High above, Ōnoki's face shifted between light and shadow.
He hadn't expected two sentences from Sakumo. Just two sentences, and the entire Konoha force was now unified. The kid's grasp of command… it was terrifyingly mature. It could rival his own.
Should have killed those three the moment I saw them. Shouldn't have let him speak. A flash of regret. But what could he do? He was the Tsuchikage, the face of Iwagakure. He couldn't just act on pure impulse.
Pat-pat-pat-pat!
A series of urgent footsteps rushed from behind, followed by shouts.
"Nara Shikaku, leading reinforcements!"
"Uchiha Fugaku, leading reinforcements!"
"…!"
In the Konoha ranks, a ninja wondered if his ears were failing him.
"Huh? Did I hear that right?"
"Damn… even the Uchiha are here? Screw it, let's just fucking go!"
The Konoha forces buzzed, adrenaline surging. Their fighting spirit shot through the roof.
"Hah… Hatake Sakumo…" Ōnoki watched as squad after squad merged into the formation. He shot Sakumo a deep, weighted look. He knew it. He couldn't touch those three today.
Then, an idea struck him. A strange, sinister smile spread across his face.
"Formulating strategies in a command tent, shaking the very army with your might… Hatake Sakumo." Ōnoki's voice boomed, reaching every Konoha ninja present. "I see in you the makings of a Hokage! The next seat is yours for the taking!"
Sakumo's expression stiffened. A public assassination by praise.
"You flatter me too much, Tsuchikage-sama. I'm not worthy of such praise."
"Heh." Ōnoki sneered, shifting his tone. "You can protect them now. Can you protect them forever?"
"Their future is none of your concern," Sakumo countered, unwavering.
"Fine." Ōnoki nodded slowly, looking down at him. "For me to intervene personally today… it was beneath my station. I'll let you have this round."
He paused, his words heavy with meaning. "But I didn't lose."
With that, he began to rise into the air. He didn't spare Qianyu, Nawaki, or Kosuke a single glance before flying off into the distance.
"Lord Sakumooooo! How would I live without youuuuu!"
Nawaki threw himself at Sakumo's feet, wrapping his arms around the man's leg in a torrent of tears.
"Get off. You're embarrassing yourself."
Qianyu shoved the dramatic idiot aside. He bowed deeply to Sakumo.
"Thank you, Lord Sakumo. Without you… we wouldn't have made it."
His hands were still trembling. The raw tension, the electric fear of standing at death's door… it still prickled at his nerves.
Ōnoki. I'll remember this. I'll repay it a hundredfold one day.
Weakness was the original sin. Qianyu's resolve to grow stronger burned hotter than ever. He refused to feel that helpless again.
"Haha." Sakumo clapped Qianyu on the shoulder with a teasing grin. "Don't thank me. Just consider it a favor owed. Remember to pay me back."
He had no idea then. That casual joke would one day become a chilling prophecy.
"We really owe you one today, Sakumo," old man Kosuke chimed in, rubbing his aching lower back.
"No need for formalities, Kosuke-senpai. You were the one who showed me the ropes years ago," Sakumo replied warmly.
After a brief exchange, his face turned serious. "I can't stay. You need to be careful. Ōnoki won't let this go. He'll target you again."
"Understood, Lord Sakumo," Qianyu said, his expression grave.
Suddenly, a figure pushed through the crowd and knelt before them, kowtowing without a word.
"Old sir! What are you doing? Get up!"
It was the elderly commander—the one who'd yelled "Screw the Hokage!" Nawaki rushed forward to pull him up.
"Children… I'm so sorry." The old man's voice cracked. He grabbed Nawaki's hand, tears streaking through the grime on his face. "Sorry you had to face that… that despair."
He swallowed hard. "I'd already knocked the other commander out cold. We never gave the order to recall you! Someone… someone must have taken it upon themselves. A despicable, self-serving act to save their own skin!"
Wait. Knocked out the other commander? Qianyu stared, dumbfounded.
