The day of the decisive battle
Before dawn broke, the sun still hid beneath the desert's horizon.The barren sands lay shrouded in dim light, every grain of sand dusted with a cold, bluish-gray sheen.
Hinata Haruki's reconnaissance unit had set out early.Their mission was to map the battlefield's terrain before the fighting began, monitor enemy troop movements, and identify any possible ambush positions.Four hundred and twenty shinobi fanned out, sweeping the area so that every stretch of battlefield would be thoroughly scouted.
Haruki moved with two teammates — Hyūga Miyuki and Aburame Shiwei — to investigate the area behind a low sand dune.
Miyuki lowered her Byakugan and shook her head."No signs of an ambush," she reported.
A moment later, Shiwei extended his index finger, where a tiny kikaichū landed and folded its wings, relaying information to him.He looked up."This area's been fully mapped. Nothing suspicious — the battlefield's broad and flat. Not many places to hide."
"It's nothing like Konoha," Miyuki complained, shielding her eyes from the sun."Just endless sand. Not a shred of greenery. Dry air, scorching heat… the weather here's unbearable."
"Once we win this battle, the outcome will be all but decided," Haruki said reassuringly, and the three of them moved on toward another dune.
As the morning passed, the reconnaissance division's map of the battlefield grew clearer. They would only regroup when the fighting began.
By noon
The blazing sun hung high overhead, and the desert burned with suffocating heat.Under its glare, the uneven air density made the horizon waver like rippling water.On the endless expanse of gold sand, all was eerily silent — not even a breeze stirred.The stillness pressed down on the senses like a heavy weight.
Above, several vultures circled, perhaps drawn by the scent of blood… or perhaps sensing that a great battle was about to erupt, and waiting for the feast to come.
Suddenly, dark specks appeared on opposite ends of the desert.The specks multiplied, swelling into dense masses of shinobi as the armies of Sunagakure and Konohagakure charged toward the battlefield, plumes of dust billowing behind them.
From Konoha's side, Senju Tsunade and Hatake Sayun led at the front, flanked by elite guards. Behind them marched eleven thousand shinobi, with another thousand forming the reserve at the rear.
From the other side came Chiyo, Ebizō, and Karō, leading Sunagakure's eight thousand.When the two forces drew within a certain distance, they slowed to a halt.
The armies faced each other.The wind picked up, stirring the sand, and tension thickened like a drawn blade.
Tsunade's gaze swept over the Suna shinobi and saw in their eyes a fierce, restrained fighting spirit — like a volcano on the verge of eruption.A twinge of unease tightened her brow.
"Monster woman! Today I'll avenge Dosā!" Chiyo snarled through clenched teeth, her hatred flaring at the sight of her old rival.
"Hmph! Old hag — bring it on!" Tsunade shot back without losing an ounce of confidence, curling a finger at Chiyo in open provocation.
"Who are you calling old hag, monster woman?!" Chiyo's eyes went wide, fists clenched.
"Whoever calls me 'monster woman,' that's who!" Tsunade barked, an angry cross mark throbbing on her temple.
"Slug woman! Monster woman! Monster slug!"
"O–L–D H–A–G!"
Their insults flew back and forth until they both turned away with a sharp "Hmph!" and "Tch!", cheeks flushed with anger.
The battle was about to begin.
Meanwhile, in the reconnaissance unit
Nara Shikaku studied the battlefield map while Haruki and his team stood nearby.A messenger arrived, reporting briskly:
"A small Suna detachment is looping eastward — looks like they're trying to get behind our lines! Around a thousand of them. No other notable movements."
"Are they planning to flank us when the battle starts? Or attack our main camp? Or cut off our retreat?" Shikaku wondered aloud.
"A thousand isn't enough to surround us," he reasoned."Attacking the main camp would be too blatant, especially with our defenses there — they'd never break through.That means they're likely aiming to block or pursue us if we retreat or collapse."
Haruki frowned in thought."But… does that mean Suna's confident we'll retreat or lose? Where would they get such confidence? They've got no real advantage…"
Shikaku's brow furrowed as well."Report it to Lady Tsunade."
On hearing this, Tsunade immediately dispatched five hundred shinobi to intercept the detachment.
A gust of wind swept the battlefield, stirring up sand.Tsunade's eyes sharpened. She thrust out her hand."Attack!!"
Konoha's ninjutsu corps commander raised his right hand high."Ninjutsu corps — advance! Prepare jutsu!"
Nearly a thousand shinobi leapt forward, lining up in ranks and flying through hand seals.
Across the field, Chiyo shouted her own order:"Ninjutsu corps — attack!"
Hundreds of Suna shinobi leapt into position.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullets!"
Hundreds of Konoha shinobi spat blazing fireballs in unison.
Beside them, others sealed and shouted:"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Fierce winds roared from their lungs, driving the swarm of fireballs into a colossal wall of flame that tore across the desert.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Suna responded instantly — twice as many water-style shinobi poured gushing streams from their mouths, merging them into a towering wall of churning water.
Sizzle!Steam burst skyward as fire met water, cloaking the field in a dense, hot mist.
Kunai laced with explosive tags whistled through the fog, detonations and screams mingling in the haze.
"Kill them! Into the mist!"Konoha shinobi surged forward, eager for close combat.
"Charge! Cut them down!"Suna shinobi met them head-on.
Steel clashed, sparks flying.The mist boiled away under the desert heat, revealing the chaotic melee — blades flashing, blood splattering.
Tsunade and Chiyo held their positions in the command center, each waiting for the right moment.
But Hatake Sayun — the White Fang — cared nothing for holding back.Drawing his short, pale blade, he darted into the thickest knot of enemies.
Two Suna shinobi lunged with kunai.
Sayun shifted his stance mid-run, his speed exploding.In an instant, he slipped between them.
A silver arc flashed.The two froze.Sayun had already sheathed his blade, running on without a backward glance.Only then did thin lines of blood bloom across their vital points, spraying crimson into the air as they fell.
Sayun's blade work tore through Suna ranks, his squad of elite Konoha shinobi following in his wake, scattering the enemy formation.
The ten-meter radius around him became a death zone — no Suna shinobi within it left alive.
Under this pressure, Suna's lines began to waver.
"Not much longer now…" Chiyo muttered.
Ebizō glanced toward the horizon, then nodded to Karō."Time for our reinforcements. Suna will prevail!"
Karō left with a hundred wind-style shinobi.
In the desert's depths, the wind began to howl.Dust clouds rose, spreading fast.The wind sharpened into a gale — and then into a storm.
Back in the reconnaissance unit, Haruki felt his stomach tighten.He activated his Byakugan, scanning the horizon.
"This is… not good. A sandstorm!!"