Land of Grass's desolate hill.
The battle was on the verge of breaking out.
The clamor of ninjas fighting sounded like the thunderous roar of thousands of soldiers and horses, with hysterical shouts, explosions from ninja techniques, and the sharp whistle of weapons cutting through the air.
"Earth Style: Earthquake Core!"
Kitsuchi, who was at the forefront of the battlefield, fought bravely.
He immediately caused the ground under his feet to rise into the air, becoming the center of attention on the battlefield for a moment.
Then he quickly used a second ninja technique.
"Earth Style: Rock Fist Jutsu!"
After casting this ninjutsu, his right hand wrapped in an immensely hard, giant fist-shaped rock, he smashed it fiercely against the elevated ground.
The huge stone block rose at a terrifying speed, shattering and scattering, crashing into the attacking Konoha ninjas, sending their blood and flesh flying, and filling the air with their screams.
As the commander of the Hidden Rock forces in the Land of Grass, Kitsuchi not only had outstanding strategic thinking, but his hard power also placed him among the top-tier ninjas of Hidden Rock.
Although his power was somewhat inferior to the Sannin, as long as he made good use of the terrain, the strength he displayed and its destructive power should not be underestimated.
Moreover, he possessed natural monster strength that ordinary ninjas did not have. Therefore, when using power-type Earth Style: Rock Fist Jutsu, his ninjutsu's power would be brutally ferocious, causing great distress to his enemies.
After defeating the Konoha ninjas who surrounded him, Kitsuchi led the Hidden Rock ninjas further into the battlefield.
Ahead, one of the Konoha Sannin, Jiraiya, awaited his arrival.
"Fire Style: Flame Bomb!"
A massive fireball came devouring its way.
Kitsuchi naturally didn't need to personally defend against this kind of ninjutsu; the accompanying Hidden Rock ninjas had already erected a sturdy earth wall, blocking the fireball.
"Today is the day of your demise!"
"You sure like to talk big."
Facing Kitsuchi's provocation, Jiraiya responded with a smile.
After a brief melee, Kitsuchi, using his advantage in monster strength, barely managed to push Jiraiya back.
Then, he jumped back himself, creating a safe distance from Jiraiya, probably not wanting to be caught in the next wave of attacks.
He crouched halfway down and slammed his hands onto the ground, his gaze cold and sharp:
"Earth Style: Mountain Earth Jutsu!"
The ground rumbled, as if something huge and terrifying was brewing beneath.
Jiraiya found it difficult to stand steady on the ground, but he also sensed something was amiss and began sealing.
Massive shadows emerged from both sides - two gigantic hemispherical rocks began to close in on him from either side.
A human body of flesh and blood would struggle to resist such pressure, and if no defensive measures were taken, rocks of this size were enough to cause fatal injuries.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Bang!
In the middle of the two massive hemispherical rocks, a large amount of white smoke arose.
A huge animal shadow appeared amidst the smoke.
"Jiraiya, you bastard, you always summon me in such strange places!"
It was a giant toad.
Holding a large, sharp short knife in its hands, it cursed at Jiraiya but still obediently swung the knife, quickly shattering the massive rocks pressing in from both sides.
Jiraiya, standing imposingly on the giant toad's head, ignored its swearing and gazed heavily at Kitsuchi.
So far, Kitsuchi had been using large-scale Earth Style ninjutsu. On the battlefield, such an enemy was the most terrifying.
Once such a type of ninja's jutsu succeeded, it meant a massive casualty of personnel.
"Is it that troublesome giant toad again?"
Although his Mountain Earth Jutsu was newly learned and not very well-mannered, resulting in insufficient power, being able to block his attack so quickly showed the toad's quick reaction and strength were not to be underestimated.
Added to that its enormous size, it must be restrained somehow.
"However, coming over for a provocation at this time, is there some plot from Konoha?"
Kitsuchi, who originally intended to attack directly, reconsidered based on Hidden Rock's current strategic layout and temporarily gave up the idea.
Given Konoha's current predicament, Hidden Rock only needed to proceed steadily and methodically to force Konoha into continued retreating, without the need for risky offensive strategies.
Compared to Konoha, Hidden Rock couldn't afford to lose.
◎
"Hmm?"
Ayane, running through the forest, suddenly halted her steps, focusing her attention in a certain direction.
There were a total of nine people.
Two Root squads, making up eight people, plus the leaders of the two squads, totaling nine.
And the leader was none other than Shimura Danzo, the Root Leader from whom the Hidden Rock had a bounty of one hundred million ryo placed on him.
"Nine people, with a total bounty sum of one hundred forty million ryo. And that guy Danzo, last time I left Konoha I didn't get to take him down, now's a good chance to settle that score from a few years back."
For Ayane, there was a life-and-death grudge against Root Leader Danzo.
She wouldn't forget being framed by Root, nearly being wiped out by Hidden Sand.
If Root hadn't underestimated their strength, and barring a series of coincidences, she probably wouldn't be standing here today, declaring war against Konoha and the Hyuga.
"I'm not like Hakushi-kun; women are petty and vengeful creatures."
However, considering there were nine people on Danzo's side, she wasn't sure if her lone strength would suffice.
As the leader of Root and a disciple of the previous Hokage Senju Tobirama, Danzo's strength was surely outstanding even among the Jonin.
And those accompanying him from Root would certainly each have their own unique skills, embodying the elite.