Authors note: Okay so this is a short chapter but, I didn't want to spread the battle out so much. Anyway, I've tweaked the earlier chapters because they needed it. No big changes but hopefully they flow better.
To an outside observer, the days leading up to the Senjin festival seemed normal. Every sign pointed to a village preparing for a small and local festival. Stalls were erected and there was even a small uptake in the amount of sake that was imported. After all the festival was meant to honor their ancestors and that would require a lot of drinking to their memory. There were even ninjas leaving on missions up to the day before the festival was supposed to take place. Then the gates were closed and were not open signifying that they would not be accepting new clients although, any Konoha ninja coming back would be welcome.
Nobody noticed the ANBU that quietly and efficiently removed the exploding tags that had been surreptitiously placed around the village. Nor did anyone notice that one of the Genin team sensei's came back without his team. The first hint that all was not normal took place in the early morning hours of the day of the festival.
The interrogation of the four prisoners had revealed some interesting information. Of the four only one proved to be an actual ninja. The other three were hired only three days ago unknowingly duped into being part of his cover. His mission had been to place the tags in the residential areas of Konoha particularly where they would start fires. Then he was supposed to meet up with two other agents after the raid to carry out another mission although he claimed ignorance of any details.
Like all hidden villages Konoha had a certain number of clients, merchants and assorted others who had business within the village. Every single one of them was a security risk. That was why they were confined to a fairly plush hotel at night. To the surprise of these guests they were awoken at one o'clock in the morning counted and then moved to a shelter with the only explanation that it was for their safety. What they didn't know was that their number had come up two short launching a frantic search for two enemy agents. Unfortunately, they were nowhere to be found.
As the sun rose ninjas of all ranks informed their civilian family members to report to the shelters and the Academy had an unexpected evacuation drill. As the day went on more and more people disappeared from the streets as they were informed they had to report to the shelters. A few civilian stayed behind to staff the hospital and to form fire brigades. They knew what was being asked of them.
Large speakers provided the necessary noise to give the illusion that Konoha was still a bustling town. By mid-afternoon the festival should have been in full swing but, the stalls were empty
and only a few Genin and clones moved about the festival grounds to aid in the illusion of normalcy.
There were fewer guards then normal on the defensive wall of Konoha today. This was a calculated risk, they were going to be hit hard and casualties would be high. The plan called for them to put up a stubborn resistance but not an effective one. In short they were to form a skirmish line.
It was the least experienced guard on the southern gate that first noticed the wagon approaching. This was odd, because this gate did not accept deliveries. As the wagon approached pulled by two strong oxen they were able to see the driver through binoculars. He wore a broad brimmed hat of a type common among local farmers that obscured his face. It took them a minute to realize that his muscles were completely slack. He was quite dead. The attack had begun.
Kabuto leaned against a tree looking up through the branches at the sky and frowned. A massive Cirrostratus cloud hung in the sky, large and virtually transparent it seemed to make a halo foreshadowing rain. This unexpected turn of events could put their plan in jeopardy. If all went as planned fire would rage through the city of Konoha and the last thing they needed was a last-minute intervention from the heavens. Still if it held out for a few more hours they could still do massive damage.
Like all cities, towns and villages there was a lot of wood construction in Konoha. Although like all hidden villages they used less of this combustible material than any civilian town would. For a moment he thought about questioning the man that stood a few feet away from him on the subject but, with a glance Kabuto could see he was deep in meditation and it wasn't like they could call off the operation now anyways.
Not that he particularly looked forward to fighting. He would prefer to be in his lab dissecting his latest specimen. Originally, he wasn't supposed to participate in this raid but, with Kidomaru recent disappearance and presumed dead they had been one man short. For a moment he could almost curse Kumogakure for their not-so-subtle hint.
