Chapter 29: Death Soldiers

Night fell heavy over the forest, three miles southeast of Arakawa Castle in the Land of Waterfall. Under the shroud of towering trees, the world was reduced to murmurs—wind threading through leaves, insects whispering in the underbrush.

In the shadow of a giant cedar, Itoshiki Furukawa stood with four of his subordinates, their chakra signatures dimmed, their presence erased. They had been waiting for some time, enveloped by silence and anticipation.

Suddenly, a blur cut through the treeline—a black silhouette moving at a speed too precise to be mere instinct. It came to a halt in front of them.

"Itoshiki?" the figure asked, voice low and urgent.

Itoshiki stepped into the firelight, eyes steady.

"Iken Ichiro," he replied, deliberately using the other man's name as confirmation. "What's the situation in the Cloud Village? Did you gather anything before coming here?"

Without a word, Ichiro pulled a worn, folded map from inside his uniform and spread it open. The fire cast flickering shadows over its surface, illuminating hastily drawn terrain, marked borders, and red ink notations.

"This is the latest intel from Cloud," Ichiro said, tapping a crimson dot in the Land of Waterfall. "This is where the Iwa supply line runs—lightly guarded, and critical."

He pointed to another mark, further north within the Land of Earth.

"And this is an intelligence node. The Cloud Village had already targeted it before I got the activation signal. A special operations squad is likely already deep in Iwa territory, moving fast."

Itoshiki's gaze fixed on the map. His pupils contracted slightly. "So they're planning a full engagement with Iwa," he muttered, more to himself than to Ichiro. "Then let's help turn a spark into an inferno. The more chaos, the fewer shadows they'll notice moving beneath them."

The fire crackled softly. The others remained silent, awaiting orders.

"What about Ishikawa Chiho?" Itoshiki asked next. The Iwa mole was a key piece—perhaps the key.

"He's received his patrol orders. He'll be in position at the appointed time," Ichiro said. His voice was calm, but there was a slight tension at the edges—like a string pulled taut.

Itoshiki nodded slowly, then met Ichiro's eyes. "I'll review the plan. Make sure nothing's been missed."

Ichiro gave a single nod, his face unreadable.

"We strike the supply line here," Itoshiki began, his finger tracing across the parchment. "The operation will coincide with Ishikawa Chiho's patrol route. We'll engage the enemy, create noise, and then break off."

He paused. Not from hesitation—but as if bracing himself for the next part.

"You'll remain behind, Ichiro. Allow yourself to be captured. Under interrogation, you'll give them a planted leak—news of a Cloud infiltration squad operating in the Land of Earth."

The firelight danced across Ichiro's face. He didn't flinch.

"We'll break through the Waterfall border patrols, enter the Land of Frost, and use the longer route back to Konoha."

There was a beat of silence.

Ichiro gave a single breath, then answered evenly, "The plan is solid. Nothing's missing."

Itoshiki's voice dropped into something quieter—less command, more question. "Is it worth it?"

Ichiro looked at him, eyes narrowing—not in suspicion, but in thought. He held the gaze for a moment too long, searching. When he found no answer there, he looked down.

"What's worth and what's not?" he murmured. "My life was built for this. My father... was a Konoha spy. Embedded in the Cloud Village. He took a wife there, had a child—me. And when I was old enough to remember, he killed her. Then he raised me to serve Konoha."

The flames flickered, casting Ichiro's face half into shadow.

"I've never even seen Konoha. Not once. All I know are stories, and a photo—one he showed me when I was little. A rice field. Golden. Bathed in light. He said that's where I belong."

He looked skyward.

Above them, the clouds were thick and suffocating. Not a single star could pierce through.

"That's fine," he whispered. "In Cloud's records, I'll be remembered as a loyal operative who died under torture. In Konoha's... a hero who gave his life in silence. Either way, I disappear."

Itoshiki said nothing. The weight of those words settled between them like ash.

"Let me vanish with meaning," Ichiro finished. "That's enough."

The forest fell into silence once more.

And then Itoshiki simply nodded. Not out of agreement—but acknowledgment. Respect.

