The Sand Ninja army had arrived.
Each Sand Ninja exuded a murderous aura, like sand wolves capable of tearing anything apart.
In the past, Uchiha Takashi had only faced small-scale raids or one-on-one duels.
Today marked his first large-scale battle.
If he were an ordinary ninja, he would have been stationed in a defensive position early on.
But at this moment, he was not only a Jonin but also a "quasi-Kage" level powerhouse, naturally granting him certain privileges.
His task was simply to block the enemy's strong opponents when they appeared.
His assigned opponent was Pakura.
She possessed the "Scorch Release" kekkei genkai, making her more troublesome in combat than Rasa. Although her area attacks were not as formidable, the matchup against Uchiha Takashi was appropriate given the circumstances.
Clearly, Danzo didn't dare to assign opponents recklessly, or Uchiha Takashi might have turned against him on the spot.
Judging by his recent behavior, he wasn't exactly the "consider the bigger picture" type.
So, Danzo and the two advisory elders only bullied the "honest" ones, but when faced with someone like Uchiha Takashi, they instantly went silent.
Standing on the Kikyo Mountain fortress, overlooking the approaching Sand Ninja, Uchiha Takashi quipped, "Looks like the Sand Ninja are serious this time!"
This kind of attack couldn't last long. If the battle dragged on, even without Konoha's counterattack, the enemy would collapse.
So they had to go all out from the start.
"They have no choice!"
Hyuga Aotsuki chimed in.
"True, but be careful during the battle later!"
Uchiha Takashi reminded them.
Their squad would definitely be scattered in the upcoming battle.
He wasn't worried about Hyuga Aotsuki; his main concern was Yamakawa Koji.
His strength was no secret. Even though he was still a Genin, his combat prowess was comparable to a Taijutsu-type elite Jonin, so the enemies he faced wouldn't be simple.
Just as they were chatting, the Sand Ninja side made a new move.
Hundreds of ninjas suddenly stepped forward.
"Something's wrong!"
Hyuga Aotsuki, with his Byakugan activated, seemed to have discovered something.
"What is it?"
Uchiha Takashi scanned the ant-sized figures, feeling envious of the dojutsu, as he couldn't see anything.
"Those people seem to be... Iwa-nin!"
Hyuga Aotsuki hesitantly voiced his discovery.
"Iwa-nin?"
Uchiha Takashi began to ponder.
Since this attack was triggered by his butterfly effect, he didn't have the "foresight" advantage.
However, the reason wasn't hard to guess.
The two major ninja villages currently attacking Konoha were the Sand Ninja and Iwa-nin, so their alliance was quite normal.
Moreover, this time the Sand Ninja's proactive attack might be due to an irresistible offer from Iwagakure, coupled with their support troops, making it plausible to seize Kikyo Mountain before Orochimaru could intervene.
Soon, hundreds of Iwa-nin formed hand seals and simultaneously slammed their hands on the ground.
"Earth Release: Super Earth Movement Core!"
A combined jutsu!
This was a signature move of the Iwa-nin.
They could combine Earth Release techniques to create a qualitative change in power.
Rumble! The ground began to roar.
The ground between the Sand Ninja army and the fortress seemed to be lifted by an invisible force, slowly "rising."
A sloped path connected the fortress to the Sand Ninja army.
"This..."
Yamakawa Koji frowned.
This weakened Kikyo Mountain's defensive advantage considerably. Combined with the Sand Ninja army's numbers and strong opponents, Konoha was in danger.
"Don't worry!"
Uchiha Takashi could easily guess what his friend was thinking.
Because Konoha's trump cards were more numerous than he imagined.
Even the "Jinchuriki," a powerful weapon, was present, along with the "Yellow Flash," who could enter the battlefield at any time, not to mention himself, the "Sage."
One could say, Danzo might lose, but Konoha definitely wouldn't.
However, Uchiha Takashi wouldn't go all out until Danzo lost.
Without Danzo's failure as a backdrop, how could he highlight his own heroic turnaround?
The losses would naturally be attributed to the F4.
He had set conditions before; if the higher-ups agreed, he would give it his all.
But the Konoha F4 didn't even give him that promise, intent on discarding him after use.
The current situation was indeed their fault.
He couldn't be expected to be like White Fang or the dutiful son, sacrificing himself for the "greater good" of the village, could he?
Dream on.
"I'm heading over!"
After greeting them, Uchiha Takashi made his way to the command post.
Soon, he was beside Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu, with Nara Shikaku and others present.
"Use explosive tags, blow up the path!"
Danzo ordered loudly.
As long as this sloped path existed, the Sand Ninja army could bypass the pre-set traps and obstacles, directly reaching the fortress walls, which was extremely disadvantageous for their defense.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Kunai with explosive tags attached flew out like a torrential rain.
With a ninja's powerful arm strength, hitting a target over a hundred meters away without aiming for precision was no problem.
