Chapter 22: Guerrilla warfare !
Day 220
After dismantling several small raids sent by Tsuchi No Kuni, Madara and Sakura had been able to obtain information about the next planned attacks. Few of the shinobi had any concrete information beyond their current mission. But one of them had hinted that the land of rain would be a potential target.
That was all it took for Madara to decide to leave the land of fire and head west, especially towards the second largest city in the land of rain. Going to the capital would have been useless and stupid, not because of the shinobi loyal to Konoha, but because it would be an unnecessary expenditure of energy and would force them to reveal themselves to the wrong people sooner than expected.
Furthermore, during their journey through the various elemental nations, Sakura and Madara had redirected many villages towards Heiwa. And this was possible either by saving them or by manipulating them. Indeed, Madara made the people do what the Uchiha wanted.
No one had forbidden the use of the Sharingan when an entire crowd was watching him give a speech. Madara was using this advantage to emphasize the threat and the need for these villages to join Ta No Kuni and its capital Heiwa as soon as possible.
Madara and Sakura were currently in one of the largest cities in the land of rain, one of Hi No Kuni's vassals. They were getting closer to their next destination.
— "Do you really think this is a good idea Madara-san ?" Sakura whispered as they moved through the crowd.
— "Yes," Madara replied as people moved out of their way. They were armed and they weren't hiding it. Also, Madara was tall and could be seen from a distance.
— "Why here ?" Sakura insisted as she walked beside him, keeping an eye on the surroundings in case of an attack.
— "Because I've learned to develop my sensory affinity," the dark-haired man answered, who was almost at the edge of the city. This one had a small wall and you could only enter through two gates. Of course as a ninja, that kind of wall was a joke and wouldn't stop you.
— "I thought it was an ability that had to be innate to use," the surprised young woman said.
— "Let's just say the Sharingan has its advantages," Madara added mysteriously with a small smile.
— "What do you mean ?" The doctor insisted.
They arrived near the main gate where there were many guards who looked at the two ninjas with suspicion and at the same time fear. Few people had the opportunity to see ninjas or even know what they looked like. And it was the officer who determined that the tall, dark-haired man was probably a shinobi... or at least a samurai by the swords on his belt.
— "Manipulation, illusion, security... with these three things I can get all the tongues wagging," the Uchiha began as he stopped in the middle of the large doorway, half blocking the passage of civilians. "Make my target believe she is safe at home, use her own memories to force her to reveal to someone close to her, the information I desire."
— "You stole a sensory shinobi's understanding ?" Sakura said more in affirmation than in questioning. It was even a given that that was what he had done. "What range ?"
— "When we're in a place without civilization : miles. And the more chakra the person has, the easier it will be to spot them," Madara replied as he looked straight ahead before undoing his long cloak, revealing more of his weapons to the people around him.
Seeing this gesture, the civilians moved away from him and the soldiers took their weapons in hand.
— "Oh my !" Said the officer as he approached the two warriors, accompanied by a dozen men. "No trouble in this town !"
Madara and Sakura said nothing, they both looked towards the horizon and ignored the people around them.
— "Hey ! I'm talking to you !" The man snarled as he reached for the hilt of his own sword.
— "Put your weapons away if you don't want to get hurt," Madara threatened, releasing a tiny amount of killing intent. And that was enough to make the men surrounding them take a step back.
— "How many do you count, Master ?" Sakura said as she resumed her role as apprentice with the people around them.
—" A little over a hundred... looks like the Tsuchikage is going on the offensive," Madara replied as he watched a thin cloud of dust looming on the horizon, a sign that a troop was approaching in that direction.
— "What are you doing ?" Demanded the officer who didn't like the way things were going.
— "We're saving your life !" Madara said before moving forward while talking to the pink-haired woman. "If a shinobi gets too close to the city Sakura-san : kill him !"
— "Hai !"
— "What the hell are you talking about !" Ordered the man who didn't understand what was going on before a steady bell sounded throughout the town : They were under attack !
Madara moved slowly as the civilians began to run towards the city gates in order to get the protection of the city walls as well as the soldiers.
Everyone ignored the Uchiha, but no one bumped into him, as if what he was giving off was enough to not want to mess with him.
The fight would be faster if the young woman accompanied him, but he wanted to test her abilities. Thanks to Sakura's uncommon skills and abilities, Madara Uchiha had recovered his second Sharingan and he intended to use it to its fullest power.
