"Shinobi… truly are full of surprises."
Umino Yoru sighed in (reflection).
Originally, he had thought that as long as they held the left flank of the Shinano Forest defense line, there wouldn't be any major dangers—at the very least, they'd buy themselves over half a year to grow stronger.
With that in mind, he had even pulled some strings to reassign Might Dai, Kamizuki Hayate, and Kōganishi to his unit, replacing the casualties from the previous Uzumaki squad.
Kamizuki Hayate and Kōganishi had sought him out on their own, fearing retaliation from Elder Mitokado Homura. As for Might Dai? That was purely a mutual benefit arrangement.
If a Suna elite attacked their sector, Might Dai could open the Eight Gates and hold them off, reinforcing the Shinano Forest's left flank. In return, Yoru made sure Dai got extra benefits—after all, hauling cargo in the logistics division paid next to nothing.
Might Dai was already married, with a two-year-old son, Might Guy, being raised by his wife back in Konoha. On his meager earnings, his family was barely scraping by. If things kept going like this, by the time the war ended, Dai might end up a widower, forced to raise Guy alone.
But here, under Yoru's command, Dai didn't have to worry about exploitation. Every ryō he earned went straight to his family. Yoru even threw in extra—salty dried fish and sugar-packed energy bars—on one condition: Dai had to master the Seventh Gate as soon as possible, reaching a level where he could briefly hold his own against a Kage-tier opponent.
For Might Dai, this assignment was the most comfortable he'd been in over a decade as a shinobi.
But of course, fate loved throwing curveballs.
Just a month into their peaceful routine, Uchiha Madara and Shimura Danzō—those two warmongering idiots—ruined everything.
The main battlefield was in Amegakure, yet these two morons insisted on attacking the Suna forces.
What was the point of crushing this Suna battalion? Draining their resources slowly, exacerbating internal conflicts in Sunagakure—that was the optimal strategy.
Did they really think Konoha could push into Wind Country's heartland?
Did they think Shukaku's jinchūriki, the monk Bunpuku, was some pushover? The old man never fought not out of kindness, but likely to keep Shukaku's bloodlust in check. But if Konoha invaded, especially with Danzō and Madara's ruthless tactics? He'd intervene for sure.
Yoru didn't know exactly how strong Bunpuku was, but he was undoubtedly terrifying—possibly the first perfect jinchūriki in history. Even if he wasn't on par with Kurama's host, Mito Uzumaki, in the desert, his power could rival an entire army.
No force had ever penetrated Wind Country's core territories. That alone spoke volumes about its natural defenses.
Why did the Wind Daimyo suppress Sunagakure so harshly? Because he knew the real threat to his rule wasn't external—it was the village itself.
For a wasteland like Wind Country, the best strategy was to bleed them dry slowly. In peacetime, Fire Country's economic dominance could keep them in check—even bribing Wind's nobles to prioritize foreign interests over their own people.
That was Konoha's official strategy, applied to both the River and Rain Country fronts. Crush Hanzo's ambitions, prevent Suna from gaining strength, and lock them in their desert. Above all, avoid triggering another Great Shinobi War.
But no—Uchiha Madara and Danzō, the hawks of Konoha, were itching for all-out war, dreaming of crushing the other four villages and ruling the ninja world.
So when Danzō's orders came, Yoru had no choice but to march his troops behind the Uchiha, straight toward Suna's defenses.
The fortifications they'd painstakingly built? Handed over to clan-born officers and fresh batches of early-graduate cannon fodder.
And the Uchiha?
With their three-tomoe Sharingan, their genjutsu was devastating. Working with sensor units, they wiped out Suna's patrols silently, only detected at the final defensive line.
When Suna's counterattack came, nearly a hundred Uchiha formed hand seals in unison.
"Katon: Yatagarasu Rengoka!"
A sea of crimson flames took shape, morphing into countless fiery crows that plunged into Suna's mountain pass defenses. Each blaze-packed Yatagarasu rivaled an A-rank fire jutsu, the heat so intense it warped the air itself.
This combined fire technique surpassed even S-rank ninjutsu—and fire was already devastating in large-scale combat.
In seconds, Suna's defensive line collapsed. Only a dozen survivors remained.
"Kill them all!"
Uchiha Madara led the charge, his Sharingan blazing, cutting through Suna's forces like a storm. The remaining defenders fell swiftly under the Uchiha's blades.
"Tch…"
"Incredible."
Umino Yoru couldn't help but be impressed.
This was the Uchiha. Whether in formation combat or individual skill, they were leagues above his expendable troops.
If he had been the one assaulting this position, it would've been a slow, bloody grind—half a day at least, with heavy losses.
But the Uchiha? One combined fire jutsu shattered the enemy's defenses, clearing the fodder instantly, leaving only the elites to mop up.
"Yashiro, we're on a tight schedule. Prepare a combined water release to clear the pass," Madara ordered.
The aftermath of their fire attack had left the mountain pass filled with molten rock, the air blistering. Only fire-specialized jōnin could pass safely—ordinary shinobi would be cooked alive.
Ironically, their own overwhelming power had become an obstacle.
"Elder Madara, wait—!"
Yoru barely stopped him in time. If they unleashed a massive water jutsu now, the entire army could be wiped out.
The mountain walls had been superheated by their flames. A sudden cooling via water release? The thermal shock alone would make the cliffs collapse.
If those towering peaks came down, even Kage-level shinobi wouldn't survive.
No matter how strong a ninja was, nature's fury was not to be trifled with.
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