Chapter 209: The Choice
Heartland of the Land of Rain.
Seven kilometers outside Drizzle City, deep in the forest, Konoha's Sakumo —Sakumo Hatake—led a four-man ANBU unit cautiously toward the city.
Yahiko and the others had no idea that while they were heading out to meet the Konoha ninja, Konoha's ANBU had already closed in on Akatsuki's base. The key point? No one from Akatsuki had noticed.
It was clear that Akatsuki was still too inexperienced. Most of their members were genin; even chunin were rare, and the only jōnin-level fighters were Yahiko and his four companions.
On top of that, none of them had the level of expertise in intelligence gathering, infiltration, or assassination that ninja from the great nations possessed.
This was how things had gotten to this point.
"…Someone's approaching."
Sakumo Hatake suddenly raised a hand to signal a halt and concealment. All four instantly used techniques to suppress their chakra and hide.
A moment later, ten ninja approached rapidly, hands behind their backs in a uniform sprint.
Judging by their black cloaks and Amegakure forehead protectors, Sakumo quickly deduced they were members of Akatsuki.
"Where are they going?"
"Are they up to something?"
Sakumo narrowed his eyes, but didn't move. Their primary objective this time was to infiltrate Drizzle City, locate Akatsuki's base, and determine whether they were being supported by another Hidden Village.
What Akatsuki was doing at the moment was not their concern.
"Those Konoha bastards killed our comrades. This time we'll make them pay."
"Haha! With Brother Yahiko's strength, they could wipe out a town in no time. Let Konoha learn what happens when you kill an Akatsuki member—you pay in blood."
Damn it!
Akatsuki was going to attack a village in the Land of Fire!
Until that moment, Sakumo hadn't cared where the ten Akatsuki members were headed. But hearing those words, his expression shifted drastically. He immediately abandoned the idea of pushing toward Drizzle City.
Nothing was more important than protecting the village.
Once the ten passed, Sakumo gathered his team.
"Usagi-men, return to the Land of Fire's border and alert the patrol squad that Akatsuki may be planning an attack on a civilian settlement."
"You two, come with me."
"Yes, Lord Sakumo."
He quickly divided the team. Usagi-men left to deliver the warning, while the remaining three tailed the Akatsuki squad to gather more intel.
They followed at a safe distance, remaining undetected.
But then—boom!—an explosion erupted in the direction Usagi-men had gone. Thick black smoke billowed into the sky.
"It's Usagi-men!"
"Lord Sakumo!"
The three halted immediately. At that time and in that direction, it could only be Usagi-men in combat.
Meanwhile, the ten Akatsuki members also seemed to notice the commotion and changed direction to investigate.
"Let's go."
Sakumo didn't hesitate. Since they'd been discovered, they needed to eliminate the enemy, rescue their comrade, and retreat to alert the border troops.
The three sprinted toward the source of the fight.
Soon, they approached the battle site—but were spotted by the ten Akatsuki members.
"It's Konoha… So fast!"
One of the Akatsuki members barely managed to shout a warning before his vision spun violently—and he saw his own headless body.
But his alert gave his comrades just enough time to react. They leapt back to defend themselves.
And their reaction speed was… off. It wasn't consistent with what Sakumo had learned about Akatsuki's members so far.
"Water Style: Exploding Stream!"
"Earth Style: Earth Spear Barrage!"
Five devastating torrents of water surged like waterfalls to block Sakumo's movement. Simultaneously, countless earthen spikes erupted from the ground to further restrict him.
They knew his fighting style!
Sakumo's heart tensed. The enemy understood his speed and used large-scale water and earth techniques to alter the terrain and block his quick assaults.
"These aren't normal Akatsuki members… No, they must be the real force behind Akatsuki. But which village?"
Bad news!
While analyzing, Sakumo suddenly realized—maybe Akatsuki wasn't the one planning the attack on the Land of Fire. It might be one of the Great Nations.
Iwagakure?
Sunagakure?
Kumogakure?
A flood of possibilities ran through his mind. Regardless, they had to get this intel out—fast—or Konoha would suffer major losses.
This was no joke.
"You two go to Usagi-men. I'll handle things here."
Sakumo made his decision and charged toward the remaining nine enemy ninja. The other two ANBU flanked off to aid Usagi-men.
"Don't let them escape!"
The enemy moved quickly, dispatching four ninja to intercept.
"Earth Style: Earth Surge!"
Sakumo slammed his hands to the ground, and instantly, the terrain within a hundred-meter radius rippled like ocean waves.
The enemies stumbled and fell from the unstable footing.
Taking advantage of the moment, the two ANBU broke through.
Rip!
A sharp white light slashed the air—Sakumo's blade flashed through the confused enemy lines.
"Damn it!"
The enemy didn't expect Sakumo to turn the terrain against them. Off balance, unable to form hand signs, they could only raise kunai and short swords in defense.
But Konoha's Sakumo earned his name from that blade—a white chakra saber wreathed in lightning, sealed perfectly with no energy leakage.
Zzzzzzz!
Their weapons, no matter how well-forged, were like cheese to a hot knife. The white blade sliced through kunai and short swords, cutting throats and piercing hearts.
In an instant, four more fell. The remaining five scattered but didn't last long—Sakumo cut them all down.
That's the difference between a Kage-level and a jōnin or chunin.
Especially with speed-types like Sakumo, the only way to pin them down was with overwhelming numbers and area-based jutsu.
Boom boom! Explosions and Fire Style roars echoed.
Sakumo rushed toward the source. When he arrived, three of his comrades were injured. Usagi-men had taken the worst of it—his thigh was shredded by an explosive tag. Without immediate treatment, blood loss alone would kill him.
Zzzzzzz!
Sakumo flickered forward, instantly killing two Akatsuki members who failed to dodge in time.
A gap opened in the enemy's encirclement.
"Get Usagi-men out of here. I'll cover you!"
Holding his white blade, Sakumo faced the remaining ten enemies and gave orders without hesitation. Deeply influenced by the Will of Fire, he didn't even pause before volunteering to stay behind.
"Be careful, Lord Sakumo!"
The other ANBU didn't hesitate either. Two of them lifted the wounded Usagi-men and retreated. They knew full well—only if their strongest held the line could they hope to escape.
But it was as if they had walked into the enemy's den. Not long after, twelve more enemies surrounded them again.
Boom boom boom!
Explosive tags detonated, Fire Style techniques roared—echoing through the rain-drenched jungle.
Meanwhile, Sakumo slew four more opponents. At last, they began to fear him. Their strategy shifted—they focused on delaying him, not defeating him.
Sensing more explosions in the distance, Sakumo changed tactics too. He stopped trying to kill and instead prioritized breaking through to assist his comrades.
These "Akatsuki" were abnormally strong, perfectly coordinated, and clearly trained in the style of elite ANBU from one of the Great Nations.
Without him, his three comrades had no chance of escape.
Relying on superior speed, Sakumo soon reached their side—only to find them injured again.
Ten more enemies surrounded them—and even more were approaching from afar.
"Will you save your comrades, or complete your mission? What's your choice… boy of the Hatake clan?"
From atop a mountain cliff in the distance, Danzo watched the scene below, his eyes gleaming. He smiled slightly and turned to the Root ninja behind him.
"Notify our agents inside the border—act in two hours."
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
The Root ninja withdrew.
Two hours. The timing was precise. If Sakumo abandoned his comrades now, he'd just barely make it back in time to report.
Now all that remained… was seeing what choice Sakumo would make.
(END CHAPTER)
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