The setting sun, like blood, dyed the ruins of the Land of Rain's front lines a crimson red. Large raindrops pounded on the wooden planks of the dilapidated attic, making dull thuds.
Madara Uchiha stood atop the pavilion, his hands clasped behind his back. His dark trench coat billowed in the wind, making a sharp sound. His face, etched with the marks of time, remained expressionless. Only his Rinnegan glowed with a faint red light in the twilight, as if they could see through all the illusions of the world.
Beside him White Zetsu's face was ashen, rain streaming down his bloodless cheeks, indistinguishable between rain and cold sweat. He hunched slightly, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly. "Thirteen hundred miles northwest of the Land of Earth, in the deep valleys of Iwagakure, the noble alliance has amassed millions; in the southeastern rocky mountains, another million private soldiers are stationed; the two million troops of Iwasuzume Castle are marching day and night towards the capital. Adding to the millions already stationed in the capital, within three days, the entire Land of Earth will be thrown into chaos."
White Zetsu swallowed hard and continued his report, "In the southeast warehouse of Iwagakure, those noble private soldiers stuffed sealing scrolls into grain sacks, thinking they could deceive everyone; they've diverted the underground river thirty feet deep, turning it into a secret passage for transporting troops; even the vice-commander of the Third Army's Explosion Release Unit Gango Kagōji, has rebelled. Last night, he secretly met with a secret envoy from the Western Land of Ghosts, and I saw the words on that secret letter clearly."
Madara Uchiha slowly closed his eyes, and the sensory ripples of the Rinnegan out from him, like ripples caused by a stone thrown into a lake, instantly traversing thousands of mountains and rivers. The mountains, rivers, cities, and fortresses of the Land of Earth appeared clearly in his consciousness, and the movements of the troops hidden in the shadows, the transportation of supplies, and even the whispers of nobles plotting were all exposed.
A mocking smile played on his lips as he spoke in a deep, powerful voice, carrying the weight of a thousand pounds. " Tian Uguisu, did you see that? These clowns really think they can cause any trouble."
A thousand miles away, the Tsuchikage Building was brightly lit. Tian Uguisu, dressed in red, leaned against the window, toying with a serpentine jade pendant that was entirely emerald green in her hand. She looked at the mountain of White Zetsu reports piled up on the table, a confident smile playing on her lips.
Hearing Madara Uchiha pendant, its sound clear as a silver bell, yet carrying an undeniable air of dominance. "Master, this disciple saw it all clearly. They're nothing but chickens and dogs, yet they dare to covet the land of the Land of Earth?"
Tian Uguisu put down the jade pendant and walked to the huge sand table. On the sand table, the terrain of the Land of Earth was meticulously outlined, and the area around Iwagakure was densely packed with small black flags, representing the movements of the noble alliance. She picked up a slender wooden pole and gently tapped it on the location of Iwagakure: "Let them take another step closer, into this light. It would be best if they all swarmed into Iwagakure at once, so we can wipe them out completely and save us the trouble of searching them one by one."
As she spoke, a fierce glint flashed in her eyes. She drew a large circle on the sand table with a wooden stick, encompassing Iwagakure and its surrounding area. " The Ryūchi Cave army is fully prepared. A million snake soldiers are hidden in the mountains and forests around Iwagakure, awaiting my command. In the canyon to the east, I have laid down the Ten Thousand Snakes Poison Formation. If they dare to step into it, they will not return alive. In the swamp to the west, I have had the Snake Princesses plant 'Heart-Rotting Grass.' Once triggered, their internal organs will rot within half an hour. On the cliff to the south, tens of thousands of archers are in position, their arrowheads coated with 'Bone-Corroding Powder.' The plain to the north appears flat, but beneath it lies a hundred thousand Explosive Tag, enough to blast it into scorched earth."
Tian Uguisu paused, then picked up a small red flag and planted it in the center of Iwagakure: "As for this Iwagakure, I've already had White Zetsu plant spies in every corner. If they dare to come in, they've stepped into my inescapable net, and there's no way they can escape."
She turned around, gazing at the deepening twilight outside the window, her voice brimming with confidence. "Master, just wait and see the show. Before long, these arrogant noble allies will become food for the Ryūchi Cave Serpent Soldiers. Then, the entire Land of Earth will be our domain."
Upon hearing Tian Uguisu's words on the front lines of the Land of Rain, Madara Uchiha slowly opened his eyes, the red light in his Rinnegan intensifying. He looked up at the blood-red setting sun, his voice filled with an air of domineering arrogance. "What a magnificent trap! Tian Uguisu, you've done well. Let these noble fools run wild for a few more days. Once they gather at Iwagakure, I will personally return to take action and let them taste what true despair is."
The wind still howled, and the rain continued to pour. But amidst this turmoil, Madara Uchiha and Tian Uguisu's eyes gleamed with an air of certainty. They knew that a storm sweeping across the Land of Earth was imminent, and they were already prepared, waiting only for their prey to step into their trap before wiping them out in one fell swoop.
