Hiruzen looked toward Homura and Koharu.
These two old partners who had followed him for decades were both lowering their heads at this moment. One stared at the floor, the other at the ceiling, neither saying a word.
"And what about you two?"
"Can you lead your own clans into battle?"
Homura adjusted his glasses and stammered.
"I… our clan's ninja are mostly administrative personnel. Their combat ability is limited…"
Koharu also remained silent, lowering her head even further.
Neither of them was foolish.
They understood better than anyone how powerful Hidden Cloud's ninja forces were.
Not to mention that this time the Raikage had brought the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B.
That was a perfect Jinchuriki, a monster capable of completely controlling the Tailed Beast's power.
Meanwhile, on Hidden Leaf's side, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Kushina Uzumaki, had already been taken away by the Uchiha. The village did not even have a Jinchuriki anymore.
With that situation, what exactly were they supposed to use to fight Hidden Cloud?
Hiruzen closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
When he opened them again, only resolve remained.
"Pass down the order. Gather the Anbu."
"All Jonin currently in the village are to assemble immediately."
He stood up and put on the Hokage robes.
"Homura, Koharu, each of you will bring five hundred ninja from your respective clans and follow me to the battlefield."
The two trembled upon hearing this.
Homura instinctively wanted to refuse.
But Hiruzen's fierce gaze locked onto him, forcing every word back down his throat.
"This is an order, not a discussion!"
"…Understood."
...
One day later, two thousand Hidden Leaf ninja assembled at the border of the Land of Fire.
There were no elite forces from the major ninja clans, no tactical support from the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, no Byakugan reconnaissance from the Hyuga.
The majority of the force consisted of Anbu, ninja directly under the Hokage's command, and small-clan ninja forcibly conscripted from various places.
Hiruzen stood at the very front of the army, his Hokage robes fluttering loudly in the wind.
Beside him stood Homura and Koharu.
Both of their faces were ashen, and the clan members behind them stood in sparse numbers with low morale.
An Anbu stepped forward to report.
"Lord Hokage, the Hidden Cloud forces are 10 kilometers ahead. They have stopped pillaging and are currently regrouping."
Hiruzen nodded.
He did not order a direct attack on the Hidden Cloud forces.
In his view, initiating battle would be incredibly unwise.
If possible, he would rather pay a certain price and negotiate peace with Hidden Cloud.
He knew the Raikage was waiting for him as well.
Sure enough, by the time Hidden Leaf's forces arrived, Hidden Cloud's two thousand ninja had already formed ranks and were waiting.
A stood at the very front.
Beside him, Killer B carried several blades on his back while humming an off-key tune.
Behind them, two thousand ninja radiated killing intent, forming a stark contrast to Hidden Leaf's dispirited troops.
Hiruzen stepped forward and stopped several dozen paces away from the Raikage.
"Fourth Raikage, it has only been a few years since Hidden Leaf and Hidden Cloud signed the peace treaty."
"Why have you torn up the agreement and invaded the Land of Fire?"
The Raikage crossed his arms and looked down at the frail old man before him, a cold sneer curling onto his lips.
"A peace treaty?"
"Hiruzen, you still have the nerve to mention a peace treaty to me?"
"Hidden Leaf allowed the Uchiha to leave and establish Hidden Gento Village in the Land of Hot Water."
"Now they've not only stolen many of Hidden Cloud's missions, they even extorted two hundred million ryo from us!"
"If that debt isn't counted against Hidden Leaf, then who should it be counted against?"
Hiruzen's expression changed immediately upon hearing this.
He had never expected that the Uchiha not only repelled Hidden Cloud, but even demanded two hundred million ryo from them!
This was Hidden Cloud Village, a village that had always been domineering and unyielding.
Yet the Uchiha had actually forced Hidden Cloud to obediently acknowledge the debt?
He quickly tried to explain.
"The Uchiha have already separated from Hidden Leaf. Their actions have nothing to do with Hidden Leaf…"
"Nothing to do with it?"
The Raikage interrupted him.