"Listen to me. Once we push these Iwa bastards back, I will find the rat. I'll have him tried for treason. I just… I just beg you…"
The old man choked up. "Don't blame Konoha. Please. Don't let one vile coward turn good kids like you away from the village!"
Watching the commander weep, Qianyu and Nawaki exchanged a look. The fury in their hearts cooled a fraction. But for Qianyu… feeling any warmth for Konoha was a distant, difficult thing.
Southern Front. Iwagakure Camp.
"I'm returning to Iwa. Hatake Sakumo likely won't linger either. Once he's gone, launch a full assault on Konoha."
Ōnoki issued orders to his subordinate. "Put a bounty on those three. One million for a head. Ten million for delivering all three alive to Iwagakure."
"Yes, Tsuchikage-sama!"
Sakumo left as quickly as he came, taking some of the reinforcing squads with him.
Qianyu's group stayed. Running now, or following Sakumo to the main battlefront, might be even more dangerous. Fugaku Uchiha volunteered his squad to remain and protect them.
"Kill! Kill the Konoha scum!"
"Die, you Iwa bastards!"
Just as Sakumo predicted, Iwa attacked not long after his departure. A fierce, overwhelming charge.
Under the pressure, even the ninja from the command and communications division were forced to fight.
"Nawaki," Qianyu whispered from their position toward the rear. "Can you track down who sent that message?"
He had another reason for staying. He would find the bastard who sold them out. He'd do it himself. No need to trouble the old commander.
Qianyu's moral code was simple. No sides, no politics. You try to kill me? I kill you.
"Should be possible." Nawaki thought for a moment. "He contacted Flower-Fruit Mountain through a specific technique. The energy signature should still be lingering on him."
"Kill! Kill! KILL!"
Ahead, Iwa ninja were breaking through Konoha's lines, roaring as they charged toward the rear.
"Hmph." Qianyu's eyes narrowed. "Kosuke-senpai and I will cover you. Find him. Fast."
"Got it!"
Nawaki bit his thumb, preparing to summon his communication monkey to run a reverse trace.
Swoosh!
Qianyu's hands flew through seals. "Water Style: Water Cannon!"
A cannonball of condensed rainwater tore through the air, smashing into an oncoming Iwa ninja and sending him flying. Kosuke stared, momentarily stunned.
"Earth Style: Stone Spears!"
An Iwa ninja formed seals. Three stone lances shot toward the trio.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
Qianyu's hands shifted fluidly. A curtain of water surged up, blocking the spears.
Hm? A trick of the eye? Kosuke watched, his mind churning. The kid's water style… the hand seals… why do they look so familiar?
Gritting his teeth against the pain in his back, the old man drew his sword. He moved in a twisted, awkward lunge, intercepting two Iwa ninja heading for Nawaki.
Fwip!
Just as their focus was on the front, a shuriken shot from behind them. Its trajectory was vicious, aimed straight for Qianyu's heart.
"What the—?!"
Cold sweat erupted on Qianyu's skin. Pure instinct threw him sideways. The shuriken grazed past him.
"Damn it… So that's why we got sold out. There's a rat in our own ranks."
His face darkened. If he wasn't a master of projectiles himself, hyper-sensitive to their flight paths… he'd be dead.
"Nawaki! Kosuke-senpai! Watch your backs!"
He glanced at Nawaki again. "Found him yet?"
"Found him!"
Nawaki had dispelled his summoning. He pointed subtly toward a chaotic section of the rear. "That guy. The one with the big gut."
Qianyu followed his finger. A portly figure was scrambling through the battlefield, clumsily getting in the way of other Konoha ninja.
That distance… The shuriken probably came from him.
Qianyu's mind raced, making the connection. A cold smile touched his lips.
"Good. I'll handle the rest."
Kosuke said nothing, pretending he hadn't heard.
Nawaki, however, leaned in. "Be careful, Qianyu. Don't leave evidence."
"I know." Qianyu gave a slight nod.
His mind was already working, plotting. How to do it clean. How to make it look like an accident. How to erase the traitor without a trace.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (100+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/BingeInk
Happy reading, everyone!