21 The Main Army Arrives

[Year 52, Suna/Konoha Border]

Chiyo moved swiftly as she and her forces clashed with the Konoha army. The fight was originally fought strategically, but immediately fell into chaos the moment the first attack was given.

All kinds of Jutsu were being thrown around haphazardly. Blood would splatter along with the sounds of metal clashing. Kunai met kunai as Shinobi from both countries would do their best to win and survive.

But the most impressive of them all was the elderly woman who fought with the grace of a person half her age. Chiyo Matsuri proved her infamy as she controlled 4 puppets at the same time and used them to massacre dozens of Konoha Ninja. The puppets fought with the fluidity of a Jonin level ninja that only a master puppeteer could do.

Each one was equipped with enough weaponry to level a small town. This was later proved as one of the puppets unleashed a cluster of explosive tags from its sleeves that decimated an entire Konoha squadron.

Another opened its mouth wide as a flurry of poison-tipped senbon was ejected from a lizard-like puppet. The senbon peppered an entire line of Konoha Ninja and every single one found themselves with weakened bodies as the poison entered their veins.

Cries of pain could be heard as the Konoha ninja coughed out blood and fell as they succumbed to the deadly venom.

"Damn this old hag!"

"It's Chiyo the Toxic Maiden!"

The Konoha Ninja outcried as more and more of them fell to Chiyo's poison.

"So even youngsters like you have heard my name…"

Chiyo muttered quietly as she pulled all 4 puppets back to her side as she faced a group of 30 ninja.

"There's a lot of us and only one of her!"

"Chargeeee!!!!"

"How foolish. To blindly attack an enemy with only superior numbers. It seems the ninja of Konoha need more discipline." Chiyo chastised their reckless move as she unleashed an attack of her own.

"Poison Mist Hell: Hundred Continuous Firing."

Chiyo spun two of her puppets around the entire group of Konoha-Nin at high speeds. They proceed to launch poison gas bombs, surrounding the leaf shinobi with a purple gas cloud. The two puppets then raised their arms and fired a barrage of kunai at the now blinded and poisoned victims.

"Agh!"

"Urk!"

The cluster of Konoha shinobi were found in various states of distress as they either moaned in pain from the kunai barrage or from the blood coming out of their mouths and eyes.

"Wind Style: Air Slicer!"

"Water Style: Water Encampment Wall!"

Around them, the fight continued on as a member of the Suna Wind Brigade unleashed a massive crescent-shaped blade of wind against her enemies. The Konoha forces were forced to either evade or defend, which one did by unleashing a torrent of water that barely shielded them from the attack.

"We can't hold on like this! Where's the squad leader?!"

The konoha ninja cried out as he and his allies regrouped from their clash against the Suna forces. They have to do something or else they'll soon get wiped out.

"Over there!"

A voice of one his comrades got him to look to the side, only to grimace as the body of their squad leader could be seen impaled by a blade attached to a puppet controlled by Chiyo.

"R-Retreat! All forces retreat!" The man screamed as the Konoha-Nin unleashed a barrage of fireballs to cover their escape.

The earth exploded as every Konoha shinobi tried their best to leave the area.

"Don't let them get away!" Chiyo screamed as she sent the four puppets towards the escaping ninja. The other Suna shinobi heeded her order as they gave chase.

Brief high speed battles happened all throughout the Konoha/Suna borders as pockets of the Konoha army split up in their attempt to lose their pursuers.

It was 4 hours later that Chiyo found herself back at the command center of the main camp that would serve as headquarters for the war against the leaf.

"How's the situation?" She asked the captains of the different squads serving under her command. There were 6 in total, each squad centered around a specialized skill of what they can contribute in the war. The first squad was what made up the bulk of their forces, the infamous Wind Brigade of Sunagakure. The second squad was one that she led herself, consisting of ninja serving as the Puppet Brigade. The rest of the squads had numbers relatively smaller compared to the first two squads, but they were no less important.

The sensory, medical, sealing, and assault squads made up the rest of their army. And although Chiyo was the best medical ninja to come out of Sunagakure, her duties made her unable to fully apply her time towards that division. Therefore another captain, was chosen.

