TN: Apologize for the lack of updates. Been going through a lot...
----
A pitch-black shadow cleaved through the sky like sharp blade, and the sun's rays danced on a small, reflective metal surface.
Destroyer 001 looked down at the endless desert from above, revealing countless Suna ninjas attacking the protective barrier of the base's outer layer with a fierce offensive.
The barrier trembled uneasily, resembling broken glass as cracks marred its surface.
The red gem on Destroyer 001's chest emitted an irate 'beep beep,' creating a sense that there might be a living entity within.
The sudden onslaught of Suna was swift. Under the leadership of the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, they swept ferociously from the desert.
Red and white light bullets showered from the sky onto the desert below, triggering explosions that sent many Suna ninjas tumbling.
More Suna ninjas, undeterred by the blast's scorching wind, rushed towards the base at an increased pace. They released attacks to shatter the outer layer of the base's barrier, further expanding the cracks on the barrier.
At this moment, hollows emerged on the base's outer wall. A pitch-black hollow tube extended from these hollows, aiming its muzzle at the Suna ninja troops assaulting the base.
Rasa, standing above the gold dust wave, narrowed his eyes at this scene. He knew these weapons were a type collectively known as 'artillery.' Long ago, it emerged in the ninja world, developed by the Lan of Sky to combat ninjas from the five major nations. Unfortunately, under the formidable force of ninjas from the five major nations, the Land of Sky faced rapid destruction, leaving only a handful of survivors.
In Suna's supply building, similar weapons were stored as collections.
The flying equipments, mechanical puppet, and artillery. Rasa believed that the Land of Demons had obtained lost weapon technology from the Land of the Sky and made high-quality improvements based on the original weapons. However, relying on these weapons to halt the Suna's attack would be underestimating the abilities of ninjas.
A ninja's most powerful weapon would always be a jutsu derived from Chakra, not these temporary steel equipments.
The barrier shattered, and transparent fragments reflected bright sunlight before swiftly dissipating into the air.
Witnessing the continuous onslaught breaking the barrier, the Suna ninjas roared with determination, their charging momentum intensifying. The towering city wall proved utterly useless against the ninjas.
A sound echoed through the air as the ninjas charged in.
In the Suna ninjas' vision, the black spots grew larger.
Then, there was a sudden flash and bang, and it erupted among the crowd.
The power exceeded that of explosive tags, it created a shocking large hole in the sand.
This was just the first round. More shells emerged from the muzzle, exploding in the crowd, temporarily suppressing the Suna nins arrogance, forcing them into embarrassed evasions.
The Iron pieces from the explosion crossed their faces, thighs, arms, or directly hitting their body, leaving many Suna ninjas bruised and bloodied in an instant.
Seeing this scene, Rasa had no choice but to pilot the gold dust and rush towards the muzzle exposed from the outer wall.
These cannons were powerful, but as long as they're blocked, the threat diminishes.
A cannonball collided with the gold dust in the air, creating a deep pit on the waves of gold dust. However, facing the intense firepower of the artillery, Rasa allowed the gold dust to press on without confusion..This weapon didn't pose much threat to him, but to minimize damage to his forces in the next battle, prioritizing the destruction of the enemy's artillery has become the most important task.
Not only that, he transformed the gold dust into a massive hand which rushed directly to the high wall of the base. The heavy impact caused a tremendous vibration on the high wall.
"As expected of the Kazekage, these toys alone are no match for him at all."
On the high wall, Ruri stood there, observing how Rasa had countered the defensive artillery. She murmured in a low voice.
Such 'toys' could pose a great threat to ordinary ninjas but were insufficient against ninjas of the Kage level.
The convenience of these 'toys' lay in their accessibility, even for ordinary individuals. The low skill requirement made them valuable not just for ninjas.
"You stay here; I can handle it alone."
Ruri said to Ameyu standing beside her, then jumped off the high wall, rushing towards the Suna troops attacking the wall.
With a swift posture, nearby Suna ninjas vomited blood and were thrown backward before they could react. Upon landing, they faced downward, falling into the sand. Their exposed bodies twitched and quickly lost responsiveness.
While gunfire roared, gold dust successfully blocked the artillery's muzzle.
Boom!
The shell exploded in the artillery pipe, leaving terrible cracks on the high wall.
Rasa smiled at the scene.
Despite consuming a considerable amount of chakra, containing the enemy's firepower would ensure the success of his strategy.
