Chapter 182: Battle — Sunagakure's Counterattack
Above, the moon slipped out from behind the clouds, casting faint light over the battlefield. Combined with the flames already burning throughout the camp, the remaining Iwagakure shinobi finally saw Taichi's face clearly.
But their hope of recognition was quickly dashed.
Taichi had already altered his appearance with a transformation technique. What stood before them was nothing more than an unfamiliar Sunagakure ninja.
"Damn it… who the hell are you?!" the injured Iwagakure jōnin roared, clutching his wound, fury written across his face.
Taichi said nothing. He simply held his short blade in a reverse grip, calmly observing them.
They had clearly been shaken by his earlier display and didn't dare to charge recklessly.
Which suited Taichi perfectly.
His mastery of Flying Thunder God was still far from Minato's level. He had only just overcome the dizziness—it wasn't something he could spam freely.
So this first strike—
Had to be decisive.
And the target—
Was the remaining uninjured jōnin.
"You scum," Taichi sneered, deliberately playing the role. "Invading the Land of Wind, and you still dare ask who I am?"
As he spoke, his hand flicked—
A Flying Thunder God kunai shot forward with ruthless precision.
The jōnin reacted instantly.
With just a slight step to the side, he avoided it completely.
"Childish," he mocked.
But Taichi didn't respond.
Because in the next instant—
He vanished.
The jōnin's eyes widened.
A sharp pain exploded in his chest.
Looking down, he saw a blade piercing straight through his heart—slowly withdrawing.
Even in death—
He didn't understand what had happened.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Only the crackle of flames and the wind remained.
The remaining Iwagakure shinobi stood frozen.
Their jōnin—
Dead in an instant.
Taichi didn't give them time to recover.
The biggest threat was gone.
The rest—
Were nothing.
With a quick hand seal, two shadow clones appeared.
Three figures burst forward like ghosts.
Blades flashed.
Cold light flickered.
Within minutes—
The entire supply depot fell silent once more.
Taichi flicked his blade lightly, shaking off the blood.
Looking over the ruined camp, he nodded in satisfaction.
Flying Thunder God truly lived up to its reputation—
Especially when used for surprise attacks.
A single strike could decide everything.
If only his proficiency were higher…
This fight would've ended even faster.
After retrieving his marked kunai, Taichi left without looking back.
Destroying supply lines—
Was far more efficient than fighting on the frontlines.
This loss alone would sting Iwagakure badly.
An hour later, a Sunagakure squad arrived.
They stopped at the sight before them—
Total devastation.
The ground was torn apart by powerful wind techniques.
The scale of destruction was shocking.
"Captain… did command send another team?" one of them asked hesitantly.
"Yeah… who could've done this?" another muttered.
The squad leader didn't answer.
He stepped forward, examining the cut marks left behind by wind techniques, trying to reconstruct the battle.
But in the end—
He shook his head.
This level of destruction…
Was beyond his understanding.
"There must've been multiple teams assigned," he finally said. "Looks like someone beat us to it."
"Let's move. If this target's gone, we head to the next."
"After this wave of disruption…"
A confident smile appeared on his face.
"It'll be our turn to strike back."
A few days later—
Inside Sunagakure's frontline command tent.
The one seated at the head was no longer the previous commander—
But the newly appointed acting Kazekage, Rasa.
Very few people knew—
He had personally come to the frontlines.
Even Iwagakure had not anticipated this.
A Kazekage leaving the village at such a critical time—
Was a bold gamble.
"Lord Kazekage," Ebizō asked cautiously, "why come here personally? The village needs you more."
"You didn't expect it," Rasa replied calmly. "Which means neither will Iwagakure."
Ebizō's eyes lit up slightly.
"I see… so you intend to launch a surprise attack?"
Rasa nodded.
"I plan to drive Iwagakure out of the Land of Wind in one decisive strike."
His voice was firm, filled with confidence.
"My Gold Dust… is no less effective than a tailed beast in war."
Ebizō smiled.
"I will support you fully."
Then he added:
"I've already sent teams to scout Iwagakure's supply lines. If we deploy elite squads to destroy those supply points, we can disrupt their logistics and create an opening for a full assault."
Rasa's eyes brightened.
"Excellent."
He clapped his hands once.
"Make the arrangements immediately. We've already lost too much face in this war. It's time to reclaim it."
Soon—
Dozens of elite Sunagakure squads departed under the cover of night, slipping into enemy territory.
The next morning—
Taichi set out once again in search of supply depots.
These missions were strange—
The battles were intense and thrilling…
But the search beforehand was long and tedious.
Especially alone.
No one to talk to.
No distractions.
Only his senses—
And luck.
Half a day passed.
The sun began to descend.
Yet Taichi found nothing.
---
Just as he was about to give up—
At the edge of his perception—
Something flickered.
He stopped instantly.
Turned.
Focused.
Far away—
A vague outline.
A camp.
---
As he approached, his expression gradually changed.
And when he finally reached it—
Standing atop its outer wall—
The truth became clear.
It wasn't a camp.
It was ruins.
Collapsed walls.
Charred remains.
Wooden structures reduced to smoldering ash.
Storage buildings caved in.
Someone had already been here.