As the troop from the land approached, Uchiha Madara activated his Dôjutsu.
There were just over a hundred of them, Madara counted a large number of Chunin and Genin. From the regulation and their chakra reserves, he estimated six Jônin. Probably the leaders of the attack.
The patriarch took a deep breath, then exhaled for a long time to regulate his body properly. Then suddenly he saw them ! They were straight ahead of him, about a hundred metres away, running directly towards him. The dark-haired man also began to run, slowly at first, but then gradually accelerating.
There were only twenty meters left... ten meters... at this distance, all the shinobi of the land had seen the man charging them. Madara could see surprise in their eyes, and mostly incomprehension. After all, who would be suicidal enough to charge an armed force full of shinobi ? But this incomprehension was perfect for Madara to take advantage of.
A dozen projectiles approached him, he deflected to his right while drawing one of his weapons to position it at his neck. He deflected, one, two, three kunai before lowering his blade towards his left lung. Two more clangs were heard as two shuriken struck the Uchiha's blade. He had just neutralized the attack of ten enemy soldiers in two movements.
Five meters ! Madara calculated the trajectory to kill the one in front of him. It was one of the leaders ! Two meters... one meter ! The Jônin cocked his arm with a war cry, except that for Madara's trained eyes, he was too slow. He swung his weight to the side and avoided the blade before decapitating the shinobi in one fluid motion.
The first blood was drawn !
Parrying, dodging, acrobatics, everything was used by Uchiha Madara who was worse than water to grip with his hands. His eyes were analyzing so much information in advance that no ninja had a chance against this man. He felt like he was slowing down time and could move as he pleased. Parry ! There followed a fluid and graceful movement towards the opening provided by a third person. This simple gesture sliced off an arm before decapitating another person. Dodge ! Madara contracted his abdominal muscles to lean back. The enemy, wanting to skewer him, stuck his blade into the shinobi behind his original target.
That was the dangerous thing about a well-trained Uchiha: every attack directed at him could backfire on his attacker... or a third person.
Barely twenty seconds had passed and over forty ninjas had just lost their lives.
— "Squad 1 continue towards the city !" shouted what appeared to be one of the leaders of the attack. "Genin stay back and support ! The others submerged... Argh !"
The Jônin didn't have time to finish his sentence as the enemy appeared right in front of him to plant a kunai right in his throat. Madara didn't linger any longer before pulling the sharp weapon from the flesh, finishing the Jônin off in the process.
Meanwhile, on the small city wall, the soldiers were completely stunned by what was taking place before their eyes. A single man was single-handedly wiping out an armed shinobi force. It was absolutely unthinkable that a living being was capable of accomplishing such a thing.
— "Archers ! Make ready, enemy approaching !"
However, at the bottom of the wall about twenty meters from the entrance, Sakura was pacing back and forth, her gaze focused on the battle... waiting. When she saw a dozen shinobi approaching she reacted quickly.
In front of the town's entrance was a crossroads where a large menhir was positioned as a directional sign. Sakura grabbed it with her hands as the soldiers looked on in amazement. She raised it above her head before throwing it with all her might towards the approaching shinobi.
Two shinobi had no time to dodge and perished instantly as a loud thud was heard when the menhir landed on the ground.
The young woman flashed her chakra so that the ninja in front of her would understand that they would have to face her before they had a chance to enter the city.
— "Boss ? What do we do ?" Asked one of the archers who had his bow bandaged and his arrow ready to go.
— "Wait !" Shouted the officer who saw the young woman running towards the enemies. He wanted to see what this person was capable of as an explosion of fire and screams could be heard in the distance. He had expected many things, but not that this woman would be so devastating.
She seemed to move faster, more easily than her opponents. No enemy attack seemed to reach her, unlike her own. She used no lethal blade except her fists. And her fists were more than enough. Every parry, every block, every punch Sakura made was deadly to the owner or the target. For every time she hit, a body part was torn off or a person perished.
With her agility and speed, Sakura swept her last opponent off his feet and onto the ground. The man could see the pink-haired woman direct her fist directly at his chest, and then everything went black for him. The energy released went through the soldier's body before spreading into the ground, causing cracks to appear for a dozen meters around.
