After the torrential shooting of kunai, many Suna nin were physically wounded, Ruri had singlehandedly disrupted their formation, preventing them from shifting their gaze elsewhere with peace of mind.
With that, Ruri created an extremely relaxed fighting environment for the Oni ninjas who would join the battlefield next. From the very beginning, she chose to act as bait for the troops with the intention of training them, ensuring that Suna couldn't attend to other matters.
Even with ambushing Suna ahead of time, Ruri believed that, without her as the main general, the end result would still be Suna's victory.
Half of the Oni ninjas who followed this time were recruits with limited combat experience. Even with the favorable intelligence and weapons, defeating such powerful enemies from Suna was completely unrealistic.
The two sides were fully engaged in combat. Though some Suna ninjas were surprised by the sneak attack from the Land of Demons, the rapidly changing battlefield left them with no time to ponder the reasons. Why were ninjas from the Land of Demons involved in Konoha's traitors?
They didn't need to think much, they just needed to understand that both the ninja troops from the Land of Demons or Konoha's rogue ninjas, they were all enemies.
Rasa felt the same way. Although he had some guesses about the truth, they were still conjectures, and with the current battlefield situation, he didn't have much time to ponder the specific reasons. Whether blaming the Land of Demons for colluding with s-rank rogue ninjas or accusing Konoha of excessive indulgence, dealing with the enemy in front was the priority.
Rasa took a deep breath as he formed hand seals with both hadlnslds. Golden sand surged from the desert like sea water. It was gold dust, far more powerful than ordinary sand.
This was Suna's unique magnet release wielded by the fourth Kazekage, Rasa. Unlike the third Kazekage's magnet release, which manipulated sand and iron, Rasa's version was equally powerful, utilizing both sand and gold.
A large amount of placer gold gathered towards the sky, forming a massive cube moving towards the Land of Demons' ninja troops rushing to the battlefield from the air.
Seeing the Kazekage attacking,, the morale of the Suna ninjas soared. The sounds of battle echoed as they rushed towards Ruri.
Ruri coldly observed the approaching Suna ninja and, from the corner of her eyes, spotted the enormous cube flying towards the Land of Demons' army in the air. It was a massive object made purely of placer gold. Allowing it to fall would undoubtedly cause significant damage to their forces.
Sure enough, there was no one weak amongst the Five Kages.
However, Ruri wasn't worried at all. Alongside her were Uchiha Jonine, the absolute main force. Even facing the Fourth Kazekage, if they united, they might be able to contend against him.
With their three tomoe Sharingan activated, the three Uchiha ninjas rushed out, fully liberating their pupil power.Bone-like chakra armor covered their bodies. Although the color was only the basic chakra hue, they faced the massive placer gold cube in the air without fear.
Boom!
Cracks appeared on the gold cube, and finely divided gold rained down.
The three Uchiha ninjas stepped back, their bone armor slightly shaken, and their faces slightly pale..The weight of gold far exceeded their imagination.
Especially in the desert environment, Rasa could condense extremely powerful gold objects with minimal chakra.
Even so, they didn't dare underestimate Rasa because of this. The geographical advantage boosted Rasa's strength, but it wasn't a qualitative change. It was merely because Rasa himself was powerful, combined with the unique desert environment, making him appear even stronger.
"Hmm... they blocked it? Moreover, they appear to be ninjas from the Uchiha clan... They were able to materialize their chakra, very similar to Absolute Defense. "
Rasa, seeing his jutsu blocked, had his doubts grow even more. However, he didn't dwell on it and immediately proceeded to the next step. An endless sea of gold dust poured into the sky from behind him, forming a tsunami-like scene, charging towards the Land of Demons ninja troops even more fiercely.
In an environment like the desert, where he could fully display his strength, Rasa feared group battles the least. Here, he alone could unleash the power of a formidable army.
"Great Fireball!"
