Starting with the Uchiha clan, they began cultivating demonic arts.

Chapter 46: The Great Battle Begins

"Lord Huangtu, this is a summary of the losses this week."

An intelligence ninja from Iwagakure, with a pained expression, handed the scroll to Huangtu. Huangtu opened the scroll and glanced at it, feeling his blood pressure rise. His hand holding the scroll made a creaking sound.

"Look at this, senior!"

Gritting his teeth, he threw the scroll in his hand to Lao Zi. Although he called him "senior," Huang Tu's tone showed no respect whatsoever.

"One week! Just one week! We've already lost over 300 ninjas!! That's already a fifth of our total strength on this front!"

"In other words, if we fight for another month, our entire Iwagakure camp will probably be wiped out!"

Faced with the angry roar of the loess, Lao Zi lowered his head and couldn't utter a single word.

It was Roshi who personally led the pursuit of Uchiha Tou. It was Roshi who exposed Uchiha Tou's identity as a Jinchuriki. In the end, Roshi failed to capture Uchiha Tou and instead lost a large number of elite troops.

The current predicament of Iwa ninja struggling on the battlefield can be largely attributed to this four-tailed jinchūriki.

"This can't go on any longer! Let's prepare for the final battle! After that, we'll withdraw from the Land of Rivers!"

Huang Tu acted decisively and made a quick decision. Currently, the Iwa ninja of the Land of Rivers are much weaker than both Konoha and Sunagakure in terms of conventional strength. They would definitely not win if they started a war, but starting the war early would allow them to preserve more Iwa ninja for retreat.

Originally, this was just a secondary battlefield, and we didn't really expect to win. It would be best if we could deplete some of the strength of the other two ninja villages.

As for running away without fighting, it would only make them more vulnerable to being hunted down by the two ninja villages, resulting in even greater losses.

At this moment, the other ninjas in the camp looked at each other and asked:

"So, which side are we preparing to engage in a decisive battle against?"

The Iwa ninja's strength is insufficient, so they can only fight one ninja village at a time. And as soon as the high-ranking official asked the question, Huang Tu gave the answer without hesitation:

"That must be Konoha! After all, they are our true enemy. To relieve pressure on the main battlefield, Konoha has always been our primary target!"

……

"Those rats from Iwagakure are really desperate!"

Looking at the intelligence scroll that was handed over, Orochimaru sneered and said in a contemptuous tone.

As he spoke, Orochimaru handed the scroll in his hand to the other ninjas in the camp for a look. It was a challenge from Iwagakure, roughly indicating that on a certain day, month, and year, in a certain place, everyone would have a group fight.

"I thought these guys would launch a surprise attack on our camp!"

Uchiha Touyu, who was also sitting in the command camp, said with a smile, while Akimichi Torifu, who was eating next to him, snorted coldly:

"Do you think those rock-headed idiots don't want to raid our base? They just haven't had the chance!"

Ninja camps are not military camps; their defenses are almost as strong as those of ancient castles. It's important to know that ninjas' ninjutsu is not only used for killing, but also for construction.

The city walls raised by earth magic, the sealing techniques buried in hidden corners, the barrier monitoring the entire camp, the crossbows loaded with a large number of explosive tag kunai, and the chain of explosive tag traps set up in the nearby underground...

To take down such a camp head-on would require at least twice the strength. If it were Iwa ninja, they probably wouldn't even be able to break through the walls, and their ordinary ninjas would all be wiped out.

Having experienced the previous surprise attack by Iwa ninja, Konoha and Iwa have already increased their vigilance around the area, so even if the Iwa ninja wanted to launch a surprise attack, they wouldn't have the chance.

"So what do we do? Agree or refuse?"

Uchiha Touyu glanced around at the Jonin and asked a question. Orochimaru put away the information scroll that had been passed around and coldly replied:

"Since these mole rats are courting death, we'll certainly grant their wish!"

……

"A large-scale battle... It seems I can collect quite a few souls this time. It's a pity that the offerings to the altar must be intelligent beings that I have killed with my own hands. Otherwise, I estimate I could collect several hundred wisps of black energy from this large-scale battle."

Uchiha Touyu stood on the hillside, looking at the small group of Iwa ninja who had scattered across the opposite side, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"What's wrong, Feiyu-kun? Is it a little nerve-wracking to experience such a large-scale battle for the first time?"

Orochimaru's voice rang in his ears, and Uchiha Tou replied without turning his head:

"I'm not nervous at all, but this kind of battle isn't quite what I expected. I thought everyone would gather together for a single, large-scale battle!"

"How is that possible? Let alone Kage-level ninjas, even any Jonin has a wide-range destructive ninjutsu. Gathering low-level ninjas together is just making them easy targets for the powerful ones, isn't it?"

Orochimaru chuckled and shook his head.

"Even so-called large-scale battles are still soldier against soldier and general against general, fought in small teams. Of course, because there are too many ninjas, even if the battle area is consciously expanded, such battlefields are still the most chaotic. Even a so-called Jonin might be killed by a kunai that flies out from nowhere."

Uchiha Touyu nodded. It's similar to how veterans on the battlefield are most afraid of stray bullets. Bright lines of fire are easy to avoid, but no one can dodge stray bullets that come from who-knows-where.

"So, Tou-kun, even if you are powerful, you still need to be careful, especially given your age. You'll definitely be a prime target for the Iwa ninja!"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Tou chuckled lightly and said calmly:

"I'm really looking forward to it!"

Now, almost a month has passed since the last mission to investigate the Iwa ninja camp. Having absorbed a large amount of experience from the souls of Iwa ninja, Uchiha Touyu has undergone a complete transformation compared to a month ago.

If the Iwa ninja still views him with the same perspective they had a month ago, they're bound to suffer a great loss.

Just as Orochimaru and Uchiha Tou were chatting, a terrifying aura of chakra rose up behind the Iwa ninja, and a monstrous ape-like beast appeared on the outskirts of the battlefield.

In this decisive battle, the Iwa ninja naturally brought along their own Jinchuriki, since they had already been exposed, so there was no need to consider any balance issues.

After the massive Jinchūriki appeared, it began to condense chakra, slowly forming a huge black sphere, which then bombarded the hillside.

Facing the terrifying Tailed Beast Ball hurtling towards him, Orochimaru's expression remained cold. He rapidly formed hand seals and slammed his hands on the ground:

"Spirit Summoning Technique - Triple Rashomon!"

Three enormous Rashomon gates rose from the ground, and with a deafening roar, the Tailed Beast Ball energy blasts were deflected by the Rashomon gates, flying into the sky while grazing the hillside.

(End of this chapter)