Port town of Haruka,
Land Of Fire.
Basara POV
It had been three days of the contingent travelling at a decent pace, decent for a Jonin. which meant we covered serious ground without burning ourselves out. We had moved through dense forests that gradually gave way to open plains, heading northeast toward the coastal place that would serve as our temporary staging point.
We had crossed through the dense forest and moderate plains, traveling northeast toward the town we were temporarily stationed in. The town was the lifeblood of the maritime trade for the land of fire, it was nominally held by the fire Daimyo and governed by a magister and not a lord.The harbour was enormous, crowded with all manner of vessels despite the town looking and feeling prosperous; the war had taken a toll on it you could see it in the half-destroyed ships and boats that were limping into the harbour. Some were listing dangerously to one side as crews worked frantically to keep them afloat.
The war had created a strange, contradictory situation for the merchants and noble houses. Some traders were making fortunes running risky blockade runs, bringing in rare goods at inflated prices. Others had lost entire fleets to Kiri's increasingly aggressive naval raids. Samurai contingents from various noble houses were present as well,One group in particular stood out — their leader wore a full suit of armor that appeared to be made entirely of chakra metal
They were hired for the town's protection, and some even for the ships
I sat at one of our campgrounds under the shade of a tree. I was increasingly preferring to be closer to nature, and I was pretty sure it had to do with my natural ability to use the Mokuton. I was using this time, along with the others, to ensure their weapons and individual supplies were up to standard before we boarded the ship that would take us to one of the archipelago's islands where our shinobis stationed.
It had been a surprise that we were being deployed to Kiri. I had initially assumed that we would be deployed back to the grass or Iwa, but Kiri's forces were now aggressively raiding and expanding their reach into the waters of the land of Fire, disrupting the shipping industry. Usually, these sort of piracy would have been taken care of by the local lords or the Daimyo's samurai but these were not normal times...
Kiri was turning vicious and was truly entering into the war...
Over the last three days, I was informed that we were to be deployed to one of the smaller islands in the archipelago. Our forces were already stationed there, holding the line against Kiri, but they were in dire need of reinforcements. I wasn't sure why they hadn't been given the requested aid prior, but knowing the 200-odd shinobi I was a part of, I knew we were heading into a bloody war theater. Konoha would not have deployed such a task force led by Minato Namikaze—who had already begun to gain fame among the general shinobi populace for his abilities and strength.
I finished securing my gear and slid the new chakra metal chokutō back into its sheath on my back. When I looked up, I saw everyone else quietly preparing in their own way. Even Riku, sitting a stone's throw away, looked unusually somber. He knew, like the rest of us, that many might not come back from this.
Sayuri-san, who had been sitting nearby, suddenly spoke up.
"All done?" she asked, nodding toward the array of weapons I had just finished maintaining.
I nodded. "Yeah. You?"
She stood up and stretched, a small amused smile crossing her face as she caught me glancing at her figure "All set." She pointed toward the distant coastline. "Looks like it's almost time."
Five large ships were approaching the harbor, with their sails at full mast. She gave me a nod and walked over to Riku, who was still looking unusually serious. It was odd. He used to covertly drool over Sayuri, but for the past two days he had been avoiding her. I wasn't sure what had happened, but as long as it didn't get him killed, I decided not to interfere.
It was a shame I didn't have the opportunity or the time to spend with the entire squad. I scoffed with an amused smile. How far have I come, that I want to socialize on the prelude to a war... Time passed quickly. Soon, we received the order to move.
We ran across the water in formation and boarded the waiting ships. The vessels seemed sturdy, and I could sense a good amount of chakra emanating from them. They are reinforced with Fuinjutsu, I thought. The ships slowly filled with our troops, and once everyone was aboard, the fleet set sail, heading out into the vast Eastern Ocean towards the island we were meant to reinforce.
The next day
It had taken nearly a full day of sailing to reach our destination, and now the islands were right there in front of us. The waves got choppier and choppier as we reached the archipelago. A light mist hung over everything. If this was only the outer edge, I could only imagine how thick the fog would be closer to the main island where Kirigakure was situated. It was rumored that one could barely see a few meters ahead of them on a good day.
