"Remember, once we enter Sunagakure, head straight for the Kazekage Residence. Grab the target, then retreat immediately."
The outline of the village was already visible on the horizon when Akagi repeated the mission objective one last time.
"Yes, Akagi-sama!"
Gazing at Sunagakure, Akagi felt a surge of adrenaline. He glanced over his shoulder at the hundreds of Iwagakure shinobi behind him and thought:
As long as we get our hands on the Sealing Scroll, no price will be too high.
When the Third Tsuchikage learned that Sunagakure had deployed nearly all of its shinobi, he immediately dispatched Akagi for this mission, and had made the situation clear:
Even if every shinobi under Akagi died, as long as the Sealing Scroll was secured, the mission would be considered a success.
Once the scroll was in Iwagakure's hands, Sunagakure would live forever in its shadow. The knowledge sealed within it had the potential to elevate Iwagakure's power to a whole new level.
A perfect counter to the Sand.
That was why the theft of the Sealing Scroll would have devastating consequences.
Just as Akagi was preparing to breach Sunagakure's gate in one decisive charge, two Sand shinobi squads, each over fifty strong, appeared outside the village walls, intercepting the Iwa forces.
These two squads, totaling over a hundred shinobi, had been deployed on missions before Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, mobilized the majority of Sunagakure's forces. Roughly thirty such squads had been sent out.
Their mission: to secretly search the entire ninja world for traces of the missing Third Kazekage.
Rasa had never stopped looking.
Because of that mission, these units had not participated in the main war effort against Konoha. However, after Rasa pulled most shinobi back to the village, he secretly recalled the search teams to reinforce Sunagakure's defenses.
These two squads that now encountered Akagi were the first to return.
"You're… Iwa shinobi."
The moment they spotted Akagi's group, both Sand squads immediately recognized them.
Despite being seen, Akagi, standing several hundred meters away, remained calm. He made no move to flee or attempt a cautious approach.
Plans rarely survive contact with the enemy.
Akagi assumed this was Sunagakure's remaining internal defense force. He had no idea these shinobi had only just returned from their search.
"Kill them."
"Leave no survivors."
Akagi believed that by wiping out this force, the village's inner defenses would crumble.
The two Sand jōnin immediately understood.
"They're here for us."
Without hesitation, they barked simultaneous commands:
"Fire the signal flares!"
They knew full well that their numbers were no match for Iwagakure's forces. But with the enemy at their doorstep, even retreat was impossible.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Two red signal flares exploded in the sky, within moments, Sunagakure erupted into motion as reinforcements rushed to the gate.
At the same time, Akagi charged in with his forces, crashing into the Sand units like a tsunami.
"Kill!"
"Kill, kill!"
"Kill, kill, kill!"
Right at Sunagakure's gates, a brutal clash erupted between Iwagakure and Sunagakure shinobi.
...
Land of Rivers, Sunagakure Command Center.
Everyone had been dismissed from the room. Only Rasa and Chiyo remained.
"We've lost. Sunagakure has suffered a complete and total defeat."
Rasa looked at Chiyo's furrowed brow and sorrowful expression with a heavy heart.
He wanted to say something to comfort her, but the words wouldn't come.
Neither Rasa nor Chiyo had expected such a catastrophic loss. Over 3,000 shinobi dead, Sunagakure's foundation had been shaken to its core.
Since the war had begun, this was the single most devastating blow they'd suffered.
Before the conflict, Sunagakure had fielded over 13,000 shinobi.
Now?
Heh...
Only around 7,000 remained.
In just a few short months, more than 6,000 shinobi had died on the front lines.
Now, only one option lay before Rasa, Chiyo, and the remaining leadership:
Retreat.
Stay and fight?
Sure, but with what?
Could Sunagakure still match Konoha's might?
Absolutely not.
If they kept fighting, only one outcome awaited them: annihilation.
Sunagakure had reached its breaking point. If they lost another batch of shinobi, the village might be forced to relinquish its status as one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
Worse yet, they might never recover.
No other village would want to see a fallen power rise again, except for Sunagakure itself.
So Chiyo and Rasa had no real choice. They had to retreat.
And yet, Chiyo couldn't accept it.
She had not yet avenged her fallen kin. Her heart still burned with hatred.
But what could she do now?
With what army would she fight?
The surviving 1,500 or so shinobi currently stationed in the command center, those who had miraculously lived through last night's bloodbath?
Don't be ridiculous. That number wouldn't even make a dent in Konoha's forces.
As for the hidden reserve troops Rasa had kept back to guard against the unexpected, relying on them to continue the fight was even less likely.
Those troops were Rasa's contingency, his last insurance policy.
If they revealed themselves now and couldn't return to Sunagakure swiftly, the entire village would be left vulnerable.
Other forces, perhaps even other villages, would leap at the chance to strike a fatal blow.
Neither Rasa nor Chiyo yet realized that Sunagakure was already under siege.
"Advisor Chiyo, have you finalized the retreat plan?"
When Rasa addressed her, Chiyo sighed before responding in a soft, weary voice:
"Lord Fourth… the decision is yours. I will support it fully."
Last night, when Chiyo stepped forward to take responsibility for their defeat, her attitude toward Rasa changed completely.
The clearest sign was in how she addressed him: Lord Fourth.
Those two words signified complete acknowledgment of his leadership.
"Very well. I'll order the covert units to return first."
"Then, once we've finished accounting for the dead, we'll begin the formal withdrawal and return to the village."
Since Chiyo had granted him full authority, Rasa didn't hesitate.
Retreat didn't mean surrender.
If they surrendered now, how could he face the families of the fallen?
How could he let go of the chance to avenge last night's massacre?
Another reason Rasa refused to surrender: he knew both Kumogakure and Iwagakure were still watching, waiting for the right moment to declare war on Konoha.
All he needed to do now was delay Konoha's forces.
Then, when the moment was right—
Strike. Strike hard.
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