Chapter 23: Repulsion Flame Ring
At the border of the Land of Rain, a twelve-man Iwagakure squad arrived at a scene of utter devastation.
Kunai and shuriken lay scattered across the muddy ground, while bodies were strewn haphazardly in every direction. Most wore red clothing, with Iwagakure forehead protectors still visible on their heads or attached to other pieces of equipment.
Blood seeped into the earth, mixing with the rainwater that flowed across the ground.
"That was our squad. They were supposed to negotiate with Amegakure."
The man at the front wore an Iwagakure forehead protector and was clearly the squad leader. His spiky hair gave him a distinctive appearance, but his expression was grim as he surveyed the battlefield.
"Captain Gari, judging from the scene, it appears that Amegakure ambushed us. The wounds on the bodies were caused by specialized weapons commonly used by Rain shinobi."
One of the shinobi carefully examined the surroundings, piecing together what had happened from the traces left behind.
Iwagakure had collected considerable intelligence on Amegakure. Unlike many other villages, the Rain Village had developed a number of distinctive ninja tools and weapons adapted to its own methods of combat.
Gari's expression darkened.
"The Tsuchikage already contacted Hanzō through official channels. Hanzō shouldn't have any reason to do something like this."
Someone was deliberately driving a wedge between Iwagakure and Amegakure.
Not only had they attacked Rain shinobi, they had also attacked Iwagakure's people.
Gari suspected that whoever was behind this had access to considerable intelligence resources. Konoha or Kumogakure were the most likely candidates.
Their motives made sense as well.
Kirigakure and Sunagakure had little reason to target Iwagakure. As for smaller countries such as the Land of Birds, they simply lacked the strength.
They had no reason to provoke a great hidden village when merely surviving the war was already difficult enough.
"It seems the Tsuchikage was right. Konoha or Kumogakure would never allow Amegakure and Iwagakure to form an alliance!"
A nearby shinobi couldn't help voicing his admiration for Ōnoki's foresight.
Gari nodded.
"Keep moving. Our objective is to find whoever attacked us and uncover the truth."
As his voice faded, another shinobi stepped forward.
He formed a series of hand seals before placing a talisman covered in sealing formulas against one of the corpses.
A strange hum filled the air.
Suddenly, intricate markings appeared above the body.
The symbols gradually converged into an arrow pointing in a particular direction.
"Nan, your sensory abilities are as impressive as ever!"
The surrounding shinobi couldn't help exclaiming when they saw the result.
...
Deep within the Land of Rain.
Inside a secluded cave, several Konoha shinobi gathered around Danzō.
"Lord Danzō, won't this eventually cause Amegakure and Iwagakure to join forces?"
One of the shinobi voiced his concern.
For the past several days, they had repeatedly attacked Rain shinobi.
But Amegakure's defenses had recently become much tighter, making further attacks increasingly difficult.
So Danzō had shifted his attention toward Iwagakure instead.
The results had been significant.
Although Konoha had suffered some casualties, they had also killed a significant number of Iwagakure shinobi.
It was all thanks to Danzō's careful planning.
But that success had also created another problem.
If Iwagakure and Amegakure joined forces, their mission would become considerably more difficult.
Their objective was to drive a wedge between the two villages and prevent them from forming an alliance.
There was a very real possibility that their actions could have the opposite effect.
Danzō remained calm.
"Don't worry. I've already made arrangements."
He continued studying a scroll in his hands, his expression unreadable.
Nearby, Gōenji's expression was equally serious.
Danzō really is a cunning bastard.
He must have information that the rest of us don't know.
Over the past few days, Gōenji had personally witnessed Danzō's meticulous approach to the mission.
Every operation had been carefully planned, and every order was executed with frightening speed and precision.
His ability to carry out a plan was exceptional.
Naturally, not even the Konoha shinobi under his command knew the full plan.
That was how Danzō prevented information from leaking.
As far as Gōenji could tell, their mission amounted to one thing:
Kill.
Kill again.
Then follow the squad and continue killing.
But he refused to believe that was all there was to it.
Danzō would never be satisfied with such a simple outcome.
There has to be something else.
Unfortunately, without enough information, Gōenji couldn't figure out what Danzō was planning.
He eventually stopped trying.
Forget it. As long as I complete the mission, that's enough.
I should spend the rest of my time thinking about how to develop my next jutsu.
Gōenji's mind remained remarkably calm.
More than a month of actual combat had allowed him to put everything he'd learned during his previous period of training into practice.
His strength had increased once again.
The countless battles had accelerated his growth far more effectively than training alone ever could.
Combat experience was one factor.
But for Gōenji, the most important method of increasing his overall combat power was still ninjutsu.
And now, a new technique was gradually taking shape in his mind.
Fire Release: Repulsion Flame Ring.
It was designed to make up for his biggest weakness.
Defense.
At present, Gōenji's standard arsenal consisted of kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, and similar tools.
For mobility, he had developed Fire Release: Rocket Propulsion.
For genjutsu, he had his Sharingan.
His offensive Fire Release techniques were already becoming increasingly diverse.
But his defensive capabilities remained lacking.
If he were caught in the middle of a battlefield with a storm of kunai and shuriken raining down around him, even his current strength wouldn't guarantee his survival.
A proper defensive ninjutsu would change that completely.
And that was where Repulsion Flame Ring came in.
The core principle behind the technique was simple:
Impact.
Rather than producing the same kind of repulsive force as the Rinnegan's Shinra Tensei, Gōenji intended to use the explosive properties of Fire Release to generate a powerful outward burst.
Anything that entered the range of the technique would be violently pushed away.
Ninjutsu.
Weapons.
Enemies.
Everything.
And because the technique expanded outward in all directions, it could also serve as an offensive technique against enemies attempting to surround him.
Of course, developing such a technique was far easier said than done.
The shape and flow of chakra had to be precisely controlled.
He needed to use mathematical principles—including geometry and topology—to determine the structure of the chakra formation and regulate how its nature transformation expanded outward.
Only with precise control could he maximize the impact while preventing the technique from injuring his allies—or himself.
Fortunately, his time back in Konoha had given him an opportunity to relearn mathematics.
He now had a solid understanding of the fundamentals.
Without that knowledge, having the idea alone wouldn't have been enough to actually develop the technique.
It still needs some work.
But I'll finish it.
The technique wasn't complete yet.
Still, it was close.
At that moment, Gōenji was leading a squad toward the eastern region of the Land of Rain. They had been ordered to reach the source of the Hidden Water River and reinforce the Konoha forces stationed there.
"Uchiha Gōenji."
Danzō's voice pulled him from his thoughts.
Gōenji immediately straightened.
"Yes, Lord Danzō."
"Your teammates will be Aburame Fūjin, Zē, and Ryūma."
Three Konoha chūnin stepped forward and joined Gōenji's squad.
They followed behind him in silence.
Then Danzō handed Gōenji a scroll.
"Take this."
Gōenji accepted it and opened it.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
The codes written inside were different from the standard encryption used by Konoha.
They were considerably more sophisticated.
Highly classified codes.
Just as I thought.
There really is a larger operation underway.
And it wasn't something that could be completed in a single step.
Gōenji finally understood.
Danzō had no intention of simply allowing Amegakure and Iwagakure to recover and retaliate.
The man had another plan.
Gōenji couldn't help sighing inwardly.
Shimura Danzō had once been capable of competing with Hiruzen Sarutobi for the position of Hokage.
Now that Gōenji had witnessed him firsthand...
It seemed that reputation hadn't been exaggerated in the slightest.