Chapitre 229: Chapter 228: The Conflict of Water and Fire, and the Battle of Kirigakure's Demise
Sae Hyuga was born to be a shinobi.
Setting aside all philosophical definitions, in practical terms, an excellent shinobi can be described with one word—strong!
Mental resilience, mastery of ninjutsu, physical prowess, the speed of chakra refinement...
Whether relying on innate talent or relentless effort, Sae was a genius, scoring "ninety out of a hundred" in every dimension.
In fact, his learning ability was also outstanding.
As he followed the reinforcements eastward, he observed the behavior of Uchiha Shisui, the head of the Anbu, who was leading them.
Personnel allocation plans, decisions in emergencies, the frequency of communication with the rear... At fifteen years old, Uchiha Shisui, known throughout the shinobi world as "Shunshin," was a figure of tremendous political standing and combat prowess—truly a formidable individual.
Sae absorbed knowledge like a sponge. If the Hyuga Clan were still in their prime, the elders responsible for teaching would have imparted much of this knowledge. However, the Hyuga Clan had fallen into decline, and Sae had to resort to "stealing" what he could shamelessly.
Shisui noticed the boy's intent and often explained things in great detail, breaking down complex concepts so Sae could understand them more directly.
Sae wasn't foolish; he recognized the favor Shisui was showing him. But aside from his somewhat remarkable talent, he had nothing else of value, so he buried himself in his studies, memorizing this kindness deep in his heart.
The reinforcement troops set out from the village gates, advancing at a rapid pace with staggered rest periods, making this march even more grueling than a typical war.
Yet, the faces of these Konoha shinobi showed little sign of fatigue. Instead, there was a peculiar excitement.
They had every reason to be thrilled.
Because this time, the task of Konoha's reinforcements was singular—to assist the front-line forces in breaking the final defensive line of the Land of Water and to destroy Kirigakure!
The balance between the five great shinobi villages and the five great nations had lasted over sixty years. However, in just three days, this seemingly unshakable status quo could become a thing of the past.
No one had expected things to escalate to this point.
Two years ago, in the 63th year of Konoha, the Fifth Mizukage, Mangetsu Hozuki, was controlled by Zetsu. He sealed the Three-Tails within himself and then wreaked havoc in Konoha. In the end, both he and the beast perished in the Land of Fire.
The Kirigakure shinobi who followed him witnessed everything that night. Although they didn't retaliate immediately due to Konoha's overwhelming strength, the seeds of hatred were sown.
When the Sixth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, took power, the seeds of hatred grew until they burst forth, bearing the fruit of war.
In fact, the shinobi world is still divided on the true cause of the "Water-Fire War."
Initially, both sides exercised relative restraint. Kirigakure only wanted the return of Mangetsu's body, and Konoha, not wanting to press further, handed it over after negotiations.
But what followed was a series of unexpected incidents.
The team escorting the body disappeared entirely, the Fire Country's envoy stationed in the Land of Water suffered a mental breakdown, Konoha's Anbu discovered secret communications between Kirigakure and both Kumogakure and Iwagakure, and the Sixth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, was nearly assassinated...
One after another, these incidents constantly frayed the nerves of both villages. Even though some suspected that an unseen hand might be stirring the chaos, without solid evidence and with the growing hatred between the two villages reaching its peak, nothing could calm the situation.
Thus, war erupted in the early spring of the 64th year of Konoha.
What began as probing invasions soon escalated into large-scale, bloody battles. This war between Water and Fire had already lasted a year and a half.
Now, in the 65th year of Konoha, the situation had become crystal clear.
Konoha, like a fierce lion, continually wiped out Kirigakure's forces, pushing the front lines northeast from the Land of Hot Water.
The Land of Water retreated step by step. The Fire Country invested heavily in building warships, allowing Konoha shinobi to sail across the sea and march into the heart of the Land of Water, advancing towards Kirigakure with great momentum.
Last month, the elders of Kirigakure sent a humble letter requesting peace, offering immense benefits in exchange for the Fire Country stopping its tightening grip of death.
However, Konoha did not cease its assault.
The Fifth Hokage, Orochimaru, the former Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Anbu leader, Shisui Uchiha, and the heads of the major shinobi clans all agreed that stopping the war at this point would be foolish.
Kirigakure and Konoha had already formed a blood feud.
Both Yagura Karatachi and Mangetsu Hozuki had died at Konoha's hands, and thousands of Kirigakure shinobi, including the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, had fallen to Konoha's kunai.
Even during the previous three Great Shinobi Wars, Kirigakure had not lost so many precious comrades. Moreover, all these lives were lost to a single village, Konoha. The chains of hatred bound the two villages together, which became impossible to untangle.
Since they couldn't resolve it, Konoha decided to wipe out Kirigakure completely!
With this resolve, Konoha squeezed out the last bit of its reserve forces, forming a reinforcement unit to head to the Land of Water.
Speed was of the essence, and in this final battle to annihilate Kirigakure, the importance of speed was even greater.
To destroy Kirigakure and break the balance of the five great nations and villages, other powerful forces would undoubtedly intervene. To prevent foreign interference, Konoha had to concentrate its forces to destroy Kirigakure first. Once they held the initiative, whether it was dividing the Land of Water or negotiating other terms, the Fire Country would remain in an invincible position.
For this reason, Sae intended to make a name for himself in this final battle, to restore the prestige of the Hyuga Clan.
Konoha was fighting more fiercely with each passing day, almost crushing the enemy on the battlefield. Every shinobi clan was sending people to earn merits, and although the Hyuga Clan had declined, it hadn't perished. They couldn't simply hide away.
Moreover, Kirigakure was still a powerful shinobi village, not a lamb to be slaughtered. During this year-and-a-half-long "Water-Fire War," many Konoha shinobi had fallen to Kirigakure's forces. The village's Memorial Stone had many new names added, and it wouldn't sit well if the Hyuga Clan remained unseen throughout the conflict.
The forced march lasted a day and a half, with Shisui leading the reinforcements through the Fire Country's border and several small neighboring countries, arriving quickly at the coastline.
Here, numerous large ships were anchored.
The Land of Water was a vast isolated island. Although shinobi could walk on water, the distance was too great. Even if they managed to run to the battlefield, they would have little chakra left. To cross the sea in the "Water-Fire War," the Fire Country Daimyo funded the construction of many warships, allowing Konoha shinobi to traverse the sea.
"Rest for half an hour," Shisui said after discussing with the person in charge of the ships. Turning back, he instructed the troops.
"The situation in the Land of Water is very complex. Although our forces are attacking Kirigakure's final defensive line, we cannot rule out the possibility that the enemy has some strange tricks up their sleeves."
"Rest for fifteen minutes and then spend the next fifteen minutes getting familiar with maritime navigation. We need to reach the battlefield by sunset and rendezvous with the Third Hokage."
(End of Chapter)
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone