A cloud of dust billowed up as Shihouin Naraku landed gracefully, dismounting from his Sky Comet Dragon. The massive creature's wings folded against its scaled body as its master surveyed the aftermath of the successful ambush.
"Cloud shinobi will discover something's wrong with their supply team soon," Naraku announced to his assembled forces. "Once we've cleaned up the battlefield, we need to prepare for immediate withdrawal."
"Understood!" His subordinates responded in unison.
The recent battle had taken its toll on their spoils of war. Several storage scrolls had been damaged during the exchange of ninjutsu, reducing their overall haul. It was an unfortunate but acceptable loss.
Naraku watched as his team carefully collected the intact scrolls, storing them for later examination. With a decisive wave of his hand, he ordered the retreat. Time was of the essence now.
These captured supply scrolls presented their own challenge. Simply possessing them didn't grant immediate access to their contents. Each village used different sealing techniques, and Cloud shinobi's methods were particularly complex. They would need a specialist proficient in fuinjutsu—sealing techniques—to safely unlock the scrolls' contents.
Of course, Naraku himself could break the seals by force if necessary. However, such brute methods would destroy everything stored within, rendering the supplies useless. Better to wait and do things properly once they reached safety.
It took Cloud shinobi nearly half an hour to realize their supply convoy had failed to arrive on schedule. When search parties finally discovered the battle site, they found nothing but carnage and empty ground where their precious supplies should have been.
"Damn it all!" The lead Cloud shinobi's voice echoed across the ravaged landscape.
"Those Konoha bastards!" Another ninja spat on the ground in disgust.
"They've taken everything! All our supplies are gone!"
"Someone notify Lord Raikage immediately! Konoha forces have penetrated deep into our territory!"
"Right away!"
The Cloud shinobi leader furiously ordered search parties to scour the surrounding area. Despite their best efforts, they found only faint traces and cold trails. The Konoha forces had vanished like smoke in the wind.
When the Fourth Raikage received this latest catastrophic news, his legendary temper exploded. After venting his considerable rage on several unfortunate trees and boulders, he had no choice but to assign larger escort details to protect future supply convoys. It was a drain on their military resources they could ill afford.
In the days that followed, Hyuga Hiashi transformed his assault force into Cloud shinobi's worst nightmare. They struck supply convoys with guerrilla tactics, appearing from nowhere and vanishing before reinforcements could arrive.
Though increased security meant smaller hauls with each raid, the psychological impact proved devastating. Cloud shinobi lost numerous ninja to these attacks, and the constant threat made supply runs increasingly difficult. The disrupted logistics began affecting front-line operations.
Rather than disbanding after initial successes, Hyuga Hiashi's team evolved their tactics. They would strike at one location, seize what supplies they could, then relocate entirely before Cloud shinobi could organize a response. It was a deadly game of cat and mouse across Lightning Country's mountainous terrain.
Naraku had carefully assembled this team with one goal in mind—maximum sensory capability. He had handpicked members from Konoha's most perceptive clans. Even if they failed to capture supplies, their primary mission was disruption and demoralization.
Cloud shinobi found themselves increasingly frustrated by this elusive Konoha unit. Multiple attempts to trap or ambush them failed spectacularly. Even when they used supply convoys as bait, loading them with minimal goods while maximizing guards, the raids continued.
The team's composition made them nearly impossible to surprise. Members of the Hyuga clan provided unmatched visual reconnaissance with their Byakugan. The Inuzuka clan brought their enhanced senses of smell and their ninja hounds. The Aburame clan's insects served as a living sensor network. The Yamanaka clan contributed their mental sensing techniques and communication abilities.
Between visual perception, scent tracking, insect surveillance, and mental detection, Naraku felt confident that Cloud shinobi couldn't possibly evade every sensing method simultaneously. If they somehow managed to destroy this team despite all these advantages, he would accept the loss with grace.
After establishing Hyuga Hiashi's raiding operations, Shihouin Naraku returned his attention to Thunder Gorge. The main battle had already begun in earnest.
Before departing, he had distributed Konoha's reinforcements across various defensive positions and strongholds. These fresh troops, while lacking combat experience and raw power, proved invaluable for support roles. They handled intelligence relay, supply distribution, and medical evacuation with competent efficiency.
Naraku understood their limitations but also recognized their importance. Not every ninja needed to be a front-line fighter. These support roles freed up his veteran forces for actual combat while ensuring smooth operations behind the lines.
"What in the name of the Sage is this?"
"This can't be Thunder Gorge!"
"Why is the entire mountain on fire?"
The Cloud shinobi reinforcements from the village finally arrived at what should have been Thunder Gorge. The sight that greeted them defied comprehension and shattered morale in equal measure.
