Day 350
The calm before the storm.
Tobirama knew this phrase by heart, having experienced it many times throughout his life. Currently, he was with his troops in the Land of Rain, anticipating a decisive battle.
For nearly a week, both camps had awaited action, each abstaining from launching the first attack. With each passing day, tension inexorably mounted among the ranks. This stalemate became almost unbearable, every soldier remaining on edge, watching for the slightest movement from the enemy. Murmurs of concern began to spread among the Leaf Shinobi. Would the enemy strike, and when? Were they setting a trap? Would they survive the assault? Tobirama could feel, even hear these inquiries, amplified by his keen perception.
These incessant murmurs and this climate of doubt revealed to Tobirama that it was time to act. Morale was faltering, supplies dwindling, and losses continued to mount, exacerbated by the destruction of Uzushio.
For now, however, on this battlefield, there was only one thing to do: wait. Though he fully understood the stress gnawing at his men, this phase of inactivity was crucial.
Just a little patience, just a little longer.
"Just a few more minutes," Tobirama murmured, catching the first glimmers of light on the horizon.
If he weren't a Shinobi of his caliber, Tobirama might have let himself be swept away by the burgeoning excitement of his plans coming to fruition and the end of this interminable wait.
"Execute phase one," Tobirama calmly ordered two of his subordinates.
The two ninjas propelled themselves instantly with their chakra in opposite directions to relay the orders. Barely ten seconds later, the steady beat of drums echoed throughout the region. Normally, a Shinobi operated in silence, but not today. Such had been the orders given earlier.
Tobirama knew, as any seasoned warrior did, that making noise before a battle could be an act of arrogance and confidence meant to unsettle the enemy. All means were fair to show that his troops had no fear and were ready for anything.
The desired effect was achieved. The Second Hokage could clearly feel it through his sensory ability: panic. The week-long truce had borne fruit, reassuring Tobirama. The enemies were flustered, lost and confused by so much noise after seven days of absolute silence.
Taking advantage of the enemy's disarray, Tobirama made a hand gesture. Amidst the clamor of drums, the sound of hundreds of kunai slicing through the air toward the enemy's position could be heard, launched almost simultaneously over nearly two hundred meters in width. Once in flight, wind manipulators used their jutsu to propel the projectiles even further.
But amidst all this tumult, one detail caught the eye of the opposing camp. It was too late to dodge. With each kunai traversing the distance between them, an explosive tag was attached. In the slowly fading night, hundreds of papers lit up as they ignited, ready to rain down.
"Execute phase two."
"Katsu!"
The voice of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, resonated with authority, his words followed by the assent of many other shinobi. Barely had his words been spoken when the roar of explosions erupted on both sides, their thunder partially drowning out the desperate cries of the victims trapped by this deadly technique.
With a wave of his hand, Tobirama signaled the assault. The real battle could finally begin.
The shinobi of Konoha No Sato rushed toward an enemy now disoriented by the explosive attack. The most experienced among them attempted to regain their positions, preparing a counter-offensive, while others tried to control the nascent fires or free their comrades from the debris. Tobirama had anticipated this chaos and intended to exploit this confusion to inflict maximum damage.
Out of duty... and out of vengeance.
During this war, the Senju clan had been decimated, leaving behind only a handful of survivors present on this battlefield. Tobirama had no choice but to ally with the best fighters available: the Uchiha. Setting aside his pride and resentment had not been easy, but as the astute strategist he was, he recognized the importance of their skills. With their Sharingan, the Uchiha were best positioned to anticipate enemy movements and maximize damage on the front lines.
As the ninjas of Konoha charged forward, a new volley of kunai, propelled by wind techniques, soared over their heads. Before the weapons even reached the ground, "Katsu" echoed behind them. The explosions resounded once more, punctuated by the enemy's cries of pain. For the Konoha ninjas, this deafening clamor resembled a vengeful melody, the symphony of a well-deserved revenge.
Slightly turning his head backward, the Hokage observed his army deploying with unrelenting precision. The elaborated military strategy unfolded exactly as planned. In this era of world war, it wasn't just shinobi who fought, but also soldiers devoid of ninja talents.
An impressive contingent of armored men trotted behind the ninjas. Samurai, soldiers, militia – all were present. This tactic was not new; during provincial wars, an implicit and rational code had already been established: ninjas fought each other while armed troops battled separately. It would have been foolish to send an untrained soldier after a mere Genin. Unable to match the speed of the aspiring ninja, he would have quickly lost sight of him, rendering any attempt at combat futile.
However, nations had not given up on training non-shinobi troops. An immutable rule dictated that without chakra, even ninjas became much more vulnerable targets. Ninjas appreciated the presence of a conventional army they could rely on if needed.
