Year 13 of Konoha, December.
The Hidden Cloud Village, due to the disappearance of the First Raikage and the successive annihilation of their envoys, mobilized a large number of ninjas to invade the Land of Fire, uprooting Konoha's outposts and bases along the way with overwhelming force and lightning speed.
Among them, the vanguard led by Kinkaku was unstoppable. The combination of the Bashōsen fan and the power of the tailed beasts unleashed devastation akin to natural disasters, dominating the battlefield and leaving no one able to stand against them.
When the news reached Konoha, it immediately sparked public outrage. The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, promptly summoned the village's high-ranking officials to convene a war council.
The 'peace negotiation policy' proposed by a small minority was vetoed by Tobirama with a single vote.
With the volatile situation, the entire shinobi world is watching. If we negotiate peace now, it would be no different from showing weakness to a formidable enemy. In this world where the strong prey on the weak, no one will reason with the powerless.
Showing weakness to the enemy will quickly invite collective attacks. The best approach is to retaliate in kind and suppress them with overwhelming force.
Two days later, Konoha declared war on Kumogakure with a strong stance, dispatching an elite ninja force led by Uchiha Kagami to counterattack the Hidden Cloud Village.
The main forces of both sides clashed at the northern border of the Land of Fire, engaging in a fierce battle. Uchiha Kagami single-handedly held off Kinkaku and his Kumo-nin troops, with both sides suffering casualties as the conflict escalated.
Midway through the same month, Iwagakure and Kirigakure inexplicably erupted into battle. The two villages, long-standing rivals with deep-seated grudges, were like powder kegs ready to explode at the slightest spark.
The Stone and Mist shinobi sent troops to attack each other, and the intensity of their battles even surpassed that between the Leaf and the Cloud.
The Land of Wind, with its sparse population, barren land, and weak economy, was not drawn into the war. Instead, it closed its doors and isolated itself, focusing solely on its own well-being.
During this period, the Second Kazekage, Shamon, rose to power. While remaining vigilant against other shinobi villages, he devoted more energy to the development of the Sand Village.
With the departure of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, the agreement among the Five Great Nations instantly collapsed. The new era's balance of power, which had maintained peace for the first dozen or so years of this new age, was utterly destroyed.
The First Great Ninja War had officially begun.
...
Northern Land of Fire, the frontline between Konoha and Kumogakure.
Kinkaku leaped high into the air, swinging his Bashōsen fiercely, unleashing a hurricane engulfed in endless wildfire flames that suddenly swept across the battlefield.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
Three Konoha ninja joined forces to perform a Water Release jutsu, the surging currents converging into a water wall dozens of meters wide and tall, blocking the path ahead of the team.
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!"
Fire and water clashed, instantly generating massive amounts of steam.
But the enemy's flames were too fast and too fierce. After only a brief standoff, the white mist was torn apart by dragon-like flames, the crimson glow illuminating the horrified faces of the Konoha shinobi.
At that moment, a figure spread their arms wide, like a bird spreading its wings, standing in front of everyone.
"Lord Kagami!"
"It's Lord Kagami!"
Facing the surging flames, Kagami showed no fear, for he had awakened his kaleidoscope-like Mangekyō Sharingan!
"Garuda!"
The flames seemed to find an outlet in an instant, surging madly into Kagami's body, swirling like a whirlwind. In less than two seconds, that massive amount of fire was completely devoured by him.
Kagami took a step forward, and the ground instantly split open with enormous fissures. A tremendous surge of heat followed the cracks into the earth, detonating immediately and blasting a squad of Cloud ninjas dozens of meters away into pieces.
Before the Konoha forces could even cheer, Kagami suddenly dodged backward as a streak of silver light descended like a diving fish. The heavy blade plunged into the earth, followed by the appearance of a silver-haired figure with twin horns.
"Brat, you actually noticed my sneak attack?" Ginkaku curled his lips into a chilling grin as dark red tailed beast chakra instantly enveloped his body, followed by a clawed strike aimed straight at Kagami's chest.
That bizarre suction force emerged once more, leaving Ginkaku feeling utterly drained. His originally powerful claw strike turned into a feeble attack, more akin to a lover's gentle caress.
