IUTT: Ch. 275

Border of the Land of Rain, Ame Camp.

At this moment, the vanguard units sent by Iwa and Kumo had just joined up with the ninjas of Ame.

Inside the command tent, the commanders of the three villages were leaning over a map, discussing their offensive plan.

This frontline was of utmost importance, it was also one of Konoha's key defensive targets.

Once the war officially broke out, the pressure on them would be immense. After all, Konoha had already proven its strength in the Second Great Ninja War.

Even though they held an overwhelming numerical advantage this time, they couldn't take it lightly.

"Have we scouted out the situation at Konoha's forward camp?" the Kumo commander asked.

"Of course!" the Ame commander said with a smile. "We haven't been idle these past few years, we've already placed new model sensory transmitters around the border encampments."

"According to reports from our sensory ninjas, Konoha has deployed 3,000 ninjas to the frontlines, commanded by Sakumo."

"And according to the latest intel, he has already led a thousand men, split into several squads, to a position just two and a half kilometers from our camp to set up an ambush. I expect they'll try to lure us out soon, and then hit us with a surprise attack."

"Konoha never changes," the Iwa commander said. "From the Land of Whirlpools to the Second Great Ninja War, it's always been the same. They have no idea we've long since cracked their tactics."

"This time, we'll turn the tables and surround them instead, make sure that so-called 'Konoha's White Fang' never returns."

"Hahaha, exactly!" the Ame commander laughed heartily. "It's about time they got a taste of being bombarded into the ground by explosive tags."

No village wanted revenge on Konoha more than Ame.

During the Second Great Ninja War, they had repeatedly fallen victim to Konoha's superior intelligence network, suffering heavy losses until they were finally forced to sue for peace and pay reparations.

But this time, with the Allied Shinobi Forces of ten villages and brand-new tactics, they had no fear of Konoha.

Just as the commanders were about to issue their orders, a strange rumbling sound echoed in the distance, slowly drawing closer. The sudden noise made them all jolt.

Several ninjas rushed out of the tent, scanning the horizon, but saw nothing.

As the sound grew nearer, they realized it was coming from above.

The three commanders quickly looked up and saw five dense black dots in the sky, flying toward their camp.

A moment later, each of the five dots split apart into countless smaller ones, which began to descend rapidly under the pull of gravity.

"What the..."

"What's going on?"

"What are those things?"

They had no time to react before the black dots were directly overhead, dropping into every corner of the camp.

In the next instant, a chain of violent explosions ripped through the air. Fireballs shot skyward, shockwaves blasted outward, and thick smoke and dust swallowed the entire camp.

Some ninjas tried to counter with ninjutsu, but to their horror, their techniques were almost completely ineffective against these high-altitude bombs.

Two and a half kilometers away, the moment the bomber's payload hit, Sakumo gave the order to attack.

As the explosions roared, his force of a thousand closed the distance to just one kilometer from Ame's camp.

Seeing mushroom clouds rise in the distance, Sakumo privately muttered that even Shin wouldn't be this ruthless.

By the time they reached the camp, it was already in ruins, corpses strewn everywhere.

He didn't hesitate for even a moment at the sight, immediately ordering the slaughter of the survivors.

How strong was he?

Three years ago, he already had Kage-level strength.

And in the past three years, he'd been taken by Shin for experiments more than once, strengthened five whole times. Against the demoralized remnants of the Allied Forces, he didn't encounter a single worthy opponent.

It was just cut after cut, slash after slash, without even blinking an eye.

His comrades, meanwhile, charged into the enemy ranks, firing chakra-powered pistols and rifles. With each shot, a life was instantly taken.

And this was not happening in just one place.

There were a total of five allied camps being bombed simultaneously.

One of them was none other than the camp where Ōnoki was stationed.

He reacted quickly, firing a Dust Release technique into the sky almost instantly. In a flash, he disintegrated three bombs into powder, protecting many ninjas around him.

But that wasn't the end of the nightmare, only the beginning.

Because when the dust settled, he saw a man.

A man he wouldn't even want to see in his nightmares.

The man looked just as he did in the past, young, overbearing, looking down on all living beings. Just standing there made his whole body tremble.

Yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't understand why this man would be here.

Madara.

A name that made people shiver just hearing it, and now, the man himself stood before him once again.

"Long time no see." Madara stood on a slope with his arms crossed, gazing down at him, his eyes filled with mockery.

This must be one of Shin's traps. It has to be, Ōnoki thought, both hands forming a loose grip as he began to gather chakra.

Three seconds later, a Dust Release shot from his hands toward Madara on the slope.

The moment it neared, it exploded, swallowing everything around it and instantly reducing it all to dust, dispersing into the air.

But in the next moment, his hair stood on end, a strange black rod appeared out of nowhere, piercing through his shoulder and pinning him in midair. He was instantly immobilized. From the moment the fight started to the moment it ended, it had taken only a single exchange.

"You're lucky," Madara's figure appeared suddenly in front of him, walking closer. "That brat said to keep you alive. So, you're coming with me."

The Iwa ninjas nearby finally reacted, charging in to attack Madara.

He only smirked in contempt. The next second, a powerful repulsive force erupted from him, surging out in all directions and blasting away every ninja within a hundred meters.

Holding the black rod in one hand, he strolled casually out of the camp.

Kage-level prisoner: +1.

---

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Minato, having finished escorting the bombers, teleported with Flying Thunder God right in front of the Third Raikage, who was about to start a killing spree.

"You again?" The Third Raikage instantly entered Lightning Release Chakra Mode, charging straight at Minato.

Others might not know how dangerous this young man was, but he knew all too well. He had to seize the initiative, he could not give Minato any chance, or else every ninja behind him would be slaughtered to the last.

But just as the Raikage's strongest attack was about to pierce him, Minato had already appeared behind him, having taken the Samehada from his back and pressed it against the Raikage's spine.

In the next moment, all the chakra in the Raikage's body was drained away. He fell out of Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and, carried by his own momentum, crashed through five massive trees before landing on the ground, weakened.

"You really think you can beat me?" Minato appeared beside him with another teleport. "Two years ago, I was already holding back. Now? Letting you last even one more exchange would just be disrespecting myself."