This mysterious figure was, of course, Akira's puppet scorpion.
Akira's decision to establish his ninja village in the Land of Rice Fields came after much careful consideration. There were only a few countries in proximity that lacked their own hidden villages: the Land of the Moon, the Land of Rivers, the Land of Rice Fields, and the Land of Waves.
The Land of Waves was immediately ruled out. It was too small, too isolated, and transportation was a logistical nightmare. Building a village there would be a strategic blunder.
The Land of the Moon, while larger and more accessible, was too close to the Land of Lightning. Worse still, it was the main land bridge connecting the Land of Lightning to the continent—a vital strategic artery. If war ever broke out, it would be among the first places targeted. That was not a risk Akira was willing to take.
So his choice narrowed to the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rice Fields.
The Land of Rivers was a peaceful place now, the result of a fragile truce between Konoha and Sunagakure. It had no existing hidden village, despite being well-resourced and politically stable. But perhaps that was the problem—the ruling class had never shown any interest in establishing a ninja village. If Akira tried to force it, he risked political resistance or outright expulsion.
The Land of Rice Fields, however, was different. It had history.
Years ago, Orochimaru had been allowed to build the Sound Ninja Village within its borders. A rogue ninja like him could not have gone unnoticed. The fact that the Daimyo allowed it to happen revealed something crucial: a desperate hunger for military strength.
Akira recognized an opportunity. He didn't just want to create a village—he wanted to establish a legacy.
There was one more incentive: the looming threat of the Cloud Ninja. Their forces had recently been advancing through the Land of Rice Fields. The local army—weak, undertrained, and demoralized—had done nothing to stop them, scattering like leaves before a storm. Akira knew this was his moment to prove his worth.
He presented a bold proposal to the Daimyo: allow him to repel the Cloud Ninja invasion, and in return, he would be granted permission to formally establish a hidden village.
The Daimyo, seeing no other savior on the horizon, agreed.
Akira already had the name in mind: the Sound Ninja Village. The name may have once belonged to Orochimaru's failed experiment, but he would reclaim it—rebuild it—turn it into something glorious.
As the days passed, the Cloud Ninja drew closer to the capital. They were arrogant, almost gleeful, in their unchallenged advance. The local soldiers continued to retreat at the mere sight of them, emboldening the invaders further.
But their confidence would soon shatter.
Just before reaching the capital, the Cloud Ninja encountered an unexpected roadblock.
A formation of two forces stood in their path. At the front were 100 masked individuals, each clad in identical gray robes. Their presence was eerie, their stillness unsettling. Behind them stood 2,000 samurai of the Land of Rice Fields—though their eyes betrayed uncertainty, they stood their ground.
The Cloud Ninja scoffed.
"What is this? A last-ditch effort?"
Their sensory units scanned the enemy and reported something strange. The chakra from the 100 masked figures was distorted, faint but unusual. When they tried to probe deeper, the signals were muffled—as if deliberately suppressed.
"Ninjas? Here? Don't make me laugh," one Cloud elite snorted. "A hundred unknown ninjas and some peasant soldiers? They won't last a minute against Lord Raikage."
But then, one of the masked figures stepped forward.
He wore a unique black cloak adorned with red accents, and his mask bore a crimson insignia. His presence commanded silence. He walked with purpose and stood before the invading army.
It was Akira—disguised as Sasori of the Red Sand.
In recent weeks, Akira had perfected his Sound Release techniques. The masked figures behind him were not ordinary warriors. They were 100 human puppets, crafted from the corpses of elite shinobi, animated with slivers of his chakra. Each one wore chakra-concealing robes once used by Sasori himself.
These puppets were not designed to think—but they could fight, and that was all Akira needed.
He raised his hand and unleashed a booming voice that echoed across the battlefield:
"Halt, intruders! I am Shadu, the Sound Shadow of the Sound Ninja Village, acting under the authority of the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields. Your presence here is unwelcome. Turn back now, or face the consequences."
The air vibrated with power. The technique—Sound Release: Amplifier Technique—magnified his voice to such a degree that the Cloud Ninjas clutched their ears in pain.
They were stunned.
What was this Sound Ninja Village? Who dared claim the title of 'Shadow'—a title reserved only for the leaders of the Five Great Nations?
The Third Raikage's fury erupted like a volcano.
"Sound Shadow? I've never heard such nonsense in my life! You hide behind masks and puppets and dare to speak to me as an equal?! Move aside before I make you regret it!"
Akira remained unfazed.
He was not merely posturing—he truly believed in his vision. If the world refused to recognize his village, he would force them to. And it would begin here, with the Cloud Ninja's humiliating defeat.
He had no illusions about the Third Raikage's strength. But Akira's confidence stemmed not just from his own power, but from meticulous preparation. His puppet army would occupy the bulk of the Cloud forces. The 2,000 samurai would serve as a distraction and buffer. That would leave him with a clear path to confront the Raikage head-on.
He did not fear the Raikage.
He welcomed him.
As the wind howled through the valley and the tension crackled like lightning, the two armies stared each other down. The first true battle of the Sound Ninja Village was about to begin.
And Akira—the Sound Shadow—stood at the heart of it all, ready to carve his legend into history.
