Quickly killing one elite Jōnin and two Jōnin, Uchiha Kiyo's actions did not go unnoticed by Amegakure.
Before Uchiha Kiyo could reach the next battlefield, three Rain Ninja appeared one after another to stop him.
All three were Jōnin, and all were well-known within Amegakure.
Sending out three more Jōnin at once showed that Amegakure was feeling the strain.
In addition to the elite Jōnin Uchiha Kiyo had just slain, Amegakure had now lost one elite Jōnin and five Jōnin in a short span of time.
Because Ame was fighting against three major shinobi villages simultaneously, even Konoha—despite its strength surpassing Amegakure—had only dispatched part of its forces. Sunagakure's involvement had remained limited to minor conflicts, with no large-scale deployment before the war's full escalation.
Amegakure was desperate. Hanzo had thrown in every shinobi he could muster.
In the early stages of the battle, Amegakure had the advantage.
The Salamander's poison had never been used recklessly in battle, and there was a reason for that.
Had Hanzo truly wished to, he could have spread his poison even at the cost of injury, overwhelming the battlefield despite countermeasures like Manda and Katsuyu.
At the Genin and Chūnin levels, the difference in strength wasn't too stark. The true battle was among the Jōnin.
Amegakure had 30% more Jōnin than Konoha.
Konoha had forty-seven Jōnin (including elite Jōnin, but not Tokubetsu Jōnin), while Amegakure had around sixty—thirteen more.
This meant Konoha was forced to have thirteen of its Jōnin engage in one-on-two battles to prevent Amegakure's Jōnin from overwhelming the lower ranks.
Thanks to Uchiha Kiyo's intervention, Konoha's pressure had significantly decreased.
If he could eliminate these three Jōnin as well, Konoha's battle at the Jōnin level would no longer be at a disadvantage.
It would be even better if he could lure out one or two more elite Jōnin. As long as he could hold out, Konoha would completely turn the tide.
Uchiha Kiyo was well aware of this, and he was already calculating the fastest way to take down the three Jōnin.
Killing them wasn't the issue—he was an elite Jōnin himself, more than capable of defeating three standard Jōnin. The problem was time.
"It looks like I need to reveal more of my hand."
He quickly formed hand seals.
"Continuous Creation of Ninja Tools!"
Uchiha Kiyo channeled chakra into his hands, rapidly forming hardened earthen kunai. With a quick throw, they shot toward the three Rain Ninja.
His Sharingan, its three tomoe spinning rapidly, tracked their movements. Anticipating their dodging paths, he adjusted his throws accordingly.
At this moment, Uchiha Kiyo's kunai seemed endless as he continuously hurled them.
Two kunai per second.
One minute passed.
That was 120 kunai. No shinobi could carry that many into battle.
If not for his jutsu allowing him to create kunai on the spot, he would have been heartbroken over the expense. The price of a single kunai had skyrocketed since the war began!
The kunai rained down nonstop. Uchiha Kiyo had yet to close the distance, using his Sharingan and expert throwing skills to suppress the three Rain Jōnin. They were completely focused on deflecting his attacks, leaving them no opportunity to perform their own jutsu.
Uchiha Kiyo didn't care whether they felt humiliated—he was enjoying himself.
His jutsu didn't create an overwhelming storm of kunai all at once, but its sustained barrage was far more effective.
The three Rain Jōnin were growing frantic.
"How the hell does he have this much kunai?!"
A full minute of relentless dodging and deflecting had left them battered, their chakra drained.
After training in Uchiha clan techniques, Uchiha Kiyo's throwing skills had reached an expert level. His kunai came from all angles, making it increasingly difficult to avoid them. Some were impossible to dodge outright.
Seeing their growing exhaustion, Uchiha Kiyo moved to the next phase of his attack.
His hands never stopped moving.
His Sharingan spun.
Without them realizing, he subtly activated a genjutsu.
He manipulated their perception slightly—just enough to distort the kunai trajectories they saw.
Under normal circumstances, they might have noticed the illusion, but in such an intense battle, there was no time to distinguish reality from deception.
A slight miscalculation in their dodging paths sealed their fate.
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
Kunai struck all three Rain Jōnin. The sharp pain shocked them out of the genjutsu, but it was already too late.
Seizing the opportunity, Uchiha Kiyo acted immediately.
He didn't want to waste time.
Without even forming seals, he inhaled deeply.
"Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, consuming the three wounded Rain Ninja in an instant.
A deafening explosion rang out.
Their charred bodies fell to the ground—lifeless.
From the afterlife, the Great Fireball Jutsu seemed to taunt them: "Hah! See? I can kill people!"
"Perfect."
This strategy was highly effective.
Once his opponents failed to put up a strong defense early on, they inevitably fell into his rhythm, unable to break free.
With three more Jōnin down, Konoha's morale surged. The remaining Jōnin fought harder.
Amegakure's forces, however, were demoralized. Losing three more Jōnin—and knowing Uchiha Kiyo was now free to engage elsewhere—only worsened their situation.
They had already sent three elite Jōnin to deal with him. In just two minutes, they were gone.
Panicked, they dispatched yet another team—one elite Jōnin and two standard Jōnin.
This weakened Amegakure's forces in other battles.
Konoha's Jōnin had already been holding their ground despite being outnumbered. Now, with the numbers evened out, they had the upper hand.
Thanks to Uchiha Kiyo, Konoha was starting to gain the advantage.
His contributions to the battle were undeniable.
Regardless of whether Konoha won or lost, Uchiha Kiyo's merit alone was worth at least three S-rank missions.
Victory was within reach.
Uchiha Kiyo's excitement grew. If he could take down a few more enemies, he would have enough merit to access the forbidden techniques in the Scroll of Seals!
But then…
Another group of enemies arrived.
An elite veteran Jōnin and two more Jōnin.
Seeing them, Uchiha Kiyo internally cursed.
"Damn it… I can't kill all of them this time."
Taking a soldier pill from his pouch, he popped it into his mouth, replenishing his chakra while studying the new opponents.
This time, the fight dragged on.
Uchiha Kiyo didn't overwhelm them like before—he was forced into a prolonged battle.
Amegakure finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"He's stopped his rampage."
The battle returned to a stalemate.
But the difference was clear.
Konoha had been at a disadvantage before. Now, they were evenly matched.
Hanzo, realizing the shift in balance, grew impatient. His attacks became more ruthless.
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade exchanged glances. They adjusted their tactics, switching to a purely defensive stance.
Amegakure was throwing everything into this fight.
But Konoha wasn't.
Ten hours ago, reinforcements had already set out. By now, they were approaching the border.
If they held out a little longer, Amegakure would lose.
Three hours later, Konoha's reinforcements arrived.
Amegakure had no choice.
They withdrew.
The Second Shinobi World War had ended for the Land of Rain.
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