Chapter 10: Phantom of the Battlefield
The air was thick with the scent of blood and burning earth. Smoke curled into the sky, casting long shadows over the battlefield where shinobi corpses lay scattered—some fresh, others charred beyond recognition.
Hikaru stood at a distance, hidden beneath the guise of a wandering merchant. His sharp eyes observed the carnage from a hilltop, analyzing every detail of the unfolding chaos.
The ambush had worked flawlessly. A faction of Kumo's forces had fallen into his trap—misled by false intelligence, weakened by poisoned rations, and finished off by a series of remote-detonated explosions. The survivors now clashed with Konoha's forward unit, both sides unaware that the real orchestrator of this massacre was watching from the shadows.
"They are moving exactly as predicted," Hikaru murmured to himself.
A hooded figure approached from behind—one of his trusted subordinates.
"The poison worked as intended," the figure reported. "Their chakra pathways are sluggish. Their medics can't keep up."
Hikaru allowed himself a nod of satisfaction. The formula had been one of his latest refinements—a delayed toxin that seeped into the body, making it difficult for shinobi to mold chakra properly. It didn't kill immediately; it simply made them weaker, more vulnerable. In war, that was often enough.
"What of the reinforcements?" Hikaru asked.
"Kumo sent a distress signal. But their backup will take at least an hour to arrive."
Hikaru's eyes gleamed. An hour was more than enough.
He turned his gaze back to the battlefield. The Kumo shinobi were faltering, their formations breaking down. Konoha's forces, despite suffering casualties, were gaining the upper hand. Soon, Kumo would be forced to retreat.
And that was exactly what Hikaru wanted.
"Make sure Kumo's forces escape," he ordered.
The subordinate hesitated. "Escape?"
Hikaru's voice remained steady. "Yes. Let them live. Let them crawl back to their village, injured, humiliated… and desperate for revenge."
He didn't want a swift victory. He wanted festering hatred. He wanted grudges that would drive the war deeper, ensuring that peace remained impossible.
The subordinate nodded, understanding. "And Konoha?"
"They'll think they won this battle," Hikaru said. "They'll celebrate. Let them."
His eyes darkened.
"Because soon, I'll take it all away."