XXX

Iwa vs Suna Kumo vs Kiri

While the bulk of the Iwa army was rushing to protect its country from the Suna invaders, the Tsuchikage was embroiled in a heated defensive battle against a revitalized Suna army under their new and inspiring Kazekage, Gaara of the Desert. The Tsuchikage, deployed his men in a line formation with the aim of covering the widest area possible to prevent the Suna from advancing too deeply into Iwa territory. However, the problem with the line formation was that if any of the edges were breached then the enemy would be able to easily pincer the rest of the army resulting in its total collapse. The other problem with the line formation is that with low man-power the line formation spreads the line too thin and easily breached. In the case of the Iwa shinobi even in this situation, employing the line formation was still viable due to the Iwa shinobi's absolute and resolute defensive capabilities. Recognizing this, the young Kazekage utilized his superior numbers to launch a fierce assault on both wings of the Iwa line formation.

"Kazekage-sama the enemy has managed to set up a fairly strong defensive line formation. Our advance has been halted"

"No need to worry, because that was expected. The Iwa are masters of defense" replied Gaara.

"Send 30 percent of our forces on either flank and utilize wave attacks.

…

"Give me a status report now!" yelled the Tsuchikage on the other side of the battle lines.

"My lord. Both our flanks are under fierce attack from the Suna shinobi they are holding on but barely. Our center has held firm" a scout said.

"The new Kazekage is no slouch, he realized the weakness of the line formation immediately and is using his temporary numerical advantage to defeat us here." Said the battle hardened Kage.

"Sir if they are able to successfully break out flanks then it will be all over for us" the captain replied.

"I know, but this will not happen not on my watch. Send reinforcements to either flanks"

"But Sir, if we do that the center will be weakened and the Suna will be able to push right past us and destroy the formation then it will be all over"

"You need not worry about that—I am here."

"Also I want the Iwa to push through the center. No doubt the young Kage will press the attack through the center. There I will meet him and slay him"

"My lord, we must wait on reinforcements" a Jonin captain said.

"We do not have the numbers to face the Suna shinobi head-on like that"

"That is precisely why we must press forward and slay the Kazekage." Replied the Tsuchikage.

"When outnumbered the best strategy is killing the enemy's commander. When I kill the Kazekage the entire Suna army will be in disarray and their assault will be broken."

"As you command my lord. I will follow you until the ends of the earth"

"Then let us move ahead and break this assault"

"Hoooooo!" the Iwa shinobi yelled with their morale raised.

With the Suna shinobi…

"Gaara, the Iwa have moved a substantial number of men to protect their flanks from our wave attack" Temari said to her younger brother.

"Yes, this will weaken their center and we will use this opportunity to destroy their core. I will slay the Tsuchikage and break the Iwa before their main army arrives"

"That is too reckless Gaara" The Iwa Jonin said—he was Gaara's brother Kankuro.

"No we must break them here before their reinforcements arrive otherwise we will have no end of trouble."

"Move the center army forward to engage their core forces"

"We will bring the Iwa down here and now. Send word to the left and right wings that they must break the respective Iwa flanks or we will lose this battle!" roared Gaara.

"Failure is not allowed!" the Kazekage said.

The Kazekage's orders were swiftly dispatched throughout the entire army that responded quickly to their leader's words and they advanced without fear.

…

The Suna's total commitment on the offensive created the desired effect. The Iwa flanks that were holding steadily were beginning to buckle on the assault.

"We are not going to hold out at this rate. There are too many Suna shinobi to deal with!" One of the captains on the left flank.

"Not matter we must hold! Hold the line! Fight-to-the-death!" the captain roared with fervor which boosted the morale of the defending Iwa shinobi.

Shouts of 'fight-to-the-death' and 'hold the line!' chorused throughout the entire Iwa army's line which surprisingly regained its shape and held its ground.

To the Suna shinobi it was like literally running into a brick wall over and over again. However, they were slowly chipping away at the strong defenses put up by their enemy.

"These damn bastards are really tough" a Suna captain said.

"Yeah, it is not many of them but they are not giving up at all!" another said.

"Yes when a beast is cornered and facing death, it will always fight back with an abnormal strength before its demise. Their strength will soon wane as we continue to do battle and the true reality of the situation before them is realized." One of the older Suna shinobi said.

