Soldiers face soldiers, generals face generals. On the march, Jiraiya and Orochimaru had already assigned the matchups for this war.
At present, Konoha's high-tier combatants include Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Minato Namikaze, Uchiha Fugaku, and Uchiha Yuan.
The first three are indisputably Kage-level powerhouses. As the head of the Uchiha clan, even without revealing his Mangekyō Sharingan, Fugaku is still capable of contending with a Kage.
As for Uchiha Yuan, he came highly recommended by Minato.
As fellow users of space-time ninjutsu, Minato believed that Yuan could absolutely hold his own against a Kage-level opponent—perhaps even defeat one.
Yuan himself needed solid achievements to boost his standing within the Uchiha clan, so when Minato recommended him, he accepted without hesitation.
On the surface, the Sand and Stone alliance fielded six Kage-level shinobi.
Onoki would be handled by Minato; Jiraiya and Orochimaru, who could summon giant toads and snakes respectively, would take on the two Jinchūriki; the Uchiha fighters, led by Uchiha Jizan, would face Chiyo and Ebizō; Rasa would be matched with Uchiha Fugaku.
That left Kitsuchi for Uchiha Yuan.
At the outbreak of war, each combatant quickly locked onto their designated opponent.
Kitsuchi, son of Onoki, didn't appear much in the original work, but still left a strong impression.
Unlike his father, Kitsuchi didn't possess a Kekkei Genkai—let alone Kekkei Tōta.
His strength lay in his mastery of Earth Release. His Earth-style jutsu was so advanced it could even restrain the Ten-Tails briefly.
And from their first exchange, Yuan knew Kitsuchi was not easy to deal with.
Yuan, a speed-type ninja, specialized in one-hit kill tactics. But Kitsuchi's Earth Release was too formidable—and as a sensory ninja, he was immune to surprise attacks.
Though Kitsuchi couldn't see Yuan's teleportation, he could sense his chakra. The moment Yuan approached, Kitsuchi would always block the fatal strike with Earth-style techniques.
It was the first time Yuan's teleportation had been countered in such a way, and he was surprised.
Kitsuchi's defensive tactics were eye-opening. Yuan realized something important—defeating a speed-type opponent didn't require being faster; it only required neutralizing their offense.
Of course, that was easier said than done.
Kitsuchi managed it because of his phenomenal Earth Release skills and his sensory abilities. Ordinary ninjas could never replicate this.
With Kitsuchi's "absolute defense," Yuan gave up trying to win with speed. If speed wouldn't work, he would win with power.
A horizontal sword appeared out of thin air in Uchiha Yuan's hand, and lightning chakra erupted from his body.
Kitsuchi's brow furrowed. The lightning chakra Yuan released felt awfully familiar—was this similar to the Lightning Release Chakra Mode used by the Third and Fourth Raikage?
On the surface, Kitsuchi remained calm and confident, but inwardly he raised his guard.
Lightning Release counters Earth Release. If Yuan truly wielded a technique similar to the Raikage's chakra mode, Kitsuchi was in trouble.
Hesitating no more, Kitsuchi took the initiative. He formed hand seals and hurled several large-scale Earth Release jutsu toward Yuan.
The scope of the attacks was too wide for body flicker to evade.
Yuan responded with teleportation—using space-jumping to phase through one Earth-style jutsu after another, instantly arriving in front of Kitsuchi.
His sword, crackling with lightning, slashed toward him. Kitsuchi quickly raised an Earth-Style: Earth Wall.
CRACK!
The blade cleaved through it effortlessly.
Frowning, Kitsuchi used Earth Body Flicker to retreat to a nearby pile of rocks.
He shook his hands, which had briefly made contact with the blade and were now numbed by lightning—his expression uneasy.
The clash between Yuan and Kitsuchi had created quite a stir—others on the battlefield had taken notice.
Among the Sand and Stone shinobi, Kitsuchi was acting commander during this skirmish.
Rasa, Chiyo, and Ebizō had all fought Kitsuchi before and were well aware of his strength.
With the exception of Rasa, both Chiyo and Ebizō had trouble dealing with him. His Earth Release was simply too strong.
And yet, here he was seemingly on the back foot after just a short fight with Yuan.
Ebizō, after repelling Uchiha Jizan with his puppets, turned to Chiyo and said, "Sister, looks like Kitsuchi is struggling against that Uchiha kid."
"When did the Uchiha clan produce another genius?" Chiyo said grimly.
"Konoha's luck is unbelievable. First the Sannin, then Minato Namikaze, now this Uchiha Yuan—at this rate, we Sand shinobi may never see the light of day." Ebizō sighed.
"No… this may not be luck. Don't forget—that brat is from the Uchiha clan. Konoha and the Uchiha have never truly been aligned. For all we know, one day—"
"You old hag, what nonsense are you spouting!" Uchiha Jizan interrupted with a fire-style jutsu.
Chiyo snorted coldly and sent her puppets charging at Uchiha Fugaku.
Ebizō joined the fight against other Uchiha elites.
Back to Yuan and Kitsuchi—though Kitsuchi's arms had been paralyzed by lightning, the effect didn't last long.
Yuan had hoped to press his advantage, but just as he teleported in for another strike, a massive stone giant burst from the ground—with Kitsuchi standing right atop its head.
The sudden appearance of the golem startled Yuan. "Crap! His hands are working again?" he muttered as he prepared to flee using Lightning Body Flicker.
But the next moment, Yuan realized the ground beneath his feet had turned into a bog.
His expression darkened: "Swamp of the Underworld? When did he form the seals?!"
Lightning Release does counter Earth Release, yes—but Yuan's chakra wasn't nearly as strong as the Third Raikage's.
Kitsuchi's hands hadn't been paralyzed for long, and he had pretended they were still disabled to lure Yuan in for a killing blow.
"Brat, you let your guard down. This is the end for you," Kitsuchi growled, commanding the stone giant to slam its massive fist downward.
BOOM!
The strike crashed through the bog, smashing the ground beneath it.
Sensing no chakra from Yuan in the vicinity, Kitsuchi laughed aloud.
Had he finally crushed the boy?
(To Be Continued...)