The attack by Iwa Shinobi was much faster than Jiraiya anticipated.
Land of Fire, First Frontline.
Jiraiya watched as figures began appearing continuously among the distant mountains.
Thanks to the powerful visual capabilities provided by his basic internal strength, he could see the approaching Iwa Shinobi clearly, wielding their weapons and roaring towards them.
"Kill!"
The Iwa Shinobi had completely abandoned the principles of stealth that ninjas usually adhered to. They were making a direct, open assault.
"If that's how it is..."
Jiraiya bit his finger and pressed it to the ground.
"Boom!"
A massive toad appeared under Jiraiya's feet.
"Then I will play along till the end."
A fierce wind swept across Jiraiya's battle armor.
Behind him stood numerous Konoha ninjas in their green armor. Some stood on the ground, some hung upside down from the trees, while others were crouching on the branches.
There were members of the Aburame clan with their signature sunglasses, members of the Inuzuka clan accompanied by their ninken (ninja dogs), and even several members of the Hyuga clan, along with other ninja families.
Most of the ninjas, however, were civilians who had joined in recent years.
"Everyone!" Jiraiya stood atop the giant toad, gazing into the distant battlefield.
"Lord Jiraiya!"
The crowd shouted in unison.
Only then did Jiraiya turn and call out to the toad under his feet.
"Bunta! Let's go!"
"Got it!"
Toad Bunta's hand was already resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"Charge!!"
Jiraiya roared, and Toad Bunta leaped forward with all his strength, jumping right into the crowd of Iwa Shinobi.
The large sword at his waist was unsheathed in an instant.
The ninjas behind Jiraiya followed suit.
The battle erupted immediately.
With his massive size, Toad Gamabunta rampaged through the crowd, his sword slashing through the Iwa Shinobi like an afterimage, while Jiraiya used his fire-release jutsu to cause widespread burns among them.
"Jiraiya!!"
"You wish!!"
"Today, Konoha will definitely fall!!"
Three figures emerged from among the Iwa Shinobi, converging on Jiraiya.
Though there were no elite shinobi like Jiraiya among the Iwa Shinobi, they did have a few jonin who were just slightly weaker.
Jiraiya was momentarily entangled by the three attackers.
Konoha's shinobi clashed fiercely with the Iwa Shinobi.
The Inuzuka clan members and their ninken transformed into spinning tornados, wreaking havoc until they were soon surrounded by earth walls emerging from the ground.
Countless bugs flew around like a sea, devouring the lives of enemy shinobi, though the Iwa Shinobi countered with fierce explosions of flame, wiping out large portions of the insect swarm.
In terms of numbers, Konoha was at a disadvantage, but their individual strength gave them a slight edge over the Iwa Shinobi.
However, without a significant gap in strength, some Iwa Shinobi still managed to break through towards the rear.
As the Iwa Shinobi infiltrated further, battles also ignited within the forest behind the frontline.
Namikaze Minato and Kushina looked tense, hiding among the trees.
The booming sound of distant jutsu resounded clearly here.
The intensity of the clash made it obvious that this battle was different from the skirmishes before.
The earlier conflicts seemed like mere trifles in comparison.
"Why does there have to be war?"
Kushina couldn't help but ask Minato.
Minato struggled to come up with an answer. Suddenly, he remembered something Jin had once said when he was feeling bored, a story he had told.
"Those in high positions disagree with each other, so they send the sons of farmers to travel great distances to kill the sons of other farmers. In the end, the leaders shake hands and reconcile."
So, were the Daimyo those leaders, and were the shinobi the farmers' sons?
Minato felt it might indeed be something like that. Surely the Hokage couldn't be that ruler.
"Isn't it just ridiculous?"
Jin's words echoed in his ears.
Minato took a deep breath and shook the thoughts away, for the enemy had arrived.
Two adult Iwa Shinobi appeared in front of them.
Their task was to prevent any enemy from breaking through to the rear.
A breeze blew.
Leaves fell along with the wind.
The two Iwa Shinobi eyed the falling leaves warily.
"This jutsu... It makes me too sensitive to everything," one of them grumbled.
They had recently acquired a jutsu that greatly enhanced their agility, strength, and reflexes.
But sometimes being overly sensitive could have its own downsides.
"Stop talking and keep moving," the other Iwa Shinobi panted heavily, staying alert as he scanned the forest.
Their goal was to breach Konoha's defenses, to stir up chaos in the Land of Fire if they succeeded.
But Konoha's defenses were not easy to break through.
Anywhere in this forest could be hiding a Konoha shinobi.
The two advanced silently, heads down.
They knew well that both of them were merely chunin and had made it this far by luck.
Yet they couldn't be certain that luck would continue to favor them.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The sound of projectiles cutting through the air rang out. The two quickly leapt from the ground, narrowly dodging the incoming shuriken.
However, the shuriken twisted in mid-air, tracking them like shadows.
The two Iwa Shinobi clasped hands, pulling each other and shifting their positions to evade the pursuing shuriken.
They landed back on the ground, but it was as if they fell into water, slowly disappearing beneath the earth.
The surroundings fell silent, a silence fraught with hidden menace.
The next moment, Kushina finished weaving her hand seals.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
A massive water dragon formed out of thin air, crashing into the ground forcefully, forcing the two hidden Iwa Shinobi to jump out.
By this point, Minato had already reached them. His kunai blocked one of their attacks, but he was kicked in the stomach by the other.
"Boom!"
Minato's figure turned into a log, reappearing beside one of the ninjas.
A deadly kunai, like a striking viper, aimed for the Iwa Shinobi's neck.
"Clang!" The other Iwa Shinobi managed to block the attack just in time.
The targeted Iwa Shinobi countered fiercely, thrusting his kunai at Minato.
"Boom!"
Once again, Minato's form turned into a log.
Substitution Jutsu was Minato's specialty.
When he reappeared, he didn't attack right away. Instead, he emerged a short distance away, surrounded by swirling wind.
Minato made a slicing motion towards one of the Iwa Shinobi, and a wind blade instantly spanned the distance, slicing through the shinobi.
The Iwa Shinobi's eyes widened in disbelief. How could a wind blade move so fast? But his life ended before he could dwell on the thought.
"Damn it!! Damn Konoha shinobi!!" The other Iwa Shinobi roared, pulling out an explosive tag.
Behind him, Kushina had silently appeared, half of her face obscured by the shadow of a large tree, revealing only a single crimson eye.
With a punch, she struck the Iwa Shinobi.
"Boom."
The powerful blow smashed the Iwa Shinobi into the ground, his body bending backward.
Clearly, his life had ended.
Kushina and Minato regrouped, both remaining vigilant, gazing into the distance.
There were more figures rushing towards them.