But the Iwa shinobi, were not ordinary beasts.

"Sir, we are beginning to make inroads against the Iwa shinobi's defensive line, their initial resistance is waning." And similar reports were being sent to the Kazekage in the middle.

"Kazekage-sama, it seems that both flanks are buckling under our assault. However, their center is holding firm"

"It is no surprise at all since the center is where the Tsuchikage is personally leading his men" Gaara said.

"Let us press the assault on the center. I shall personally slay the Iwa leader. We cannot allow them to hold out until their reinforcements arrive."

On the Iwa's side, the Tsuchikage was getting reports of the two flanks that were about to collapse.

"My lord, our men on the flanks are barely holding out. If they fall then we will be pincered on both sides"

"Tell all the men in the center to launch a full assault on the Suna. I will personally slay the Kazekage."

"But sir, should we not retreat?!" one of the scouts asked.

"Retreat is not an option now. It is do or die!" the Kage said.

"In such a situation the best option is to slay the enemy commander"

"Is that not right Kazekage-dono!" the Tsuchikage said as the young leader of the Sand shinobi appeared before him floating on a tuft of sand.

"That is correct Tsuchikage-dono"

Kumo and Kiri…

As the Raikage and the rest of the Kumo shinobi were making their way to the invading force of Kiri shinobi. The entire force was moving quickly among the trees, and below they could see waves of refugees heading towards the village.

"Send a team to gather some information from the villagers and report back to me ASAP!" the Raikage said.

"Yes sir!" a three man team of shinobi went down to fleeing civilians.

"Give us a report about what is happening immediately!" one of the three shinobi ordered.

"Sir…sir the village was under sudden attack by the Mist shinobi"

"They killed any of the guards and chased out all the civilians towards the village unharmed."

"That's it?" one of the shinobi asked.

"Yes sir…" a scared civilian said.

The shinobi disappeared as the civilian's statement ended.

Not too long after the shinobi was back at his Kage's side.

"Sir, the Mist shinobi killed the defense forces but left the civilians alive and pushed them towards the capital"

"They are planning on using them as human weapons!" The Raikage said.

"This is no run-of-the-mill Kage, and someone worth killing"

"Enemies sighted ahead!" A scout said.

"Good!" the Raikage said as he disappeared from the view of the Kumo forces that could not keep up.

…

Not too far ahead the Mist shinobi were in their glee as they overran the shocked Kumo shinobi.

"Hahaha! The Kumo shinobi are shocked into inaction our attack was perfect!" the unknown ninja said.

"We will be at the capital's throat in no time" mentioned another.

However, all his boastful talk were shut down when the Mist ninja suddenly felt his windpipe being crushed. The ninja was hoisted in the air as if he was a feather. It was the Mist shinobi's turn to be numbed into inaction.

"No…not a single one of you cretins will make it within a hundred meters of my city!" the angry Kage said and then tossed the body at the group of shinobi.

"It is the Raikage! Use the encircling formation!" the captain said. However, it was all useless against the overwhelming might of the Raikage.

In the distance the Mizukage could sense the large chakra presence of the Raikage—everyone present could feel the enraged Kage's chakra and rage.

"Mizukage-sama, I am sure that you are sensing the Raikage's chakra" Ao said.

"Yes. Split our forces in two. You command half and let Chojuro take command of the other half."

"Me take command of the other half?" Chojuro said with both shock and awe in his voice.

"Yes. You are a strong ninja, have faith in yourself and do Kiri proud." Said the Mizukage.

"Hai Mizukage-sama" Chojuro said with a slight blush.

"Now. Let me announce myself to the Raikage" the Mizukage said.

As the Raikage finished his light warm-up he saw a large water dragon barreling towards him, destroying everything in its path.

"Hmmm, it is a larger and more powerful water dragon than usual." Mused the Raikage calmly as the water beast reached right up to his face—before he disappeared and reappeared right next to the water dragon as it roared past him in the distance.

The rest of the Kumo army was rushing to make it to their Kage's side lead by several Jonin captains.

"Something feels off?!" A jonin captain said.

"I can hear trees being destroyed in the distance" another said.

