Konoha was engaged on four battlefronts, each overseen by the strategic leadership of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage. As the supreme commander, Hiruzen, alongside the village's council and senior advisors, was responsible for the overall coordination of the war effort and for devising Konoha's long-term military strategies.
On the frontlines against Kumogakure, Orochimaru served as the primary commander. The Hidden Cloud forces had already penetrated through the borders of the Land of Tang and the Land of Frost both smaller buffer nations that separated them from the Land of Fire.
In the confrontation with Sunagakure and Iwagakure, the battlefield had extended into the Land of Rain. This region became the central stage of the largest skirmishes involving Konoha's legendary Sannin. Jiraiya and Tsunade were dispatched there, serving respectively as the front commander and deputy commander.
Although Tsunade was known to suffer from severe hemophobia following the traumatic deaths of her younger brother Nawaki and her lover Dan, her capacity as a commander remained intact. As the foremost medical ninja in the entire shinobi world, Tsunade possessed advanced medical techniques that could mitigate her condition when needed.
By using a refined form of chakra control through medical ninjutsu, Tsunade was capable of temporarily adjusting her optic nerves and olfactory senses blurring the vividness of blood's color and dulling its scent. This allowed her to function effectively on the battlefield, at least when preparation time was available.
In the original manga, her hemophobia proved debilitating during the unexpected ambush before the battle with the other two Sannin Orochimaru and Jiraiya. There, she had no time to apply these corrective methods.
Meanwhile, on the front with Kirigakure, the main command structure was led jointly by the clan heads of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans. During this era preceding the rise of Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hizashi their fathers held those respective positions and commanded their clans' elite forces.
This battlefield was distinct from the others. While most fronts relied primarily on civilian shinobi with support from major clans, the battle against Kirigakure saw a reversal: the conflict was driven mainly by the clan ninjas, with civilians in a supporting role. This was likely due to the formidable kekkei genkai-based tactics employed by Kirigakure's elite especially the Kaguya and Hōzuki clans necessitating equally skilled counterforces.
The battle zone itself lay within the Land of Fire's eastern borders. Kirigakure had already taken control of the Land of Whirlpools former home of the Uzumaki Clan and was using it as a strategic staging ground. During the First and Second Great Ninja Wars, Konoha's conflicts with the Hidden Mist were also centered in and around that region.
The Third Great Ninja War proved to be the most perilous for Konoha thus far. Defeat on any of the four active fronts would have triggered a domino effect crippling Konoha's ability to sustain the war and likely resulting in a total collapse of its defense lines.
Because of his unparalleled speed and the Flying Thunder God Technique, Namikaze Minato acted as a tactical rapid-response force essentially Konoha's "firefighter." He deployed across multiple frontlines but spent most of his time reinforcing the most dangerous battlefields: the fronts against Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
So, now that Konoha's village itself had come under direct attack, there was no doubt that Minato would return to defend it.
As a shinobi capable of wiping out fifty Iwagakure ninjas in an instant, Minato's presence shifted the balance wherever he appeared. His arrival on the battlefield often turned the tide with sheer precision and lethality.
Due to the expansive nature of the battlefield around Konoha, Minato did not waste time offering broad support to scattered squads. Instead, he teleported directly to the heart of the conflict where the sound of intense combat echoed most fiercely.
That place was none other than the mountainside of Mount Kikyo, where Sarutobi Hiruzen himself was under siege by a coordinated strike force: ten elite jonin from Kumogakure and Sunagakure working in tandem.
In this raid, neither the Fourth Raikage nor the Third Kazekage appeared. Instead of deploying their village leaders, both Hidden Cloud and Hidden Sand sent seasoned jonin in large numbers. This approach served dual purposes.
First, it forced Konoha's Kage-level shinobi including the Sannin and other high-ranking officers to remain pinned down on the frontlines, preventing them from providing reinforcements.
Second, it was a calculated risk management strategy. Kumogakure and Sunagakure lacked solid intelligence on what forces Konoha had left within its interior. If they overcommitted by sending a Kage-level shinobi into the Fire Country's heart and were repelled, the loss would be devastating. Kage-level combatants represented their villages' foundational strength and legacy.
Thus, the enemy opted for a safer tactic inflict damage and destabilize Konoha's defenses without overexposing their core leadership.
A Kage-level combatant was far more valuable than multiple Jōnin. Under ordinary circumstances, it would take six or seven high-level Jōnin working in unison to pose a threat to someone of Kage rank.
If a lone Jōnin faced a Kage-level shinobi, they would likely fall in only a few brief exchanges. The disparity in power was enormous, especially in terms of reaction speed, chakra reserves, and mastery of ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu.
That said, with perfectly coordinated teamwork, ten experienced Jōnin could potentially threaten or even bring down a Kage-level opponent.
Unfortunately for them, their opponent was Sarutobi Hiruzen in his prime. With decades of battle experience, elite taijutsu prowess, and mastery over all five basic chakra natures and high-level genjutsu, Hiruzen was known as "The Professor" for a reason.
Against such a formidable shinobi, the ten elite Jōnin struggled. Despite the odds, Hiruzen remained uninjured and pressed the advantage, defeating four of them decisively.
