First Attack

The sky over the trading post was torn apart by explosions and falling debris. Flames flickered across the horizon, signaling the start of the war.

Amid the wreckage, Hidan leapt out with a wild grin. He landed on the ground, still laughing, and his eyes were filled with adrenaline.

Behind him, more than a dozen Rain Village shinobi hurried forward. Their weapons were ready and their eyes alert for any threat.

"Can you please sit down, sir?" one of them called out.

Hidan turned his head, still smiling, and shot back, "Don't go ruining this for me, or I'll sacrifice you guys instead!"

The shinobi flinched at the threat. They knew better than to challenge him directly. Hidan's reputation for reckless violence and bizarre rituals was well known, and fear kept them from talking back.

As they kept running, they couldn't deny the confidence they had for this Akatsuki member. The chaos around them was meant to be a distraction, and Hidan was in his natural element, relishing the thrill of war.

Suddenly, a few kunai streaked through the air and straight for Hidan. He moved fast by falling back before dodging the projectiles at the last second. When the weapons hit the ground, it prompted his squadron to stop.

Hidan then looked around for the attacker, frowning, "What's the big idea?"

From atop a nearby tree, a voice called out, "So, you're our first opponent?"

Hidan's gaze shifted upward. Sitting on a sturdy branch was an old man, who looked calm but confident. Behind that man were about ten shinobi with their weapons gleaming.

"Who the heck are ya?" one of the Rain shinobi asked, stepping forward.

The old man jumped down from the tree alongside his men, and they all landed to face Hidan and his men.

"I forget that we're not as known in this era," the old man said.

"This era?" Hidan repeated. "You must be from the Uzumaki clan."

"So you've heard of us after all?" Ashina replied.

Hidan's lips curled into a smirk as he answered, "Yeah, and you'll make the best sacrifices to lord—"

Before he could finish, Ashina surged forward. His sword flashed and intercepted Hidan's triple-bladed scythe that the latter managed to draw in time. Sparks flew as the weapons collided, each trying to overpower the other.

"You're a talker just like they said you were!" Ashina said in a sharp voice. His grip tightened on his hilt with tense muscles. "We'll make this quick!"

The clash caused a few Rain shinobi to start attacking as well. Some threw shuriken; others charged with blades drawn.

Just like that, the battlefield erupted into pandemonium.

"Wind style: great breakthrough!"

From Hidan's side, a wind jutsu sliced through the air, forcing the Uzumaki shinobi to fall back momentarily. A seasoned Rain ninja then shouted, "Push them back! Don't let them regroup!"

From the Uzumaki side, a veteran with a scar across his cheek raised his voice. "Hold the line! We're not done yet!"

A young Uzumaki then unleashed a fireball that hurtled toward a Rain ninja. His opponent countered with a gust of wind, dispersing the flames.

More sparks flew as others clashed weapons with their opponents.

A lower-ranked Rain ninja tried to flank but was cut off by an Uzumaki's quick strike, followed by a spiraling water jutsu that knocked him aside.

"We've fought harder fish than you," the Uzumaki muttered.

The Rain shinobi pressed on, but the Uzumaki's resilience was clear. Their feats in past wars were deadliest in close combat and unexpectedly fierce in battle despite their long absence from it.

After all, this was a clan that fought through both the First and Second Shinobi World Wars!

A commanding voice echoed from the Rain side, "Focus your fire!"

While in the midst of a clash with Hidan, Ashina looked at his men and yelled, "Don't let up. They might be many, but we're fighting for every inch."

"Ya think I'm weak to just ignore like that?!" Hidan challenged, swiping his scythe.

They clashed again as the sounds of different elements intertwined on the battlefield.

Hidan and Ashina then circled each other before exchanging blows. The former was quick and hasty, but Ashina was more precise. He seemed to anticipate every move by blocking or dodging with ease.

Hidan couldn't help but notice something strange: Ashina was undoubtedly reading his attacks, almost as if he knew what was coming before he did.

"What year are you guys from again?" Hidan asked in the midst of dodging.

Ashina refused to answer, so Hidan furrowed his brows and went for a wide swipe with his scythe. Yet his opponent was faster; he grabbed Hidan's wrist mid-swing and halted the attack.

When Ashina saw that this was a diversion, he grimaced just as Hidan pulled out a retractable blade. Then, with a quick flick, Hidan aimed for Ashina's face. The blade sliced through the air, causing Ashina to let go. He stumbled back as a shallow cut appeared on his cheek.

"I wonder how he feels about me sacrificing someone revived from the dead!" Hidan taunted with bloodlust in his voice.

Ashina's eyes widened after understanding those words. Who Hidan was referring to was that false idol he worshiped. And if his name was being mentioned, it could only mean one thing.

"Curse jutsu!"

After quickly drawing his own blood, Hidan drew a bloodstained insignia drawn on the ground. Once the circle was complete, he dripped the blood of Ashina from the tip of his weapon, causing his skin to darken with white markings forming across his face and arms in a pattern resembling a skull.

The transformation made him look like a living skeleton.

"Time to die!" he screamed with fanatic fervor. But just as Hidan was about to thrust the blade into his chest, Ashina raised a hand sign, halting him in place. "Argh!"

Hidan suddenly froze in surprise.

Seeing that Hidan was visibly confused, Ashina explained, "I placed a seal on you the moment I grabbed your wrist earlier."

