Unexpectedly, the enemy hiding in the woods refused to surrender and instead launched a counterattack as soon as our bombardment began.
After the roar of the cannons, the dust settled, revealing a newly paved road.
Tanks rolled forward, advancing steadily.
But at that moment, the ninjas and samurai hidden in the trees suddenly surged out.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Water Style: Raging Torrent!"
"Earth Style: Earth Flow!"
A barrage of ninjutsu, along with an onslaught of shuriken, kunai, and other weapons, rained down upon the Sand Ninja forces.
Mufasa stood in the open-top command vehicle, surveying the battlefield. He watched as the enemy forces charged without hesitation.
"Are they serious? They're actually attacking tanks head-on?" he muttered, rubbing his forehead. "They really think swinging swords at tank barrels is a good idea? What do they think this is, a fantasy novel?"
He let out a sigh. "Fine. If they want to die, let's accommodate them."
He raised his voice. "All units, open fire at will!"
Gunfire erupted.
Bullets, ninjutsu, and explosive tags filled the air as the Sand Ninja troops retaliated.
The first to fall were the samurai wielding swords, their armor shredded by the machine gun fire.
Some were blown apart by direct hits from explosive tags, their bodies scattering in pieces across the battlefield.
The samurai who had charged in first were cut down like wheat before a scythe, their corpses littering the ground around the tanks.
The enemy hesitated, momentarily stunned by the sheer firepower.
Before they could react, the attack intensified.
The long-range fire teams of the 1st and 2nd Divisions deployed their specialized puppet forces from armored personnel carriers.
A sharp, mechanical whir filled the air.
Hundreds of aerial puppets, loaded with explosive tags, took flight, darkening the sky like a swarm of locusts.
"Shit!" one of the enemy ninjas shouted. "They're dropping explosive tags from above!"
The realization hit too late.
A rain of explosive tags descended like a blizzard, triggering a series of deafening explosions.
Panic spread through the enemy ranks.
"Scatter! Get out of the blast zone!"
But the Sand Ninja troops were relentless. As soon as the enemy broke formation, specialized pursuit teams sprang into action.
Mufasa smirked. "I was planning to go easy on them, but they insisted on making things difficult."
"All teams, full assault!"
The 1st and 2nd Divisions continued their bombardment, directing their drones to attack any remaining resistance.
The 3rd Division, led by Sasori, held back.
"Using my puppets against this rabble would be a waste," he muttered, watching from a distance. "Two slashes from my blades would be enough to end this."
Meanwhile, the 4th Division, led by Sasuke, moved in for the real fight.
Orochimaru had always been an expert at recruiting unique talents, and the 4th Division was filled with bizarre fighters who answered only to him.
One of them, Jugo, leaped from his transport, his body clad in customized armor designed to help him harness natural energy.
As he landed among the enemy, a group of ninjas tensed, eyeing him warily.
"What the hell is that thing?!" one of them whispered, staring at Jugo's ominous, blackened armor.
Jugo remained unfazed.
"Water Style: Water Bullet!"
"Fire Style: Blazing Inferno!"
"Wind Style: Vacuum Blade!"
"Earth Style: Rock Spear!"
"Lightning Style: Thunder Strike!"
A coordinated assault of elemental ninjutsu converged on him at once.
But Jugo barely flinched.
He raised his right arm, revealing a round core embedded in his palm.
The third-generation chakra absorption engine—a prototype developed using the cells of the legendary Samehada.
"Absorb."
The lightning attack was the first to reach him. The moment it struck, his palm absorbed it effortlessly, sucking the chakra into his armor.
Without hesitation, he turned and aimed his left palm at the incoming earth spears.
"Redirect."
The absorbed lightning blasted outward, shattering the stone projectiles before they could reach him.
The enemy ninjas gawked in shock.
"What the hell is that ability?!"
Jugo didn't waste time answering. He absorbed the incoming water bullets, using the stored chakra to extinguish the fire attack that followed.
The final attack, a wind blade, managed to connect.
A sharp clang rang out as the black armor dented slightly—only to immediately repair itself, restoring its smooth, unbroken surface.
The enemy ninjas' faces paled.
"Run!" someone shouted.
Jugo launched forward, knocking one of them unconscious with a single, brutal punch.
But instead of continuing the slaughter, he hoisted the unconscious ninja over his shoulder and carried him back to the Sand Ninja ranks.
Killing wasn't his main job—testing new equipment was.
He dropped the captured enemy in front of Kabuto.
"Got one."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses, smirking. "Excellent. Another test subject."
Without hesitation, he administered a sedative, ensuring the ninja wouldn't wake up anytime soon.
"How did the new equipment perform?" he asked.
Jugo flexed his fingers, testing his armor. "Absorption worked fine, but fire-based attacks seem to resist it more."
Kabuto nodded. "That's always been a flaw with Samehada's design. Anything else?"
