War in Kusa, Part 1

After saying goodbye to my mother, I left the house and flashed over to the front gate, where the rest of the team was already waiting.

"Alright," Hagiwara spoke up, "Let's go. I was informed that we will be heading to a small town in Kusa. Kusa shinobi will lead us to one of their outposts near Iwa from there. That is where we will be staying for the most part."

With that said, we started our journey. It was pretty uneventful, taking us about six days to reach the specified town. We didn't talk much on the journey, either. Upon our arrival, we noticed some Kusa nin standing nearby the entrance. Hagiwara approached them.

"Hello, we are the reinforcements from Konoha."

The Kusa shinobi grimaced, "Just five of you?"

"We are all jonins," he said.

The other ninja just sighed, "Well, I guess that's the most we could've hoped for."

He glanced at the rest of us, "Follow us. The outpost is about half a day's journey."

They lead us through Kusa's territory, closer to Iwa. Unsurprisingly, most of the terrain was grass. Tall, very annoying grass. There were still forests and all that, they were just more rare than all the grass.

We eventually reached the outpost, which was a group of short, wooden buildings that looked to be halfway underground so they could be hidden by the tall grass. The Kusa nin split up, with the one who spoke earlier taking us towards one of the buildings.

"This is where you will be for the duration of your stay," he said, leading us inside.

It turns out I was right, as we were led down into the rooms that were halfway into the earth. After we set down some of our supplies, which were mostly storage scrolls that held rations, we were led out and to another building.

The building was just one large room that had a table with a map in the center of it. There was a couple of other Kusa nin standing around it, arguing over something.

"We should be sending reinforcements here!" One said, pointing his finger at a point on the map.

Another shook their head, "We don't have enough jonin, and sending more genin and chunin would be like sending lambs to the slaughter. We should back up here and prepare some traps to use our genin more efficiently."

The last one, an old man, slammed his hand on the table.

"So we're just going to let Iwa take even more territory?! They've already destroyed our border outposts and have been ransacking our towns!" He yelled out.

This got him an annoyed glance from the one who suggested retreating.

"You think I don't know that? What choice do we have? Iwa already has a significant advantage over us in military strength. The only reason we haven't lost yet is because they don't want to damage the trade routes!"

The Kusa shinobi that lead us hear cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of the three men that were arguing.

"Konoha reinforcements are here. These are all jonin," he said.

The old man looked even more enraged, "Konoha is one of the great villages, and they can only muster up five ninjas!?" He spat.

"Mori, calm down. We can't expect them to send a large force to aid us; that would be grounds for another war." The calmer one said.

The old man, who I suppose is Mori, scoffed. The other guy spoke to us.

"I am Aoki. The old man is Mori, and here by my side is Hayashi. We are the strategists responsible for the border outposts and towns."

Hagiwara stepped forward and introduced us. Aoki just nodded before explaining the situation. Iwa had taken over the three outposts on the border and had burned down some unimportant towns. So far, they have avoided damaging significant trade routes, which Kusa has leveraged by forming their defenses there. It makes the Iwa nin more hesitant to use large earth jutsu.

Overall, Kusa was badly outnumbered, the only advantage they truly had was that they can stop traders from reaching Iwa, which forces them to get their resources from Ame and Taki. Iwa's terms for a cease-fire were basically taking over Kusa's entire system of merchants, which wasn't acceptable. Kusa tried to negotiate, but so far it hasn't gone anywhere.

We gathered around the table while Aoki spoke up.

"Now that you guys are here, we might be able to defend this town." He pointed to the same spot they were arguing over earlier.

"This town is part of the trade network we've disconnected from Iwa. By taking control of this town, they would be able to gather more resources, which means sending in more manpower. We've stationed one of our elite jonin and a group of chunin there, but our scouts have warned us that Iwa is planning a large offensive within the next couple of days."

He grimaced, "Without you, we would only be able to retreat since it's not worth an elite jonin. Now, however, we might be able to hold out."

Hayashi spoke up, "You don't have to tell us too much, but a general idea of your specialties would be much appreciated."

