We can't lose the war
The Desert of the Land of Winds was an unforgiving place, where the scorching sun was relentless and violent sandstorms would often wreak havoc.
Yet, in a secluded campsite amid the vast expanse of sand and dust, there existed a small oasis of tranquility—a place where everyone was focused on their tasks and all was calm.
Inside the largest tent, a wounded man lay motionless on a bed, his chest exposed and carefully bandaged.
He was surrounded by some individuals, who looked at him with a mixture of concern and curiosity. The man in question was Rasa, the Kazekage of the Sand Village.
One of the individuals attending to him was a female medical ninja who was using her chakra to heal his wounds.
"I didn't expect Konoha to have such strong individuals, in addition to the White Fang," Chiyo's granny noted slowly, with a frown.
At that moment, Rasa stirred and attempted to speak, but an uncontrollable coughing fit took over.
"That guy... He was strong enough to break my gold sand, and he was also fast," he managed to utter before succumbing to yet another bout of coughing.
"Kazekage-sama, please refrain from speaking. Your internal organs are damaged, and some are affecting your lungs. You need to rest and recover," the medical ninja advised, her tone gentle.
Rasa sighed and acquiesced, closing his eyes and nodding slightly.
"Rasa, have some rest; fortunately, his life is not in danger; he will recover in a few days.
Let's go; let's go out; don't bother him."Chiyo said, gesturing to the others to follow her.
The medical ninja stayed back to resume her work, while Chiyo, along with her brother Ebizo, and two young ninjas, Kazuki and Baki, left the tent.
They were supporters of Rasa and held him in high regard as the Kazekage. They had come to visit him after hearing about a night raid by a Konoha and were hoping to ascertain how he was faring.
However, they also knew that Chiyo had other reasons for being there.
Chiyo had lost her son and daughter-in-law, and her grandson was missing from the village. She had no family left, felt no joy in life, and was here only out of her sense of duty, nothing more.
As they exited the tent, Chiyo regarded Kazuki and Baki with a wariness that couldn't be ignored.
"Is it true that the two of you weren't present on the night of the attack?" she inquired.
She had heard the incredible tale and was hoping to confirm it. How could a group of five Konoha village ninjas almost wreak havoc on their camp when there were so many Sand ninjas stationed there to stop them?
Kazuki, as the senior shinobi, responded with respect: "Chiyo-sama, on that particular night, Kazekage-sama ordered us to remain at our posts while he led roughly three hundred ninjas to intercept the intruders. We believed..."
He trailed off, certain that Chiyo could fathom what he was thinking.
They had anticipated an easy victory, with the Kazekage and his men effortlessly crushing the invaders.
But they were wrong.
The Kazekage had been defeated, with many Sand Ninjas suffering casualties. It was almost hard to believe.
"To make matters worse, one ninja did most of the fighting," Baki added gravely.
It was a bitter truth that could not be swept under the rug. Although they had tried to keep the incident a secret and caution the ninjas who had accompanied Rasa that day not to divulge the details, secrets always have a way of coming to light. Eventually, more ninjas would learn the truth.
The blow to their reputation was crushing, and the reality of their situation could not be kept hidden indefinitely.
"Was Uchiha Fugaku the one who fought alone?" She asked, curious.
Baki lowered his head and replied, "Yes, the survivors told us his name was Uchiha Fugaku. He was immune to poison, moved incredibly fast, and his chakra reserve was unbelievable."
"Immune to poison? Could he have received help from the Tsunade girl?" She wondered aloud, recalling Tsunade's healing abilities during the Second World War.
the Sand's puppeteers well enough to have prepared deadly poison in the second war, and Tsunade could counter deadly poison and prepare antidotes for Konoha camp.
As Kazuki and Baki continued to describe Fugaku's abilities, Chiyo felt a chill run down her spine. A fire jutsu that could burn a puppet shield and cover a radius of fifty meters How much destruction could it cause? And a shadow clone that could use high-grade jutsu?
"We must be cautious during this war; we cannot afford to lose," Chiyo asserted as she walked away with Ebizo.
She realized that the Suna would have no chance to strike back unless Rasa could find a way to deal with Fugaku.
With one man who had dashed the Suna village's hope, Chiyo murmured, "Uchiha Fugaku, what a remarkable young man..." despite the fact that he was their enemy.
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Fugaku followed the merchant into a warehouse in the Land of the River Town. The warehouse was bustling with activity as workers scrambled to load and unload various goods.
The merchant, a seasoned trader between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain, had hired mercenaries to protect his precious cargo.
However, their last trip ended in tragedy when bandits attacked, leaving most of them dead or wounded.
The merchant eyed him warily, knowing that he was a rare and valuable asset in this chakra-dominated world. He hoped to persuade him to join his caravan for the perilous journey to the Land of Rain.
"We only need two more hired blades, and then we can depart with a group of twenty. I can pay you five thousand ryo for your services. What do you say?" He asked tentatively.
In this world, mercenaries or samurai are dying professions who lack chakra.
But Fugaku had a different goal. He wanted to reach the Land of Rain as fast as he could.
"I'm fine with the commission, but can we leave now?" he asked.
"Uh… Well, you see, it's not that simple with the current war. There are plenty of bandits around, and we need enough mercenaries to fend them off. Otherwise, we'll lose everything!" The merchant explained that he was more concerned about his goods than his mercenaries.
In this era, human life was treated cheaply, and a mercenary's life was worth only five thousand ryo. Just as Fugaku was about to speak, he noticed several more mercenaries exiting the warehouse.
However, they appeared more like brutish thugs than guards. Clad in kimonos that revealed their scarred chests and carrying katanas on their belts, they chewed on grass stems as they examined Fugaku with contempt.
"Hey, Jiro!" one of the mercenaries sneered. "Where did you find this mercenary? Is he even capable?"
Another chimed in, "Yeah, are you just trying to find a way to fill the quota with a scapegoat?"
"Clearly, this guy doesn't care about our lives," a third added with disdain.
Fugaku was taken aback, not by their insults but by their faces. He immediately recognized two of them as duo who had pass him on way town and knew from them ealier.
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Today Bi-annual Ranking = 34th
Give me stone, and I'll give you bonus chapters on same day. How does that sound?
1. Achive 20th rank on bi-annual =+1 bonus chapter
2. Achive 10th rank on bi-annual =+2 bonus chapter
3. Achive 5th rank on bi-annual = +3 bonus chapter
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