The morning began quietly, but that was normal. I sat on the defense wall, watching the sunrise while the camp slowly came to life. The air was still cool from the night, and the scent of smoke from the campfires was drifting in the air. When I spotted Shikaku walking towards the command center with his breakfast in hand, I stood and teleported myself back to the building, next to the map.
I had taken the time to develop hand signs to 'see' my Flying Thunder God map, well Phantom had done the real work, which significantly reduced the cost of 'viewing' it. After flashing through over thirty hand signs, I started adjusting the physical map to reflect the map within my mind as Shikaku walked in. Not many people had moved overnight, but there were always a few field teams that were active while the rest of us were sleeping. Shikaku placed his morning rations and a stack of reports at his usual spot then stepped over to my side.
"It seems like Yuji wants to run your student, and Minato's pair, ragged," he noted.
I chuckled, "He's trying, but that doesn't mean he will be successful. Shisui's mentioned that he thinks that Shimura is trying to find their limit, but he is so out-of-shape that they are often waiting on him to recover after they scout a region before moving on. Clearly, the Shimura clan needs to reevaluate their active members list since he was active on the Sand front before Danzo's assassination."
Shikaku gave me a tactful look and shifted the subject naturally, "The supplies from Konoha have all been accounted for and divided appropriate among the outposts. Would you like for Shisui's team to assist with the delivery, or perhaps Kurenai's?"
"No need to baby them. Scouting patrols are boring, but they are essential against the Mist," I replied.
"Says the one who has ordered that they remain in close proximity during the last duty rotation," he retorted as he sat down at his usual spot.
I rolled my eyes but did not argue with him since it was a losing battle. It was a rare flex of my authority since both teams were surprisingly strong despite their age and would be better used further away, but I did not trust the quiet. When the Sand started their peace talks, the Cloud and Mist had struck, so I refused to believe that it would be different with the Stone, and I had a number of important people to protect.
While he started sorting out the documents that he had brought along with the ever-present stack that ringed his spot in the command center, I teleported to my bunker. I quickly placed a kettle of water on the stone oven then started prepping a stew which I would leave to cook slowly over the day. By the times that the last of the chopped vegetables and meat were dumped into the large pot, the kettle started to whistle, so I took it off the heat and poured a cup of tea for both Shikaku and me then teleported back up to the command center. He reached a hand out for his cup without even looking up, but I did not mind since it was our morning routine.
With Shisui no longer acting as our runner, two genin had replaced him and had reported to the command center while I was gone. They had other duties as well, but Shikaku managed them, so I rarely paid much attention to what they did once they sat at the table off to the side. I sat down across from Shikaku and went over the various reports that he passed me before signing off on them when needed.
As I dripped my brush into the ink, I sensed a flash within my FTG network followed by another then another before a dozen around what must have been Southern Outpost One by the distance. Southern Outpost One was the furthest outpost along the southern coast, so it was not a surprising move for the Mist to strike there. I did not even need to speak as my momentary pause had drawn Shikaku's attention.
"The Mist?" he asked.
"Southern Outpost One," I confirmed after recasting the 'visual' map which showed the signals like twinkling blue light which stood out against the usual silver points which represented a Flying Thunder God mark. "I'm guessing a heavy attack since the first patrol immediately retreated directly to the outpost while a second patrol has also signaled and started retreating."
"You two, clones then find and bring Fugaku, Inoichi, and Choza here as quick as possible!" Shikaku barked at the two genins.
The boys jumped slightly at the suddenness but recovered almost instantly and used a clone jutsu each before they ran out of the building. I did not hesitate either and summoned three clones of my own, Space-Time, Phantom Realm, and Chrono-Vitality. They grabbed prewritten warnings slips and started alerting the other outposts while I started adjusting the map to include red markers of where the enemy was last spotted.
Within a minute, all outposts were signaled to be on alert as one was under an attack. Within five, confirmation had come back from all the outposts while Southern Outpost One's came with an additional note, two hundred and fifty Mist shinobi with Yuri and Kaguya clan among them. Before I could even consider relaxing in the idea that it might be an isolated attack, a streak of blue appeared across my FTG map which covered most of Southern Outpost Two's outer defensive positions. When more alerts started appearing along the Southern Outpost Three's outer defensive positions, I slammed my fist down on the table in anger.
"Good news?" he asked sarcastically.
"Southern Outposts Two and Three are also under attack," I explained.
"We knew this would happen with the peace talks going on in the Village."
"That doesn't mean I have to like it."
"No, but you need to remain calm and focused if you want to protect our people," he stated matter-of-factly.
I sighed and took a deep breath as I forced myself to calm down. This may have been the Mist's strongest push yet, but things were still manageable. Fugaku was the first to arrive and was tightening his bracers as he walked into the room, nodding to both of us. I started rearranging the pieces on the map while I waited on Inoichi and Choza, but then another signal came from the Northern Outpost One.
"Son of a... Northern Outpost One is also under attack," I announced as I placed a few red markers around the outpost on the map.
"Well, the Mist have finally used their brains and realized that you can't be everywhere at once," Shikaku chuckled darkly.
"Roughly two hundred and fifty ninjas are Southern Outpost One through Three, and their bloodline clans have been mobilized," Phantom said.
"So, they have finally are attacking in force," Fugaku commented.
"Add Northern Outpost Two to the list," I growled as I sensed more signals activating.
"How should we split up? Akari can't travel to both Outpost Ones," Fugaka questioned as Inoichi arrived.
"Northern Outpost One just reported that it's the Cloud attacking them, not the Mist," Phantom announced, receiving a note from the outpost.
