Tonga dropped to his knees the moment the camp was set. His legs shook from exhaustion.
Three months of running, hiding, and sleeping with one eye open had finally ended.
They had crossed the border into the Land of Fire. Tall green trees replaced endless sand. The air smelled wet instead of dry. For the first time in weeks, he allowed himself to breathe.
Around him, the others began making a small fire. Sixteen genin, all between twelve and fifteen years old, moved quietly. They still wore Sunagakure headbands, but the metal plates were scratched on purpose.
The symbol of the sand was crossed out. They were no longer shinobi of Suna. They were missing-nin.
Tonga looked at their tired faces and felt his chest tighten. These children had followed him and his friend Haru because they believed in something better. They believed a shinobi's life could mean more than cannon fodder.
He remembered the day he decided to leave.
His best friend had died on the front lines against Iwa. A simple C-rank escort turned into an ambush. When the news came back, the council did not even send a letter to the family.
They simply took his friend's eight-year-old son and put the boy in the academy early. Another body for the war machine.
Tonga had stood in the Kazekage tower in front and elder and begged. "He is a child! Let him grow first!"
The elder had looked at him with cold eyes. "The village is at war. Every hand counts. We need people to fight at the forefront even if it's a child."
That night Tonga cried in the dark. He cried for his friend. He cried for the boy who would never know his father. He cried for every shinobi who gave their life and received nothing in return. Suna was supposed to be family. Families do not throw their children into fire and walk away.
So he left. He took everyone who would follow. He promised them a place where their lives would matter. Where no one would be discarded like broken tools.
Now they were free.
Tonga closed his eyes and tried to smile. Tomorrow they would keep moving. Tomorrow they would be safe.
A wave of heat woke him from his thoughts.
His eyes snapped open. A massive fireball roared toward the camp. It lit the trees red and orange. If it hit, half the children would burn before they could scream.
Tonga looked at Haru. His friend nodded once. They were both chunin in rank and were far stronger than the genin. Haru was the co leader of the group who believed in his vision.
Tonga flew through hand signs. Water Style: Water Wall. He was one of the rare water users born in the desert. He opened his mouth and waited for the wave to protect them.
Nothing came.
No water. No chakra. Nothing.
The fireball exploded into the camp.
Screams filled the night. Six genin caught in the centre burned instantly. Their bodies fell like broken dolls. The smell of cooked flesh made Tonga vomit.
He stared at his hands in horror. Why had his chakra vanished?
Betrayal and pain filled the eyes of the surviving children. They looked at him like he had lied. Like he had failed them again. He had told them that he would protect them and would not discard their lives like the village but he did not even protect them when he could have.
Tonga's heart broke.
A small figure stepped out of the smoke. Black ANBU clothes. White porcelain mask with red markings. A thin veil covered the lower face. The mask looked like a demon in the firelight.
Tonga's blood ran cold. "They sent a Anbu? And a child at that? Alone too."
'And he managed to track us all the way to the land of Fire despite us taking longer to his our tracks.' He felt a little scared.
The ANBU was tiny. Barely taller than the oldest genin. But that fireball had been huge. This was no normal child.
Haru reacted first. He formed seals for Wind Style: Great Breakthrough. His hands moved fast.
No wind came.
The ANBU moved faster. One moment standing still. The next moment beside Haru. A kunai flashed silver. Haru's throat opened. Blood sprayed across the dirt. He fell without a sound.
The remaining genin screamed and charged. Ten children against one assassin.
The ANBU did not speak.
A rain of senbon flew from his hands.
Three genin dropped with needles in their eyes and necks. Poison worked fast. Their bodies shook and went still.
Two boys tried to circle behind. The ANBU threw two kunai without looking. Both found hearts.
A girl formed hand signs for a earth shield. The ANBU was already there. A palm strike to the chest caved her ribs. She flew ten meters and did not get up.
One boy dropped his weapons and begged. "Please! We just wanted to live!"
A senbon ended his words. Th only consolation was that the Anbu did not take joy in taking these lives, he made them painless as possible.
In less than thirty seconds, only Tonga remained.
He stood shaking with rage and grief. All his promises. All his dreams. Gone. Burned and bleeding on foreign soil.
The ANBU walked toward him slowly. Kunai dripped red.
Tonga spat blood and glared with burning eyes. "I might die today. But remember this. The village will discard you too. One day you will be used up. You are just a tool to them. When the war needs another body, they will throw you away like trash."
The small ANBU stopped in front of him. The mask showed no emotion.
A quiet voice came from behind the porcelain. "You have no right to lecture me. You left when the village needed you most. I feel sorry for what happened to you. But you could have taken the issue with the council rather than taking the future of Suna away from the village and escaping from both Suna and War. You are nothing but a coward who just wanted an excuse to escape from the war."
Tonga wanted to argue but deep down he knew that the Anbu was speaking the truth. Deep down he knew that he had taken the kids with him because he never thought that the village would be cruel enough to send shinobi after them since they were just kids.
He had thought that the village would have let them leave peacefully. But he was wrong..... so very wrong.
The Anbu looked at him from the mask.
"As for the village discarding me, I am too valuable to be thrown away right now. And when my value decreases, I will already be too strong to discard."
A senbon flashed.
It pierced Tonga's neck perfectly between the bones.
There was no pain. Only darkness.
Tonga fell beside the children he had failed to protect.
The ANBU stood over the bodies for a long moment. Then turned and vanished into the trees.
---------Author Notes------
I have decided to increase the extra chaptera of Naruto: The Eraserhead of Suna from 15 chapters to 20 chapters.
Thankyou for your support!
And Happy Christmas in advance! 🎅🏻
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