Chapter 81: The Crucible of Command
Kagenori observed from his perch high in a tree, his gaze fixed on the team of Cloud-nin resting by the riverbank below. They were relaxed, unsuspecting—perfect targets.
He spoke to the four Uchiha without looking at them, his voice flat. "When you are ready, you may begin the operation."
Uchiha Keiichi, his face pale, dared to voice the concern they all shared. "Captain... Jinno's wrist and leg are still injured. For just the four of us to assault a squad of that size... our chances of success are minimal."
Kagenori's head turned slowly, his eyes cold and impersonal. "First, that is an order. Second, if you wish to assign blame, place it upon Uchiha Kazuo. Had he not provoked me, I would not be bothering with you. Unfortunately, he angered me. And now, I am angry. You understand the implication."
The four Uchiha exchanged grim looks. They understood, all right. They just didn't want to. It was Kazuo who had incurred his wrath, yet they were the ones facing a suicide mission. The injustice of it was galling.
Before they could formulate another protest, Kagenori vanished in a whisper of leaves, leaving them alone with their dread.
Uchiha Kyosuke let out a long, weary sigh. "There's no choice. We move."
With heavy hearts, the four began their silent advance, using the river's noise and cover to approach the unsuspecting Cloud-nin.
From his vantage point, Kagenori watched their progress. While his anger at Kazuo was genuine, and this punishment was deliberate, he had no intention of letting them die. Letting them be killed or gravely injured was counterproductive; it would cause more problems for him and for Orochimaru than it was worth. This was a lesson in fear and obedience, not a death sentence. He would let them sweat, let them feel the brush of mortality, but he would not let it claim them.
Uchiha Kyosuke and his team emerged from the water with lethal silence. Kyosuke was the first to strike, launching a volley of kunai and shuriken. Before the Cloud-nin could fully react, Uchiha Keiichi and Uchiha Ryuhei completed their seals.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)
Twin orbs of fire erupted amidst the resting squad. The result was devastating. Two Genin, caught completely off guard, were impaled by the flying blades and then consumed by the inferno. A Chunin was scorched by the blast, crying out in pain.
The Cloud-nin scrambled, but Kyosuke was already enacting the second phase of their plan. He yanked his hands, and nearly invisible wires attached to his earlier projectiles went taut, revealing burning explosive tags. The Cloud-nin recoiled in alarm, scrambling backward as the tags detonated, sending shrapnel and dust flying. A third Genin was caught in the blast, his life extinguished in an instant.
In the ensuing chaos, Uchiha Jinno, moving despite his injuries, locked eyes with a disoriented Chunin.
"Genjutsu: Yabō no Jutsu!" (Illusion Technique: Shackling Stakes Technique)
The Chunin's eyes glazed over, his body freezing as his mind convinced him he was pinned by massive iron spikes. Jinno lunged, driving a kunai into the man's heart before he could break the illusion.
As the smoke cleared, the two groups faced each other across the riverbank. The sneak attack had been brutally effective. The Cloud-nin force was halved, now numbering only seven. Uchiha Kyosuke's team was, miraculously, unharmed.
But the advantage of surprise was gone. Now, it was a straight fight, and the numbers were still against them: four Chunin, two Genin, and the squad's leader—a Tokubetsu Jonin.
The Cloud Jonin's eyes widened as he took in the distinctive red eyes of his attackers. "Four Uchiha?!" he barked. "All together! Kill them! And do not look directly into their eyes!"
The seven remaining Cloud-nin surged forward. The four Uchiha scattered instantly, a tactical necessity to avoid being surrounded.
Uchiha Keiichi, the weakest, and the injured Jinno stuck together, drawing the attention of several attackers. Uchiha Ryuhei led another group on a chase through the trees. They fought a desperate, retreating action, buying time and space.
The strongest among them, Uchiha Kyosuke, found himself facing the Cloud Tokubetsu Jonin alone.
"Rairyū: Shōryū!" (Cloud Style: Rising Dragon)
The Jonin was a blur of motion, a short blade in hand, feinting with an elbow strike before reversing his grip and stabbing for Kyosuke's heart. Kyosuke blocked the initial blow and managed a powerful kick to the man's torso, forcing him back a step, but not before the Jonin's blade tip scored a shallow, stinging cut across his chest.
"Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique)
Kyosuke retaliated with a jet of flame, forcing the Jonin to substitute with a nearby log. The Jonin reappeared behind him, but Kyosuke's Sharingan tracked the movement. He ducked under the swinging blade, creating precious distance.
"Rairyū: Hien!" (Cloud Style: Flying Swallow)
The Jonin leaped back, swinging his sword to send a crescent of crackling lightning chakra arcing toward Kyosuke. Kyosuke blocked it with a kunai, but the lightning properties sent a numbing jolt through his arm. Seizing the opening, the Jonin pressed his attack, a relentless flurry of strikes that drove Kyosuke back, leaving him barely able to defend himself.
The situations of the other three were no better. Uchiha Ryuhei was bleeding from a gash on his arm, harried by two Chunin. Keiichi and Jinno were back-to-back, fending off their own attackers, their movements growing sluggish with fatigue and injury.
Bit by bit, the Cloud-nin herded them, forcing the four Uchiha back together until they stood in a ragged, defensive circle, surrounded.
"What do we do? The numbers are too much!" Uchiha Keiichi panted, his Sharingan spinning wildly.
"He's really abandoned us..." Uchiha Jinno muttered, clutching his injured wrist.
"This is too far... he's gone too far this time," Uchiha Ryuhei growled.
"Is this it? Is this how it ends?" Kyosuke thought, his eyes darting between the encircling, grim-faced Cloud-nin. Despair began to creep into their hearts. Kagenori was nowhere to be seen. He had truly left them to die.
The Cloud Tokubetsu Jonin stepped forward, a cruel smile on his face as he raised his crackling sword for the final order. "Finish them!"