Chapter 100: The Gathering Storm
For a long moment, Akimichi Takifū could only stand there, the devastating image seared into his mind. The entire Mist invasion force—wiped out in an instant, without a single trace left behind. It was a display of power that reshaped his understanding of Akatsurugi's strength and filled him with an unprecedented, primal fear.
Yes, it was fear. He had never imagined that one man could wield such terrifying, absolute power.
Akatsurugi dismissed his Bankai, the charred Ryūjin Jakka returning to its sealed state. He walked over calmly, his footsteps silent on the scorched earth. "Kirigakure is no longer a threat," he stated, his voice matter-of-fact.
Takifū swallowed hard, his throat dry. He nodded mechanically. "No longer a threat?" You annihilated them with a single swing. How could they possibly be?
Around them, the Uzumaki clansmen stared, their eyes wide with a mixture of awe and terror. They had always known of Konoha's Blaze God. But this close contact revealed a different truth—this was not a god of fire, but a god of death.
"Senior Takifū," Akatsurugi continued, his tone all business. "Leave a contingent here to defend the coastline. Take the rest to the Land of Rain. The war there is not yet over."
Takifū nodded quickly, his mind still reeling. Without another word, Akatsurugi shot into the sky, a crimson streak heading for the border of the Land of Fire.
Watching him disappear, Nara Shikamine quietly approached Takifū's side. "His power... is even more frightening than the rumors," he murmured.
Takifū could only nod in agreement, adding in a low voice, "It seems the sky over Konoha is about to change."
Nara Shikamine hummed in acknowledgment. "Fortunately, we are on his side." Who wouldn't want a Hokage of such unimaginable strength? It harkened back to the days of the First Hokage, when no other nation would have dared to provoke Konoha. A single Wood Release: Sage Art could make even the most arrogant Kage reconsider.
In Sunagakure, the Third Kazekage stared grimly at Ōnoki's missive. He turned to his senior advisors, Chiyo and Ebizō. "What are your thoughts?"
After reading the scroll, Ebizō spoke first. "We should ignore it. They actually think they can kill Akatsurugi? What are they thinking? Do they believe the rest of Konoha's ninja are merely spectators?"
"Exactly," Chiyo added, her voice sharp. "Konoha has been fighting a war on four fronts. That alone speaks to their depth and resilience. Moreover, I doubt Akatsurugi is the type to be worn down by mere numbers. Let the Rock and Cloud bleed themselves dry against him. We might even benefit from the aftermath."
The Third Kazekage frowned. "But Ōnoki threatened to turn his forces on us if we do not participate."
Chiyo scoffed. "Attack us? He underestimates the desert. His army would struggle to even adapt to the environment, let alone sustain a campaign. We hold every advantage here. And if it comes to it, we can always form an alliance with Konoha. For the right price, they would not refuse."
Convinced, the Third Kazekage made his decision. "Then we will not respond." Sunagakure would not be drawn into Ōnoki's desperate gambit.
The Raikage, however, could not afford to ignore the plea. After reading Ōnoki's plan, Dodai's expression was grave. Did they truly need to throw the combined might of two villages at one man to kill him? And could they even succeed against someone who could fly?
But he saw no other path. Their invasion of the Land of Fire had crossed a line. Konoha would not let this stand. What was to stop Akatsurugi from leading his forces straight into the Land of Lightning, or even to the gates of Kumogakure itself? The thought was unbearable.
Akatsurugi had to die. It was the only way to reset the board.
And so, Dodai gave the order. The forces of Kumogakure began to move, not towards home, but towards the Land of Rain to rendezvous with Iwagakure. It was a calculated risk. If Akatsuruki chose to "steal their home" and attack Kumo directly, then the Konoha forces in the Land of Rain would be annihilated, and their own combined army could march straight on Konoha. It was a brutal, cynical strategy—once one side opened Pandora's box by targeting villages, all bets were off.
When Akatsurugi returned to his camp on the Cloud front, he summoned Uchiha Fū. "Report," he commanded.
"Sir, no remaining Cloud ninja have been found within our borders," Fū reported dutifully, still unsure of the purpose behind the extensive sweep.
"Good. Mobilize everyone. It is time for our counter-offensive," Akatsurugi said.
"Yes, sir!" Uchiha Fū rushed out to execute the order. Soon, a massive fireball exploded high in the sky—the pre-arranged signal for assembly.
The four thousand ninja gathered swiftly. Akatsurugi looked down upon them. "Everyone! Today, we march to destroy the forces of Kumogakure!"
"Destroy the Cloud! Destroy the Cloud!" the army roared, their morale sky-high.
Akatsurugi raised a hand, and silence fell instantly. "Where are they now?" he asked.
An intelligence ninja stepped forward. "Sir, the Cloud army is moving towards the Land of Rain!"
Towards the Rain? Akatsurugi's brow furrowed slightly. Joining with Iwa? So be it. He could crush them all at once and be done with it.
"Then we go to the Land of Rain!" Akatsurugi declared, and the entire force began its swift march towards the final, converging battlefield.
In the Konoha command tent in the Land of Rain, Sarutobi Hiruzen listened to the intelligence reports, his frown deepening. Kumogakure was moving to join Iwagakure. A full alliance was forming.
"And Akatsurugi?" Hiruzen asked.
"Lord Akatsurugi is also en route here!" the scout confirmed.
Hiruzen nodded, but before he could speak, another scout rushed in. "Lord Third! News from the coast! Two days ago, Lord Akatsurugi engaged Kirigakure in the Land of Whirlpools! He... he killed the Fourth Mizukage and annihilated the entire invasion force, including the Kaguya and Hoshigaki clans!"
Hiruzen stared, stunned. Wasn't Akatsurugi supposed to be fighting Kumo? How did he end up on the opposite side of the continent?
"Explain," Hiruzen demanded, his voice tight.
The scout didn't dare omit a detail, quickly explaining Akimichi Takifū's direct plea for help and Akatsurugi's immediate response.
Hiruzen's face darkened. So, his old comrade, Takifū, had bypassed the chain of command and gone directly to Akatsurugi. He dismissed the scout with a wave.
Alone, Hiruzen took a long draw from his pipe, the smoke clouding his features. In that moment, the future became clear to him. After this war, he would have to step down. There was no other path.
The reason was simple: he had been unable to stop the alliance of four great villages. But the moment Akatsurugi returned, he had not only stopped them but launched a devastating counter-attack. As long as the ninja of Konoha were not fools, they would know who truly had the power to lead them to victory, and to supremacy.
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