In the Land of Earth, Iwa Ninja Village.
Unlike the current Hidden Cloud, whose morale has plummeted, the entire Iwagakure village is currently mobilizing and preparing for a new war.
"Did that guy, the Third Raikage, die?!"
"Haha, that's great! It's like a gift from heaven for Iwagakure!!"
Upon hearing the news of the Third Raikage's death, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, showed a joyful expression on his face.
Throughout the history of the ongoing intense warfare between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, upon hearing the news of the demise of the Hidden Cloud's strongest Raikage, who had always been in a deadlock with Iwagakure, the entire Iwagakure Ninja Village was delighted.
"Perfect, take advantage of the opportunity while those Hidden Cloud guys are retreating..."
"Let's gather Iwagakure's most outstanding elite forces! Launch a decisive attack on the Land of Fire!!"
Seeing through the ever-changing situation in the ninja world, the cunning Third Tsuchikage directly issued the command.
"However, Lord Tsuchikage..."
"If we launch a large-scale attack on the Land of Fire through the route from the Land of Fields, we will undoubtedly encounter Scarlet Yu from Konoha..."
However, at this moment, another elder advisor from Iwagakure Village, standing nearby, showed a hint of hesitation.
Apparently, the reputation Scarlet Yu has earned on the battlefield over the past year and the recent display of strength in killing the Hidden Cloud's Third Raikage have made him uneasy.
"Scarlet Yu..."
Upon hearing this, the Third Tsuchikage furrowed his brow deeply.
Yu killed Iwagakure Village's Five Tails Jinchuriki, 'Steam Ninja' Han, last year, and now, on the battlefield, has forcefully taken down the strongest Raikage of Hidden Cloud.
Dealing with such a formidable ninja on their path to launching a major attack on the Land of Fire is undoubtedly a cause for concern in the heart of the Third Tsuchikage.
"The swiftness of the troops is an eternal truth in war!"
"Originally, we stationed a large number of ninjas in the Land of Fields to deal with those from Hidden Cloud. However, it's now too late to mobilize them from the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain to launch an attack."
However, after a moment of contemplation, the Third Tsuchikage still decisively made a decision that he would regret for the rest of his life.
"We cannot give those people from Konoha the chance to regroup and catch their breath!"
"Now! Frontline ninjas! Attack the Land of Fire with full force!"
...
The sky seemed to have wept, turning gray. On the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Fields, the weather, which had always been calm and sunny, suddenly became overcast.
"I never thought that the leap from Jonin to Kage would be so difficult to overcome. No wonder so many ninjas spend their entire lives unable to cross this boundary."
In the camp stationed by Konoha, Yu had numerous white bandages wrapped around his body. Since the battle with the Third Raikage, it took Yu several days of complete rest before he finally fully recovered.
Although Shunko did not require a sacrifice as significant as the Eight Inner Gates, the strain and load on Yu's stamina exceeded his expectations. However, with great risk came great reward. After the fierce battle with the Third Raikage, Yu's current Chakra level had completely reached the pinnacle of Jonin.
Next, Yu only needed a suitable opportunity, and he could effortlessly step into the realm of Kages that most ninjas dreamt of.
"What kind of weird weather..."
"This damn sensation again..."
Looking up at the sky covered with dark clouds, for some reason, Yu suddenly felt an ominous and oppressive sensation in his heart, but he couldn't pinpoint the specifics.
"Never mind, let it go..."
"If the plot doesn't go wrong, this war should be coming to an end soon."
"As long as I'm given a little more time to truly become a Kage and create the fourth masterpiece... then I can firmly establish myself in this world!"
However, as Yu reached into his bosom and touched the scroll containing the sealed bodies of the Hidden Cloud's Third Raikage and Iwagakure's Five Tails Jinchuriki, 'Steam Ninja' Han, his somewhat uneasy heart suddenly settled.
Clang!!
However, at that moment, a peculiar sensation suddenly came over him, and Yu widened his eyes.
"Someone has touched the Thread Barrier I set up outside!"
"It should be the enemy... Akimichi-senpai!!"
Sensing that someone had triggered the Thread Barrier he set up on the battlefield outside the camp, Yu immediately reacted, rushing out of the tent to inform Akimichi Doto and all the Konoha ninjas.
"No... this is bad!!"
"Captain Akimichi! Lord Yu!!"
"The outside is completely filled with Iwa-nin! We are surrounded!!"
Just as he emerged from the tent, a Konoha Hyuga clan reconnaissance ninja had already rushed into the camp in a panicked state.
What?!
Upon hearing this sudden news, both Yu and Akimichi Doto were startled, and they simultaneously noticed the shock on each other's faces.
According to reason, the Hidden Sand Village of the Wind Country had already formed an alliance agreement with Konoha, and the Land of Lightning, which was the most war-prone among the Five Great Nations, had withdrawn its troops due to the death of the Third Raikage.
As the Third Great Ninja War seemed to be coming to an end, no one expected that the Iwa-nin, who had been silent all this time, would suddenly rise again at this moment.
"What is this?!"
The situation unfolded abruptly, and when Yu and Akimichi Doto, leading the Konoha ninja forces, arrived at the battlefield about a kilometer outside the camp, everyone present gasped at the sight before them.
In the vast field and plains that had stretched endlessly before them, there were now assembled thousands upon thousands of ninjas. They all wore uniform rock helmets and matching red, single-sided, sleeveless ninja uniforms. The sight was so densely packed that it seemed to have no end.
"What... what kind of joke is this..."
"How many ninjas did Iwagakure send this time..."
After clearly seeing the immense size of the Iwa-nin army from a high vantage point, Akimichi Doto, standing beside Yu, stared with wide-opened mouth in astonishment.
"This... this can't be true..."
"How are we supposed to fight this? Are the Iwagakure people out of their minds?!"
Similarly, upon seeing the number of Iwa-nin forces in front of them, the Konoha ninjas behind Yu were almost paralyzed with fear.
What in the world?!
These Iwa-nin... Could it be?!
Not just them, but at this moment, even Yu's expression changed upon seeing the gathering of a massive Iwa-nin army on the plain before them.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Yu's mind like lightning, and he understood.
These ninjas were none other than the ten thousand Iwa-nin who, in the original story, engaged in a three-day-three-night battle with the Third Raikage until he exhausted his strength and died. However, due to the divergence in the storyline, Cloud Ninja temporarily withdrew from the battlefield after he was killed by Yu.
Now, without their old adversary Hidden Cloud to balance the situation, Iwagakure immediately turned its attention to Konoha, intending to seize the opportunity to gather this army of ninjas and launch a full-scale attack on the Land of Fire.
"This is unbelievable..."
"Is this what they call karma in the real world?"
After grasping the key point in the situation, a wry smile appeared on Yu's elegant face.
Never did he expect that by killing the Third Raikage, he would end up facing this ten thousand-strong Iwa-nin army in his place. It seemed like karma had come full circle.
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