It was morning, and the sun had barely risen as I leaned on the railing, looking out into the sea. There was a certain violent beauty to it. The previous night had been an experience I wouldn't soon forget — pitch-black waters, the creaking of old wooden hulls, and the constant awareness that one wrong step could send me plunging into the sea. Even knowing I could simply walk on water if I fell didn't completely erase the primal unease.
The ship was fast—faster than it had any right to be. I had learned that, yes, it was covered with Fuinjutsu seals and was something of a rarity. From what I had gathered, it was endemic to the Land of Fire, owing to its alliance with Konoha and their expertise in sealing.
All of a sudden, there was activity aboard the ship. To my senses, everyone was starting to move with a sense of urgency. Feeling a massive presence walking up to me, I looked to the side and watched the Yellow Flash himself—though he had yet to earn that title—walking over to me. I leaned back from the railing and gave him a reserved smile. I had not interacted with him yet, but I had watched him interact with others over the past day on the ship we shared.
He was a genuine person who cared about his fellow compatriots, but there was something off about him—just a little. I don't think anyone else would have caught it, but I had something no one else in this world had: the memories of a man from a peaceful world. Yes, every shinobi was broken in some way or another, but Minato was just different, and I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not. Regardless, he was my commanding officer
"Namikaze-san," I nodded to the blonde man.
"Ah, Basara-kun, please, just call me Minato," he said, laughing brightly. I nodded and didn't react to him knowing my name.
The man continued, "It seems we must prepare for a fight as we land, Basara-kun."
Thinking a little, I asked, "What about our shinobi who were supposed to receive us?"
At my question, the blonde smiled. "Well... our Hyuga have informed me that there is no one present at the meetup point..." He said it with a meaningful look. We are walking into a trap, I thought.
Almost reading my mind, he added, "We are walking into a trap."
I kept the rest of my thoughts to myself and nodded. If they knew we were coming, it didn't matter. Even if we tried to land at a different location, it wouldn't matter, and there was no way we would turn back.
Minato placed a hand on my shoulder for a brief moment. "We're expecting a lot from you today."
He didn't need to tell me twice. Expectation was something I was still getting used to, but I still nodded at the man as he walked away.
Me being here itself put a massive target on my back—especially wearing such eye-catching armor. Some might call me stupid for wearing something so eye-catching, yet I continued doing so. If I did not make a name for myself, be it through respect or fear, I would never live my life in peace. After all, power trumps all.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, cycling my dense chakra. Eventually, Sayuri, Riku, Yukimaru, and Hanami gathered around me. Tsume was doing the same with her own team a short distance away.
"Well, the squad's back together, huh..." Riku smirked.
I raised an eyebrow; he seemed to be back to normal. "Oh yeah, Team 15 is back," I said, nodding to him and the others, who all nodded back with smiles masking their inner thoughts.
I saw Tsume was also doing the same with her team. I wasn't sure if we could truly be a squad again; it would depend entirely on the situation on the island after we landed.
Before we could say more, a loud voice cut through the deck.
"Suiton incoming!"
I turned sharply. The jutsu finally entered my sensory range — a massive, collaborative water technique I thought Grimly. A towering tsunami-like wave was surging toward our fleet, blotting out the view of the island ahead.
"Counter!" Minato's voice rang out clear and commanding.
Several shinobi leaped from the ships and unleashed their own jutsu at the incoming wave, trying to break its momentum. The entire contingent sprang into action.
"Everyone, head inland!" Minato ordered. "We can't fight the Mizu shinobi on top of the ocean!"
And with that, the entire contingent, along with myself, jumped off the ships and raced towards the land at maximum speed. I could sense a couple of shinobi trying to intercept us, but they failed against the combined might of our group. I had tried to position myself and the team toward the center, but the formation was quite loose, forcing me and my team toward the sides.
