Battle of Takigaki, North Front, September 13th, 27th Year of Konoha Land of Fire
The autumn sky over the Land of Waterfalls was tinged with a thick, bloody hue. On the morning of September 13th, the sweet aroma of osmanthus cakes still wafted through the noble district of the Land of Waterfalls, but on the military high ground north of the city, six million soldiers were already arrayed in a dense, dark formation. The nobles of the Land of Waterfalls stood on the viewing platform, watching the endless stream of armored samurai and ninjas performing Hand Seals, their faces filled with an excited sense of certainty.
"Six million against one hundred thousand? That's like crushing ants!" The Finance Minister munched on a candied fruit, spittle flying onto the map. "What's the Land of Fire's Black Tortoise Corps? It's just a bunch of Uchiha who cobbled together a bunch of Red Eye! Once we crush Konoha, the Land of Fire's mines, land, and shops will all be distributed according to rank!"
The Minister of War beside him patted his chest confidently. "Don't worry! We've even invited Takikage, and among our six million troops are three thousand Earth Grudge Fear ninjas, with bodies of steel and impervious to swords and spears! So what if the Land of Fire has rune weapons? Can they stop the Earth Grudge Fear's Immortal Corps?"
Unbeknownst to them, the Daimyo of Land of Waterfalls's smile had become somewhat stiff—he had received a secret report last night that the Black Tortoise Corps had arrived from Konoha, and the commander of the Black Tortoise Corps was Uchiha Chiri, the veteran who had fought since the Warring States period, and who was said to have long since awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. But the words caught in his throat; the difference of six million against one hundred thousand was stark before him. How much trouble could even the strongest ninja cause?
Meanwhile, at this moment, in the Black Tortoise Corps's position, Uchiha Chiri stood in the command room. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes held the marks of time, and her Mangekyō Sharingan slowly rotated in its sockets, its blood-red patterns like burning flames. On the display screen behind her, 120 Thunder Falcon third-generation fighter jets had already taken off, the rune bombs under their wings glowing with a ghostly blue light; 600 Heavenly Chief Mecha third-generation mechs were lined up in a square formation, each mech's cockpit occupied by the Uchiha Clan had activated their Sharingan; the barrels of 300 Thunder Artillery had been calibrated, the lightning runes on the cannons hissing as they accumulated energy.
" Chiri, the coordinates of an important target within the Land of Waterfalls have been confirmed." The voice of the Uchiha Clan came through the communicator, tinged with suppressed excitement.
Uchiha Chiri's voice was hoarse but carried an undeniable authority. " Thunder Falcon fighters, bombard continuously for 24 hours. Remember, prioritize decapitation—noble residences, daimyo mansions, key military and political sites, leave no one alive."
Before the words were even finished, 120 Thunder Falcon fighters, like a flock of black eagles, broke into the airspace of Land of Waterfalls in dozens of squadrons. The first wave of bombing was aimed directly at the Land of Waterfalls's mansion in Taki no Kami. Three hundred rune bombs landed precisely on the magnificent mansion, and the explosions shattered half of the capital. When the smoke cleared, the mansion, which had once symbolized power, had become a huge bomb crater. The entire Land of Waterfalls no Kami, along with their guards, were wiped out, leaving not even a trace of their remains.
Immediately afterwards, the bombings rained down like a torrential downpour. The Finance Minister's mansion collapsed in flames, the secret room where the Minister of War had taken refuge was breached by a bunker-buster bomb, and the teahouse where nobles gathered was reduced to rubble...
Before the nobles and high-ranking officials of Land of Waterfalls could react, they perished one after another in the flames. The surviving nobles fled their mansions overnight, hiding in cellars and secret passages, never daring to show their faces again. Within a single day, the command structure of the nobles of Land of Waterfalls was completely paralyzed, and in the end, only Takikage could take over the entire army and raise the banner of resistance in Takigakure.
"These lunatics! They don't fight like any other war!" Takikage stood atop the castle tower of Takigakure, trembling with rage as he watched the flames of war raging back home. "Send out the Earth Grudge Fear Corps! Shoot down those tin flies!"
But that's exactly what Uchiha Chiri wanted. When the army of the Land of Waterfalls was in chaos due to bombing, she personally led 600 Heavenly Chief Mecha to form a steel torrent, surging into the Land of Land of Waterfalls like a black tide.
" Uchiha warriors, show them what real war is!" Uchiha Chiri's voice rang out in the mecha's communication channel. "Activate Mangekyō Sharingan, awaken Susanoo!"
