Spies are creatures that no Great Hidden Village can avoid. They are far more detestable than an enemy on the open battlefield because their work always involves a knife in the back.
For a captured spy, the "playtime" they endure is invariably of the most horrific variety.
Yet, no matter the hatred or the frustration they cause, completely blocking spies is an impossibility.
Consequently, while every nation conducts rigorous background checks, they also employ a more effective defensive strategy: planting even more of their own spies in the enemy nation.
After all, the best defense is a good offense. If you poke me once, I have to poke you twice—otherwise, the world is just out of balance.
Did the Hidden Rock have Cloud spies? Certainly. How could they not?
Therefore, when the Rock mobilized for war against the Cloud, it was impossible for the other side to remain entirely in the dark. Even if the spies couldn't secure the minute details, they weren't blind.
However, likely no one expected the Third Tsuchikage to bet so heavily on this. The Hidden Rock was practically emptying its nest.
Ten thousand shinobi moving as one... Hagoromo's first reaction was that his mission was likely in jeopardy. With a force this size, the Cloud couldn't possibly turn a blind eye. The scale of the war would likely exceed fifteen thousand combatants.
In the world of shinobi, this was a top-tier clash. Battles involving this many ninja were few and far between throughout history.
To counter such a force, the Cloud would have to deploy at least five thousand shinobi, wouldn't they? A tactical arrangement of "half against all" was already terrifyingly bold. As for Jiraiya's earlier prediction of only elite units being deployed—it was unimaginable now, and likely unfeasible.
His second thought was that since the Rock had deployed such a massive force, their internal defenses were now hollow. The Third Tsuchikage would likely stay behind to guard the village rather than head to the front.
This meant the battlefield command was not in the Tsuchikage's hands.
Who was it, then? Was it truly Kitsuchi? Hagoromo didn't know.
One would assume that as the size of a unit increases, its marching speed would inevitably suffer. For the ten thousand Rock shinobi, however, this was not the case. They moved like a gale.
They left the village at dawn. Within two days, they had reached the Land of waterfalls—a pace faster than many shinobi traveling alone!
Well, at least with a force this size, one didn't have to worry about ambushes or tread with excessive caution.
Whatever stood in their way, they simply trampled over it.
If anyone had the nerve to ambush ten thousand shinobi, they were more than welcome to try.
Certainly, the small nations surrounding the Land of Earth lacked that kind of resolve. In fact, when the ten thousand Rock shinobi arrived in the Land of Waterfalls, the entire country nearly died of fright. Fortunately, the Rock didn't give them a second glance.
On the third day, the Rock crossed through Waterfalls and reached the Land of Frost.
From there, they crossed the sea. By the fourth day, they had set foot on the soil of the Land of Lightning!
This speed was truly thunderous. If the Cloud's intelligence arrived too late, or if they underestimated the Rock's pace, many of their defensive preparations would be rendered useless.
As for the choice to travel by sea, it was a necessity. An overland invasion of the Land of Lightning wouldn't just be an incursion; it would devolve into a three-way chaotic brawl.
To take the land route, the Rock would have to pass through the Land of Rice Fields, where the battle lines between Konoha and the Cloud were currently a tangled mess of overlapping territories.
The Rock's objective was to strike the Cloud's soft underbelly, not to get into a three-sided meat grinder.
Almost simultaneously, the Cloud and Jiraiya's forces received a piece of "true news" that sounded like a fabrication: ten thousand Rock shinobi had invaded the Land of Lightning!
Jiraiya was stunned. This isn't right. Did you tell your father before playing this big? Sage of Six Paths, please, you must protect Hagoromo.
Sharing a name was a sign of destiny, after all.
Regardless, Konoha had to act according to the established strategy and create an opening for the Rock's movements!
And so, nearly the entire Konoha front mobilized!
