156 Staged War
Rasa faced growing discontent as he postponed the assault by a week. Murmurs of dissatisfaction circulated, and a faction even clamored for the replacement of the Kazekage. Despite the unrest, Rasa persisted, waiting for the opportune moment.
On the morning of the sixth day, someone brought news from the Land of Fire. As Rasa absorbed the information, an unusual expression played across his face. It was a revelation that altered his perspective on the impending conflict.
To him, the war seemed like a staged drama, yet circumstances dictated his participation. Resigned to playing his role until the end, Rasa issued commands for an assembly force. A thousand puppet troops and two thousand skilled ninjas formed the vanguard, with an additional eight thousand soldiers following closely behind.
Akihiko, nursing wounds that hadn't fully healed, trailed the retreating ninjas as they departed. Fugaku, choosing discretion, assumed Akihiko's identity and grinned at the border of the Land of Wind.
Behind Fugaku, an assembly of Uchiha clansmen, disguised as civilian ninjas, stood ready for war. Alongside them, Itsuki and a dozen ninja with the Sharingan were prepared to unleash their formidable powers. The stage was set, and the Land of the Rivers awaited the unfolding drama.
Itsuki, puzzled, questioned Fugaku, the clan head, about his perplexing actions. "Clan head… What are you trying to do?"
A wry smile crossed Fugaku's face as he responded, "Don't call me that; I'm Akihiko now!"
His declaration left Sekie, Rei, Akira, and the other Sharingan users in stunned disbelief.
Concerns and queries arose among the group. "Captain, is it wise to boost the enemy's confidence like this?" one voiced, seeking an explanation.
Another added, "Yeah, can you explain?"
"Exactly, captain, please explain. We can beat them with our current power, right?" questioned another member, the uncertainty evident in their words.
Sekie, feeling the frustration of newly acquired strength that couldn't be showcased, joined the conversation with his own perplexity. "I've finally increased my strength, but we can't show it off? It's a bit frustrating," he admitted.
Fugaku, undeterred, offered his rationale with a shrug. "We have to face Suna sooner or later, but by doing it this way, we can minimize our losses. Alright, enough talking; they're coming!"
As Fugaku's command echoed, the silhouettes of approaching Shinobi materialized on the distant horizon. Suna's sensory ninja had detected the presence of Uchiha clansmen and surrounded them, even though they couldn't identify them.
"Uchiha clan, get ready. Engage the approaching enemy!!" Fugaku ordered,
"Yes!!"
Hidden among the shadows, hundreds of Uchiha clansmen awaited, their eyes glinting with determination as the enemy's formation drew near.
Upon reaching striking distance, the Uchiha clansmen unleashed a barrage of attacks—shuriken, kunai, and various ninjutsu filled the air in a relentless assault.
Confusion rippled among the Suna ninjas as they faced the unexpected power. "What? How can their fire release be so terrifying?" questioned one, while another asked, "What's happening?"
In response to the Uchiha onslaught, a massive wall of golden sand emerged, blocking the onslaught of the Uchiha. The scale of the defense was overwhelming.
"Kazekage-sama is amazing; can he use such a large-scale defense technique?" remarked a Suna ninja.
"He truly deserves to be Kazekage-sama."
Rasa, silent until now, gestured to halt the attacks. "There's no point in wasting time here in the desert," he declared.
With a swift gathering of golden sand, Rasa shaped it faster than before, creating a giant wave.
"Magnet release: Golden sand storm."
The devastating ninjutsu unfolded, a vast expanse of golden sand rolling like a storm.
Fugaku led his clansmen to retreat, but some in civilian ninja attire were too slow, buried under the golden sand. Only he and a dozen others managed to escape.
Witnessing the powerful display, onlookers marveled, "What a powerful ninjutsu! Rasa is formidable in the desert."
As Fugaku fled, he casually remarked, "He's the Fourth Kazekage, after all. His strength is not bad."
Behind Rasa, the cheers of Suna ninjas filled the air. With a bitter smile, Rasa ordered his men to attack, and Suna ninjas chased after the retreating leaf ninjas.
Rasa had originally planned to use this technique against Shikaku, but there was a mystery. The hundreds of Uchiha clones buried under the sand didn't vanish as expected. Rasa couldn't help but wonder why.
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As they hastily retreated, Fugaku took a moment to explain their strategic choices to the group.
"Why did we sacrifice a dozen of us behind instead of using all shadow clones?" Akira queried, puzzled by the decision.
Itsuki offered an explanation: "The shadow clones couldn't dodge that technique, and we needed to fool them with our body flickers. So, we had to sacrifice some ninjas who couldn't escape."
"I see… But won't Rasa figure it out sooner or later?" Akira wondered.
"No, there are several deep fissures along the border, marking the boundary between the countries," Itsuki explained. "Rasa can let his men charge, deal with the aftermath himself, claim that he disposed of the ninja corpses, and take the hundreds of Konoha vests as trophies, right, clan head?"
Fugaku smiled, acknowledging his clansmen's conversation. "That's right. The shadow clones that can withstand this technique and not vanish right away are limited to these hundreds, even with our improved strength.
We just need to give them a false sense of confidence; otherwise, it would be bad for us if Rasa stepped down."
Rasa had his own reasons for orchestrating this ruse. If he were removed from the Kazekage position, the next Kazekage would likely be more aggressive, posing a direct threat to Konoha without any dialogue.
"Did you use the retreat signal so far yet?" Fugaku inquired.
"What? The ninjas in the camp left this morning, and I totally forgot!" came the surprised response.
"Do it now! We need to make them think that we retreating," Fugaku urgently instructed.
"Why did we leave a dozen of us behind instead of using all shadow clones?" Akira queried, puzzled by the decision.
Itsuki offered an explanation: "The shadow clones couldn't dodge that technique, and we needed to fool them with our body flickers. So, we had to sacrifice a dozen ninjas who could escape."
Fugaku smiled, acknowledging his clansmen's conversation. "That's right. The shadow clones that can withstand his technique and not vanish right away are limited to these hundreds, even with our collective strength. We just need to give them a false sense of confidence; otherwise, it would be bad for us if Rasa stepped down."
Rasa had his own reasons for orchestrating this ruse. If he were removed from the Kazekage position, the next Kazekage would likely be more aggressive, posing a direct threat to Konoha without diplomatic dialogue. "Did you use the retreat signal so far yet?" Fugaku inquired.
"What? The ninjas in the camp left this morning, and I totally forgot!" came the surprised response.
"Do it; send it now! We need to make them think that we retreated," Fugaku urgently instructed.
As he ran, he found his clansmen's conversation amusing. "Only the twelve of you know the truth of this matter, and you have to keep it a secret. Otherwise, not only will Rasa have a hard time, but I will also accuse you of conspiring with the enemy!"
"What? Isn't it the clan head who is conspiring with the enemy, though?"
"Exactly, exactly!"
"By the way, clan head... Can you tell us how you colluded with the Kazekage?"
"Me too; I want to know!"
"I just followed the clan head's orders, and I noticed that the Suna troops have some pretty girls!"
"Idiot, why didn't you share with me?"
Fugaku, leading the way, smirked at the banter among his clansmen.
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