Under the gloomy sky, the deep crimson Susanoo rampaged across the battlefield, towering like an immovable mountain, dominating the view of all who watched. It stood out so strikingly, filling the hearts of the Konoha ninja and their allies with excitement and hope, while simultaneously casting a shadow of fear over the Cloud ninja.

Even the battle-hardened Cloud ninja weren't mindless machines devoid of fear.

Once the fervor of battle was shattered, the Cloud ninja, now calmer, became acutely aware of the looming threat of death. If their sacrifice could secure honor and ensure the safety of their families, many would still be willing to fight to the end. But when the value of their deaths was diminished, how many would truly throw themselves into such peril?

The sight of Susanoo drained the morale from the Cloud ninja, as though snow melting under the blazing sun.

The Fourth Raikage clenched his fist.

"Earth Release Unit, follow me."

At his command, a senior Cloud jonin shouted orders, leading a pre-assembled force to directly confront the massive Susanoo striding toward them. Driven by their commander's orders and their belief in sacrificing for the village, the Cloud ninja overcame their fear and advanced.

Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!

Earth Release: Ant Hell!

Earth Release: Flowing Earth River!

Chakra was spent as if it were limitless. Special powerful food pills were swallowed, each one potent enough to extract chakra worth three or four regular pills, though their side effects were equally severe, even fatal. But no one cared about the aftermath right now. When they were chosen to face Susanoo, they knew one foot was already in the grave, and they might soon meet the Sage of Six Paths in the afterlife.

The terrain ahead was forcefully altered by their techniques. The once-solid ground capable of supporting both Susanoo and tailed beasts became unstable and soft. As Susanoo stepped forward, its foot sank into the earth, causing its massive body to stumble slightly before regaining balance, its posture now slightly tilted.

On the forehead of Susanoo stood Uchiha Sougen.

He glanced down at the handiwork of the Cloud ninja. He had to admit, they had timed their Earth Release techniques well. If they had struck a second earlier, he wouldn't have stepped in; a second later, and he would have already passed.

However—

"You still don't get it! Without the blood of the Sage of Six Paths, you can't play in the shinobi world!" Sougen blinked, and in an instant, Susanoo's blade sliced through the air, so fast that the Cloud ninja preparing a massive combination jutsu barely had time to react.

The blade carved a deep gash through the land, reducing the Cloud ninja to scattered fragments of flesh and bone, mixed with the soil. In the aftermath, only blood-stained earth and half-buried, shattered bones remained, a sight so horrifying it made one's scalp tingle.

Not even a whole body left behind.

That's what it means to die without leaving a trace.

According to their plan, the Earth Release team was supposed to slow down Susanoo's advance, allowing the Water and Lightning Release units to launch a combined assault. The Fourth Raikage would then seize the moment to break through Susanoo's defenses and strike at Uchiha Sougen, Uchiha Shisui, or Uchiha Fugaku.

This was the Cloud ninja's strategy: simple, direct, but the best they had. Ideally, they would have sent a jinchuriki to fight, but the unstable mental state of Yugito made that risky. One wrong move could deal a devastating blow to the morale of the Cloud forces.

So, Raikage A kept Yugito in reserve, a hidden trump card.

As long as Yugito stayed out of the fight, the Cloud ninja could at least hold onto the belief that they still had a fallback plan.

But trying to stop a behemoth like Susanoo without a jinchuriki meant heavy casualties. There was no need to calculate the potential losses; simply looking at the devastation caused by rampaging Eight-Tails or Two-Tails in the past was enough to make anyone shudder.

In the end, Raikage A chose this approach, knowing that the lives of hundreds of Cloud ninja were expendable compared to the value of their jinchuriki—or more precisely, their tailed beasts. With the Eight-Tails already lost, losing the Two-Tails would turn this southern campaign against Konoha into an outright disaster.

To be honest,

Since Killer Bee was captured, there had already been murmurs within the Cloud ninja ranks about retreating. Konoha had displayed overwhelming strength, and continuing this battle seemed futile. But A had crushed those voices with an iron fist.

Of course, he knew brute force wouldn't work forever, so he proposed an alliance with the Stone ninja, explaining their plan to rescue the Eight-Tails jinchuriki. This had restored some unity within the ranks, and today, the assault began in earnest.

But now,

Watching his Cloud ninja reduced to bloody remnants by Susanoo's sword, and then replaced by another wave of ninja rushing to fill the gap, Raikage A's mind wavered. Perhaps he was unwilling to admit that this campaign to attack Konoha had already failed. Was he simply making excuses to send his loyal subordinates down a path of near-certain death?

"No, I can't lose focus now!"

A furrowed his brow, nearly knitting his face into a scowl. He suppressed the intrusive thoughts, forcing himself to acknowledge that there was no turning back. No matter how grim the road ahead, he had to see this through to the end.

Perhaps, just maybe,

Tsuchidai and the others would surprise him!

A cleared his mind of distractions, resolidified his resolve, and continued to command his troops with calm confidence. Layer upon layer of traps were laid, as if a spider weaving its web to ensnare prey—though this particular prey was far larger than any spider could hope to catch.

To Uchiha Sougen, however, these Cloud ninja were the prey, not him. The Fourth Raikage, not far off, was a tempting bait dangling just within reach.

And so,

The deadly hunt—where hunter and prey were no longer distinguishable—began.

