Chapter 115: The Attack Begins
Night fell.
Danzo lay in bed alone, tossing and turning... that's right, he had insomnia.
Scenes from the evening kept flashing through his mind.
This was something he hadn't felt in decades.
Is this... what it feels like to be a Kage?
Is this what it feels like to be remembered and loved by the villagers?
I didn't realize Hiruzen had it so good... Hmm? Hiruzen?
At that thought, Danzo Shimura was stunned for a long time.
Until... Slap!
A crisp slapping sound echoed in the silent room.
"Danzo Shimura, you deserve to die! You're the Kazekage now, how can you still be thinking about other things!"
"Hiruzen, so what about Hiruzen!"
"Could he let you be the Hokage for even a single day?"
"He would only slam the table and tell you that he is the Hokage!"
"Danzo Shimura!"
"You're pathetic!"
After saying that, he gave himself another slap.
Making both of his cheeks symmetrical.
Go to sleep!
This old man has a lot of official business to attend to tomorrow!
...Just as Danzo Shimura was falling asleep.
Little did he know... outside the window, a pair of crimson eyes were staring intently at him... The next day.
Inside the Hidden Sand Village Academy.
"Guy, let's have another match today."
"No problem, Kakashi."
Might Guy and Kakashi were walking toward the classroom.
Perhaps it was fate that brought these two together again.
But this time was different; it was no longer Might Guy chasing Kakashi's footsteps, but Kakashi chasing Might Guy's.
In the original story, Might Guy had no cultivation resources and could only rely on hard work, often going hungry.
It wasn't until Might Duy's incredible feat of kicking the Seven Swordsmen into the "Lucky Three" that Konoha Village took notice and began to nurture him.
But now it was different. Since coming to Hidden Sand Village, thanks to the Village's resources, his body was no longer as depleted as before.
Naturally... his combat power couldn't be compared to the original story.
If one had to make a comparison, the current Might Guy should be at the level of Rock Lee during the Chunin Exams.
On the other hand, although Kakashi's family didn't lack resources, the quality was naturally far inferior to Hidden Sand Village's.
Although he also used Hidden Sand Village's resources after enrolling in Konoha, he started late after all. Despite his talent, physical fitness is built through daily refinement—one step behind means every step is behind.
It would take some time for Kakashi's basic physical fitness to catch up.
"Guy! Kakashi!"
Just as Kakashi and Might Guy were walking along.
A shout came from behind them.
The two turned their heads and saw a young girl standing in the distance, waving at them.
The girl had a green Dragon Mark on her forehead, and a small dragon head would occasionally pop out from her body to look around.
It was Hana, Saito's youngest daughter.
Since Hana was born to the Queen of Loulan, she was naturally compatible with the power of the Dragon Vein and could communicate with it smoothly.
So Saito took the time to take Hana to the Loulan Ruins.
After several years of dormant recovery, the Dragon Vein had successfully restored itself.
And so... the first Dragon Vein Jinchuriki was born.
And it's natural energy, too.
"Oh, it's Hana. Did you call us for something?"
"Eh? Don't you two know? Didn't the teacher say yesterday that we have to gather at the playground today!"
"Ah!"
Hearing what Hana said, Kakashi and Might Guy both let out a cry of surprise and then looked at each other.
As if asking the other person.
[Did the teacher say that yesterday?]
"Kakashi, you know me, I'm only interested in training!"
"Guy, you know me, I'm only interested in how to defeat you!"
Their voices rang out at the same time... and then they both burst into laughter.
Hana, standing to the side, saw this scene.
And silently offered them her blessings.
She then controlled the small dragon on her body to grow larger, which coiled around the two of them and dashed toward the playground.
She didn't want to deal with these two anymore.
Sure enough, her father was right; people from Konoha Village all have something wrong with their heads.
The playground was already full of people. Hana threw Kakashi and Might Guy to the very back of the crowd and then instructed them.
"When someone comes up to the podium later, you must cheer and scream. Got it?"
To ensure the two really listened to her... Hana controlled the enlarged dragon head to open its mouth and aim it at them.
"Got it! I get it!"
Looking at the giant fangs right in front of him, Kakashi spoke very earnestly from the bottom of his heart.
