#69
Baki returned from the Land of Rain, his cloak soaked from the endless drizzle.
"My lord, I have informed the daimyo of the Land of Earth about our plan to march," he reported, bowing slightly.
Mufasa leaned back, arms crossed. "And? What did he say?"
Baki shrugged. "He only gave one response: 'Okay.'"
Mufasa chuckled, shaking his head. "The tragedy of a small nation. When the great nations wage war on their land, they simply look the other way."
He exhaled. "What about Amegakure? Did you see their leader?"
Baki shook his head. "No sign of him. They seem indifferent to anything beyond their borders."
"Sigh~. Locked away, building their own weapons while the world burns."
Mufasa's eyes narrowed. "What about Onoki?"
"He's already at the border with over four thousand ninja troops."
Mufasa smirked. "Ten times our forces... Good. Then it'll be a fair fight."
With a wave of his hand, he issued the command. "Move out."
The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th divisions of the Sand Ninja Army mobilized toward the Land of Rain.
The march was anything but uniform.
The 1st and 2nd divisions, sleek and well-equipped, traveled in water-resistant off-road vehicles and armored troop transports.
The 3rd division was different—moving inside a single, heavily secured truck, its purpose a mystery to most.
The 4th division was the most chaotic—a mix of conscripted fighters, rogue ninjas from various villages, and a heavy presence of Amegakure mercenaries.
No one dared to speak out of turn.
Everyone knew that Captain Sasuke Uchiha of the 4th division was ruthless.
Any sign of defiance would be met with swift punishment.
Sasuke's sharp gaze scanned the assembled force.
"Your job is simple. Locate Iwa's troops before the 1st and 2nd divisions do and report back. Anyone who slacks off... well, let's just say you won't get a second chance."
The so-called "Dried Fish Duo" stood among the crowd—Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha, hiding in plain sight.
Kisame grinned. "Itachi, isn't your little brother a bit too intense?"
"We are mercenaries now," Itachi replied dryly. "Best we act the part."
Sasuke raised his hand. "Move out."
The scouts sprinted forward, fading into the mist.
Days later, the armies of Sand and Stone clashed at last.
Onoki observed the battle with satisfaction. "Their mercenary army is laughable."
Sand's forces were being driven back, unable to match the disciplined formations of the Iwa ninjas.
The Dried Fish Duo took advantage of the chaos, barely lifting a finger while collecting their daily pay.
The battlefront pushed closer to Amegakure's borders.
Inside Iwa's barracks, Onoki sat at the head of a war council. "Kazekage is young and arrogant," he declared.
"He thinks a few tricks will make him Hokage-level. Bah! I fought alongside the likes of Hashirama Senju. That boy is nothing."
His commanders laughed in agreement.
Suddenly, his son, Kitsuchi, burst into the room, urgency in his voice. "Father! Another scouting team has disappeared!"
The room fell silent.
Onoki's brow furrowed. "How?"
"We investigated the site," Kitsuchi said grimly. "The only thing left was scorched earth... and craters."
Onoki's expression darkened. "Pull back all scouting teams. We'll advance together."
Meanwhile, in the dense forest near the battlefield, Onoki's granddaughter, Kurotsuchi, crouched with her reconnaissance team.
Through the trees, she spotted a lone Sand ninja walking in the clearing. A large metal box was strapped to his back, and something resembling a mechanical bird hovered above him.
"That's odd," she muttered.
One of her teammates whispered, "Captain, we should take him down."
She nodded. "Do it."
Forming a series of hand signs, she slammed her palm onto the ground. "Earth Release: Earth Flow Spear!"
The ground rumbled as jagged stone spears shot up, impaling the Sand ninja through the chest.
Or at least, they should have.
Instead, sparks erupted where the spear struck. Metal fragments scattered across the forest floor.
Kurotsuchi's eyes widened. "What the hell is that?!"
Just as Kurotsuchi and her team launched their attack, something stirred a kilometer away.
A squad of twenty Sand ninja had gathered, their movements precise and disciplined.
Four sensory-type ninjas pressed their hands to the ground, focusing their chakra to control specialized scouting puppets.
These mechanical sentries spread out in all directions, sweeping the area for threats.
One of the scouts jerked his head up. "Enemy spotted one kilometer ahead."
The captain's eyes narrowed. "Switch to attack mode and stall them. Keep them occupied."
