c43 – Chaos and Anxiety
Faced with overwhelming pressure and unable to evacuate in time, the scattered Kirigakure shinobi began retreating in fragmented directions. Panic spread among their ranks, and cohesion dissolved under the sheer force of Konoha's pursuit.
Yet surrounded by a numerically superior force and elite jōnin including several with bloodline limits and battlefield mastery the majority of Kirigakure's fleeing units were cut down mid-retreat. Their deaths marked the brutal aftermath of a failed offensive.
Only a select few Kirigakure shinobi managed to escape using advanced stealth or misdirection techniques. Some who were wounded or cornered chose to surrender, recognizing resistance would only mean certain death.
With the main battle concluded, the Konoha forces began the exhaustive process of battlefield cleanup.
Shinobi corpses both ally and enemy were respectfully collected. Mission scrolls, chakra-infused tools, and unspent rations were retrieved from Kirigakure soldiers. Seals were applied to prevent post-mortem traps or curse tags from activating. Medical-nin, many trained under Tsunade's direct system, rushed to stabilize the wounded before they were moved to the rear encampment.
Because of the hasty Kirigakure withdrawal, their field encampments had been abandoned in disarray. Supplies medical kits, food scrolls, weapon crates, and even intelligence documents were left behind. These captured resources significantly eased Konoha's logistical burden.
By dusk, the last of the bodies had been tagged and sealed, and the battlefield was finally silent. Tired, mud-caked shinobi washed their gear and wounds by the lakeside, the blood and chakra residue staining the water faintly red.
They returned to camp for a sparse but welcome dinner. A rare moment of rest followed a calm earned through relentless struggle.
The next morning, just after sunrise, the Konoha forces regrouped and consumed a high-protein ration breakfast prepared by the logistics corps. Then, under the guidance of battlefield commanders, they began breaking camp.
The goal was now clear: drive the remainder of Kirigakure's forces out of the Land of Fire.
Fourth Mizukage Yagura, upon receiving word of the defeat, immediately mobilized reinforcements from the rear guard. His forces, bolstered by chūnin squads and a handful of jōnin, attempted to stall Konoha's advance once more. But despite careful planning and defensive formations, they were repelled again.
Although the casualties this time were lower thanks to pre-emptive sealing arrays and chakra sensor outposts a loss remained a loss. Morale continued to drop, and Konoha's momentum only grew.
Now driven back, Kirigakure's surviving forces had been pushed to the thin peninsula that bordered the Land of Fire and the Land of Whirlpools. Their current position allowed either a strategic fallback into the Land of Whirlpools or a desperate stand to delay Konoha's entry.
Earlier in the war, even reaching the Fire Country border was seen as a major victory. Back then, the front lines were deep within the Whirlpool Country, and Kirigakure was on the offensive. Now, they had not only been expelled from the Fire Country they had lost all territorial gains, forfeiting months of progress.
The metaphorical cooked duck had flown away, and among Kirigakure's leadership, that reality stung deeply.
At an emergency high council meeting in Mizukage's Tower, frustration reigned. Advisors and commanders debated fiercely, their strategies unraveling in the face of Konoha's relentless advance. Even unconventional tactics like terrain manipulation and chakra-sapping traps had failed.
Konoha's battlefield strategy was as aggressive as it was efficient: ignore deception, ignore distractions, and attack the main force head-on. Their elite units, led by figures like Minato, Tsunade, and Uchiha Gen, focused on frontal breakthroughs. No matter what trap or feint was laid, Konoha pushed forward with decisive pressure and overwhelming strength.
Kirigakure's tactics had proven ineffective. Their defensive fortifications fell quickly, and bait strategies were ignored outright. Time and again, their troops were overwhelmed, and entire forward units were erased before countermeasures could even be enacted.
It became clear that continuing the same strategy would lead only to further defeats and more humiliation.
If they wanted to protect the tailed beast infiltration plan, disrupt Konoha's tempo, and turn the tide, they would have to break the cycle.
Thus, a new strategy was formed.
Kirigakure's top strategists, including Ao and Chōjūrō, recommended splitting the main force into covert assault teams. No longer would they attempt large-scale engagements. Instead, they would abandon traditional formations and initiate guerrilla warfare.
The core idea was simple: offense over defense, confusion over order, and chaos over formation.
Units were divided into specialized infiltration squads, each trained for hit-and-run tactics, logistics raids, camp sabotage, poisoning, targeted assassinations, and psychological disruption.
Dispersing into the Land of Fire, they moved underground, striking at supply caravans, township depots, messenger lines, and forward medical tents. The goal wasn't necessarily to win just to delay, harass, and demoralize.
If Kirigakure couldn't beat Konoha on the battlefield, then they would drown them in chaos.
The theory was sound. If Konoha was forced to divide its forces to deal with unpredictable sabotage, they would lose the cohesion that gave them the advantage. What was once a clean campaign could devolve into a multi-front war across civilian towns, forests, and farmlands.
In such a mess, a skilled hand could fish in troubled waters.
Kirigakure didn't need total victory. They just needed to buy time time to complete the tailed beast infiltration, time to prepare their next decisive strike.
And if enough chaos could be sown?
Perhaps then, with the Land of Fire destabilized, they could force Konoha into a compromised position one where the odds no longer leaned so clearly in their favor.
As long as Konohagakure suffers significant losses, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and possibly even Sunagakure, despite having signed a surrender treaty, will inevitably grow restless and prepare to move.
