1:00 PM. Hokage Building, main conference room.
Natsuki entered alongside Tsunade, Nawaki, and Yakushi Nonou. Every jōnin they passed offered a greeting — all four were Konoha's upper echelon now, impossible to overlook.
Natsuki drew the most attention. Hokage Assistant, Hokage Guard, Hokage Secretary, commander of both the Anbu and the absorbed Root. In raw institutional power, he outranked even Tsunade.
Though in Tsunade's case, her lack of titles owed more to laziness than lack of qualification.
They exchanged brief pleasantries and took seats in the front row. The room filled quickly. When every chair was occupied, the door opened.
Orochimaru walked in.
The meeting began.
"The Anbu have just received intelligence." No preamble. "The Hidden Stone Village has dispatched five hundred shinobi to launch a surprise attack on the Hidden Rain Village."
The room erupted.
No one here was naive. Amegakure was a proxy — Konoha's forward presence. A strike against the Rain was a strike aimed at the Leaf.
The Third Great Ninja War had reached their doorstep.
But it wasn't unexpected. The other four Great Villages were already bleeding each other. Konoha's immunity had always been temporary.
Several jōnin wore expressions closer to anticipation than dread. In wartime, merit came fast.
"Natsuki." Orochimaru raised his hand, silencing the murmur. "Take one thousand shinobi to the Land of Rain. Reinforce the Hidden Rain Village."
"Yes, Sensei." Natsuki stood.
"Nawaki — prepare to deploy. If the Stone sends reinforcements or the Sand makes a move, you lead an immediate support force to Natsuki's position."
"Yes, Sensei!" Nawaki could barely contain himself.
He didn't know how many troops he'd command, but the implication was unmistakable — he'd been designated a battlefield commander. For a young shinobi with his eye on the Hokage seat, this was a landmark moment.
"Minato. Five hundred shinobi to the northeast border of the Land of Fire. Guard against the Hidden Cloud."
Orochimaru paused, thinking it through. With open war breaking out, the greatest vulnerability was an opportunistic strike from another front. The Cloud and Mist were engaged with each other, but the Cloud's strength and temperament made a surprise offensive against Konoha entirely plausible.
"Yes, Lord Hokage." Namikaze Minato rose and nodded.
"Sakumo — monitor the Hidden Mist."
Even the Mist couldn't be ruled out. Their forces were stretched thin against the Cloud, but if an opening appeared, they'd exploit it without hesitation.
"War has arrived." Orochimaru stood. "Maintain the highest vigilance. Dismissed."
"Yes, Lord Hokage," the room answered in unison.
The meeting was over in minutes.
Orochimaru departed with Homura and Koharu. The jōnin filed out.
"Natsuki. Be careful."
Tsunade's tone had shifted — serious, stripped of her usual ease.
"If I can't win, I can always run." He smiled.
"Exactly. As long as you're alive, there's hope."
She knew about the Door-Door Fruit. He was careful with it — using it away from witnesses whenever possible, since its strategic value depended on secrecy. But she'd seen enough.
Her real worry wasn't his power. It was his age. Young shinobi ran hot. They didn't always know when to yield.
From what she'd seen so far, Natsuki wasn't that type. But a battlefield had a way of testing assumptions.
"Sis!" Nawaki cut in. "We're going to have the Stone running for the hills!"
"Good thing your sensei didn't assign you yet." Tsunade rapped him on the forehead with her knuckles.
"I just have faith in Konoha!" He grinned, rubbing the spot.
"We're heading out. Things to arrange." Tsunade gathered Nawaki and the others and left.
"Natsuki."
Uchiha Fugaku stepped forward.
"Clan Head Fugaku." Natsuki hadn't expected him.
"Clan Head." Mikoto scrambled to her feet to greet him.
She'd attended the meeting in her capacity as a jōnin and Hokage Secretary, seated in the second row — watching Natsuki's back in silence. She'd planned to approach him after Tsunade left, but Fugaku had beaten her to it.
"For this deployment to the Land of Rain," Fugaku said, getting straight to the point, "feel free to draw heavily from the Uchiha Clan's ranks."
Natsuki blinked, then smiled. "I appreciate the support, Clan Head."
"A small matter." Fugaku's tone was deliberately casual.
Natsuki had done the Uchiha an enormous service — eliminating Danzo, dismantling Root. Even setting that aside, Natsuki's trajectory alone justified the investment. If nothing derailed him, he was the next Hokage. Establishing ties with a future Hokage early was the political equivalent of being a founding minister.
Natsuki understood the calculation perfectly. And it suited him. The Uchiha were straightforward to work with — they respected strength above all else. As long as he remained stronger, they'd remain loyal. And if they could see a path to the Hokage seat through their association with him, so much the better.
A name surfaced in his mind: Uchiha Shisui.