Even in conflicts where only one army of soldiers remained, this army would never dare to attack an enemy still composed of ninjas and soldiers. Similarly, it was unthinkable for ninjas to initiate an attack on the enemy army, as they would inevitably be targeted by enemy ninjas.
"Projectile!" shouted one of the Uchiha, his Sharingan activated.
Sending the Uchiha to the front lines had its advantages: they could deflect or parry most weapons thrown at them. Despite this, some were not so fortunate and perished under kunai strikes. But despite the losses, the Konoha shinobi reached the enemy lines in force.
The carnage was finally about to begin.
In the heat of battle, it was impossible to establish a meticulously planned strategy. Once engaged, the sole desire was to inflict maximum damage on the enemy. Two relentless combatants, two camps, two different policies. They were present on the battlefield because their leaders had compelled them to fight... for their homeland!
Today, Hi no Kuni relied on teamwork and the capabilities of the Sharingan, while Tsuchi no Kuni relied on their numerical superiority to compensate for this disadvantage.
Every assault provoked its share of horrors and atrocities. Everything happened very quickly; there was no time to observe in more detail what was happening around oneself, lest one perish under the enemy's blows. That was precisely what was happening to the Earth ninjas.
An aspirant, staying close to his master, saw him in trouble and wanted to come to his aid. But his lack of experience and responsiveness made him miss the Uchiha's feint. The Earth ninja didn't have time to react, so swift was the execution. In a fraction of a second, his throat was slit, taking his life with it.
" No! No, Akira!" cried the ninja, witnessing the death of his student. "Scum! He was just a child, you son of a bitch!"
Even the most trained shinobi could be overwhelmed by anger and rage in these moments. They remained human beings, endowed with emotions. The Earth ninja, devastated by the loss of his student whom he had trained for years, rushed at the Uchiha without thinking. Focused solely on his hatred for the Uchiha, he didn't see the third person who stabbed him in the liver. The pain paralyzed him, giving the Uchiha time to swiftly decapitate him, without a word, without scruple.
A few hundred meters away, another Uchiha met his end, surrounded by five Tsuchi no Kuni ninjas. Shinobi had to know how to control their emotions to avoid acting impulsively, but they also had to avoid excessive recklessness. The Leaf shinobi forgot that belonging to a clan with prestigious techniques didn't make them invincible. His presumption and excessive confidence in his abilities cost him his life.
Such was the game at the heart of the battle: to die or to stay alive. And as the clashes continued, the battlefield was littered with just that, death.
On this day of battle, a notable difference marked the two camps: the active presence of the Nidaime themselves: Mû, the Nidaime Tsuchikage, and Tobirama, the Nidaime Hokage. Their participation had a clear objective: to eradicate the enemy as quickly as possible. This war had lasted too long, and it was time to end it, even if it meant taking care of it oneself.
"Jinton: Hôkai Ransu!" pronounced Mû, floating slightly in the air as he aimed at a group of Konoha shinobi. A bright light, surrounded by a translucent film, appeared in his hand before a beam shot out from his hand and hit its target. Everything the light touched imploded.
The Tsuchikage, with his Jinton ability, was one of the most devastating ninjas in this battle. Although extremely chakra-intensive, each use of Jinton by Mû caused considerable havoc, claiming a minimum of fifty lives with each strike.
No less formidable, Tobirama Senju constantly moved thanks to his teleportation technique. He appeared without warning, cutting down an enemy before placing an explosive tag. These tags multiplied, creating a cascade of explosions across the battlefield.
"Suiton: Yari no Kakutoku!"Tobirama chanted as water materialized out of nowhere, forming three condensed spears that pierced through and through any obstacle in front of him. Through this technique, Tobirama killed dozens of Earth shinobi.
As the battle raged on, a light mist began to spread. It could easily be mistaken for smoke resulting from a fire technique or steam born from the interaction between fire and water. But it was indeed mist, intentionally created.
Suddenly, amidst the battle, a thin blade pierced through one man, then two, then three, followed by a dozen others in seconds before embedding itself in a tree. This thin blade, resembling a long needle attached to a thread, then retraced its path back to its owner.
A man wielding a sword twice his size appeared behind a group of Earth ninjas, seemingly materializing out of nowhere. He swung down his weapon, which must have weighed a ton, with such speed that three men were mowed down in a single blow. Their bones and entrails were shredded, splattering the ground in a spray of blood.
Another man materialized at the heart of the battlefield, his broadsword striking violently, but his opponent managed to parry the attack just in time. The swordsman, surprised yet delighted, flashed a smile. The parry meant an imminent explosion. Explosive tags detached from his weapon, sticking onto his opponent before detonating, engulfing the surroundings in the glowing red blaze of flames.