"Absorption speed isn't fast enough yet. Also, the output is weaker than the original attacks."
Kabuto jotted down some notes.
"Good. Write down any further issues in a report later. For now, get back to the battlefield."
Jugo sighed. "Being a test subject is such a pain."
Across the battlefield, similar experimental fighters were deployed, each testing different enhancements and abilities.
The war had become more than just a battle for territory.
It was a proving ground for the future of ninja warfare.
Hidan struggled to piece his body back together. Just moments ago, the first and second squads had launched a relentless drone bombing run.
Naturally, Hidan didn't dodge.
The result? His body was blown to bits. His head was sent flying. His right hand was completely torn off.
Now, amidst the lingering smoke and scattered debris, he scavenged for his own body parts like a man collecting lost belongings.
"This isn't a damn ninja war," he muttered to himself. "What happened to one-on-one duels? A proper ninja fight?"
The battlefield was a wasteland of craters, the ground resembling the pockmarked surface of the moon. Hidan grumbled as he reattached his head and grabbed his severed hand.
"This is a damn waste of money," he scoffed. "The Suna must be swimming in cash."
Suddenly, he had a realization.
"No wonder Kakuzu didn't take this job. The commission isn't worth it."
The Akatsuki had accepted this mission because the Land of Rivers was paying well to recruit mercenary ninjas. Many members had joined in, though some, like Kisame and Kakuzu, had steered clear.
They had good reason.
Nobody wanted to go up against that monster, Mufasa.
Hidan, of course, had charged in headfirst, thinking his immortality made him untouchable. He had waded through the battlefield, scythe on his shoulder, ready to take heads in the name of Jashin.
But now, after experiencing firsthand what Sand Ninja's firepower felt like, he had a new perspective.
"Maybe I bit off more than I can chew."
Even if he couldn't die, trying to reassemble his body after a carpet bombing was too much trouble. Searching for his limbs in a battlefield turned into a wasteland? No thanks.
"Jashin's followers have no chance against the gods of artillery," he muttered.
With that, he grabbed his triple-bladed scythe and sprinted toward the trees.
"Stop!"
A voice rang out behind him.
Hidan turned, scythe slung lazily over his shoulder. A young Sand Ninja stood before him, his face set with determination.
"Oh?" Hidan's violet eyes gleamed with amusement. "A little sand rat, all on his own?"
The kid looked barely out of training, probably a rookie trying to prove himself. Hidan glanced over his shoulder—no backup in sight.
Good.
"Listen, you're out of your depth, kid. Walk away."
The young ninja didn't budge. Instead, he took a fighting stance.
"I'm Rakkan," he announced firmly. "You attacked our forces. Surrender now and come with me."
Hidan blinked. Then he threw his head back and laughed.
"You serious? You think you can take me?"
Rakkan's expression didn't waver. "I won't repeat myself."
Hidan's grin widened, a sadistic glint in his eyes.
"Alright, kid," he said, licking his lips. "I'll show you the most exquisite pain you'll ever feel."
Without warning, he hurled his massive triple-bladed scythe like a spinning death wheel.
Rakkan barely had time to react. He leaped to the side, but not fast enough—one of the curved blades grazed his stomach.
A clean cut.
Hidan yanked the scythe back, already savoring the bloodshed.
But then he noticed something.
No blood.
"What the hell?" he muttered, eyes narrowing.
Rakkan lifted his shirt slightly, revealing a strange white vest beneath.
Hidan frowned. "What the hell is that?"
Rakkan smirked. "This is the Suna's latest battle gear. A next-generation anti-ninjutsu vest."
Hidan sneered. "A vest? You think some fancy armor can save you?"
"This isn't just armor," Rakkan explained. "It's made from composite materials reinforced with Kaguya clan bones. It's lightweight, durable, and resistant to both weapons and ninjutsu."
Hidan clicked his tongue in irritation. "Tch. You're really ruining my fun."
Then, his smile returned, wider and wilder.
"You think a piece of clothing is gonna stop me?"
He gripped his scythe tighter and charged.
The battlefield echoed with his laughter as he swung the massive weapon in a deadly arc, aiming to rip through Rakkan's defenses. His attacks were wild, frenzied, relentless.
But Rakkan didn't panic.
He took a deep breath, steadying himself.
His heart pounded harder. The symbiote within him stirred, sensing his rising battle spirit.
Blood-red tendrils, thin as nerves, slithered beneath his skin, wrapping around his bones, his muscles, his very core. The symbiote, long adapted to his body, pulsed in sync with his heartbeat.
Meanwhile, Hidan stared at the figure in front of him. For a brief second, he saw Rakkan's face change into something not human as his set of teeth turned into sharp deadly fangs, but they disappeared immediately, like it never appeared.
"What the hell is that?"
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Word count: 1668
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