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Although Kurotsuchi kept a relaxed appearance, she knew Kakashi would not be easy to defeat.
Even if he couldn't replicate her Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan could easily see through any of her attacks.
They had been fighting for quite some time, and Kurotsuchi still hadn't managed a fatal strike against him.
Her chakra was running low after the prolonged battle, and at this rate, she worried she might never take him down.
In the moment Kurotsuchi was thinking of a new strategy, Kakashi made his move, forming hand seals. "Earth Style: Earth Flow Rising!"
A stream of mud surged from the ground. Kurotsuchi, recognizing the jutsu, leapt aside to avoid it, though she was surprised.
"Unbelievable…he's already copied my jutsu after seeing it just once. It looks like I'll have to rely on my Kekkei Genkai to take him down."
Through his Sharingan, Kakashi could see Kurotsuchi gathering a large amount of chakra, clearly preparing for a powerful technique.
He readied himself as Kurotsuchi activated her jutsu, "Lava Style: Cement Burial!"
A massive wave of cement erupted from the ground, surging toward him like an unstoppable flood.
The attack was not only powerful but wide enough that dodging was almost impossible—even nearby shinobi had to scramble to avoid it.
Given the thick layer of cement covering the ground from earlier, Kakashi had no way to escape underground with Earth Style.
His hand crackled with Chidori, but in the next instant, the cement wave engulfed him, hiding him from view as it solidified.
Kurotsuchi supported herself with one hand on the ground, breathing heavily from the chakra drain.
"This jutsu takes so much chakra…but with Kakashi trapped like that, he should be…"
A kunai touched her neck as Kakashi's voice spoke behind her. "Sorry, but I don't go down that easily."
She turned in shock, seeing him there. "What? How…you were buried in the cement!"
Kakashi replied, "Your jutsu was impressive, and I nearly got trapped under the cement."
"But if your cement had been as solid as the earlier lava-style technique, you might've succeeded."
"As I was getting buried, I used Chidori to break through and discovered that the cement beneath wasn't fully hardened."
"By repeatedly attacking it with Chidori, I was able to escape."
What Kakashi left unsaid was that if the cement had been thicker, he might have run out of chakra.
Meanwhile, Guy's battle with Akatsuchi was reaching a critical point. Both were skilled in taijutsu, though each had a different focus.
Guy, realizing he couldn't injure Akatsuchi, knew his attacks lacked sufficient power and activated the Eight Gates, opening the sixth gate.
With a surge of chakra, Guy's speed and strength increased dramatically.
Akatsuchi, aware of Guy's reputation in taijutsu, saw the chakra surrounding him and knew the coming assault would be intense.
He quickly formed hand seals and activated "Earth Style: Iron Fortress."
An armour made of dense earth enveloped him, hardening like steel and forming a shape resembling a small fortress.
In terms of speed, Guy in the Sixth Gate mode was far superior to Akatsuchi and landed a direct hit.
His punch was so intense it generated flames from the sheer speed, as he unleashed "Morning Peacock."
The successive, rapid blows landed on Akatsuchi, knocking him to the ground as his armour began to shatter.
Looking at his damaged armour, Akatsuchi remarked, "Incredible attack… I managed to block it, but if Kurotsuchi were in my place…"
Guy was surprised his attacks hadn't finished the job. Sweat formed on his brow as he muttered, "What? He survived that?"
Akatsuchi approached, saying, "Your attacks have ended, right? I've heard that using the Eight Gates drains you greatly. Now, it's my turn to attack."
He raised his fist, ready to strike. Guy, realizing the situation, thought, "I have no choice…I'll have to use that."
Crossing his arms, he declared, "Seventh Gate, Gate of Wonder—open!"
A powerful wave of chakra erupted around him, and his sweat vaporized, forming a blue aura.
Seeing this, Akatsuchi reinforced his armour even more, creating an even stronger defence than before.
Guy unleashed his ultimate taijutsu, "Daytime Tiger," an intense punch that compressed the air into a blast resembling a tiger.
The attack hit Akatsuchi's armour directly, shattering it as it drove into his body, despite the defence, leaving him heavily injured and unable to continue fighting.
Guy dashed forward to deliver a final blow when "Earth Style: Rock Spears" erupted from the ground in a wide area, forcing him to retreat.
Exhausted from using Daytime Tiger, Guy saw a large, muscular man appear to rescue Akatsuchi.
A similar situation unfolded on Kakashi's side, though this time, it was the man's clone.
Kakashi quickly joined Guy as the newcomer, Akatsuchi of Iwagakure, stepped forward.
Just then, a voice called from behind Kakashi. "No, this opponent is mine." Kakashi turned to see Jiraiya standing there.
"Take Guy back to rest," Jiraiya instructed.
"I'll handle things here." Kakashi supported Guy as they retreated to camp.
Guy remarked, "Kakashi, this time neither of us won. Let's call it a tie."
Kakashi, exasperated by Guy's relentless spirit, replied, "Fine, a tie it is."
Jiraiya flicked his long hair and spoke to Akatsuchi, "If I remember correctly, you're Akatsuchi from Iwagakure, right?"
"Without any evidence, you demanded Konoha hand over someone important, refused negotiations, and even started a war."
"Iwagakure's actions are a bit too aggressive, don't you think?"
Akatsuchi, aware that he wasn't entirely in the right, responded with a slightly uneasy expression, "We're only following the orders of the Tsuchikage."
"As shinobi, we must prioritize our missions above all. It's an honour to face you, one of the legendary Sannin, said to be on par with the Hokage."
Jiraiya, somewhat downcast, replied, "It seems there's no avoiding war, then. If that's the case, I have no choice but to go all out."
