Chapter 105: Chain Reaction, Gold Dust
In early August of Konoha Year 46, ninja from Kumogakure launched a surprise attack, invading the Land of Wind and catching Sunagakure completely off guard. This event officially marked the beginning of the Third Great Ninja War.
In truth, Iwagakure and Kirigakure, much like Kumogakure, had long known about the disappearance of Sunagakure's Kazekage. They too were secretly preparing for war, but they hadn't mobilized immediately, allowing the swift-acting Kumogakure to seize the initiative.
Once Kumogakure made its move, Iwagakure halted its own plans.
"Let's go to war!"
"Those Cloud ninja are too arrogant! How dare they wage war on Sunagakure while keeping us under surveillance!"
"Exactly! We can divide our forces, cut off the retreat path of the Cloud ninja attacking Suna, and then cooperate with Sunagakure to annihilate this enemy force!"
…
In the council room, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, quietly listened to the heated arguments among his top officials.
The Land of Earth was undoubtedly closer to the Land of Wind. They had received intelligence about the Kazekage's disappearance no later than Kumogakure, yet they were a step slower to act.
However, Onoki did not regret his cautious preparations. Being slow had its advantages—it made it easier to see the situation clearly.
Besides, although Sunagakure was currently leaderless with its forces scattered, leaving the Land of Wind vulnerable, that godforsaken place had an even harsher environment than the Land of Earth or the Land of Lightning.
Furthermore, Sunagakure's strength was not to be underestimated.
Onoki didn't believe the Cloud-nin could conquer Sunagakure this time. And even if they had the strength to do so, he would not permit it. For now, he could simply watch the Cloud and Sand ninja fight, depleting each other's strength. He would make his move when the time was right.
"Ahem!"
Seeing that the arguments had run their course, Onoki coughed lightly, and the room immediately fell silent.
"Since the Cloud-nin are so impatient," Onoki said, "let them wear down Sunagakure's strength first."
"Keep a close watch on the battle between Suna and Kumo. Also, do not cease our war preparations."
"The moment we intervene in this war, Kumogakure will certainly attack us. Therefore, we must be prepared to simultaneously counter an attack from their direction. It's possible they might even attack the Land of Earth directly from the sea."
The Iwagakure leadership nodded in agreement with Onoki's assessment. Those barbarians from Kumo would definitely attack proactively rather than defend. Still, many were dissatisfied with Onoki's decision to remain an observer for the time being. However, Onoki's prestige was high enough that no one raised an objection.
Seeing no further dissent, Onoki continued, "The intelligence department must also closely monitor Konohagakure's movements."
"In addition, accelerate our infiltration of the Land of Grass and Kusagakure."
Someone spoke up. "If we're to attack the Land of Fire, wouldn't it be more convenient to deploy troops from the Land of Rain? The Land of Grass is closer, but its complex terrain is unfavorable for logistics."
Just because ninja could ignore terrain didn't mean their supply lines could. The transport of weapon replacements, medical supplies, and other materials couldn't be done quickly by ninja dashing through rivers and mountains. It was simply impossible. Even sealing scrolls had limited storage capacity and were too expensive for large-scale logistics.
This was why the Land of Rain, also surrounded by major nations, had become a battlefield. Aside from Hanzo's self-destructive actions during the Second Great Ninja War, its terrain was a major factor.
"The Land of Rain will, of course, be the main front," Onoki said coolly. "But the Land of Grass is perfect for a surprise attack. We might just catch Konoha completely off guard."
"If we are engaged with Sunagakure and Kumogakure, we cannot allow Konoha to simply watch from the sidelines. As long as we drag Konoha into the war, the other ninja villages won't be able to resist joining in against them. That will be our opportunity."
The gathered leaders nodded, and the proposal was unanimously approved.
Meanwhile, in Kirigakure, inside the Mizukage's tower.
The Third Mizukage squinted as he scanned the high-ranking officials seated before him, his gaze lingering for a moment on the arrogant clan head of the Kaguya.
"Everyone," the Mizukage began, his voice calm, "we did not participate in the last Great Ninja War. Since then, our village's influence on the continent has waned daily. It has even allowed Sunagakure and the Land of Fire's influence to seep into the seas, stealing a portion of our maritime missions."
"Now, Kumogakure has declared war on Sunagakure. This is an excellent opportunity."
"Therefore..." The Mizukage's gaze shifted to the Kaguya clan head. "I want all of you to prepare for war immediately."
"The Kaguya clan will act as the vanguard. First, you will eliminate all of Sunagakure's forces at sea, then invade the southern Land of Wind to support the main forces that will follow."
They're always jumping around the Land of Water, clamoring for a fight, the Mizukage thought. Since they love to kill so much, they can go kill elsewhere.
A smile spread across the Kaguya clan head's face. "Lord Mizukage, rest assured. The Kaguya clan will not disappoint the village!"
The Mizukage nodded and continued, "I will have the Anbu closely monitor Konoha's movements. The moment Konoha enters the war, we will launch a surprise attack."
"This time, not only will we completely eradicate Sunagakure's and Konoha's power from the seas, but we will also project our village's strength onto the continent. The Land of Rivers, the Land of Tea, the former Land of Whirlpools, the Land of Waves—these are all targets we must seize. And perhaps even... the southern Land of Fire."
