Cave Collision
"Don't worry, Captain," said Sato with a faint smile after hearing Fugaku's words. "I won't go down that easily."
Nozawa, the Aburame, merely nodded silently, his usual stoic demeanor unchanged.
Fugaku gave a curt nod. The Rain-nin Chūnin Sato had faced today hadn't shown any exceptional abilities. The two had been evenly matched. From Fugaku's perspective, aside from Sato's slight difficulty adapting to Amegakure's terrain, there was nothing notably superior in his skills.
Still… Fugaku frowned slightly. Was Sato holding back? Hiding his real strength, perhaps? Or had Fugaku simply misjudged the Rain-nin's capabilities?
Silence returned to the damp cave. The three shinobi sat cross-legged, cycling their chakra through quiet meditation. In a war-torn land like the Rain Country—where skirmishes could erupt at any moment—a lapse in vigilance was tantamount to death.
Once chakra levels had been restored, Nozawa wordlessly extended his hand, and a cluster of kikaichū insects dispersed into the humid air, continuing their reconnaissance work.
The ever-present drizzle outside intensified the gloom of the cave. Fugaku couldn't shake the unease in his chest. The Hidden Rain's oppressive climate, shrouded in mist and shadow, always gave him the impression of being watched.
Their current formation wasn't very talkative. Nozawa was characteristically silent, and Sato, even when not in battle mode, rarely spoke. Fugaku didn't mind. He actually appreciated such quiet—in silence, people revealed less, and it became easier to observe their true character.
If Sato really was from ANBU, as Fugaku suspected, he was likely skilled in both deception and intelligence analysis. But now wasn't the time to press him for answers.
Nozawa's kikaichū had clearly adapted to the wet terrain—they moved faster, more efficiently than earlier missions. Yet, despite their efforts, the team had found no opportunity to strike the entire day. Not a single vulnerable enemy unit.
Twice they encountered six-man patrols—too risky to ambush. Against such numbers, especially with Iwa-nin's tendency to use Doton (Earth Style) to shape the terrain, they would almost certainly suffer casualties.
The team huddled in a drier cave by nightfall, lighting a low fire for warmth and limited visibility.
"We didn't run into any standard three-man units," Sato said with a low voice. "Captain… we'll need to be extra careful."
Fugaku nodded. "The situation in Amegakure is deteriorating rapidly. Smaller formations are rare now—most teams are combined into multi-squad units. The four-man Ame-nin patrol we intercepted before was likely an anomaly."
He paused, eyes narrowing. "We'll reassess tomorrow. The vanguard should be moving in soon. Once they arrive, we report directly to Captain Hatake."
Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake, was the leader of Konoha's frontline command in this war, famed as the "White Fang of the Leaf." Fugaku knew the man wouldn't tolerate bad intel.
"The brass must know the situation here," Fugaku continued. "Konoha doesn't send three-man cells blindly. Every unit includes a tracker or sensory type—like Nozawa—and I suspect the true strategy is decentralized cooperation. We're expected to link with other teams for combined assaults."
"Nozawa," he added, "tomorrow prioritize searching for Konoha signatures—preferably teams with Aburame members."
Nozawa nodded in understanding. Aburame teams had subtle contact methods, relying on pheromonal signatures transmitted by kikaichū to locate each other discreetly—even under heavy rainfall.
"The captain plans to coordinate with nearby teams?" Sato asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's rare… for a Uchiha."
Fugaku allowed a faint smile. "Arrogance has its place. War isn't one of them."
Even Sato seemed a little surprised. Fugaku's response defied the Uchiha stereotype—many of his clan were notoriously proud, often dismissive of allies outside the clan.
Nozawa nodded again. "We'll leave at first light. My kikaichū can identify other Aburame—I'll widen the swarm's range."
Fugaku had already searched for Uchiha contact codes throughout the day but had found none. Some clans—like his—used encoded genjutsu traps or subtle visual symbols only a Sharingan could decode. But this part of Rain Country seemed deserted by his kin.
As plans were made, the fire crackled softly… until Nozawa abruptly stiffened.
"Movement," he said. "My insects detected multiple chakra signatures. Six targets… not from Konoha."
Sato quickly extinguished the fire. Fugaku shoved flat stones over the coals, masking the heat signature, and rigged an explosive tag beneath them. Anyone tampering with the stone would trigger it.
The trio retreated deeper into the cave. Fugaku activated his Sharingan—three tomoe whirled in his eyes. Every detail, every sound became sharper.
The enemy's footsteps grew louder—six shinobi entered the cave. Fugaku caught their insignia in the dim light: Iwagakure. Rock-nin. Four were still combat-ready, but two bore heavy injuries. Fresh blood stained their flak jackets.
"Captain Omoto, we should stop here," one whispered. "Okawa and Kikawa need immediate medical attention."
The Rock-nin leader—Omoto—held up a hand. His eyes narrowed, sensing the faint residual warmth of a recently doused fire. He quickly began weaving hand seals.
But he was too late.
Two shuriken sliced through the darkness toward him. With sharp reflexes, he blocked both with kunai—but in the sparks of collision, he saw red eyes glinting in the shadows.
"Damn… Sharingan."
"They've been here all along," said Fugaku coldly. "They're weakened—draw it out. They won't last."
In the pitch-black cave, the Uchiha had the advantage. Sharingan could track movement even in low light. Fugaku whipped several kunai in arcs—some deflecting midair off one another to adjust trajectory—a secret Uchiha technique for disorienting multiple targets.
"Back! Retreat!" Omoto shouted. "It's Konoha's Uchiha. This is their battlefield now!"
The distinctive tomoe of the Sharingan glowed ominously in the dark. Omoto slammed his hands on the ground—Doton: Doryūheki (Earth Flow Wall)—raising a barricade between the two forces.
But it wasn't fast enough.
Sato and Nozawa had already rushed forward, leaping over the forming wall. Nozawa's kikaichū swarmed like a black tide, forcing two enemy shinobi to retreat instantly. Sato's blade gleamed, clashing violently with an Iwa-nin's kunai.
Fugaku, with a blur of motion, Body Flickered onto the earthen wall and unleashed a stream of fire:
"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu! (Phoenix Fire Technique!)"
Flame bullets scattered, chasing the fleeing enemy. The firelight illuminated panicked faces as the Rock-nin—already exhausted—broke ranks and retreated into the night.
The enemy was gone.
The trap-laden cave was silent again, flickering shadows dancing along the walls.
Fugaku exhaled slowly, scanning the exit. The Sharingan slowly faded from his eyes.