Immediately, Rasa turned to another battlefield, and the smile disappeared from his face.
Because while blocking the artillery muzzle with gold dust, Ruri had already penetrated the center of Suna troops, causing chaos and making them lose courage to move forward.
A Suna ninja fell in pieces on the sand as if grass being mowed by glass.
In just a few encounters, nearly a hundred Suna ninjas lay in a pool of blood on the path Ruri had taken.
It wasn't so much contempt as complete disregard. Kunai, shuriken, and ninjutsu couldn't keep up with Ruri's speed.
Every time an attack was released, Ruri disappeared in the blink of an eye. If not executed properly, it risked injuring one of their own, creating chaos among Suna ninja.
As the number of Suna ninjas surrounding her increased, Ruri began to feel some pressure. She leaped into the sky in an instant, hands completing the mudra movement in an instant, and took a deep breath.
"Great Fire Annihilation!"
Boom!
Facing the released sea of fire and waves on the ground, it exploded and spread to the surrounding like a terrifying mudslide.
In the border-eroding flames, screams continued.
Under the high temperature, charred and smelly corpses fell to the ground.
"So…"
Looking at the terrified eyes of the Suna ninjas gazing at her, Ruri was about to execute her next move in the air when she suddenly realized something and turned her head to look.
A golden pyramid appeared in the air above her. The spire aimed at her body, swiftly flying towards her, attempting to pierce her body in one swift move.
Ignoring such an attack was impossible for Ruri, as ninjas were fleshy after all. Quickly, she drew out the gunbai, gripping the handle with her right hand and holding the bavk with her left to counter Rasa's attack.
The pyramid's spire pierced the gunbai, exerting heavy force on Ruri's body. She became unable to resist such impact, and her body transformed into a shell, falling towards the ground.
Sinking into the sand, Ruri looked at the undamaged gunbai in her hand and then swept her eyes towards the air. Observing the pyramid that hit her earlier, she noticed it paused in the air for a moment, falling to the ground under Rasa's control, intending to pursue victory.
"It hurts a little..."
Ruri uttered indifferently, observing the enlarging pyramid in her sight. Dark red chakra surrounded her body, instantly condensing into a massive half-length warrior. It held a giant sword with both hands, targeting the oncoming pyramid and slashing hard.
The sword light pierced through the center of the pyramid, splitting it into two halves. The jutsu was interrupted, and the two halves quickly disintegrated in the air, forming a golden rain.
"Is it the Susanoo? But.. her eyes are still the tomoe Sharingan, not the Mangekyou Sharingan..."
Rasa's eyes became serious. This state mirrored exactly the scene in the last battle. Her three tomoe Sharingan being able to utilize the Susanoo, compelling Rasa to reevaluate Ruri's actual combat power.
It was recorded, only the wielder of the Mangekyou Sharingan could use the so-called 'Susanoo', and it was a fact confirmed by the information from Konoha.
Yet, Uchiha Ruri's Sharingan defied common sense, and Uchiha ninjas who had joined the Land of Demons seemed to violate this common understanding, though not as exaggerated as hers.
'Whatt a unique talent.' Rasa sighed inwardly.
"The warm-up ends here, Kazekage-sama, don't die easily."
Ruri stood up from the sand, dusting off her clothes, and she glanced at Rasa, floating in the air on a platform made of gold dust.
"That should be my line; don't be so arrogant, you're merely a traitor!"
After Rasa finished speaking, he reached into the void, grabbing Ruri's body with his palm. The gold dust on the sand surged like a wave, in the blink of an eye, it buried Ruri's body wirh the Susanoo into the ground, creating an airtight prison.
After these preparations, Rasa leaped off the gold dust floating platform, buried his hands in the ground, and a ferocious look flashed in his eyes.
"Gold Dust Burial!"
Boom!
The explosive sound echoed in the gold dust.
Invisible vibrations rippled through the surroundings, causing violent tremors in the sand layer within a range of hundreds of meters. Even the Oni ninjas, engaged in battle with Suna ninjas, felt the power and enormity of this ninjutsu.
Just when many Suna ninjas believed Rasa's ninjutsu had succeeded and dealt with the enemy, a dark red chakra sword pierced through the gold dust, rising high and pointing to the sky. This froze the smiles on the faces of Suna ninjas who thought victory was imminent.
Rasa frowned and jumped back.
The moment he took off, the Chakra sword descended.
The dark red sword light etched a deep sword mark on the sand, and the placer gold split from the middle, revealing massive half-body Susanoo.
