Uchiha Gate: From Konoha to One Piece

— — — — — — 

In less than half an hour, the Third Kazekage led thousands of Sand Shinobi in an imposing march toward Amegakure.

Meanwhile, at the Konoha frontline camp:

At dawn, Kaito and Tsunade led over 4,000 ninjas from the frontline camp in an attack on Amegakure.

Around 1,000 ninjas, led by the Uchiha clan, stayed behind to guard the camp, following the initial plan to prevent any potential ambushes.

Perhaps due to Hanzo withdrawing so many forces, they only encountered small resistance groups along the way. These small units were no match for the might of the Konoha army and were easily crushed.

Within a few hours, Kaito and his team reached the outskirts of Amegakure.

"Hmm?"

Just as Kaito was about to give the order to attack and capture the village, his sensory perception picked up two approaching forces. He frowned immediately.

"What's wrong?"

Tsunade and the others noticed his expression and couldn't help but ask.

"There are enemies heading our way. Looks like Iwa and Suna forces," Kushina chimed in before Kaito could reply.

"What?!"

Everyone was taken aback.

Nara Shikayama quickly asked, "How far are they? And how many in each group? Can you sense it clearly?"

Kaito responded this time, "The Iwa forces are 32 kilometers away, and the Suna forces are about the same—31 kilometers.

"Iwa has more than 5,000 ninjas, and Suna has around 4,000."

"Their leaders?" Shikayama asked, his tone tense.

"Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, and Third Kazekage," Kaito replied. "Clearly, they're not here for peace. They want to stop us from taking Amegakure easily—or worse, wipe us out entirely."

The group was stunned by this revelation.

"That's nearly 10,000 ninjas combined!" someone exclaimed. "The difference in numbers is overwhelming!"

"Tsunade-sama, Kaito-sama, we need to come up with a plan immediately," Shikayama urged.

He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Or... can Kaito-sama use the same technique from yesterday that decimated the Rain Shinobi?"

At this suggestion, everyone, including Hatake Sakumo and Jiraiya, turned their gaze toward Kaito.

Kaito raised his head and sensed the surrounding clouds with his Observation Haki. After a moment, he nodded.

"It's possible. I can gather the electric charge from the storm clouds within a 20–30 kilometer radius to unleash a lightning technique strong enough to kill 2,000–3,000 enemies."

"That won't be enough to wipe them all out," he admitted. "But I can teleport above one of the groups and use the surrounding storm clouds to perform the technique again. Combined, I should be able to take out 6,000–7,000 enemies."

He smirked slightly. "The climate here in the Land of Rain is perfect for it."

The rain-soaked environment, caused by the overabundance of monsoon moisture, created ideal conditions for such a large-scale lightning technique. However, Kaito's thoughts momentarily drifted to the future.

Once he united the ninja world, he planned to create a canal system along the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain to redirect the excessive moisture.

This would provide an outlet for the rain-heavy clouds in the Land of Rain, reducing the constant downpours while bringing much-needed water to the arid Land of Wind. With such a project, deserts could transform into lush oases, benefiting both nations.

Such a massive undertaking would only be possible with a unified world and the extraordinary power of shinobi. Tasks that seemed insurmountable in his previous life—like carving mountains or creating canals—would be far simpler here.

If his mother used her Susanoo in its fourth stage, she could likely carve through a mountain in a matter of days.

— — —

Shaking off his wandering thoughts, Kaito returned to the present.

The others were stunned by his confidence in taking out the majority of the enemy forces single-handedly. Many of them had never witnessed his overwhelming power firsthand and found it hard to believe.

Seeing their hesitation, Kaito broke the silence with a suggestion.

"Right now, the Sand and Iwa forces haven't merged. They're still 20 kilometers apart. Given the distance, we can temporarily abandon the attack on Amegakure."

He continued, "There aren't many Rain Shinobi left here—no more than 1,000. We can take this place anytime we want."

"Instead, we should take the initiative and strike at either the Suna or Iwa forces first."

"If we crush one side, we'll still have enough strength left to deal with the other. What do you think?"

"With our 4,000 ninjas, we can take on either force head-on, even without relying on my technique."

Trust takes time to build. Despite the impressive display of strength Kaito had shown earlier, wiping out thousands of enemies was on another level entirely.

It was natural for them to feel doubtful and cautious—this was a matter of life and death, after all.

Hearing Kaito's proposal, everyone's eyes lit up with renewed determination.

"This could work!"

Jiraiya grinned. "With the forces we have right now, we won't lose to either the Iwa or Suna shinobi, no matter which one we go up against!"

"In fact, when it comes to elite fighters, we might even have the upper hand."