Akatsuchi quickly made hand signs. "Earth Release: Rock Fist!" A giant fist made of rock shot toward Jiraiya. "Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"
Jiraiya's hair extended and wrapped tightly around his body, blocking the punch.
He then kicked at Akatsuchi, who swiftly leapt backwards to avoid the attack. Jiraiya jumped back as well, performing hand signs, "Summoning Jutsu!"
As the smoke cleared, Gamabunta, with his signature pipe in his mouth, appeared. Jiraiya called out, "Gamabunta, get the oil ready."
Understanding the signal, Gamabunta and Jiraiya performed their combined attack, "Fire Style: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"
Jiraiya ignited the oil spewing from Gamabunta's mouth, creating a massive wave of flames.
Knowing how dangerous the technique was, Akatsuchi quickly formed hand signs, "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A giant wall of earth rose to block the intense flames.
Seeing Gamabunta summoned, Akatsuchi thought to himself, "He's summoned such a huge creature."
"I have to deal with it first, or things will get dangerous." Akatsuchi placed both hands on the ground.
"Earth Release: Mountain Earth Technique!" Two massive mountains formed from the earth, closing in to crush Gamabunta between them.
Gamabunta struggled, using all his strength to hold them apart.
Jiraiya was shocked by Akatsuchi's technique but noticed that Akatsuchi's hands remained on the ground.
Seizing the opportunity, Jiraiya formed a Rasengan and leapt over Gamabunta's head, aiming directly at Akatsuchi.
Seeing Jiraiya coming at him with a Rasengan, Akatsuchi immediately retreated, raising two more earth walls to block the attack.
However, this caused his Mountain Earth Technique to dissolve, freeing Gamabunta, who collapsed to the ground, panting.
"That was one heck of a jutsu. A bit longer, and I'd have been squashed flat," Gamabunta said, catching his breath.
Just as the two were preparing to resume their fight, an Iwagakure ANBU appeared beside Akatsuchi, whispering something in his ear.
Akatsuchi's expression grew serious as he turned to Jiraiya, "Jiraiya-sama, we've both suffered losses today. I propose we stop here for now. Let's settle this another day."
Jiraiya surveyed the battlefield. Konoha and Iwagakure were locked in a stalemate, with neither side gaining the upper hand.
He looked at the wounded Konoha shinobi, and his heart ached. Akatsuchi wasn't an opponent who could be easily dealt with either.
Though Konoha was stronger than Iwagakure, its position within the Land of Fire forced it to defend against both the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water simultaneously, preventing them from committing their full strength to the battle.
After a moment of contemplation, Jiraiya agreed to Akatsuchi's proposal.
At this point, many of the shinobi from both Konoha and Iwagakure were consumed with bloodlust.
However, orders from both sides' leaders forced them to cease fighting, though they glared at each other with hatred as they retreated.
In war, the death of comrades often leads to resentment, creating a vicious cycle.
In battles like these, where the difference in strength between the two sides isn't large, neither side tends to gain much in the end.
After the ceasefire, Jiraiya returned to the temporary base, where Shikaku had also returned.
Confused by Iwagakure's sudden decision to halt the battle, Jiraiya asked Shikaku, "It's clear that Iwagakure was forced into declaring war on us for some reason."
"Their goals haven't been achieved yet, so why would they suddenly stop fighting?"
Shikaku thought for a moment and replied, "The Tsuchikage must have realized that they don't have a decisive advantage in this war."
"If the conflict drags on, Konoha will suffer, but so will they. Stopping now reduces their losses while still keeping us occupied."
"I believe they have an ally, but we don't yet know who it is."
Jiraiya's eyes widened, "If another major nation were to attack the Land of Fire while we've deployed so many forces here, wouldn't that leave Konoha vulnerable?"
Shikaku nodded, "That's exactly the problem. However, we can't withdraw our troops right now, or we risk being pursued and destroyed."
"Worst-case scenario, Iwagakure could even launch a direct assault on Konoha."
"To send reinforcements back home, we'd need to deal with the enemy here first. But given today's battle, that won't be easy."
Jiraiya, anxious about Konoha's safety, asked, "Is there no better solution?"
Sensing Jiraiya's worry, Shikaku reassured him, "Don't worry. The Hokage isn't easy to take down, and Konoha still has many skilled ANBU operatives."
"The village will be fine. Our focus should be on wrapping things up here."
"What worries me more is that a full-scale war between the major villages seems inevitable."
"After this long period of peace, is the Fourth Great Ninja War finally coming?"
Jiraiya felt a sense of relief at first, but as Shikaku mentioned the possibility of another Great Ninja War, a heavy weight settled in his heart.
Having survived the Third Great Ninja War, Jiraiya knew better than anyone the horrors of battle.
During the clash between Konoha and Iwagakure, both Kirigakure and Kumogakure had been closely watching the war's developments.
Upon learning that Konoha had committed a large number of shinobi to fight Iwagakure, Kirigakure saw this as a rare opportunity.
Having long desired to strike at the Land of Fire, they could no longer restrain themselves and sent a massive force of shinobi to attack.
But it wasn't just other nations keeping an eye on Konoha; Konoha was also keeping tabs on their enemies.
Since their last encounter, Kirigakure had been under close surveillance by Konoha.
Once Kirigakure made their move, Konoha received word ahead of time.
News of both Kirigakure and Iwagakure launching attacks on the Land of Fire simultaneously reached Tsunade, who quickly convened another meeting.
This time, it was clear to everyone that peaceful negotiations were no longer a viable option.
The focus of the discussions was on how best to defend.
Even though the Land of Fire was the strongest of the Five Great Nations, the pressure of facing two nations at once weighed heavily on everyone in the room.
The looming crisis threatened not only Konoha but the entire Land of Fire, which now faced the real danger of destruction.
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