True they hadn't claimed responsibility for the destruction of their new base but all signs were pointing in their direction. Though why would they take Kidomaru's body he wondered. It could have been for the curse seal but, there had been others there with the same seal that had been left alone. It made him wonder if this raid had been compromised. He had tried to argue that point but, their benefactors were eager to see a large-scale operation pulled off and threatened to pull their support if they didn't go through with it. Besides as Orochimaru had pointed out most of these forces were not even his and it wasn't like Kidomaru had been entrusted with all the details. There was also the little side mission they had planned.
"Sir, my preparations are complete. I am fully prepared to carry out my part of the mission."
Kabuto turned his head and nodded in acknowledgment. The man who had spoken was Ryoichi the linchpin of this plan. Slightly older than himself he was short and plump and yet he had managed to create a Jutsu that was perfect for this situation. "As soon as the others check-in we can begin. Sakon," he turned to the man behind him. "Wake your brother. I want you two in the second stage and we will need your summoning ability."
Sakon shook his brother who was currently sharing his body "Come on wake up Ukon it's time to fight."
He ignored the two as their curse mark slowly started to spread over them. Turning on his radio for the first time today he said, "Status."
There was a moment of silence before Jirobo's gravelly voice came over the radio, "In position. We have made no contact with any patrols."
Tayuya voice came over the radio a second later, "Ready." There was a pause and then she swore, "Why are there so many fucking bugs in this place."
"Tayuya your language is both inappropriate for your gender and the situation."
"Shut up fat ass!"
"Enough, I'm beginning the attack." Kabuto appreciated Jirobo's attempt to clean up Tayuya's mouth but now was not the time for it. He gestured to set the cart loose. It looked normal enough but it had been packed with exploding tags and more importantly magnesium. When the cart exploded the magnesium would be ignited and as it burned it would create a bright light temporarily blinding anyone who was looking in its direction. The corpse that was wired into the driver's seat was from his private collection.
Crouching he covered his ears and stepped behind a tree facing away from the village and waded. The guard's shouts were surprised at first as he expected. They tried to wave the cart away with no luck. As the cart past the halfway point between the woods and the gate he knew one of the guards would throw a kenai right in front of the ox team. This last warning went unheeded and a hail of kenai descended tearing into the beasts.
A second later the wagon exploded with a bright flash blinding anyone who had not shielded their eyes. For a moment the world became brighter and the shadows lengthened. He gave no orders, they weren't needed. Five squads of ten men each cleared the open field before jumping on the walls. They took it with little resistance. The defenders that didn't retreat died where they stood stunned and confused.
The four of them followed after the wall was taken and secured. Allowing the Twins to take the lead he hung back with Ryoichi the men he was suppose to guard for now. The four of them
were on the wall shortly after the attack had begun. Sakon and Ukon stood on either side of him and shouted, "Rashomon." When summoned the first demonic gate was just as wide as the wall itself. Ryoichi and himself now towered over Konoha, taking in the view of his former hometown. Suddenly he realized that the mishmash of various colored buildings were annoyingly intact. When the wagon exploded it was supposed to create a chain reaction that would set off the other exploding tags. Had the system failed or had their agents been caught?
"Why are there no fires? I can't create a firestorm without their support."
"Just do as much damage as you can," he snapped. Turning to his radio he spoke, "Squads two and three advance into the city and start as many fires as you can. All remaining squads pull the perimeter back. Nobody can get through. Tayuya, Jirobo what is your status."
"We'll be at the hospital in ten," Tayuya clipped.
"We're starting our ascent. We should be at the first shelter in four minutes," Jirobo answered concisely.
"Alright proceed with caution they might be more prepared than we thought." Kabuto turned as he felt a breeze.
Ryoichi had started his Jutsu. The man knelt, his eyes closed hands locked in the tiger seal. A string of fire spilled from his mouth but it did not look like normal fire. Fire was naturally wild but this fire almost seemed as if it was controlled. The stream of fire pooled into a giant spherical ball that seemed to spin slowly. The fire sucked in nearby air creating a breeze that seemed to grow stronger as the size of the sphere increased. As he watched a small piece of fire no larger than a sparrow shot out of the sphere. The Firebird darted towards one of the newly created fires dripping its mass along the way. It plunged into the fire and came out as if it was reborn before crashing into another wooden building. So this is the Thousand Sparrow Technique, he thought, interesting.