In the original timeline, Shisui had made his name during this exact war. Fighting against the Hidden Mist, he'd earned the moniker "Shisui of the Body Flicker." The terrifying part was his age — roughly four or five years older than Itachi, which meant he'd earned that title at eight or nine years old.
More importantly, Shisui had been a genuine believer in the Will of Fire. When forced to choose between clan and village, he'd chosen the village. To prevent the Uchiha rebellion, he'd even revealed Kotoamatsukami's existence to Hiruzen.
The fatal mistake was telling Danzo as well. Danzo had ambushed him, stolen his right eye, and left him broken. Shisui entrusted his remaining eye to Itachi and took his own life — never once naming his attacker. Because revealing it would have deepened the rift between the Uchiha and Konoha beyond repair.
From the clan's perspective, Shisui was a traitor. From the Hokage lineage's perspective, he was an invaluable asset.
A genius like that couldn't be wasted.
And with Danzo gone, his tragedy would never repeat.
"Does the Uchiha Clan have any exceptional talents under eighteen?" Natsuki asked.
Fugaku's confusion was instant. Where had that come from?
"Obito," he answered after a moment's thought.
"Anyone else?"
Something shifted behind Fugaku's eyes. "Shisui. He's not yet six, but he's already mastered the Uchiha-style swordsmanship curriculum."
"That's remarkable talent." Natsuki nodded. "After he graduates, I'll take him as my student."
There was no rule limiting a jōnin instructor to three students. Orochimaru and Tsunade had each taken only one. Jiraiya had taken four — Minato, his two teammates, and later Naruto.
"What did you just say?"
Fugaku's eyes went wide. He wasn't sure he'd heard correctly.
The Uchiha were already closer to the Hokage seat than they'd been in generations. Mikoto provided proximity. Obito, as Minato's student, had entered the Hokage lineage. But the shinobi with the strongest claim to becoming the next Hokage was Natsuki himself.
Being a Hokage's student was an entirely different tier from merely belonging to the Hokage lineage. If Shisui became Natsuki's student, the Uchiha Clan's position would strengthen beyond anything Fugaku had imagined.
"This is Shisui's honor." Fugaku recovered, his voice carrying a rare tremor of excitement. "I'll inform him personally and ensure he graduates at the earliest opportunity."
"Let it happen naturally." Natsuki paused. "I need to get moving — things to arrange."
He turned toward his office. Mikoto excused herself from Fugaku and hurried after him.
What a shame, Fugaku thought, watching them go. His mind went to Itachi — not even a year old. If the boy could have become Natsuki's student too, it would have been perfect.
Natsuki entered his office. The first order of business: assembling a thousand-strong force.
"Natsuki." Mikoto's voice was firm, decided. "I'm going to the Land of Rain."
"Fine."
He'd considered it already. Having Mikoto along was practical — her Water Release provided a direct counter to Fire Release. Useful in any engagement.
Relief washed over her face. If he'd refused, she wouldn't have dared push back.
"Get me the jōnin roster."
She crossed to the bookshelf and retrieved a scroll, then spread it open on the desk. Names filled every column — Konoha's complete jōnin registry.
In theory, any of them could deploy. In practice, the list needed trimming. Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Nawaki — all excluded. And numbers mattered. A thousand shinobi broke down into two hundred and fifty four-man squads. He didn't need two hundred and fifty jōnin for that — a hundred would suffice. Given Amegakure's own strength, even that might be excessive.
He picked up a pen.
The first name he wrote: Might Duy.
Two reasons. First, Duy was powerful. Second, Natsuki intended to bring his three students along. Father and son on the same battlefield — two Eight Inner Gates users. That alone was half a victory.
The selections took less than an hour.
As Fugaku had hoped, the Uchiha were well represented. But the choice was merit-based — Uchiha shinobi genuinely excelled across combat, support, and control roles. They earned their slots.
"Mikoto — take this to the Anbu base and have them distribute the deployment orders." He stood. "Everyone prepares today. We move at 0900 tomorrow."
"Yes." She took the roster and left.
Natsuki opened an Air Door and stepped into Amegakure's leader's office.
"Natsuki-sensei." Hyō-onna rose from her seat.
"Yahiko and the others have already departed?" He'd guessed from her being alone.
"Mm. Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan left with five hundred shinobi."
"I'll catch up."
He stepped through another Air Door. Without a precise fix on their location, he couldn't teleport directly — he had to chain short-range jumps within his line of sight. Tedious, but fast. In under thirty minutes, he'd closed the distance.
He materialized in front of the column.
One finger to his lips — quiet.
Then he fell in alongside them, just another Rain shinobi in the formation.
Night descended.
The force halted at the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth.
"Based on Anbu intelligence," Yahiko addressed the assembled shinobi, "the Stone's forces are roughly half a day out."
