"Relay the command: Assemble! We depart in one moment! Our target—attack Kikyo Mountain!" Sōmi waved his hand decisively, his deep eyes gleaming with determination.
Though he did not support provoking Konohagakure at this time, the order bore the personal signature of the Third Kazekage. It was a directive he could not disobey.
Besides, war was the fastest way to accumulate fame and merit.
"Understood!" The Sunagakure ninja kneeling before Sōmi vanished in a flash.
Sōmi stood up and turned his gaze toward the purple-blue rod leaning against the desk. The rod was thick, about the size of an infant's fist.
Its surface was covered with protruding granular textures that resembled tiny spikes or rounded bumps. The entire rod appeared as though it had once been submerged in magma, its surface now encrusted with a thick, scab-like layer.
Grasping the rod, Sōmi infused it with his Chakra. The core of the rod seemed to emit a deep purple-blue glow, like the sudden brilliance of stars in a vast, dark sky—strikingly beautiful.
This was a Chakra weapon specially crafted for him by Sasori during the latter's puppet-making endeavors. Sōmi had named it Xingyun—the Starfall Rod.
He ran his fingers over its rough, warm surface, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth. With this powerful weapon in hand, his issue of insufficient Chakra was temporarily resolved.
Sōmi slung the Starfall Rod across his back using a black strap and headed outside.
"Lord Kazekage has issued an order: We are the vanguard! Our mission is to invade the Land of Fire and seize Kikyo Mountain!"
Standing atop a golden cloud, Sōmi looked down at the Sunagakure forces below. Their numbers exceeded five hundred.
"Yo!" The Sunagakure ninja roared in unison, their voices filled with fervor.
Years of indoctrination in Sunagakure had instilled in these ninja an unwavering belief in the primacy of obeying orders. The reasons behind the war were of little concern to most of them—or perhaps, they simply chose not to think about it.
"Move out!" Sōmi shouted, and the golden cloud beneath him surged eastward at high speed.
Leading from the front during battle was the best way to inspire morale. Seeing Sōmi charge ahead, the Sunagakure ninja on the ground pushed themselves harder, striving to keep up with their leader.
Farmers working in the fields of the plains watched in fear as the mass of ninja swarmed past.
"Looks like there's another war brewing," muttered a middle-aged farmer, pausing his hoe mid-swing.
"Judging by the direction they're heading, it's toward the Land of Fire. We don't need to worry. Let's just focus on our work!" replied another shirtless farmer, picking up the conversation.
"Not worry about a war?" The middle-aged farmer frowned deeply.
"Under Sunagakure's rule, our lives have been pretty decent. They don't even tax us and instead provide us with grain."
"I heard they're building a dam upstream to divert the river. It won't affect irrigation for our fields."
"If Sunagakure can do so well, even if they lose and Konohagakure takes over, our lives will only get better, not worse, given Konoha's usual governance!" The shirtless farmer spoke with conviction, his reasoning surprisingly well-founded.
"That... does make sense," the middle-aged farmer's expression relaxed. For him, as long as the year's rice harvest wasn't affected, that was all that mattered.
"Relax! Let them fight it out! If Kirigakure were the ones attacking, then we'd have reason to worry. I hear their ninja are absolutely ruthless..."
Boom!
A distant explosion echoed across the plains. The sound was faint due to the distance, and the middle-aged farmer only glanced briefly at the rising smoke before resuming his work.
Sōmi's expression darkened as he approached the battlefield. Ahead of him stood a man wearing a Konohagakure ninja flak jacket.
The man's long black hair framed his pale face, his golden, slit-like pupils glinting dangerously. Purple markings extended from his eyes to his nose, and blue-green magatama-shaped earrings dangled from his ears.
"Orochimaru..." Sōmi muttered under his breath as he flew low.
"Oh? I didn't expect you to recognize me," Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"Magnet Release, is it? To master it at such a young age... quite impressive." Orochimaru extended his unnaturally long tongue, licking his lips as a dangerous glint flickered in his gaze.
Boom!
In the distance, plumes of smoke erupted on both sides, accompanied by faint screams and the clash of combat.
It was evident that many Sunagakure ninja had already fallen into traps and lost their lives. This was to be expected—after all, Sunagakure's forces had been stationed in Ryukawa District for some time. It would have been unusual if Konohagakure had left their border completely undefended.
What surprised Sōmi was that Orochimaru himself was stationed here.
"Heh... does the bird caught in the net still care for its companions?"
Orochimaru's sinister gaze flickered as he suddenly flicked his right hand.
Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!
His right hand transformed into a venomous snake that shot toward Sōmi's neck, its gaping maw revealing sharp, poisonous fangs.
Sōmi reacted swiftly, drawing the Starfall Rod and thrusting it into the snake's mouth. With a fierce twist, the snake was torn into pieces, its foul-smelling blood splattering onto the ground.
Sōmi remained on high alert. He slammed the Starfall Rod into the ground and rapidly formed hand seals.
Boom!
The earth trembled violently, and Orochimaru's eyes narrowed with caution.
In an instant, the solid ground began to flow like liquid. Yellow-brown soil churned upward before sinking back into the earth.
From the depths emerged a dazzling river of golden sand, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight.
"Golden Sand Prison Flow!"
Sōmi clapped his hands together and shouted.
Whoosh!
The ground beneath Orochimaru's feet split open, swallowing him whole.
The golden sand on both sides surged forward, attempting to bury Orochimaru completely.
Sōmi's hands continued forming seals as he slammed his palms onto the ground.
"Golden Sand Burial!"
The earth shook violently.
However, Sōmi's expression remained grim. Through his connection with the golden sand, he could sense that Orochimaru had neither been trapped nor harmed.
Boom!
As expected, the golden sand erupted from below, scattering in all directions.
A massive figure emerged before Sōmi.
Its body was adorned with purple markings, its snake-like head sharp and spear-like. Even its height, towering dozens of meters above the ground, was intimidating—let alone the long tail trailing behind it.
"Orochimaru... you summoned me just to deal with a mere child? Regardless, the number of sacrifices you owe me cannot be reduced!" The enormous serpent spoke in a voice laced with malice.
"Don't worry! This is war—take as many Sunagakure ninja as you like!" Orochimaru's lips curled into a sinister smile, his eyes devoid of any sympathy for the lives he offered up.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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