Hey guys, here is the new chapter hope you will liked and read thru everything.
Sorry for the delay with the extra chapter! Here it is, and it's a pretty long one. I hope you enjoy it, and let's hit our goal of 100 Powerstones again and even more
I've read many comments and reviews regarding the writing quality. I want to tell you that I'm doing my best; even though I know English, it isn't my first language, and it can't always be perfect. If you notice any mistakes, feel free to post the correct phrasing in the comments of that paragraph so others can read it properly
Also for a extra chapter 100 powerstone
Don't forget to leave your power stones along with your comment if you have any ideas or opinions that could help me, as well as a review to continue showing your support.
Enjoy the chapter!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sound of waves crashing and carrying everything in their path was all Daigo could hear.
Daigo sat right on the edge of the beach, exactly where the water reached out without hitting him, but beyond that, there was only the vast ocean.
He wasn't wearing his ninja sandals; his feet were completely bare, pressing into the warm sand that was slightly damp from the occasional wash of the tide. With his long, ash-gray hair pulled back into a ponytail and the new black patch over his right eye, he looked far more mature than his years suggested.
He kept his left eye closed as well. If an enemy saw him, they wouldn't hesitate to move in and finish him, seeing him so exposed with his guard down though that wouldn't actually happen.
Ever since he woke up from the fight against Mangetsu, he felt that everything had changed. By losing the vision in his right eye, he had been forced to rely more on the Seismic Sense, which had become his primary sense.
Through the soles of his feet, the world revealed itself in tones of vibration and frequency. It wasn't a static image; it was a living map. Although he couldn't see colors or have vision like he did with his eyes, this gave him a far greater advantage than his simple eyes ever could because he can see if he was on a genjutsu.
And it wasn't just "seeing"; by feeling the vibrations, he felt everythinglike the footsteps of people approaching him even before they were anywhere near.
"Your steps are heavier today, Pakura-Chan. Did something happen?" Daigo said without opening his eye or turning his head.
Pakura stopped dead in her tracks about five meters away. She stood there observing the young man's back. Next to the sea, he looked at peace, something Pakura was grateful for, as she didn't want him to head down a dark path.
"How did you know? You didn't even perform a sign or touch the ground with your hands," she asked with a mix of curiosity.
"The vibrations from your feet," Daigo replied, finally opening his single pink eye, which shimmered in the sunlight. "Don't you remember the Seismic Sense I learned from the elephants? It's quite useful now that I'm missing an eye."
Pakura nodded at his words, remembering when he had told her about it, before sitting down beside him to look out at the sea.
"It's a direct message from the Kazekage," she said, pulling out the scroll she had taken from her pocket. "The mission to push Kiri out of the East has officially ended.
Kirigakure has initiated a total withdrawal. Intelligence reports say that after the loss of Fuguki and Jinin, their troops' morale collapsed. The remaining Seven Swordsmen have been called back to the Mist to protect their own coast. They're afraid other villages will take advantage of their weakness."
Daigo took the scroll, opening it and reading the details. Though he said nothing, Pakura noticed how he gripped the scroll a bit tighter.
"We won the East and killed two Swordsmen, and we have their swords... but I don't feel like we won anything, Pakura-chan," Daigo said, looking at her.
"I understand why you feel that way, but in reality, the loss of those two swords is already a massive victory for Suna, Daigo," Pakura answered calmly, knowing what had been going through Daigo's mind lately.
"Also, this helps Suna and your goal of becoming Kazekage a lot. Sunagakure being capable of eliminating high-level ninjas like the Swordsmen will give our ninjas more heart to fight."
"I know... but I wish we weren't the only ones seeing Suna rise to the top. I wish Shizuka could see it, and Yashamaru too," Daigo said, turning back to look at the sea.
"Tomorrow we leave for Suna. Tell Dad to prepare medical transport for Baki. We'll take him to Suna; he'll be safer there and get better medical attention."
Pakura nodded, stood up, and used a Shunshin to go and notify the others of the next movements.
The journey back to Sunagakure began, trekking through the desert with the sun beating down on everyone until they reached one of Suna's new tunnel entrances.
From there, they continued, and this time there were no pauses. Daigo had returned after weeks on mission, and walking through these tunnels, he felt connected on all sides.
Behind him, the other ninjas followed, including a group assigned to carry Baki. Baki remained trapped in a deep coma, his body wrapped in bandages to keep the wounds from Jinpachi's explosions under control.
