56 Chapter 56- Suna's fall

Yugito Nii POV

She and her ANBU team dashed through the forest, having picked up the trail of the rogue shinobi group they were tasked to pursue.

These rogues had infiltrated the territory of a noble who was been allied with them, leading a string of attacks on other nobles and merchants associated with them over the past month.

Most of the attacks on the nobles were aimed toward the crippling their economic base, while the merchants and traders were outright attacked with the intent to kill.

Without the diligent protection provided by the Konoha shinobi assigned to guard them, many of their noble allies would've fallen to these rogue shinobi's attacks by now.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that someone was targeting them. Targeting Konoha's allies. And while the most likely suspect was the Fire Daimyo, the Hokage and his council didn't want to take any hasty action until they got solid proof in their hands.

She didn't know why they cared about 'solid proof'. If they wanted a reason to attack the Fire Daimyo, then they should simply make some shit up and attack them. It's not like anyone is going to question them.

But she didn't want to question the Hokage's decisions either. So she simply decided to focus on completing her mission. Which was to capture these rogue shinobi alive so that they can be sent to the T&I for some torture, interrogation and mind reading.

"I sense them." The Hawk ANBU announced, her natural sensory abilities a key reason for her inclusion in the team.

"How many and how far?" She asked as they continue training the scent but at a faster pace now that their target has been found.

"How many and how far?" She asked as they discarded tracking the scent now that their target has been found.

"Eight targets. Five Chunin, Two Jounin, and One Elite Jounin. Approximately Three Clicks North-West of our current position," the Hawk ANBU responded after a brief pause. With decisive action, she adjusted their course and increased their speed.

"They know we're here. They're… scattering." The Hawk ANBU reported as they neared their target.

"Boar, Rat, pursue one of the Jounin. Hawk, Weasel, go after the second Jounin. I'll handle the Elite Jounin," she commanded, swiftly creating shadow clones to aid in capturing the Chunin and support her ANBU comrades in combat. With determination, she sprinted toward the location where Matatabi had detected the Elite Jounin's movements.

Matatabi possessed a unique method of sensing shinobi. Unlike typical sensors who detected chakra or the Nine Tails which sensed emotions, Matatabi's ability involved perceiving the heat within a person's body. This skill stemmed from her innate control over fire—a technique honed over centuries, as she herself claimed.

So, relying on Matatabi's direction, she gave chase until she caught sight of her target darting through the forest.

Her target was fast, being an Elite Jounin. But she was faster.

At least, that's what she initially believed as she steadily narrowed the distance between them during the first moments of the chase. However, soon enough, the gap between them stabilised, the target manoeuvring through the terrain with a speed matching her own.

"Yugito, this might be a trap," Matatabi cautioned, her crimson chakra emanating and enveloping her form without any say-so.

She loved how protective Matatabi had became of her these days. Even though it wasn't needed most of the times.

With the chakra cloak enhancing her speed, she accelerated, closing the gap between herself and her target with renewed determination.

Only for that Elite Jounin to stop right at the edge of a clearing. A clearing that Matatabi was able to sense was filled with ambushers.

"Eighteen, no, twenty three shinobi." Matatabi told her. "Be very careful, Yugito. And call for Ren if things go badly."

"I will." She said. She probably should've called Ren as soon as she knew that she would be ambushed. But she didn't want to bother him for no reason.

Plus, she also wanted to prove herself to the village, and to Ren. To show that she was capable of standing on her own two feet. And she can't very well do that if she called on him every time she faced a challenge.

"You're here." Her target said as she landed some distance from him. "And to think that I would bag a Jinchuriki as well. Today is truly my lucky day."

"You would not feel very lucky when I throw you to the T&I Department." She retorted, advancing toward her target. Matatabi surged more chakra, enveloping her in a dense cloak, causing the ambient temperature to surge sharply.

"You Konoha shinobi are always so arrogant." Her target said with a disdainful scoff, though beneath his words simmered genuine anger. He signalled, and the concealed shinobi emerged, realising she had already detected their presence.

"We're the strongest in the world." She said with a shrug as she gazed at the various shinobi standing in front of her, recognising two of them from the Bingo book as Iwa shinobi. Elite Jounin, both of them.