"Our Sound Ninja Village was only recently established," Akira said calmly, his voice amplified by a subtle hum of chakra. "We've been in the preparation phase, so I understand if some of you are unaware of our existence."
Standing resolute at the frontlines with a sea of masked warriors and 2,000 samurai at his back, Akira's eyes locked with the Raikage's, burning with a determined fire. "As for calling myself 'Sound Shadow'—I do not believe our Sound Ninja Village is inferior to the Five Great Nations. Titles are earned, yes, but they are also claimed. And I claim mine not from arrogance, but from conviction."
He paused for a moment, the chakra in his voice vibrating with intent. "What I choose to call myself is my business—and none of yours. I stand here today not as a warmonger, but as the official representative of the Land of Rice's daimyo. We have no stake in your conflict with the Leaf. You have no right to enter our territory. Return the way you came."
The field fell quiet. Even the murmurs of the Cloud troops faded.
Then, with a crackling surge of energy, the Third Raikage—Ai—stepped forward. Lightning crawled along his arms and shoulders, illuminating the fury in his eyes. The pain of loss weighed heavily on him—his prized student had died in a recent battle, and grief burned like oil on fire.
"Not inferior to us? You're bold, I'll give you that," the Raikage growled, fists clenched as sparks danced around him. "But also arrogant. This is your final warning—step aside."
Akira's gaze narrowed slightly. His tone cooled, no longer polite but still composed. "So that is your answer, then? You refuse to retreat? Very well. I must protect the sovereignty of our Land of Rice."
He took a single step forward. The wind seemed to hush around him.
"Since neither side wishes to involve others, let this be settled between the two of us, one warrior to another. If you win, the Sound Ninja Village will step aside. But if I win—you and your forces must turn back."
The Raikage sneered. "Beat me first before you talk of terms."
Without another word, Ai lunged forward like a thunderclap made flesh, lightning roaring around his figure. His fist shot out like a bolt, aimed to obliterate Akira's skull in one strike.
To the watching samurai and ninja, it looked like Ai had already struck his target—Akira went flying.
But then, a puff of smoke exploded mid-air, and the figure became a harmless log, clattering to the ground.
The Raikage's fist twitched. He hadn't expected that.
"A substitution jutsu?" he muttered, blinking. He had crossed the distance in less than 0.2 seconds. No ordinary shinobi could react at that speed.
But Akira was no ordinary shinobi.
Appearing a few meters away, Akira calmly brushed the nonexistent dust from his cloak. "Senior, your temper is quite fierce. I hadn't even said 'begin' yet."
Ai scowled. "You've been monologuing this whole time. Did I agree to anything?"
Yet within him, a flicker of respect ignited. That substitution speed—it was absurd. Akira had read his movement and reacted in an instant. That required impeccable timing, speed, and control.
This wasn't just some upstart ninja.
This was a Kage-level warrior.
Akira's eyes gleamed behind his mask, and the Sharingan beneath it spun slowly, capturing every flicker of Ai's movement.
The Raikage tensed, charging forward once more—this time faster.
Akira met him head-on. His body flickered and blurred as he used the Uchiha Body Flicker Technique, one honed from ancient notes passed down by Fugaku Uchiha himself. Boosted by superior chakra control and physical prowess, Akira's movements rivaled the Raikage's.
To the untrained eye, it looked like ghosts clashing.
Thunder crashed.
Steel-shod boots skidded across dirt.
Chakra boomed in the air like war drums.
Akira's Sharingan kept him just ahead of Ai's attacks. The two warriors exchanged a flurry of blows so fast, even the sensory ninjas on both sides struggled to follow. The Raikage upped his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, his speed growing deadly.
Now he began to suppress Akira.
Yet Akira was not panicking. His Sharingan caught every angle. He parried with minimal movements, conserving energy, while gauging the Raikage's full capacity.
Then came the real test.
"Three-Finger Spearhand!" the Raikage shouted, his form becoming a streak of lightning as he compressed all his power into a piercing, deadly strike.
Akira felt the wind shift.
He activated White Lightning—his own internal acceleration technique. Time slowed. The world around him crawled, each frame crisp in his mind.
Even so, the Raikage's strike cut through that slowed perception.
In the stillness of that moment, Akira made a decision.
He gathered chakra to the point of impact—concentrating it, vibrating it.
"Sound Release: Sound Barrier." The words hummed like a tuning fork.
A shimmering wall of vibrating chakra burst forth from his chest, distorting the air around it.
Ai's spearhand struck the barrier with a loud crack, and was halted.
Sparks exploded outward. The ground trembled beneath them.
Silence followed. Then, the wind carried away the smoke.
Akira stood firm, his cloak fluttering behind him. His eyes locked with Ai's.
He had blocked it.
A murmur spread through the watching Cloud and Rice troops.
The Raikage retracted his hand slowly. "A sound-based chakra shield... clever. I felt that. You vibrated your chakra to disrupt mine."
Akira nodded once. "You're fast, Raikage. But speed isn't everything."
The Raikage grinned. For the first time in days, there was no rage—only anticipation.
"Good. Then I'll show you what speed and strength together look like."
Akira's own smile returned. The true battle had just begun.
And the future of the Sound Ninja Village hung in the balance.