Report! Our Advance Is Completely Unimpeded!! Completely Unimpeded!!!
"You Kumogakure trash—we're here to negotiate terms!"
"Hmph, so it's those Akatsuki bastards!"
"You think you can extort Kumogakure? In your dreams!!"
"Answer clearly! Surrender—or not?"
To ensure nothing went wrong, Uchiha Makoto personally led the provocation squad to the border.
As expected, both sides were suppressing barely contained fury.
Because of the ongoing propaganda war, Akatsuki shinobi firmly believed that Kumogakure had deliberately provoked the conflict, killed two of their chūnin, and then arrogantly refused to show remorse or compensation.
Facing Kumogakure shinobi now, many Akatsuki ninja were barely restraining themselves from charging forward to avenge their fallen comrades.
Kumogakure, on the other hand, believed Akatsuki was abusing its momentum and bullying them without restraint.
The moment the two groups met, words failed to align—and shouting erupted almost instantly.
Insults flew back and forth.
And soon enough, the shouting ignited real fury.
Kumogakure shinobi's eyes burned with rage. Their expressions turned hostile.
Some even began reaching into their ninja pouches.
On the Akatsuki side, though anger simmered just as fiercely, Makoto's prior orders held them back. They did not make the first move, only guarded carefully—ready for a sudden attack.
Then—
"Enough! You Akatsuki have gone too far!"
"Damn you!"
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
No one could say which Kumogakure ninja lost control first.
But suddenly, the sharp whistle of shuriken slicing through the air rang out.
Makoto's smile widened instantly.
He nearly wanted to brush his hair back and shout:
"Finally—you took the bait!"
He raised his hand and gave a sharp signal.
Behind him, the Akatsuki squad—already fully prepared—moved without hesitation, surging forward as one.
The Kumogakure shinobi who had just been hurling insults clearly hadn't expected this.
Nor had they expected Akatsuki to be this prepared—
And this outnumbering them.
Shameless!
An ambush!
But the outcome was decided almost instantly.
There were no surprises.
The battle turned one-sided in moments.
"Kumogakure has repeatedly ignored Akatsuki's warnings!"
"They deliberately murdered two of our chūnin and then launched an armed attack on Akatsuki's negotiation delegation!"
"Our personnel were placed under severe threat!"
"Akatsuki had no choice but to engage in self-defense!"
After swiftly dealing with several unlucky Kumogakure patrol shinobi along the border, Makoto regrouped his squad and waited for the main force to arrive.
At the same time, he calmly drafted tomorrow's declaration, which would be broadcast across the entire shinobi world.
He then turned to the ninja responsible for recording the incident.
"Was Kumogakure's first strike captured clearly?"
"Yes, Lord Hikage—everything is on record!"
"Good. Edit it later. Remove the parts where we were insulting them."
The cameraman hesitated.
"Uh… that might be difficult…"
Makoto frowned.
"You don't understand basic cinematography."
"Open your eyes—even low-grade missing-nin can do this!"
"Go study it properly."
"If outsiders find out Akatsuki shinobi are ignorant fools, you'll be responsible for disgracing the village."
"Y-Yes, Lord Hikage!"
The cameraman broke into a cold sweat.
Makoto did not press the matter further—only a verbal reprimand.
Afterward, the ninja would be sent to relearn the fundamentals.
Once the signal flare was seen, Akatsuki's main force advanced immediately.
Makoto had no intention of wasting this golden window.
From a purely military standpoint, Akatsuki and Kumogakure were not vastly different in raw strength.
Akatsuki's advantages lay in:
Surprise
Massive financial backing
Overwhelming logistics
If no unexpected variables arose, Akatsuki could simply bleed Kumogakure dry over an entire year, gradually creating an overwhelming advantage.
However—
Kumogakure possessed home-field advantage.
They also had a larger total defensive manpower pool.
To seize the strategic initiative, the opening phase had to be fast and decisive.
Before the First Raikage could fully react, Akatsuki needed to spend without restraint, annihilating Kumogakure's active forces.
Only then could a prolonged war of attrition be guaranteed.
According to intelligence—
Along Akatsuki's planned route, Kumogakure had constructed five major defensive lines, extending all the way back to the village itself.
Makoto did not linger at the border.
He led the force in a night assault, charging forward without pause.