"According to our reports, today's victory was a crucial one in establishing our hold of the Land of Rivers. The Konoha army sent nearly half their forces on that attack, and with their leader dead, their chain of command has fallen and they'll be forced to hold for now." The captain of the first squad, Natsu, gave his report to his commanding officer.

"Good, and what of the lingering konoha shinobi? Did they manage to escape?"

Natsu paused for a second before resuming his report. "I regret to inform that a few managed to get away. My squad managed to chase them back quite far, but we ultimately lost them once we passed the border to the Land of Fire. Those damn tree huggers were too good at navigating the forests that we lost them."

"I see, thank you Natsu." The man bowed to her as Chiyo then looked at the lead medical ninja. "And what of the casualties?"

The captain of the medical squad, a man in his mid twenties wearing the standard Suna Jonin uniform, reported. "Squad 1 suffered a decent amount of shinobi, but it was well within our expectations. We have around 50 in various states of injury but none are life threatening. They should be able to get back in fighting shape in a week at most."

"Very well, and what of the other battlefields?"

"Chiyo-sama, we received reports that the main army had just arrived at the Iwa border. Ishito-sama is now preparing a counter attack against them as we speak. As for the Land of Storms, it seems things aren't looking as good. Reports say that Amegakure has now fully participated in the conflict between the three countries and is engaging any shinobi that enters their lands. Lord Third was forced to clash against Hanzo the Salamander on two separate occasions because of it." A woman who acted as Chiyo's secretary answered the question as she read the information on a scroll.

"Hanzo?! That old coot?!" Chiyo expressed with visible surprise. It was well known that the leader of the Hidden Rain Village possessed strength no less than the Kage of the major shinobi villages. Considering that the Land of Storms, Amegakure's home ground, served as the main battlefield for the war between Iwa, Konoha, and Suna, Ame must have suffered quite a lot. It wasn't too surprising that Hanzo involved himself.

"Actually Chiyo-sama, that was also the reason why the Kazekage sent this scroll." the woman continued, which prompted Chiyo to focus back. "Kazekage-sama has personally requested you to come to the Land of Storms to aid him in the fight. He says that Hanzo uses deadly venoms that have taken a toll on the Suna forces and you are needed to combat this venom with your expertise on poisons. Rumors say that Konoha's 'Slug Princess' is implementing a similar strategy. With Amegakure involving themselves in the fight, another S-Rank shinobi is needed to balance the powers that will be present in the battlefield. With Ishito-sama busy handling the Iwa front, you have been requested to step in."

After the woman finished her report, Chiyo took the time to ponder the request. True, if the situation was as bad as the reports say it was, then her being there would definitely help increase the odds. There was also nothing much to do here on this front since their last victory ensured that Konoha would stay quiet for a while. The situation in the Land of Storms also made sure that Konoha is incapable of reinforcing their forces in the Land of Rivers, therefore the Konoha/Suna border should be relatively safe.

With that decided, Chiyo looked to her secretary. "I'll write a letter to the Kazekage that will confirm my presence on the battlefield. Ready the forces here to move and aid our forces in the Land of Storms."

She then addressed the squad captains. "I'll be taking a small team with me, a few wind Release specialists and members of the puppet brigade. I'll also be needing the best medical ninja we have, so inform them and tell them to prepare. We leave in two days. Natsu, you're in charge of the camp while I'm gone."

"Of course Chiyo-sama." Natsu replied as each of the captains nodded in understanding.

"Very well. I wish you all good luck." She said before everyone left the tent.

Chiyo then sighed as she flapped open the entrance of the command tent and looked to the now dark sky. 'I hope Souei and the rest are okay…'

— Marionette of Suna —

[Year 52, Suna/Iwa border]

Souei stood with the rest of Team 11 as they waited at the entrance of their camp. According to their scouts, the main army should arrive just today. So Ishito had the three of them wait out here to welcome them. Their sensei/commanding officer stayed in the command tent to prepare their arrival.