Hidan looked to his arm. For a moment, he saw nothing. Then, slowly, a faint seal emerged that glowed faintly against his skin. The ink was simple but unmistakable: a spiraling seal that looked exactly like the Uzumaki clan's symbol.

"As an Uzumaki," Ashina declared in triumph, "you should know what we're best at."

Hidan's stomach sank as he looked around. How could he have fallen for such a trick despite having been told information about this enemy?

The battlefield around him was also looking grim. Many of his own men had fallen, either killed or wounded by Ashina's clan.

The odds were stacking against him. The full scope of the enemy's power was now clear: the Uzumaki clan weren't revived by Arthur because of their sealing prowess, but because they were wiped out from their enemy's being fearful of them.

Hidan gritted his teeth to try and hide his frustration. His mind raced for a new plan or a way to turn the tide, but it seemed as if this battle was over.

It wasn't long until the remnants of Hidan's forces lay scattered across the battlefield. The Uzumaki clan therefore moved swiftly to surround their captured opponent.

Ashina was the first to step forward. He grabbed the retractable spear since its tip was coated in his blood. So long as the insignia on the ground was marred and Hidan didn't have blood to use, Ashina could make sure the cursed technique couldn't be reactivated.

"I'm sure one of the four lords would prefer him intact," Ashina commanded. "Bind him up."

Hidan, still breathing heavily, looked at Ashina with amusement. That made the latter suspicious.

"Something funny?" Ashina asked.

Hidan smirked as he admitted, "Guess I picked the wrong place to attack."

Then suddenly, the captured Hidan twisted and broke free!

Before Ashina could move, Hidan—still holding his scythe—swung his arm wide in a sweeping arc. This prevented anyone from coming nearby with more seals. Not only that, it allowed the perfect moment for Hidan to vanish into the forest and blend into the shadows.

The Uzumaki clan members stared in disbelief. "Should we go after him?"

"No," Ashina said in an unwavering tone. "Let him go for now.'

With his sword in hand, he first raised it and turned to face his men.

"Us winning this battle will show the enemy that not just the Uzumaki clan, but the Bird Country as a whole is a force to be reckoned with!"

The clansmen responded with a loud hoorah, rallying around Ashina's words. Their voices echoed across the battlefield to show the clear declaration of strength and unity.

The enemy would surely think twice before attacking again.

After a while, Ashina and his men were beginning their walk back to the country's border. That is until he was surprised to see a medical tent close by. The tent bore the emblem of the Bird Country, which he recognized all too well.

Outside the tent, Ryugetsu was waiting. His calm presence stood out amid what occurred hours ago.

"My lord," Ashina bowed, and the rest of the clansmen bowed upon approaching, "it's good to see that we've prepared the healers so quickly, despite that surprise attack."

This tent's presence was a reminder that, even amidst war, the country's healers and medics were ready to tend to the wounded and prepare for whatever would come next.

"Indeed," Ryugetsu invited. "Do come in…"

By dawn's light, the battlefield was quiet again with many reinforcements in the area.

The remaining Uzumaki clan members sat around the tent with some joking and some lost in thought. As they exchanged what happened to the shinobi who weren't present, the others expressed how they would have loved to see the enemy's faces after they'd won the first round.

Ashina, meanwhile, was deep in thought. He had wanted to speak with Ryugetsu about their next course of action, but the latter had vanished moments after their arrival.

A medical ninja from the Uchiha clan approached Ashina quietly and reported, "The lords are stationing additional tents in locations they believe the Rain Village will attack next, sir."

Ashina gave a slight nod, impressed by the efficiency. "Good. That's exactly what I expected from our intelligence network after that battle."

As the sun rose higher, the Bird Country's forces worked tirelessly. They set up new defenses, dispatched patrols, and sent messengers to coordinate with other clans and hidden villages about the first attack.

The battle lines had been drawn. The war had begun. And the Bird Country, with its warriors, wasn't going to allow another surprise attack like that to happen again.

Meanwhile, in a faraway territory, Hidan finally came to a halt. He wiped the bead of sweat from his temples, annoyed that he had been forced to fall back.

All his men had undoubtedly died, so relaying that news to Pain was going to be troubling.

Either way, his mission was only to initiate the first attack. Him going out of his way to actually fight wasn't part of the plan.

"I'll remember that old man," he said to himself.

"Who are you talking about?" a female's voice said from above.

Hidan looked up in surprise. He was sure he wasn't followed. But when he saw those paper wings behind the female's back, he quickly calmed himself.

"Oh," he said. "It's just you."

"You seem to have had your fun," Konan commented.

"Yeah, well, I was stopped by members from one of those revived clans."

After hearing the events, Konan was quick to piece together that it was none other than Ashina Uzumaki. Hidan, despite having been warned of their main fighting styles, had clearly disregarded Ashina's use of sealing techniques.

"It won't happen again!" he defended.

"That doesn't matter now," she sternly replied. "Your mission's done."

"Fine…" he submitted. "Mind flying me back to HQ?"

"No…"

"Why not?! Can't you see how exhausted I am?"

Rather than dignify that with a response, Konan flapped her wings on high and left Hidan there.

Some might think of the gesture as rude or unbecoming from a member. But in truth, it was because she was on a mission to initiate the next attack.