"It is probably Raikage-sama destroying the enemy."

"No the noise is rapidly approaching us. Everyone be on guard!" the jonin captain said.

No sooner as he said that, they saw the trees being ripped apart as huge water dragon bore down on the core of the army.

"Everyone evasive action now! Enemy attack!" and the Kumo shinobi responded immediately. Effectively avoiding the deadly attack.

As the dragon passed and died out they saw the Raikage facing off against the Mizukage and the massive Mist army in the distance.

"That was the Mizukage's attack?!" the jonin captain said in disbelief.

Back with the Mizukage, she received a report from Ao.

"We did not get him" Ao said with his activated Bayakugan

"I know." Said the Mizukage.

"Something that weak will not even touch the Raikage." As she stood before the Raikage with her army.

"As expected of the Kage of Kumo." She said calmly.

"You are no slouch of a Mizukage." The Raikage replied.

As the supporting Kumo forces arrived behind their Kage both armies led by the respective Kages faced off against each other.

"This will be an interesting battle" mused the Mizukage.

"We out number your men two to one"

"But we have the home ground advantage" replied the Raikage.

"The atmosphere of your army says otherwise" countered the Mizukage having read the expressions on some of the faces of the Kumo shinobi, many of whom were fresh out of the academy and drafted during the emergency.

As the Kages spoke the Kumo forces split into two equal groups as well to face off against their corresponding opponents. However, there was some doubt about whether or not they could hold the line in the face of the much larger Mist army.

"That is about to change. You shall pay for your transgressions against the people of Kumo." replied the Raikage. He had sensed the incoming presence of two senior Kumo shinobi—Raiun and Raiko arrived.

"You will never leave this country alive having roused Kumo's sleeping tigers". The Raikage said as he flared his chakra.

"I beg to differ" the Mizukage responded while increasing her chakra levels as well.

The two Kages flared their chakra in preparation for their death match and their respective subordinates immediately knew what was going to happen. Ao, one of the Mizukage's most trusted bodyguards was the first to react.

"Lady Mizukage is getting serious. Send word to shift the battle lines away from the Kages otherwise we will just end up as collateral damage.

"Yes sir!" the scout said while sending the signal for the army to change battle lines.

One the other side the Kumo shinobi were adapting the changes in the Mist shinobi's formation.

"The Mist are shifting their battle lines as the Kages begin to get serious. Their Kage most likely uses area effect jutsu compared to the Raikage who is close range specialist" A Kumo captain named Kago said.

"Since they out number us, two-to-one, we can expect them to either outflank us or wear us down with repeated attacks, but we shall be going on the offensive" an old Kumo shinobi said as he arrived on the battle line.

"Elder Raiun! What are you doing here?" asked a Kumo jonin captain in shock.

"Our village is in danger, all Kumo shinobi must lay down their lives to protect the village."

"I will lead the right wing and Elder Raiko will lead the left wing"

"Kumo will not lose to the likes of the Mist, nor to the likes of any of the shinobi villages!" Raiun said with a confidence that bolstered the resolve of the outnumbered Kumo shinobi as he moved towards the front lines.

"Form up into four battalions of five hundred men. Each battalion will consist of three companies and then three platoons. The platoons shall be sorted into short, mid-ranged, and long range fighters—the long range fighters shall support the short- and mid- range fighters. Three battalions shall engage the enemy, while one battalion shall stay with me and await further orders."

"Yes sir!" all the men shouted.

Then Raiun began his rallying speech.

"THE MIST SHALL MOVE NO FURTHER INTO OUR BELOVED COUNTRY!"

"NOT A SINGLE MIST SHINOBI WILL MAKE IT PAST OUR DEFENSIVE LINE"

"WE WILL NOT CEDE ANY MORE GROUND TO THE ENEMY NEITHER WILL WE SHOW ANY FEAR!"

Raiun words held such clarity of purpose that the lingering fear that the men had was totally dissipated.

"DO YOU HEAR ME shinobi of Kumo?!" Raiun thundered.

"YES!" they all shouted with great fervor

"In formations!"

"Hai!" all the Kumo shinobi said without hesitation and entered their formations.

"Sir, this is really Elder Raiun?" a young chunin asked in awe as they assumed their formations in the center.

