Thousands of eyes fell upon Sakura. Not just others, but even her close companions like Sasuke, Karin, and Ino couldn't help but stare at her in astonishment.
Sakura, who had no intention of taking the Raikage's words seriously, was about to speak when a large hand suddenly ruffled her hair. Feeling the hand wreak havoc on her head, Sakura's eye twitched.
I'll endure it. I'll save you some face in front of everyone!
"Hahahaha!" Jiraiya's booming laughter echoed across the field. "Raikage, you disgrace the stature of an eight-foot-tall man! To target the new generation of Konoha—could it be that the Hidden Cloud Village has no successors left? Are you so jealous of Konoha's genius that you resort to slander?"
"Truly, the Hidden Cloud is a den of filth and cowards!"
"I, Sakura Haruno of Konoha, stand as the foremost of the new generation in the shinobi world!"
"Unrivaled among my peers!"
"If any of you dare, step forward and try me!"
Jiraiya's bold declaration resonated across the battlefield, calming the hearts of everyone, especially those from Konoha.
That's right. Our Konoha genius is so outstanding that the Hidden Cloud must be consumed by jealousy, just as Lord Jiraiya said. They're throwing all kinds of dirt at our prodigy!
"Cowards of the Hidden Cloud!"
"Step forward and try!"
"Cowards of the Hidden Cloud!"
"Step forward and try!"
"Cowards of the Hidden Cloud!"
"Step forward and try!"
Thousands of shinobi roared in unison, their voices infused with chakra, piercing the heavens and drowning out the Raikage's words. The battlefield was filled with the chant of "Cowards of the Hidden Cloud."
The Raikage stood in the snowstorm, his expression grim. He instinctively glanced back at Tsuchi, who remained silent. The Raikage didn't dwell on it, but he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret as the morale of his forces dipped after the verbal onslaught.
Sakura shot a glare at Jiraiya, who was grinning ear to ear.
Thanks a lot. At least you didn't declare me the strongest in the shinobi world. Otherwise, some cripple and a paper ninja would come knocking at my door.
"Enough talk. Our morale is high now," Sakura said, eyeing the countless Konoha shinobi who were sneering at the Hidden Cloud. "Let's not give them a chance to cause trouble."
Jiraiya stroked his chin and then signaled to the flag bearer standing nearby, ready for orders. The flag bearer immediately waved the brightly colored flags, commanding the army to advance on the Hidden Cloud.
With the order given, the entire shinobi force sprang into action. Kakashi, leading a thousand-strong vanguard, charged toward the enemy! Close behind were Asuma's left flank and Shiranui Genma's right flank, following in formation.
Seeing this, the Raikage swung his arm fiercely, and his entire army surged forward like a well-oiled machine, crashing toward the enemy.
The distance between the two sides closed rapidly. As they entered the range of ninjutsu, before the vanguards even clashed, fireballs, water streams, and boulders soared over the heads of the frontlines, hurtling toward the enemy.
Boom!!
Ninjutsu exploded among the ranks!
Hundreds of techniques erupted, unleashing countless explosions. Dust flew, lightning crackled, flames roared, and water surged wildly.
Three hundred meters...
Two hundred meters...
One hundred meters...
Fifty meters...
Ten meters...
Kakashi's eyes turned cold, a flash of crimson from his Sharingan disappearing as quickly as it appeared. The moment the two sides collided, he had already taken down an enemy.
The kunai in his hand was a blade of death, and the Sharingan in his eye was a radar for tracking foes. Kakashi moved with the agility of a butterfly flitting through flowers, his kunai claiming lives one after another. The warm blood of his enemies stained his clothes. He was no longer the teacher of Team 7.
He was a fang on the battlefield.
Just like his father, he was now Konoha's sharpest blade!
Unconsciously, Kakashi began using a sword style he had long abandoned. The kunai in his hand seemed to transform into the White Light Chakra Saber that had shattered years ago, relentlessly harvesting lives.
As he swung his kunai down, it was abruptly blocked.
"Impressive. I can see the shadow of Konoha's White Fang in you," Darui said, his large sword adorned with four cat smiley faces blocking Kakashi's kunai.
Kakashi didn't respond. With a flick of his wrist, another kunai appeared in his hand, and he thrust it toward Darui without a hint of emotion.
His father's influence was indeed profound.
But his father was his father.
And Hatake Kakashi was not Hatake Sakumo!
Darui twisted his sword, using one blade to block both of Kakashi's kunai.
"Honestly, I'm not a fan of fighting. How about we find a place to have some tea instead?" Darui's lazy tone made Kakashi frown slightly.
Kakashi's kunai strikes were fierce, but each one was deftly parried by Darui.
"Interesting," Kakashi finally spoke after another exchange, the two locked in a stalemate. "But you've made a fatal mistake."
Kakashi's voice was icy.
"Huh?" Darui was about to ask what he meant when he instinctively met Kakashi's gaze.
Oh no...
Having easily fooled Sasuke before, Darui didn't dare try the same trick again. Against an opponent like Kakashi, using a substitution technique would be suicide, especially on the battlefield.
Darui's body stiffened instantly as Kakashi's kunai thrust toward his heart.
But at that moment, a kunai flew from an unknown direction, grazing Darui's cheek and breaking the genjutsu, before aiming straight for Kakashi's throat!
Kakashi had no choice but to retreat.
What a missed opportunity...
"Brother Darui, are you okay?" a young Cloud ninja who had saved Darui called out.
"Ah, thanks, kid," Darui replied, smiling at the familiar face to reassure him.
But the next second, his smile vanished.
A fireball, launched from somewhere, struck the young ninja head-on.
Boom!
The explosion tore the young Cloud ninja apart.
"..."
Darui said nothing, silently charging at Kakashi once more.
His life now carried an additional burden...
Jiraiya watched the familiar scene unfold, his expression unchanging. He simply issued another command.
Not far from the command post, six members of the Akimichi clan received their orders. Three of them used the Partial Multi-Size Technique to enlarge their hands, while the other three Akimichi ninja jumped onto them, their faces filled with determination.
They were prepared to die on this mission!
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