Dozens of ninjas stepped forward and directly blocked Rasa's sea of gold dust with fire release.
The continuous bombing halted the sea of gold dust's advance. However, before they could revel in their success, the sea of gold dust surged again, charging forward with undiminished power.
Different from the one-time offensive ninjutsu of the fire release, Rasa could replenish gold dust from the desert anytime and anywhere. It was truly unwise to engage in a battle of attrition against him in the desert.
Looking at the Land of Demons ninjas scattered around to avoid attacks, Rasa had achieved his goal of disrupting their formation. Then, he turned his attention to the battlefield where Ruri was. Suna ninjas were cut down like grass, a gloomy look appeared in his eyes.
Ruri didn't employ any large-scale destructive ninjutsu, opting for continuous high-speed taijutsu. With the gunbai in hand, she engaged in close combat with hundreds of Suna ninjas.
It was noticeable that, on average, every passing second saw a Suna ninja falling to the ground. Her speed was already quite exaggerated on the battlefield.
Moreover, Ruri's attack direction remained clear, consistently charging forward without changing targets.
The restraint effect of the Suna ninjas on Ruri was almost negligible. Attempting to have the Suna ninja troops restrain Ruri, while Rasa led the charge against the Land of Demons ninja troops, had an extremely low success rate.
After a brief hesitation, Rasa had to abandon the idea of using gold ninjutsu to demoralize the Land of Demons troops. Instead, he shifted his focus to dealing with Ruri. He moved backwards, keeping a safe distance from Ruri. He then held his palms out towards Ruri.
The sound of the gunbai cutting through the air was about to send some Suna ninjas flying when a wall of gold dust suddenly appeared, blocking the impact of the weapon.
Although the gold wall was successfully shattered, the Suna ninjas, having regained their senses, jumped back, creating distance from Ruri. One of them pulled out a shuriken from his ninja bag and hurled it at Ruri.
Ruri moved slightly sideways, evading the shuriken, and then lunged forward. Before the Suna ninja along the way could comprehend what happened, his body soared into the air, blood spraying from his mouth.
"Hmm?"
The sand layer beneath Ruri's feet suddenly transformed, and golden ropes made of placer gold emerged, binding towards her body. Her wrists were entwined by gold dust ropes, but Ruri shook vigorously, easily breaking free from the gold dust wrapped around her wrists.
"It's truly a flexible ninjutsu."
Not only could the sea of sand cause large-scale attacks, but even light and delicate objects like ropes could be simulated with placer gold. This demonstrated the incredible chakra control of the Fourth Kazekage.
Because breaking free from Rasa's gold dust took some time, the surrounding Suna ninjas had already gathered their momentum. Kunai, shuriken, and wind blades from all directions were released towards her in unison.
Rasa's containment of her had undoubtedly created an excellent opportunity for these Suna ninjas to attack.
"Warm-up is over..."
The bright red light in Ruri's Sharingan eyes grew brighter.A dark red majestic light and shadow descended directly onto the earth. A blood-colored sword light, close to darkness, swept out.
A storm, surpassing even the Suna ninjas wind release, raged.
Everything within a ten-meter radius was instantly blown away, becoming a vacuum untouched by anyone.
The half-length giant, covered in hard dark red chakra armor, shrouded the body. The surrounding figures were reflected in its blood-red eyes, akin to a living entity, exuding a cold and heavy murderous aura.
Holding a dark red long sword in the right hand, the sword surrounded by a red ominous substance like mist and water, induced a natural fear in those witnessing this colossal sword.
"Could this be..."
The booming sound made the sand tremble, and countless particles filled the air.
Rasa also slightly stabilized his lower body, observing the huge and ominous entity enveloping Ruri's body, his eyes filled with shock.
"Is it the legendary Susano?"
Sunagakure had also collected numerous legends about Sharingan over time.
Moreover, many older-generation ninjas in Suna, like the two elders, Chiyo and Ebizo, shared their wisdom. Rasa had absorbed these teachings and knew many secrets in the ninja world.