"Yes. Elder Raiun and Elder Raiko are the teammates of the Third Raikage—their bond was so strong that everyone considered them brothers. They fought side by side with the Third Raikage and were the village's strongest shinobi team by far. They were not by his side when died because they were heavily involved in the clashes with Konoha and harbored deep regret at not being at their brother's side in his final moments."

"It is said that they wept for five days and nights straight and their voices could be heard throughout the village. Since then they have dedicated every fiber of their being to protecting Kumo in honor of their friend and brother. They became known as the guardian deities of Kumogakure." Said the Jonin captain.

"We have received no better support" the captain continued.

While the seasoned jonin was talking the young chunin, Raiun began walking to the front of the army.

…

On the opposite battle line Ao sensed a great shift in the morale of the Kumo shinobi, and he also observed that they were beginning to organize battalions.

"A high ranking shinobi has appeared in the enemy's ranks and is organizing them for battle"

"Their morale is high and they are now being led by a capable commander—they will be very difficult to break down" Ao said to his men.

"Prepare for a full assault. Surround them and wear them down with your superior numbers"

"Yes sir" the Mist shinobi replied.

….

"As Raiun approached the battle lines he began weaving hand seals at a rapid rate while building up a huge amount of chakra.

"Goodness gracious, he generating a huge amount of chakra!" the young chunin exclaimed.

"It is one of Kumo's forbidden jutsu because of its absurd chakra requirement" the Kumo captain said.

"But for elder Raiun it is like using an A-ranked jutsu." A jonin captain said.

"Raiton: Eight Great Lightning Gods!"

"Come forth and decimate the enemies of Kumo!"

As Raiun called forth his jutsu, the skies above the Mist shinobi became dark and cloudy and an ominous atmosphere enveloped the entire area. Sounds of thunder rang through the air and flashes of lighting raced across the sky.

"Now witness the might of one of Kumo's guardian deities!" the jonin captains said as eight great tornadoes of lightning formed over the enemy's ranks and wreaking havoc in their formation.

"All units take immediate evasive action and reform ranks to the rear!" Ao commanded. However, Raiun's attack was meant to create havoc among the enemy's ranks as well as an opening to launch the initial assault. As the Mist's formation was in disarray Raiun commanded his men.

"Right battalion! Fully assault on the enemy's left flank in three waves starting with the short range—hit the enemy in succession and rattle their formation!"

"Left battalion! Rapid approach and then split into your respective platoons and harass the enemy."

"Center battalion. Approach their center do not engage directly but rather split into your platoons and swarm the field on either side. Attack any weak points but do not prolong the engagement!"

"Yes sir!" the men of the center army said in unison as they marched.

…

The Mist shinobi quickly took evasive action and were reforming their ranks to the rear when they were assaulted by a large force of Kumo shinobi.

"In coming attack!" A Mist shinobi shouted. However, even though the warning came in time, the Mist army could not reform rank to weather the assault. The result was the Mist's left flank was completely overwhelmed by the first attack of the short ranged fighters, who due to the havoc created by Raiun's jutsu was able to penetrate deep into the Mist's shinobi left wing.

"Commander! The attack cannot be stopped, our army is in disarray" a scout said.

"I know—I am seeing everything now"

"It is a wave attack and it cannot be stopped" Ao said

"Send word to the latter half of our left wing to regroup as quickly as possible"

"But sir what about the first half?" the scout asked.

"They cannot be saved—they will be swallowed up by the wave attack. Plus the enemy's center army is approaching but does not seem to be ready to initiate an attack"

"At this point we need to weather the initial rounds of attack and then counterattack" Ao said.

"Yes sir!" the scout said before sending out the signal

….

Inside the Mist left wing could only be described as a slaughter. Although the attack come from only approximately one hundred and fifty shinobi the lack of a proper formation and organization made the Mist shinobi easy pickings.

"Oh shit! A second wave of attackers is coming"

"We do not even have time to recover from the first hit!" another Mist shinobi said.

"Where did all those shinobi come out from?"

"I thought that the bulk of their army was attacking Konoha?" asked another captain

No sooner than the shinobi finished the statement that the second wave of attacks by the mid-range fighters who were covering the short ranged attackers. The psychological effect of the wave attack made the much smaller Kumo force seem as if it was much larger.

