Analyzing the Ninja World Starting from Konoha

Chapter 165 The Battle of Kikyo Mountain (Please Subscribe)

"Hiruzen, as per your previous plan, the village has entered a state of emergency preparedness."

Koharu Utatane regained her composure and reported clearly, "All non-combatants and civilians have been transferred to the underground shelter. The Anbu have deployed at all key locations, and all the ninja stationed in the village have been assembled."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

After a moment of silence, Koharu, who was turning the dorm, finally couldn't help but speak up.

"You guessed it all along, didn't you?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not deny it.

"That young man, Luo Sha, may act recklessly, but he's a gambler at heart. A gambler either doesn't gamble at all, or if he does, he'll bet everything."

His voice was so flat, as if he were talking about something insignificant.

"Sending out thousands of people as bait, using the entire Sand Village's genin and chunin to gain Konoha's attention. Only one goal would be worth such a price."

"Then why did you send people out in the first place?"

Xiaochun's tone was somewhat sharp.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"Because the ordinary people of the Land of Fire are innocent."

His gaze shifted to the window, towards the western part of the Land of Fire, to the villages and towns currently being plundered by the Sand Village.

"It was my misjudgment that led me to trust Rasa's intention to form an alliance, which created a loophole in the battle line and gave Sunagakure an opportunity to take advantage of it."

The people of the Land of Fire are suffering because of my mistakes, and I cannot stand idly by.

"Even if this means the village's defenses will be weakened?"

"I will bear the consequences."

A simple sentence, yet it carries immense weight.

Xiaochun opened her mouth, but in the end she only sighed softly and turned to leave.

The door closed again.

Silence returned to the office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around and his gaze fell on the two portraits hanging on the office wall.

On the left is the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.

On the right is the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

The gazes of the two senior colleagues seemed to transcend time, quietly watching the newcomers in this office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the two portraits for a long time, his thoughts surging like a tide.

He remembered many things.

I remembered that rainy night when Tobirama-sensei risked his life to cover their retreat and entrusted him with the will of Hokage.

I remembered the first time I stood in this office, making a vow to the Hidden Leaf Village outside the window.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at him for a long time.

"Lord Hashirama, Teacher Tobirama—"

He murmured softly, his aged voice carrying a hint of weariness that even he himself was unaware of.

"This time, it was my fault. But I assure you, Konoha will not fall."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around and walked out of the Hokage Building with steady steps.

The moment he stepped out of the Hokage Building, the scene before him made him pause for a moment.

Dozens of figures had gathered in the open space in front of the Hokage Building.

Their hair may be gray, and their faces may be etched with the marks of time, but each of them stands tall and has sharp eyes like an eagle. The aura they exude makes the surrounding air feel heavy.

The former head of the Akimichi clan, the former head of the Nara clan, an elder of the Yamanaka clan, and also Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame —

They were all veteran powerhouses from various ninja clans who had long since retired to the second line, and were comrades-in-arms who fought alongside Hiruzen Sarutobi in the Second Shinobi World War!

"you----"

As Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at these familiar old faces, his eyes welled up slightly.

"What? Hiruzen, you don't actually think that you're the only one who can steal the spotlight when it comes to something as important as protecting the village, do you?"

Akimichi Torifu patted his round belly and laughed heartily.

"That's right, Hiruzen. Even though we old bones have retired, if anyone dares to lay a finger on Konoha, we can still take a bite out of them!"

The old patriarch of the Nara clan stroked his beard, a wise glint in his eyes.

"Hmph, those brats from Sunagakure, do they really think Konoha has no one left?"

An elder of the Hyuga clan snorted coldly, the veins at the corners of his eyes bulging slightly, his Byakugan already activated.

Looking at his old comrades-in-arms, whom he had fought alongside, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but smile, revealing a genuine smile.

Yes, the foundation of Konoha has never been any ninjutsu scrolls, but rather these ninjas who are willing to dedicate everything for the village!

Just then, an ANBU member appeared and knelt down on one knee in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Hokage-sama! A large number of Sand Village ninja chakra have been detected in the direction of Kikyo Mountain! Their numbers are enormous! They are rapidly approaching the village!"

"Has it finally arrived?"

"6

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and glanced at everyone present.

He knew that if the war spread to the village, even if they ultimately won, Konoha would suffer immeasurable losses.

We absolutely cannot let them set foot in the village!

"Pass on my orders!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice echoed like a resounding bell in the night sky, "All combat personnel, immediately assemble towards Mount Kikyo!"

"We must keep the battlefield outside the village!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at his old comrades-in-arms, his eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.

"Old buddies!"

"We're going to fight side by side again!"

"oh!!!"

A deafening roar erupted from the mouths of these veterans, soaring straight into the sky!

There was no unnecessary talk, no hesitation whatsoever.

Swish!Swish!Swish!

On Kikyo Mountain.

The wind stopped.

The densely packed Sand Village ninjas, like a black tide, gathered on Mount Kikyo, covering the entire mountainside and stretching as far as the eye could see.

