Konoha’s Five-Element Ninja

Chapter Seven: The Chaotic Battle

Time flew by, and before anyone realized it, the calendar had reached September of Konoha's thirty-eighth year.

Over the past two months, Hayama had carried out three missions, each as monotonous as the last—mere patrol assignments. For a middling chūnin-led squad like his, patrol and escort tasks were par for the course. The level of danger, however, depended entirely on luck: a good day felt like a casual outing, while a bad day could be a fight for survival. Life-and-death stakes were part of the job, but there was no wealth or glory to be gained.

The Rain Country's situation had changed dramatically, with Rain Village shockingly being the first to fall. Suna's sudden, unannounced attack had crushed Amegakure's main forces. Despite having a powerful shinobi like Hanzo the Salamander in their ranks, the Rain ninja were routed at the first clash. Against the might of the Five Great Nations, Rain's famed elite ninja proved laughably inadequate. Suna's entry into the fray turned Rain Country into a battlefield for Konoha, Iwa, and Suna, in a conflict as tragic as it was ironic.

Early one morning, well before sunrise, nearly a thousand Konoha ninja in the First Combat Division had already finished their breakfast. The camp was brightly lit, an unusual sight, signaling that a large-scale battle was about to begin.

Shinobi warfare rarely resembled traditional army clashes. Small, elite teams typically carried out assassinations and sabotage, achieving greater impact than massive battles. But when such tactics failed to deliver a decisive blow, large-scale clashes became unavoidable. In these situations, the goal was to overwhelm the enemy quickly and claim victory through sheer numbers and force.

With Suna's involvement, the Konoha leadership under Hiruzen Sarutobi could wait no longer. Unable to indefinitely bolster their forces against a potential Iwa-Suna alliance, Hiruzen decided to concentrate all available strength on defeating Iwa first. The reasoning was straightforward: Iwa was already stretched thin, fighting on two fronts against both Konoha and Kirigakure. The softer target was obvious.

After being issued twice their usual supply of tools, the nearly thousand Konoha ninja assembled neatly below a raised platform, waiting for their commanding officer to appear. Among them were Hayama and his two teammates, biding their time.

As dawn began to break, a puff of smoke appeared on the platform, revealing a Konoha ninja. His attire wasn't particularly remarkable, but his eyes were. Even from a distance, Hayama could clearly see them glowing red in the dim light. Just one glance, and Hayama felt his chakra recoil as if in the presence of a predator.

Those eyes were the legendary Sharingan, hailed as the shinobi world's most powerful bloodline limit. The man who stood before them was none other than Uchiha Kagami, a disciple of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

Kagami's scarlet eyes scanned the assembled shinobi. After a long, silent appraisal, he finally spoke.

"Konoha!"

"Victory!"

"Konoha!"

"Victory!"

"Konoha!"

"Victory! Victory! Victory!!!"

...

On a rare flat plain in Rain Country, over two thousand shinobi from Konoha and Iwa faced off. Despite the massive number of ninja gathered, the only sound in the rain-drenched landscape was the relentless downpour. In front of each army stood towering launchers, over ten meters high, loaded with sharp kunai, each fitted with ten explosive tags. The "explosive" kanji on the tags stood out starkly, glowing ominously even in the dim light.

Time seemed to crawl, stretching unbearably long, until both commanders simultaneously raised their arms and then sharply swung them down.

"Fire!"

On both sides, shinobi pressed their palms against triggers, pouring chakra into them. The chakra spun and built up immense force, sending the kunai hurtling toward the enemy lines like volleys from artillery.

The sound was deafening, drowning out even the heavy rain. Kunai collided midair, detonating in fiery explosions that tore through the plain. The once-flat ground was gouged and cratered, mud and debris flying high into the air. In the wake of the detonations, even the rain seemed to vanish momentarily.

No matter how many times Hayama witnessed it, this spectacle never ceased to terrify him. The orange firelight forced him to shut his eyes tight, but the lingering afterimage still seared his vision. No one could survive such a bombardment. This level of destruction transcended normal shinobi combat—it was practically divine in its scale.