In Setsuna, all 600 mechs glowed crimson, and the elite Uchiha Clan in the cockpits activated their Mangekyō Sharingan. Dozens of elites even summoned Susanoo directly outside their mechs, with giant Chakra giants wielding spirit swords, forming a dual combat force with the mechs. Under the precise control of the Sharingan, the third-generation Heavenly Chief Mecha moved as nimbly as a cheetah, the runes at its joints lighting up, its speed and power reaching their peak.
When the Land of Waterfalls's proud Earth Grudge Fear Corps charged forward, they were met with a one-sided massacre. The Earth Grudge Fear ninjas, wielding various Ninjutsu, charged in, only to be blasted to pieces by the mechs' particle cannons.
They attempted to use Ninjutsu to entangle the mecha, but their trajectory was predicted by the Sharingan, and they were instead cleaved in two by the mecha's ship-slaying sword.
A ninja infiltrated underground to launch a sneak attack, but was immediately locked onto by the mech's Chakra detector and crushed into mincemeat the moment he broke through the ground.
"This is impossible! How could we, with five lives, die so easily!" The leader of the Earth Grudge Fear Corps roared, controlling dozens of tendon arms to pounce on Uchiha Chiri's flagship mecha.
But as soon as he got close, he was pierced by the Susanoo summoned by Chiri, and his five hearts, along with the secret technique, completely dissipated.
Six hundred mechs rampaged through the enemy ranks, their Sharingan capturing every enemy's movement. The mechs' weapon systems precisely reaped lives, leaving corpses strewn everywhere they went, even staining the earth crimson.
As the Black Tortoise Corps advanced rapidly and encountered the city gate, 300 Thunder Artillery roared into action. The curved projectiles traversed the mountains, landing precisely on the fortified passes of the Land of Waterfalls. The intense heat released when the rune-infused shells exploded melted the sturdy walls into magma, and the formidable natural defenses crumbled like paper under the barrage. Those troops attempting to rely on the terrain for resistance were instantly engulfed by the fire, leaving no time even for screams.
The Black Tortoise Corps advanced at an astonishing speed. Mechs cleared the way ahead, while ninja units mopped up the remaining enemies from the rear.
Upon entering the town, the Uchiha Clan strictly enforced their orders—commoners who knelt were spared, but anyone wearing noble attire or belonging to a noble family, regardless of age, was to be killed without exception. Some nobles raised white flags to surrender, only to be blasted to ashes by the mechs' particle cannons.
A noblewoman clutched her gold and jewels, begging for mercy, Sharingan held only icy killing intent. The ship-slaying sword fell, and blood splattered on the spot.
"They won't accept surrender! These Uchiha Clan are insane!" The surviving soldiers of the Land of Waterfalls fled like madmen, spreading fear to every corner.
Three days later, all the town defenses of the Land of Waterfalls Takigakure was bombarded by Thunder Artillery and finally fell completely under the charge of the mech corps. The collapsed buildings buried the entire village alive. Takikage, with hundreds of thousands of remaining soldiers and surviving nobles, fled into the deep mountains and forests like stray dogs, without even the courage to look back at his homeland.
Late on the night of September 18th, in a makeshift council chamber deep in the mountains, flickering candlelight illuminated the deathly pale, White Zetsu faces of the Land of Waterfalls's high-ranking officials. The Third Takikage, slumped on a rock, his armor riddled with cracks, his eyes vacant as a corpse, muttering to himself, "This isn't war. The Konoha ninja army is as powerful as a god. This is divine punishment... a catastrophic divine punishment..."
The nobles nearby trembled, some clutching their heads and wailing, "Those Red Eye monsters aren't human! They don't want beautiful women or money, all they know is killing! What kind of demons have we provoked?"
"My entire clan is dead! We can't just end like this!" an old nobleman suddenly roared, a crazed glint in his eyes. "We still have one last hope! Have the Onmyoji prepare the ritual to summon the Beast God! Only the Beast God can slay these demons of the Black Tortoise Corps!"
Outside the cave, the mountain wind howled, carrying the bloody stench of the distant battlefield. The battle flag of the Black Tortoise Corps had already been planted on the land of Land of Waterfalls. Uchiha Chiri stood on the ruins of the destroyed Takigakure, her Mangekyō Sharingan gazing towards the deep mountains, a cold smile curving her lips. She knew the war was not over, but the fate of the nobles of Land of Waterfalls had already been locked in by her Sharingan —certain destruction.