"Shut your whore mouth, you traitorous bitch!" One of the shinobi shouted. And despite the various burns across his face, she recognised that voice.

He was the clan leader of a small clan in Kumo. One that's capable of manipulating their own blood to form powerful weapons and armour. They weren't as lethal as the Kaguya clan, who are capable of manipulating their own bones, but still someone to be wary of.

Plus, this guy was also an Elite Jounin. That's a total of Four Elite Jounin arrayed against her.

If this was before, when she still served as a sleeper agent in Kumo's forces, then this was the moment when she would decide to cut her losses and retreat.

Her retreat might have evolved into a frenzied pursuit, but she remained confident in her ability to evade capture.

Yet, after extensive training under Ren's guidance and achieving mastery over her Tailed Beast form, she found herself experiencing an unusual surge of anticipation for the impending confrontation.

—————

"Cat-san." Her anbu subordinates arrived beside her, carrying the bound forms of the Jounin they were sent after.

Relief washed over her. She had been worried that these four would also get ambushed and die. She was glad that it didn't happen. That they succeeded in capturing their targets was a good bonus.

She nodded at them and rose from the pile of unconscious and half cooked shinobi under her. "Rat, provide medical aid to these men. Boar, tie them up nice and clean. I don't want them escaping in case they wake up."

Her subordinates immediately jumped to follow her orders. Until the Hawk anbu spoke up.

"Cat-san. I recognise this person."

"Oh, I recognise him as well. He's from Iwa. Probably here for revenge. The other two are from Iwa and Kumo as well. But can recognise this guy?" She asked, kicking at the unconscious and badly injured form of her initial target.

Hawk gazed at the target intently before retrieving a bingo book from her satchel and scanning through its pages.

"Apologies, Cat-san, but he doesn't appear in any of the—"

"I know him," Weasel interjected, bending down to scrutinize the target. "Yeah, I definitely know him."

"And who is he?" She asked.

"He's one of the Daimyo's twelve guardians," the Weasel-masked ANBU revealed with a grin.

—————

Minato Namikaze POV.

"It's strange that the Fire Daimyo would entrust one of his guardians with such a risky mission," Je remarked to Inoichi, observing the interrogation of the group of shinobi apprehended by Yugito.

He had initially been hesitant to have a Jinchuriki join his Anbu detail. But time and her successes proved that having her work under him was definitely a huge boon for him.

Yugito had already completed twelve A-class and three S-class missions, boasting a hundred percent success rate thus far.

Though… some of those successes were more due to her overwhelming power, than her strategic and tactical abilities.

Yugito still had room to grow in terms of experience in these areas, a growth he anticipated she would achieve through the missions he assigned her.

"I share your sentiment," Inoichi concurred. "It seems strange for the Fire Daimyo to risk exposure by deploying one of his guardians when he could easily dispatch a less conspicuous operative to carry out his tasks."

"I suppose we'll get the answer soon enough." He said as he watched Ibiki enter the cells.

Ibiki was great at getting answers from the prisoners after all. And even though he personally found the entire concept of 'Torture' distasteful, he acknowledged its necessity in a shinobi village, as well as Ibiki's proficiency in the field.

"Perhaps," Inoichi responded, his expression marked by a deep frown. "But even without that, the other shinobi we've apprehended either hail from remnants of Iwa and Kumo or are affiliated with shinobi clans loyal to the Fire Daimyo. Isn't this evidence compelling enough?"

He hesitated for a moment, realising just what exactly his next move is going to be, and nodded. "…yes. It is."

"And are we going to do something about that?" Inoichi asked, looking at him with an anticipatory gleam in his eyes.

"Not yet. Land of Earth is currently at war. While both Land of Wind and Water are at civil war. I want these major Kingdoms to weaken themselves a bit more before we start our conquest."

"So we're going to do nothing?" Inoichi asked, pursing his lips in disappointment.

"I didn't say that." He said with a soft smile. "You said that the shinobi clans under the Daimyo were in charge of some of these attacks, no?"

"Yes, they were."

"Then I believe it's high time we eliminate these shinobi clans." He declared before turning on his heel and departing.

He had a mission for Fugaku and his clan.