We reached the island's rocky shore, which was already lightly shrouded in mist. The moment my feet touched land, scores of enemy chakra signatures flooded into my senses.
My face darkened. There were at least twice as many as us.
A trap indeed.
Seeing no one call out, I wondered what our sensory corps were doing. I yelled out, forcing chakra into my throat, "Incoming! Northwest! Nearly four hundred signatures!"
Everybody straightened. To my dismay, the enemies were heading right toward my side, and with the mist still in the way, we couldn't see them. Just then, a large-scale wind jutsu with no real power blasted out. It did its intended job and cleared the mist. The enemy contingent finally came into view — a massive wave of Kiri shinobi charging across the rocky terrain, closing the few hundred meters between us with frightening speed.
I breathed out surging chakra through my body. Seven Kiri nin at the front spewed massive amounts of chakra-infused water toward us, creating a crushing tidal wave, but before I could react, four of our own shinobi charged forward.
"Doton: Dōryūheki!"
A massive earth wall erupted in front of our group, rising tall and thick. I didn't waste the opportunity. Instead of hiding behind it, I took the initiative.
"Team 15, on top of the wall!!!" I roared.
I flashed up onto the still-growing barrier and flew through the hand seals.
Suiton: Bakusui Shōha!
A colossal exploding water wave exploded from my mouth, slamming head-on into the incoming Kiri technique. In the corner of my eye, I saw dozens of other Konoha shinobi follow my lead, adding their own elemental jutsu to the clash.
Riku Inuzuka POV
"Team 15, on top of the wall!!!"
I heard Basara-san roar.
I steadied my pounding heart and charged after him, barely reaching the top of the rapidly rising earth wall alongside the others. The man, clad in his distinctive blue armor, unleashed a massive Suiton jutsu that half-rivaled the enemy's wave. Countless other elemental techniques joined his, crashing against the incoming water.
The combined effort held. As the enemy wave diminished, their remaining jutsu slammed into the Dōryūheki but barely shook it. I saw Basara-san and Sayuri-nee share a nod. I had to smother a goofy smile as I stared at her, then shook my head.
Focus, Riku, you're in the middle of a war... I forced the thoughts of her mouth and warm body out of my head; there would be time for that later. Instead, I focused and jumped after my team as we landed on the ground, which was now a swamp filled with water. I saw Basara-san form a couple of seals as nearly a dozen Mizu Bunshins materialized from the surrounding water.
Not wanting to be left behind, my nails extended into claws sharper than steel, and Yukimaru strengthened his fur with a low growl. With a feral shout, we charged into the melee.
It was a bloody affair as I clashed with multiple Kiri bastards, their movements slippery and vicious. One tried to impale me with water needles, but I twisted aside and raked my claws across his throat. Another came from my blind spot, but Yukimaru slammed into him with bone-crushing force. I struggled against their viciousness for a moment, but ultimately prevailed.
To my right, I saw the jaw-dropping sight of Basara-san turning into an absolute monster on the battlefield as he cut his way through the enemy formation. Every cut was lethal, and every kick or punch turned his target into a fine mist of blood.
"RIKU! Focus!" I heard Hanami-chan yell out as she deflected a barrage of kunai that would have gone through my head. I nodded to her in gratitude, receiving a glare and a nod back as me and Yukimaru fought as hard as we could. But even I could tell we were being pushed back...
There were just too many of them...
Just then, a voice intoned in a deceptively quiet voice:
"Mokuton: Jukai Kōtan."
The ground trembled violently as massive trunks of trees erupted everywhere in an instant—roots thick as pillars and branches lashing out as the legendary bloodline that shaped the modern shinobi world officially resurfaced. The trees ignored us Konoha shinobi, but they crushed and squelched any of the Kiri bastards who dared to challenge Basara Senju's might.
An inexplicable awe washed over me. A feral grin split my face, and I knew I wasn't the only one who felt it. A thunderous war cry erupted from our side as we charged forward into the enemy lines, which were now being utterly decimated by the living forest.
No matter what, Konoha stands tall !!!