Xiebi Ridge lay where the plains met the hills — a jagged line between open grass and rising stone. Locals called it the "figure-eight ridge," shaped by nature itself: wide at the base, narrow in the middle, like a loop twisted tight by war. For generations, the Kaguya clan had used this terrain as their natural fortress. One road in, none out.
Raizen knew that. He explained it to his lieutenants back at camp the night before, then gave the order at dawn — three hundred Amamiya shinobi marching toward Xiebi Ridge in silence, armor glinting faintly in the early light.
The Kaguya scouts saw them, of course. Hard not to notice an army kicking up dust across the plains. But when word reached the Kaguya elders, they only laughed.
"Three hundred shinobi? Against that slope? Let them come."
Xiebi Ridge was the kind of place that could make even a jōnin curse the terrain. Every ledge was a choke point, every shadow a death trap. Defenders didn't need courage — just patience.
Still, Raizen wasn't the kind to retreat just because the odds looked ugly. He knew the risk. Leaving the main camp understrength meant the Amamiya flank near Changbai Forest would be exposed. If the Kaguya struck there, the coalition might crumble before he even reached the ridge.
He tightened his jaw. "Then I'll just have to win before they can move."
Time was his real enemy. The longer this dragged on, the worse it'd get.
If he could take the ridge fast, it wouldn't just be a victory — it'd be a declaration. The clans sitting on the fence would finally see who held the upper hand. In this war, power wasn't just about strength. It was about timing and spectacle.
"Full speed ahead!" Raizen shouted, standing on a high branch.
Three hundred shinobi moved as one, shadows weaving through the forest like flowing ink.
Kaguya Clan Encampment
Meanwhile, the Kaguya commanders gathered around a crude map carved into the dirt.
"Enemy forces number around three hundred," one of them said, reading the latest report. "No heavy equipment. They're moving light and fast — probably a three-day blitz formation."
"Hmph," another scoffed. "They think Xiebi Ridge can be taken in three days?"
A blitz force usually targeted soft points — undefended supply lines, temporary outposts. But Xiebi Ridge was a fortress. Even mountain goats would hesitate to climb its sides.
"Don't underestimate them," the senior Kaguya officer said. His voice was gravelly, but his eyes were sharp. "The Amamiya leader, Amamiya Raizen — he's no fool. He's clever, unpredictable, and most dangerous when cornered. For the next few days, no one leaves the ridge. Any shinobi who disobeys... will face clan punishment."
No one argued. The Kaguya had already suffered enough humiliating defeats to know arrogance killed faster than kunai.
The Battlefield
By midday, Raizen's vanguard reached the foot of Xiebi Ridge.
The mountains rose before them like a wall of sleeping beasts — jagged spines cutting into the clouds. The slopes were sheer and brutal, as if cleaved by some divine blade.
Raizen exhaled through his nose. "So this is Xiebi Ridge… not bad."
It wasn't fear he felt, but calculation. If they could claim this ground, the Amamiya would have a perfect launch point toward the Kaguya heartlands. From prey to predator — in one stroke.
Behind him, his troops murmured uneasily. The ridge looked unassailable, and even seasoned shinobi could feel the dread pressing from above.
Raizen turned, his voice low but sharp. "All coalition ninjas — advance and form battle lines!"
The army surged forward into the narrow valley between the ridges, the only road cutting through the figure-eight pass. But as soon as they entered, they saw the problem.
The passage was littered with traps — razor wire, buried tags, spike pits — and beyond that, bone walls rose like ghostly barricades. Behind them stood earthen ramparts bristling with ballistae and chakra-powered siege tools.
Kaguya defenders watched from above, silent and still. Not a single one attacked. They didn't need to. The terrain itself did the killing for them.
Raizen narrowed his eyes. "They're not counterattacking… only defending."
He studied the layered fortifications, tracing invisible paths through the traps. "If we try to force this head-on, we'll lose half the force before reaching the first wall."
He clenched his fist. "So… we'll just have to break the rules."
The wind carried his voice — low, dangerous, resolute.