It took Sakura less than eleven seconds to neutralize the entirety of Squad 1, leaving only one child alive, who couldn't have been more than twelve. She was a chocolate-eyed brunette and was transfixed by the pink-haired woman's presence alone... There was a reason for that.
— "Put away your arrows," said the officer after a while, still in shock at what he was seeing. That man in the distance and his apprentice outside their door were exceptional beings and they were saving their lives.
— "Your name !" Sakura demanded in a cold tone to the girl.
— "M-M-Mina," the young brunette replied in complete fear.
— "You're going to stay here, if you ever try to run away, I'll kill you ! Have I made myself clear ?" Sakura explained, clearing her throat of killing intent.
— "H-Hai... very clear !" The girl replied quickly, and even if she had wanted to, she wouldn't have even tried to run away.
Then Sakura left the young woman alone before walking towards the Uchiha who was still causing havoc. There were hardly any enemies left and it was more like a game of cat and mouse as the remaining survivors were running away rather than fighting.
— "Who the hell are you ?" Said a panicked man who was crawling backwards as the dark-haired man advanced towards him with his weapon drawn and dripping with blood.
— "Your executioner," Madara replied, thrusting his blade into the body of the ninja who had just enough time to see two Sharingan looking at him. This was one of Madara's pleasures, making his enemies understand who he was just before they died by his hand.
— "How do you feel Madara-san ?" Sakura asked as she joined him and the dark-haired man cleaned the edge of his blade.
— "I've rarely felt this good," said the Uchiha with a smile.
— "No eye pain ?" Sakura asked as she stepped over the bodies to position herself in front of her patient. She didn't even wait for him to answer as she placed both hands on his face to examine his eyes.
Madara did nothing to stop her, he enjoyed the rare contact between them. Her skin was soft and delicate, and every touch sent a soft tingle through his body. He then looked into her green eyes as her hands became covered in green chakra.
The young woman could not help but blush at the intensity of Madara's gaze. It was just like the other times, he was looking at her with a look that no other man had used on her. It was confusing and Sakura didn't know how to react. If it had just been a look of desire, she would have completely ignored his looks... but there was something else going on. Something more intense, something deeper, something more sincere, and Sakura was afraid of what would happen if she accepted what Madara was trying to convey.
— "It seems that the healing went well. Using your Dôjutsu didn't alter anything," Sakura said after a few seconds. "Did you use a Genjutsu with it ?"
— "No," Madara replied as he sheathed his weapon before sensing a source of chakra larger than a civilian near the wall. "But it looks like I'll be able to test... did you take a prisoner ?"
— "If you will," the young woman replied as she walked towards the city with the Uchiha. "You could say that war is practically declared."
— "As you say, I think it's time to make ourselves known," the Uchiha added as he approached the young woman who was shaking like a leaf at the sight of the two protagonists who had just killed all her comrades.
Madara grabbed the young Mina by the neck and lifted her off the ground. She clutched both her hands, trying to loosen his grip as she gesticulated.
— "Look at me !" Madara commanded before activating his two Sharingan. His tomoes began to spin rapidly as the young brunette stopped moving completely trapped in the dark-haired man's Genjutsu. "You will return to your Kage and explain what happened here and you will be unable to describe who we were except that there were only two of us."
— "Aye," the young woman replied, she didn't seem to know what she was doing. Madara set her down on the ground and she headed in the opposite direction of the city to accomplish her mission.
Once the informant was out of sight, Madara and Sakura walked towards the city gates where everyone looked at them with fear and respect. Respect because they had saved their lives and fear because there was absolutely nothing they could do if they decided to attack them.
— "Open the gates," Madara ordered.
The officer did not order the doors to be opened in any way and many heads turned in his direction. Did they have to open the doors or not ?
— "If we wanted to hurt you, you'd be dead by now," the dark-haired man added, understanding the feeling towards them.
— "Open the doors," said the officer, who had to admit that it was totally true.
Once the doors were opened, the two shinobi were greeted by a crowd cheering and shouting their enthusiasm for their two saviors. Sakura responded with a gentle smile and a few hand signals to all of them, while Madara walked unperturbed through the crowd, which slowly moved aside to let them pass.
They walked towards the largest square in the city, followed by practically the entire population. After all, this was going to be a day of celebration for having been saved from the invaders. There was a large fountain in the centre of the main square, Madara channeled chakra into his legs and jumped to the top of it for all to see.