So we each gave them a general idea of what we could do.

Aoki hummed, "Two trapping specialists, huh? Do you know any fuinjutsu?"

Hagiwara nodded, "I can only make flash bangs and explosive tags, though. I'm not a master by any means."

"Good," he said, "That's all we'll need. They will probably be expecting some traps, though, so we'll need a distraction."

I piped up, "I can be a distraction. I have a lot of area-wide fire ninjutsu and I can trap them in a cage."

They looked at me skeptically.

"You're saying you can trap a group of jonin and chunin in a cage made of fire?" Mori scoffed disbelievingly.

I nodded, "That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Che. I'll believe it when I see it."

Aoki looked more willing to believe me, though.

"Can you herd them in a certain direction?" He asked.

"Yep."

He nodded before they started discussing a plan.

A couple of minutes later, we had a rough plan mapped out. The town we were defending was surrounded by tall grass edged by a strip of forest that the Iwa nin would have to travel through. Fukushima was pretty nimble, so she was to be the distraction. She would lead them through the forest, which would be heavily trapped by Hagiwara and Aikawa. My job would be to light untrapped sections of the forest on fire to force them through the traps. Then, I would retreat and set a portion of the grassland on fire once they broke through the forest. Imada would use wind ninjutsu to spread the fire toward the Iwa nin, hopefully forcing them to retreat. If they didn't and made their way through the flames, it would be an open confrontation.

I was confident in winning in an open confrontation, but the Kusa shinobi weren't willing to bet on one person's strength to win this battle.

I guess I had to build more of a reputation first.

"Everybody gets the plan?" Aoki asked.

Hagiwara nodded affirmatively.

"Good," Aoki continued, "If the plan goes sideways, retreat to the town and hold it with the genin and chunin we have stationed there. The grassland should still provide a good medium for fire ninjutsu. Hopefully, some of their numbers will be cut down by the traps."

"Should they go around the traps," Hayashi interjected, "They might go around the traps. It's unlikely, as it would take a significant amount of time. In that situation, fall back to the town, but not before setting more traps down in the grass field. Our scouts should have enough time to report their movements back to you."

Aoki spoke up again, "Please head over as soon as possible. Our information says Iwa will attack in a couple of days, but it isn't foolproof."

"We'll head out immediately," Hagiwara said.

We formed up near the exit of the outpost, waiting for Aikawa and Hagiwara to get the necessary supplies for the traps. A couple of minutes of awkward silence later, they joined us.

"The town is about half a day away, so let's get started," Hagiwara said, starting our trek.

I'm assuming he was the leader of their group before I joined temporarily, so I went with the flow. There was no need to disrupt their routine by trying to lead, which is something I have little experience with.

We traveled in silence, most of them a bit tense at the fact that we were going to fight Iwa in the next few days. It wasn't that they were scared of Iwa, it's the fact that we were allies in a war. They all seem to be either middle-aged or in their late twenties, so they probably experienced the last war in their childhood.

Hagiwara was trying to hide it, but I think he was concerned about taking me along. It was a bit annoying, mostly because I knew I was stronger than him, but it was understandable. I did have a good reputation now and I was ranked as an A-rank shinobi in the bingo book, but most people don't truly believe it until they see it. I imagine it was the same with Kakashi and Itachi until they started tearing up the battlefield.

Unfortunately, the only witness to my strength was my old sensei, and his good word only goes so far.

We reached the town eventually. It was kind of creepy, with the only inhabitants being some genin and chunin and the townsman that were too stubborn to leave. The shinobi were already aware that we were coming, which was surprising to me. I don't really know how they send messages around here. I guess by bird or something?

Anyways, Hagiwara addressed the team as we observed the terrain.

"Aikawa and I are going to get started with the traps. The rest of you, keep an eye out for the enemy. We will be camping out in the forest so that we will be ready whenever Iwa shows up. The scouts should be able to warn us before then, but you can never be too careful."

I nodded at that. We moved out towards the forest, which was only a couple of minutes away and got ready. While we worked, we discussed how the plan was going down. It looked like Hagiwara and Aikawa were going to trap three sections as much as possible. I would burn the areas in between with my Shikai, which they wouldn't be able to get through.

