Chapter 162: Half a Year Later

Chapter 162: Half a Year Later

After the New Year, Iwagakure once again attempted to invade the Land of Fire, bringing the nations to the brink of war.

Due to the peace treaty between Kumogakure and Konoha, half of the Konoha shinobi stationed in the Lands of Frost and Hot Water were redeployed to the frontlines against Iwagakure.

In Konoha's 49th year, unwilling to remain passive in the Third Shinobi World War, the Third Raikage led a strike force to invade the Land of Earth.

For a time, Iwagakure found itself attacked on two fronts.

Onoki feigned preparation for a large-scale invasion of the Land of Fire, but secretly mobilized over ten thousand Iwa-nin to ambush the Third Raikage's path.

Thus began the legendary battle of the Third Raikage.

Single-handedly, he fought against tens of thousands of Iwagakure shinobi.

In the end, Iwagakure paid a steep price, with the Third Raikage eventually falling from exhaustion.

With no immediate successor for the Raikage, Kumogakure withdrew from the war to stabilize the position of A as the Fourth Raikage.

When A became the Fourth Raikage, Haneda once again made a name for himself.

That year, Haneda fought a fierce battle against the A-B Combo in the Frost Ninja Village, seriously wounding A at the Battle of Hochi Mountain and capturing the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee.

These feats finally removed the stain of humiliation from the Fourth Kazekage Rasa's record.

At the same time, Kirigakure, far from the mainland, suddenly declared war on Konoha, relieving the pressure on Iwagakure.

Unwilling to end the war there, Onoki even put aside old grudges to ally with Kirigakure against Konoha.

During this time, Minato's team was sent to the southeastern coastal areas to guard against Kirigakure's attacks.

Meanwhile, Sakumo's Squad Nine, which Haneda led, was redeployed from the Frost Country to the fronts in the Lands of Waterfall and Grass.

Time passed unnoticed, and Haneda had been on the Land of Earth front for nearly six months.

Though he hadn't taken any major actions, he had defeated enough Iwa-nin to earn various titles.

The Blue Flash, Demon Blade Haneda, Lightning Shinobi, and Blood-Eye Haneda…

Even Onoki was wary of him and issued a standing order similar to the one for the Yellow Flash:

"Encounter Uchiha Haneda, and you are permitted to abandon the mission without punishment."

…

On the Land of Earth battlefield.

At the base of a cliff, a fierce battle was raging among shinobi.

Hundreds of shinobi were clashing, their headbands marking them as Konoha and Iwagakure shinobi.

The Iwa-nin outnumbered the Konoha forces three to one.

Using their numerical advantage, the Iwa-nin pressed Konoha back the entire time, eventually surrounding them in an attempt to wipe them out.

"Captain, what do we do?"

"Break through! Target the weakest defended point in the northern encirclement and break out!"

The young Konoha shinobi, accustomed to the smoke of war even at ten, nodded and blew the signal horn, immediately moving into action.

The other squads coordinated seamlessly, fighting while retreating to a specific location.

Choosing their moment, they launched a fierce attack on the eastern perimeter.

From the cliff above, the Iwa-nin had surrounded Konoha, while the Konoha shinobi formed a line, pressing eastward.

Corpses littered the ground, with fewer bodies the further eastward one looked.

The Iwa-nin, unhurried, struck at fleeing Konoha shinobi, feeling no pressure as they neared victory.

A newly dispatched Konoha genin, surrounded by Iwa-nin, gripped his sword, fearfully scanning his enemies.

The Iwa-nin advanced with kunai, large shuriken, swords, and other killing tools.

They closed in step by step, as the young shinobi threw kunai and shuriken, only to see them deflected with ease.

When the Iwa-nin closed to within a meter, the boy's despair was complete.

At that moment, a flash of lightning streaked by.

The speed stunned even the Iwa-nin's jonin leader, rendering him momentarily unresponsive.

The chirping of Chidori echoed in their ears, a sound that made the Iwa-nin break into a sweat, recalling a certain person.

"Uchiha Haneda! It's the Blue Flash! Uchiha Haneda!"

"Don't look into his eyes!"

The Iwa-nin jonin shouted in warning.

At the same time, a figure appeared before the young shinobi.

He wielded a silver-white longsword glowing with lightning, his three-tomoe Sharingan gazing calmly at eight Iwa-nin.

"Are you alright?"

Haneda glanced at the boy, seeing his fear, but said no more.

He stepped forward, causing two full squads of Iwa-nin to retreat instantly.

As lightning sparked around Haneda, even the Iwa-nin jonin couldn't help but order:

"Retreat! Run!"

"That's Uchiha Haneda's Lightning Chakra Mode!"

Before he could finish, a blue flash cut through the air.

A head fell to the ground—the Iwa-nin jonin dead at Haneda's hand.

Haneda sheathed his sword, glancing coldly at the fleeing Iwa-nin.

Drawing his blade again, a flash of lightning struck.

Another Iwa-nin jonin fell.

"Surrender or die."

Haneda's calm voice reached the retreating Iwa-nin.

Seeing them continue to flee, he raised his right hand as Chidori materialized into countless needle-like projections, shooting toward the Iwa-nin like a storm of arrows.

The six Iwa-nin used every technique to escape, be it Earth Release or Earth-Flow Wall, yet they fell to the Chidori Senbon.

"I already gave you a chance to live."

Haneda sheathed his blade after wiping the blood on the fallen Iwa-nin jonin's clothing.

He turned to the boy, reminding him:

"This is still a battlefield. Konoha reinforcements haven't arrived yet."

"I just got here first."

With that, Haneda leaped onto a tree, standing high in its canopy, surveying the battlefield.

After a moment, he transformed into lightning and vanished.

A voice of gratitude came from the distance.

"T-Thank you."

…

As the sun set, Konoha shinobi gathered their fallen comrades, leaving the Iwa-nin corpses scattered and unattended.

Vultures circled above, waiting for the bodies to decompose—when they would be the most appetizing.

Haneda sat on a large rock, drinking from his water bottle as Konoha shinobi passed, their gazes a mixture of admiration and reverence.

This small battle ended in victory for Konoha, with Haneda single-handedly scattering the Iwa-nin forces.

Sakumo came over, sitting down next to Haneda.

"It's hard to believe—your swordsmanship has changed significantly in just six months."

"It's alright," Haneda replied, drinking and gazing at the battlefield. "Maybe it's because I've killed so many, and it rubbed off on me."

Sakumo shook his head.

He sensed a strong, clear intention in Haneda's strikes—a resolve that couldn't simply be called bloodlust.

Haneda wasn't one who reveled in killing.

"Haneda, I've looked into the information you wanted."

"According to intel from the Anbu, Kirigakure plans a large-scale attack on Konoha soon."

"With Iwagakure worn down by a year of fighting, this is their last chance."

"If nothing goes wrong, Iwagakure will ally with Kirigakure to launch a joint assault."