The two waves combined to already devastating effect, however the real slaughter was about to begin with the onset of the long range attacks. The hapless Mist shinobi were separated, disorganized, and slaughtered. That one successful wave attack killed over six hundred Mist shinobi and almost caused the complete devastation of the morale of Mist's left wing—if it were not for the quick command of the Ao. As the end of the Kumo's wave attack neared Ao made the only possible move in that situation.

"The enemy's attack is ending. Form up into your teams and do not give them time to retreat or regain any momentum!" Ao commanded. However, he was in for a surprise when the Kumo shinobi kept pressing forward.

"Sir, the Kumo shinobi are continuing to push forward to despite their inferior numbers"

"What is going on here?!"

"What is the Kumo's army commanders' up to?!" Ao pondered.

"Surround and grind them down!" he commanded

Raiun's scout reported back to his commander. "Sir our initial attack was highly successful. However, the Mist commander managed to minimize the amount damage by sacrificing a portion of the army" the scout said.

"They are preparing for a counter attack on our men."

"The commander is no slouch, but he is predictable. The counter attack will not work"

"Captain! The wave attack is fading out and it has turned into an all-out brawl" one of the Kumo scouts told his commanding officer.

"Also the Mist shinobi are recovering and beginning to use their numerical advantage to greater effect!"

"Forget the Mist! Send word for all men to maintain formation and advance!"

"Advance!?"

"Yes! We are the nail that will bind the Mist army place for Raiun-sama's tactic."

"Even if every last one of us were to die here, we must keep pushing forward for the sake of victory!" the captain said.

"FOR VICTORY, FOR KUMO!" the captain thundered. His voice could be heard throughout the battle filed.

"FOR VICTORY, FOR KUMO!"

"FOR VICTORY, FOR KUMO!"

Rang throughout the Kumo army as they pressed forward undaunted by the certain death that awaited them. The advancing Kumo force was being worn down on the side.

"You blasted Kumo shinobi, really wrecked our formation. Now this is the end of you all!" a Mist captain said as his force was grinding away the Kumo shinobi's flank. However, Mist attack was brought to a halt when it ambushed by two Kumo platoons.

"You bastards thought we would let you just attack our comrades like that?!" the captain of one of the Kumo floating platoons said. The captain of the other platoon was conducting long range interference prevent the Mist from reinforcing their comrades.

"What the…How…how were you able to surround us?!" was all the Mist captain could say as they struggled to fend off the attack.

"It is of no concern to for a dead man to know how he died." Replied the Kumo captain of the ambushing platoon said.

Additionally, as soon as their attention was turned towards the ambushers a detachment of shinobi from the advancing force turn on them as well. It was not long before they were separated from their main group surrounded and slaughtered.

And so the pattern was repeated as the first Kumo force advanced furiously into the Mist's left flank. Ao's perceptive eyes, figured out the pattern.

"The initial attacking force is a decoy of sorts, pulling all of our attention on it while the rest of the army isolates and annihilates the main army bit by bit. So that is their commander's aim"

"The continuous loss of men, however small will add up in the long run. Plus they have a reserve battalion that has not been used"

It was then that Ao made a decision that would totally change the course of the battle.

"Match the advancing Kumo force and switch to line formation and advance on the enemy. Do not let them separate you—maintain formation at all times"

Ao's reasoning was that switching to the line formation would prevent the buzzing smaller groups of the Kumo army from being effective by preventing them being able to pick and choose where they intervened which served to bolster and balance out their number disadvantage. Mobility was their strength and that is what Ao aimed to stifle by increasing the area that the supporting forces had to cover. However, that is exactly what Raiun wanted.

"Sir! The enemy has switched to a line formation"

"The enemy commander took the bait, hook line and sinker" Raiun said.

"Soldiers of my battalion we are going to punch right through the enemy's formation and I shall slay the enemy commander myself!"

"Ooo rah!" the men shouted as they headed straight at the center of the line formation. It was only when Ao saw the reserve force move in response the formation change that Ao realized what was the enemy commander's true intention. The main target of the Kumo attackers was not the Mist army—but the leader of the army itself.

"I am his target! All of this was to get me into this very position!" Ao said to himself in shock.