"It seems Kiri has finally arrived," remarked Tobirama, sensing numerous signatures approaching from the south. But more importantly, he felt a wave of massive deaths among the enemy ninjas as seven powerful signatures entered the fray. The seven Mist Swordsmen were here!
Considered the deadliest and most sadistic ninjas of the Elemental Nations, they took cruel pleasure in killing their enemies and inflicting suffering upon them. A wave of fear seized the Earth ninjas as they watched their comrades fall one after another.
"Hokage-sama!" shouted a Konoha ninja, dodging numerous attacks to reach his military leader.
"What!?"
"A message!"
"Do you honestly think this is the time for paperwork!?" bellowed Tobirama, eliminating another enemy before him.
"It bears the Raikage's seal!" insisted the Leaf ninja. That stopped Tobirama in his tracks. The Raikage was writing to him? For what reason? Tobirama concentrated a large amount of chakra into his lungs and mouth before executing hand signs.
"Suiton: Suishōha!"exclaimed the Nidaime Hokage, unleashing one of his most powerful ninjutsu techniques. A tidal wave of water surged from his mouth, propelling his enemies before him and, hopefully, drowning a good number of them. It would also give them a bit of respite on this part of the battlefield. Tobirama then turned to his ninja to take the scroll of parchment.
To the attention of Nidaime Hokage Tobirama Senju,
With the presence of this missive, I, A, Nidaime Raikage, seek a truce in this war that only brings death to our respective camps. I am ready for a meeting to sign a temporary alliance until this war concludes.
Should you be interested, I await you in Kumo,
A, Nidaime Raikage.
The letter changed everything for Tobirama Senju. Signed in blood, it testified to the seriousness and truth of its content. Tobirama's mind raced, analyzing every detail. The battle was going well, and the arrival of the Mizukage's army was supposed to guarantee their victory.
Without wasting time, Tobirama gave precise orders for the rest of the battle and designated his replacements in his absence.
"Sarutobi! Danzo! Kagami! Homura! Kaoru!" Tobirama called out to his five most promising students. They immediately turned to him and rushed to his side.
"Hokage-sama?"
"We're going to sign a truce with Kumo!" Tobirama announced without further explanation before propelling himself toward the Land of Lightning with unwavering determination.
At the same time, amidst the blood-soaked battlefield, a man under Genjutsu walked calmly before making an invocation.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
In a puff of smoke, a giant clam appeared in the center of the battlefield: Mizukage Gengetsu Hōzuki was there!
His immediate presence caused a wave of recognition and terror. Many enemies attempted to attack him with kunai, shuriken, Ninjutsu, and explosive tags... but nothing seemed to reach him. He was invulnerable, a living illusion amidst the chaos.
"TSUCHIKAGE! Come out and fight, you coward!" Gengetsu yelled in the middle of the battlefield. Many attempts at treacherous attacks were directed at him, but none affected him. Every Ninjutsu, every weapon, every Fūinjutsu proved ineffective, as he was just an illusion. His voice echoed across the entire battlefield, amplified by the chakra of the mist.
"I know you're there! Come and fight! Or will I have to execute each of your men? Wipe out your city to get you to come out of your HIDING?"
"Jinton: Kūjo!"pronounced Mū, invisible, perched on a heap of earth. The technique aimed directly at Gengetsu's position and its surroundings. Unable to directly touch the Mizukage, Mū hoped to hit him by targeting a vast area.
At the location of Gengetsu, an intense light appeared, surrounded by a translucent film that expanded for three seconds before imploding, eradicating everything within a radius of fifty meters. Soil, plants, weapons, enemies... allies, everything vanished.
A deathly silence settled over the battlefield. Two of the greatest ninjas of the time were fighting, and one of them had likely just perished. A faint smile appeared on Mū's lips as he heard no sound coming from Gengetsu. There was only a large cloud of dust diminishing slowly.
But the silence was broken by a burst of laughter. Gengetsu Hōzuki, completely intact, stood at the center of the crater created by Mū.
"Is that all you have to offer me? Is this the full extent of Tsuchi no Kuni's power you have to offer?" taunted the Mizukage, challenging his hated adversary.
Fear spread among the fighters upon hearing Gengetsu's words. He truly deserved his reputation as an invulnerable man. No one normally survived a Jinton attack.
"Tch! You're just a big mouth!" retorted Mū, his face covered in bandages.
"Hahaha, but unlike you, I can afford to be a big mouth!" mocked Gengetsu, turning around, trying to flush out his invisible opponent.
Suddenly, the Mizukage stopped abruptly, pointing his outstretched arm in a specific direction, his hand forming a gun. Eyes widened, recognizing Gengetsu's legendary technique.
Mū reacted immediately, aware that he had been spotted.