"Three hours until movement," he said.

They folded the map. The fire was extinguished.

And the forest swallowed their presence whole once more.

Itoshiki admired Iken Ichiro's unwavering resolve—his courage, his sacrifice. But beneath that admiration lingered a bitter sorrow. To throw away one's life for a village he had never seen… What kind of world demanded that kind of devotion?

How many more lives—innocent or otherwise—would this endless war consume?

Ichiro said nothing more. He simply walked to a quiet corner, lay down on the bare ground, and closed his eyes, his breath soon steady and slow.

"Rest," Itoshiki said quietly to the others. "Conserve your strength. Tomorrow, the real battle begins."

And so, beneath the stars hidden by cloud, the cold night quietly came to an end.

By noon the next day, filtered sunlight pierced through the dense forest canopy, casting shifting patterns on the ground like dancing ghosts.

Itoshiki and his team had changed into Cloud Village uniforms. Their faces were obscured by camouflage paint, and their chakra signatures masked to blend in with the surrounding terrain.

"Move," Itoshiki ordered.

The five figures shot forward, silent and swift, streaking through the woods like arrows loosed from a taut bowstring.

"Enemy attack!" an Iwa sentry shouted as soon as they breached the perimeter.

"Kill them all!" Itoshiki's voice was cold, his kunai gleaming with steel resolve. In a blur of motion, he cut down three guards before they could even draw their weapons.

Chaos erupted.

Iwa ninja scrambled to respond, but Itoshiki's team moved like shadows, ruthless and precise. They carved through the defense line with brutal efficiency, each motion honed by countless missions and shared understanding.

"Reinforce the line! Stop them—now!" the Iwa commander barked, desperation creeping into his voice as he watched his soldiers fall one by one.

But Itoshiki was already inside their formation, lightning-fast and surgical. His blows landed with precision, each movement clean and lethal.

"Who the hell are these people?!" the commander shouted, teeth clenched in frustration.

Then—like thunder rolling in—a new squad arrived.

Leading them was Ishikawa Chiho.

"You Cloud bastards won't leave here alive!" he bellowed, charging into the fray with his squad close behind.

Itoshiki's eyes narrowed, locking onto him.

The main act begins.

He broke formation, charging directly at Chiho. Their clash sent shockwaves through the battlefield.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"

Chiho's hands moved in swift succession, slamming the ground and raising a solid earthen barrier in front of Itoshiki.

"Lightning Release: Chidori!"

Without hesitation, Itoshiki pierced through it, a roaring blade of lightning erupting from his hand and shattering the wall into dust.

Chiho's eyes widened. "Such refined Lightning Release…!"

"Come!" Itoshiki shouted, his body a blur of gold and white as his chakra surged around him.

They clashed again and again—blow for blow, technique for technique. Sparks flew as ninjutsu collided mid-air, the earth scorched beneath their feet.

After a dozen exchanges, Chiho began to gain the upper hand, his movements increasingly sharp, his counters more precise.

It's time, Itoshiki thought. We can't drag this out any longer.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Oppression Horizontal!"

A roar erupted from Itoshiki as his chakra flared, brilliant gold laced with raw Yang energy. The ground trembled. A blinding arc of energy surged from his arm as he slashed horizontally, the sheer force of it sending a shockwave ripping across the battlefield.

Chiho staggered back, arms raised in a hasty defense. Dust and debris exploded around him as he skidded several meters before finding his footing.

"Retreat!" Itoshiki shouted, seizing the moment.

His team disengaged immediately, vanishing into the trees in a practiced retreat toward the Land of Frost.

Behind them, Iken Ichiro turned.

"Lightning Release: Spider Web."

His hands flew through seals. In an instant, countless fine strands of lightning spread outward, weaving a vast, crackling net that surged toward the pursuing Iwa ninja. The air itself seemed to scream as the electric web tore through rock and root, lighting the forest in an eerie blue glow.

"Farewell, Iken Ichiro," Itoshiki whispered as he ran. You gave your name to the dark so we could walk in the light.

... patreon Seasay