I, The New Hokage of Konoha - Chapter 256
“Boom! Boom!
Countless chakra bullets filled with kunai, shuriken, and ninjutsu rained down.
A group of Iron Land warriors, enduring heavy pressure and significant casualties, reached the Iron Land samurai who had come forward. Some continued to slash at the steel war machines.
Over time, and after numerous attempts, they did manage to destroy a few examples.
But the results they achieved were disproportionate to the cost they paid.
More Iron Land warriors avoided confronting the steel war machines head-on, instead inserting themselves from the sides to turn off the war machines and make them vulnerable targets.
However, now they were faced with the challenge of dealing with the well-rested and a more significant number of Konoha Village forces who had come through the rain of bullets, causing more casualties.
Under the attacks led by the stronger Konoha Village ninjas, the already weaker Iron Land warriors quickly faltered and retreated.
In this way, as the Konoha Village forces rapidly advanced, the Iron Land army was forced to retreat repeatedly.
In the end, due to the heavy losses suffered by the senior warriors who had previously held great strength and various key positions within the army, the command structure of the Iron Land army largely collapsed, which only exacerbated the dire situation.
With chaotic leadership and Iron Land warriors in a scattered state, they could only endure the enemy’s relentless attacks for a time. After their spirits were shattered, they could no longer withstand the one-sided battle, and they ultimately collapsed.
First, dozens of warriors who were about to face the onslaught of steel could not bear the pressure and chose to turn and run after their last bit of determination had disappeared.
Immediately following them, like a domino effect, hundreds of people in the vicinity followed suit when they saw an “example.”
Then came a thousand… two thousand… four thousand…
Eventually, it spread throughout the entire army.
The sense of panic spread through the Iron Land army at an astonishing speed.
In just a few moments, the Iron Land warriors who had faced the Konoha Village forces earlier, still retreating with their backs to the enemy, truly abandoned all sense of resistance and fled.
On the escape route, helmets, gas masks, armor, and even samurai swords were discarded without counting.
It could be said that the Iron Land’s defeat was not without reason.
In the new era, the remnants of the old era attempting to return to the mainstream were going against the tide.
It would have been fine if the Iron Land’s warriors had come from the previous era.
But now, after so many years, even within the Iron Land, the last bastion of the samurai, how many people truly embodied the spirit of the samurai code?
Sasuke did, as did his trusted old friends and confidants.
However, the majority of lower-ranking warriors could not achieve this.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been cases of Iron Land warriors with their families and belongings in tow defecting to the Fire Land.
And there wouldn’t have been the complete collapse we witnessed, with helmets and armor abandoned like trash.
Sasuke wondered if he could use this 15,000-strong army to restore the samurai to their historical glory.
These people had enjoyed peace for many years, and they could handle battles that favored them.
But when faced with significant setbacks, they crumbled, just as they did now.
Comparatively, the ninja who had spent the majority of their lives walking the fine line between life and death during the three Shinobi World Wars, along with the many conflicts in between, were far superior to them.
Even without the steel war machines, the Konoha Village could easily defeat the Iron Land army with half its numbers.
At this moment, while engaging in battle with Hayama and other Konoha Village ninjas, Sasuke also noticed the Iron Land’s army’s massive defeat.
Clearing the vision of Iron Land’s ideals shattering right before him, he lost the sharpness in his eyes, and his formerly upright posture slouched.
In an instant, he seemed much older, filled with loneliness and desolation.
Seeing this, Hayama, as an enemy, would not miss this opportunity.
Once again, he used the Vacuum Sword, supported by his teammates, and quickly swung his ninja blade filled with wind blades toward this powerful warrior who had exceeded his expectations.
Pfft!
The sound of the blade piercing flesh echoed.
Hayama’s face did not show joy.
Only because the one who fell under his blade was not Sasuke but instead a warrior from the Iron Land who had suddenly appeared and pushed Sasuke aside.
“Lord Sasuke! The Iron Land has not fallen yet. To protect the last sacred place of the samurai, you must rally!” Gasping for breath and spitting blood, the warrior named Rikaku grabbed Hayama’s ninja blade and shouted with all his remaining strength. “Lord Sasuke, please, go now!”
“Rikaku…”
Sasuke, pushed away by Rikaku, was awakened as if from a dream.
As he was about to say something, Hayama’s Vacuum Sword suddenly erupted, and Rikaku on the blade ceased to move.