There was the possibility of them going the long way and avoiding the traps. Basically, we would wait for them to pass around, then would try and force them back through the traps. It was my job to light the grassland on fire, and Imada's job to spread it towards them. I told them I could do both, but they preferred to rely on Imada's expertise.

It was irritating, but understandable since they knew Imada for much longer than they'd known me.

They continued trapping the sections, while the rest of us kept watch. The day passed quickly as night fell upon us. The forest was mostly trapped, with only one section being lightly trapped. Right as we were about to settle down, Imada sensed someone rushing towards us.

"I can only sense one. The chakra is chunin-level and they seem injured. It's probably one of the scouts, but stay on guard." He said.

We all got in defensive positions before a Kusa scout burst through the foliage.

"It's Iwa!" He shouted, "They're coming!"

Hagiwara cursed, "Damnit. That's a lot earlier than expected. Tsurugi, go ahead and light some of the sections on fire. They'll probably funnel through the area that's trapped less, so get ready for that. Emi, try to lead them through the more heavily trapped areas first. Fumihiro, stay back and let us know which direction they're coming through."

We all nodded and got to work. I activated my Shikai and started setting my sections on fire, before heading to the back with Imada. Hagiwara set up some random traps in the grass field.

A few tense minutes later, Imada spoke up.

"Emi's made contact with the enemy and is leading a small group toward the traps. The rest look like they're waiting."

A few more seconds passed.

"Emi has successfully led them into the traps. They are sending a few scouts to check out the rest of the sections."

That wasn't good. They were going to find the weak spot.

"Emi's heading back toward us. I can't sense the group following her, so they're probably dead."

Imada waited another minute before cursing.

"They've found the weak spot. Get ready!"

It was at this moment that Hagiwara and Emi rejoined us.

"I've set up some random traps. Fumihiro, what's the situation?"

Imada grimaced, "Not good. They are starting to head through the lightly trapped section. So far, there have been minimal casualties on Iwa's side. I can sense at least 6 jonin, two of them are most likely elite."

Hagiwara smiled bitterly, "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us."

He paused for a second, before continuing, "Emi, Airi, and I will retreat to the town and set up some defenses. Fumihiro, you and Tsurugi will stay here to light the fields on fire. Retreat to the town as soon as possible."

Hagiwara let out a sigh, "And don't die. That's an order."

We smiled at that, and even Imada smiled slightly.

I got ready and gathered some flame on the end of my sword.

"Just tell me when," I said to Imada. He nodded before focusing again.

A minute passed before he spoke up again.

"They've passed through the forest and are heading towards us."

He waited for a few more seconds.

"Hold… Hold… Now!"

I immediately release the flames I had been building up in a massive taimatsu, lighting a significant portion of the grass on fire.

Imada grinned as we both heard some screams from the enemy shinobi.

He started making hand seals before releasing a huge gust of wind from his mouth, spreading the flames even further. More screams followed before we heard the sound of moving earth as mud flowed through my flames. They didn't necessarily put them out, more like moved them aside, making a path straight to us.

"Shit! They were probably expecting something like this." Imada cursed.

We started retreating, but the Iwa shinobi caught up to us within seconds.

"Ha! A bunch of Konoha scum! Of course, it's them behind such cowardly tactics!" One of them yelled out.

I glanced at Imada, ignoring the hypocrisy of Iwa.

"Go. I'll cover the retreat."

He looked like he was about to protest, but I interrupted him.

"I have a better advantage with my fire affinity here. Just go! I'll be right behind you."

He looked at me grudgingly, "Don't die, brat." He then flickered away.

I grinned before turning towards the Iwa nin. I planned on ending it right here. No one could believe my strength so far, so it was time to prove it.

The enemy shinobi gathered in front of me before one of the elite jonin spoke up.

"Just one of you? Che. You're underestimating us!" He spat.

I smirked, "Just one is enough," I said, observing my enemy.