Both sides continued their barrage, hurling volley after volley of kunai. After ten rounds, only the Konoha side was still shouting orders.

"Fire!"

This time, Iwa couldn't match Konoha's kunai count. In this contest of resources, the Land of Fire held the upper hand. But Iwa was nothing if not resilient. Known for their stoic unity, they had their own countermeasures.

Over a hundred elite Iwa-nin stepped forward in unison, forming hand seals together.

"Earth Release: Ten Thousand Mile Earth Flow Wall!"

A colossal earth wall, nearly a kilometer long and dozens of meters high, rose up under their combined chakra, shielding the entire Iwa army.

Explosions rang out as tags detonated against the wall, but the earthen barrier held firm, a testament to the unyielding "Will of Stone." Still, a few stray kunai made it past, leaving severed limbs and corpses in their wake.

Standing motionless in formation, Hayama let the rain soak him through. It dripped down his young but steely face, pooling into puddles on the ground. The battlefield grew silent once more.

In that eerie stillness, Hayama could hear his own heart pounding furiously, pumping adrenaline through his veins. His heightened senses and the tingling rush of chakra made him feel more alive than ever—a perfect weapon for the war to come.

The silence didn't last. Within seconds, both sides erupted into blood-curdling roars that tore through the rain, signaling the start of the chaotic melee.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The first wave of attackers charged, howling like beasts. As they clashed, Hayama's view opened up. He was in the second wave, and at the signal, he drew two kunai, gripping them so tightly his knuckles turned white. The veins on his hands bulged, a testament to his surging blood pressure.

Tatsu, seeing his captain's resolute stance, pulled out his sword without hesitation. They waited for the whistle.

A sharp blast pierced the air. The second wave surged forward.

"Tatsu, Yura, C-formation!" Hayama commanded, his voice steady and clear even as chaos erupted around them. The concise order gave his teammates a shred of reassurance, sparking a strange, fierce determination.

Hayama led the charge, Tatsu and Yura following close behind in a tight triangular formation. They raced toward the fray.

The gap between the first and second waves was only minutes, but in that short span, fewer than a hundred of the first-wave shinobi remained.

"Break their formation!"

"Kill!"

Chakra channeled to their feet propelled them at lightning speed, and they closed the distance in the blink of an eye. Hayama could see the enemy's spittle as they roared in rage. He took a deep breath and formed a hand seal.

"Earth Release: Hardening Technique!"

Like a kamikaze pilot, Hayama collided head-on with the first Iwa-nin. His reverse-gripped kunai twisted and plunged into the enemy's abdomen. Unable to dodge in time, the Iwa-nin's expression twisted into a grimace as he attempted a mutual kill, thrusting his blade forward.

Shlick

Clang

Hayama's kunai sank deep, and with a fierce twist and upward pull, he disemboweled his opponent. The Iwa-nin's desperate counter never landed. Drenched in adrenaline, Hayama barely registered the absence of pain. His enemy's world went dark before he even realized he was dead.

Tatsu, watching his captain's brutal efficiency, was momentarily stunned. His faith in Hayama as a benefactor only grew. Knocking aside another kunai, Tatsu pressed on, staying close behind.

As the initial clash's death toll mounted, the combatants began to adapt. They abandoned reckless charges and focused on coordinated small-unit tactics. The wide-open plain turned into a proving ground for squad-level combat prowess.

The battlefield became a living hell, filled with the dying screams of shinobi, the roar of jutsu-fueled explosions, and the sharp whine of projectiles slicing through the rain. This was no ordinary fight—it was carnage on an industrial scale.

Outside the main battle, two figures remained detached from the chaos. The ultimate outcome of this war didn't hinge on the noisy, gruesome brawl. It depended on the duel between these two.

On one side was Uchiha Kagami, a rising star and a clan leader candidate, backed by centuries of Uchiha pride and the might of the Sharingan. On the other was Iwatobi, a seasoned warrior, his skills placing him among the top five of Iwa's elite. Both carried the dignity and confidence born of countless victories. Both believed, without a doubt, that this clash would end in their favor.