The First Defensive Line
Night fell.
Firelight, blood, and slaughter intertwined, composing a brutal nocturne.
"Damn it!"
"So many explosive tags—this is shameless!"
"Have you Akatsuki gone mad?!"
"This is outright war! Kumogakure won't forgive you—our Raikage won't either!"
The Kumogakure shinobi stationed here screamed hoarsely, eyes bloodshot.
But their bluster masked fear.
The three night-watch squads—twenty shinobi total, including three jōnin—had already been eliminated silently.
The remaining three hundred defenders were struck before they even woke from sleep.
Explosive tags lit the defensive zone like daylight.
The Kumogakure forces were utterly overwhelmed—unable to form even a basic counteroffensive.
Their fate was sealed.
At the front, Kaguya Clan shinobi charged with twisted grins, bone blades flashing as they cut into panicked Kumogakure ranks.
"Press forward!"
"All units advance!"
"Explosive tags first—always explosive tags!"
Makoto personally led from the front, casually cutting down a low-ranking enemy while issuing commands.
If explosive tags could do the job, there was no reason to risk taijutsu or ninjutsu.
Tags were plentiful.
Lives were not.
Kumogakure's First Defensive Line—Broken!
Only scattered survivors escaped, retreating desperately toward the second line.
Akatsuki pursued relentlessly.
The first battle was a decisive victory.
Joy spread through Akatsuki's ranks.
"Makoto, we won big tonight—shouldn't we rest for a bit?" Uzumaki Shinji asked, excitement mixed with exhaustion.
The army had crossed the border and marched four hundred kilometers overnight.
Even Uzumaki stamina had limits.
Most of the force—chūnin and genin—was nearing chakra depletion.
But Makoto did not slow.
Strike while the iron is hot.
Once morale relaxed, exhaustion would follow.
And night was far from over.
Intelligence showed that the second defensive line lay less than eight hundred kilometers away.
If they didn't move immediately, survivors from the first line would warn them.
"Transmit my order!"
"Continue the march!"
"If you're tired—slap yourself!"
"Think of the Will of Fire!"
"Hungry? Eat soldier pills!"
Makoto knew this was brutal.
But victory demanded it.
"For Lord Hikage—we offer our loyalty!!"
Riding the momentum of victory, Akatsuki surged forward once more.
Dawn
Mist rolled across the land.
Kumogakure shinobi at the second defensive line stared at the sudden fog.
"Why is it so foggy today?"
Seconds later—
Hundreds of bloodshot eyes emerged from the mist.
These were the carefully selected survivors of the overnight march.
Many had collapsed along the way.
Their Will of Fire had burned out completely.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Makoto opened with a B-rank technique.
Flames poured forward like a tidal wave, threatening to engulf the entire compound.
"Incredible Fire Release…"
"I've heard the Uchiha at their peak could suppress entire armies alone—today, I believe it."
"Lord Hikage's chakra control, hand seals, and output are flawless."
Makoto merely nodded.
He knew he was still below Uchiha Madara.
But this power was earned.
Before meeting Uzumaki Tsubaki, Makoto trained relentlessly every night.
Marriage had slowed him down—but not broken him.
Crack—crack.
The outer barrier shattered.
Akatsuki poured in.
"So even the second line already has barrier defenses…"
Makoto frowned slightly.
Kumogakure's foundations were deeper than expected.
But there was no time to dwell.
He charged.
"Damn it!"
"How are Akatsuki already here?!"
"Was the first line destroyed overnight?!"
"Captain—their explosive tags are everywhere!"
"They're coming—wait, that's a Shadow Clone!!"
Uzumaki shinobi unleashed clone suicide charges, each body wrapped in explosive tags.
The second defensive line collapsed into chaos.
"This is the Will of Fire!"
"Lord Hikage, eternal!"
"Akatsuki shall triumph!"
Fatigue vanished.
Victory fed victory.
Explosive tags rained like currency.
Boom—boom—boom!
Amid chaos and bloodshed—
Kumogakure's Second Defensive Line—Broken!
Only a few survivors escaped.
The rest fled.
Defense was replaceable.
Life was not.
"Long live Lord Hikage!"
"Banzai!"
"Loyalty!"
Cheers erupted.
Makoto stood amid the ruins, straight-backed, calmly accepting their praise.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
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