There were at least a hundred chunin and genin, with 4 jonin and 2 elite jonin. With the nature of my power, the only ones that were a threat were the two elites.

The elite scoffed, "Alright, I'll deal with this upstart; the rest of you head for the objective."

The main group started moving towards the town, but I stopped them.

"Ennetsu Jigoku!"

The familiar geysers of flame appeared, but this time in a row, forming a wall behind me.

After learning shape manipulation, I was able to modify my abilities a bit. This was the result of that.

"Your opponent is me," I said.

The Iwa shinobi grimaced, realizing that I was stronger than I looked.

"Another Konoha freak," he mumbled before raising his voice once more.

"Alright, looks like this brat has a death wish. Let's grant it!"

They started trying to surround me, while the elites rushed in for close combat.

I gathered flames on my sword before releasing a more powerful taimatsu, incinerating a good portion of their chunin and genin.

The two elites unsheathed kunai while the regular jonin surrounded me, making hand seals.

I sliced toward the elites, my sword cutting through their kunai, forcing them to dodge. The jonin around me started spitting rock bullets at me, but I just summoned flame around me, melting the rocks into nothing.

The elite jonins grimaced before they both started making hand seals while the others moved in front of them.

I didn't want to let them finish, so I flashed toward the defending group, slicing one in half vertically. The two halves fell to the ground, the other jonins trying to desperately defend. I ended one of them instantly by decapitation, but before I could finish off the last two, the elites finished their jutsu.

Two huge earth dragons were sent toward me. I sent another taimatsu at them, but the dragons tanked the attack.

Looks like I need a little more power.

"Zanka no Tachi, Higashi: Kyokujitsujin."

Immediately, all the flames disappeared and the temperature around me rose dramatically. The patches of grass that were previously untouched shriveled up and turned brown. The dirt cracked as it dried out, all the moisture disappearing.

The remaining genin and chunin looked triumphant, thinking that I was out of chakra, but the jonin knew better. They could probably sense the danger.

The earth dragons reached my range. I simply tapped them with my sword and they vanished, incinerated at an atomic level.

The elites were already preparing another jutsu, but they were too slow.

"Zanka no Tachi, Kita: Tenchi Kaijin."

I release another wave of flames, this time much faster and hotter. The group of jonin didn't even have time to blink before they ceased to exist. The elites had tried to slip under the ground, but they were not saved as my flames carved through dirt and stone like it wasn't even there, ending their lives swiftly.

The handful of remaining shinobi looked at me fearfully.

"Leave," I said, "This battle is over."

They scattered immediately, heading back through the forest.

I dismissed my bankai and moisture started to return to the air. I made my way back toward the town, where I was intercepted by Hagiwara and the rest of the group.

He looked at me skeptically, "You didn't follow the plan."

I just shrugged.

He sighed in exasperation, before speaking once more.

"I guess I can let it slide this time since you won. I underestimated you; I thought you were boasting when you said you would win in an open confrontation."

He smiled at me, "Next time, we'll make a plan that accounts for it, so you'll actually have to follow it."

I nodded, slightly relieved. I was worried he was going to get on my case for not following the plan, but he seemed pretty reasonable about it.

Hagiwara addressed all of us this time, "Now, let's go report back to base with the good news."

//// A/N /////

Hello guys. Thanks for keeping up with the story for those who actually enjoy it. I have a couple of things to say though.

I've been getting a lot of bad reviews on chapter 19 and the MC's personality. I get chapter 19; I wasn't expecting it to be received very well in the first place since I suck at drama. The mc's personality I understand a bit, at least in the beginning. At this point, though, if you've read this far, I think his personality has gotten much better. He's taking his training more seriously and his social relationships more seriously. He also has another goal besides just being strong.

I plan to keep developing his character more over the time between Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. So let me know what you think about his character development so far. Whether you think it sucks or not and the reasons you think so. I would be really grateful.

Also, I'm going to have to take a break from writing starting on the 16th through the end of the month. I'm not dropping or anything like that, I just have to take care of some prior obligations I made before starting this story.

Anyways, that's about it. Leave a review!