In the context of the Shinobi World Wars, with their unique and unbalanced form of ninja combat, the outcome of battles between high-level combatants dictates the course of the entire war. If Kumogakure's Killer Bee and the Raikage had defeated Jiraiya, Konoha's front lines wouldn't have been able to withstand their assault. Conversely, if Jiraiya triumphed over the A-B duo, the probability of Kumo's defeat skyrocketed to over ninety-five percent.
After severely injuring the A-B duo, Jiraiya maintained his Sage Mode, his reserves of senjutsu chakra seemingly endless. Judging by his current state and the attitude he was projecting, it was clear he intended to settle this conflict in a single, decisive battle.
Using ordinary ninja to deal with Sage Mode? Against someone like Jiraiya, who excelled at large-scale offensive ninjutsu, sheer numbers of regular ninja seemed to hold little meaning.
The A-B duo made a "strategic retreat," hastily returning to Kumo's front-line camp. The Fourth Raikage's injuries immediately caused a stir, and several medical ninja rushed to his side to begin treatment.
Even while receiving medical attention, the Fourth Raikage couldn't remain still. Almost as soon as he returned to camp, he barked orders to the ninja beside him: "The vanguard skirmish was a failure. We didn't eliminate Konoha's Jiraiya, and we suffered heavy losses. Order the front-line ninja to assemble. Konoha's attack is imminent."
This demonstrated that despite his severe injuries, the Fourth Raikage's mind remained sharp, his judgment intact. And he was right – Konoha's ninja had already launched a full-scale assault.
During the previous battle, even though Habara's strength wasn't enough to take down the Fourth Raikage, Jiraiya in Sage Mode should have been capable of doing so. However, he didn't, choosing to let the Raikage escape for various reasons.
It seemed Jiraiya didn't want to plunge the ninja world into further chaos.
The Shinobi World War was already nearing its end, and within that short period, the Fourth Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage had already died. If the Fourth Raikage were to die as well… with three of the Five Kage gone, no one could predict what kind of upheaval might follow.
It was highly likely that such upheaval wouldn't just be a "change," but a complete collapse.
Therefore, Jiraiya only wanted to defeat Kumogakure; he didn't want it to spiral out of control. Based on this consideration, it was better for the Fourth Raikage to remain alive. Clearly, Jiraiya's "medical skills" were lacking. He tended to overthink things. If Habara had been in charge, he wouldn't have wasted time worrying about some potential collapse. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to use shock therapy?
Even if the Fourth Raikage were eliminated, would Kumogakure necessarily collapse? Would the ninja world once again descend into total chaos? Not necessarily, so there was no need for so much hesitation. Without a doubt, Habara was the type of person who, if presented with a button, would definitely press it.
By the time the Kumo ninja had just finished assembling, their sensory ninja immediately detected the approaching Konoha forces.
"Alert! Konoha enemy forces are approaching at high speed! The enemy's vanguard will be here any…"
The sensory ninja's words were cut short, and he suddenly froze.
"What… is this…?"
Something outrageous had appeared within his sensory range: scorching steam, boiling oil, a surging sea of fire. A disaster-level ninjutsu had instantly broken through their pre-established defensive positions and appeared directly before them.
The Kumo ninja scrambled to defend, using Earth Release and Water Release techniques, but neither could withstand Jiraiya's "Goemon." There wasn't a single ninja in all of Kumogakure capable of absorbing senjutsu, making Jiraiya's "all-consuming inferno" virtually invincible.
They could only dodge, not endure; and to dodge, one had to consider the sheer scale of the jutsu.
Habara followed the Konoha forces, preparing to participate in the attack. The scorching heat waves dried his face, but rather than envy Jiraiya's power, a more profound realization dawned on him:
"People with chakra really can do whatever they want."
Jiraiya's senjutsu had pierced Kumo's defensive line, and a large number of Kumo ninja who failed to dodge in time were instantly killed. Since Kumo couldn't block his attacks, the outcome of the battle was no longer in question. The Konoha forces charged into Kumo's lines, beginning a systematic process of dividing the battlefield and achieving localized victories.
Habara's squad was highly efficient in combat. Whether it was the bug user or the Wood Release user, each was an expert at killing silently and invisibly. However, due to the previous battle, Habara refrained from using any flashy techniques. He simply held a mercury sword and followed his team, slashing at enemies… Huh, four people in a team, it seems like someone's missing? Oh well, whoever isn't mentioned will be the embarrassed one.
The battle raged from dawn until midday. The fighting was far more intense than anticipated, and within half a day, Konoha had successfully seized victory.
The Kumogakure front-line camp, established at the very beginning of the Third Shinobi World War, had finally been breached for the first time. Realizing the situation was hopeless, the Kumo ninja began to scatter towards the Land of Frost and the Land of Hot Water.
Both the great victory and the great defeat had come so suddenly, but the ninja in the midst of the battle didn't have such a grand perspective. They simply focused on completing their missions, trying to take down as many enemies as possible before falling themselves.
...
For someone like Habara, who wasn't suited for prolonged battles, half a day of intense fighting had left him utterly exhausted. It wasn't just him, though. For most ninja, this battle had devolved into a sword fight soon after it began. How many ninja could continuously unleash ninjutsu?
In a corner of the battlefield, Shibi Aburame's squad and Kakashi's squad encountered each other. The two teams had surrounded two Kumo ninja.
Habara was essentially out of commission at this point. Staying alive and protecting himself was the best he could do for his teammates, so he stayed in the back lines.
This was the final stage of cleaning up the battlefield; further killing held little meaning. Perhaps for this reason, Kakashi Hatake addressed the two Kumo ninja: "The battle is decided. Continuing to fight is pointless. Unnecessary resistance will only lead to wasted lives… You should surrender."
It would have been better if he hadn't said anything. The two Kumo ninja were already on their last legs, seemingly ready to collapse at any moment. But as soon as Kakashi finished speaking, they acted as if they'd taken some kind of stimulant, each grabbing a handful of explosive tags and charging towards the Konoha ninja.
Fortunately, Tenzo reacted quickly, using Wood Release to restrain the two. Otherwise, those near-death ninja would have launched a successful suicide attack.
Boom, boom.
Two messy fireworks exploded in the open field.
Shibi Aburame felt a lingering sense of fear. He glanced at Kakashi and said, "Kakashi, don't needlessly provoke the enemy."
Kakashi: "…"
Ninja prisoners of war had no rights protected by any treaty. Compared to being captured by the enemy, dying on the battlefield was often the preferred outcome.
Habara looked up at the distant horizon. The sounds of fighting, killing, and screaming gradually subsided. The time reached midday, the temperature began to rise, and the battlefield began to fall silent. The Grim Reaper had finished his harvest, but could what he left behind truly be called peace?
Konoha had cleared this area. Shibi Aburame assessed his team's condition and said, "Rest here for a while. Try to recover some chakra."
Hearing his captain's order, Habara leaned against a large tree and slowly slid down to sit.
But as he sat, he felt something ing him. He reached down and pulled out a "little gift."
Habara examined it, then handed it to Kakashi, who was beside him.
"Here, a present for you, Kakashi-senpai."
"What?" Kakashi felt something poke him, and only when he turned around did he realize what Habara was shoving in his face.
"If you're wondering what it is? I guess you could call it 'victory'," Habara said.
"…In all my years, this is the first time I've learned what victory looks like," Kakashi replied, his listless tone laced with a hint of accusation.
He took the object and casually tossed it away with force.
Victory, my ass…
If that could be considered victory, then the entire battlefield was littered with it.
It was clearly a severed arm.
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