In the conference room of the Wind Sub-Division building, the atmosphere was stifling.
A large military map was spread out across the long table.
Fugaku stood in front of it, gripping the blood-stained battle report so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The paper turned to dust in his palm and scattered to the ground.
"Thirteen Konoha shinobi. Four of them were Uchiha."
His voice carried no emotion, yet the clan representatives on both sides of the room felt a chill run down their spines.
"Just last night, they were slaughtered like livestock."
"Not even complete bodies were left behind."
No one dared to speak.
Everyone stared at the map. The Nara were quickly making calculations, and the Akimichi had long since set down their snack bags.
It was a slap in the face. Not just to Konoha, but especially to the Uchiha, who had been entrusted with maintaining order.
The Daimyo had placed this newly conquered land under the Uchiha's care. Yet within a month, a disaster like this had occurred.
If this wasn't handled properly, they wouldn't just fail to establish a foothold in the Land of Wind—they might not even return to Konoha alive.
"Nara."
Fugaku suddenly called out.
"Here." A Nara clansman immediately stepped forward.
"The enemy used large-scale explosive tag bombing. This kind of high-yield tag isn't easy to obtain in the Land of Wind."
Fugaku slammed his finger down on the red mark that indicated the destroyed supply camp. "Investigate the black market. I want to know where those tags came from."
"We've already begun," the Nara replied quickly. "The Aburame have deployed their kikaichū. We should have results soon."
"Good."
Fugaku nodded. "But that's not enough."
"Daimyo-sama gave the order, those who resist, kill their entire families."
"Not a single one is to be spared."
He turned to the Hyuga representative. "Deploy every clan member."
"I want every grain of sand in this desert under surveillance."
"Even if they hide beneath the dunes or inside cracks in the rocks, even if they burrow like rats, we'll find them."
The Hyuga's expression sharpened. "Understood. Nothing escapes the Byakugan."
"The Inuzuka will handle scent tracking."
"The Akimichi will handle heavy firepower."
"And the Uchiha..."
Fugaku paused, Mangekyō Sharingan slowly rotating in his eyes, glowing a cold crimson.
"The Uchiha will handle execution."
"No prisoners."
"I'll use their heads to teach the Land of Wind a lesson."
With that, the massive war machine of Konoha rumbled to life.
…
Night in the Land of Wind. Winds howled across the desert.
A land of death, yet a haven for those with nothing left to lose.
In a hidden canyon of the Gobi, a few weak campfires flickered against the cold.
Aramaki sat on a weathered boulder, quietly cleaning a chipped blade.
"Captain!"
A Suna shinobi, his face wrapped in bandages, ran over excitedly with two bottles of cheap liquor. "Just got these from the village. Everyone's celebrating!"
Last night's ambush had been a perfect success.
They'd blown Konoha's camp sky high, torn apart the arrogant Uchiha.
For once, they'd struck back, and some even started fantasizing that if they kept this up, Konoha might be forced to retreat from the Land of Wind.
"Celebrate my ass."
Aramaki kicked over the liquor bottles. Glass shattered against the rocks, the liquid soaking instantly into the dry sand.
The cheers around him instantly died. Everyone fell silent, staring at their captain in fear.
"You win once and think you're untouchable?"
Aramaki stood and looked around coldly. "That was a sneak attack. They weren't prepared."
"Now that pack of Konoha mad dogs has definitely reacted."
"We're leaving. Immediately."
"Captain, in the middle of the night?"
Someone muttered, "We're in the middle of nowhere. Even birds don't shit here. How could Konoha find us?"
"Yeah. We still have those explosive tags from that guy…"
"Shut up!"
Aramaki was about to scold him further, but his instincts suddenly flared.
The wind had changed.
Within the howling gusts was a faint, unnatural slicing sound.
The sound of a kunai cutting through the air.
"Enemy attack!" Aramaki roared.
Too late.
Pfft.
The shinobi who had just been complaining suddenly had a blade sticking through his throat.
Dark figures dropped from the canyon walls like shadows.
No war cries. No commands.
Only the sound of blades tearing flesh and blood gushing into the sand.
"Uchiha..."
Aramaki's pupils shrank.
By the firelight, he clearly saw the attackers' uniforms.
The Uchiha's fan crest burned brightly in the flames.
And those eyes—deep crimson, spinning in the dark—burned with murderous intent.
"Damn it. How did they find us?" Aramaki drew his sword, Chakra flaring. "Break out! Scatter!"
"You can't scatter."
A cold voice echoed from above.
Aramaki looked up.
The cliffs on both sides of the canyon were already filled with shinobi.
Hyuga clansmen, their Byakugan activated, stared down emotionlessly.
Behind them, explosive tags had been placed on the support points of the rock walls.
"This is... an encirclement?"
Aramaki's heart sank.
This wasn't an accidental encounter.
It was a calculated ambush.
Konoha had found them long ago, mapped their movements, predicted their escape paths.
The silence before now had only been the calm before the storm.
Boom!
A massive explosion roared at the canyon's entrance.
Their escape route was sealed.
Boulders tumbled down, closing both ends of the canyon like a lid on a pot.
"Kill!"
With that single word.
Konoha shinobi along the cliffs began weaving hand signs.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
A rain of flames descended.
A one-sided massacre began.
The narrow terrain gave the remaining Suna shinobi no room to escape. Screams filled the desert night.
The fanatics who had dreamed of restoring their nation were now burning, writhing in agony, one by one reduced to charred corpses.
Aramaki swung his sword madly, deflecting incoming fireballs and shuriken. Blood already soaked his body.
"Bastards!"
"I'm not done yet!"
He roared as his Chakra erupted. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A powerful gust blew the flames in front of him aside.
Just need to get through—
Swish!
A figure stepped out into his path.
Mangekyō Sharingan.
Fugaku, silent and unreadable, stood alone, no weapon in hand.
Yet Aramaki felt as if he were being hunted by a beast.
The pressure was suffocating.
"You're Aramaki?" Fugaku asked flatly.
"Uchiha Fugaku!" Aramaki gritted his teeth. "I'll kill you!"
He burst forward, blade infused with Wind Release Chakra, aiming directly for Fugaku's heart.
But Fugaku didn't even move.
Right as the blade was about to strike, he raised his hand.
Clang!
The sword, sharp enough to cut stone, was caught in Fugaku's bare hand.
Blood trickled from between his fingers, but he didn't flinch.
"Too slow."
Fugaku looked at Aramaki's terrified expression, a cold smile on his lips.
"This is resistance?"
"You're not even worth me drawing my sword."
Crack.
With a sharp snap, the sword—made from fine steel—broke in half in Fugaku's grip.
Then he reached out and grabbed Aramaki by the throat, lifting him off the ground.
(To be continued.)