Fugaku didn't stop. After cutting down several more enemies, his movements didn't slow for even a heartbeat. He kept moving forward, eyes cold, searching for the next target. But despite how fierce the battle was, Fugaku wasn't fully focused on fighting.
He was… chatting.
"Hey, Nara," he said through their telepathic link, "don't you think something's strange about the Sand's behavior lately? With losses like these, they should have already retreated by now."
A calm voice replied, followed by the sound of chewing. "You're right. Crunch, crunch. Their attack rhythm, munch… has definitely increased."
Fugaku sighed. "Can you stop making that noise while eating?"
"Sorry… crunch, crunch. We've been fighting for too long, gotta restore chakra… slurp."
"Are you serious right now? We're using a mind link! You don't have to add sound effects! You're making me hungry."
"Ah, my bad…"
Yamanaka Inoichi's voice came in, steady and sharp. "Shikaku, you've been quiet. Something on your mind?"
"I was just reviewing the reports," Nara Shikaku answered, his voice thoughtful. "The Sand's attacks have grown more frequent and more brutal these past few days."
"That confirms it," Fugaku said. "The Fourth Kazekage… he's making his move."
Inoichi muttered, "So that's it. After removing all the old factions, he's trying to expand his power even further."
"Of course," Fugaku replied. "Every new leader has to burn something bright when he takes the throne. So what's our move? They've got numbers. If we drag this out, we'll lose."
"Exactly," Shikaku said. "Even with the strength of our four clans, we can't win a war of attrition."
He paused for a moment, thinking. Then he asked casually, "Chōza, how full are you?"
Fugaku almost stumbled mid-stride. "Is… is this really the time to ask that?"
A deep laugh echoed in their minds. "About eighty percent full," Akimichi Chōza said, patting his belly with satisfaction.
"Eighty, huh? That's enough," Shikaku murmured, already calculating. "Alright. Fugaku, lead your clan back to rest. Recover your chakra and stamina immediately. Inoichi, Chōza, prepare yourselves."
A sharp breath of resolve filled the link.
"Full-scale assault!"
Fugaku smiled faintly. So that's the plan… force a decisive battle. As expected of Konoha's strategist.
He relayed the order through Inoichi's telepathy.
"Retreat?!" one Uchiha shouted in disbelief, wiping blood from his face. "But I'm just getting started!"
Fugaku tore open a ration pill and drank some water. "It's a temporary withdrawal. We'll be back soon enough."
Another warrior frowned. "But "
"Save your strength," Uchiha Retsu interrupted. "Your chakra's running low, and you're still bleeding. Let the other clans handle it for now."
Fugaku turned to the battlefield where three figures were advancing. "Watch closely," he said quietly. "See how these three clans fight together… and what true coordination looks like."
The wind roared across the desert as the trio stepped forward. The Ino–Shika–Chō formation had entered the fray.
The battlefield stank of blood, hot and heavy, mixing with the grit of the sand. The ground squelched underfoot, soaked with so much blood the desert couldn't absorb it fast enough.
The previous battle had been a massacre.
"We end this now," Shikaku said, eyes sharp. "One strike is all we need."
"Got it!" Inoichi and Chōza answered in unison.
Shikaku crouched low, hands forming seals. Inoichi fell back, focusing his chakra. Chōza charged forward, each step shaking the ground.
As he ran, his body grew larger and larger. Every stride expanded his frame until he towered like a building ten stories tall, then more.
The battlefield fell silent for an instant as the giant shadow loomed over the dunes.
"Attack! Bring him down!" shouted a Sand jōnin, panic rising in his voice.
A barrage of jutsu and puppet weapons flew toward Chōza, lighting the air with deadly colors. But the Akimichi had already prepared. He slammed his hands into a sealing scroll, summoning an enormous shield, thick as a wall. With a roar, he drove it into the ground, blocking every projectile in a storm of sparks.
The Sand forces regrouped quickly. Puppet masters sent their creations darting around the shield, attempting to flank.
But before they could move another inch, they froze. Their limbs locked, their fingers stiff.
They didn't notice the shadows stretching across the battlefield Shikaku's shadow had merged with theirs, binding them completely.
Using Chōza's colossal form to extend his range, Shikaku's Shadow Possession Jutsu now covered half the field. Dozens of enemy shinobi were caught in an instant.
"Nice one, Shikaku!" Chōza boomed. His voice echoed like thunder across the sand. He knew they had only seconds every extra target drained Shikaku's chakra.
Time to finish this.
Chōza's massive hands glowed with swirling chakra, waves of power rippling from his palms. The air trembled.
He raised both arms high, gathering all his strength.
"Here we go!"
He slammed his palms down with earth-shaking force. The impact roared through the desert, blasting sand high into the air like a volcanic eruption. The shockwave rolled outward, tearing through the ranks of the frozen Sand shinobi.
Bodies were flung like leaves in a storm, their screams lost in the deafening rumble. The earth itself seemed to groan beneath the force.
When the dust finally settled, the battlefield was silent again only the wind remained, whispering through the dunes.
-
After some months, WE'RE BACK. Patreon-Purgatorial Poet