Now that the coalition forces of the Senju clan were ready to move out, every ninja in formation wore a confident smile. None of them looked as though they were heading into battle at war's edge.
After [Hundred Wisdoms] returned, the Senju clan had already claimed victory in every battle under the leadership of the 'Three Heroes of the Senju.' This was now the first war personally overseen by those three legends. It would unquestionably be a thunderous blow dealt to the Uchiha clan.
Forget everything else, just looking at Tobirama's recent movements made it obvious how much work the 'Three Senju' had already put into this fight.
In pursuit of more military merit and a chance to stand tall in front of Senju Akira after victory, many allied clans nearly came to blows over position and credit.
Naturally, it was the 'Taketori Clan', always eager to die just to pick a fight, that became the 'lucky ones' assigned as vanguard.
Tobirama had worked hard to arrange this outcome. Although he disliked Senju Akira, he agreed with Akira on one thing: the trash within their alliance needed to be cleaned out in earnest.
Thanks to Akira's earlier warning, the Uzumaki clan, who were supposed to be a stalwart ally, handed off the attack assignment to other clans and chose only to protect headquarters instead.
By the time Tobirama finished working with each clan leader, Hashirama led the "Taketori Clan" and other disreputable ninjas as the vanguard; the Hyuga clan moved independently as scouts watching Uchiha positioning; the left wing was made up of smaller clans led by Ino, Shika, Cho for support; on the right were Sarutobi and Shimura, prepared to launch a surprise attack once battle began; the core of the force was held by the Senju main body; and finally, at the rear, headquarters was shielded by the Uzumaki's trained defenders.
Once everything was arranged, Tobirama gave a single nod toward Hashirama, permission granted to begin.
Hashirama raised his voice and waved his hand sharply over the lines.
"Move out!"
With that order, the combined army surged forward according to Tobirama's arrangement.
Their advance was cohesive and broadcast discipline, no confusion, no wasted motion. With the reputation of the 'Three Senju' behind them, every unit operated with precision. Orders relayed back to headquarters in clean cycles; missions issued outward again with near, mechanical efficiency. It mirrored tactics straight out of a modern war manual.
All information flowed in steadily. Nothing strange arose, not until they reached the borderland between Senju and Uchiha territory. Even then, nothing seemed off on paper.
Which is why Tobirama grew more and more uneasy with each quiet mile passed. Eventually, he "invited" both Akira and Mito, who had no intention of dealing with this mess, back to headquarters for consultation.
Akira barely gave a damn. He laughed on the way there and kept Mito entertained with chatter. He even pulled out a deck of playing cards mid, march and started laying hands while walking, as though they were heading toward a festival rather than war.
By the time they reached camp, both he and Mito had cards plastered on their faces from their game. The sight alone made them stand out like stage performers center crowd.
Strangely, no one showed irritation at Akira's behavior, instead, it boosted morale across headquarters noticeably. After seeing how casually Akira approached things as the "planner," many began thinking: if he's this relaxed, what could possibly go wrong?
Encouraged by that thought, workflow accelerated even more around headquarters. Tobirama noticed it, but said nothing. He retreated into his tent and checked over the battle map again for flaws or missing data points he'd missed just one more time.
Between forests and gravel stretches sat their neutral ground, a flat expanse packed with decades of bloodshed between both clans. This location had been soaked in casualties for generations. Today would be no exception.
With no motion from Uchiha scouts or defenses, Tobirama's instinct gnawed harder at him until he snapped a final decision into place: send the Taketori clan forward first as live bait.
They were unstable, half, insane at best, and cruel. Serial killings in civilian towns weren't unusual for that group in recent years. If they died here? No loss worth mourning.
As soon as that order reached them, the entire Taketori force erupted in celebration and charged straight toward where Uchiha territory began, eager for carnage like dogs off their leash.
"Kill, !"
Their bodies blurred through terrain like weapons loosed from chains. They covered kilometers in seconds using close, range techniques with savage speed, but even deep inside supposed enemy lines... not one Uchiha appeared to meet them head, on.
"Have they forgotten about today?"
Shriek, !
From high above came a piercing eagle cry that cut against clouds and sky alike, echoing across every plain below.
All heads snapped upward, and then she fell from it. A lone figure dropped from heaven itself like a blade swung from above,
"Enemy attack!"
"Above us!"
In one coordinated wave, orders spilled from Tobirama's mouth like live rounds chambered in steel.
"Vanguard brace yourself! Reinforcements standby! Left wing prepare intercept maneuvers! Right wing stand by with prepared large, scale jutsu! Get ready, "
Messenger shinobi tore across camp lines without needing further instruction. Anything delayed now would cost lives fast, and everyone knew it.
Meanwhile, in front of them, the Bamboo Cutter Clan grinned with vicious smiles at what they assumed would be another field day slaughtering anyone unlucky enough to drop into reach...
"The Art of Summoning!"
Bang, !
Smoke exploded outward from half the battlefield as a shape lunged down into it from above,
Boom!
With titanic weight behind it, a massive beast slammed into earth hard enough to throw up rock and dust for meters around. Its crashing impact crushed everything beneath it, including most of the Taketori clan unlucky enough not to leap free in time.
Screams joined smoke seconds later, cut through wind like metal scraping bone. Only a scarce handful escaped... and even they looked too stunned to speak clearly anymore.
Worse, the thing in smoke hadn't left either. It began whipping wild gusts around its body with its tail alone, clearing vision not for retreat but for display,
There it stood: four, legged; fox, shaped; tails swaying unnaturally behind its hulking body,
Nine tails swaying right behind its back,
It was unmistakably the strongest tailed beast known: the Nine Tails itself... summoned and leashed.
Right atop its skull stood one figure, arms crossed, posture unyielding as her cloak snapped in wind around her legs. Madara Uchiha had arrived on her own terms,
Roarrrrrr!
With its full form revealed for everyone below, chakra began gathering at its mouth, a swirling sphere rising between fangs...
"It's preparing a Tailed Beast Bomb!" Hashirama called out immediately as his body pushed forward through soldiers retreating backward in fear,
"Wood Release! Art of the Wood Human Technique!"
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