The strong wind swept through the entire forest, carrying the Fire Style jutsu forward, sweeping everything in its path.
Fugaku exhaled the last of the smoke from his mouth, breathing slightly heavier.
The enemy's numbers were far greater than he had imagined.
After killing one, more Iwa-nin quickly surged forward, not giving him a moment's rest.
Or perhaps it was that there were too few comrades around him.
In comparison, the enemy seemed endless.
The forest was too vast.
Looking into the distance, Fugaku could see that the area was filled with Iwa-nin, and he couldn't even imagine how many more were hidden out of sight.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind.
"Fugaku, be careful. A group of several hundred Iwa-nin is heading toward your position. Don't let them open a gap."
It was Shikaku warning him.
Upon hearing the voice, Fugaku's expression immediately sharpened.
On the battlefield, various ninjutsu clashed with one another.
Shurikens and flying stones whizzed through the air, and explosions erupted from time to time, with more and more lives being lost.
Soon, Fugaku spotted the Iwa-nin squad that Shikaku had mentioned.
He quickly retreated, and several of his fellow Uchiha ninjas stood beside him.
"Fire!"
Fugaku called out in a low voice, and in an instant, his comrades scattered in all directions, forming hand seals with each other in unison.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Several massive fireballs rained down from the sky like an inferno, their intense heat distorting the air around them.
The scorching waves of heat slammed into the Iwa-nin below, who had just arrived, and with no way to escape, they were consumed by the flames.
But soon, many of the Iwa-nin countered with their own jutsu, creating massive earthen walls or large water jutsus.
As water and fire collided, dense white steam filled the air, obscuring their vision.
The Uchiha members, unfazed by the water mist, held kunai or short blades in their hands.
Their red eyes sharpened as they began to reap the lives of their enemies.
"There's a group of Iwa-nin breaking through the western defenses.
Minato, take a team and go hold them off."
"Zaisen, Todo, and Murasaki, there's an explosion-style ninja 30 meters north. Go take care of him."
"Shimi, watch out below! Enemies are coming from underground!"
"Genta, lead a team to support Fugaku."
At the rear of the Konoha forces, Shikaku sat beside Inoichi, fully focused on commanding the battlefield.
With the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques, he had the chakra positions of all enemies and allies in the forest mapped out in his mind.
On the ground in front of him, he had drawn several simple directional maps with a branch, some of which had been partially erased.
This battle was far more difficult than he had anticipated.
The enemy's numbers were overwhelming.
By now, both sides had suffered countless casualties, but Iwa-nin continued to pour in with reinforcements.
He had been doing everything he could to minimize Konoha's losses, distributing troops efficiently across the battlefield.
However, the disparity in forces couldn't be compensated for by mere tactics.
These Iwa-nin were not an unorganized mob; they were elite forces hardened by years of war.
It was incredibly difficult for Konoha ninjas to fight multiple enemies at once.
"Lord Hokage! You've advanced too far!"
"Minato, Lord Hokage isn't far from you. Head south to assist him."
Shikaku's eyes were bloodshot, a result of prolonged mental strain.
Inoichi beside him had started bleeding from his nose as well.
The rest of the sensory team members were also showing signs of physical exhaustion.
Shikaku wanted to express concern, but seeing Inoichi gritting his teeth and persisting, as well as the chaos of the battlefield, he held back.
"Fugaku, another team of two hundred Iwa-nin is heading your way! We can't let them breach the front!"
They were positioned at the far rear of the battlefield, but they could still hear the sounds of intense fighting.
Some Iwa-nin had bypassed the front and were choosing to attack from the flanks.
Shikaku glanced at the clock in his hand; more than an hour had passed.
Konoha had suffered heavy casualties, and while the Iwa-nin had suffered greater losses, their numbers far exceeded Konoha's.
"Lord Hokage, you need to retreat..."
"Fugaku! A large enemy force is approaching! One thousand... no! Two thousand Iwa-nin!"
"Lord Hokage, you must retreat south immediately!"
"Hiashi, lead a team to support Fugaku!"
"Doza! Doza! You go too!"
The frontlines.
Fugaku gathered with the remaining members of his unit, and along with his fellow Uchiha clan members, they numbered only a few hundred.
How could they possibly withstand more than two thousand Iwa-nin?
He could feel most of his chakra drained, his body and mind exhausted.
The enemy's assault came quickly.
In the distance, the forest seemed to break like a dam, with a continuous wave of Iwa-nin charging forward.
Fugaku gritted his teeth and commanded, "Inoka, Hachidai, retreat!"
He chose to avoid the main conflict, and his ninja began to fall back.
However, the newly arrived Iwa-nin would not let them retreat so easily.