“…I will protect the Iron Land.” Seeing this, Sasuke took a deep breath, spoke to Rikaku’s lifeless body, then looked around at the Konoha Village ninjas by his side and, without further hesitation, turned to run.
“Stop him!” Hayama immediately shouted and chased after him.
Other Konoha Village ninjas also moved into action.
For a Land like the Iron Land that didn’t fit into the Shinobi world, Hayama and the others had been informed in advance that they must eliminate this anomaly during the Fourth Great Ninja War to cut off the samurai spirit.
In the entire Shinobi world, only the new Will of Fire would be allowed to spread in the future.
And as the leader of the Iron Land, a die-hard adherent of the samurai code, Sasuke was naturally on their hit list.
But despite their strength, Hayama and the group of Konoha Village ninjas found it challenging to deal with Sasuke, who had wrestled with Half-Zangetsu and was now desperate to escape.
It didn’t take long for Sasuke, who had sustained several wounds, to blend into the fleeing Iron Land army, and in a few flashes, he disappeared from sight.
“Full speed ahead! Capture as many of these fleeing Iron Land warriors as possible!”
Seeing this, Hayama, who had vented his anger on the Iron Land deserters, issued the order.
After winning the Fourth Great Ninja War, Konoha Village would invest significantly in reconstruction.
These warriors with chakra and great physical strength would undoubtedly make excellent candidates for the Reconstruction Corps. Hayama wouldn’t let these people slip through his fingers.
As a result, a widespread operation to capture prisoners began.
After this battle, the Iron Land’s remaining fighting strength was reduced by nearly half.
In the following days, merely protecting their own territory would be an achievement for the Iron Land.
As for invading the Fire Land, it was no longer a possibility.
…
On the other side, they knew that the Iron Land warriors had engaged with the Konoha Village. Still, they were unaware that the defeated Rock Ninjas army, led by Oonoki, had crossed the borders of the Earth Land and entered the territory controlled by the Grass Land under the leadership of Oonoki.
“We can’t keep our allies waiting any longer. Let’s start now!”
After observing the Konoha Village defenses through his telescope, Oonoki quickly ordered to attack.
“Yes!”
Kitsuchi, the frontline commander, immediately gave the command for the first group of Rock Ninjas to launch their attack.
Unlike the Iron Land warriors, the Rock Ninjas were more scattered and primarily operated in small teams, allowing them to evade enemy attacks effectively.
Rumble! Rumble!
Chakra bullets, similar to those used on the Iron Land battlefield, now flew from behind the Konoha Village’s defense lines.
However, these were not steel war machines but chakra cannons specially designed for defensive warfare.
Although steel war machines could be effective against other ninjas, when facing Rock Ninjas skilled in Earth Release, merely changing the terrain at their disposal was enough to leave the steel war machines desperately struggling on wheels.
Konoha Village wasn’t going to make that mistake.
At this moment, numerous chakra bullets rained down.
However, the damage to the Rock Ninjas was considerably less than what the Iron Land had suffered. This was because the Rock Ninjas had openings to evade and used Earth Release techniques for defense or subterranean evasion.
While the casualties were low, the attacks did consume the Rock Ninjas’s chakra, so the Konoha Village’s attacks achieved their purpose.
However, soon, the unconcerned Rock Ninjas struck back.
“Earth Release: Rock Iron Cannon Jutsu!”
Almost simultaneously, all the charging Rock Ninjas rapidly formed hand seals, and then Chakra, in the form of small stones, was expelled from their mouths and grew larger as they ascended into the air.
Eventually, under the collective jutsu of the Rock Ninjas, a momentary artificial rock shower was created.
Soon, the rock cannonballs rained down from the sky with much greater intensity than the previous chakra cannons and rained down on the entire Konoha Village’s defense line.
The Konoha Village ninjas began to suffer casualties.
This was only the beginning.
For Rock Ninjas, who had learned from the lessons of the Godaime Kage Summit, these issues were minor and did not affect the overall situation.
The primary focus was on the frontlines.
With a significant numerical advantage over Konoha Village and a highly skilled ninja, the Rock Ninjas clearly had the upper hand on the large-scale battlefield.
Of course, the Rock Ninjas’s high command, led by Oonoki, did not forget one person.
The one who had caused the Shinobi World War and had even killed dozens of Rock Ninjas, directly leading to the decline of Iwagakure’s upper power, the main culprit, known as the Golden Flash and now the overall commander of Konoha Village, Naruto Uzumaki!”
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