The deafening explosions continued to wreak havoc, reducing massive rocks to rubble within a radius of hundreds of meters. The relentless detonations echoed across a kilometer-wide expanse, the sound reverberating like rolling thunder.
Hanzo stood at the forefront of the enemy forces, his expression as calm and detached as ever. The devastation before him failed to stir even a flicker of emotion in his sharp eyes. To him, these traps—crafted with Earth Release techniques and laden with explosive tags—were nothing more than an amateurish tactic.
The terrain at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain stretched over several kilometers of open space. Hanzo had seen it all before. Konoha thinks they can delay us with such petty tricks?
"Did they retreat because they knew they were outnumbered?" Hanzo muttered, narrowing his eyes.
The combined Earth Release technique executed by hundreds of Rock Ninjas had annihilated the Konoha camp in the area. Yet, there were no signs of life among the ruins. The absence of even a single corpse made Hanzo uneasy.
His sharp gaze shifted to the figures beside him: Onoki's son, Kurotsuchi's father, the stoic Kitsuchi, and the cunning Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. Their expressions mirrored his own doubts.
"Lord Kazekage," a Sand Ninja sensor reported as he hurried to Rasa's side, "I cannot detect any chakra signatures within several hundred meters."
Rasa nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the demolished ground. "Namikaze Minato is a master of sealing and barrier techniques. It wouldn't be surprising if he used a barrier to shield the Konoha forces from detection," he remarked, his voice heavy with caution.
The barren landscape stretched out before them, littered with debris and enveloped in a fine layer of dust. Light rain fell steadily, though it did little to calm the chaos in the air.
Despite the eerie calm, Hanzo and the leaders of the joint forces remained stationary, unwilling to advance recklessly.
"You're all too cautious," scoffed a gruff voice.
Rōshi, the fiery jinchūriki of the Four-Tails, stepped forward, his impatience palpable. "Do you think Konoha could have set more traps after this devastation? If anything, this is just a feeble attempt to confuse us."
Without waiting for a response, Rōshi leapt ahead, traversing the ruins with bold, confident strides. The tension in the air grew as he approached the center of the devastated zone, but nothing happened.
Hanzo's eyes narrowed as he observed Rōshi's progress. Seeing the jinchūriki unharmed seemed to dispel the lingering doubts.
"Advance!" Hanzo barked.
The combined forces surged forward, thousands of ninjas moving like an unstoppable tide.
As they pressed deeper into the barren ground, a sudden movement caught their attention.
Swish, swish, swish!
Hundreds of figures materialized at the edges of the battlefield, encircling the invading forces. The sudden appearance of Konoha ninjas sent ripples of alarm through the joint army.
In the center, Rōshi's sharp instincts kicked in. He spun around, ready to strike, but his vision was filled with a flash of blond hair and piercing blue eyes.
Namikaze Minato.
"Do it!" Minato's voice rang out like a thunderclap.
All around the battlefield, the newly appeared Konoha ninjas finished their hand seals in perfect synchronization.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A howling gale erupted from all sides as hundreds of Konoha ninjas unleashed the wind-style technique in unison. The combined force of the wind was overwhelming, a storm born of ninja arts.
The devastating winds swept through the battlefield, hurling debris, shattered rocks, and sharp fragments like cannonballs. The terrain, already pulverized by the earlier explosions, now became a deadly weapon.
Jagged rock shards filled the air, their sheer volume impossible to count. Within seconds, they descended upon the invading army, shredding through the ranks with terrifying precision.
"They've set us up!" Hanzo growled, his realization coming too late. "The detonations weren't meant to attack—they were meant to create ammunition!"
The Earth Release jutsu from earlier had created the perfect conditions for this attack. The winds transformed the debris into lethal projectiles, hemming in thousands of ninjas from all directions.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
The sounds of rocks piercing flesh echoed through the chaos. Blood sprayed into the air as hundreds of enemy ninjas fell, their bodies riddled with gaping wounds.
Though the combined wind pressure was enough to incapacitate most ordinary ninjas, for shinobi like Hanzo, Rasa, and Kitsuchi, it was a mere annoyance.
"Enough of this!" Hanzo snarled, drawing his blade in one swift motion.
The legendary scythe in his hand gleamed ominously. With a single slash, he cleaved through the oppressive winds, creating an opening.
Swish!
Hanzo moved like a blur, slashing through layers of wind pressure as he advanced toward the Konoha forces. His blade left destruction in its wake, weakening the coordination of the wind currents.
Rōshi, meanwhile, had his own encounter. Before he could react, Minato appeared before him, his movements a blur. In one fluid motion, Minato grabbed Rōshi by the wrist and redirected him, sending him hurtling back with precision.
Minato's focus then shifted to Hanzo. His piercing gaze locked onto the approaching threat as he swung his iconic kunai.
"Clang!"
The kunai and Hanzo's blade collided, sparks flying as their attacks canceled each other out.
Minato's movements didn't stop. He ignited a flare, its bright light cutting through the chaos. The signal was clear, and the Konoha ninjas immediately ceased their wind-style techniques, regrouping with precision.
As the dust settled, the battlefield revealed its grim toll. Nearly 300 enemy ninjas lay dead, their bodies scattered across the ravaged land.
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