The moment these major villages detect even the slightest sign of Konoha's vulnerability, a renewed offensive becomes a matter of when, not if. And once the Big Three stir, the smaller hidden villages like Takigakure or Kusagakure, constantly lurking on the margins will seize the opportunity to act as well. Who wouldn't want a slice of the Land of Fire, renowned for its fertile lands, bountiful chakra-rich terrain, and wealth-driven Daimyo infrastructure?
If this destabilization plan succeeds, Kirigakure would not only reshape the balance of power in the shinobi world but also position itself at the forefront of that new order. As the village that engineered the fall of a great power, Kirigakure would be entitled to the largest share of the spoils.
Driven by this vision, Kirigakure no Sato moved decisively. They didn't limit themselves to land infiltration alone entire squadrons of Water Release-affiliated shinobi were dispatched via sea, utilizing the Land of Water's unmatched naval strength. Kirigakure might lag behind in economy or terrain advantage, but when it came to maritime mobility, their shinobi fleet was unparalleled.
This sudden shift in combat doctrine caught Konoha flat-footed. Reports flooded in from multiple provinces: border towns raided, trading posts burned, and villages under siege. Civilian outposts issued distress signals, and Konoha was forced to rapidly dispatch recon squads, patrol units, and medical teams to stabilize the region.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire was infuriated when he received word that his towns were under attack. His concern was not just political his treasury suffered. With trade disrupted and tax revenue plummeting, his grip on the feudal economy weakened.
In a rare public move, the Daimyo delivered direct pressure on the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, demanding immediate retaliation. Simultaneously, he sent diplomatic emissaries to the capital of the Land of Water, issuing formal protests and veiled threats to its Daimyo.
If the Kirigakure shinobi dared to continue their raids, then Konoha's retaliation would no longer target just military assets—it would target Kirigakure itself.
In the shinobi world, it was an unspoken agreement that large-scale wars, though bloody, should avoid direct civilian impact. While not codified, this rule helped preserve what little peace remained between feudal domains. Widespread destruction of civilian settlements not only endangered innocents but also threatened the financial backbone of entire nations.
Of course, collateral damage occurred in nearly every war, but historically, both sides maintained a tacit agreement to limit the scope. Kirigakure's rampant attacks across the Land of Fire's civilian centers blatantly violated this delicate balance.
Thus, the Fire Country's diplomatic outburst was seen not only as justified but necessary to maintain order in the shinobi world.
The Daimyo of the Water Country, though supportive of Kirigakure's war efforts, had no desire to provoke Konoha into total war. After all, should Kirigakure lose, the Land of Water itself would bear the brunt of retaliation, both economically and militarily.
Under growing pressure, he sent envoys to the front lines to rein in Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage. Yagura begrudgingly agreed to cease attacks on civilian towns and promised to return two-thirds of the resources seized from the raids.
Of course, returning the entire haul would have appeared spineless. Two-thirds was already a significant concession. Kirigakure couldn't risk seeming weak—after all, they had bled and fought for those supplies. Giving it all back would render their efforts pointless.
And, as often happens in diplomacy, the numbers on paper and the reality on the ground were different. What was promised as two-thirds was, in actuality, closer to half.
The Daimyo of the Fire Country was not satisfied but he wasn't naïve either. He knew the remaining third would never return. Still, the affront to his honor stung.
Unwilling to let the insult slide, the Daimyo diverted all recovered tax funds directly into Konoha's war chest, issuing a clear directive: "Give that bastard Yagura and his rogue ninjas a taste of Konoha's fury."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had already been searching for a way to stabilize Konoha's war-weary finances, welcomed the windfall. Half of the funds were immediately allocated toward frontline logistics—replenishing ninja tools, chakra pills, sealing scrolls, and rations.
Weeks passed, and the escalating skirmishes became a constant state of war. Within a month, the conflict had expanded into the eastern and southern provinces of the Fire Country. Fights erupted across forests, mountain passes, and even once-peaceful temples.
Sensing the moment was ripe, Yagura deployed a covert task force: two ANBU squads, each carrying a sealing container specifically designed for the Three-Tails (Isobu). Their mission: find a compatible Jinchūriki candidate within enemy territory preferably a civilian orphan with a latent chakra reservoir.
By standard shinobi structuring, ANBU units were arranged in teams of four, with a commander and tactical aide totaling seventeen members per deployment. Though Konoha's ANBU were better known boasting four complete squads, a chief, and a vice-chief (seventy operatives total) Kirigakure's ANBU mirrored this organization closely.
While the Mizukage's infiltration teams moved silently through the forests of Fire, Uchiha Madara, operating from the shadows and monitoring the chaos he helped instigate, finally took action. He dispatched Zetsu (Black and White) to covertly assist and manipulate the Kirigakure ANBU, ensuring they moved in alignment with his long-term vision for the Moon's Eye Plan.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Gen was anything but idle.
He moved constantly, always on a mission sometimes with his three personal subordinates, other times partnered with Special Jōnin or elite task forces, and occasionally operating completely alone.
On this particular day, Gen received a solo assignment one that conveniently aligned with his private objectives. He resolved to take advantage of the current battlefield confusion to quietly prepare for what lay ahead actions that would be difficult, if not impossible, to undertake within Konoha's tightly monitored walls.
In times of war, the lines blur not just between nations, but between duty and ambition, ally and threat, mask and truth.
---
This chapter is dedicated to @[ JESPER TAUS ].....Thanks for purchasing our COLLECTION...There will be a bonus chapters in few hours
30+ advanced chapter on patreon....Visit patreon now to read my exclusive content... posting 5 chapters per day, Our collection is now available on PATREON
visit patreon.com/Elbertovic to view 30+ advanced chapters
Please subscribe guys