— "People of Ame No Kuni !" Madara spoke loudly for all to hear. The cheering and clapping stopped to hear what this man had to say. As he spoke, Madara activated his Sharingan to immerse his entire audience in snippets of Genjutsu. Each word he spoke would plant an idea in the mind of the listener, making them believe that what he was saying was the pure truth and that everything should be done to go along with it. "Today, the country of Tsuchi No Kuni tried to attack you ! To take your wealth and kill you ! Where are your allies while your country is being invaded ? They are hiding in their comfort, letting you sink into their false promise of alliance."
— "This is an outrage !" Shouted one member of the audience who was agreed by many others.
— "While Hi No Kuni ignores his vassals for his own profit, Ta No Kuni comes to your aid ! Because what happened today is only the beginning ! Tomorrow others will come, and the day after tomorrow even more ! But there is a place where you will be safe, a place where you will be protected by people like us ! You will be welcomed by people who care about your protection, your future !" Madara exclaimed as his gaze swept over the entire crowd to make sure everyone met his gaze.
— "Where is such a place !" Asked a weak-minded person who was completely immersed in the Uchiha's illusion.
— "Heiwa ! Capital of Ta No Kuni ! We are a place of peace where war is outlawed and neutrality is valued while the rest of the world kills each other ! The choice is yours : leave for Heiwa and live... or stay here and die tomorrow ! For we will leave here tomorrow !" Madara finished before stepping down from the fountain, letting the idea germinate in people's minds.
He had placed the powder, the fuse and his speech was the spark to create a chain effect. The crowd effect is more powerful than anything else, and there are more people than there are people. No one had a death wish, and the idea, augmented tenfold by Madara's Genjutsu, created the largest caravan ever seen in the elemental nations in just three hours. It consisted of over a thousand occupants bringing as many resources as possible.
— "Take this, ma'am," Sakura said, holding out a small wooden stick with Kandji of Fûinjutsu glittering on it.
— "What is this ?" The lady asked as she held her baby in her arms.
— "It is to protect your child. Place it in his cloth and it will protect him during your journey," Sakura lied so the mother would take the object. It was a creation made by Madara and herself. A set of Fûinjutsu seals mixed with Genjutsu made by Madara. As long as this object was held by someone, anyone within the perimeter of effect was rendered invisible to the world. Anyone who came close would have the irresistible urge to go elsewhere.
— "Thank you Miss !" Said the mother of the family before taking the small wooden stick and placing it in the blanket in which her son was wrapped.
— "Once you get close to Heiwa, throw that stick to the ground and break it," Sakura added.
This shouldn't cause any problems in the capital.
— "Thank you very much."
— "Let's go everyone !" The officer shouted.
Within fifteen minutes the second largest city in the land of rain was completely abandoned, leaving Sakura and Madara in the middle of it.
— "Tell me Sakura-san, will you try a Ninjutsu duel ?" The dark-haired man asked with a small smile.
— "Here ?"
— "Right here... we need to make this place a real war zone before we scatter the earth shinobi all over the city," Madara explained and began to compose hand signals.
Day 225
— "What's up ?" A man asked his colleague as he finished climbing the ladder.
They were currently on one of Heiwa's observation posts. This location provided a very good view of the entire valley. This was until the watchtowers were set up in the surrounding valleys.
— "Nothing to report that merits our attention," replied the man in his twenties before sitting down on a small stool provided for that purpose. He placed the spyglass he used to observe the surroundings on the wooden ledge. "How are you otherwise ?"
— "Yes... still surprised at the turn of events, but I'm not going to complain," replied the forty-year-old who still had a hard time seeing everything move, but at least he had a job to feed his family.
— "It's still better than what we had in the past," said the younger man, thinking back to the provincial wars.
— "As you say, young man," the older man nodded before taking the spyglass in his turn.
He brought the object to his right eye before pointing the lens towards the eastern road. The main road was used by people here and there. There were also a few carts, and an army rider on patrol : nothing unusual to report.
— "How is your wife ?" Asked the soldier as he opened his water bottle and brought it to his lips.
— "She's doing well, now that our children are autonomous, she's been asked to come at the request of the Daimyô," explained the man before pointing the spyglass towards the southern road.