Boom, boom!
A series of explosions echoed.
Using money to suppress the enemy!
Konoha was clearly using money to exchange for the opponent's chakra, testing whether the opponent's chakra would run out first or their explosive tags. What followed opened Uchiha Takashi's eyes.
Ninja sieges were completely different from those of ordinary people, relying entirely on ninjutsu and the prowess of individual strong fighters.
They didn't gather together but attacked in a dispersed manner.
Their evasion skills were maxed out!
Often, after throwing ninja tools and explosive tags for half a day, they might not even hit anything.
Superhuman! Even a Genin could be described this way.
With speed and mobility off the charts, combined with extraordinary strength, ninjas were completely unmatched by ordinary people.
No wonder the Great Ninja Wars had nothing to do with ordinary people; they simply couldn't get involved.
"What is that!"
"It's a Tailed Beast!"
...
Panic-stricken voices echoed among the Konoha ninjas.
A gigantic creature, covered in violet patterns and with a single tail, emerged from the Sand Ninja's front lines.
"This grandpa is finally out, damn humans, I'm going to eat you!"
A bizarre voice resounded on the battlefield.
Soon, Shukaku suddenly quieted down and turned its head towards Kikyo Mountain.
"Be careful!"
"Use a barrier!"
...
Various commands were shouted.
"Air Bullet!"
A massive wind bullet, several meters in diameter, flew towards Kikyo Mountain.
But as it reached halfway, a sealing barrier appeared out of nowhere, swallowing it directly.
Kikyo Fortress wouldn't be so easily destroyed, with all sorts of defensive measures in place.
On the fortress walls.
"As expected, the Sand Ninja sent out the One-Tail!"
Danzo murmured to himself, glancing at Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, as if conveying some message.
"Do they want them to take action, or is it..."
Uchiha Takashi naturally noticed this and pondered silently.
To deal with a Tailed Beast, you must choose the right type.
If it's a 'human-type' Kage-level fighter, it would be twice the effort for half the result.
This is evident from Minato Namikaze and the Raikage; dealing with a Tailed Beast requires exhausting it.
But 'special' Kage-level fighters, like Rasa and Kushina Uzumaki, find it much easier to handle Tailed Beasts.
Type advantage is extremely important for ninjas.
"Let Kushina Uzumaki take action!"
Koharu Utatane finally nodded.
The one most adept at dealing with Tailed Beasts on their side was Kushina Uzumaki, thanks to her sealing techniques that specifically counter Tailed Beasts.
Whoosh! A red-haired female Jonin leaped from the wall, quickly rushing towards Shukaku.
There were interceptors, but they were easily knocked away.
"Big Tanuki, you'd better behave, or don't blame me for beating you up!"
Kushina Uzumaki shook her fist at Shukaku.
Her actions made Uchiha Takashi's scalp tingle.
It could only be said that she truly was a 'main character,' dancing on the edge of death.
Normal Tailed Beasts were one thing.
With Kushina Uzumaki's sealing techniques, she could easily overpower them, like a mother disciplining her child.
But the problem was that Shukaku's Jinchuriki was Bunpuku, not the weak Gaara.
Though Bunpuku wasn't a perfect Jinchuriki, he was certainly different.
However, Uchiha Takashi wasn't worried. The Flying Thunder God mark on her ensured that even if she encountered danger, she wouldn't be in real trouble.
"Air Bullet!"
Shukaku, being a beast of few words, launched an attack directly.
However, when facing ninjas, the slow attack speed of a Tailed Beast made it difficult to hit.
Boom!
After Kushina Uzumaki dodged, the area beneath her was blasted into a massive crater, large enough to be used as a swimming pool.
"What power!!"
Uchiha Takashi's eyes were deep in thought.
Even though he already knew Tailed Beasts were the 'strategic weapons' of the ninja world, capable of destroying cities and nations.
As his strength grew, he couldn't help but underestimate the Tailed Beasts.
Seeing the destructive power firsthand, he understood why Tailed Beasts were considered the 'nuclear weapons' that balanced the five great ninja villages.
What village could withstand such destruction?
It's like a tank; it might struggle to deal with a single warrior (with only the main cannon and body, without additional weapons).
But if the tank (Tailed Beast) can't hit you (the strong), can it not destroy your village?
That's roughly the feeling.
"Damn it, I'm going to knock you out!"
Kushina Uzumaki glanced at the large crater beside her, her eyes turning dangerous.
Clang! Golden chains extended from her back, reaching out to bind Shukaku.
"You're from the Uzumaki clan!"
Shukaku began to dodge.
Despite its bulky body, its speed wasn't slow, continuously manipulating yellow sand to block the chains.
But given its size, it would eventually get caught.
Their confrontation.
This acted as a signal, prompting the Sand Ninja army to launch a full-scale attack.
(End of Chapter)