I, Uchiha, will not be whitewashed!

The moment the first Cloud Ninja stepped onto the opposite bank, Hatake Sakumo's sword fell.

"kill."

Konoha's Fire Release and Wind Release were released simultaneously.

Fireballs and wind blades intertwined and hurtled towards the Cloud Village troops crossing the river.

The Cloud Village's Lightning Release ninja took the hit head-on; the collision of lightning and flames illuminated the entire river with the light of the explosion.

Ai didn't stop. He charged ahead, his lightning chakra exploding on his body, blue lightning tearing the surrounding mist to shreds.

He was fast, and his fist slammed into Sakumo Hatake's face.

Hatake Sakumo dodged to the side, then slashed upwards with his sword, aiming for Ai's ribs.

Ai blocked with his other fist, the blade striking his arm with a metallic clang. His Lightning Release shield prevented the blade from penetrating.

Sakumo Hatake took a step back, his sword held horizontally in front of him. "Raikage, retreat. It's not too late to retreat now."

Ai didn't answer. His fist came crashing down again.

---

On the river, half of the Cloud Village's forces were suppressed by Konoha's ninjutsu, but the other half had successfully crossed the river.

The Lightning Release ninja was in front, and the Water Release ninja was behind, their coordination was excellent.

Konoha's first line of defense was breached, and several melee ninjas were struck by lightning release and collapsed to the ground, convulsing.

Sakugo stood on the flank, his Mangekyou Sharingan slowly rotating behind his mask. He didn't move; he was waiting. Washi stood beside him, a kunai in his hand, his knuckles white.

"Aren't you going up?" Eagle's voice was somewhat urgent.

"Wait," Shuoge said calmly. "Wait until they've all crossed the river."

The vulture gritted its teeth and said nothing more.

The Cloud Village's forces have already crossed about 60% of the river.

Ai was locked in combat with Hatake Sakumo, while the two Yugitos in the middle of the group had not yet made a move.

The Cloud Village commander, a tall, muscular man with a scar on his face, stood on the riverbank, directing his troops to cross the river in batches. He frowned when he saw that the Leaf Village's Anbu on his flank hadn't moved.

"Speed ​​up!"

The Cloud Village troops quickened their pace of crossing the river.

More Lightning Release ninjas crossed to the other side, and Konoha's second line of defense began to struggle. A Konoha Chunin was struck by a Lightning Release jutsu, flew out, crashed into a tree, and lay motionless.

"Blade." The eagle's voice grew more urgent.

Shuoge drew his sword. "Let's go."

He led four members of the secret service to cut in from the flank. Not from the front, but from the side, like a knife inserted into the gap between ribs.

The first Cloud Ninja saw Shuoge, raised his kunai, and with a flash of light, the kunai and his wrist flew off.

The second Yun ninja turned around, and the blade sliced ​​across his throat.

The third, the fourth, the fifth—Shuoge's blade weaved through the crowd, fast, precise, and without wasting a single strike. Eagle and the other three members of the Dark Guard followed behind, finishing off the attackers, providing cover, and sealing off any gaps.

A gaping hole was torn in the flank of the Hidden Cloud Village.

---

Ai noticed the chaos on his flank. He stepped back, avoiding Hatake Sakumo's sword, and glanced back.

Shuoge led four ANBU to carve a bloody path through the flank of Yunyin. There were seven or eight corpses lying on the ground, all of them from Yunyin.

"That masked one—" A's voice was forced out through clenched teeth. "Uchiha Sakugo."

Two wooden figures stepped out from the group and stood beside Ai. "I'll deal with him."

"No." Ai raised his hand. "You go to the front. I'll take care of Hatake Sakumo."

Yugito glanced at him and nodded. She walked towards the front lines, her Tailed Beast Cloak beginning to materialize, blue chakra burning on her body, and her two tails swaying behind her.

