Naruto: Promotion is my Ninja Way

The Land of Hot Water was a small but prosperous nation. Known throughout the shinobi world for its breathtaking natural scenery and numerous therapeutic hot springs, it had become a beloved destination for travelers seeking rest and relaxation.

As a result of this thriving tourism industry, the Land of Hot Water had accumulated considerable wealth over the years.

However, as any nation knows, once you possess wealth, you must develop military strength to protect it from those who would take it by force.

The previous Daimyo of the Land of Hot Water had been an ambitious leader with grand visions for his country's future. While establishing Yugakure, the Hidden Hot Spring Village, he had also begun investing heavily in training skilled ninja to defend his nation's interests.

Just when the country was finally beginning to transform for the better, tragedy struck. The Daimyo went out on a routine trip and was found dead, apparently having drowned in a dried-up hot spring.

The newly appointed Daimyo immediately launched a thorough investigation into the suspicious circumstances surrounding his predecessor's death.

The ninja from his own village firmly believed that the former Daimyo had been assassinated by foreign agents. However, both the Konohagakure ninja team and the Hidden Cloud Village ninja team, who had been hired as neutral investigators, unanimously concluded that the Daimyo had simply drowned due to excessive drinking.

It didn't matter that the hot spring had been completely dry, or that the circumstances made drowning seem impossible. The official result was drowning by misadventure.

From that moment forward, the newly appointed Daimyo abandoned all efforts to govern his country effectively and instead began indulging in a life of excess and debauchery.

Not long after these events, a small-scale war erupted within the borders of the Land of Hot Water.

Konohagakure and the Hidden Cloud Village, representing the two opposing sides in this conflict, didn't lose even a handful of Genin during the entire war. But the Land of Hot Water suffered devastating consequences.

Civilian casualties were enormous and heartbreaking. The newly established Yugakure had barely had time to train its first generation of ninja before being dragged into the conflict and completely destroyed, its hopes and dreams crushed along with its buildings.

After the war ended, all subsequent ninja missions within the Land of Hot Water were exclusively contracted to either Konohagakure or the Hidden Cloud Village. As for the remnants of Yugakure, no one dared to even mention their name again.

This was the unspoken understanding among the five great shinobi nations. No smaller country would be permitted to grow strong enough to challenge the established order. The ninja world was already crowded enough with powerful players - it could not accommodate any new challengers to the balance of power!

So now, when Konohagakure and the Hidden Cloud Village once again chose to wage war within the borders of the Land of Hot Water, the nation's leadership acted like an ostrich, burying their heads in the sand and pretending that nothing was happening around them.

After all, when the fighting finally ended, the ninja from both major villages would withdraw to their homelands. The current destruction and loss of life were simply the price of staying neutral and powerless.

What else could the Land of Hot Water possibly do? They could only allow the two mighty ninja villages to battle back and forth across their territory, filling the air with smoke and letting blood flow like rivers through their peaceful valleys!

"BOOM!"

"CLANG!"

"CRASH!"

"BANG!"

"SLICE!"

The battlefield was thick with choking smoke, and corpses littered the ground in every direction. Konoha shinobi and Cloud ninja were locked in fierce combat, with strategic positions changing hands repeatedly as the tide of battle shifted back and forth.

Although the ninja on the Konoha side were elite fighters with superior training, they couldn't help but begin falling back when facing Cloud forces that outnumbered them several times over.

Their defensive positions gradually fell one by one, and the Hidden Cloud Village forces completely gained the upper hand in the conflict.

"These Konoha ninja are incredibly tenacious!" Toshiro observed, standing on a position that Cloud forces had just recaptured from their enemies. He watched as his teams of ninja began systematically overwhelming the remaining Konoha resistance.

"This is going to take more time than expected..."

"But once we receive word that their rear positions have fallen, the Konoha forces will collapse instantly!"

Seeing that victory was all but assured, Toshiro decided not to press his Cloud ninja to continue their aggressive assault on the Konoha positions. Training any ninja required enormous resources and time, so it was better to minimize unnecessary casualties whenever possible.

Besides, this surprise attack was only meant to gain some tactical advantages - there was no need to cause excessive losses among his own forces.

The key factor was that it was still nighttime, which naturally gave the defending side certain advantages. The Cloud ninja who were conducting the assault had already suffered significantly more casualties than anticipated.

Toshiro watched as the battle in front of him began winding down to its conclusion. The Konoha forces were retreating in good order toward their final major defensive position. He immediately raised his hand and ordered, "Send word to the assault teams to rotate out. Have the fresh ninja move up to..."

Before he could finish giving his instructions, Toshiro watched in complete shock as the entire situation on the battlefield suddenly and dramatically reversed!