The Uchiha's Sharingan was one of these secrets.
It was said that in the long history of the Uchiha clan, there would always be talents with rare gifts, enabling Sharingan to evolve and gain power beyond ordinary Sharingan.
That power was known as the Mangekyou Sharingan.
Using the Susanoo, the doujutsu symbolizing the "God of Destruction," Ruri rampaged on the battlefield.
Uchiha Madara had used this jutsu during the initial established of ninja villages, leaving a lasting impression on all nations.nThe jutsu Uchiha Ruri employed at this moment closely resembled the "Susanoo" mentioned byChiyo and Ebizo. A colossal giant condensed with chakra. But... wasn't the doujutsu exclusive to those with Mangekyou Sharingan?
Observing Uchiha Ruri's Sharingan, still in the three tomoe state, Rasa couldn't help but feel puzzled. If the three tomoe Sharingan could also utilize the Susanoo, then the three Uchiha ninjas who previously blocked his ninjutsu were covered in chakra armor. Wouldn't it be the same... No, that was impossible. It.was too exaggerated and deviates significantly from the information he knew about.
After summoning Susanoo, Ruri immediately started moving, charging towards Rasa.
Suppressing the fear within their hearts, the Suna nins rushed to stop her.
An aura as fierce as a gust of wind, emanated from the top of the Susanoo. Glancing at the Suna ninjas attempting to intercept her, Ruri didn't even lift her eyelids, controlling the colossal giant to sweep its sword in front of her.
The sound abruptly stopped.
Flesh and blood scattered, and under the hazy moonlight, a rain of bright and beautiful blood ensued.
Some descended from the sky, Kunai and swords clashed against Susanoo, attempting to create a gap to attack Ruri's body. Wind blades also flew from afar, and despite the powerful attack, there was barely any damage to the Susanoo except for a white markm
Many of the Suna ninjas displayed horror witnessing this scene.
Ruri doesn't derive pleasure from instilling fear in others; she respected enemies equally, she gave the greatest respect, delivering destruction and death as deemed fit.
Rasa observed Ruri pointing straight ahead, his eyes subtly fluctuating.
Ruri, in full sprint, sensed something. The gold rope appeared again, winding towards her body.
Having beenvigilant from the start, Ruri leaped upwards, reaching the top of Susano's head, avoiding Rasa's gold dust attack.
"Did you notice it so quickly? I know Susanoo below the fourth stage do have weakness."
Susanoos below the fourth stage could be considered semi-finished products because the base frame was vulnerable to enemy attacks.The true "absolute defense" began at the fourth stage of the Susanoo.
Seeing his sneak attack failed, Rasa, undeterred, began forming seals with his hands, and powerful chakra erupted from his body.
The sea of gold dust displaced the surrounding Suna ninjas, encircling Ruri from all directions.
Ruri was amused, she controlled the Susanoo, waving the dark red giant sword. The red sword light swept out, cutting the sea of gold dust in front of it in half.
However, gold sand continued one after the other , continuously and ever-changing in shape, unafraid of the Susano's sword glow.
The Susanoo persisted in using the chakra sword to launch the sword light, creating a path through the endless sea of gold dust. Although it could be restrained, it didn't hinder Ruri's advance.
Rasa's forehead was damp with cold sweat, feeling increased pressure as chakra consumption rose.
Ruri, standing atop the Susanoo's head, became a little irritated with Rasa's obstructive actions. She formed hand seals, condensed chakra in her mouth, and performed ninjutsu.
"Fireball!"
It was a super-large fireball surpassing the size of a standard fireball, hurtling from the front like a meteorite.
Rasa's face changed slightly, feeling the significant threat from the fireball. Without hesitation, the surrounding gold dust rushed forward, erecting a thick wall several meters high.
Boom!
