Naruto Birdcage

Kitsuchi led a unit of Iwa-nin, bypassing the main battlefield and marching rapidly through this forest.

This vast forest was home to three to four thousand Konoha ninja, marking Konoha's last line of resistance.

If the enemies here were annihilated, Konoha would no longer have the strength to retaliate.

However, this battle was different from those in the past.

The frontal assault had met with Konoha's fiercest and most determined resistance.

After losing over a thousand vanguard troops, the Iwa-nin had gained no significant advantage.

Kitsuchi's current mission was to take advantage of his father's frontal assault, which was tying up Konoha's full attention, and lead a thousand-strong unit to strike at Konoha's rear lines.

But the forest was enormous—this was the largest forest in the Land of Fire and happened to block the Iwa-nin's path of advance.

Konoha ninja were highly skilled at fighting in forests, while the Iwa-nin often found themselves at a disadvantage here.

Upon reaching a fork in the road, Kitsuchi paused briefly.

It was extremely easy to lose one's way in the dense forest.

He turned to the ninja who had previously scouted the route for information.

"How much longer?"

"Not far now, just another half hour of full-speed marching ahead."

Kitsuchi looked in the direction indicated.

The dense trees stretched endlessly into the distance.

"These trees are so tall!" a voice exclaimed suddenly beside him.

A few people gathered around a massive tree, so large it would take several people to encircle it, standing over a hundred meters tall, marveling in awe.

This was one of the towering ancient trees found only within the Land of Fire, their age unknown.

But soon, it would belong to the Iwa-nin.

Once Konoha was destroyed, the Land of Earth's armies could press forward into the Land of Fire, sweeping through with unstoppable momentum.

"Keep moving." Kitsuchi shouted, leading the way as he dashed down one of the paths at the fork.

The thousand-strong force followed closely, darting through the dense forest like countless shadows.

Bang!

A sudden, unfamiliar sound rang out.

The Iwa-nin passing by that enormous tree realized there was no towering tree next to them after all—what stood there was a colossal giant over a hundred meters tall!

Wielding a massive iron staff, it stood towering above them, gazing down like a demon god!

"What is that?!"

The Iwa-nin below had no time to react before the iron staff, carrying the force of a mountain, swept across!

Wherever it passed, destruction followed.

Countless trees were shattered, and the Iwa-nin struck by the staff were instantly reduced to pulp under the terrifying force.

"Ahhh!"

"A monster!"

Seeing this, Kitsuchi immediately shouted.

"Form up defenses! It's a Konoha ninja! Quickly, organize defenses!"

But before his words finished, the ground began to tremble violently.

The earth shook with such force that even the nearby trees swayed uncontrollably.

Kitsuchi turned to look in the direction of the sound, barely able to make out a dark shadow.

When it smashed through the trees blocking its path, he finally saw it clearly—a massive "wheel" spinning rapidly, bringing with it an unstoppable storm, barreling straight toward their position.

The "wheel" tore into the Iwa-nin formation, crushing countless soldiers beneath it.

Some tried using ninjutsu to stop it, but their attacks were utterly ineffective.

The iron staff swept across, and the giant wheel ground through.

Screams of anguish filled the air as the Iwa-nin fell into chaos amidst the sudden and devastating attack.

Kitsuchi stood frozen, staring at the scene unfolding before him, his mind a whirlwind of confusion.

How many of them are lying in ambush for us...?

He frantically scanned his surroundings.

"Don't panic! Fight back! Quickly, fight back!"

"Kill them! Hurry, kill them!"

........

The Frontline Battlefield.

After a round of attacks, the Iwa-nin temporarily retreated.

The surrounding forest was left in ruins, with charred, broken trees and numerous cracks scarring the ground.

Even more horrifying was the sight of corpses scattered everywhere, blood seeping into a nearby stream, dyeing it entirely red.

Konoha ninja were clearing the battlefield, retrieving any usable tools and checking the bodies for signs of life.