"WHOOSH—BANG—"

Brilliant fireworks exploded across the dark night sky like falling stars!

"BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG—"

Flares burst one after another, their blazing light illuminating the darkness and making every Cloud ninja on the battlefield clearly visible to enemy eyes.

Toshiro was horrified to discover that a massive number of Konoha ninja had appeared on the battlefield without him noticing their approach.

"ROOOOOM..."

Dozens of powerful Fire Style jutsu combined together, forming a devastating wave of flames that swept down across the battlefield and instantly engulfed large numbers of Cloud ninja in searing heat.

"BOOM!"

The tremendous explosion sent shock waves rippling outward, blowing countless Cloud ninja off their feet and scattering them like leaves in a hurricane.

"CHARGE!"

The Konoha forces who had held their ground until the major reinforcements arrived felt their fighting spirit ignite like wildfire. They rushed forward together toward the Cloud ninja positions with renewed determination.

They had been completely fooled!

Toshiro felt ice-cold dread run through his entire body as he stared at the battlefield in disbelief, watching their advantageous situation crumble before his eyes.

The Cloud ninja tried to mount a counterattack, but the situation had shifted once again. Now the Konoha forces held the numerical advantage, and they were using it ruthlessly.

With many fighters surrounding and overwhelming individual enemies, the Cloud ninja began suffering defeats without any hope of recovery.

At this critical moment, Toshiro no longer dared to waste time thinking about the consequences of their failed surprise attack on the ten-man infiltration team. His extensive experience in warfare told him that he had to hold his current ground at all costs, or his entire force would be completely destroyed.

"Flame Team!" he shouted over the chaos.

"Yes, sir!"

"White Team!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Squad Nine!"

"Present and ready!"

"Move out immediately! We must stop the Konoha offensive at all costs!"

"Yes, sir!"

Without any hesitation or debate, the Cloud ninja leaped out of the positions they had just captured from Konoha and rushed directly toward the approaching wave of enemy forces.

This was a necessary sacrifice, and everyone understood what it meant!

Toshiro gritted his teeth and waved his hand, signaling for some ninja to stay behind and hold the current positions while the others retreated to the rear defensive lines with him.

The position beneath their feet had just been taken from Konoha, which meant no proper defensive measures had been put in place yet. It was far too late to arrange any meaningful fortifications now, so if they wanted to stop the Konoha advance, they had to fall back to previously prepared defensive positions!

As for those brave souls who stayed behind to buy them time, most of them would not survive the night!

There was no other choice available to them. If they didn't leave anyone behind to slow down Konoha's advance, the entire Cloud force would be defeated and destroyed.

With one final look at the Cloud ninja who had volunteered to stay behind and cover their retreat, Toshiro led his main force away without looking back, knowing that many good fighters were about to die for the greater good.

Such obvious and large-scale movement was naturally spotted immediately by the Konoha forces.

The powerful Konoha offensive launched a general assault, instantly crushing the Cloud ninja rear guard, and then continued their advance without pause.

With such incredible speed of advancement, the retreating Cloud forces had no time to properly arrange new defensive measures. Just like that, all the positions that had been taken from Konoha with such effort were returned to their original owners.

At this point, the Konoha forces were also becoming exhausted from their sustained offensive, and their attack gradually began to slow down.

Just when both sides seemed to be tacitly preparing to pause the fighting and rest before engaging again, two figures came crashing into the very center of the battlefield at tremendous speed!

BOOM!

A massive fist wreathed in flames erupted across the battlefield, illuminating everything in the surrounding area with its brilliant light. The scorching heat waves were so intense that nearby fighters had to shield their faces and step back.

Killer Bee's body was covered with severe burn marks from head to toe. His clothes were torn and tattered, hanging off him in charred strips. The seven swords he normally carried were missing entirely, and his distinctive white scarf had been burned down to just a short, pathetic piece that fluttered sadly in the wind.

However, despite being in such a miserable and battered condition, and despite having nearly died at the hands of Shihouin Naraku multiple times during their deadly chase, Killer Bee still refused to abandon Yugito's lifeless body.

As fellow Jinchuriki, both Killer Bee and Yugito had endured the same prejudice, isolation, and pain throughout their lives. As companions who could truly understand each other's suffering in ways that no one else could, Killer Bee was willing to face death itself rather than leave Yugito's remains behind!

The sudden appearance of Shihouin Naraku and Killer Bee bursting into the center of the active battlefield immediately captured everyone's attention. For a brief, surreal moment, the entire war seemed to pause as both Konoha and Cloud ninja stopped fighting to stare at these two powerful figures who had just crashed into their conflict.

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