The gold wall cracked, turned into golden flying powder, scattering. The fireball swept around in an extremely terrifying manner, transforming the unignitable desert into a sea of flames, burning relentlessly.
The surrounding Suna ninjas used various jutsus to resist the flames spreading toward them.
Rasa couldn't linger in his current position; the place was already engulfed in a sea of flames.
Rasa gazed at Ruri in the distance, a lingering fear in his heart. He took a deep breath, appearing somewhat downcast, and said to a guard beside him, "Send my order, Retreat!"
"Yes."
The guard Jōnin, didn't hesitate. He understood that continuing this stalemate would lead to inevitable defeat. A strategic withdrawal from the battlefield, minimizing casualties, was the best approach.
As Uchuha Ruri alone restrained most of their forces, including the Fourth Kazekage and his guards, the offensive capabilities of the Land of Demons ninja army were evidently lacking. Additionally, they were at a numerical disadvantage.
The three Uchiha Jōnin who followed Uchiha Ruri were the primary candidates in attacking the Suna army. After the skirmish, their bodies were already covered in blood.
When the order to retreat was issued, the Suna ninjas finally breathed a sigh of relief and began their withdrawal. However, the Oni ninjas were unwilling to let the Suna leave the battlefield easily. They persistently pursued, aiming for victory and attempting to eliminate as many enemies as possible.
Leveraging the long-range shooting advantage of the Kunai Gun, they continuously harassed the retreating Suna troops from the rear, causing exhaustion and delaying their retreat.
Numerous Suna ninjas, unaware for a moment, were directly shot to the ground by Kunai, rolling painfully in the sand.
Then, more Kunai showers rained down, plunging the surroundings into silence.
Rasa found himself at the rear of the team. Observing that most of the Suna ninjas had regrouped, he immediately plunged his hands into the sand and infused a substantial amount of chakra.
"Gold Dust Waves!"
The sea of gold dust manifested but, instead of directly rushing towards the enemy, it ascended to the sky.
The gold dust in the sky accumulated, seemingly covering the heavens, obscuring the moonlight through the clouds. Dark shadows shrouded the faces of the Oni ninjas, inducing panic and shock by the exaggerated scene before them.
The might of Kazekage, one of the Five Kages, was on full display, sending a chilling message.
"Charge!"
Rasa stopped his chakra supply, he had completed the operation.
In the next moment, the sea of gold dust covering the sky and sun descended like the Milky Way, flowing downward.
Just as the hundreds of Oni ninjas were about to be engulfed by the sea of gold dust, a dark red sword light suddenly appeared between the sea of gold dust and the pursuing Oni troops.
The sea of gold dust collided with the sword light's edge, bouncing back against an invisible barrier, creating golden waves, a spectacular sight.
Visible to the naked eye were distortions in the air or space along the invisible barrier, accompanied by dazzling lightning faintly revealing itself in the cracks of the distorting space.
Rasa's pupils narrowed slightly; his body shook. Shifting his gaze, he saw Ruri standing above tje Susanoo. The sword pose creating the space barrier had been executed by her.
Rasa noticed the opponent's basic tomoe Sharingan had disappeared, transforming into a different style with complex graphics, appearing mysterious and abnormal.
.....
Countless Suna ninja corpses lay on the sandy expanse, their demise sealed in pools of blood.
Yet, some of them survived, still breathing. Ruri didn't exterminate them all; instead, she instructed accompanying medical ninjas to temporarily save the lives of these wounded Suna ninjas. They were then taken into custody as prisoners.
According to statistics, 567 sand hidden ninjas perished, and 113 were captured in this attack. The assault resulted in the loss of one-third of the sand hidden elite troops led by the Fourth Kazekage.
Additionally, numerous Suna troops who evacuated with the Fourth Kazekage suffered various injuries. The Land of Demons bore a price, but compared to the losses incurred by Suna, it was negligible.
And also, due to Suna ninja's hasty retreat, various supplies left in the camp became spoils of war for Ruri's troops.
