As I made my way toward the gate, I created a Shadow Clone. It burrowed underground and headed to the southern gate, exiting the village. I had wanted to talk to Kurama before the war, but my training regimen left me with little free time to visit him.
As I continued on, jumping across rooftops and observing the village, I noticed the mood was just as somber as it was at home; nobody wanted another war, especially the civilian population. Their businesses were at risk of collapsing under the heavy toll of conflict, either bankrupted by lack of profit or seized by the military to support the troops.
Finally, I reached the gate, where Itachi was already waiting for me. "Cutting it close, I see. You're exactly on time," he remarked, and he was right. I was usually early to any meeting.
"Family trouble..." I sighed. Nothing more needed to be said; his eyes looked as hollow as mine. It was safe to say that his departure mirrored my own.
"Let's just go... The Land of Hot Water is quite a distance away," I suggested, trying to shift both of our thoughts somewhere else.
"And we have to find a good spot for our base of operations, too," he added, now fully focused on our mission.
We raced out of the gate together, running at full speed toward our goal. The first few days would be the most dangerous, as our allies wouldn't leave the Land of Fire until we sent a situation report to them. Honestly, they might just dig in the densely forested northern part of the Land of Fire, never even entering the Land of Hot Water. We would be alone behind enemy lines, hunting their supply carriers.
Our overall strategy was simple: eliminate the supply caravans and carriers, seal the plunder into scrolls, and send it to our allies using Itachi's summoned crows. Hopefully, the Kumo ninja wouldn't enjoy being starved and would surrender quickly. Rinse and repeat for other battlefields, with the goal of finishing the entire war before the new academy year starts in little over five months.
As we approached the border, we could already see camps full of Konoha ninja preparing for the defense. This would be our last stop; we would spend the night here and head out tomorrow morning.
Just as we were getting ready to go to sleep, my Shadow Clone finally dispelled, and I received the memory feedback.
My clone entered Kurama's den, eyeing the massive fox. "Hello there, Kurama. Sorry to bother you, but things just got messy," the clone said, hoping Kurama was in a good mood.
"I noticed, kid. A lot of ninja are congregating in the north, near the border," Kurama replied, seemingly unbothered.
"You can really sense people over such a distance, truly incredible..." the clone murmured, astonished by Kurama's sensing prowess.
"Another war is breaking out. Kumo tried to steal a child from Konoha," the clone began, but Kurama interrupted.
"I do not care in the slightest what caused it; the important thing is, there will be another conflict. Months, perhaps even years, of bloodshed," Kurama stated, looking rather annoyed. The human conflicts appeared to irk him greatly.
"What should I do? I can't let more kids be drafted like I was. I know I have to end it quickly, but..." The clone fell silent for a moment. "What if I can't? What if I'm too late and my sister gets pulled in this war too?" The clone asked, just as desperate for answers as I was.
Silence enveloped them again as Kurama's gaze pierced through the clone.
"I do not think I should give advice in such situations, kid. I am a calamity, destruction incarnate; no one challenges me like that," Kurama said. His statement wasn't meant to boast; there truly was no living ninja who could challenge him and stand a chance unless Sharingan hypnosis was involved. He was undoubtedly the strongest being in the world right now.
"Then it seems our idea was correct; we have to become monsters to end this," my clone said, now speaking with more conviction. "Thanks, Kurama. I think I needed to hear that."
Kurama looked at my clone, intrigued. "Become a monster, huh? Trust me, kid, it is not fun. If you become too powerful, you will forever be... alone." He warned of a rather ominous future he had foreseen should I continued on this path.
"Then I have to hope the future will be worth my sacrifice," the clone replied, his resolve unshaken. Both Itachi and I were aware of such a possibility.
"And if that truly happens, at least I will still have you," the clone said with a huge grin. It was a bold statement, but true nonetheless.
Kurama stared for a while and then chuckled, a low, almost menacing laugh escaped his giant maw. "Sure, kid, I guess there is enough room for someone as small as you." He continued to laugh, finding my small stature quite amusing.
"I will still grow!" the clone yelled at the laughing fox, slightly irritated.