And they had done it thoroughly.
Several corpses clad in Iwagakure flak jackets lay twisted across the ground, each in a different state of death. Some had been blasted apart by ninjutsu, their bodies incomplete, while others bore clean blade wounds or punctures from kunai.
Most striking of all were two massive, charred craters—clear evidence of concentrated bombardment by powerful wind or fire techniques.
Taichi walked slowly through the ruins, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield. The destruction was still fresh—the burnt smell lingered in the air, and the blood had yet to dry. The battle couldn't have ended more than a night ago—perhaps it had even taken place at dawn.
Not Minato-senpai's style…
Taichi reached a conclusion instantly.
If Minato had acted, the scene wouldn't look like this. There wouldn't be such large-scale, head-on destruction. This felt more like an elite unit overwhelming the target with brute force in a short time.
A thought flashed through his mind—
Sunagakure is preparing a counterattack.
This force that had suddenly appeared and ruthlessly wiped out the Iwagakure supply depot wasn't like his own stealth operations. This was organized… deliberate… coordinated.
The scale of destruction here far exceeded the "small skirmishes" Taichi had caused over the past few days.
And considering that Sunagakure's frontline commander was Ebizō—known as the "Desert Fox"—
It wasn't hard to figure out.
Sunagakure had already stabilized after the initial invasion.
Now—
They were striking back.
Cutting off supply lines deep behind enemy territory—
That was their first move.
A flicker of excitement mixed with caution passed through Taichi's eyes. The battlefield was about to become far more chaotic. The balance between Sunagakure and Iwagakure would begin to shift.
It also meant—
He could no longer focus solely on Iwagakure.
Sunagakure, too, would become a target.
Over the next two days, every Iwagakure supply point Taichi found had already been reduced to ruins.
And from the traces left behind—
They had all been destroyed on the same day.
That alone revealed Ebizō's foresight.
This operation had clearly been planned long in advance. Gathering intelligence on so many supply points wasn't something that could be done overnight.
Now that the ambush had succeeded—
The next step was inevitable.
Realizing this, Taichi decided not to linger in the Land of Birds.
There were no valuable targets left here.
If he wanted to hunt more shinobi from both sides—
He needed to return to the main battlefield in the Land of Wind.
Inside Sunagakure's frontline command tent—
All high-ranking officials had gathered.
A mobilization meeting was underway.
Seated at the head—
For the first time publicly—
Was the acting Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
Many shinobi hadn't even known he had arrived.
Seeing him in person, they were visibly excited—and tense.
This was the Kazekage.
Even if only "acting," everyone understood that title was just for show.
If they could distinguish themselves in the coming battle—
They might earn his recognition.
And perhaps—
Become his trusted subordinates.
"Enough. Quiet."
Rasa raised a hand, silencing the murmurs.
His gaze swept across the assembled jōnin.
These were all elite shinobi—people he had worked with before.
And part of the reason he had personally come to the frontlines—
Was for them.
His position as Kazekage wasn't entirely secure.
He had been chosen by the council of elders.
Many powers still lay in their hands.
If he wanted to solidify his rule—
He needed undeniable achievements.
And nothing earned recognition faster than military success.
"Two days ago," Rasa began, "we successfully launched a surprise attack on Iwagakure's logistics."
"We destroyed all of their supply depots in the Land of Birds."
"That loss alone will strain their supply lines in the short term."
The tent erupted into murmurs.
Some had already heard the news.
Others were hearing it for the first time—and couldn't hide their excitement.
Rasa let the moment settle before continuing.
"This is a rare opportunity."
"We must seize it."
"I came here for one purpose—"
"To drive Iwagakure out of the Land of Wind alongside all of you."
"To make them pay dearly for their arrogance."
The meaning was clear.
This was no longer defense—
This was war.
And the Kazekage himself would lead from the front.
The effect was immediate.
Morale surged.
There was a world of difference between a leader who said "Go fight"—
And one who said "Follow me."
"Tomorrow," Rasa declared, "at 8 AM—all forces assemble."
"We launch a full-scale counteroffensive."
"We will drive those stone-headed fools back to the Land of Earth."
"Yes!"
The entire tent echoed with determination.
The jōnin hurried out, preparing their forces for the coming battle.
Soon, only Rasa and Ebizō remained.
"How do you assess tomorrow's battle, Elder?" Rasa asked.
"Victory is certain," Ebizō replied without hesitation.
That confidence piqued Rasa's curiosity.
"So certain? What gives you that confidence?"
Ebizō smiled faintly.
"In direct conflict, it all comes down to three factors—timing, terrain, and unity."
"Timing—both sides are equal."
"Terrain—fully in our favor. Especially for you, Kazekage-sama."
"As for unity—Sunagakure stands united, with you leading personally. Morale is at its peak."
"Meanwhile, Iwagakure has had its supply lines cut. Their forces are already in disarray, and there's no sign of any powerful reinforcements."
"So tell me—"
"How could we possibly lose?
"Haha, well said!" Rasa laughed.
But soon, his expression turned serious.
"Yet… I feel like something is bothering you."
Ebizō paused, then smiled knowingly.
"It seems you've noticed as well…"
"The anomaly in the reports from the teams that attacked our supply lines."