Asuka forced himself to stay calm, to remember his training. He watched as Tsunade moved through the battlefield like a force of nature, her superhuman strength demolishing puppets with single punches while simultaneously coordinating the defense.
A puppet slipped past the first line, heading directly for a group of chunin who were already engaged with two others. Without thinking, Asuka moved.
"Earth Style: Rock Wall!"
The wall erupted between the puppet and its targets, buying them precious seconds. The chunin capitalized on the opening, destroying their opponents before turning to handle the new threat.
"Thanks, kid!" one of them shouted before diving back into combat.
Asuka's heart pounded. This was different from sparring. This was different from anything he'd experienced. The smell of blood and burning wood filled the air. Screams echoed from all directions. And through it all, the sand kept falling, making everything feel surreal and nightmarish.
"Asuka, above you!"
He looked up just in time to see a puppet descending from the storm, its blade aimed directly at his head. His body moved on instinct, the result of five years of Tsunade's brutal training. He rolled to the side, threw three shuriken at the puppet's joints, and followed up with a fire jutsu that engulfed the wooden construct.
The puppet crashed to the ground, burning. Asuka stood over it, breathing hard, his hands shaking.
"First kill?"
He turned to see Shisui land beside him, the young Uchiha's sharingan swirling as he tracked multiple threats simultaneously.
"It's just a puppet," Asuka replied, though his voice sounded hollow even to his own ears.
"For now," Shisui said grimly. "But before this night is over, you'll probably face the real thing. Are you ready for that?"
Before Asuka could answer, a massive explosion rocked the eastern wall. Through the smoke and sand, a figure emerged—tall, wrapped in a robe that billowed in the storm, with four puppet limbs extending from their back like mechanical spider legs.
"Sasori of the Red Sand," Shisui breathed, his Sharingan spinning faster. "This is bad. That's Chiyo's grandson he's supposed to be one of their most dangerous puppet masters."
Asuka watched as the figure moved through Konoha's defensive line like a scythe through wheat. Chunin fell before they could even complete their jutsu. Jonin managed to last slightly longer, but even they were overwhelmed by the sheer number and precision of Sasori's attacks.
"We need to fall back!" someone shouted. "The eastern line is collapsing!"
"No!" Tsunade's voice cut through the chaos. "If we give ground now, they'll push straight to the medical camp! Everyone, hold your positions!"
But even as she spoke, Asuka could see more Suna forces pushing through the breach. The defensive line was crumbling, and with it, their chances of surviving until reinforcements arrived.
He looked at his hands, at the chakra that sparked between his fingers water and lightning, still refusing to properly merge. In his mind, he could hear his father's voice: "Having five chakra natures means nothing if you can't use them when it matters."
And Tsunade: "Strategy keeps people alive, but only if you're brave enough to speak when everyone else stays silent."
Asuka took a deep breath. He wasn't ready. He knew he wasn't ready. But sometimes being ready was a luxury you couldn't afford.
"Shisui," he said quietly. "I'm going to do something stupid. Tell Tsunade-sensei I'm sorry."
"Wait, what"
But Asuka was already running toward the breach, his hands forming seals as he pushed his chakra to its absolute limit. Water and lightning sparked around his palms, refusing to combine but responding to his desperation nonetheless.
If he couldn't create Storm Release properly, he'd just have to use both elements separately fast enough and strong enough that it wouldn't matter.
"WATER STYLE: WATER DRAGON JUTSU! LIGHTNING STYLE: LIGHTNING BEAST TRACKING FANG!"
Two massive jutsu launched simultaneously—a dragon of water and a beast of lightning, both heading straight for the breach where Sasori stood. The attacks collided with each other mid-flight, not merging but creating a chaotic explosion of steam and electrical discharge that filled the entire gap in the defensive line.
For a moment, everything stopped. Suna forces hesitated, unable to see through the electrified steam. Konoha shinobi used the opening to regroup and reinforce the breach.
And somewhere in the chaos, Asuka collapsed to his knees, his chakra completely exhausted, his body shaking from the strain of performing two high-level jutsu simultaneously.
The last thing he saw before his vision blurred was Tsunade appearing beside him, her hand already glowing with medical chakra.
"You absolute idiot," she said, but there was something else in her voice, something that might have been pride. "You reckless, brilliant idiot."
Then everything went dark.
Asuka woke to the sound of steady breathing and the antiseptic smell of medical supplies. His body ached everywhere, a deep soreness that seemed to reach into his very bones. When he tried to move, a gentle hand pressed him back down.
"Stay still," Shizune's voice said softly. "Your chakra coils are strained. Tsunade-sensei said you're lucky you didn't permanently damage them."
He blinked his eyes open, finding himself in a medical tent. Soft light filtered through the canvas, and from the angle of the shadows, it appeared to be late morning. Around him, other injured shinobi lay in cots, some sleeping, others being treated by medical nin.
"How long was I out?"
"Fourteen hours. The battle ended about six hours ago." Shizune checked his pulse, her professional demeanor firmly in place despite the concern in her eyes. "The reinforcements arrived three hours after your stunt. By then, we'd managed to hold the line long enough that Suna forces had to retreat or risk being surrounded."
"Did we... Did we win?"
"If you can call surviving 'winning,' then yes." Shizune's expression darkened. "We lost thirty-seven shinobi, with another fifty-three injured. Suna probably lost twice that number, but..." She trailed off.
Asuka understood. Numbers didn't capture the reality of what had happened. Thirty-seven families would receive death notices. Thirty-seven names would be added to the memorial stone. Thirty-seven lives ended because of a single night's battle.
"Asuka," Shizune said quietly, "what you did was incredibly reckless. You could have died."
"I know."
"Then why"
"Because people were dying anyway." Asuka stared at the ceiling of the tent. "I saw chunin getting cut down. I saw the line breaking. And I thought... if there was even a chance I could help, I had to try."
"That's not your responsibility. You're still a genin"
"And they're still dead if I do nothing!" Asuka sat up despite Shizune's protests, wincing as pain shot through his body. "I'm not saying I was right. I'm not even saying I'd do it again. But at that moment, it felt like the only choice I had."
Shizune was quiet for a long moment. Finally, she sighed. "Tsunade-sensei wants to see you as soon as you're awake. She's... well, I'll let her tell you herself."