-

The heavy breathing and the faint sounds of weapons clashing mingled together, creating a suffocating atmosphere.

Standing at the very front of the line was a man with short brown hair and a sinister look in his eyes.

It was none other than the fourth generation Kazekage, Rasa.

He crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping over the lush forest, fixed on the distant, faintly visible, bustling village.

Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village)

That behemoth that occupies the most fertile land in the ninja world, possessing countless ninjutsu lineages and a rich foundation.

Luo Sha's eyes were calm, but the greed and jealousy deep inside him were screaming hysterically.

"Rosa————"

Standing beside him was Chiyo, the advisor and elder of Sunagakure.

The old woman, who had lived through World War I and World War II and accompanied three Kazekage through the years, looked at the man in front of her with a complex expression.

Luo Sha was probably the only Feng Ying she couldn't see through.

She didn't know whether Rasa's crazy decision would lead Sunagakure to glory or plunge it into an abyss of no return.

They mobilized their entire force, making a desperate gamble.

This is not a war at all, but a complete gamble!

"Elder Chiyo, are you still hesitating?"

Luo Sha did not turn around; his voice remained calm.

Chiyo did not reply, but simply sighed softly.

She saw the madness in Luo Sha's eyes, and also the despair behind that madness.

She knew very well that Luo Sha's journey to this point was driven by both ambition and helplessness.

Luo Sha is taking a huge gamble, betting on the future of Sunagakure.

But Chiyo also knew in her heart that the fate of gamblers was that nine out of ten would lose.

"Rasa, it seems Konoha is on guard."

Ebizo's voice was deep, his gaze fixed on the north slope of Mount Kikyo. "The sensory team reports: a large amount of chakra activity has been detected ahead."

Luo Sha narrowed his eyes slightly.

"So what if they're prepared? I've tied down Konoha's main force on three fronts. How many can remain in the village?"

His voice was cold and decisive.

"Once we conquer that village, seize their ninjutsu scrolls, and take their wealth, Sunagakure will be truly reborn!"

Luo Sha slowly raised his hand, and the gold dust spun in his palm.

"Everything is for Sunagakure!"

"Pass on my orders!"

Luo Sha suddenly raised his arm.

"Crush Konoha! Kill—!!!"

At Rasa's command, the long-suppressed Sand Village ninjas erupted in a deafening roar.

Thousands of Sand Village ninjas surged like a black torrent bursting its banks, crossing the ridge of Mount Kikyo and rushing madly towards the Leaf Village's defenses below.

The deafening shouts of battle shattered the tranquil night sky outside Konoha Village.

The Battle of Kikyo Mountain, the first battle of the Third Shinobi World War, has officially begun!

A barrage of kunai and shuriken rained down, instantly covering the Sunagakure's position.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

"Puppet Technique: Mechanical Light Shield Seal!"

The elite ninjas of Sunagakure worked in perfect coordination. The wind-style ninjas stirred up a whirlwind to disperse the fire-style attacks of Konoha, while the puppeteers summoned giant puppets to block the rain of kunai and shuriken.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of violent explosions of detonators echoed through the valley, and flames shot into the sky, illuminating Mount Kikyo as bright as day.

The vanguard of Sunagakure was a mixed formation consisting of assault squads proficient in Wind Release and puppeteers who controlled strange puppets.

Taking advantage of the darkness and their numbers, they pounced on Konoha's defenses like tigers descending a mountain.

However, when they actually clashed with the garrison of Konoha, they were shocked to find that those standing in their way were not the panicked young ninjas they had imagined.

It was a group of old men!

A group of Konoha ninjas with half-white hair, some even missing limbs, wearing old ninja uniforms!

"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"

"Puppet Technique: Poison Needle Barrage!"

The Sand Village ninjas unleashed a barrage of ninjutsu and hidden weapons, attempting to tear apart Konoha's defenses in one fell swoop.

But the performance of these veterans instilled fear in all the Sand Village ninja.

They didn't have flashy ninjutsu, but they had incredibly perfect teamwork.

Two or three people working together can hold off more than a dozen of them. Every movement, every swing of the knife, is precise to the extreme!

A Konoha veteran with a missing left arm could form hand seals three times faster than the Sand Village Chunin opposite him.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

The massive fireball instantly engulfed three Sand Village ninjas who couldn't dodge in time.

On the other side, an elderly Hyuga man with gray hair moved like a ghost among several puppets.

"Eight Trigrams - Mountain-Shattering Strike!"

boom! boom! boom!

The chakra struck the puppets' weak points with pinpoint accuracy, and several expensive puppets instantly fell apart, turning into piles of scrap wood.

These veterans are all battle-hardened veterans who survived the last Shinobi World War!

Although they are old and frail, and even disabled, their ingrained fighting instincts and combat experience have not faded.

Even when faced with the relentless bombardment of the Sand Village's puppet troops and Wind Release assault squad, these veterans were still able to handle the situation with ease, firmly pinning the Sand Village's torrent torrent to the mountainside of Kikyo!