He barked out more orders. "Advance the scouting puppets and expand our search radius. Long-range fire team, move out. Melee squad, get ready. Medical and sensory units, hold your positions."
The battlefield shifted instantly.
Six members of the long-range fire team and six from the melee team sprinted toward Kurotsuchi's location, summoning their own puppets as they ran.
Their numbers doubled from twelve to twenty-four in an instant.
Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi's squad was still analyzing the Sand ninja they had attacked. Something felt off.
Then, without warning, the sky erupted with movement.
A drone-like puppet shot toward them, its approach eerily silent—until the detonation tag inside it triggered.
"Move!" Kurotsuchi shouted as the explosion rocked their previous position.
They barely dodged the first strike before another puppet dived in, a fresh tag primed to explode.
One of her teammates pointed toward the Sand ninja impaled on the rock spear. "Captain, look behind him!"
Kurotsuchi turned, eyes widening.
A small mechanical drone was emerging from a metal box strapped to the downed enemy's back.
"His body is a decoy!" she realized.
These weren't just standard puppets—they were fully mechanical constructs, powered by chakra-infused batteries.
Their control units weren't flesh-and-blood puppet masters but programmed cores.
"Destroy the control unit or take out the power source!" she ordered, forming hand signs. "Earth Release: Earth Flow Spear!"
A second spear shot forward, aiming for the drone's core. But it was slightly off—just enough to graze the battery without disabling it.
The drones kept coming.
Explosions filled the air as Kurotsuchi's team scrambled for cover.
There were too many, their numbers overwhelming.
Thinking fast, Kurotsuchi slammed her hands together. "Gray Stone Sealing Technique!"
Thick walls of stone encased the enemy puppet and its drones, cutting off their control signal.
The attacks stopped.
She let out a breath. "That should hold it. Let's take him back for analysis."
Her squad moved in, ready to carry the stone prison back with them.
One kilometer away, a sensory ninja from the Sand team smirked.
He clasped his hands together. "Detonate."
BOOM!
A massive explosion ripped through the battlefield. The stone prison shattered, sending Kurotsuchi's team flying.
"Ugh!" One of her teammates clutched his eye, blood pouring from the wound.
Others groaned in pain, disoriented and injured.
The enemy sensory ninja grimaced as well, clutching his head from the backlash of the blast.
A medic rushed forward, recording his vitals. "Not bad," the sensory ninja muttered. "We can use this data to refine the next batch."
Kurotsuchi staggered to her feet. Sand ninja tactics were strange. Their weapons were even stranger.
"We're retreating!" she ordered. "Now!"
But it was too late.
Shadows flickered in the smoke.
The Sand ninja attack squad had them surrounded.
Kunai. Shuriken. Explosive tags.
A hailstorm of weapons descended on Kurotsuchi's team.
"Captain!" a teammate screamed.
Kurotsuchi reacted instantly. "Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique!"
A torrent of fast-hardening cement spewed from her mouth, forming a thick dome around her team.
The enemy weapons slammed against the barrier, bouncing harmlessly off.
Inside, her teammates panted. "Captain... will this hold?"
She wiped the sweat from her brow. "They won't break through it. We just need to hold out until reinforcements arrive."
Outside, the Sand ninja assessed the situation.
"Long-range weapons won't work," one of them muttered. "Time for the melee squad."
Six puppets advanced, circling the cement dome. Each raised a hand—one palm releasing a thick, oily liquid, the other igniting it with a burst of flame.
Gasoline.
A wall of fire erupted around the cement structure, the heat radiating inside.
Kurotsuchi gritted her teeth. "They're using Fire Release! Keep calm. This cement is heat-resistant."
"They won't have enough chakra to keep this up," she assured her team.
But the Sand ninja weren't relying on chakra alone.
More scrolls unfurled.
Fresh oil barrels replaced the depleted ones.
The fire burned brighter, hotter.
Kurotsuchi's confidence wavered.
Inside the dome, the air grew thin.
Sweat poured down their faces as the heat became unbearable.
The realization hit her like a punch to the gut.
They weren't just under attack.
They were being cooked alive.
_______________________
Word count:
Comment below on what you think so far.
Also, if you're interested in reading some advanced chapters, you can support me on my patreon.
patreon.com/Rai_jin
Thanks for reading guys.