's current state, the many Swordmaster and experts secretly thought to themselves, "As expected," and then rushed towards the Bronze Wasteland with even greater confidence.
If Wang Hao were still in his previous state of serious injury, they would not feel comfortable leaving him alone, but the situation is different now.
This time it was clearly a scheme by General Hao, specifically designed to lure the Five Kage into making a move.
After all, the news that General Hao is reviving the Ancient Sword Dao will eventually be discovered by the five great ninja villages, and a battle between them is inevitable.
Although they were in a lot of trouble this time, the Five Kage were in even more trouble, giving them a greater advantage.
Starting a war at this moment is extremely wise!