Overall, this attack was a resounding success.
Over one hundred captured Suna ninjas wore gloomy expressions, misery evident in their eyes.
They put their hands behind their backs, as the chakra metal cuffs restrained them. After defeating the Fourth Kazekage's troops, Ruri began planning the next move.
Summoning the Jōnin in the team, Ruri pulled out the map, pointing to a marked location and said:
"Next, we will swiftly capture this area while Suna hasn't yet reacted. At the same time, we will establish a branch military area here for future management. If there are no objections, act as soon as possible."
This area was in the northwest of the Land of Wind, very close to the territories of the Land of Honey and the Land of the Bears. Capturing this area relied on the supply bases of the Land of the Bear lsband the Land of Honey, without the worry of being attacked.
Simultaneously, it serves as the urgently needed resource procurement area for the Land of Demons, containing crucial resources such as oil and natural gas underground.
After all, the main objective of invading the Land of Wind's territory was to obtain sufficient industrial resources and simultaneously demonstrate the Land of Demons' national strength to other countries.
As long as they maintain their dominant position in suppressing Suna in the upcoming battles, other major countries will likely have no objections.
.....
When the Land of Wind encountered significant changes, Konoha faced criticism as the Uchiha clan was suddenly wiped out.
The doubt originated not from external forces but from within Konoha itself.
In any case, the Uchiha, one of Konoha's founding clan, had been wiped out, and the perpetrator was Uchiha Itachi, a former Anbu member.
While some still harbored doubts from different perspectives, labeling Itachi as the so-called genocide murderer, there was a certain degree of skepticism. However, based on Uchiha Sasuke's personal testimony, the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan, and Anbu's investigation results, the consensus pointed to Itachi as the perpetrator of the Uchiha genocide. This left the skeptical Konoha ninjas no choice but to accept this viewpoint.
In any case, it was an established fact that Uchiha Itachi's crime of genocide has been proven. The arrest warrant passed the early meeting of the high-level four-member council and was promptly promulgated to all countries.
During this period, the Hyuga clan garnered the most attention.
It was reported that after the Uchiha genocide, both the main family and branch family of the Hyuga clan, except for essential missions, mostly stayed in the clan.
In a specific meeting room in the Hokage Building, Hiruzen, Koharu, Homura, and Danzo gathered.
Since the Uchiha genocide, they had secretly discussed the subsequent processing issues more than once.
Despite their efforts, dissatisfaction lingered.
While many villagers outwardly accepted their narrative on the surface and blamed Uchiha Itachi, concealing the Uchiha's coup attempt, they were unaware of the speculations these ninjas were secretly brewing.
The crucial point was Itachi's failure to complete the mission perfectly.
Leaving Uchiha Sasuke behind was his biggest failure in the genocide mission.
"Regarding Uchiha Sasuke, let's follow Itachi's agreement. The Uchiha clan's land deeds and funds will be transferred to Uchiha Sasuke's account. As for the Uchiha clan's ninjutsu materials and various documents, the Anbu will retain them temporarily, handing them over to Uchiha Sasuke when he comes of age," Looking at the three, Hiruzen spoke slowly and gave a more pertinent suggestion.
The three had no objections. Uchiha Sasuke should rightfully inherit the Uchiha's legacy after the genocide.
As for the ninjutsu materials and documents, since Sasuke was still young, he lacked the maturity to understand those secrets. They could arrange for someone to teach him basic fire release and genjutsu.
"We will proceed as you've suggest. However, we mustn't be careless with this child. After all, he also carries the blood of the Uchiha clan. Whether he can break free from the clan's restrictions like Itachi and embrace the village's will of fire remains uncertain. Even after he comes of age, we should continue to observe him for a while," Homura said.
"Protecting Sasuke's safety is an agreement between us and Itachi. Itachi has sacrificed enough, we are supposed to show some leniency to his brother," Hiruzen frowned at Homura's sentiment.