Hagoromo, meanwhile, remained with his squad, following the main army. Upon entering the Land of Lightning, the Rock met almost no effective resistance. After their successful sea crossing, they took a brief moment for rest and resupply on the coast before immediately resuming their advance. They were now thrusting directly toward the Hidden Cloud.
Where was the Cloud's resistance? Why was there none?
Hagoromo's original mission was as follows:
If the Cloud's intercepting force did not include the Raikage, they would likely be unable to withstand the Rock's onslaught. Once the tide turned in favor of the invaders, Hagoromo was to find an opportunity to desert the battlefield, thus ending the mission.
However, if the Third Raikage truly joined the fray, his mission became much more singular and direct: assassinate the Raikage.
He was a hidden blade, an assassin, a shinobi—a true warrior of the shadows.
Even if the mission hadn't explicitly demanded it, Hagoromo would have chosen assassination. A frontal confrontation with the Raikage? Sorry, he wasn't a combat maniac; he hadn't given that a moment's thought.
Of course, assassinating the Raikage wasn't the ultimate goal, but rather the means. The core requirement was to cause an imbalance in this war.
To put it simply: if the Rock wanted to invade the Land of Lightning and take out the Cloud's nest, let them. Whether they succeeded or not was secondary; the goal was to ensure they reached the Hidden Cloud Village.
Imagine the scene of thousands of Rock shinobi storming the Cloud... regardless of the outcome, would the Cloud be able to continue the war?
But now that the Rock had escalated things to this level, Hagoromo realized that events could no longer unfold according to Konoha's original projections.
Plans can never keep up with the chaos of reality. Fine then—he should start thinking about his exit strategy.
But Hagoromo was wrong. Dead wrong.
Four hours later, the Rock's vanguard collided with the Cloud's interception force.
It was a "force"—singular. Although there was only one person, in hindsight, calling him a force was not an exaggeration.
The lightning-bolt scar on his chest, the "Lightning" (雷) tattoo on his right shoulder, the stable and impenetrable Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and the volatile, flickering sparks dancing around his perimeter... No description was needed. Every ninja at the front knew exactly who he was.
The Third Raikage, A.
The Rock's column was stretched thin. A "dreg" like Yoshida was naturally not placed in the main combat unit; he was positioned toward the rear. So, while he heard the commotion up ahead, Hagoromo couldn't immediately grasp the details.
But soon, the intelligence trickled back.
The vanguard had encountered an enemy.
Only one.
It was the Third Raikage.
The Rock shinobi were ecstatic. Isn't this just a free head handed to us on a silver platter?
Hagoromo was equally bewildered. Is this a joke? What happened to the main army? The elite units? Just the Raikage? One versus ten thousand? Not even the Third Hokage would dare to pull a stunt like that.
He figured he wouldn't have to do a thing. The mission would likely complete itself. The Raikage would be focused down by the mob and die in seconds, right?
It must be said that Hagoromo's understanding of the creature known as a "shinobi" was still rather shallow.
The roar of battle continued to drift back. Soon, the Rock's excitement evaporated as they realized things weren't that simple.
The enemy was not as easy to handle as they had imagined.
This was a brutal struggle!
As the Rock's combat formation fully unfurled, Hagoromo finally caught sight of the surrounded Third Raikage.
Or rather, the Third Raikage who had voluntarily plunged into the enemy ranks.
And the ground beneath his feet was carpeted in mangled remains.
The Raikage's footsteps were swift, his movements violent, and the air around him was thick with swirling dust.
He used only two primary techniques: the Ultimate Shield, his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and the Ultimate Spear, the Hell Stab.
Every Rock shinobi who swarmed him was slaughtered instantly.
Hagoromo stood there, slack-jawed.
The Third Raikage looked like a giant of a man...
Well, the same description applied: the Third Raikage was a giant of a man.
But at this moment, he could only be described thus:
He moved as if walking on water, leaving only dust in his wake!
How is the pacing of the action for you? Ready for the next one?