"Kid... If you meet my siblings, tell them that I send my regards," Kurama said, becoming distracted for a moment. "Tell them that the time for all of us to meet will come, and soon, they shall be free." His eyes glowed with chakra, even more brightly than usual.
"Consider it done. If we ever cross paths, I will tell them," the clone promised, then turned to walk away, leaving Kurama to his sleep. The clone dispelled shortly after.
The memory was enlightening; even Kurama believed that our strength must terrify people if we want to end the war quickly. The favor he asked was another matter: did he plan on killing the Jinchuriki, or did he simply want his siblings released and hoped that I could help him? Regardless of his intentions, freeing the Bijuu was already something I wanted to do, so helping him was no big deal.
As night fell, I was still deep in thought, strategizing the best way to fulfill our mission. "Wouldn't it be better if we camped inside the Land of Frost?" I asked Itachi, genuinely curious. The Land of Frost bordered the Land of Lightning, and its mountainous terrain offered only a few safe paths. In contrast, the Land of Hot Water was mostly open hills and valleys, providing much more space for supply carriers and reinforcements to maneuver.
Itachi considered my question for a moment. "We could... but that would put us far from the frontline. Do we want to risk that?" He was weighing both sides of the situation. It would be a risk; we would be cut off from help if we were caught, but the potential chaos we could sow was significant.
"The snowy mountains would allow me to control the battlefield more effectively," I said, then quickly added, "I could set up many danger zones with my Crystal Release there. Plus, due to the relatively small size of the country, we should be able to sense any Kumo ninja moving through the mountains." My point resonated with Itachi, and he seemed to agree.
Our stay in the Land of Hot Water would be brief; we would stock up on supplies and then strike Kumo from the mountains. Thankfully, Kumo didn't have any naval forces. If they had, our plan would have been more reckless than calculated. Kiri, thank the Sage, has a near monopoly on ninja naval power; no other nation needs to move its forces along islands, after all.
The morning arrived quickly, signaling our departure. Our decision was final: we would set up camp in the Land of Frost, near the border area with the Land of Hot Water.
Dodging Kumo patrols was relatively easy; we hid underground and tunneled our way around them. Their sensor ninjas didn't stand a chance, although I must admit we took longer than necessary to avoid them. Better safe than sorry.
Finding a suitable cave in the mountains turned out to be simpler than I had expected. Fortunately, the safe passages were well-mapped, and while ninja could ignore rough terrain to a certain extent, traveling off the mapped paths would be highly inefficient.
It wasn't long before we sensed the first Kumo ninja entering the mountains; their speed would be greatly reduced due to the narrow, twisting pathways.
"Looks like two teams, eight people in total, in single-file formation," I reported. My range of Observation Haki still superior to Itachi's.
"How fast are they moving? Anything special about them?" Itachi asked, necessary questions, really. But there was nothing remarkable about this group.
"Not that I can tell. They seem to be dead average Chuunin. We'll need to get closer if you want a better read," I replied. Technically, it was Itachi who was in command, so from now on, it was his call.
"Let's get them. The sooner we eliminate them, the better," he ordered. His directive was clear: we would ambush them before they could venture deeper into the mountains.
Our greatest advantage right now was Earth Release: Hiding in Rock Jutsu, which allowed us nearly unimpeded movement through the mountains at a decent pace.
Before long, we were lying in wait, still hidden right below the narrow path the Kumo ninja had to take. "No prisoners. Take their scrolls only," Itachi instructed, as our first engagement was imminent. I nodded in understanding, swift execution was the plan. We aimed to take out the two team leaders first, the strongest of the group.
We waited for the right moment, and simultaneously, our arms burst out of the ground. "Shiden!" I struck first, targeting the presumed leader at the front; he fell as purple lightning danced around his body.
At the same time, Itachi burst out as well. "Double Suicide Decapitation!" he declared, kiling the second strongest, the vanguard at the end of their formation, by burying him in the ground and swiftly stabbing him in the neck.
I rushed toward the remaining ninja; they panicked and attempted to form hand seals but were too slow. A single touch from me turned them into crystal statues, their chakra siphoned. However, before I could deal with all of them, Itachi took action too.