…

On the left side (Kumo's) side. Elder Raiko was calmly reading the situation. The entire battlefield heard the load roar coming from his brother's side of the battlefield.

"That hot-headed bastard is going to charge right into the enemy as usual"

Of the two brothers, Raiun was far-and-away the more aggressive fighter. Raiko preferred to stall and whittle down the enemy using traps and genjutsu to minimize the loss of his fighters.

"We will need to support him with troops if he is to emerge victorious in this battle"

"But sir, we are outnumbered by the enemy, we don't have the man power to hold them here and support our comrades on the other side."

"Warfare is not only about who has the greater number of troops. Defeating the enemy through deceit is just as effective as defeating them through martial might." Raiko replied.

"I can tell that the enemy is cautious as they are carefully examining the battle on Raiun's side to determine the most appropriate move to make."

"His uproar and that huge-ass jutsu would make anyone pause. Hahaha!" Raiko said with a hearty laugh. His nonchalant attitude in such dire circumstances gave extra confidence to the soldiers under his command.

"Victory here depends on Raiun's ability to break the enemy's formation."

"So we shall stall the enemy here and support elder Raiun in his battle"

"Yes, we shall set up multiple-multi-layered genjutsu minefield."

"As we set up the minefield, gradually have our men move out in groups of fifty and assemble behind Raiun's battlefield.

"Yes sir!" Raiko's men responded as they went about their business.

One the other side Chojuro was also calmly assessing the situation, and he came to the same conclusion as Raiko—the other battlefield is the deciding factor for overall victory.

"Sir, things are getting very heated in commander Ao's side. The enemy is actually dominating us in the battle!"

"What!?"

"Ao is being beaten?"

"Yes sir, the Kumo army is being led by Raiun former teammate of the Third Raikage"

"So that means the leader of the Kumo army on this side will be Raiko!" Chojuro replied.

"I will take three thousand men and we will be going to reinforce commander Ao!"

"Do it gradually, I don't want the enemy to be aware of what we are doing"

"But sir what about the Raiko?!"

"He will be on that side as well!"

"How do you know?"

"Raiun's attack on commander Ao has forced the entire battlefield to focus on the outcome of that battle. The outcome of that battle will determine the Kage's next step" Chojuro replied.

"Any side that wins will force the others to change according to the situation" said a Jonin captain.

"Yes"

"As Chojuro predicted Raiko was making his way towards his brother's battlefield."

While the two opposing armies were making their way to the decisive battlefield, the bloody battle on the right wing continued. The numerically inferior Kumo shinobi were keeping their more numerous Kiri shinobi in check.

"Raiun-sama! Raiun-sama! Urgent report!"

"What is it? Did Raikage-sama finish the Mizukage already?"

"No sir, they have not even moved from the their positions"

"Then is that fool Raiko coming over here to support me?" was Raiun's next question.

"Yes…sir!" the scout replied in surprise.

"Bah, continue pressing the attack. I never asked the idiot to butt into our battle!"

"He always does this shit!"

"What, but we're getting support" the scout thought.

Not too long after a mass of Kumo shinobi could be seen forming up behind Raiun's battalion with Raiko at the front.

However, to everyone's surprise a mass of Kiri shinobi was also forming behind the lines of the Mist shinobi.

"Ho!"

"The little brat read my move" Raiko said.

"This makes things more complicated but doable"

"My brother is using his tried-and-true strategy of divide and conquer"

"Form up into three battalions of long, mid, and short-range fighters. He'll be pissed that we are here supporting him so just follow my brother's lead." Raiko said with a chuckle.

Meanwhile with Chojuro…

"I will not be fooled that easily" Chojuro said to himself as he the Mist troops began to advance on the heated battle.

"All troops, we shall support commander Ao's men in the crucial battle."

As the two new armies approached the bloody battlefield the battle between the Kages was about begin.

"Your wretched shinobi, shall step no further into Kumo's land—that much is guaranteed now"

"All that is left is for me to take your head. When that happens, your army will crumble and be devoured"

"What makes you think you can take my head?" asked the Mizukage quizzically.

Not a moment later large, lightning covered fist was an inch away from her nose.

XXX

Thanks for your patience everyone.