At the border of Hidden Gento Village, the morning mist had yet to disperse.
The Uchiha Anbu had already gathered intelligence on Hidden Cloud Village's invasion route ahead of time.
Now, Gento stood atop a high ground, waiting for the arrival of the Hidden Cloud forces.
Behind him stood Fugaku, Shisui, Itachi, and two hundred elite Uchiha Anbu.
They wore uniform black combat uniforms patterned with red markings, kunai pouches hanging at their waists, and blades of varying lengths strapped across their backs.
Before them stretched an open plain.
On the distant horizon, a black dragon-like line was slowly approaching.
One thousand elite Hidden Cloud shinobi, dressed in dark combat gear, advanced in orderly ranks with murderous intent.
At the very front of the formation, Yugito Nii wore a deep blue bodysuit covered by light chest armor.
A short blade hung at her waist.
Behind her, Darui lazily followed slightly to the rear.
As the Hidden Cloud force approached, the two sides formed a standoff.
Despite the overwhelming difference in numbers, the Uchiha's momentum was not the slightest bit weaker.
The Anbu all wore expressionless faces, as though the thousand men before them were beneath notice.
At that moment, the system notification sounded within Gento's mind:
[Ding! Host has triggered Main Quest: Battle of Founding the Village]
⟩ Since the establishment of Hidden Gento Village, this is the first foreign invasion encountered. Hidden Cloud Village's true intention toward the Uchiha is military extortion. As the master of Hidden Gento Village, you must repel the invading enemy and declare to the shinobi world: Hidden Gento Village is not some soft persimmon anyone can squeeze.
⟩ Reward: Draw Chance ×1
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Gento's lips.
A draw opportunity?
It came at the perfect time.
Across from him, Yugito stepped forward and stopped about fifty paces away from Gento.
Her cool voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Gento Uchiha, I've long heard of your reputation."
Gento crossed his arms and said calmly:
"Yugito Nii, for what reason has Hidden Cloud Village openly led an army into my Land of Hot Water?"
Yugito's voice suddenly rose.
"The Land of Hot Water has, since ancient times, upheld a policy of neutrality. It does not participate in shinobi conflicts, nor does it establish military forces."
She paused before continuing:
"Now, the Uchiha clan has established Hidden Gento Village within the Land of Hot Water, openly forming a shinobi military force and accepting large numbers of commissions from various nations. This has already severely disrupted the balance and peace of the shinobi world."
"As one of the great powers of the shinobi world, Hidden Cloud Village naturally cannot stand by and ignore this."
Gento raised an eyebrow.
Why did these lines sound so familiar?
Yugito continued:
"Under the principle of maintaining peace within the shinobi world, Lord Raikage has proposed the following conditions."
She raised a finger.
"First, Hidden Gento Village must compensate Hidden Cloud Village for all losses caused by the loss of mission commissions. The specific amount will be determined by Hidden Cloud Village."
"Second, from now on, Hidden Cloud Village will receive a thirty percent cut of all S-rank and A-rank missions accepted by Hidden Gento Village."
"Third, Hidden Gento Village may not accept any commissions that conflict with Hidden Cloud Village's interests."
She paused, her voice turning even colder.
"Fourth, Hidden Gento Village must publicly acknowledge Hidden Cloud Village's leadership position within the shinobi world."
She stared at Gento.
"Only by agreeing to these conditions will Hidden Cloud Village recognize the legitimacy of Hidden Gento Village. Otherwise..."
"Pfft!"
Gento failed to hold it in and burst out laughing.
Yugito was instantly stunned.
This man could still laugh at a time like this?
Could it be that Hidden Cloud Village's display had scared him stupid?
She continued her threat:
"Otherwise, Hidden Cloud Village will take all necessary measures to preserve peace in the shinobi world."
Gento replied calmly:
"I refuse."
Yugito's pupils contracted.
"You!"
"I said, I refuse."
"I refuse every single one of your conditions."
Yugito's expression immediately darkened.
She hadn't expected the Uchiha to show none of the fear she anticipated.
She originally believed that the intimidation of one thousand shinobi, combined with the oppressive presence of herself as a Perfect Jinchuriki, would be enough to force the Uchiha into submission.
After all, they only had several thousand clan members, and just over two thousand who could fight on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Hidden Cloud was a great nation with overwhelming military strength.
Yet the man before her showed not the least trace of fear.
She took a deep breath, and her voice became completely icy.
"In that case, we'll just have to make you suffer a little."
Her hands rapidly formed seals.
Chakra erupted from her body!
Ice-blue Tailed Beast chakra burst forth from her like burning flames.
That chakra rapidly expanded, enveloping her entire body.
In the blink of an eye, a gigantic two-tailed cat demon appeared upon the battlefield.
It was none other than the Two-Tails Matatabi.
Its body towered dozens of meters high, covered in ghostly blue chakra flames.
Its two enormous tails swayed slowly behind it, each movement stirring fierce gusts of wind.
Its eyes were golden vertical pupils, cold and arrogant as they looked down upon the tiny humans before it.
