Hatake Tatsuya in Naruto

The Second Ninja World War

Today marks six years since the onset of the Second Ninja World War.

That's right, six long years have passed.

Contrastingly, the original Fourth Ninja World War ended in a mere 3 days, which is awe-inspiring to many. However, in reality, prolonged wars are quite typical, especially when major powers are involved. Victories and defeats fluctuate; today one side wins, tomorrow the other wins, and the cycle continues.

It's the war of attrition. Attack on supplies and ambushes. The War of Canonfodders.

The dynamics between major powers are inherently intricate.

"You beat me today, I beat him tomorrow, and he beats me the day after tomorrow." All these possibilities exist.

The first three Ninja Wars were chaotic conflicts involving multiple forces, while the fourth Ninja War boiled down to a battle between two forces. However, the more significant reason behind the shift is that the four ninja war was no longer conventional ninja battles; It was evolved into clashes among gods.

Super Kage level power was necessary to be just a Key player and but if you are just Kage level then you can be beaten like rag dolls.

Though it may seem that one hundred and eighty thousand people had participated in the war, the true determiners of its outcome are Naruto, Sasuke, Six Paths Madara, and Six Paths Obito. Ordinary super Kage-level fighters lack the power to single-handedly decide the outcome of such a war.

Only those who reach the level where Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama stepped into the Six Paths level during their lifetimes possess such potential. And in the previous three Ninja World Wars, there were no such immensely powerful figures, which explains why this war lasted several years.

The landscape is grim, with scattered yellow sand and stony ground devoid of any grassland. Tatsuya and Orochimaru, the commander-in-chief of the front, stand atop a desolate high rock at the border of the Land of Wind. And this is just the border zone; the deeper they go, the harsher the environment becomes. More than 90% of the land is deemed useless sand.

Contemplating the surroundings, Tatsuya muses to himself, "Whenever I see the terrible environments of other countries, I can truly appreciate the beauty of the Land of Fire."

Orochimaru, intrigued by Tatsuya's observation, turns his head and adds, "Hehe, that's only natural; after all, the Land of Fire occupies the richest lands in the Ninja world, thanks to the legacy of Master First Hokage."

"Nowadays, Konoha only knows the Third Generation as the 'strongest Hokage.' Who remembers the one who ended the chaos and created Konoha?" Tatsuya remarks humorously.

Orochimaru smiles without responding. When bored, he also read the current textbook on Konoha's history at the Ninja School and noticed how Senju Hashirama's deeds were nearly ignored, while most of the focus was on the achievements of Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Observing the tendency of academy students to idolize Sarutobi, Orochimaru almost laughed. He acknowledges its effective brainwashing effect. It appears that their Sarutobi Sensei has been labeled the "strongest Hokage," and even Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama have faded from the world's memory, let alone Uchiha Madara.

"By the way, Tatsuya-kun, is the neck injury okay?" Orochimaru inquires amusedly, noticing the bite marks on Tatsuya's neck.

It is not hard to guess who inflicted them.

Tatsuya raises his collar slightly, speechless. Last night, Tsunade playfully bit him multiple times, almost as if she were mad, and it left him bleeding.

"Coming!!" Hyuga Hiashi under Takaiwa shouted loudly, his blue veins bulging on both sides of his eyes as he activated the blood boundary of the Hyuga clan. His eyes rolled in concentration.

Boom boom boom!

Almost simultaneously with Hyuga Hiashi's proclamation, the yellow sand ground beneath Konoha's army started to tremble. The vibrations intensified rapidly, reaching alarming levels within seconds. In less than ten seconds, a colossal sand wave, over 20 meters high, surged like a raging tsunami toward them.

Seeing this scene, Tatsuya's first thought was, "Gaara's quicksand waterfall!"

Of course, according to the information Orochimaru shared yesterday, 80% of the trick was due to the current Shukaku Jinchuriki, and the ability was strikingly similar to Gaara's.

"In this war, the one who killed the most Konoha Shinobi received the most blessings," Orochimaru remarked, maintaining his composure despite the approaching sand tsunami. Like Tatsuya, he was among the few unfazed by the imminent danger.

Indeed, although Gaara's Kage level was reduced to a lower rank later on, his sand manipulation technique remained incredibly potent. A single move from him could annihilate ninjas below Chunin's elite level in seconds. This is one of the reasons why other countries refrain from invading the Land of Wind. With the presence of sand and a Jinchuriki, the Land of Wind can swiftly eliminate any invading forces.

Orochimaru and his allies, having fought against Sand Shinobi for years, have become adept at countering Banpaku's offensive tactics. Orochimaru was prepared to use Earth Style to construct a defense wall.

"Let me do it," Tatsuya intervened, stopping Orochimaru in his tracks. He walked up to Orochimaru and gently placed his right hand on the knife's handle.

Surprised by Tatsuya's sudden initiative, Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and teased, Stopping weaving Hand signs.

The Konoha Shinobi below, who were preparing to perform Earth Style with Orochimaru, looked up curiously, observing Tatsuya's actions as he pressed his hand on the knife's handle.

"It's all here. If you don't do anything, it's a trip for nothing," Tatsuya declared calmly, slowly drawing the blade from his waist.

Although not as renowned as his brother's "White Fang," there was no practical difference between the two blades. After all, the casting technology in the Hokage world had reached an advanced level, comparable to that of the One Piece World. Orochimaru's Kusanagi sword had already reached its ceiling level.

As Tatsuya spoke, the blade was three-quarters drawn. And in a swift movement, he pulled out the remaining blade.

Among the other Konoha Shinobi below, one thought reverberated in their minds: "The Black Blade!"

With a resounding boom, the crimson and black sword energy matched the height of the sand tsunami. Possessing suffocating destructive power, the roar tore the sand sea to pieces.

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