The elite jōnin and jōnin under Ryūgen's command had no choice but to engage the enemy. If they didn't, Jiraiya and his forces could easily dismantle the formations surrounding the walls. Once that happened, defending Tetsuishi Town would become exponentially more difficult. Their only option was to meet the enemy head-on.
"Use the mechanical cannons! Focus fire on those four hills—we need to destroy them as quickly as possible!"
Even as Ryūgen and his forces moved out, a jōnin remained behind to oversee the battle from within the town. The four summoning-induced hills Jiraiya had called forth significantly reduced Amegakure's advantage, making their destruction a top priority.
Eighteen mechanical cannons lined the walls of Amegakure's defenses, each operated by an elite chūnin. At the command, they adjusted their aim and channeled chakra into the weapons. Blue energy gathered at the muzzles, compressing into dense chakra spheres before being launched toward the hills.
Boom!
Explosions echoed across the battlefield as chakra blasts slammed into the hills, sending tremors through the ground. Though craters formed where the attacks landed, it was clear that sheer firepower alone wouldn't be enough to demolish them in a short time.
"Keep half of them firing at the hills, the rest should target the Konoha shinobi!" the Amegakure commander quickly ordered.
Since the cannons weren't breaking the hills fast enough, he decided it was better to shift their focus to eliminating the enemy directly. The chakra blasts were powerful and covered a wide range, making them ideal for disrupting enemy formations.
Konoha had mechanical cannons of their own, though far fewer—only six in total. Positioned at the rear of the battlefield, they fired back toward Tetsuishi Town's defenses.
Ryūgen landed below the walls and immediately charged toward Jiraiya.
"If I capture you, Konoha will have no choice but to back down."
Jiraiya, the disciple of Sarutobi Hiruzen, was the commander of this operation. If Ryūgen could take him out, he could force Konoha into a retreat.
"Then come and try. Let's see if you take me down first, or if I cut you down first," Jiraiya replied coldly.
Ultimately, the outcome of this war depended on the power of high-level combatants. If Jiraiya's side could eliminate Ryūgen and the other elite jōnin, there would be no way for Amegakure to hold Tetsuishi Town with just chūnin and genin. Conversely, if Ryūgen and his forces took down Jiraiya's group, Konoha's assault would crumble, and they'd have no choice but to retreat and regroup.
Ryūgen wasn't just any jōnin—he was Hanzo the Salamander's personal bodyguard, a warrior of immense strength. Jiraiya was fully aware of this.
But he wasn't afraid.
He was confident he could take Ryūgen down.
Now that he had already eliminated Danzo, there was no longer a need to keep his Sage Mode a secret. In the battles ahead, he could enter it whenever necessary.
The only reason he had hidden it before was to catch Danzo off guard. Sarutobi Hiruzen had been grooming him as the next Hokage, and Danzo—being the man he was—would never allow that to happen. Keeping Sage Mode under wraps had been Jiraiya's trump card against him. But now that Danzo was dead, there was no longer any reason to hold back.
"I'll handle him."
Isamu stepped forward, standing on the surging waves, his voice steady.
He knew how powerful Ryūgen was.
And they lacked detailed information on Ryūgen's abilities. With his reputation as a veteran elite jōnin, there was no doubt that his skills were formidable.
Isamu didn't want Jiraiya to engage him directly.
He was well aware of Jiraiya's strength, but it was safer to test the enemy's abilities first. Jiraiya was the Senju Clan's last hope of resurgence, and Isamu would rather sacrifice himself than let Jiraiya suffer an injury.
"No need. I'll take him on. You go assist Uchiha Raiden in dismantling the barrier formations around the walls," Jiraiya said confidently.
Seeing Jiraiya's firm resolve, Isamu didn't argue further. He quickly formed hand seals, summoning multiple towering water vortexes that surged toward the enemy's defensive barriers.
However, an elite jōnin from Amegakure intercepted him, halting his attack.
Konoha's elite jōnin, including Jiraiya, outnumbered their opponents by two. However, with Amegakure's forces positioned atop the walls, they maintained a tactical advantage, allowing them to temporarily hold off Konoha's stronger fighters.
"You have guts, kid. I admire that," Ryūgen said as he swung his blade at Jiraiya. "It's a shame we had to meet as enemies. In another life, we might've been friends."
"There's no point in idle talk," Jiraiya shot back, eyes cold. "It won't change the fact that I'm taking Tetsuishi Town."
With that, he swung the Lightning Flame Blade forward.
Clang!
Sparks flew as their blades clashed, ringing through the battlefield.
Ryūgen's sword was no ordinary weapon—it was forged from rare metals, nearly indestructible. Even against the Lightning Flame Blade, it showed no signs of damage.
As Hanzo's right-hand man, Ryūgen held immense authority in Amegakure. Aside from Hanzo himself, he wielded the highest level of influence. Owning a powerful blade was only natural for someone of his status.
Unlike the great nations, Amegakure had no daimyo—Hanzo alone ruled everything. While other lands had feudal lords overseeing their shinobi villages, Hanzo held absolute power in his domain. Though in many cases, the daimyo of the great nations were mere figureheads, their presence still mattered. Amegakure, however, was different. Hanzo was both its ruler and its strongest warrior.
"Water Release: Exploding Water Spiral Thrust!"
Ryūgen lunged forward, thrusting his sword. At its tip, a rapidly spinning stream of water formed, launching toward Jiraiya like a drill.
The spiraling torrent moved at an incredible speed, its edges razor-sharp. As it cut through the air, a piercing whistle accompanied it, growing louder as it absorbed raindrops mid-flight, increasing in size and power.
Jiraiya responded instantly, swinging the Lightning Flame Blade in a wide arc, unleashing a powerful bolt of lightning directly into the attack.
Boom!
The spiraling water explosion detonated upon contact, erupting into a tidal wave that surged toward Jiraiya.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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