Content
After the end of the Third Great Ninja War, the world enjoyed a relatively peaceful decade. While several clashes happened from time to time and the world was tense once again due to the attack on Konoha, most countries were still enjoying their peace. However, there was one exception.
Due to Iwagakure's instigations, Kusagakure was embroiled in a deadly internal war. Even though it still stood strong, the people in the Land of Grass suffered. Luckily, after several deadly and painful clashes, Kusagakure had the upper hand and the rebels were contained in the Southwestern corner of the country, finally providing some much-needed relief to the common people.
Just as the people relaxed their guards, a strange phenomenon occurred in the Land of Grass. A phenomenon that they had never experienced. In a narrow strip of land, which ran from East to West in the Land of Grass and lay almost at the center between Kusagakure and the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Fire, nearly three dozen ninjas were knocked out and captured alive, irrespective of which faction they belonged. As for who the culprits were?
They were none other than the very people Kusagakure asked for help! Moving such a large army in absolute secrecy was almost impossible. They had to be spotted by just one spy or loudmouth to bust their cover and warn their target.
So, Fujin came up with a simple solution. Of course, his 'simple' solution left his Generals and the Nara strategists speechless. However, both felt that it was plausible after thinking for a bit. The reason for this was the unexpected charge by Fujin's army and the degree to which they outmatched any force in the vicinity. There was no doubt that Kusagakure as well as the rebels would notice something was off. However, by the time they realized it, Fujin's army would have accomplished their first goal.
As such, the Nara clan ninjas joined the other clans in the specialist units and led the charge. The Kusagakure ninjas were simply helpless against the combination of so many secret techniques supported by the Byakugan.
Of course, there was a simpler solution. They could have just killed off everyone in their way so they wouldn't need to put seals on everyone they captured and carry them along. Fortunately or unfortunately, the nature of the mission eliminated this option.
So, with such a relentless charge, Konoha forces marched straight into the Tsuchioka province! Needless to say, they followed the same approach.
In an underground base in the Northern region of the Tsuchioka province, a lady frowned. She muttered, "We haven't received reports from two groups…"
Hisato frowned and asked, "Where were they?"
Reiko answered, "One group was outside our territories, they could have fallen. However, the second was sufficiently within our borders."
Hisato's expression became ugly. He cursed, "Those scums! Are they already starting another attack so soon? Do they have no regard for their losses?"
Reiko expressed, "They want to press on their advantage to rout us completely. Even though we can't be certain, order everyone to get ready."
Hisato nodded and said, "Of course. I hope that this is a false alarm. Our army isn't in a state to fight another war so soon. We need Iwagakure's supplies and assistance quickly."
Reiko solemnly nodded.
Hisato immediately sent out orders. The entire camp, consisting of over 300 ninjas, became alert. Another three dozen ninjas, who were patrolling, were recalled. Realizing that they could be attacked, the morale in the camp was low. Yet, they began preparing.
As they did, one young ninja complained, "Man, this is crazy! How did they recover so quickly? Even though we lost the last battle, they suffered horrendous injuries too!"
The boy next to him replied, "Yeah. I heard both those Uzumaki bitches are dead too! Maybe they're becoming desperate for a quick victory and attacking us without healing properly. Hehe, Kagero-sama's counterattack will annihilate next time! Ouch!"
He suddenly felt a pain in his neck and slapped it. He grabbed what bit him and cursed, "Damned bug!"
Almost immediately, the ninja with him did the same, killing another bug but not before it bit him.
Similar scenes appeared throughout the camp. There was no bug swarm. Instead, only a few hundred bugs scattered over hundreds of meters moved stealthily and infiltrated the camp. Within a minute, nearly 200 ninjas were bitten. Finally, Reiko, who was observing her subordinates from a distance, realized that something was amiss.
She thought, 'That's strange. Though soft, I heard several slapping and cursing sounds. They even slapped their bodies as if killing bugs. But, why would so many be bitten by bugs all of a sudde…'
Her eyes widened as she realized the obvious answer. Her face became deathly pale! Hisato noticed her horrified expression and grabbed her shoulder while asking, "Reiko, are you fine? What happened?"
For a moment, Reiko felt like she had lost all her energy and leaned against Hisato for support. Hisato felt her shiver and became even more worried. In a shaking voice, Reiko muttered, "Prepare to retreat. It's not Kusagakure. We're being attacked by Konoha!"
Hisato also became just as pale as Reiko. In the camp, a sensor suddenly shouted, "Be ready! I can sense the enemy! They have entered my chakra field!"
The camp immediately grabbed their weapons and asked, "How many scums are there?"
The sensor shouted, "GET READY! THEY ARE CHARGING AT US WITH FULL SPEED! THERE ARE A HUNDR… NO TWO… THREE..."
Words refused to leave his throat as terror appeared on his face. He wasn't the only one. Every other sensor was terrified. They sensed over 700 ninjas rushing into their chakra fields with an unstoppable momentum! Worse, they didn't know how many more were behind them!
The Sensor gathered courage and shouted, "Fight but be ready to retreat! There are twice as many as us!"
He glanced behind towards the base where Reiko and Hisato stayed. To his shock, he didn't see either of his leaders! Before he could figure out where they were, the enemy ninjas were only a hundred meters from them! Due to the huge grass cover, they still couldn't see who their enemies were. However, it didn't matter.
Dozens of ninjas weaved hand seals and shot powerful jutsus at the incoming enemy. Over 80% of the jutsus were Water jutsus, while the rest were Wind and Lightning jutsus. The ninjas who didn't know any powerful mid-range jutsus launched shurikens, kunais and a few paper bombs!
Despite launching a strong attack, every single ninja in the camp was preparing to retreat. They just wanted to inflict some damage on the enemy so that they would slow down and wouldn't risk chasing after them. Having warred against Kusagakure for a long time, they had mastered this tactic. Otherwise, they would have been annihilated a long time ago.
Unfortunately for them, they misjudged who their enemy was. Instead of seeing their enemy slow down and hearing the screams of any injured ninjas, a bright orange light flooded their eyes. As far as their eyes could see, they could only see flames! A Tsunami of Fire was heading right towards them!
The Water and Fire jutsus clashed. However, instead of being doused, the flames moved straight through them, evaporating any water that reached them! Needless to say, these flames were assisted by winds! Even though the winds weren't as strong as Fujin's, they were more than sufficient to overwhelm the rebels. Their jutsus were scattered and their weapons repelled. Even the explosive tags failed to create a dent in the flames.
Realizing the immense danger, several senior ninjas shouted, "Use Earth and Water Walls! Hurry! Any defense would help!"
Everyone who knew any defensive jutsus immediately weaved hand seals. Dozens of ninjas prepared the Earth Wall and Water Wall jutsus while another couple of hundred ninjas prepared weaker defensive jutsus.
However, before they could finish their jutsus, their chakra flow was suddenly disrupted. Several ninjas coughed blood. Quite a few felt dizzy. A few had difficulty moving their bodies, almost as if they had been paralyzed. The ones who suffered muttered in horror, "Those damn bugs! This… They aren't Kusa…"
Due to the sudden disruption, more than half of the ninjas failed to complete their jutsus! Even so, over a dozen powerful jutsus and nearly a hundred weaker jutsus were used. Earth and Water Walls appeared in front of them, giving them a minuscule sense of security.
Unfortunately for them, Lightning Spears pierced through their defenses even before they could take a deep breath. Moments later, the Fire-Wind Combination jutsu hit the punctured defense and completely crushed it! The rebels stared in horror as nothing stood between them and the fire tsunami!