---

Shuoge's blade stopped at the chest of a Cloud Ninja. He pulled it out, dodged another Cloud Ninja's kunai, and with a backhand slash, severed the man's arm.

The eagle took down the third one behind him. Four men, one sword, three kunai, tore a hole in the flank of the Hidden Cloud Village.

But there are too many people in the Hidden Cloud Village.

Ten have fallen, but twenty remain.

Shuoge's breathing began to become heavier, not from exhaustion, but from a change in rhythm.

His blade was fast, but the enemy outnumbered him; he killed one, then replaced him with another; killed two, then replaced him with two more. Eagle had a new wound on his arm, and another member of the ANBU had been slashed in the leg, blood seeping from his trouser leg.

"Blade, we can't hold on any longer," Eagle's voice gasped.

Sakugo remained silent. His Mangekyou Sharingan stared at the Cloud Village commander—the scarred man standing on the riverbank, with a dozen or so Cloud Ninja who hadn't yet crossed the river beside him.

He was directing, coordinating, and waiting for Konoha's defenses to collapse.

Shuoge retreated. "Cover me."

Eagle gritted his teeth and led three Anbu members to the front, blocking the oncoming Cloud Ninja.

Shuoge circled around from the flank, accelerating to maximum speed, and charged towards the Cloud Village commander, skimming along the riverbank. His sword was held horizontally in front of him, its blade wreathed in Wind Release chakra, gleaming faintly white in the moonlight.

The scarred man saw him. His pupils contracted. "Stop him!"

A dozen or so Cloud Ninjas around him attacked at the same time.

Kunai, shuriken, and lightning-style attacks rained down on Shuoge.

Sakugo's Sharingan captured the trajectory of each kunai as his body weaved through the rain—he tilted his head to dodge the first one, ducked to dodge the second, the blade deflected the third, and the fourth grazed his shoulder, tearing his clothes.

He didn't stop; he kept charging forward.

The first Cloud Ninja blocked his path; a flash of light, and he fell to the ground. The second, the third, the fourth. He was so fast that the Cloud Ninjas only saw a white flash before a red line appeared on their throats.

The scarred man retreated. He retreated to the riverbank and stepped into the water. He had nowhere to go.

Shuoge stood before him, blood dripping from the tip of his knife.

"Make your people leave."

The scarred man's lips trembled. "You—"

A knife was held to his neck. "Back off."

The scarred man raised his hand and shouted towards the opposite bank. The Cloud Village troops began to retreat, but the retreat was slow and sluggish, as if they were ready to rush back at any moment.

---

On the main battlefield, Ai and Hatake Sakumo have already exchanged more than a dozen blows.

A's Lightning Release chakra began to weaken, not because he didn't have enough chakra, but because he was consuming too much.

Sakumo Hatake's sword was fast, each strike hitting the weak points of his lightning release protection. Although it didn't break through, each collision drained his chakra.

Ai's punches grew heavier, but slower.

Hatake Sakumo's sword suddenly changed direction, slashing at Ai's neck from the front.

Ai blocked with his fist, but the blade struck his arm. This time, there was no sound of metal clashing—the blade sliced ​​through the Lightning Release shield, leaving a bloody gash on his arm.

Ai looked down at his arm; blood seeped from the wound, trickling down his wrist. His pupils contracted. "You—"

Sakumo Hatake did not answer. His sword was raised again.

The two Yugito rushed in from the side, their tailed beast claws reaching for Sakumo Hatake's back.

Sakumo Hatake turned around, his sword blocking the claws, and was forced back three steps.

Yukito stood in front of Ai, his two tails swishing behind him.

"Let's go." Ai's voice was very low.

Yugito looked at him. "Lord Raikage—"

"Walk!"

Yugito remained silent. She reverted to her tailed beast form, supported A, and walked towards the other side of the river. The Cloud Village forces began a full-scale retreat.

Sakugo stood on the riverbank, watching their figures disappear into the mist. He didn't chase after them. Hatake Sakumo walked over and stood beside him.