Sasori, wrapped in his red robe, walked calmly as if nothing had happened to him; his arm had already been replaced by an improvised wooden one. Although the two hadn't spoken since Daigo woke up, they both knew what they had to do. There were no words only the need to grow stronger.
When they saw the sunlight at the end of the tunnel, everyone knew they had finally reached the village after a long trek. As they stepped out, what they found was not what they expected.
"There they are! The heroes who humbled the Swordsmen!" a ninja shouted from the top of the wall.
Suddenly, the roar of thousands of people erupted. Suna's main streets were packed. Civilians, low-ranking ninjas, children who dreamed of being ninjas, and elders who remembered past glories.
They all crowded together, creating a human hallway that vibrated with euphoric energy.
"Daigo! Suna's hope!" the children chanted. Some tried to touch his clothes as he passed, while others looked with awe and respect at the black patch over his right eye. To them, that mark wasn't a tragedy; it was a living legend.
Daigo walked in the middle of that sea of noise, feeling every word from the citizens of Sunagakure. The joy of the crowd felt overwhelming to him. He felt the racing pulse of thousands of proud hearts, the sweat of emotion, the cries of victory. For the village, they were the victors who had put Suna back on the map.
Beside him, Pakura kept her chin high, waving mechanically with her right hand as she looked at all the support from Suna.
She understood the necessity of this theater. A village that lives in the desert needs to believe in its heroes so as not to be consumed by the sand and she was one of those heroes.
Finally, they reached the base of the Kazekage's tower. There, waiting at the entrance, was the village's power circle. The Third Kazekage, in his polished combat armor, flanked by the counselor siblings: Chiyo and Ebizo.
Chiyo stepped forward, her elderly eyes wise and tired, scanning the group with the precision of a hawk.
When her gaze landed on Sasori's wooden hand, her lips tightened and her hands clenched into fists. For a brief moment, the grandmother overcame the counselor, but she recovered her icy mask in a heartbeat. Then, she looked at Daigo.
"You've returned, Daigo," Chiyo said, immediately noticing the boy was barefoot and that his chakra felt different heavier. "It seems the outside world has stripped away your skin as a child and given you that of a warrior."
"I've learned many things, Granny Chiyo," Daigo replied, giving her a small smile.
"Though that won't stop me from fulfilling my goals and ensuring Suna wins."
As They finished speaking and everyone began walking toward the meeting room.
Upon arriving, everyone took their respective seats and waited for more members of the meeting to arrive.
During that time, the room was tense, and there was a cold wind that made everyone serious.
Daigo, Pakura, Sasori, and Haru sat together, needing to recount all the details of the mission.
With the room full of ninjas and counselors, the meeting began and the Kazekage spoke.
"Welcome to all. As you know, our ninjas were in the East holding off Kiri's attacks for quite some time," the Kazekage said.
Everyone listening nodded, knowing this clearly.
"And thanks to Daigo for creating the tunnels, we were able to recover funds not a lot, but enough. I decided to pull Kirigakure's ninjas out of the East with a small elite squad. Daigo led this squad, joined by Sasori, Pakura, Baki, Shizuka, and Yashamaru a total of four Jonin and two Chunin," he continued explaining.
"And as we know, they achieved their objective, though there were casualties in the field. They will explain those to provide more detail on how everything went," Ebizo added.
With the order to tell everything, Haru and Pakura began recounting the details.
Haru spoke first, telling how when he arrived at the camp with Todo, they defended until Daigo and his team took charge of pushing them back.
Then Pakura took her turn, telling how all their missions went without much trouble except for Fuguki's, where Daigo and Baki faced him before Daigo finished the fight.
She then detailed what happened with the death of the two and Baki's condition.
The Kazekage and his counselors listened calmly to the information, also noting the errors that occurred, though they knew it was necessary for the growth of great ninjas.
One of the oldest counselors couldn't hold his tongue and spoke up so everyone could hear.
"Yashamaru is a quite strong and important ninja. It is a lamentable loss," the old man commented. "However, if his death allowed Daigo, Sasori, and Pakura our most valuable assets to return alive and with the heads of two Swordsmen, the Council considers it a necessary strategic sacrifice for the greater good of Suna."
From his chair, Daigo fixed his gaze on the old man, his single eye glowing brighter than usual, making the old man feel a surge of killing intent that made him sit back, sweating.
"Don't you dare call 'strategic sacrifice' what was a failure of my own arrogance," Daigo interrupted. "Shizuka didn't die for a strategy. She died because I, as a leader, wanted to test my strength against Mangetsu instead of ensuring my team's retreat. Yashamaru wasn't a trade. He was a casualty we could have avoided if we'd had a better plan."