Under the Susanoo's cover, Ruri appeared unscathed. Her eyes glanced upwards, and she could clearly see a slight crack on the left shoulder of the Susanoo and the head, with this crack showing a tendency to expand further.
"Your strength is impressive. Being able to leave a mark on the Susanoo, i acknowledge your strength as one of the Five Kages." Ruri smiled at Rasa, who was observing her cautiously.
Rasa's expression turned slightly somber, and he refrained from responding. Despite not wanting to admit it, the opponent might surpass him in strength. However, being one of the Five Kage, he wouldn't allow himself to be belittled by traitorous ninja. Being acknowledged by a traitor was the greatest contempt he had faced since becoming Kazekage.
Rasa snorted coldly, slamming his hand onto the sand. To Ruri's astonishment, he extracted a golden spear directly from the desert.
After retrieving the golden spear, instead of holding it, Rasa suspended it steadily above his head. Aiming the spear's tip at Ruri, a burst of air accompanied its transformation into a golden streak, piercing through the atmospheric resistance and heading straight for Ruri.
During its flight, the golden spear continued to rotate at high speed, enhancing its piercing power.
Under the protection of the Susanoo, Ruri folded her hands in front of her chest, her eyes indifferent, leisurely waiting for the arrival of the golden spear.
Rasa felt a secret delight witnessing Ruri's demeanor. With such arrogance, the probability of severely injuring her was even greater.
Just as the golden spear was about to touch Susanoo's shell, the air suddenly fell silent.
Rasa's eyes widened in disbelief.
Disappeared!?
He had seen the golden spear piercing through the air, flying into the distance, before turning into small golden dots, disappearing from sight.
Rasa suddenly sensed something, the hairs on his back stood on end. Without hesitation, he turned around, extracting gold dust from the sand layer to quickly form a thick shield wall around his body.
A dark red sword light entered his vision.
The gold dust collapsed, a pained groan escaping Rasa's mouth. Pushed far away by the explosive force of the sword glow, his body resembled a kite with a broken string.
Observing Rasa flying into the distance, Ruri's tomoe Sharingan had turned into the Mangekyou Sharingan state at some point, she was shrouded in dense lightning, resembling living lightning snakes running on the Susanoo.
"Retreat!"
Despite his tragic injuries, Rasa, still conscious, roared loudly.
Blue veins throbbed around his temples, cold sweat streamed down his cheeks, and it felt as if every bone in his body was falling apart. Bleeding profusely, his wounds could not be stopped.
Silence fell among the Suna ninjas, then panic ensued. They rushed to Rasa, protecting him in layers.
Boom! Boom!
Ruri charged towards them, the Susanoo moving in sync. Each step caused the sand to vibrate dully.
"Stop her!"
"Don't let her get close to Kazekage-sama!"
The Suna ninjas charged Ruri with a mix of patience and fearlessness.
Explosive Kunai, along with various ninjutsu, all aimed at her and released.
The chakra sword swept out, as if clearing away surrounding dust, easily disposing of many Suna ninjas, leaving them bleeding and rolling on the ground in disarray.
Ruri remained steadfast. Chakra exploded further, controlling Susanoo, slashing without hesitation.
Successive sword glows were launched, sweeping the surroundings, and consistently clearing the Suna ninjas in the surrounding.
After a while, only chaos remained on the sand, countless Suna ninjas lying in pools of blood. Some still struggled alive, screaming with fear etched across their faces.
.....
Suna's counterattack ended in utter failure.
The two thousand Suna ninjas who launched the assault on the base suffered heavy casualties within half an hour of the offensive and defensive battles. The aftermath revealed a significant number of corpses and captives, and eventually, the remaining forces fled in panic.
However, in their effort to repel the Suna ninja attack, Shiraishi's forces also incurred some damage. While casualties were minor in comparison to the losses suffered by Suna, the damage to weapons was completely negligible.
Under Suna's frenzied attack, over 30 cannons were damaged, and the device maintaining the protective barrier sustained damage which would prove difficult to repair in a short time, significantly weakening the base's defense.
In the following days, Oni' ninjas made a few attempts to counterattack Suna. Avoiding intense confrontation at the northwestern border of the Land of Wind, they adopted a cautious approach, employing Destroyer 001 and Ameyu to bombard the Suna's supply building. This strategy consistently pressured the Suna forces to withdraw from the northwestern region.