"Hiruzen's words make sense. After all, Sasuke is the last bearer of the 'Uchiha' name. We shouldn't demand too much from a child. As long as he can find his place and be a Konoha ninja, that should be sufficient," Koharu chimed in.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, Danzo was about to dismiss Koharu's viewpoint, saying indifferently:
"Is there truly only one ninja bearing the name 'Uchiha' left? Don't forget that some Uchiha left Konoha more than ten years ago."
"You worry too much, Danzo. Those people are rogue ninjas, and they have long lost the orthodox identity of Uchiha. Moreover, they only dare to engage in shady little tricks in secret, living like lost dogs. As long as we remain vigilant against them and don't provide any opportunities, they won't dare to come to provoke Konoha. We won't give them a second chance to incite another Nine Tails rampage."
Koharu argued vehemently. In her view, the true Uchiha had always resided in Konoha, those who had defected were no longer orthodox Uchiha.
Even Itachi couldn't be considered an orthodox Uchiha at this point. Therefore, the only ninja who could bear the name of the "Uchiha" in the future was Uchiha Sasuke.
Uchiha Ruri and others who haf defected were merely lost dogs abandoned by the village, no longer representing Uchiha. Without Konoha's acknowledgement, they were merely traitors.
"Do as you please; I just want to emphasize that Konoha still faces a hidden crisis. Don't take it lightly at this time," Danzo stood up from his seat.
"Are you leaving now, Danzo?" Hiruzen inquired as Danzo rose.
Danzo nodded, "There are still many matters to deal with concerning Root. As for Uchiha Sasuke, and the aftermath of the Uchiha clan. I'll leave it to you to decide."
Uchiha Sasuke was different from Itachi; he didn't deserve the Root's troublesome attention. For Danzo, Uchiha Sasuke was merely a link connecting Konoha and Itachi. Apart from this, there was nothing worthy of his attention regarding Sasuke.
Just as Danzo was about to open the door, the conference room door was pushed open roughly.
"The situation is bad, Hokage-sama!" Hiruzen recognized the anxious Konoha ninja.
The individual was from the Communication Department of the Konoha Information Division, responsible for communication between Konoha and the outside world. The way he ran in to report in a panic – had something serious happened outside?
Before Hiruzen could inquire, the individual handed a letter to Hiruzen, reporting, "This is a public declaration of war from the Land of Demons to the Land of Wind. It has just been conveyed to the village. Now, the Land of Demons and the Land of Wind are officially at war."
"What did you say!!?"
Hiruzen and the other three stared. Even Danzo, who was about to leave, couldn't help but stop upon hearing the news.
The Land of Demons declaring war on the Land of Wind? Was war imminent once again? And it wass a neutral country declaring war on the five major powers... It seemed utterly inconceivable.
Although they knew the relationship between the Land of Demons and the Land of Wind had become tense due to the loan issue during the third Ninja World War, they never expected the two countries to escalate hostilities so quickly.
Hiruzen picked up the declaration of war handed over by the ninja and quickly scanned it. Indeed, as the ninja said, it was the Land of Demons' international declaration, officially announcing war against the Land of Wind. Once a declaration of war is issued, it signifies the potential for a full-scale war, not just a local conflict.
Hiruzen quickly perused the bottom of the declaration, where a signature was found. Seeing this signature, Hirizhan sat on the chair as if struck by lightning, displaying a profoundly shocked expression.
"Minister of Military Aircraft of the Land of Demons, Commander-in-Chief of the military... Chiba... Shiraishi!?"
How was this possible? Why was a Konoha rogue ninja in the Land of Demons and openly declaring war on the Land of Wind?
This must be a dream; otherwise, such hallucinations wouldn't be possible.
---
T/N: So working on chapter 508 I just had this Naruto fanfic idea. Would probably flesh out the idea soon. Btw up to chapter 295 is free on Patreon