He swiftly cut the rest of them down with his tanto. The battle was over in under five seconds. Three Kumo ninjas had been turned to crystal statues, while the rest lay dead on the ground.
I refilled my chakra completely and topped off Itachi's chakra as well. It wasn't as efficient as refilling my own, but it was better than nothing.
"Anything interesting?" I asked as Itachi searched the bodies for their cargo.
Without even looking my way, Itachi replied, "A few weapons, some personal belongings, and two general supply scrolls."
"So, about what we expected," I said, feeling unsurprised. It was enough supplies to last for a week, assuming they were used by around two hundred men.
The scrolls were large enough to function well, but they lacked efficiency. Even I could create better ones, one single scroll that could hold all their supplies and be small enough to be carried by Itachi's crow.
"We're lucky their Fuinjutsu experts are fucking inept. Can you imagine trying to hunt down small summons carrying their supplies?" I remarked, handing Itachi a small storage scroll of my own creation.
Itachi smiled at that. "It would make our job borderline impossible unless you can differentiate between a regular animal and a summoned one," he said, humor evident in his voice.
"Not yet! But Haki is insane, so who knows..." I exclaimed happily. It was true; I used my natural chakra-sensing along with Observation Haki in tandem. Such a sensing range was unprecedented. Aside from Kurama, I was now quite possibly the best sensor in the world, or at least near the top.
"Well, now we wait. Do you want me to send a clone to hunt us dinner?" I asked. The clone would have to go pretty far, but a wild animal was infinitely better than ration bars. Itachi didn't even need to think about it.
"Yeah, we'll need something that's actually edible. I'll send out a clone, too," he decided as we finished resealing the supply cache and disposing of the bodies.
For the crystal statues, I simply shattered them; small glittering shards of crystal swiftly flew away, disappearing from sight. The rest was incinerated by Itachi's Fire Jutsu, and the ashes were buried using Earth Jutsu.
We vanished into the mountains once again, two ghosts, a silent death awaiting anyone who dared to move through.
Before long, it was dark, and we sat near the fire inside the cave we had chosen as our base. Our clones returned, depositing their catches before us: a wild boar, wild berries, apples, nuts, and even some potatoes. Overall, it was a good haul, and with the scroll full of spices, we would eat quite well for the next few days.
We quickly fell into this new routine: eat, seek out enemies, kill them, sleep, and repeat. I actually kind of pitied the average Kumo ninja on the front lines; as far as I knew, not a single supply scroll made it through the Land of Frost.
The fact that their forces hadn't pulled back at all meant they either had some stockpiles or had commandeered civilian ships to deliver a certain amount of supplies directly to the Land of Hot Water. We eould have to up our game, we really didn't want to stay here any longer than necessary.
Mountain goats weren't the worst food source, but by the Sage, I missed normal food. At least the last four weeks were not in vain, as I developed another jutsu. Movement was quite challenging around these mountains, so I took inspiration from a piece of fiction again. Although far from being fully mastered, my new movement jutsu made traversal much easier.
Finally, after almost a full month of ambushing supply lines, something interesting happened. My clone suddenly popped, giving me vital information: there was a large column of Kumo ninja heading toward one of the mountain passes.
"Oi, Itachi. We might finally have a challenge on our hands. My clone just popped; it looks like reinforcements are being sent through here," I said, pointing at the path they were entering on a map.
"How many? Anyone particularly strong?" Itachi asked, entering his commander mode.
"About five hundred. The clone didn't spot anyone special, but their average power is higher than that of the supply carriers. At least a hundred of them are at Jonin level when it comes to pure chakra levels," I reported. This would be a tough fight, even with the traps we had set up throughout all the paths.
"How many can you take out with the alpha strike?" Itachi asked, knowing we would have to prepare the battlefield before even considering engaging them in a fight.
"Here," he pointed at the map. "We can set up a large trap here." I looked at the most detailed map we had. His finger indicated one of the few somewhat open areas in the pass.