The familiar fortress they had known was simply gone. In its place stood a mountain wreathed in flames, burning like a massive torch against the sky. The impregnable pass that Cloud shinobi Village and the Land of Lightning had invested fortunes to construct had vanished completely, consumed by the inferno.
"Shihouin Naraku did this?" someone whispered in awe and terror.
The Fourth Raikage stood silent, his expression grave as he absorbed the strategic implications. This war had just become exponentially more difficult.
"Lord Raikage, we've discovered something!" A scout appeared at his side. "There's a path leading to the mountain's summit!"
"Show me immediately!"
The Raikage followed his subordinate to where a narrow, winding path snaked up the burning mountainside. He studied it for a long moment before driving his foot into the ground with explosive force. The earth shattered beneath the impact, leaving a meter-deep crater.
"This is definitely Shihouin Naraku's handiwork!" Ai growled.
The path was too convenient, too obvious. Any seasoned commander would recognize it as bait. The Fourth Raikage understood the trap perfectly—this wasn't a path to victory but a killing field designed to funnel Cloud shinobi into prepared defenses.
They could attempt to force their way up, but the cost would be astronomical. Cloud shinobi blood would paint every meter of that winding trail before they reached the summit. It was a road to hell, carefully crafted for maximum casualties.
"Damn that man!"
This unexpected development forced Cloud shinobi to halt their planned immediate assault. They needed new strategies to address this unprecedented situation.
In the temporary command post, the Fourth Raikage spent the entire night in heated discussion with his general staff. They debated countless proposals, discarded most as impractical, and finally settled on several approaches that demanded testing regardless of risk.
Thunder Gorge remained too strategically vital to abandon. No one dared suggest retreat.
Scouts had confirmed that the mountain's far side—the area controlled by Konoha forces—remained free of flames. In theory, Cloud shinobi could circle around and attack from that direction.
But such a maneuver would consume precious time they didn't have. Moreover, they would still face whatever defenses Konoha had established on that side. Without the element of surprise, it would be another costly assault.
The optimal strategy would be simultaneous attacks from both sides, trapping Konoha forces on the mountaintop. Unfortunately, Cloud shinobi simply lacked sufficient forces for such an ambitious operation.
At dawn the next day, Cloud shinobi forces sprang into action with renewed purpose.
From their vantage point atop the mountain, the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho trio observed the enemy's movements with interest. Cloud shinobi swarmed like ants at the mountain's base, clearly preparing something significant.
Akimichi Choza squinted down at the activity, his curiosity evident. "What are they planning now?"
"Who can say for certain?" Yamanaka Inoichi replied with a shrug.
Nara Shikaku studied the patterns of movement below, his tactical mind already analyzing their intentions. "They're attempting to extinguish the flames. It's actually quite logical when you think about it."
"Ha! They're in for disappointment then." Choza's booming laugh echoed across the mountaintop.
"Seems we won't need to worry about combat for a while yet."
After assigning sentries to monitor Cloud shinobi's progress, Shikaku departed to attend to other defensive preparations.
At the mountain's base, Cloud shinobi had developed a practical if labor-intensive solution to the flame barrier. Using standard water or earth release techniques would drain too much chakra from their forces. An average ninja would exhaust their reserves after just one or two such jutsu.
Since most battles ultimately devolved into close combat, preserving chakra was essential. They couldn't afford to waste it on firefighting.
Instead, Cloud shinobi implemented a simpler approach. They excavated massive quantities of sand and earth from the surrounding area, using it to smother the flames section by section. While time-consuming and exhausting, the method proved effective.
The actual labor fell to genin and lower-ranked chunin, preserving the strength of their elite forces. Jonin and experienced chunin maintained defensive positions, watching for any Konoha assault on their exposed workers.
"Progress is better than expected," one commander reported. "At this rate, we'll have a clear path within hours."
Though impatient by nature, the Fourth Raikage resisted the urge to rush his forces. This situation demanded methodical action, not haste. Charging blindly up that mountain would be suicide.
Just as Ai turned to return to his command post for further planning, a sharp whistling filled the air. Multiple projectiles arced down from the mountaintop.
"Incoming!"
The alert Cloud shinobi guards reacted instantly, their kunai flashing as they deflected the projectiles away from the work crews.
The distinctive hiss of burning paper followed immediately. Every deflected weapon had explosive tags attached.
"Take cover!"
The tags detonated in sequence, filling the air with thunderous explosions. Flames and debris scattered across the carefully cleared areas. Where Cloud shinobi had spent hours smothering fires, fresh flames now danced mockingly.
The Cloud shinobi workers stared in horror at their ruined efforts. Hours of backbreaking labor had been undone in seconds. The flames they had so carefully extinguished roared back to life, fed by the explosive tags' incendiary payload.
All their work had been for nothing. The burning mountain stood as defiant as ever, mocking their efforts with renewed flames.
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