"casualties?"

"Five seriously injured, three lightly injured," Shuoge said calmly. "Yunyin suffered over a dozen deaths and over twenty injuries."

Sakumo Hatake remained silent for a moment. "Ai won't let this go."

"I know."

---

Konoha's camp, late at night.

The wounded groaned in the tent, while medical ninjas went in and out.

Shuoge sat at the edge of the camp, his knife resting beside him, his mask tucked into his waistband. A shallow cut, already dried, had been scraped across his left shoulder by a kunai.

The vulture sat beside him, his arm wrapped in bandages, and his complexion was not good.

"If you hadn't intercepted that commander today, we might not have been able to hold out," Eagle said in a low voice.

Shuoge was silent for a moment. He stood up and walked towards the tent. "There's a tough battle ahead tomorrow. Get some sleep."

The eagle watched his retreating figure and asked no further questions.

---

The next morning, the Hidden Clouds did not launch an attack.

The scouts reported that the Cloud Village camp was still there, the campfires were still burning, but the size of the force seemed smaller. Hatake Sakumo stood at the edge of the camp, looking across the river, his brow furrowed.

"They're waiting for reinforcements," Nara Shikaku said, standing beside him.

"It won't be long," Hatake Sakumo's voice was calm. "Given the Raikage's temper, he'll be the first to get restless."

Shuoge stood to the side without saying a word.

His left eye vision became even more blurred, and he could see the Cloud Hidden Camp on the opposite bank as if through a thin mist.

He closed his eyes, then opened them again, and the Mangekyou Sharingan silently activated, with three black crescent moons slowly rotating in his red pupils.

The Cloud Village camp in the distance became clear in the Sharingan—the number of people hadn't decreased, they had just hidden themselves.

"They're setting an ambush," Shuoge said softly. "There are fewer than thirty men left in the camp. The others are hiding in the woods upstream on the riverbank."

Sakumo Hatake was silent for a moment. "Tomorrow, you will take the Anbu upstream. Don't take direct action; just keep an eye on them. If they move, then you move. If they don't move, then you don't move either."

Shuoge nodded.

---

On the third day, the Hidden Cloud Village did not launch an attack.

On the fourth day, there was nothing either.

On the morning of the fifth day, Ai finally couldn't hold back any longer.

He led the Cloud Village troops across the river upstream, attempting to bypass Konoha's defenses.

Shuoge and four ANBU were waiting for them in the woods. There was no direct confrontation, just harassment—kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, hit and run.

The Cloud Village troops were held up for two hours. By the time they broke through to the Leaf Village camp, Hatake Sakumo was already waiting with his men.

Ai stood in front of the camp, covered in mud, his hair soaked with sweat and plastered to his forehead. He looked at Hatake Sakumo, then at Sakugo standing on the flank, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"Is all you Konoha people do is hide?"

Sakumo Hatake did not answer. His sword was held horizontally in front of him, its blade devoid of blood.

Ai rushed forward. Lightning Release chakra exploded from his body, moving so fast that the air itself seemed to tear apart.

Hatake Sakumo charged forward, a flash of blade, and the two clashed. This time, Ai's fist was faster and heavier, but Hatake Sakumo's blade was more accurate.

The blade sliced ​​across Ai's ribs, cutting a gash in his Lightning Release shield, and blood seeped from the wound.

Ai took a step back and looked down at the wound on her ribs. It wasn't deep, but it hurt.

"Retreat," Ai said in a low voice.

Yugito looked at him. "Lord Raikage—"

"Retreat!" Ai's voice was almost squeezed out from between his teeth.

The Cloud Village forces began their retreat. This time, they retreated thoroughly, even dismantling their camp. Konoha did not pursue them.

Sakumo Hatake stood on the riverbank, watching Kumogakure's figure disappear into the mist. Sakugo walked over and stood beside him.

"it's over?"

"For now." Hatake Sakumo sheathed his sword. "Next time, it won't be that simple."