"If I say it's related, then it's related!"
He took a step forward.
"Hiruzen, I'm making this perfectly clear today!"
"Hidden Leaf must compensate Hidden Cloud for its losses!"
"I'll give you a number…"
"Two hundred million!"
Hiruzen's hands trembled, whether from anger or fear, no one could tell.
Behind him, the Hidden Leaf ninja exchanged glances. Some lowered their heads, others clenched their fists, yet not a single person stepped forward to speak.
Seeing his appearance, the Raikage's expression grew even colder.
"What? Don't want to pay? Then don't blame me for being merciless."
"Two hundred million…"
Hiruzen's voice was hoarse.
"Raikage, how could Hidden Leaf possibly make two hundred million…"
"Then don't blame me for being ruthless!"
The Raikage gave him no further chance to speak.
"Lariat!"
Golden lightning exploded around his right arm as his entire body shot toward Hiruzen like a bolt of lightning!
Hiruzen's pupils contracted sharply. His body instinctively retreated as his hands rapidly formed seals.
"Earth Release: Mud Wall!"
A massive earthen wall rose from the ground in front of him.
BOOM!
The wall shattered instantly under the Raikage's impact, as fragile as paper.
Rubble exploded outward as dust filled the air.
Hiruzen was blasted backward by the shockwave, flipping several times through the air before barely landing on his feet.
"Lord Hokage!"
Several Anbu rushed forward, only to be blasted away one by one by the Raikage's fists.
"Attack!"
At the Raikage's command, the two thousand Hidden Cloud ninja behind him surged forward like a tidal wave!
Killer B threw back his head and let out a roar as Tailed Beast chakra erupted from within him!
Seven enormous octopus tentacles spread out behind him, raising his body to dozens of meters tall.
Half-transformed into a Tailed Beast, Killer B resembled a demonic god. His tentacles swept across the battlefield, instantly knocking down rows of Hidden Leaf ninja.
"B, don't kill all of them."
The Raikage gave the order indifferently before continuing toward Hiruzen.
Gritting his teeth, Hiruzen stood back up and rapidly formed hand seals.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bomb!"
A massive fire dragon burst from his mouth, carrying scorching heat waves as it rushed toward the Raikage.
The Raikage neither dodged nor retreated. Golden Lightning Release armor emerged around his body as he charged directly into the sea of flames!
He burst through the inferno, his fist carrying overwhelming force as it smashed toward Hiruzen!
Hiruzen twisted aside to dodge. The pressure from the punch brushed past his face and blasted a massive crater into the ground.
Rubble scattered everywhere, striking his face with burning pain.
"Earth Release: Dark Swamp!"
The ground beneath the Raikage transformed into a swamp, attempting to trap him.
The Raikage exerted strength through both legs and leaped directly out of the swamp, moving so fast that even his afterimage was impossible to see clearly.
"Hiruzen, is this all you've got?"
The Raikage's voice dripped with mockery.
"You're too old. Your strength isn't even as good as the Yellow Flash who fought me before."
Meanwhile, Hidden Leaf's battle line had utterly collapsed.
Killer B's seven tentacles swept through the crowd.
The wind pressure generated by each swing alone was enough to send people flying.
The kunai and shuriken of Hidden Leaf's ninja struck his body without even scratching his skin.
Even ninjutsu only managed to kick up clouds of dust.
"Too weak, too weak!"
Killer B sang in an off-key rhythm. With another sweep of his tentacles, more than a dozen Hidden Leaf ninja were sent flying.
"Hidden Leaf ninja, why so weak, yeah!"
The ninja brought by Homura and Koharu had long been protected in the rear through their abuse of privilege and were never required to participate in dangerous missions.
By now, they had long forgotten how to fight.
When suddenly faced with the Eight-Tails' attack, they collapsed immediately, crying and screaming as they fled backward.
The Anbu were still barely holding on, but facing enemies several times their number, they could only retreat step by step.
Every second, someone fell.
Every second, someone screamed in agony.
---
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