Otonashi was grateful to the Hokage for letting him out of the apartment. Although she probably just didn't want to spare a guard during the attack but, it helped him fulfill his orders. Regardless of the reason behind it he was glad to be able to move freely. Well that wasn't really true he had to stay in this restaurant with the rest of team seven until they could counter attack.
All that time in the apartment had given him time to ponder all the consequences of failure of his mission. He had done all he could but, if Sound changed their plan of attack or worst cancel it altogether, he would be in a lot of trouble and any further cooperation between their two villages would be at an end. A few years ago this wouldn't have been a problem but, the balance of power was all mixed up now.
Having five great nations had been ideal. Unfortunately with Kirigakure still recovering there was only four and that was making some people ambitious. During the previous great wars it had always been a two on three. Generally one village and usually it had been his, would switch sides when either they were offered a better deal or they were losing. When that happened it would tip the scales and negotiations were rarely far away.
Things would have continued this way if the previous Raikage had not launched a surprise attack on Konoha. It should've been an easy victory but, it didn't turn out that way. They had lost a lot of ninjas and there were many who wanted revenge on Konoha for their defeat. If they were continually weakened in this war with Otogakure many in his village would see it as a chance for revenge. With Iwagakure long standing desire for Konoha's destruction there'd be little if anything to stop the two from launching a surprise attack. The smaller villages would do what they had to survive and either Sunagakure would stay silent or be destroyed. Leaving only two giants left in the world and how long could they coexist. At least that's how it had been explained to him by the Raikage and personally he preferred not to think about it.
"I've never seen anything like that," Sakura commented as she took a seat across from him.
"Really," he said happy to leave his thoughts behind. "It's a fairly common way to deliver poisons." He unscrewed the hollow end of the kenai and showed her the small vial that was inside. "It's basically like a hypodermic needle only in this case the needles tip is the point of the kenai and it only injects the poisons applied when you put pressure on the hilt. I prefer it over coding weapons with the stuff because if you have to throw it you never know who might pick them up afterwards."
"What kind of poison is it?"
"It's from a rock snake. I normally use neurotoxins but, if I brought my good stuff, I'm sure you guys would copy it." He smiled to take any sting out of words. "Mind if I ask you a question?"
"It's only fair."
"What's up with Naruto? He nodded towards the blond who was pacing back and forth to the annoyance of everyone.
Sakura shrugged and shouted at him, "Sit down Naruto you're making us all nervous."
"He's late," Naruto answered. "I thought he'd be on time today."
"Naruto, I've trained with Kakashi for nearly two years. He was on time once and that was because he forgot to set his clock back." Sasuke added without looking away from the book he was reading.
"I'm sure he has a reason. After all he is a Jounin."Otonashi was cut off as Naruto erupted in laughter and even Sakura had to hide her smile.
"Like Sasuke said, Sensei is always late. The first time we were suppose to meet him he had us wait for more than two hours," Sakura supplied.
"Yeah and he always has these lame excuses like he got lost on the road of life or a black cat crossed his path," Naruto added.
As if he had been waiting for such a comment, Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke right behind Naruto. "Sorry I'm late but, my ears were burning so I had to go to the hospital." Stepping around Naruto who seemed to be frozen in fear he continued. "I just wanted to say I'm proud of all three of you. I wanted to test your skills before taking you into battle again but, time has not permitted it. However, I know all three of you worked hard so forget nothing you have learned and we shall get through this."
Otonashi smiled to himself. That speech would not go down in history as a great one but, it seemed to lift the mood in the room. His sensei had never said many good things about him. Of course he had not been at his best before his sensei had died. He felt a slight tremor and suddenly the mood changed again.