The two countries shared a border, but Amegakure and Iwagakure were separated by considerable distance — two and a half days' travel from village to village. Thanks to Natsuki's standing orders, Amegakure had maintained constant surveillance on the Stone. Hyō-onna's Blood Demon Art: Eyeball Clones were scattered across the Land of Earth, and the Stone's forces had been detected within hours of departure.
Yahiko and the others had notified Natsuki immediately.
"What's your battle plan?" Natsuki asked.
"Air superiority first. We use Moonwalk to hit them from above and grind down their numbers. Once they break formation, we commit to a full assault."
"Good plan."
The Akatsuki Organization now fielded a significant number of Moonwalk-capable shinobi. An aerial bombardment against grounded forces created a near-impossible defensive problem. Counterattacks would come, but Nagato and the others could intercept the few that reached altitude.
"Begin preparations now," Natsuki ordered.
Yahiko nodded and issued deployment commands. Five hundred shinobi fanned out into position.
Dawn crept across the horizon.
Five hundred Iwagakure shinobi marched into the ambush zone.
"Now," Yahiko said.
Konan, Nagato, Chino, and sixteen Amegakure Anbu — the former CP9 orphans, now the Akatsuki Organization's aerial corps — activated Moonwalk simultaneously and launched skyward.
Yahiko followed.
Natsuki considered for a moment, then rose with them. He wouldn't intervene — this was the Akatsuki's proving ground, their first real engagement as an organization. He'd observe.
Below, Taiseki — the Stone's field commander — called out to his troops. "We've crossed into the Land of Rain. Stay alert — the Rain may attempt a surprise—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Massive chakra signatures. Above them.
Taiseki looked up. His pupils contracted.
Twenty-one figures hung in the sky, silhouetted against the pale dawn.
"ENEMY CONTACT! Eyes up — defensive formations, NOW!"
Shinra Tensei.
Nagato struck first.
Invisible repulsive force slammed down from the heavens like a god's open palm. The ground cratered on impact. An entire cluster of Stone shinobi simply ceased — pulverized by gravitational force, bodies torn apart in a spray of debris and red mist.
Taiseki's face drained of color.
The Stone's response was immediate — trained reflexes kicking in despite the shock. Earth walls erupted across the formation, shielding the survivors.
Then the sky went dark.
Konan raised the Sorcery Clima-Tact.
Thunder rolled. Lightning cascaded down in blinding sheets — not single bolts but a deluge, a white curtain of electricity that found every gap in the earthen defenses. The walls were one-sided. Current raced along their surfaces, arced over their tops, and struck the shinobi sheltering behind them.
Bodies convulsed. Screams tore through the formation.
"Everyone — converge! Earth Release: Ten Thousand Li Earth-Style Wall!"
Taiseki's command was born of desperation. The surviving Stone ninjas formed seals in frantic unison, and a massive fortification erupted from the ground — a true rampart, far thicker and longer than any standard wall.
"Watch this."
Yahiko raised both hands. Every drop of his chakra converted to blood in an instant.
Blood Demon Art: Freezing Clouds — Water Lily Bodhisattva.
A colossus of sculpted ice materialized above the battlefield — an enormous Bodhisattva, beautiful and terrible, catching the first light of dawn across its frozen surface.
Yahiko brought both arms down.
The Bodhisattva plummeted.
The impact was cataclysmic. The rampart shattered. Broken ice and shattered stone exploded outward in a horizontal storm — every fragment a projectile, ripping through the Stone's ranks like a volley of senbon.
The screaming started again.
Shinra Tensei.
Nagato didn't let up. Konan and the Akatsuki Anbu followed suit, raining attacks from altitude in overlapping waves. Taiseki organized counterattacks — jutsu flung skyward, earth projectiles, wind blades — but nothing reached the airborne assault force. Every salvo was intercepted or dodged with contemptuous ease.
Altitude was king. And the Stone had no answer.
"RETREAT!"
Taiseki gave the order through gritted teeth. Casualties had crossed the fifty-percent threshold. His forces had been savaged without ever engaging the enemy at ground level. The punishment waiting for him back in the Stone Village would be severe — but dead men faced no tribunals.
Yahiko wasn't about to let them go.
"ALL FORCES — ATTACK!"
Five hundred Amegakure shinobi surged from concealment, crashing into the Stone's broken formation from every angle. Simultaneously, Yahiko, Nagato, and the aerial corps continued their bombardment from above.
Caught between the hammer in the sky and the anvil on the ground, the Stone's retreat became a rout. The rout became a slaughter.
By the time full daylight washed over the battlefield, it was over.
Taiseki and every one of his five hundred shinobi lay dead.
Flight didn't just provide altitude — it provided pursuit speed. No matter how fast the Stone's survivors ran, they couldn't outpace Moonwalk.
Not a single one escaped.
The Akatsuki Organization's first battle ended in total annihilation.
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