"Fugaku will go to Northern Outpost One with one of Akari's clones while Akari will go south and stabilize what she can," Shikaku said with Choza finally arriving. "If the fighting is too fierce, lead our people to fall back to the next outpost safely; we can always recover territory, not lives."
"Take Fugaku, conserve your chakra, and ensure his safety," I said, turning to my Space-Time clone.
She nodded, already shifting her stance, and stepped closer to Fugaku. The space between them collapsed with a sharp pull of chakra, silver light folding inward like a snapped thread, and the pair vanished without sound. I turned just long enough to nod to Shikaku, Inoichi, and Choza before Chrono-Vitality placed a hand on my shoulder, chakra flaring as she teleported us away; Phantom remained behind to help coordinate movements across the front with Shikaku.
After a short chain of jumps, we reappeared atop Southern Outpost Three's main tower with a light thud. I immediately swept my gaze outward, taking in the state of the defenses before I summoned my clones.
The main walls were still standing and fully manned by Leaf shinobi, moving with disciplined urgency along the parapets. Barrier tags glowed faintly where they had been reinforced, and there were still scorch marks and gouges from past attacks like a badge of honor. Beyond the walls, however, the forest was wrong.
Mist rolled low between the trees in unnatural currents, and frost crept outward from its edges, crawling up trunks and branches as if searching for something to claim. Farther out, muffled explosions echoed through the haze, followed by screams that cut off too abruptly to be comforting. The fighting was not at the gates yet, but it was getting close.
I knew that there was no time to linger. I formed the seals smoothly and summoned three clones in quick succession. Storm, Ice, and Wood emerged beside me, already reading the battlefield the same way I was.
"No reveals," I said flatly, meeting each of their eyes in turn. "Even if you want to test your strength against the Yuki."
Ice clicked her tongue, irritation flashing across her expression. "You never let us have any fun."
"We'll see in the future," I replied. My gaze shifted past them to the forest again, committing the terrain to memory. "For now, stabilize the perimeter and assist with extracting the injured."
Storm grinned despite herself, Wood was already calculating structural weak points, and Ice rolled her shoulders as if preparing for a long watch. I turned back to Chrono, who was already reaching for me, her chakra coiling in anticipation.
She did not wait for confirmation. Her hand closed around my shoulder, and the tower vanished beneath us as the world folded again. Southern Outpost Two hit harder the moment we arrived.
We reappeared atop its main structure, but the difference was immediate and visceral. The walls were still standing, barely, but large sections were glazed over in thick ice while other stretches had been violently reshaped by bone growths erupting directly from the stone. Some of it had already been hacked away, leaving behind jagged scars and splintered stone, but other protrusions were still intact, twisted and sharp, like the outpost itself had been impaled and left to bleed.
Leaf ninjas moved below with a grim efficiency that spoke of sustained combat. Medics were already working in the open, barrier flares flickering as they tried to keep pace with the wounded being dragged in from the walls. I could feel the strain in the air that came not from panic, but from endurance pushed too far, too fast.
I did not hesitate, and I summoned Lava, Tempest, and Boil, the strongest trio of clones in this situation. My Lava Kekkei Genkai was already known, so she could use all of her techniques freely while my Boil Release could be hidden within the Mist's Hidden Mist technique. My Tempest Release was also easy to conceal and disguise since it was something unknown to the world.
"Crowd control and fortifications," I ordered, voice carrying just enough to cut through the noise without drawing attention. "Reclaim the walls where you can, seal off what you can't. Tell the jōnin to prepare for incoming wounded from Outpost One—they're going to need space, triage teams, and rotation plans ready."
All three nodded without comment, already moving toward their assigned tasks as if the orders had only formalized what they were already planning. Below us, a few Leaf shinobi looked up, startled by the sudden reinforcements, hope flickering briefly across exhausted faces.
Although I wanted to do more, I knew better than to overcommit to any location. Five outposts were already under attack which left another five and the main camp that could also need reinforcement later. Chrono teleported us away once I gave her a nod.
We did not appear on the top of Southern Outpost One, but beside a familiar face, Nawaki. He was in the middle of a fight with a pair of Kaguya chunin and struggling as they were locked in close range.
Chrono grabbed and yanked Nawaki backwards before a bone bullet hit him in the shoulder. At the same time, I flashed through a few hand signs then clapped my hands, releasing a compressed burst of Wind chakra outwards. My custom jutsu sacrificed most of its cutting ability in return for 'pushing' power which threw back the pair a few dozen meters. Just as it was designed to do, I had enough time to summon more of my clones, Earth, Lightning, and Wind.
"About time that you got here," Nawaki complained, breathing hard, as Lightning and Wind chased down the two Mist ninjas.
"Sorry, the Mist finally decided to make a big push across multiple outposts," I explained without taking my eyes off the Kaguya. "How bad is it?"
"We've lost a quarter of our people here, I'm sure," he replied.
"Labyrinth," I ordered, looking at my Earth clone who nodded and started making hand signs. "Nawaki, fire the signal flare for a retreat. These two clones will help you gather everyone and direct you out."
"Out? Of what?" he asked.
It was too perfect for timing as Earth slammed her hands down on the ground, flooding the ground with nearly all of her chakra. There was a moment of eerie stillness then, in the distance, a rumble started and continued to grow louder. Giant walls of stone started to climb upwards at a slow crawl, yet quickly shoot up to be towering walls that covered the entire valley in a maze.
"My Shattered Fortress Labyrinth," I replied with a smile as my clones finished off the Kaguya pair.
A/N: I did not get much chance to write since some of my family surprised us by flying into town and spent my time hanging out with them a lot. I didn't want you all to give up on me, so I'm releasing this today and will release again next Monday. I'm sorry for slacking with my writing, but this is my hobby and family comes first. I hope everyone had a great holiday!