Konoha 27th Year, Year of the Ox, Earth Split
While the stars of the Land of Earth were still suspended in the inky blue sky, the granary in the southeast corner of Iwagakure lit up first. It wasn't the candlelight of an ordinary night watchman, but a wave of orange-red flames with the smell of sulfur— Fire Style: Exploding Wildfire, like a fire dragon awakening, suddenly shot up from the bottom of the granary, instantly turning three hundred straw-woven grain sacks into fireballs, and even lifting the row of sealing scrolls deep in the granary into the night sky.
"Boom--"
Amidst the deafening explosion, the scroll seal shattered inch by inch. In the moonlight, one could clearly see what was pouring down from mid-air: a thousand puppet warriors in heavy armor, their iron boots clattering and shattering the cobblestones of the long street into star-like fragments as they landed.
"Enemy attack--!"
The garrison captain Yamada's roar caught in his throat, and a sudden chill ran down his neck. His eyes widened as he saw his own blood splattered onto the ruins of the opposite granary, like a poorly painted ink splatter. The hand holding the Kunai was pulled away from his back, and the traitorous Iwa ninja tore off his Forehead Protector, revealing the family crest branded on his forehead—three overlapping Shiei rings, gleaming coldly in the Kakkō.
"It's someone from the Kurayoshi Family!" someone roared.
But it was too late.
On the training grounds of the Third Army's garrison, five hundred ninjas, having just finished their night training, were meditating cross-legged when suddenly Earth Release: Earth Release: Earth Flow River exploded beside them. The Jonin the group hadn't even finished forming hand seals when his own disciple's Lightning Release pierced his heart. The boy, whose face still bore the shyness of his praise from a few days prior, now grinned menacingly. "Master, the main clan said that Madara Uchiha and that woman must die."
The sounds of fighting erupted simultaneously from the Seventh Legion's armory. The ninjas on guard discovered that the usually mild-mannered and kind logistics officer had suddenly pulled out Explosive Tag, and the Ninja Blade that should have been locked in the armory were now in the hands of his "comrades" wearing the same uniform. Blood flowed down the stone steps of the armory, forming a winding red snake under the moonlight.
The 13th Legion suffered the worst. They were stationed at the entrance to the canyon north of the village. The rebels first sealed off the entire camp with Earth Release: Earth Prison Dome, then poured poisonous smoke laced with paralyzing drugs into the ground. When the surviving ninjas struggled to break free of the prison, they were met with a dense array of Kunai —31,200 ninjas, almost a tenth of the Iwagakure in Iwagakure's roster, had now become vengeful ghosts.
"Why?!" A middle-aged ninja with a broken leg grabbed the traitor's trouser leg. He saw the family crest peeking out from under the man 'Forehead Protector. "You brat from the Mōri Family! When your father died in battle, I was the one who carried his body back!"
The young ninja kicked him away, his Lightning Release crackling as he shouted, "My grandfather was a high-ranking official in the Land of Earth, but his leg was broken by Madara Uchiha! You fools who have been deceived should have been dealt with long ago!"
A deafening roar suddenly erupted from the center of Iwagakure. It wasn't Ninjutsu; the mountains on both sides of the canyon were moving—the traitorous Earth Release masters had joined forces to unleash a massive Earth Release: Earth Mound Dumpling, forcefully raising three hundred-meter-high stone walls in the middle of the village, slicing the entire Iwagakure into three sections.
Inside the walls was the core area where the Tsuchikage Building were located, and outside the walls were the southeast granary and the northwest garrison. The stone walls were soon filled with traitorous ninjas, who looked down at the walls and threw bundles of Explosive Tag into the area.
"It's sealed off! We're completely sealed off!"
Chaos spread like a plague. Some ninjas tried to use Earth Release to break through the stone wall, but after digging a hole only half a meter wide, they were pushed back by the Earth Style Wall outside the wall; some squads tried to break through from the air, but were blown to pieces by the Explosive Clay hidden in the clouds. Even more terrifying were the eyes of the people around them—teammates who were laughing and joking just a moment ago were now gripping their Ninja Blade and staring at the back of their necks.
"Kill them! Don't let them get near the Tsuchikage Building!" On the east side of the stone wall, Yuichi Kurayoshi, the head of the Kurayoshi Family, brandished his jewel-encrusted longsword, followed by three thousand of his family's private soldiers, all ninjas clad in fine armor. They charged into the routing ninja ranks, each strike aimed at vital points. "Remember our lord's orders: nip it in the bud!"
A young female ninja retreated, carrying her wounded comrade, only to be stopped by a private soldier from the Kurayoshi Family. The man grinned maliciously and ripped off her Forehead Protector: "Look, a remnant of the Asai Family who sided with the Uchiha. I heard your mother was snake-feeding Tian Uguisu?" His blade pierced the ninja's shoulder. "Today, I'll reunite you and your mother!"
Blood splattered on the ground, quickly merging with other blood to form streams. The noblemen's private soldiers were clearly specially trained; their formation was far more tightly packed than the routed ninja army. Working in conjunction with the traitorous ninjas, they slowly sliced through the resisters like a dull knife. Some veteran ninjas recognized that the private soldiers' Ninjutsu techniques were clearly the nobles' secret Ninjutsu.
"They were prepared..." someone murmured in despair.