These words invigorated the Kirigakure leadership. They saw immense profit before them. The spoils of the Land of Water had long been divided; expansion was far better than internal strife. Besides, the sea, for all its vastness, was not as rich as the continent. The Land of Fire, in particular, was a fat piece of meat ripe for the carving.
In an instant, the high-ranking officials were all volunteering for battle.
A faint smile touched the Mizukage's eyes. This was exactly what he wanted. He would use the war to divert internal conflicts outward. It would also serve as a good way to select the next Mizukage, as his own body wouldn't hold out for much longer.
In the northeastern region of the Land of Wind, just outside an oasis town. Atop a towering stone pillar, Kinoshita Genichi and Gekkō Ryūfū lay prone, observing the battlefield ahead.
Sand and Cloud ninja were locked in a deadly struggle, fighting for control of the oasis town.
The Land of Wind was a desert nation. To invade it, Kumogakure had to use the scattered oases and small towns as nodes. Without them, their advance would be unsustainable, and they could easily get lost.
This highlighted a key difference between the Land of Wind and other nations. The Land of Wind was essentially a large nation formed by a union of many smaller states. Because the oases were so widely distributed and travel between them was difficult, each oasis was practically a semi-independent country, like the ancient nation of Roran. These states were fiefdoms granted by the Land of Wind's Daimyō.
The reason Kumogakure had traveled so far, crossing several countries to attack the Land of Wind, was to seize control of the mission contracts here. By breaking Sunagakure's power, they could convince these feudal lords to hire Kumogakure for missions instead, securing economic funding in the process. If they could completely crush Sunagakure, they could take over the entire Land of Wind.
Although this was a near-impossible feat, the militarily ambitious Kumogakure felt it was worth a try.
"Captain, Iwagakure still hasn't made a move," Gekkō Ryūfū said in a low voice. "Kumo's attack is so fierce. They're only four oases away from Sunagakure. Is Suna really going to be wiped out?"
Genichi listened and gave a small smile. "Don't underestimate Sunagakure. They were only caught off guard because their forces were scattered."
"If Kumo had thrown several thousand troops in at once, they might have pushed all the way to the village. But now…"
Swoosh! Swoosh!
A faint sound of movement cut through the air, and Sarutobi Mikage appeared beside them. "Captain, Sunagakure's reinforcements are almost here."
"One force is coming from the direction of the village. Another is approaching from the east—it must be the teams that were searching for the Third Kazekage, now regrouped and heading straight for the battle."
With Kumogakure's invasion, Sunagakure's search for their Kazekage had officially failed. The Suna teams dispatched in all directions had been urgently recalled. But the recall took time, which was why Suna had been suffering successive defeats, nearly getting overrun by the Cloud-nin.
Hearing Sarutobi Mikage's report, a smile appeared on Genichi's face. "Perfect timing. Now we don't have to help."
"Have Tōdō pull back as well."
Sarutobi Mikage nodded and vanished. Soon, he and Akimichi Tōdō returned. The four of them lay together on the stone pillar, watching the battle unfold.
The reinforcements from Sunagakure arrived first.
And then, Genichi's team saw a terrifying, overwhelming wave of golden sand.
"That is…"
"So... so strong!"
Sarutobi Mikage and the others couldn't help but stare wide-eyed. In a single moment, an entire Kumo squad was engulfed and annihilated.
Gekkō Ryūfū couldn't help but ask, "Captain, what is that jutsu?"
Genichi had already recognized it. "Sunagakure's Magnet Release."
Akimichi Tōdō looked puzzled. "Does someone else in Sunagakure besides the Third Kazekage possess Magnet Release?"
"It seems so now," Genichi replied. "And it's different from the Third Kazekage's. That must be... Gold Dust."
Gold Dust?
Akimichi Tōdō and the other two exchanged glances. Wasn't that a bit extravagant?
Genichi smiled. "Kumogakure is going to lose this battle."
Gekkō Ryūfū gasped in a low voice, "The scale of that jutsu is getting bigger and bigger... it's like a sandstorm."
"No," Genichi corrected, "it's stronger than a sandstorm."
Before their eyes, a torrential flood of Gold Dust surged, crashing down on the Cloud ninja like a tidal wave. It glittered brilliantly under the sun, so bright that Ryūfū and the others found it dazzling.
Akimichi Tōdō squinted. "Gold Dust... the desert must be full of it, right? This is his home turf."
Gekkō Ryūfū turned to look at Genichi's profile and asked softly, "Captain, if you had to fight that person in this terrain, would you be confident you could win?"
Akimichi Tōdō and Sarutobi Mikage also turned their gazes to Genichi. Though they had only worked together for a short time, all three were already in awe of his strength and felt they had yet to see its upper limits. In recent fights, Genichi had mostly used genjutsu to end battles with an effortless grace, which had turned Gekkō Ryūfū into a devoted admirer.
Feeling their gazes, Genichi smiled faintly. "With fights, you never know until you're in one."
"However, an environment like this is indeed poorly suited for Water Release. If his genjutsu resistance is strong, it could be a bit troublesome to deal with him. And if I fail to finish him in the first encounter, fighting him again without any improvement on my part would likely be even harder."
Gekkō Ryūfū listened, a thoughtful look on her face. "Is it related to intelligence?"
Genichi nodded. "Exactly."
That man knows nothing about me, he thought, but I know quite a bit about him. The Sharingan alone is enough to make him suffer a major loss. Who knows, it might be just like with Orochimaru—an instant kill on the first meeting!
(End of Chapter)
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