"I agree!" Hatake Sakumo nodded. "But I suggest we take on the Sand Shinobi first.

"For one, their overall strength is weaker compared to the Iwa forces—it's easier to deal with the 'soft target' first."

"Second, most Iwa shinobi are skilled in Earth-style jutsu, giving them superior defense."

"And finally, there's the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki. His Dust Release, a Kekkei Tōta, is extremely dangerous and hard to counter. It's better to leave him for last."

Sakumo spoke from experience, having briefly crossed paths with Onoki and felt the overwhelming power of his Dust Release.

"Well…"

Nara Shikayama hesitated before pointing out, "Wind beats Lightning, and Lightning beats Earth. Doesn't that mean Kaito's lightning techniques are at a disadvantage against the Sand Shinobi's wind jutsu? Shouldn't we tackle the Iwa forces first?"

"Elemental matchups aren't absolute," Sakumo countered with a shake of his head.

"My sword style is lightning-based, though I've been working on incorporating wind techniques recently. Still, raw power and skill can outweigh elemental advantages.

"Plus, Lightning techniques are incredibly fast—most ninjas can't even react to them.

"Even if the Sand Shinobi have an elemental edge, it won't matter if they can't keep up.

"And based on what Tsunade and the others have told us, Kaito's lightning is powerful enough to kill Jonin-level ninjas in one strike.

"These techniques are at least B-rank or higher. Most of the enemy forces won't even have time to counterattack, let alone take advantage of any elemental advantage."

Hearing this, Shikayama and the others nodded in realization.

"True enough," Shikayama conceded. "In that case, I have no objections."

One by one, the other leaders voiced their agreement as well.

"Great!" Kaito nodded, satisfied. "Then let's move out and head for the Sand Shinobi!"

"Let's go!"

With Kaito's command, the Konoha forces marched once again, this time toward the incoming Sand Shinobi.

— — — 

Meanwhile, back in Amegakure

The Rain Shinobi, who had been on high alert and preparing to defend against Konoha's attack, were left utterly confused.

"What's going on? The Konoha ninjas came all the way here, but now they're retreating?"

"Why would they leave? What are they planning?"

"Who knows? Maybe they found something unexpected."

"Or maybe they're just idiots?"

"Don't be ridiculous! They must have discovered something we don't know about."

"Could it be that they sensed Lord Hanzo returning with reinforcements and decided to intercept him?"

"What?! Shouldn't we send out our forces to assist Lord Hanzo and surround the Konoha ninjas from both sides? We could crush them in one move!"

"No! We need to follow Lord Hanzo's orders and stay here to defend Amegakure. What if this is just a trap to lure us out?"

"Good point. Better to play it safe."

"You're right. We'll stay put. Lord Hanzo and his 2,000 troops can handle those Konoha ninjas just fine. We just need to hold the fort here."

After much debate, the Rain Shinobi decided not to pursue the retreating Konoha forces.

In hindsight, this decision saved them—for now. If they had given chase, Kaito would have sensed them immediately and destroyed them first. At least this way, they bought themselves another day.

— — — 

An hour later, somewhere along a main road in the southwest of the Land of Rain:

The Sand Shinobi were steadily advancing when something strange caught their attention.

"Ssshhh... crackle…"

Some of them noticed the dark clouds above beginning to spark with electricity.

"Huh? What's going on with these clouds? Are we about to get hit by lightning?"

Their murmurs reached the ears of the Third Kazekage, who was traveling with the main force. He looked up, and his face instantly turned grim.

The ominous sight above triggered a memory—the scene from the other day, when Uchiha Kaito annihilated Hanzo and 2,000 Rain Shinobi with a massive lightning attack.

"Everyone, prepare defenses!" he shouted, his voice booming over the noise of the marching troops. "It's Uchiha Kaito! He's launching an attack from above! Use defensive jutsu now!"

"What?!"

The Sand Shinobi were caught off guard, stunned by the sudden warning.

Those with quicker reflexes remembered the Kazekage's earlier briefing about Kaito and began weaving hand signs to defend themselves.

But it was already too late.

"CRACK!"

A deafening bolt of lightning tore through the sky.

"Lightning Release: Heavenly Punishment!"

"BOOM!"

"AAAAHHH!"

In an instant, 700–800 Sand Shinobi were reduced to ashes. Some didn't even have time to scream before being obliterated.

"No!!!"

The Third Kazekage's eyes burned with rage as he watched his forces decimated.

Despite his swift reaction, using Magnet Release to shield a portion of his troops with iron sand, he was still too late. Kaito's attack had come too quickly, striking with merciless precision.

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