…

On another part of the battlefield, Uchiha Itachi and Kaguya Kimimaro had finally stopped fleeing. Reinforcements had arrived just in time. Though still outnumbered, they were no longer at risk of being surrounded. Facing two or three enemies at a time was routine for Konoha ninja by now.

For geniuses like Uchiha Itachi, fighting while outnumbered was a lesson they had long since mastered.

There was nothing to fear.

"There's nothing to worry about, Nothing worth fretting over!

All you need to do is dance here and now, with all your might!

Let the Uchiha blood burn wildly, the black tomoe in his eyes spinning rapidly. Every time he makes eye contact with someone, they are pulled into eternal sleep. The small blade in his hand continuously slashes the throats of the Cloud Ninja, its swift edge feeling as if it had been kissed by death itself! 'Too slow!'

Uchiha Itachi muttered softly.

His body leaped once again, meeting an enemy descending from the treetops midair. The enemy averted his gaze, not daring to look into Itachi's eyes, and instead thrust a long sword crackling with lightning toward Itachi's chest, hoping to use its length to kill him first.

However, just as Itachi had said, the enemy's seemingly swift movements were agonizingly slow under the gaze of the Sharingan. Itachi even noticed the explosive tag burning behind the Cloud Ninja. It was a shadow clone! 'Wah—Wah—!'

The lightning-clad sword pierced through Itachi's chest, but instead of blood spurting, a murder of crows screeched as they scattered. In the moment of the Cloud Ninja's shock, the explosive tag detonated, a burst of brilliant flames blossoming in the sky!

The real Cloud Ninja, hidden in the shadows, furrowed his brows.

'A clone? When did he do that?' He hadn't seen Itachi make a clone at any point.

'When you blinked.'

The reply from above sent cold sweat trickling down the Cloud Ninja's face. He kicked off the ground, trying to dart out from behind the tree. However, a small blade from above pierced through his right ear and out through his jaw, its bloodstained tip gleaming.

The blade was withdrawn, and the Cloud Ninja, no longer supported, fell, becoming yet another fresh corpse on the vast battlefield.

Uchiha Itachi held the blood-dripping blade, paying no mind to wiping it clean—it wasn't necessary, as it would soon be stained again. He turned his gaze toward Kimimaro, who was locked in fierce combat with three Cloud Ninja. Kimimaro's upper body was bare, and his pants were in tatters.

Sharp white bones protruded from his body, making him look like a walking porcupine. Despite being outnumbered, he showed no sign of being at a disadvantage.

There was no need for Itachi to worry about his safety! 'Whoosh!'

A giant shuriken flew toward Itachi. He swiftly crouched, and the massive weapon sliced through the tree behind him, a tree so large it would take five or six people to wrap their arms around it. The tree's crown, along with half the trunk, crashed down, forcing Itachi to step aside to avoid being crushed.

At that moment, A sharp sound cut through the air from behind him. Itachi quickly turned to see another massive shuriken, shaped like a square, flying straight at him. His eyes narrowed, and his blade crackled with electricity as he timed his strike perfectly, channeling a burst of chakra to deflect the shuriken. The weapon, which was large enough to cleave him in two, whizzed past him, narrowly missing.

Though it seemed to take long, this all happened in an instant.

'Magnet Release Ninja—Toroi?'

Itachi recognized the Cloud Ninja who had attacked him with the square-shaped shuriken. His father, Uchiha Fugaku, had warned him about dangerous enemies, and Toroi's name was among them.

There were quite a few Magnet Release users among the Cloud Ninja, But Toroi was the most famous. His unique square-shaped shuriken and masterful use of Magnet Release had earned him quite a reputation on the battlefield.

Itachi recognized Toroi so quickly because Fugaku had regretted not killing him in the last war, leaving a strong impression on Itachi. He hadn't expected to encounter him today.

'Kid, if you don't want to die, just surrender! Lord Raikage said he'd prefer to capture a genius like you alive, but once I get serious, I can't hold back...'

Toroi didn't finish his sentence.

His words were interrupted by the shuriken Itachi hurled at him. Words were pointless—actions spoke louder! Toroi wasn't angered. He simply threw his own square-shaped shuriken. However, to his surprise, his shuriken didn't knock down Itachi's two small shuriken. Instead, they collided in midair, changing their trajectory and shooting toward him from both sides.

'Uchiha shuriken technique, huh? This won't work on me.'

The shuriken were just inches away, but Toroi remained calm. With a flick of his fingers, two large square shuriken embedded in the ground flew up, deflecting the small shuriken like shields.

'Playing with tools? I'm an expert in that!'

The Cloud Ninja lacked a sample of the One-Tail Shukaku for their Magnet Release research, so they stuck to the traditional method of magnetizing objects to control tools in battle. Compared to the Sand Ninja's varied 'Sand Techniques,' their style was a bit more straightforward.

They could only control a limited number of metal tools, unlike the Sand Ninja, who could command an endless amount of sand.

But the fact that they maintained this tradition meant it still had its merits. Otherwise, Toroi wouldn't have made a name for himself using Magnet Release.

Without even looking at Itachi, Toroi raised his hand, And a series of square-shaped shuriken flew into the air.

Four massive square shuriken hovered above, shooting toward Itachi at breakneck speed. It was as if they were guided by some tracking system—they relentlessly pursued him no matter how he tried to evade them.

"