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The map on the oak table in the Hokage's office was an extension of parchment that filled the entire surface. The red marks, representing the advance of Sunagakure's troops, were no longer limited to the borders. They had sunk into the Land of Fire like fangs driven into soft flesh.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, held his pipe in his mouth not for pleasure, but out of pure tactical frustration and to steady his mind.
Beside him, Shikaku Nara, the man with the highest IQ in the village, moved black wooden pieces across the map with a grimace of incredulity.
"It makes no sense, Hokage-sama," Shikaku said, pointing to the southwestern sector where the mountains connected to the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind.
"According to our strategy manuals and the topography of the area, Suna's army should have taken at least a week to cross this terrain. It's an area with little space, unstable cliffs, and vegetation that stops even the lightest carts. But they crossed it in less than two days. It's as if they flew."
"How would that even be possible, Shikaku?" Hiruzen asked, his voice hoarse from lack of sleep. "Has Rasa found a way to move an entire army using his Magnetic Sand and flying?"
"It's not Rasa, Hiruzen," intervened a voice coming from the door that had just opened.
Danzō Shimura stepped forward, tossing a Kirigakure Bingo Book onto the command table.
"I sent Root to monitor Suna's movements, and Rasa is no longer leading them. It seems that after Fugaku's attack, he was demoted from that rank and they put someone new in charge."
Hiruzen took the Kirigakure Bingo Book with curiosity to see what his friend had obtained. His eyes widened with a mixture of surprise and professional respect.
The Bingo Book showed a photo of Daigo before he lost his eye, listed as an A-Rank threat that could reach S-Rank if allowed to grow. His Shōton (Crystal Release) abilities, combined with his great strength and intelligence, made him someone vital for Suna in this war and a piece no one expected to face.
"This youth, Daigo, is not leading Suna's troops as they usually do moving slowly and seizing everything possible before retreating to the desert," Danzō continued, explaining Daigo's movements.
"He is conducting an invasion of the cities in charge of the majority of our supplies. It's a very astute move, gaining ground without wasting troops in a senseless war. The only way they could have arrived so quickly is because of his Shōton bloodline," Danzō said to the two men, who nodded at his words, seeing how it was possible.
Shikaku, now with this information, found the missing piece and was able to identify the pattern Suna was using to avoid army-scale attacks and focus only on small skirmishes.
"He is the engine behind this entire advance, Hokage-sama. Suna has always had logistical problems outside the desert; they depend too much on water and warm climates. But Daigo has eliminated those weaknesses. By creating crystal paths, his ninjas don't fatigue. By creating water reservoirs through condensation on his structures, they don't depend on local wells. He has become the great ninja Suna needed to break out of their stagnation."
"If Daigo falls, Suna stops," Danzō declared with absolute coldness. "He is the backbone of this invasion. If we eliminate him, the Sand army will return to being a conventional force trapped in territory no one cares about. But as long as he breathes, Suna has a ninja who is changing Suna just as Hashirama did for Konoha. He has become a SS-level elimination priority. He is the man we must kill to keep Suna down forever."
Faced with his advisors' words, Hiruzen said nothing; he only thought about what he had to do to stop the threat and try to bring the war to a halt and bring the peace again.
In the Southwest of the Land of Fire
Less than fifty kilometers from the center of the Land of Fire, the ground vibrated before the steps of a passing army. They had been walking for nearly an entire day without stopping. With Daigo's help, the paths which were narrow had been reinforced with crystal and Earth Release, turning them into a safe passage.
Leading the march was Daigo. His ninja attire moved with the wind while his single eye looked forward toward his next and most important objective.
Behind him, Suna's army advanced with renewed morale. Seeing their leader literally build the path to victory beneath their feet gave them a sense of invincibility that no one in Suna had ever achieved before.
"We are less than three hours from the forests that connect to Kanzaki," Pakura informed, appearing in a fire Shunshin. This time, she no longer looked to be in poor mentally condition. As Daigo had told her, she had recovered and returned to the front lines to keep fighting, and Daigo was happy for her.
"Here, I brought you something to eat and drink. Sasori told me you haven't eaten anything since we started moving, and you're going to need it."
Daigo looked to his side to see Pakura and gave her a small smile while taking the food and water, though he only put them away for now.
"Thanks for the food, Pakura-chan. I'll eat it soon; I want to reach the edge of the forest so everyone can rest," Daigo replied before looking back at the path.
"Do you think Konoha will let us take Kanzaki?" Pakura asked.
"No. They will surely send the troops they've gathered, and this time they'll bring a ninja strong enough to hold us off or make us turn back," Daigo said, thinking about what he would do in Konoha's position.
"I understand, Daigo-kun. Don't you think it would be better if you sent a team ahead to report if anything happens?"
"I like the idea. You can take care of that."
"As you wish. I'll take a team. If someone doesn't return every 15 minutes, be alert because we've likely been ambushed," Pakura said before disappearing again to gather a team.
Daigo continued his way while waiting to arrive so he could eat something. From the rear, Sasori traveled calmly inside a modified Hiruko.
After altering and improving it, a better version of the old one remained, where Sasori was finally able to understand what it had been lacking.
"Daigo seems totally focused on his plan since he hasn't even taken a break. At least now he has food," Sasori thought as he continued moving with the army.
Konoha, One Day Later
Back in the village, panic was beginning to seep even into the lower levels of administration. Reports of destroyed outposts arrived with alarming frequency completely destroyed outposts with no return calls.
The supplies and merchants heading to Konoha from the south were all intercepted by Suna ninjas, preventing them from reaching the village.
"Hokage-sama, the Seventh and Eighth guard posts before Kanzaki have been brought down. The army should already be on the outskirts of the city," an ANBU informed, kneeling before the desk.