With the formidable display of Rurii's deterrent power, Suna seemed to lack a strong inclination to retaliate, and their momentum became notably sluggish. Also confronted with the consistent assaults from Destroyer 001 and Ameyu, their resistance dwindled day by day, conveying an impression of weakness.
Observing Suna's declining fighting spirit, Shiraishi found himself perplexed. Moreover, a more significant doubt lingered.
During the attacks on Suna by Destroyer 001 and Ameyu, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa didn't come forth to intercept them. It was as if he had vanished, failing to appear to impede their progress.
"Ruri, did you injure the Kazekage that severely that day?" Shiraishi inquired.
In the Suna camp, the structures stood deserted, bearing the aftermath of Destroyer 001 and Ameyu's assault.
The supply building area lay in ruins, and the ninjas from the Land of Demons skillfully cleaned up the battlefield, salvaging supplies left behind in the hasty Suma retreat.
The Kazakage's abnormal behavior demanded more attention from Shiraishi than the cleanup efforts. So, he sought clarification from Ruri.
"I don't know the extent of his injuries. However, during our battle that day, I sensed a strange discordance." Ruri recalled.
"Discordance?"
"Yes, when I launched my final attack on him, based on my assessment at that time, he should have had sufficient reaction time to defend against it. Gold dust isn't like ordinary sand; it's harder, and when infused with chakra, its hardness increases by a lot. Even the Susanoo requires a brief period of energy to cut through gold dust in one go. Unless I use the fourth stage of Susanoo, I won't penetrate gold dust without a charge." Ruri explained.
Having fought Rasa twice, she was well familiar with the power of his gold dust.
Similar to the late Third Kazekage's iron sand, Rasa employed the power of ohis self-developed magnet release ninjutsu.
During their battle, Rasa's condensed gold dust spear employed a secret jutsu that concentrated power to penetrate objects.
Sacrificing the widespread destructive power, he maximized the thrusting force, making it a risky move, especially with Susanoo in the third stage. Ruri considered it a dangerous maneuver and chose to dodge the spear.
However, a jutsus danger couldn't be solely determined by its destructive power, especially for special ninjutsu that defied conventional danger definitions. Ruri wasn't foolish enough to blindly adhere to such definitions.
"Does this mean he intentionally injured himself in the battle?" Shiraishi mused.
"No, I can't confirm if he intentionally injured himself. The battlefield dynamics are unpredictable. Maybe he hesitated for a moment due to my sudden attack from behind, causing his delayed reaction. He might not have had time to gather more gold dust. Anyway, he was injured by my attack, and that's a fact." Ruri clarified.
As for the extent of Rasa's injury, Ruri couldn't provide a definite answer.
However, based on the repeated successes of the Land of Demons' attacks in the past days, where Rasa didn't intervene and allowed them to damage numerous supplies, it could be inferred that Rasa was severely injured and unable to participate in the battle.
Of course, these assumptions hinged on the premise that Rasa was genuinely injured. Otherwise, all these actions might be a trap set by the Kage to deceive them.
Considering that Konoha still has an elite team covertly embedded in Suna's forces, yet to reveal themselves, being lured into a trap was a possible scenario.
Shiraishi took a deep breath, a smile playing on his lips.
"Speaking of which, Ruri, this situation reminds me of an interesting and familiar incident from the past."
"What's that?" Ruri asked with curiosity.
Shiraishi's eyes reflected the tint of recollection, and he continued leisurely:
"Back when the third ninja world war first erupted, the Third Tsuchikage Onoki, feigned his defeat on the battlefield. He enticed the Third Raikage with that to venture deeper into the Land of Earth. And then after, the Third Raikage fell into an ambush set by the Tsuchikage and Iwagakure troops, meeting his death in the Land of Earth. If we compare the current situation, doesn't it seem quite similar to the plan executed by the Third Tsuchikage in luring the Third Raikage?"
"You mean..." Ruri grasped Shiraishi's intent.
"Rasa probably wishes to replicate the success of the Third Tsuchikage, by ambushing and defeating the Third Raikage." Shiraishi replied with a faint smile.
"So, will you be playing the role of the Third Raikage?" Ruri teased with a smile.
Shiraishi returned the smile, nodded, and didn't dispute Ruri's word.
"If conditions permit, making a guest appearance as the deceased Third Raikage isn't out of the question. After all, as one of the Five Kages, the Kazekage has put on such a show. If we don't cooperate with him, it might seem a bit unreasonable, don't you think?"