It would indeed give me more space to crystallize them, but it would also allow them greater mobility. Thankfully, it was still quite small, only about three hundred meters in diameter.
"If I catch enough of them during the alpha strike, I should be able to cover the entire area. Good eye, Itachi." This could go well, especially since we would have at least five hours of preparation time before they reached our trap.
"You are the one who will do the heavy lifting, Ryuu. It's not me who can fight forever," he reminded me.
The basic strategy was simple: Sneak up on the enemy, crystallize as many of them as possible with the first attack, and then fight them using their own chakra against them. That would be my part, while Itachi would pick off any stragglers or engage powerful opponents.
Thanks to my new mobility tool, we arrived at the future battlefield quickly and began our preparations.
Itachi coated almost the entire area with water, making movement even more difficult as it would soon freeze. This would also make it easier for me to crystallize the area since ice is already a type of crystal.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't manipulate ice at all, which would have been pretty useful right now.
I used Earth Release to make the path leading up to our location less stable in places. Hopefully, some of our enemies would slip and tumble down the mountainside.
As a grand finale, the cliffs near the opening to the kill zone held a good amount of snow. With some effort and Earth Release, it should be possible to cause an avalanche, cutting off their escape route and trapping them in with us.
However, that task would fall to Itachi, and I would wait for his signal to spring the trap. I planned to remain hidden underground, ready for the moment to strike. Meanwhile, Itachi ensured that the Kumo ninja would have an even harder time reaching us by making the path toward our trap as slippery as possible.
It may seem minor, but constantly using chakra to stick to a surface depletes one's chakra supply, especially for those with limited reserves.
This kind of fight wasn't in our mission parameters; according to our orders, we should have retreated and returned later if we encountered a significant force. However, we saw an opportunity.
Five hundred ninja were indeed a considerable force; after all, every major ninja village has around ten thousand frontline-ready soldiers, and Kumo likely outnumbers Konoha by a few thousand due to the losses suffered during the Kyuubi attack. Cutting down their numbers significantly in a single, decisive battle was a chance we couldn't pass up.
My thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the enemy. They filed into the small clearing, some already looking exhausted.
"Everyone! Get in here; we are doing a headcount!" their leader yelled, a furious look on his face. "These damn mountains are a deathtrap; no wonder our supplies have trouble getting through here. We severely underestimated the blizzard season..." He trailed off while walking around and keeping watch. I recognized that man, and I was sure Itachi did too.
"Magnet Style Toroi... This fight could become troublesome. Although his chakra supply is on par with most Jonin, he is undoubtedly dangerous," I thought, still waiting for Itachi's signal.
Chakra levels can indeed be misleading; Toroi's chakra wasn't even the highest among the forces he led.
I focused my Observation Haki on Itachi; he and his Shadow Clone were ready to unleash the avalanche. More and more ninja kept filing in, their numbers counted, and a small break was issued. Unfortunately for them, they would never get to enjoy this brief respite.
The ground shook as the avalanche rolled down the mountain. It only took a few seconds to hit the pass in full force, burying dozens of ninjas who were still trying to enter the open space. My arms burst out of the ground, grabbing one of the clumped-up ninja's ankles.
"Crystal Release: Advent of a Crystal World!" I poured everything I had into the jutsu. Fifty enemies were instantly crystallized, their chakra used to further expand an ever-growing blanket of crystal that swiftly covered the entire battlefield.
The whole place, including parts of the nearby cliffs, was now my playground, costing almost all the chakra I had collected. I siphoned as much into myself as I could.
"The rest of the Kumo contingent is now slowly being drained too, so my chakra levels should be fine in no time," I thought as I emerged fully from the ground. More chakra rushed into me, filling up my reserves almost immediately.
"Chakra from four hundred people, even if taken slowly, truly is something else. I almost feel invincible here." I mumbled thoughtfully to myself.
My thoughts were interrupted by a barrage of weapons thrown my way. I had to act now. Hopefully, Itachi would take care of Toroi.
"Crystal Release: Blooming Crystal Grove!" Even more chakra flowed through me as large spires erupted from the crystal blanket, encasing dozens of other ninjas and creating many tree-like spires that branched everywhere, reaching for any chakra they could steal.