Matatabi opened its mouth, revealing razor-sharp fangs.
Tailed Beast chakra began frantically condensing before its mouth.
A pitch-black sphere rapidly took shape, growing larger and brighter, radiating a destructive pressure.
The ground trembled, and even the distant trees were bent low beneath the oppressive force.
Tailed Beast Bomb!
If that attack landed, even though the Anbu members were elites, the casualties would be catastrophic.
Yugito's icy voice echoed from within Matatabi.
"This is your last chance. Agree to the conditions, or... die!"
Gento looked at the ever-growing black sphere, the corner of his lips curling into a smile.
He did not look at Yugito. Instead, he turned his head a bit to the side, toward Shisui.
"Shisui, deal with the remaining Hidden Cloud forces."
"I'll investigate this Two-Tails Jinchuriki myself."
"Let's see just how much substance there is beneath her reputation."
Shisui nodded.
"Yes!"
Gento took a deep breath and formed hand seals.
Chakra erupted from within him like a flood!
"Susanoo!"
A gigantic yellow giant appeared out of thin air!
Unlike before, this Susanoo was no longer a half-bodied skeleton, but the complete third form.
The yellow giant, dozens of meters tall, wielded an enormous longsword and wore a tengu-like armor, resembling a war god that had stepped out of myth.
The Susanoo gripped its sword with both hands, holding the blade horizontally to firmly block the incoming black Tailed Beast Bomb.
BOOM!
The collision between the Tailed Beast Bomb and the longsword exploded with blinding light.
The earth cracked apart, violent winds roared outward, and every tree within dozens of meters was uprooted.
Gento gritted his teeth, veins bulging across his arms.
With a fierce swing of his sword, he deflected the Tailed Beast Bomb and launched it straight into the sky!
The Tailed Beast Bomb tore across the heavens before exploding above the clouds.
RUMBLE!
The sky itself seemed to split apart.
Shockwaves spread through the clouds in expanding rings, dyeing the heavens a dark crimson.
The aftermath of the explosion transformed into raging winds that swept across the land, causing everyone's clothing to whip violently.
Everyone was dumbstruck.
The shinobi of Hidden Cloud Village stared at the gigantic mushroom cloud in the sky, their faces pale.
They had never seen someone block a Tailed Beast Bomb with a sword, let alone bat it away.
Meanwhile, the Uchiha Anbu's eyes shone brightly, and the way they looked at their Clan Head became even more fanatical.
Yugito was also stunned.
She stared at the enormous yellow giant, at the longsword that had blocked the Tailed Beast Bomb, and a powerful unease surged within her heart.
This man… seemed far stronger than the intelligence reports described.
Gento gave her no time to think.
The Susanoo strode forward, wielding its longsword as it charged directly toward Yugito!
"Good!"
Yugito clenched her teeth as Matatabi's twin tails swept out with overwhelming force toward the Susanoo.
Gento sidestepped the attack, his longsword slashing across Matatabi's flank.
A gash was carved through the Tailed Beast chakra, only for it to rapidly heal.
Yugito cried out in pain as Matatabi released an earth-shaking roar and slammed both claws downward!
The Susanoo raised its sword to block, but was driven back several steps, deep footprints cracking the ground beneath it.
Gento steadied himself, battle intent blazing within his eyes.
He could have immediately dragged Yugito into the Yomotsu Space and ended the battle.
But he did not.
Such a powerful sparring partner was far too rare.
He needed to test his own strength, sharpen his combat skills, and understand just how powerful he truly was without relying on space-time ninjutsu.
The Susanoo charged forward once more, clashing fiercely with Matatabi.
Every collision shook the earth and mountains.
Every sword swing tore through the air.
Matatabi's twin tails were agile and savage.
The Susanoo's longsword descended like divine judgment, heavy and razor-sharp.
Under Gento's deliberate guidance, the battle drifted farther and farther away, moving toward the distant forest.
Along the way, entire swathes of trees collapsed.
The ground was blasted open into massive craters.
Only the two armies remained upon the battlefield.
Darui watched the two colossal figures receding into the distance, then glanced at the two hundred Uchiha Anbu before him. A lazy smile curled onto his lips.
"Two hundred against one thousand. You don't seriously think you can win, do you?"
Fugaku did not answer.
He stepped forward and formed hand seals.
A purple Susanoo rose from the ground, wielding a gigantic sword and clad in armor, nearly identical to Gento's yellow giant.
Right after, Shisui stepped forward.
A green Susanoo manifested, wielding a spiral blade with overwhelming momentum.
Itachi followed close behind.
A red Susanoo appeared.
In its left hand was the Yata Mirror.
In its right hand was the Totsuka Blade.
The divine weapons radiated dazzling light beneath the sun.
Three Susanoo stood shoulder to shoulder before the two hundred Anbu.
Darui's smile froze.
The Hidden Cloud shinobi behind him also paled.
Three Susanoo, each comparable to a Tailed Beast!
…How were they supposed to fight this battle?
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