"The bastard won the battle," Touki, in his signature Akira attire, can't help but say, sitting on the roof of the tallest building in Konoe City, with a privileged view of the battle that just ended, "I knew nothing would go according to plan."
"Why does that sound like a bad thing?" asks Izumi, sitting next to the man in her Shizuki outfit, "Shouldn't we be happy about the victory?"
"I think the same," says Suki, standing behind Touki, half-opening her eyes for a few seconds, using a mask that now allows her to use her eyes, and then closing them again.
Touki sighs, crossing his arms and adopting a thoughtful posture, "Because now everything is going to go to hell. The greatest victory these rebels were supposed to have was to take the two cities and hold them for a couple of weeks, attracting the full attention of the nation and the large nearby villages. But now with this victory, it's only a matter of time before more cities and perhaps the entire nation fall, triggering totally unpredictable situations for us."
"But it was your idea to give them those weapons. Wouldn't it be beneficial for the nation to fall into the hands of a force sympathetic to us?" Izumi says.
"That's precisely the problem. The possibility is too great, too tempting to waste. The problem is the responses Konoha and Kumo will have, because I have no doubt the Daimyo will request help from one or both of them… If we interfere in this, we run the risk of starting a full-blown war with consequences I don't want to imagine," the man says seriously.
Silence falls over the three, while in the distance the final moments of the battle are experienced, where the bulk of the forces loyal to the Daimyo are cornered and the rest disperse in disarray.
"We could use a less-committed approach, relying more on guerrilla tactics or sabotage," Suki suggests.
"Better yet, we can use your famous explosives to attack the ninja camps if they dare to enter in large numbers," Izumi adds.
"That's going to require a lot of commitment on our part, and a lot of bad things could happen. We're not yet in a position to face the full power of one or two villages, and I don't want to ruin the relationship we're forging with Konoha," Touki replies.
"Then it might be a perfect time to test our ninja division. Kiyoko, I, and our new recruit, Tomomi, should be able to strike hard at the larger villages' operations, should they dare to get involved in this war. How about we assassinate the Daimyo immediately?" Izumi suggests.
"If I were him, I'd already be hiding in a secret bunker where no one would know of his existence. Now all we'll see are his body doubles. But I like your approach, because by using few resources and striking only when necessary, we can turn this war into a real headache for those involved. At worst, we'll waste Kumogakure's precious time and resources, and at best, we'll take over the land of noodles," the man says.
"The problem is Konoha," Suki says.
"Have you heard from Tsunade?" Touki asks Izumi.
"Nothing. That woman suddenly vanished, and no one seems to know where she is," Izumi replies, a little annoyed. "She was supposed to be our contact with the village, but now that we need her, she disappears. Maybe she's breaking in her new body, drowning it in alcohol."
"This complicates things a bit, but we must prioritize our own interests… When dealing with Konoha ninja, try not to kill them, especially those on the list I gave you a while ago," the man orders.
"Understood," the two women repeat.
Touki stares at the now-ended battle, where a man stands out among the rebels, riding a horse and giving orders to his subordinates, who seem to look at him in admiration.
"Tell Zenji I want two apostles protecting that guy 24/7," Touki tells Izumi. "He may be a bastard for ruining my plans, but he's an excellent strategist. Whatever the outcome of this war, I want him with us."
After saying those last words, Touki disappears, followed immediately by Suki. Izumi stares at the outcome of the battle for a while longer, then disappears as well.
…
Kumogakure, Raikage's Office.
"But what the hell is going on in the land of noodles?" says the Raikage, reading the reports that have just arrived on his desk. "A rebellion there makes no sense. It's one of the most stable nations in the world… And why have they targeted our ninjas? Does no one take us seriously anymore?"
"The reports say that the chaos in both cities was total; no authority was spared the rebels' wrath. The weapons used are extremely effective against common soldiers and pose a real threat to genin and chunin," adds Mabui, in her typical serious tone.
"This is a real threat to the ninjas. Is there any information on where the rebels got these weapons?" the Raikage says, frowning.
"There is no information so far. All we know is that the weapons have a range similar to a bow, but the projectiles are faster than sound. Survivors of the Battle of Konoe say that reloading is slow, but apparently easy to perform. We suspect it works by using a controlled explosion to propel a metal projectile. We're talking about a fairly simple device in principle, but capable of transforming ordinary civilians into threats, even to the ninjas," Mabui responds ominously.
The Raikage sat there, thinking carefully as he continued to read the reports, "It's all about speed and agility. It's a fearsome weapon if the reports are correct, but only if you can lock onto your target and if they can't withstand the impact… There are many ways to block or prevent it, but the most important thing is speed… On the other hand, the weapon is quite interesting to use at low ranks. For jounin, it shouldn't be a big problem, but for genin and chunin, facing other ninja using such weapons can be a nightmare."
At the Raikage's words, Mabui's eyes widen in surprise. "Konoha can't get access to those weapons before us."
"Correct, we need to take the initiative and capture as many of those weapons as possible and study them in detail," the Raikage adds. "If it's true that a civilian can use it, it means it doesn't consume chakra, making it the perfect weapon for attrition conflicts. The potential is enormous, but we must first obtain them and find out where they came from."
"So we accept the Daimyo's request?" Mabui asks.
"We'll participate in their damn war, but we have to keep in mind that the Land of Noodles is connected to the Land of Fire, so we can't send too large a force without the old Hokage thinking we're invading. We also can't send our jinchuriki or our most powerful members." The Raikage gets up from his desk and begins pacing, thinking, "Are those incompetents still lurking in the Land of Iron?"
"You haven't told them to come back, so they're still looking for clues about the chakra metal theft. I think they're in the land of hotsptrings."
"Fucking useless bastards. Send them a message to help the Daimyo of the Land of Noodles in his damned war. We'll send another group of equal size, and everyone should prioritize capturing weapons. I want them to stay as far away from the border with the Land of Fire as possible," A concludes, ordering. "This will be an opportunity to see how Konoha reacts. In the end, perhaps we can make a deal with the Daimyo and forge an alliance that could be quite beneficial in the future."
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