A storm of shuriken and flying stones rained down from the sky, and the ground beneath their feet became a muddy mess due to the jutsu, while trees around them periodically collapsed.
Fugaku heard Shikaku's impatient voice in his mind.
"Fugaku, you can't retreat! If you leave, the front will open up and we'll be finished!"
These words made Fugaku feel even more trapped.
He glanced behind him, seeing countless Iwa-nin rapidly closing in on them.
"Captain, be careful!"
Suddenly, Fugaku was dragged away by a force.
It was Uchiha Hachidai, who had pulled him from the sharp rock spikes below.
However, this brief delay allowed countless Iwa-nin to swarm in.
His comrades fought to the death, but with so many enemies, it wasn't long before another one fell.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Fugaku felt his mind start to blur, the crimson flames filling his vision.
The intense heat, combined with the unrelenting battles, caused him to feel dizzy.
Thankfully, it was his clan's jutsu, and they shielded Fugaku, fending off the Iwa-nin's onslaught.
"Captain, are you alright?" Hachidai asked urgently.
Fugaku gasped for breath, the ringing in his ears making his comrades' voices sound distant.
"Fire Style: Dust Concealment!"
The Uchiha clan member exhaled a large cloud of gray smoke from his mouth, which quickly spread throughout the area, obscuring everyone's vision.
The dust was unbearably hot, and the particles floating in the air burned when they touched the skin.
The Iwa-nin were momentarily blocked from advancing, but the leader of the Iwa-nin shouted.
"Don't let them escape! They're from the Uchiha clan!"
Swish, swish, swish!
As soon as his words fell, hundreds of figures fearlessly charged into the smoke.
A strong wind blew from behind the Iwa-nin, trying to disperse the gray smoke, but the wind only made it more difficult for those within the smoke to see, causing them even more pain as they could not open their eyes.
Fortunately, the smoke was beginning to be blown away by the strong wind.
The leader of the Iwa-nin rushed forward, determined to find Fugaku.
However, just a few steps ahead, he saw a huge black shadow moving behind the dissipating smoke.
What is that, someone from the Akimichi clan...?
This thought flashed through the Iwa-nin's mind, but before he could process it, the shadow in front of him suddenly pierced through his abdomen!
He widened his eyes, frozen in place, and looked down.
A huge, curved blade was embedded in his stomach, with visible dark chakra swirling around it, resembling black flames!
The black shadows in the smoke revealed a pair of glowing eyes, and before the Iwa-nin could react, countless dark chakra tomoe shot out of the smoke, spinning at high speed.
Upon contact with anything, they exploded violently.
"What is that?!"
"Ah! Ah!"
"Get away!"
"Earth Style—"
The Iwa-nin screamed in terror, scattering in all directions.
Some tried to use techniques to defend, but ordinary Earth Style jutsu were no match for the explosive power of the tomoe.
This single attack instantly claimed the lives of over a hundred Iwa-nin.
As the smoke finally cleared, Fugaku had temporarily retreated to another location.
He was being supported by Hachidai, wiping the blood tears streaming from his eyes.
He glanced at the Iwa-nin, who, in fear, dared not pursue.
His vision was somewhat blurry, and everything before him appeared as multiple afterimages.
"Captain?"
"I'm fine," Fugaku gasped heavily.
At this moment, Hiruzen finally returned.
With a single staff in hand, he charged into the enemy ranks, fearless in the face of numerous opponents.
Many Iwa-nin fell before him in a single round.
His arrival greatly alleviated the pressure on Fugaku and his group.
The presence of a Hokage on the battlefield is incredibly valuable, possessing the power to turn the tide of battle.
This is also why Minato went alone to disrupt the Iwa-nin formation, which is one of the reasons why Iwa-nin's forces always attack in waves.
"Fugaku, that move you just used was very effective. Can you use it again?"
Suddenly, the voice of Shikaku echoed in Fugaku's mind.
Fugaku forced a bitter smile and responded in his mind, "Why don't you try it?"
He shook his head, focusing his attention forward, though his vision was still blurred with many afterimages.
Shikaku could only reply, "Hurry and assist the Hokage!"
Hyuga Hiashi and Akimichi Choza, each leading a group, rushed over, but together they numbered barely a hundred.
The battle continued, with death still claiming lives, and the enemy kept advancing, yet they could not retreat.
The smell of blood was stifling, and many of the bodies on the ground were likely familiar faces.
The sounds of intense fighting in the distance never ceased—screams, roars, both from enemies and allies alike.
Fugaku took a deep breath and shouted to those around him,
"Everyone, are you ready to die in battle?"
The response came in unison: "We fight to the death, with no regrets!"
End of chapter
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