The remains of their comrades were transported to the rear, while the Iwa-nin corpses were piled together, awaiting incineration.

At this moment, several high-ranking Konoha officials were gathered in an open space.

No tents were set up here; everyone was gathered in the open air.

"What are the casualties?" Hiruzen asked the person beside him.

"We're still counting... but it's estimated to be no less than 500."

Hiruzen nodded calmly.

His expression showed no signs of anger or grief, as though nothing could shake him anymore.

"Those who are no longer combat-capable should be sent back to the village immediately.

Don't add more burden to the medical personnel here."

"Understood."

"The Iwa-nin may launch another attack soon," Hiruzen added.

"Reorganize the teams, Merge any lone survivors whose teammates have all fallen into other squads."

He then turned to a nearby blond young man.

"Minato, you'll lead a team to strike at the enemy forces from one side.

If you can disrupt their formation, all the better."

Minato thought for a moment but replied,

"There's no need for a team. I can handle it myself."

Hiruzen didn't insist and nodded in agreement. "Very well."

"As for the main battlefield, Fugaku and I will continue to oversee it."

"Shikaku, stay with Inoichi's sensory team and keep us updated on battlefield movements."

The higher-ups continued discussing the next steps for their operations.

Meanwhile, the Konoha ninja were all busy with their respective tasks.

Not far from the Hokage, a group led by Yamanaka Inoichi sat together, each wearing a strange device on their heads.

The device was connected to a large battery nearby.

This was Konoha's sensory unit, monitoring everything within the entire forest.

The moment any Iwa-nin entered, they would be detected immediately.

After helping transport the corpses, Kakashi walked alone to a large tree to rest.

He silently took out some rations from his bag and began eating.

Rin approached him, sitting down beside him, and handed him her water flask after removing it.

"There are so many injured… it's overwhelming," she sighed.

"There's no need to treat them now. Better to conserve strength for the battles ahead." Kakashi said calmly.

Rin shook her head.

"Some of them are severely injured. Without treatment, their lives are at risk."

Kakashi glanced around at the busy scene, his voice flat.

"They're going to die anyway."

"But they shouldn't die because I didn't try to save them."

"…"

Half of a scorched leaf drifted down from the tree above, and Kakashi caught it in his hand.

Rin also started eating, holding a rice ball in her hand.

While resting, she hummed a tune softly.

Kakashi heard laughter and noticed two figures walking side by side toward the depths of the forest, bantering and joking along the way.

Both were burly, the kind of people who stood out in a crowd—they were from the Akimichi clan.

"What are they up to?" Rin asked.

"...Probably going to ambush the enemy." Kakashi speculated.

"Are they really that happy about going to an ambush?" Rin chuckled.

Kakashi couldn't figure it out either.

What kind of joke could make them laugh so much in a situation like this?

"Maybe it's because they know they're not coming back." he said.

"Oh." Rin nodded thoughtfully.

After finishing their rations, the two continued resting against the tree.

Rin suddenly brought up how, back in school, Kakashi would always avoid the crowd and sit alone under a tree at the edge of the training field.

Kakashi said that back then, all his classmates were too childish, and he couldn't be bothered to join them in their ninja games.

Rin countered, saying they weren't childish at all—they were just doing what they enjoyed.

She had wanted to invite Kakashi to join them, but he always refused.

Kakashi explained that back then, all he wanted was to train, and he wasn't interested in doing anything else.

After he spoke, there was no response from Rin.

Turning his head to look, he found that she had fallen asleep, sitting there, exhausted.

He hesitated for a moment before softly calling her name, "Rin."

"Mm..."

"..."

When he didn't continue, Rin, still with her eyes closed, let out a soft laugh.

"Why'd you stop talking?"

"It's nothing… Just stay close to me during the battle later."

"I don't want to hold you back. What if I get you killed?"

Kakashi was silent for a moment before replying, saying it didn't matter—everyone's going to die anyway.

Rin, however, said she didn't want to see Kakashi die and suggested they should stay apart during the fight.

End of chapter

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