— "Is that so ?"
— "Yes, it seems that our lord has set up some sort of medical group... probably they need manpower for whatever," he explained before carefully adjusting the lens of his instrument. The road to the south stretched for several miles and passed through many villages before reaching Heiwa.
There were the same type of people using the southern road. There was nothing unusual and he was about to put the spyglass down when something caught his eye. In the middle of the valley, there was someone walking briskly towards the capital. Except that he was wearing a hooded cloak, his face completely camouflaged.
— "Potential suspect coming from the south," he said to his colleague, who looked up.
— "Should we send a group for an inspection ?" Asked the young man who had learned over time to trust his colleague's suspicions.
The man concerned said nothing, his gaze fixed on the individual who did not slow down. Then, at a given moment, a strong breeze blew the wanderer's cloak away and, at the same time, part of his hood. For a moment the soldier saw the man's face, accompanied by a reflection of light.
— "Shit !" Said the soldier before hurriedly turning towards the outpost bell.
CLANG CLANG CLANG
It was a very small bell that could only be heard a hundred yards away. Everyone near the outpost turned around, especially those posted at the main gate of the wall.
— "NUKENIN !" The forty-year-old shouted before immediately returning to his post to watch the deserter's actions. It was just their luck, they were not prepared for this kind of threat at all. The land of Ta No Kuni had no shinobi forces besides Sakura and Madara. But they were both outside the country.
After the sentry's announcement, the city swarmed militarily and many soldiers climbed to the top of the half-built walls armed with bows and crossbows.
— "How long before the target is there ?" Shouted one person from below.
— "In about thirty minutes it will... Shit ! It's gone !" The man panicked as the Nukenin vanished from his sight. He scanned the road with his spyglass in the hope of finding him. There ! He seemed to have made several quick trips down the road. "Within fifteen minutes, boss !"
— "Alert Suzuki-sama !" Said the officer to a man on horseback who rode off at a triple gallop through the city streets. "I want three dozen archers placed up there ! Crossbowmen placed here and here ! And clear the civilians from the main gate !"
As soon as the orders were given, everyone sprang into action. This was the first time they had faced this kind of threat and hardly any of them had ever faced a shinobi. Ninjas were just a legend, a myth to the civilians, but to the soldiers they were a reality. They were made to understand very quickly that such individuals existed and that they were capable of anything.
Many soldiers in the service of Ta No Kuni saw their Daimyô as well as Suzuki using some E rank techniques during the provincial wars. Proof that all this really existed.
After ten minutes of preparation, Suzuki arrived on the back of his warhorse dressed in his battle armour, his sword drawn. His face showed extreme concentration : he hoped with all his heart that this ninja deserter had not come to eradicate the city.
— "Close the portcullis !" Suzuki ordered before stepping forward as a line of soldiers moved into place. "Everyone cheer up !"
Then everyone waited in fear as the threat approached. Everyone could see him now, even more so when he brought one of his hands up to his neck. He undid the lace that attached the cloak to his garment before discarding the garment and throwing it to the ground. Anyone who was close enough could see that he was indeed a shinobi : his armor, his weaponry, and his forehead protector were proof of his status.
He was a former ninja of Tsuchi No Kuni the land of the earth, his headband was crossed out at the symbol and he would be at the city gates in less than thirty seconds.
— "Halt !" Suzuki shouted, but the deserter pretended he hadn't heard anything and kept walking.
His face was neutral, even though he was looking at all the soldiers in front of him. In one look he realized that none of them seemed to know how to use the shinobi arts: it would be so easy to annihilate them all.
— "I said : HALT !" Suzuki shouted this time and the man stopped in front of everyone not ten meters away. "What do you want !"
No answer.
The deserter walked slowly around the wall and the surrounding area: he was counting and this did not reassure Suzuki. Then, having gone around, he raised his right hand to his head.
— "Don't make another move ! Or you'll be dead before you know what's happening to you !" Threatened Suzuki, who only received a black look from the protagonist. He released some of his killing intent, stunting a large part of the army in front of him. When he was sure that no one would be able to shoot him, the ninja resumed his movement.
The Tsuchi No Kuni deserter undid his headband before grasping it with his full hand and stretching it forward. He remained like that for a few seconds before dropping it to the ground.
— "I come for the true peace promised by Uchiha-sama !"
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