The Hidden Grass Village (Kusagakure) was the only official military force within the Land of Grass. It was situated in the middle of a vast plain, with open views in all directions.
Clouds drifted across the night sky, slowly veiling the bright moon. The darkness deepened, and the cold night wind began to consume the village nestled in the plain.
The ankle-high wild grass rustled softly in the wind.
In the still of night, a flash of cold light cut through the darkness—a sharp blade tearing both shadow and life apart. With a dull thump, a Grass ninja wearing the Kusagakure forehead protector fell to the ground, lifeless.
Even in death, he did not understand what had happened. His trembling hands reached out toward the sudden intruders, as if grasping for a final sliver of hope.
Under the dim moonlight, two glimmering forehead protectors reflected the silver light—one bearing the symbol of the Leaf, the other of the Stone.
Leaf... and Stone...
Why? Why were the Leaf and Stone working together...?
As she gazed down at the lifeless Kusagakure sentry, Kurotsuchi glanced at the young Uchiha beside her, who was trying hard to maintain a calm expression.
"Old man, we've cleared all of the sentries in this area," she said quietly.
Onoki slowly stepped forward, his black eyes landing on a plain-faced man standing behind the pink-haired girl—a branch member of the Hyuga clan, seemingly in his mid-thirties.
His chakra level was only about that of a Chūnin.
If this man hadn't been from the Hyuga clan, he would have been dismissed as cannon fodder.
And yet, thanks to his presence, every Kusagakure outpost in the area had been taken down—clean, precise, and silent.
Eight hundred ninja had moved through the night, and not a single soul had raised an alarm…
And this was just one Hyuga. The Leaf had many more like him.
At that moment, Onoki truly understood how much of an advantage it was to lead a Leaf platoon into battle.
Among the eight hundred, there were also members of the Aburame, Inuzuka, and the Yamanaka-Akimichi-Nara trios…
So this is how the Leaf wages war?
Though Onoki loathed to admit it, he felt incredibly satisfied.
It was just so… efficient.
Sensing, assault, healing, support—everything was accounted for.
Standing amid the rustling grass, Onoki gazed at the distant village slowly being swallowed by shadows. With a wave of his hand, multiple figures emerged behind him, using the darkness to stealthily approach the village bearing the Kusagakure symbol on its gate.
The night wind stirred the white strands of the old man's beard. As his troops crept closer to the village, Onoki's body lifted gently like a dandelion caught in the breeze, fading into the shadows.
Sakura, sneaking along with the main force, waved at Kurotsuchi beside her.
Kurotsuchi pouted reluctantly but recalled their prior orders. With a sigh, she moved behind Sakura, wrapped her arms around her waist, and took flight into the air.
At the very front of the formation, Kakashi glanced back at the two girls disappearing into the night sky but said nothing, continuing his advance. Upon reaching the outer wall of Kusagakure, he quickly halted.
Observing the guards on the village wall, Kakashi formed several hand seals.
At his signal, two Nara clan members with pineapple-styled hair swiftly stepped forward and began weaving signs.
Shadow Strangle Jutsu!
Under the cover of night, the dark shadows beneath their feet extended and split into four, slithering up the walls like venomous snakes toward the four Kusagakure sentries.
Without warning, the shadows coiled around their necks, lifting and strangling them in one seamless motion.
Before they could struggle, four shuriken, glowing with dark energy, flew from Kakashi's hand, embedding directly into their skulls.
"Move in!" Kakashi shouted, dashing toward the now-unprotected gate of Kusagakure.
But just as he was about to launch a jutsu to break through the village's barrier, his expression changed.
A sensory barrier?!
It was too familiar—just like the ones used in Konoha.
At once, Kakashi thought of Karin, the red-haired girl Sakura had intercepted from Kusagakure.
She was from the Uzumaki clan—and had previously served in Kusagakure.
So that explained it. This sensory barrier came from the Uzumaki bloodline…
There was no time to hesitate.
Kakashi decided to go with a direct assault.
Just as he was about to form hand seals, a beam of white light descended from the heavens like a sword tearing the night apart!
The radiant column struck the main gate of Kusagakure, disintegrating it in an instant.
Then, with a sweeping motion, a large portion of the wall crumbled into dust as if erased from existence.
Dust Release!
It combined Wind, Earth, and Fire—an advanced technique that surpassed even Kekkei Genkai, a Kekkei Tōta.
Kakashi looked up in astonishment and saw a small figure standing in midair, arms behind his back—Onoki.
"Let's go, Kakashi," came a voice from behind him.
It was Kitsuchi, Onoki's son, who was all too familiar with such scenes. He clapped Kakashi on the shoulder.
"Right. Move in!"
Kakashi pulled up his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan. With no more obstacles in their way, he dove headfirst into the village.
Behind him, eight hundred ninja surged like a pack of hungry wolves.
The night had been calm—but the moment they stormed into Kusagakure, multiple red signal flares shot up into the sky, accompanied by panicked cries:
"Enemy attack!"
"Enemy attack!"
"Level One Alert!"
In an instant, the entire Hidden Grass Village mobilized. Their defensive formation activated swiftly, and they rushed to meet the enemy.
Small nations had their own ways of survival—playing all sides, bowing to powerful neighbors. Many in the ninja world mocked them as fence-sitters.
But was this what they truly wanted?
No—this was merely the path they had chosen to shield their nation from the fires of war.
And now, with their home under siege, they took up arms and prepared to die defending it.
Kusagakure's forces launched into battle with fierce resolve.
But as the fighting dragged on, someone shouted in disbelief:
"It's the Leaf!"
"They're from Konoha!"
"Damn you, Konoha!"
Kakashi had no sympathy left. He had seen this scene far too many times.
At this moment, he was not the lazy, disheveled man who loved reading Icha Icha Paradise.
Now, he was a shinobi carrying on his father's will.
Inside the Kusagakure administrative tower, a man wearing a dragon-head mask stood watching the flames of war spread through the village. His heart seethed with fury.
Turning to the men beside him, he bellowed:
"Kill them! Kill them all!"
"Slaughter every one of those Konoha bastards!"
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(End of Chapter)