My head spun as my chakra was completely refilled again in such a short time.
"This will take some getting used to. I feel like I just woke up tired..." I mumbled as I dodged more incoming weapons.
A lightning bolt blitzed at me, but I wasn't an easy target. I moved at max speed, weaving through the attacks, and summoned my sword.
"Scatter; Senbonzakura!" I exclaimed in a cold voice. This would be a massacre, the first time the enemy would see my strength, and for most of them, it would also be the last. A vortex of cherry blossoms formed around me, defending me from the onslaught. I commanded many of the razor-sharp cherry blossoms to attack. The sound of flesh being cut filled the air, alongside cries of pain. Many survived the initial attack but would soon succumb to their wounds in the cold.
I directed Senbonzakura toward many more enemies, my eyes gleaming behind the mask. I envisioned the face of the man who had attempted to kidnap Hinata; for this battle, they were all him, the worst humanity has to offer, there could be no mercy.
A coordinated attack was launched in my direction, and dozens of lightning bolts rained down on me. Unfortunately for them, I had acquired a new mobility-based jutsu. "Hirenkayku!" I mumbled as I vanished from their sight, reappearing in the midst of one of their formations.
"Crystal Release: Crystal Spike Enclosure!" I exclaimed, causing long crystal spikes to rise from the ground, impaling eight unfortunate souls, crystallizing them before their final breaths could escape their lungs.
The rest managed to leap away, preparing for another assault, but that wasn't the only capability of this jutsu.
"Flying Crystal Needles!" Just like the Earth jutsu it was based upon, the large spikes split into hundreds of thin crystal needles that shot out at high speed in every direction.
The weakness of this jutsu was its vulnerability to defensive lightning jutsu; however, those were exceptionally rare, and unfortunately for my enemies, none of them seemed to know any.
Many more fell, slowly being absorbed into the crystal, which empowered me further.
I pointed my arm at the now regrouping foes, sending thousands of small cherry blossom petals toward them, killing many more.
At this point, I had lost count of my victims. All I saw was Ice stained red from all of the blood I spilled.
I darted around the battlefield, transforming more people into crystal statues or impaling them on crystal constructs.
Hirenkyaku proved to be an invaluable boon; I could rapidly move between different groups of enemies, seemingly at random.
Unfortunately, I couldn't use it consecutively, so I had to wait a few seconds before blitzing toward another unfortunate ninja.
This delay allowed them to slow me down significantly by bombarding me with a barrage of lightning and fire jutsu right after I used it.
At least my progress was better than Itachi's; he was being pressured by Toroi and a team of elite ninja, diverting their attention away from me.
If not for that, I wouldn't be able to act so recklessly; charging into formations would be a death sentence. Moreover, Toroi was the worst kind of opponent for a swordsman like me.
His magnetization ability would require a lot of my Senbonzakura flower petals to counteract. But with Itachi keeping him busy? I could throw reason aside and go on a mindless killing spree. There just wasn't a ninja on the battlefield capable of stopping my attack.
"If Dodai were here, we would probably have a lot of problems," I thought aloud.
Dodai's lava release would serve as a good counter to my overwhelming offense; he would be able to hold me off while his men regrouped.
But in a battle like this, filled with opponents possessing little to no defensive abilities? My entire moveset could thrive.
I could let Senbonzakura shred everyone while using Hirenkyaku to evade stronger attacks. There were so many enemies that it was hard not to lose focus. I nearly got hit multiple times, and I even had to use Armament Haki to block weapons that could have injured me.
This was precisely what my Haki needed to grow stronger: a battle with a real chance of death.
"Let's see how they handle this," I said to myself as I drew an enormous amount of chakra from the crystal floor below me.
"Crystal Release: Ten Pillar Quartz Prison!" I exclaimed, causing ten large quartz pillars to rise around a significant group of enemies. If I had to guess, I had captured around a hundred people.
"I've never tried it at such a scale; honestly, it makes me a little excited to see how it works," I said aloud, more for intimidation than anything else.