Hiruzen rose from his seat. His presence, which used to be calm and peaceful, turned more serious upon receiving the reports. He looked out the window, contemplating the Hokage Monument to see if any of his masters could give him an idea and it did.
"We have no other choice, Shikaku," Hiruzen said, his voice resonating with an authority that admitted no defiance. "The speed of this youth, Daigo, has shattered our logistics. He has divided our forces and has us reacting to his movements instead of proposing our own. It is time to stop playing defense."
"Are you referring to them, Lord Hokage?" Shikaku asked, with a serious expression, knowing they had reached this point.
"Yes," Hiruzen nodded. "Send the emergency hawks with the Crimson Seal. Contact them immediately. I don't care if they are in an experiment or in a tavern on the other side of the continent. Konoha's survival depends on us stopping Suna right now."
Hiruzen turned to Danzō.
"Danzō, prepare your Root men to support the rear. This time we cannot allow their advance to go any further. I am going to send Orochimaru and Jiraiya. And if necessary, I will go as well."
The silence in the room was absolute. The two Sannin ninjas nearly at Kage-level were the last line of defense.
Orochimaru, with his analytical mind and knowledge, was the only one capable of studying the Shōton. Jiraiya, with his overwhelming power and ability to lead from the front, was the heart the Konoha army needed to regain their lost morale.
In the depths of Konoha
Where sunlight is a myth and the air smells of dampness and chemical preservatives, Orochimaru observed a test flask.
The laboratory, granted by Danzō within the Root facilities, was silent, broken only by the rhythmic dripping of an experimental serum.
The heavy iron door slid open with a screech. An ANBU messenger, with an entirely white mask and a scroll in his hand, entered quickly.
"Orochimaru-sama, direct orders from the Third Hokage," the ANBU said, placing the scroll on a table before exiting the room as fast as possible.
Orochimaru did not turn immediately. His long, pale fingers caressed the glass of the flask before taking the report. His yellow eyes scanned the mission description his sensei had requested, as well as the information they had on Daigo. A dry laugh, like the sound of scales on stone, escaped his throat.
"Shōton... Crystal Release," Orochimaru hissed, his slitted pupils dilating with pure scientific curiosity. "Interesting. A new bloodline I have never seen. What a waste it would be for such an exotic talent to die before I could study the molecular structure of his chakra. Hiruzen-sensei knows how to tempt me... I will stop my research for now. This Suna ninja is a far more valuable specimen than any dead tissue I have on this table."
Without another word, Orochimaru vanished into a swirl of shadows and snakes, leaving behind a trail of cold that chilled the blood of any ANBU near the lab.
On the other side of the Land of Fire
kilometers from the center of the village, in hot springs hidden behind a curtain of steam and bamboo, Jiraiya let out a sigh of satisfaction. He had a notebook floating on a wooden tray and an expression of concentration that anyone would mistake for literary inspiration.
"Ah! The Muse has finally visited me!" he exclaimed, about to write a line, when a war hawk dove down, splashing hot water onto his face.
Jiraiya frowned, but seeing the Crimson Seal on the bird's leg, his playful expression vanished instantly. He unrolled the scroll and read the mission the latest events in the war against Suna and the information on Daigo.
"Damn it... Fugaku out of action and the enemy at the gates of Kanzaki," Jiraiya grunted, standing up from the water. His body, which normally would be marked with battle scars, was now only covered in hickeys from women.
"Seems Suna's new generation is in a real hurry. A ninja with crystal abilities... that's not something you see every day."
He put on his red tunic and adjusted the immense scroll on his back. He looked toward the horizon, in the direction of the southwest.
"Sorry, ladies, the chapter will have to wait. There's a crystal monster that needs to learn that the Leaf's Fire still burns strong."
At the Forest of Kanzaki
Meanwhile, at the battlefront, the atmosphere was one of tense and unnatural calm. Suna's army had stopped right at the edge of the forests surrounding the railway city. Daigo, sitting on a rock, finally opened the food package Pakura had brought him.
The water was fresh, thanks to the fact that he himself had cooled the container with a thin layer of crystal.
"Daigo-kun?" Pakura approached, looking toward the walls of Kanzaki, which shone under the moonlight. "My teams report that Konoha has stopped sending scouts. They've closed the gates and turned off all the city's lights. They're waiting for something."
Daigo took a sip of water and looked toward the path he had built himself. He could feel the vibrations of the earth as a sensor, or simply as a ninja who understood the flow of chakra in the terrain.
"They are waiting for their saviors, Pakura-chan," Daigo replied, standing up and wiping his hands. "A great battle is coming. The Hokage won't send a normal squad. He will send those who can change the map with a single move."
"Do you think they'll come?" Sasori asked, joining the conversation with Hiruko creaking softly.
"They're already on their way, although one has already arrived," Daigo declared. "I can feel a very powerful presence in the city. It must be one of the Sannin. It seems they've agreed to join the dance."
Daigo walked toward the edge of the camp. With a simple hand seal, a pillar of pink crystal began to rise from the ground, taking him to an elevated position from where he could see the entire Kanzaki plain.
From the city walls, Orochimaru watched the pillar rise and, with his yellow eyes, observed the figure atop it, who did the same.
"You seem quite excited to begin," Orochimaru said, looking to his right as he heard someone land.
"Good to see you again, Orochimaru. Seems Suna's crystal is eager," Jiraiya said, arms crossed.
Looking at the two Sannin, Daigo closed his single eye for a second, inhaling the cold night air. When he opened it, the glow of his Shōton chakra illuminated the forest like a pink aurora.
"I'm ready. This time, it won't end like the last time," Daigo said, releasing a breath that began to crystallize.
End of Chapter