"Don't worry, Hana, youth doesn't allow me to be half-hearted!"
Hearing both of them give her affirmative answers, Hana felt relieved and returned to her spot.
About ten minutes later... the speakers on the playground began to make noise.
[Students, let us welcome our Lord Kazekage with the warmest applause!]
[Dan! Zo! Shi! Mu! Ra!]
Kakashi: "???"
As the words fell, intense music played over the speakers, and Danzo Shimura strode onto the high platform.
At this moment, the students below also cheered loudly.
"Hello, students! I am the new Kazekage of Hidden Sand Village, Danzo Shimura... I am very happy to give a speech here for the future of Hidden Sand Village... Individual grains of sand are weak, but when they gather together, the desert is overwhelming... Let us follow the Will of Sand and unite together..."
Kakashi: "!!!"
...And so, the days passed by peacefully.
Danzo Shimura became increasingly familiar with Hidden Sand Village's official business.
Until... Slap!
A piece of intelligence was slammed onto the ground by Danzo.
"Outrageous! Simply outrageous! Since they really want to fight, then this old man will fight them!"
"Someone, call a meeting!"
...In the Trade City of the Land of Rain.
With the outbreak of war, Trade City was no longer as prosperous as it once was. After all, Hidden Cloud Village occupied the Land of Grass, Hidden Stone Village occupied the Land of Birds, and the Land of Wind was the one being attacked.
This turned the Land of Rain, which was a major transportation hub in peacetime, into a strategic battlefield during the war.
Coupled with Trade City being a huge material transit station, it was bound to attract bandits (Hidden Cloud Village).
Although many supplies had been moved due to the war, even what remained was quite substantial.
At least it was more profitable than robbing civilians one by one.
Moreover, if they took Trade City, they could use it as a frontline headquarters.
Then they could attack the Land of Wind. You should know that further ahead... past the Land of Rain, lies the new city of Hidden Sand Village.
That place was built by Ninjas, and there were no nobles or Daimyo there.
It could be completely occupied and taken for their own.
For the people of Hidden Cloud Village, this was no small temptation.
So after swallowing the Land of Grass, Hidden Cloud Village began its occupation of Trade City.
And how could Hidden Sand Village sit by and watch Hidden Cloud Village successfully occupy Trade City?
They immediately arranged for Ninjas to engage in small-scale skirmishes with Hidden Cloud Village in the Land of Rain.
And Captain Koishi, who previously served as a guard at the Land of Rain factory, was naturally among the combatants.
"Jie jie jie... Ninja of the Sand, you'd better surrender quietly. Otherwise, you're going to have a bad time in a moment."
On one battlefield, Koishi was leading his squad in a fight against Grass Ninjas.
That's right, you read that correctly: Grass Ninjas.
Since the Land of Grass was occupied by Hidden Cloud Village, the original Grass Ninjas were naturally put to use by the Cloud.
Although Grass Ninjas' strength was generally mediocre, they could fight two-on-one!
Just like right now.
Several Grass Ninjas, led by a Cloud Ninja squad... successfully encountered Koishi's squad.
Then the battle began... Although the Sand Ninjas showed extraordinary fighting strength, they couldn't withstand the sheer numbers.
Facing enemies that could pop up from the front, back, left, right, above, or below, Koishi and his two teammates were gradually showing signs of defeat.
[Dammit! There are too many enemies. If this continues, I'm afraid...]
Having just jumped to dodge the Headhunter Jutsu, Koishi looked at his two subordinates who were starting to lose stamina and fall into a disadvantage. He was very anxious.
But there was nothing he could do, because he was currently facing a siege by three Ninjas and couldn't provide immediate support.
[If only! If only there were a few more people! Damn Cloud! Damn Stone!]
Originally, the First Legion had a full five thousand people.
Facing three thousand Cloud Ninjas plus two thousand Grass Ninjas.
In a one-on-one situation, it could be called a total crush... but Hidden Sand Village's enemies weren't just Hidden Cloud Village; there was also Hidden Stone Village stationed in the Land of Birds.
This caused the First Legion's numbers to be cut in half; theoretically, everyone had to fight two-on-one.
But in reality, it was far more than that. Medical Ninjas need to stay in the rear, and the base needs guards.