Quartz is a semiconductor, you see, and now I had trapped many people in a large cage of it.
I pulled out even more of the siphoned chakra, pushing most of it into the next jutsu.
"Shiden!" Purple lightning snaked its way toward the quartz cage. I channeled even more chakra into it, ensuring that everyone inside wouldn't get back up.
They attempted to blast the quartz crystals with lightning, recognizing the weakness of my regular crystals. But this was quartz; they could barely make a dent, as much of the electricity was absorbed on impact.
The purple lightning illuminated the entire cage, jumping from one pillar to another, piercing through and electrocuting everything in between them, frying everyone inside.
It wasn't all good and easy, though. While I prepared this combo move, my back was exposed. Many jutsu flew my way, trying to cut me down.
But thanks to Senbonzakura's flower petal wall, I managed to stand firm throughout the ordeal.
I glanced in Itachi's direction; his fight had gone well, too. Toroi was lying on the ground with his right arm severely burned, and his elite team was struggling without him.
The chakra siphon from the crystal-covered ground had proven too much for them. To add insult to injury, Itachi's chakra was not being siphoned at all, due to my familiarity with it.
In that moment of brief respite, I extended my senses once more, my eyes widening in shock. I had thought the battle was nearly over, but more powerful enemy was approaching, a really strong one.
"Itachi, we need to get out, fast!" I shouted, alarmed that someone this formidable wasn't already on the front lines.
Without hesitation, Itachi dashed to my side. We would push our way through the elite team together.
"ETA on the threat?" Itachi asked as he landed next to me, our backs against each other.
"Thirty minutes, thirty-five minutes max," I replied, my mood shifting from earlier nothingness to dread.
"If that person catches up to us, we'll probably die. We need to move, now." I added as I refilled Itachi's chakra, our top priority was to escape alive.
"Okay, let's do it. Shock and Awe!" Itachi grinned as we both turned to face the incoming elite team. We didn't need to kill them; we just needed to slow them down enough to escape.
"Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!" Itachi exclaimed. A massive wave of water surged from his mouth, lifting us both and carrying us away from the battlefield.
Suddenly, a bright bolt of lightning sped toward us, trying to electrocute us as we rode the wave. But we anticipated such an attack.
I grabbed Itachi's arm and moved quickly.
"Hirenkyaku!" I blurred away from the wave, stepping on air and landing on the top of the icy cliff where the crystal had almost completely covered it.
"Bykurai!" I shouted as the wave of water struck the stunned Kumo ninja, electrocuting the entire elite team at once.
"That should be good enough. Let's go!" Itachi said as I replenished my chakra one last time.
"Replenish yourself first; we'll need to run at full speed and possibly fight our way to our allies," I instructed, reaching out my hand toward him. He accepted the chakra transfer, and soon we were sprinting away with all our might.
However, not everything was going well. As we distanced ourselves from the narrow mountain paths, I extended my senses again.
"Fuck... fuck, fuck, fuck, this is really bad..." I murmured, but Itachi heard me clearly and extended his own senses.
"That's quite an understatement, Ryuu. Whoever is after us is closing in rapidly," he stated. It was a grim realization that hadn't crossed my mind during the battle.
"Someone this fast has to be an S-Rank ninja; we have to keep running," I said, contributing to our dark thoughts.
"At least we should choose an open battlefield where we can maneuver and hopefully surprise them," Itachi suggested, trying to sound calm.
"Are you out of your mind!? We clearly can't fight someone like that," I replied, but he made a valid point.
"We can't outrun them either. And I'd rather have a battlefield advantage against such an enemy," Itachi insisted, his tone final. We would have to make our last stand somewhere in the Land of Hot Water.
"I will send a crow to the nearest Konoha camp. Maybe they can send a team to relieve us. We'll have to hold on for as long as possible," Itachi said. His plan wasn't perfect, but at least it was a plan.
Unlike me, he had faced an enemy of similar caliber before, so he knew what to expect.
"So be it," I declared. "But if I die here, I'll be haunting you." I finished with a grin.
This was why we trained tirelessly every day. We would get through this; we had to.