It's been another two days since they recovered from the attack and so far they've done nothing more than securing the perimeter and training. Souei knows that this is just the small reprieve before the inevitable constant fighting in the war starts, and he's glad for it. It's just the fact that being cooped up in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do slightly bothers him. While Iwa is undoubtedly moving their armies and preparing strategies, they've just been sitting here waiting.

He knows there's not much they actually could do before the main army gets here. But still.

"How much longer do we have to wait? The bugs are killing me." Rukia complained as she swatted a fly from the air.

"Have patience, we need to be here when the army arrives so we could properly document everything and everyone that arrives to make sure that no spies enter our ranks." Rasa glanced at his female teammate.

"Yeah yeah, I get it."

"Oi Rasa, how's your ninjutsu training coming along?" Souei questioned from his position, leaning against a tree.

Rasa grunted. "Not as well as I had hoped. I've been trying to perfect my Magnet Release to be able to control magnetic forces, but it's a little harder than I expected."

"And what did the Sandaime say? He's still your acting master right?"

"Yes, and he told me to have patience. Thankfully, it is a skill I have in spades."

Souei just snorted. "Sounds like the genius Rasa has finally hit his first roadblock in his life, funny."

"You do realize you are in no position to say that right?" Rasa just raised an eyebrow.

Simply chuckled at the jab, but he couldn't deign a reply as Rukia suddenly perked up. "They're here."

The two immediately stopped their conversation, as all three stood up to their full height and opted serious looks on their faces.

It was then the sounds of a marching army could be heard across the tree line. Loud and numerous footsteps could be heard, along with the distant chatter that Souei couldn't pick up from this distance.

Soon enough, people wearing Suna-garb could be seen breaking through the tree line. Leading them was a man Rukia was very familiar with.

"Dad?!"

Rukia exclaimed in shock as her father's face lit up upon seeing his daughter.

"Rukia-chan! It's so good to see you!" Her dad said with a big smile on his face.

"What are you doing here?" She questioned him.

"The Hoku clan was assigned to this battlefield. Our family makes up around half of the Medical Corps in Suna. With Lady Chiyo already handling the fight in Konoha, Sandaime-sama ordered us to help out here against Iwa."

"I see. That makes sense." Rukia nodded before he gestured to Souei and Rasa. "And before I forget, these are my friends. Souei and Rasa.'

Souei smiled while Rasa just nodded. Her dad nodded back with a smile. "Don't worry, I know them quite well. Their fights in the Chunin Exams were quite memorable after all."

"In any case, we're here now. Me and the other squad leaders are supposed to report to Ishito. Where is he?"

It was Souei who answered. "In the command tent at the center of the camp. He's waiting for you. The three of us will stay here to oversee the rest of the army situated in the camp."

"I see. Alright then, I'll get the rest of the captains to see Ishito right away."

With one last smile to Rukia, the man turned around to gather his friends before making their way towards the command tent.

"Your dad's pretty nice." Souei couldn't help but comment. "Now I see where you got your personality from."

Rukia just sighed before smiling. "Everybody says that. But still, I'm glad he's here. Lady Chiyo aside, my dad is probably the greatest med-nin in all of Suna, rivaled only by my mother. Having him here will definitely cut down our casualties by a lot."

"I sure hope so." Rasa said, his arms crossed as he eyed the ninja around them unloading tools and weapons from the carts. "I have a feeling the next few days are going to get bloody."

The three then stood in silence as they then moved forward to do their job. Souei himself making sure that everything they need is accounted for. What Rasa said made sense. After all, the war is only just beginning.

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The main army has arrived! With this the war could finally happen in full scale.

We also got an update on the other battlefields. It was said in canon that Chiyo and Hanzo fought many times during the Second World War. So we'll see some of those fights very soon.

Next chapter will be an assault on the Iwa Base, expect it to be really action-packed.

By the way, I've posted my new novel Fairy Tail: The Dark Swordsman. Make sure to give it a peek if you're interested. Thanks!

Advanced chapters on my pat_reon page! Depending on the tier, you could get between 5 chapters ahead along with a few other benefits.

P_atr_eon.com/TeemVizzle

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Anyway, that's all from me.

Cheers!

Trivia: Would you rather be born without arms, or without legs?