Assuming the total number of guards for both sides is 1,500, then Hidden Sand Village only has 1,000 people available for battle, while Hidden Cloud Village has 3,500.
That's actually one-on-three, or even one-on-four!
Seeing his teammates' situation getting worse and worse, Koishi knew it was time to make a decision.
He immediately feigned a weakness without leaving a trace, exposing his back to a Grass Ninja.
After all, Grass Ninjas were of lower caliber and wouldn't easily notice the ruse.
Sure enough, seeing Koishi's back undefended, the Grass Ninja decisively used Body Flicker and lunged forward with a Kunai.
Then... Koishi turned around and threw a dense cluster of exploding tags. The Grass Ninja, in mid-dash, couldn't dodge quickly enough. Facing the overwhelming wave of exploding tags... Bang! Bang! Bang!
As the exploding tags detonated, the Ninja successfully turned into a piece of roasted meat.
Koishi took advantage of the gap left by the dead Grass Ninja, used Body Flicker to break out of the encirclement, and rushed toward his nearest teammate.
What?
You ask why Koishi didn't use the exploding tags earlier, why he had to wait until his teammates were about to give in.
Earlier, Koishi's stamina was full and his Chakra was sufficient; the enemies weren't fools and would naturally be on guard.
But now that Koishi and his teammates were starting to tire, showing a weakness seemed perfectly normal.
Then, when the enemy was overeager to attack, using the exploding tags was the time to maximize their effect.
Swish swish swish!
Another stack of exploding tags was held in Koishi's hand and thrown toward the Grass Ninjas surrounding his teammates.
There was no choice; you have to pick the low-hanging fruit.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Another series of dense explosions sent the enemy Ninjas besieging his teammates stumbling back.
Although no significant results were achieved... at least he successfully rescued his teammates.
So Koishi repeated the previous action and successfully rescued his other teammate.
He then gripped another stack of exploding tags and quickly retreated under the wary gazes of the Grass and Cloud Ninjas.
"Captain! What do we do now?"
Watching the three Sand Ninjas who were almost in their grasp escape, one of the Cloud Ninjas looked at his captain and asked.
"What do we do? What can you do? Damn it, didn't you see that stack of exploding tags in that Sand Ninja's hand! Can you guarantee those were his last ones?"
"This..."
The questioning Cloud Ninja was left speechless by his captain, stammering and unable to respond.
"Sigh, forget it. At least we drove them back. Let's go; completing the mission Lord Tutai gave us is what's most important!"
"Yes!"
...Three kilometers away from the Cloud Ninjas.
Seeing that the enemy wasn't pursuing, Koishi breathed a sigh of relief and then called his teammates to find a hidden spot to rest.
"Captain! It's lucky you didn't do what we did and brought plenty of exploding tags, otherwise we would have been finished here today."
Recalling the dangerous battle just now, one teammate said with lingering fear.
Hearing this, Koishi also nodded in agreement.
"Yeah! Originally, the Village planned to have each of us carry a thousand exploding tags!"
"But you two insisted that with a thousand tags... if one accidentally went off, you wouldn't even know how you died. So you only brought a dozen."
"Fortunately, I didn't listen to you two and grabbed a handful. Otherwise, we'd all be finished today!"
"Hehe, I just thought my strength had improved a lot! Who knew the Hidden Cloud Village wouldn't play fair and would gang up on me like that!"
"When I get back, I'm definitely going to stuff myself full of exploding tags. I'll start every fight with them."
"Give it a rest!"
Hearing his teammate's words, Koishi replied crossly.
"You really think exploding tags will be that effective next time?"
"This time it was because the Hidden Cloud was fighting us for the first time and suffered from a lack of intelligence. Just you wait and see how alert they'll be next time!"
"Ah! Then what should we do?"
"Stall!"
"Set more traps. The reinforcement troops will arrive in two days. It'll be easier to fight then!"
"Yeah, two more days. I heard your son is among them, Captain."
"Yeah, but he's much stronger than me..."
"That's for sure. We're all old-timers now. Thanks to the Kazekage, we barely managed to reach the Chunin level. Unlike the younger generation, whose potential is so strong..."
"Haha, I'm really looking forward to Oishi's performance!"
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