Had the battle continued, and barring any major mistake on his part, Hiruzen would likely have defeated the remaining six over time.
However, killing them all was a different matter entirely. Jōnin were not inexperienced fighters they could disengage and retreat swiftly when the situation turned. The survivors scattered expertly. Even Hiruzen couldn't pursue and eliminate all of them in the chaos.
That stalemate shifted dramatically when Namikaze Minato arrived on the battlefield.
As a shinobi, Minato was trained to strike swiftly and decisively. Sneak attacks were entirely within a shinobi's methods it would have been foolish not to seize the opportunity.
The Flying Thunder God Technique, a space-time ninjutsu inherited from Tobirama Senju, was terrifying in ambush situations. Before the enemy could react, Minato had already marked key points. In a flash, he appeared and eliminated four Jōnin with precise strikes to the neck instant kills.
With only six of the ten Jōnin remaining, their formation collapsed. Shock and disarray set in.
Seeing the opening, Sarutobi Hiruzen formed four shadow clones and launched the Five-Style Great Combo Attack a powerful simultaneous assault of all five basic elemental releases.
The unrelenting barrage of elemental chakra overwhelmed five of the Jōnin before they could regroup. They perished under the hailstorm of fire, wind, water, earth, and lightning.
The last surviving Kumogakure Jōnin, regaining his senses and gripped by fear, tried to escape but was cut down instantly by Minato.
With the enemy defeated, Minato and Hiruzen exchanged a brief, strategic conversation. Without delay, Minato sped off toward Platycodon Castle to assist with the defense, while Hiruzen and his shadow clones turned to reinforce the flanks.
Despite Konoha's defensive efforts, the combined Kumogakure–Sunagakure force had managed to infiltrate the outer defenses. Several enemy squads had broken through and were wreaking havoc in Kikyo City, destroying numerous structures.
Within the city, Konoha shinobi fought desperately to stop the enemy advance, doing all they could to prevent deeper incursions into the Fire Country's heartland.
The arrival of both Namikaze Minato and a now unencumbered Sarutobi Hiruzen shifted the tide in Konoha's favor during the Battle of Mount Kikyo. Victory was no longer in doubt only a matter of time.
Elsewhere, Uchiha Gen, unaware of Minato's return, was deep in enemy territory, harvesting enemy souls with deadly precision using his Soul-Soul Fruit abilities.
Though the harvested lifespan and souls could not be used to empower himself directly, they became energy sources for his Homitz.
While plant-based Homitz could function autonomously, they were limited without access to these stored souls and lifespans.
Human corpses were useless to Gen Soul-Soul Fruit users couldn't inject souls into the dead or into living humans, per the power's rules.
After claiming the souls of seven enemy shinobi, Gen refined his tactics and employed a more efficient method.
He began embedding fragments of soul energy into the large trees scattered throughout the forest, creating sentient Homitz from the very terrain.
This transformed the area into Uchiha Gen's personal hunting ground. Anyone who entered or was lured into it would be drained of soul and life, succumbing to the very forest they passed through.
In battle, his victims found themselves caught off guard when seemingly still trees sprang to life, launching surprise attacks with lethal speed. Few could react in time.
Genin and Chūnin from Sunagakure and Kumogakure had no chance. They were ensnared and killed by Uchiha Gen's ambushes.
Gen himself patrolled the forest or remained at its perimeter, never directly joining the larger battle. His method kept him safe and extremely effective.
He remained that way until the coalition force finally collapsed in the afternoon. Many enemy shinobi surrendered or attempted to flee.
But escape was no simple matter. Sunagakure and Kumogakure ninjas not only had to avoid capture by Konoha defenders, but also evade returning Konoha veterans now sweeping in from the front lines.
Penetrating into the Land of Fire was difficult. Escaping was even more so.
In the end, barely a dozen of the invading force managed to survive. Konoha was home to many elite trackers and assassins who were quick to pick off retreating enemies.
During the collapse, Uchiha Gen slaughtered enemy stragglers caught in the wave of panic. Ninjas who lost their nerve were ensnared by tree-Homitz monstrous puppets now resembling twisted forest demons.
Once trapped, Gen simply extracted their souls one by one. He also retrieved the soul and lifespan fragments he had previously invested in the trees to avoid waste.
These tool trees had limited storage Gen wasn't about to waste precious resources.
Occasionally, he encountered enemies who didn't panic. But even then, Gen deployed his trump card: a specialized Naraku no Jutsu a genjutsu rooted in terror.
The illusion, coupled with the fear-invoking influence of the Soul-Soul Fruit, proved devastating.
Few humans were truly without fear, and fewer still could remain calm when the illusion preyed on their deepest weaknesses.
After the last of his victims fell, Gen calmly tallied the results of his grim work.
Exactly sixty-nine souls a number with odd significance, but one that marked a fruitful day of carnage.
Though most were genin, their souls were still far superior to those of ordinary civilians.
He didn't know the precise ratio yet he hadn't tested soul harvesting on civilians.
After cleaning up the remnants and reclaiming all soul fragments, Uchiha Gen made his way back to Mount Kikyo.
He'd been absent long enough. If he delayed further, someone might assume he'd been killed.
---