"Suiton: Suisei Taihō!"Gengetsu shouted. A small water bullet shot from his index finger, crossing the battlefield in a second, piercing through a five-meter-thick mound of earth as if it were nothing.
"Attack him!" ordered Mū, dodging a second water shot.
"Hahaha! They can't touch me, fool!" laughed Gengetsu, weapons reaching him without touching him. Behind him, his clam, also under the effect of Genjutsu, remained invulnerable.
Mū had no choice but to run across the battlefield, dodging Gengetsu's water shots. He knew that one shot would be enough to kill him, and the pierced corpses behind him testified to the formidable effectiveness of the Mizukage's technique.
A cat-and-mouse game ensued between the two Kage. Mū attempted several stratagems to defeat his opponent but never managed to locate the true position of the Nidaime Mizukage.
Suddenly, Gengetsu stopped shooting. He had had enough of this game.
"No... this isn't humiliating enough for the wretched being that you are," said the Mizukage, lowering his arm.
Then, Gengetsu duplicated himself, a clone emerging from his body, another of his legendary techniques.
"Let's see if you even stand a chance against a simple clone," Tsuchikage! boasted the Kiri Kage sarcastically.
The oil and water clone rushed towards Mū, who charged as well. Mū remembered that Gengetsu was incompetent in Taijutsu, and he was right. The Nidaime Mizukage was weak in close combat. Mū quickly gained the upper hand against the clone. However, there was something disturbing: the sadistic smile on the clone's face.
Mū was more flexible, more agile, and managed to dodge and parry the weak attacks from Gengetsu. However, he realized too late the fatal mistake he had made in engaging in this close combat. Thanks to his mastery of Yin and Suiton, Gengetsu's clone could alter its own body to produce deadly protrusions.
In a single stroke, the clone's right arm transformed into a sharp blade. Mū narrowly avoided it, his eyes widened in surprise. Less confident, he attacked again, but this time with caution.
"Urgh!" groaned Mū as he struck the clone's head. His bones shattered upon impact, as if he had struck metal.
The Mizukage's technique allowed the clone to alter the density of its body using oil, making some parts as hard as steel. Mū then simply dodged the attacks coming from unlikely parts of the clone's body.
If he continued like this, he would exhaust himself needlessly. Mū made a bold decision: he used his short-range Jinton.
A light appeared behind the clone before it imploded. But the Hozūki clan technique had a deadly side effect: the oil inside the clone heated up to extreme temperatures when it was in motion. The explosion of the Jinton sent water and boiling oil onto everyone nearby, including Mū.
Painful screams rose as the boiling rain burned the combatants. Within seconds, the air cooled, and hundreds of small drops of water and oil gathered into one point to reform Gengetsu Hozūki's clone under the horrified gazes of his enemies.
"You're pathetic to boast, Kage, Mū!" taunted Gengetsu with a cruel smile.
"Pathetic?! You're the one hiding behind your illusions! Not once have you truly faced me head-on! Between the two of us, you're the coward!" shouted Mū at his opponent, trying to provoke him.
He hoped that this provocation would push Gengetsu to make a mistake, thus offering him an opening. As he desperately searched for the real Gengetsu, a deafening noise sounded behind him. A searing pain ran through him.
Mū stood there, dazed, for a few seconds, feeling intense heat on his chest. Looking down, he saw blood flowing from a gaping hole in his center. Slowly, he turned his head and caught sight of the real Gengetsu Hozuki, an arrogant smile on his face, his hand still formed into a gun.
"I've never stopped being by your side, fool... You're just like all the others, inattentive!"
From the beginning, Gengetsu had been toying with him, and Mū had been powerless to stop him. He suddenly lost his balance as the fighting around them seemed to halt: a Kage was about to die soon. The Tsuchikage collapsed on his back, looking up at his lifelong enemy above him, the smile still as arrogant as ever.
"You are weak, little earthworm," declared Gengetsu, looking up at the assembly. "AND IT WILL BE YOUR TURN!"
But Gengetsu had forgotten an immutable rule in combat: never underestimate your opponent until they are effectively dead. As soon as Gengetsu diverted his attention, Mū seized the opportunity. He knew he was going to die, but he would be damned if he didn't take this man with him to the grave. Quickly, he channeled his chakra, molding it into Jinton. A bright light appeared near Gengetsu's chest, and he only saw the technique too late.
The explosion disintegrated a large portion of the Mizukage's torso. Nearly a quarter of his body was shredded. Pieces of organs, bones, and sprays of blood spread all around Gengetsu as he collapsed, killed by his own arrogance.
"Die, you little shit!" cursed Mū before feeling his heart stop beating and his eyes close.
Two of the greatest Shinobi legends had just killed each other. The battle froze, silence settled in. Fighters from both sides looked at the lifeless bodies of the two Kages, realizing the magnitude of what had just occurred.