Chapter 47: The Desert Inferno
The sooner, the better. A decisive victory that crippled Suna's ability to wage war was the objective.
The order spread through the Konoha ranks like wildfire. Every shinobi knew the next dawn would bring the final clash. A weary determination settled over the camp; they had been away from home, from their families, for too long.
Returning to his tent, Akatsurugi found Kato Ei sprawled carelessly on his cot, numerous fresh wounds visible on his body, which he seemed to entirely ignore.
Kosuke Maruboshi sat nearby, shaking his head in exasperation. "This kid is reckless to a fault," he said to Akatsurugi. "You need to talk to him. Fighting like that on the battlefield is a sure way to get killed."
Akatsurugi merely smiled. Kato Ei's immortal body made death a far more complicated proposition. "The final battle begins at dawn. Be careful out there."
Kosuke nodded grimly. Assigned to a genin support team, his own survival skills were more than sufficient.
The night passed in tense silence. At first light, the Konoha forces assembled. With a sweeping gesture from Mitokado Homura, the army advanced toward the Sand's defensive lines at the border.
The Land of Rivers had long been occupied by Konoha. A hallmark of Konoha's strength was its ability to keep conflicts away from the Land of Fire's heartland, using the surrounding smaller nations as its battlefields. If the fighting ever reached the Fire Country's interior, the situation would be truly dire.
As thousands of Konoha shinobi marched on the Sand camp, the defenders scrambled to meet them. With Fū, the Jinchūriki, personally taking command, they were determined to prevent a Konoha breakthrough.
In the wars between great nations, pride was a primary currency. If Sunagakure was forced to retreat deep into the desert, it would be a public admission of defeat. A defeated village lost its standing and its right to make demands.
"Charge!" Akimichi Kōsuke bellowed, his body swelling to gigantic proportions as he led the vanguard. From the Sand lines, a volley of Wind Release techniques shot forth to slow the behemoth's advance.
High above, Akatsurugi watched, his eyes quickly locking onto the young monk. That must be him, he thought, the One-Tail's Jinchūriki, Fū. Under different circumstances, this monk might have lived a long life.
Fū looked up, his gaze meeting Akatsurugi's in the sky. He clasped his hands together, and a platform of sand rose from the desert, lifting him to meet his opponent.
"Fū, I presume?" Akatsurugi called out.
Fū seemed mildly surprised. "You know of me?"
"I do. And judging by your chakra, you and Shukaku have reached an understanding. You're nearly a perfect Jinchūriki."
Fū didn't confirm or deny it. He simply extended a hand. "Shall we?"
Akatsurugi nodded. "Let's take this elsewhere. I assume you don't wish for your Sand-nin to be caught in the crossfire."
Fū glanced down at the clashing armies below and agreed silently, his platform of sand carrying him deeper into the desert wastes. Akatsurugi followed. His mission was clear: neutralize the One-Tail and break Suna's will to fight, forcing their surrender.
They landed on a vast, empty dune. Akatsurugi pulled his forehead protector aside, revealing the spinning three-tomoe Sharingan. Genjutsu was useless against a Jinchūriki; the dual chakra sources within them could shatter illusions instantly.
"Sand Hand!" Fū made the first move. A massive hand of condensed sand erupted from the dune, swatting at Akatsurugi.
Dodging nimbly, Akatsurugi's hands flew through seals. He drew a deep breath. "Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
There was no time for probing attacks. Against a Jinchūriki, he had to start with overwhelming force.
A colossal sphere of black-red fire erupted from his mouth, roaring toward Fū with a heat that seemed to devour the very air.
Knowing the reputation of this fire, Fū gestured calmly. Multiple walls of hardened sand rose from the desert floor to intercept the fireball. The intense heat melted through them, boring large holes, but the successive layers finally dissipated the technique. The fireball splashed apart, the flames spreading across the sand and igniting a sea of fire.
Fū frowned, levitating backward on his sand to avoid the spreading inferno. This was precisely Akatsurugi's strategy: create a battlefield advantageous to him.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!" Akatsurugi's seals were already complete. From the heart of the sea of fire, a dragon's head of flame formed and shot toward Fū with terrifying speed.
But Fū was a Jinchūriki, his chakra reserves vast. As the dragon closed in, a torrent of sand, marked with strange, dark patterns, erupted from his body. He accelerated, narrowly avoiding the bite, and a bestial, sand-formed arm swatted the dragon down, dispersing it into a pool of fire.
"Fire Release: Blazing Hell!" Akatsurugi was already launching his next assault. He exhaled a tsunami of flame that crashed down toward Fū, intending to bury him in an ocean of fire.
Faced with this onslaught, Fū knew it was time. He closed his eyes. "I leave it to you, Shukaku."
Sand gathered around him in a furious storm, his form swelling and morphing. In moments, the small monk was gone, replaced by a massive, tanuki-like monster covered in blue, curse-like markings.
The beast, Shukaku, let out a raucous laugh. "See, Fū? I told you to let me out! I'll crush this pest!"
True to his nature, Shukaku was arrogantly confident, believing himself second only to the heavens and the earth.
But his grand entrance was met immediately by Akatsurugi's descending sea of fire. The black-red flames clung to his sandy body, burning with an unnatural intensity. Shukaku roared in pain and surprise—this was no ordinary fire. The surface of his sand body began to vitrify, fusing into glass under the extreme heat.
"GAAAH! You wretched insect! Wind Release: Air Sand Projectile!" Enraged, Shukaku formed a massive sphere of chakra-infused wind. It tore across the dunes, scooping up the entire sea of fire and hurling it deep into the desert, where it would harmlessly dissipate. The fate of anyone caught in its path was of no concern to the Tailed Beast.
"You dare! You will die for that!" Shukaku swelled to twice his size, a colossal paw slamming down where Akatsurugi stood.
Akatsurugi leaped back, evading the crushing blow. As he landed, he saw Shukaku's maw open wide, a swirling sphere of black and blue chakra forming within.
A Tailed Beast Ball.