Daigo's cold words echoed throughout the room. Many felt the guilt he carried; others were interested in what would happen next, and the Kazekage showed no emotion.
Chiyo raised an eyebrow, staring intently at the boy. "I think everyone here understands the guilt you must feel, Daigo, but what happened is in the past. As a Jonin of Suna, you have to focus on what's coming."
"It's not guilt, Granny Chiyo. It's a lesson. And I learned. Though I am certain that in the wars to come, we aren't going to sacrifice ninjas for a tiny piece of land that gives us no value."
The Third Kazekage nodded at Daigo's words, seeing that this event was what he needed to take his position more seriously.
"You are right. And the moment has arrived. Konoha is at its weakest point since the village's founding. Their forces are split across three fronts against Iwa and Kumo. The Kannabi Bridge is a slaughterhouse, and their best ninjas are stuck on those fronts."
The Kazekage placed his hand over the borders of the Land of Fire. "Konoha possesses the most fertile lands in the world. Rivers that never run dry, forests that provide infinite wood. We live in a furnace of sand. If we strike their frontier outposts now, they won't have an immediate response. We can snatch key territories before they can mobilize."
"Will we attack Konoha?" a ninja asked, with a mix of fear and anticipation for what they could gain.
"We will attack their resources," the Kazekage corrected. "We will initiate a campaign of attrition. I want Daigo and Sasori to lead the infiltration units. Konoha doesn't expect Suna to attack after fighting the Mist. They think we're licking our wounds and also that their defenses have been very weak because they see us as a weak village."
Sasori, who had been staring at a fixed point on the wall, spoke for the first time. "If we're going to attack Konoha, my current puppets are not enough. I will need some time to re-establish myself." He looked at Daigo. "I believe Daigo is in the same situation; he hasn't fully healed."
"That's right. I'm still not at 100%. If you don't want to wait since this is the perfect opportunity, send Rasa along with Arata and more elite ninjas to start, and we will go when we're ready."
The Kazekage stood up, ending the session. "Perfect. I will send Rasa in charge to attack Konoha while you recover. Pakura, you go with Rasa too to give the necessary support."
With that, the meeting ended and everyone left.
Upon leaving the tower, night had already fallen over the village. The desert cold was beginning to seep into bones, but Daigo continued walking barefoot, enjoying the temperature change on the soles of his feet.
He headed to Suna's central hospital. The building smelled of antiseptic and fear. He walked through the halls silently, looking until he found the room he was searching for.
He entered where Baki was resting under the watch of two medical ninjas.
Daigo went in and sat beside the cot. Baki's face was pale, and bandages covered much of his torso. The life support machines emitted a rhythmic beep that Daigo felt like an artificial pulse in the room.
"Baki, soon we'll head to the Land of Fire to start another war and win something this time. I'd like you to wake up so you could join us, though you'll probably need rest to recover before joining." Daigo said as he poured himself a glass of water.
"Don't worry though. This time I'll go much better prepared for this battle, and we will win. I won't let my adrenaline win over my duty. Wake up soon."
So Daigo stayed there for hours in a silent vigil. For Daigo, he didn't count the hours; he just stayed with Baki, meditating so that if anything happened, he'd be ready to help.
After a long meditation, he felt tired; he knew he had to sleep.
As he left the hospital, he found Pakura waiting for him under the silver moonlight illuminating the walls.
"How is he?" she asked softly.
"Better here in the village, though he hasn't shown signs of waking up. But I don't think he'll take much longer; he's too serious about his work as a ninja he'll wake up soon."
Neither said anything more; they just walked in a direction both knew well. Daigo just looked around as he got used to being barefoot, though many things were crossing his mind.
Pakura was the same. Even if it didn't show on the outside, her mind was a mess. Having to go back to the battlefield soon, and with everything that had happened, she hadn't had time to rest properly.
Arriving at Pakura's house, Daigo walked to the door, opening it for Pakura to enter, though she stopped.
"Is something wrong, Pakura-chan?" Daigo asked.
At the question, Pakura avoided his gaze, looking away, though Daigo's hand on her chin made her look back at him.
To her surprise, a soft kiss from Daigo awaited her, which she eventually returned.
Pulling away, Daigo gave her a smile and then turned around.
"Don't worry In the battlefield, I trust you, and if you are in danger, I will appear there to save you," Daigo said, before disappearing this time in a swirl of crystals.
Leaving Pakura all red from the kiss she just received, though a smile appeared on her face before she went inside and closed the door.
End of Chapter