Large-scale warfare wasn't like a one-on-one duel. Unless someone had laid down a massive network of traps beforehand, there was no room for flashy tricks.
It was just a brutal, head-on collision.
There was no honorable matchmaking here. Jonin fighting Jonin? Genin against Genin? Not a chance.
But seeing the Third Hokage charge out first sent Konoha's morale skyrocketing. Technically, the Hokage was supposed to command from the rear. He shouldn't risk his life unless absolutely necessary.
But following a commander hidden in a tent felt entirely different than following a leader bleeding right beside you.
The Hokage wasn't just on the battlefield; he was spearheading the vanguard. He probably knew better than anyone: to protect the people you love, you have to be willing to hurt the enemy.
A lot.
Konoha had a perfectly functional command structure. Hiruzen Sarutobi knew he didn't need to micromanage the battle, but as an individual fighter, his presence was devastating.
Before he was the Third Hokage, he was a Konoha shinobi.
So, he sprinted headlong toward the enemy. Today, his personal security detail consisted of exactly one man: Minato Namikaze.
For once, the Yellow Flash was playing a supporting role.
There was no other choice. When the Third Hokage pushed his speed to the limit, Minato was the only person in the village who could effortlessly keep up.
Minato's job wasn't to kill; it was strictly bodyguard duty. But that didn't slow Konoha down, because the Hokage himself was a high-speed engine of destruction.
Hiruzen blitzed the enemy. Minato shadowed him, and Konoha's close-combat forces trailed right behind them.
Once the whites of the enemy's eyes were visible, the Hokage's hands blurred.
Earth Style: Earth Flow River! As the hand signs finished, the solid ground beneath the Suna vanguard violently liquefied. The churning mudslide swallowed dozens of unsuspecting sand ninja in a heartbeat.
The attack tore a massive hole in Suna's tightly packed formation.
Without pausing, Hiruzen took a deep breath and exhaled a surge of chakra. A towering earthen rampart erupted from the ground.
Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall! This barrier did two things. It stopped his mudslide from hitting his own troops, and it gave him a high vantage point to unleash wide-area jutsu.
Next came an A-rank forbidden technique: Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu! A single hand sign spawned four perfect copies. The clones vaulted to the top of the wall, staring down at the scrambling Suna forces, and unleashed a barrage.
Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet! Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet! Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet! Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere! What was the Third Hokage's true terrifying specialty? Combination ninjutsu. Two of the clones seamlessly merged their attacks.
Combination Jutsu: Fire Flow Earth Flame Bullet! This wasn't just adding one and one to get two. The destructive range and sheer force of the combined attack completely dwarfed the standard jutsu.
By the time the barrage ended, Suna's vanguard was unrecognizable.
The real Hiruzen finally landed atop the wall. Four clones plus the original perfectly covered all five elemental natures. He prepared his ultimate technique.
With the immediate front cleared, the Hokage locked onto the denser enemy formations further back. He needed maximum coverage.
Five-Style: Massive Combo Jutsu! With the sheer volume and purity of Hiruzen's chakra in his prime, balancing all five elemental natures was effortless. The scope and devastation of this composite strike easily rivaled Jiraiya's forbidden Sage Art: Goemon.
The Hokage's solo opener caught Suna completely off guard. His relentless, cascading chain of attacks practically flattened their front lines in a single breath.
Seizing the momentum, a tidal wave of Konoha shinobi surged past the Hokage, pouring into the freshly torn gaps in Suna's defenses.
With their formation shattered, Suna's counterattacks were scattered. They were forced to fight in isolated pockets, which perfectly played into Konoha's superior teamwork.
Since the two armies were now locked in a chaotic melee, wide-area annihilation jutsu was no longer an option. Hiruzen dispelled his shadow clones.
Then, he bit his thumb.
Summoning Jutsu! The Third Hokage's personal summon was the Monkey King, Enma. Legend said the beast possessed an indestructible diamond body and had once fought the Second Hokage to a standstill.
Whether those legends were exaggerated wasn't Kamishiro's concern. From his spot high in the sky, it just looked like the Hokage summoned a giant white-haired monkey, which immediately transformed into a massive staff.
Hiruzen gripped the thick Adamantine Staff. Spinning the weapon in a blur, the Hokage leaped off the wall and plunged straight into the slaughter.
Science dictates that any primate armed with a stick is a force to be reckoned with.
Hiruzen didn't have a tail or fur, but his last name was Sarutobi, quite literally Meaning—"monkey jump."
His raw taijutsu was legendary. Give him an unbreakable, shape-shifting staff and zero mercy for his enemies, and the results were horrific. Wherever he stepped, blood painted the sand.
Looking down, Kamishiro watched the Third Hokage sweep away enemy shinobi like autumn leaves.
Occasionally, a desperate Suna ninja would slip through the chaos to try and blindside him. But they always forgot about the golden blur standing right behind him.
Minato was perfectly content playing the supporting role. But anyone foolish enough to ignore him paid with their life.
With Minato guarding his blind spots, Hiruzen abandoned all defense and poured everything into pure offense. Together, the two of them were an unstoppable meat grinder.
This was the terrifying power of top-tier shinobi. If Suna couldn't figure out a way to break this two-man wrecking crew, the battle was going to turn into a one-sided massacre.
Just then, Kamishiro spotted a massive shift in the enemy lines from above.
He banked Yatagarasu around and shot back toward Konoha's command center.
"Suna is changing formations!" Kamishiro reported loudly. "Enemy command center located dead ahead, five kilometers out. They're advancing. Suspected Kazekage is moving to the front! Repeating: the Kazekage and Suna's central command are advancing. Tell the Third Hokage to watch his back!"
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Quick question: when referencing villages, would you like it as leaf, rain, mist OR konoha,suna etc work fine for you all?