Kagami seized his wrist in one fluid motion and kicked him square in the chest, unleashing a force as mighty as roaring mountains and surging seas. The impact sent Ginkaku flying far away, while the Seven-Star Sword was blasted off by the shockwave, embedding itself deep into the distant stone wall.
Huff~ Huff~
Kagami panted heavily, fine blood vessels bursting in his left eye, the waves of sharp pain forcing him to cover it with his hand.
In the distance, the rolling dust settled as the Kinkaku Brothers stepped forward together.
"Hey, that Uchiha brat, where's the Second Hokage?" Ginkaku shouted noisily.
Kagami declared loudly, "Dealing with small fry like you doesn't require the Hokage's intervention. I alone am enough."
"Heh, such arrogance. Whether we're small fry or not, you'll find out soon enough..." Kinkaku's gaze turned fierce.
Ginkaku clenched his fists, his entire body crackling with the sound of popping bones, "Seriously... the big shot won't step up to the front lines, leaving the small fry to take the fall? The Second Hokage is nothing special after all!"
As if by prior agreement, they both entered a semi-tailed beast transformation, turning into two dark red beasts that lunged forward like streaks of crimson light.
"Wind Style: Wind Killing Formation!" Kagami swiftly turned and formed hand seals, using the wind technique to push the Konoha shinobi behind him away, just as two sharp claws slammed into his back the next instant.
Boom!
The ground instantly shattered as blood streamed from Kagami's left eye, countless afterimages rippling across his body!
Each afterimage absorbed a massive amount of kinetic energy before merging back into one. With a glint of golden light, a colossal golden skeleton emerged from the ground, throwing a punch that sent the Kinkaku Brothers flying.
"Go!" Kagami shouted lightly as Susanoo's skeletal hand spread open, three massive magatama transforming into blinding golden light that shot forth. The two brothers exchanged a punch mid-air, using the force to dodge the magatama.
The golden light vanished deep into the forest, felling trees like harvested wheat. Kagami immediately dispelled his Susanoo.
The Kinkaku Brothers landed simultaneously, both raising their long tails as they tilted their heads back to gather Tailed Beast Balls.
Kagami took a deep breath, his gaze calm yet sharp. He stood with his legs apart, and as his hand seals shifted, a kunai hovered before his eyes.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Two dark purple orbs the size of fists instantly tore through the air, transforming into straight crimson beams that shot forward, pulverizing everything in their path into dust.
As the Tailed Beast Bombs reached Kagami's position, a resonant 'hum' echoed as space rippled like water. Layer upon layer of inky black sealing formulas emerged, wrapping around the two bombs like a spider's web before devouring them completely.
"Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder!"
A hundred miles away, dark-colored seals materialized out of thin air, and two Tailed Beast Balls erupted from the distorted space, triggering towering explosions.
"Well done, Lord Kagami!"
"With Lord Kagami here, we are sure to be victorious!"
Yet, facing two monsters gathering energy for another Tailed Beast Bomb, Kagami wore a grave expression.
"Everyone, retreat in Formation B!" he shouted.
The sound waves rolled out, reaching every corner of the battlefield.
Instantly, the Konoha shinobi who had been fiercely battling the Kumogakure ninja abandoned their current opponents and converged toward Kagami's location.
They hurled chains in unison, interlinking their bodies like a fishing net.
Kagami reached out, gripping one end of the chain while forming the 'Mi' hand seal with his other hand.
"Flying Thunder God Technique!"
In an instant, most of the Konoha shinobi, including Kagami, vanished simultaneously as two Tailed Beast Balls came crashing down, engulfing the Konoha stronghold in a massive explosion.
The battlefield was shrouded in thick smoke. Apart from a few scattered Konoha ninja who hadn't managed to retreat in time and the strewn corpses, 60% of the main Konoha forces had successfully withdrawn.
...
A lookout post hundreds of miles away.
A group of people appeared out of thin air, with Kagami collapsing right beside a kunai, exhaustion written all over his face.
"Not good!"
"Damn it, call a medic-nin!"
"Idiot, now is the time to escort Lord Kagami to rest!"
Watching the flustered crowd, Kagami no longer had the energy to explain that his sudden exhaustion was due to depleting most of his chakra. He simply let them carry him back to the camp.
"Kinkaku and Ginkaku?"
"We failed... we couldn't hold the front line..."
"Ah, if only my ocular powers were stronger, as strong as his, maybe I could have stopped them..."
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