Chp-120: The Final Battle
Minato was sent to Kannabi Bridge?
When Hyuga Satoru learned this, he was stunned for a while before letting out a wry smile.
Was this the timeline correcting itself or the hand of destiny at play?
The Battle of Kannabi Bridge marked the beginning of the main plot of Naruto. The love and hate of the ninja world over the next decade nearly all started there.
Since his arrival, Satoru had minimal interaction with Obito, but that didn't mean he was unconcerned.
On the contrary, he was very cautious of this behind-the-scenes boss of the ninja world.
In fact, Zero, one of his clones, was created largely because of this.
His clone was currently investigating Kannabi Bridge.
Madara's underground base was well-hidden, and although the clone hadn't found the exact location, it had narrowed down the general area.
Because of Satoru's influence, Kakashi had diverged significantly from the original timeline.
Satoru wasn't sure if Obito would still turn dark.
But regardless, he was prepared.
If Madara did make a move, his clone's surveillance would surely detect it.
Then, he could make the necessary arrangements!
Satoru's eyes gleamed.
The Third Shinobi War, which had terrified countless ninjas, was merely his starting point.
The road ahead was long.
His goal was always beyond the stars...
...
Time flowed on.
The Iwa ninjas seemed to have turtled up. Aside from minor skirmishes, there were almost no large-scale movements.
Even their camp kept retreating, apparently to avoid Satoru's guerilla tactics. Scouts and sensory ninjas were on alert round the clock, spread over a wide area.
The Konoha camp experienced a rare period of peace; everything was unusually quiet.
It's too quiet for a time of war.
"It looks like a decisive battle is imminent."
In the command tent, Jiraiya gazed out at the sky, a hint of worry in his eyes.
Clearly, this was the calm before the storm.
The widespread retreat of the Iwa ninjas indicated they were plotting something.
Jiraiya couldn't figure out their exact plan, but fortunately, during this lull, Konoha's ninjas had fully recuperated.
The minor damage caused by the demolition squad had been remedied, leaving no lasting impact.
Minato's team should have reached Kannabi Bridge by now, right?
Jiraiya wondered.
On the front lines, Konoha ninjas had been dispersed, leaving each battlefield somewhat understaffed.
After all, aside from the already surrendered Sand Village, the remaining four great ninja villages were all warring against Konoha.
This led to a persistent disadvantage in manpower on the largest front, the Iwa battlefield.
However, with Satoru's successive blows, Iwa's morale was clearly low.
But expecting Iwa to surrender solely based on this was unrealistic.
Iwa was notoriously stubborn, especially under the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, whose personality was as unyielding as stone.
Getting him to surrender was less feasible than killing him outright.
If Minato could destroy Iwa's supply lines, it would be a decisive blow.
This eerie silence wasn't just noticed by Jiraiya; the entire Konoha camp felt a slight oppression.
The long absence of major battles made even the lowest-ranking ninjas sense something amiss.
"Satoru, it's been too quiet lately."
Uchiha Rin looked slightly worried, her dark eyes fixed on Satoru.
"Yes, a final battle is likely imminent."
Satoru's expression was also serious.
He didn't know what Iwa was planning, but there was no doubt that the next battle would be the most brutal and large-scale.
If only the two jinchūriki participated, Satoru wouldn't be too concerned.
The main issue was the never-seen Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.
His Dust Release could disintegrate matter at the molecular level.
According to Satoru's calculations, this was an ability he would only master at Level 5 of electromagnetic force.
Especially on the battlefield, its lethality would be unparalleled!
A hit was death!
"Rin, when the battle starts, stay behind me. After all..."
Satoru looked worriedly at Uchiha Rin but was cut off by her.
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Rin stared at him coldly, displeasure evident in her eyes.
"I'm a ninja of the Uchiha clan. How could I be a coward?"
"Besides!"
Rin pouted.
"I've already awakened the three tomoe. Even if I can't match you, I can handle most of the Jonin. I can at least protect myself, right?"
Satoru sighed helplessly.
He had long known that with Rin's personality, she would never hide behind him.
Her three tomoe Sharingan had awakened during the previous two battles.
The blood and fire of war were the best tools to temper the Uchiha.
This alone showcased her talent.
A three-tomoe Sharingan at 13 was something only Shisui and Itachi could match.
But it wasn't enough. Satoru had experienced the brutality of war firsthand.
Only a Mangekyō Sharingan could truly handle the battlefield's threats.
Satoru exhaled slowly. Since Rin refused his protection, he could only guard her silently...
Two more days passed.
While Jiraiya was convening the high command to discuss their attack plan, a scout hurriedly reported.
"Bad news, Jiraiya-sama! Iwa has launched a large-scale attack!"
Jiraiya's eyes sharpened.
"Finally, they couldn't hold back!"
"How many troops?"
The scout, still shaken, replied hastily.
"About 8,000."
"What?"
"Approximately 8,000. Even if there's some error, it won't be much."
Jiraiya took a deep breath, his expression more serious than ever.
On this front, Konoha had deployed around 5,000 ninjas in total.
Iwa had sent over 6,000.
After the successive battles, he estimated they had about 4,000 left.
If the intelligence was correct, that meant Ōnoki had brought over 3,000 more ninjas from the village.
Was he insane?
Was he not afraid of a sneak attack by Kumo?
Iwa and Kumo were mortal enemies. Such a large troop movement would surely attract those savages, possibly turning their attention to Iwa.
Jiraiya's face darkened.
But now wasn't the time to think about that.
He looked at the overlapping Konoha tents outside, his eyes gleaming, and ordered.
"Pass the word to all ninjas."
"The final battle is upon us!"