—————

Shadow Clone POV

"I always wondered if Kakuzu would be able to use a bloodline if he took a bloodline user's heart." He mused as his fellow shadow clone, who was supposed to be in the land of rivers but had snuck up in Suna, because the next few hours here were going to be far more interesting.

He would've reported this guy's actions to boss if he didn't feel that he might need some aid in the upcoming hours.

Powerful he might be, capable of putting even Jounin level shinobi to sleep with a mere glance. But at the end of the day, he was still just a shadow clone. A single nick is all it would take to dispel him, and he can't afford to fuck up at this critical juncture.

Ideally, the boss should have been present himself. However, the boss had become engrossed in training within the high-gravity world, prioritising the rapid advancement of his own physical stats. And had left him in charge of what was to come next."

"Seems not," his fellow shadow clone remarked, gesturing towards the approaching army led by Kakuzu at the rear. "Or that guy would be floating in the sky right now using Rasa's Gold Dust."

"Maybe," he replied, observing the village springing into action, with civilians and children being evacuated while everyone else gathered at the walls to defend. "Man, this Rasa guy really is a chump. Dying to Orochimaru in canon and to Kakuzu in this one."

"I won't call him a chump, man. Neither Orochimaru nor Kakuzu are weak opponents. Besides, he was greatly weakened by Pakura who burned his entire arm and half his face off."

"Meh. Still a chump. Oh, looks like Chiyo has finally come out of her seclusion." He said as he observed the old woman arriving at the top of the walls with her puppets. "And here I thought that she would remain in her hovel and just let the enemy soldiers kill her."

"Hmm… I thought the same. Sasori really did a number on her." His Shadow clone muttered. "But I suppose dying while fighting your enemies for the sake of your village is still a better death than sitting in your hovel and wasting away."

"To think that the second last major village would fall today." He said, feeling nostalgic. "After this, Konoha would be the last major Shinobi village in the world. Almost makes me want to save Suna."

"Can you do that?" His fellow Shadow Clone asked, looking at him in surprise. "Aren't you running out of chakra as well?"

"Yeah, I would have returned to be absorbed in a few days." he acknowledged. "But our Genjutsu is exceptionally potent and consumes minimal chakra."

"Our Genjutsu probably won't do shit against someone like Kakuzu." His fellow Shadow Clone pointed out.

"Maybe," he conceded, "but all I need is a brief touch to Hiraishin him away to some remote corner of the world."

"Or he'll use those spiky strings of his in self defence as soon as you touch him and you'll pop." His fellow Shadow Clone argued. "Probably best not to risk it."

He thought on it for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah. Probably for the best."

There was silence between them as the Suna shinobi walked around them, getting ready for the battle, completely unaware of them due of a notice-me-not Genjutsu Field around them.

"So… I guess we're just going to sit here and watch these poor souls get slaughtered." His fellow Shadow Clone said, looking… not sad but wistful.

"They're shinobi. They chose this life."

"Come now. Don't be like that. Most shinobi become one at a very young age. One can argue that they never really had much of a choice in that regard."

"True," he conceded. "But regardless of their circumstances, we still won't intervene. You need to witness the battle firsthand to report back to the boss. Meanwhile, I'll retrieve the Kazekaze's children for Konoha."

"Battle? More like slaughter." His fellow shadow clone scoffed, and he knew that the guy wasn't wrong. Unless some miracle occurred, Suna was going to perish today. "And as for the children. Gaara is a Tier 6 with a Tier 7 being within her. And Temari is a hot blond. What do you think boss would do with them?"

"Most likely, they'll end up under Kushina-Sensei's care," he chuckled, imagining his sensei wrangling six rowdy children.

"I'm not so sure." His fellow Shadow Clone commented. "Kushina-Sensei already has trouble dealing with her Naruto, Kurotsuchi and Fuu. Maybe boss will give them to Mikoto-san? Perhaps even Pakura. She might see it as a way to gain her redemption. It'd probably be good for her."

"Could be," he conceded, turning his attention back to the advancing Wind Daimyo's army, now drawing nearer to Suna with each passing moment.

It was a large army as well. And while most of it was made up of levies who were just there to serve as cannon fodders, the army also had a lot of shinobi, samurai, priests, mercenaries, and even two S-class shinobi. One served the Wind Daimyo directly, while the other was Kakuzu, motivated solely by profit—and perhaps the prospect of acquiring high-quality hearts.

He and his fellow Shadow clone bantered with each other as the Wind Daimyo's army continue to walk closer to Suna, eventually running into various traps, and giant sand summons that rose from the dunes and killed a few of them before either retreating and dying themselves.

"We should probably take this chance to collect these Summoning Scrolls as well." His fellow shadow clone pointed out upon seeing the Scorpion, Vulture and a Desert Fox.

"That's a good idea. I'll leave that part to you." He said and chuckled at the despair filled look on his fellow Shadow Clone's face.

After all, monitoring those summoners amidst the chaos of battle would prove challenging. Retrieving the summoning scrolls from their fallen bodies would be even riskier, given that a single stray kunai could undo their existence.

"Harsh." His fellow Shadow Clone said before he perked up. "I think it's time for you to leave."

He sensed the Kazekage's children being evacuated from the village by a small group of shinobi and nodded.

"Yeah, best of luck with your scroll retrieval mission," he said, extending his hand to his fellow shadow clone.

"And best of luck with your child kidnapping mission," his fellow shadow clone responded, clearly amused.

"Thanks," he replied sarcastically before using Shunshin to swiftly exit the village and appear before the small group that had discreetly separated from the main evacuation contingent.

He used half of his remaining power and used his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan eyes as medium to cast a powerful Genjutsu on the three Genins and two Chunins guarding Temari, Kankuro and Gaara.

The five shinobi collapsed to the ground instantly, unconscious. Temari and Kankuro, filled with panic, frantically scanned the desert terrain with fearful eyes. Both of them looked to by Five and four years old, while Gaara was still a baby, sleeping peacefully in their arms and completely unaware of the situation around him.

He removed the notice-me-not Genjutsu field around him and became visible to the two kids.

Both of them flinched upon noticing him before Temari took a brave step forward and looked at him defiantly, despite the shaking of her knees.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm a shinobi of Konoha." He said. "I'm here to rescue you."

"You're not here to rescue us. You're here to take Gaara away for your own purposes," she accused, her glare fixed upon him.

She wasn't entirely mistaken. He wouldn't have bothered with the three of them if it weren't for Gaara's exceptional situation.

"Perhaps," he conceded. "But in Konoha, you'll be safe. And Gaara will receive proper care."

"I don't trust you." Temari growled at him. Her expression looked both cute and tragic on a child so young. "I don't trust Konoha. You didn't help our father."

"On the contrary, we did heal your father. Without us, your father would've died to the wounds he suffered at Pakura's hands. As would've many other shinobi in your village."

Temari looked to have been caught offguard at his words and looked to be at a loss for words before she rallied herself once again. "Then help Suna again?"

God, her childish pleading was tugging at his non-existent heart strings right now. But he'll remain firm. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because Suna didn't aid us in our war either," he stated with a nonchalant shrug. "And because I've already extended assistance to Suna once. I'm not their nanny. If your village can't defend itself, then it will perish, as has been the fate of countless weak civilizations over the past millennium. That's all there is to it. Nothing more, nothing less."

"We're not weak!" the girl screamed, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed.

He felt an urge to offer her comfort, but he doubted she would welcome it.

"Then why are you running?" He asked and decided to end this talk by chopping the two eldest kids at the back of their neck. He caught Gaara before Kankuro could collapse with her onto the desert sand.

Gaara wriggled in his arms, and the sand underneath them squirmed for a tense moment before it settled down, seemingly aware that he harboured no ill intent toward the child.

He cradled Gaara for a moment until she began to settle, then secured both Temari and Kankuro with Chakra Strings. With a final glance, he activated Hiraishin and transported them to Konoha, where they would find safety.

—————

AN: And there goes the second last Shinobi village of the Elemental Nations. Konoha is now the only shinobi village in existence. And stronger than ever.

We get a slight glimpse of the shadow war taking place between Konoha and the Fire Daimyo. Minato knows that if he takes actions right now, then they'll win. But he's patient and wants the other remaining major Kingdoms to weaken themselves some more before he acts.

Also, Temari and fem Gaara get!

That's it for this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed reading it.

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