Naruto: Reborn as Yagura Karatachi

A small emergency strategy meeting was underway in Sunagakure.

Having fewer people involved had its perks. Compared to the Third and Fourth Kazekage's eras, where roundtables were packed with high-ranking shinobi and bogged down by bureaucratic infighting, things were much more straightforward now.

To be precise, the only one really calling the shots was Elder Ebizō.

He'd bring up a matter, give his opinion, and the "two juniors and one child" would simply nod in agreement. That was how decisions were made.

"The 'reinforcements' from Konoha have arrived," he said. "But they've been stopped by the Mist shinobi."

Baki asked, "The Hokage is requesting we coordinate with them. Launch a pincer attack to break through Kirigakure's defenses together."

Sunagakure had more or less surrendered and gone dormant. But Konoha and Kumogakure were still pushing forward with energy to spare.

It was as if the two were standing outside Sunagakure's door, shouting:

Hey, old Sunagakure! What are you doing sleeping at your age?!

Come on, gramps! Let's go have some fun again! One more charge against the Mist!

"Should we?"

The intel about Konoha's reinforcements arriving just outside Sunagakure's borders had already been confirmed. It came from reliable internal sources, and the group in the room had verified it carefully.

They were right outside the village's core territory. Losing access to intelligence on that area would be disastrous.

Yashamaru glanced at Gaara, the child who had been hoisted into the Kazekage position far too early.

"If we join forces with Konoha," he said cautiously, "we might still have a fighting chance."

He closed his eyes, trying to fully understand their situation.

They had to view things from the broader perspective—what they had, what their enemies had, and what their choices would lead to.

Thanks to Kirigakure's lightning-speed invasion and Sunagakure's quick surrender after their capital fell, the village's core forces hadn't been too badly damaged.

That meant they still held power—enough to pose a threat to Kirigakure, and at least make things difficult for Konoha and Kumogakure.

Understanding that much helped him see Sunagakure's current standing on the chessboard of the Great Nations.

Every choice they made from this point on would ripple outward and shape their village's future.

"If we go to war again..."

Gaara's voice was soft and young, the words tentative as he voiced his feelings.

"I… I still can't protect everyone. And people will die, right?"

He didn't know exactly what he was supposed to do as Kazekage.

He only understood one vague, overarching duty: that a Kage should protect their people. And deep down, Gaara knew he wasn't capable of that yet.

As for the second part—his fear of death and war—that came not from the position of a leader, but from the heart of a child.

Yashamaru wanted to say something to him.

Among the shinobi, he was already considered unusually gentle. But he was still a ninja—no stranger to death and blood.

Baki felt the same way. But his stance was more direct—and much more aggressive.

"Lord Kazekage. For the future of Sunagakure, we are prepared to risk our lives!"

"No. We reject Konoha's offer."

!?

Ebizō's reply caught both Baki and Yashamaru completely off guard.

He had sided with Gaara.

Meeting the child's gaze with a soft, affectionate look, Ebizō nodded, validating him: "The Kazekage is right. Sunagakure must not bleed any more."

"Anyone can fight recklessly. That part's easy. But if we agree to ally with Konoha and Kumogakure, and wage war against the Mist again…"

He turned to Baki and Yashamaru, giving them a deeper explanation:

"Konoha and Kumogakure are foreign forces. The main fighting would still fall on our shoulders. The battlefield would be right in our own backyard and the streets of our village."

"Even if we win in the end, we'll pay a heavy price. Our shinobi decimated. Our village ruined by fire and war."

Thinking through the consequences of each choice had led Ebizō to his decision.

"Is that a victory? Or a more devastating defeat?"

For the first time, Baki felt compelled to oppose him.

"But, Lord Ebizō… are we just going to submit to Kirigakure? Become their vassal?"

"Of course not."

Ebizō looked deeply at Gaara, his voice filled with long-held hope.

"It's just that… we're weaker right now. We have no choice but to endure. The most important thing we can do is preserve our strength."

They had to wait—wait for the next generation of shinobi to grow strong enough. Wait for Gaara to mature into someone capable of carrying the weight of a nation on his shoulders.

Yashamaru understood what the elder meant.

Kirigakure hadn't yet decided to wipe Sunagakure out completely. Konoha and Kumogakure still needed Sunagakure's help. That meant, at the core, Sunagakure still retained enough power to stand on its own two feet.

There were still other factions across the continent. Mist hadn't gone all-in to completely destroy them yet.

If Sunagakure chose to throw everything they had into this war…

If they won, Konoha and Kumogakure would swoop in to take credit.If they lost, Mist would press forward and finish them off.

It wasn't the best option—but it was the safest one right now.

The younger ones were still filled with fire and frustration, but for the greater good, they had to hold it in.

"Alright."

Ebizō glanced around at the two youths and the boy with quiet reassurance.

He was glad they still had the spirit to question and challenge. That was why he'd chosen Baki and Yashamaru out of everyone in the village.

Still, he wasn't too optimistic.

The harsh terrain had forged strong shinobi in Sunagakure, but it had also held the village back. The path to becoming a great power had always been out of reach.

Often, the weak simply can't catch up to the strong. Not in a single step, and not in many.

That part—his honest doubts and buried predictions—Ebizō kept to himself. There was no need to pour cold water on their hopes.

...

Sunagakure issued a formal, public rejection of Konoha and Kumogakure's offer.

They made it clear—they didn't need their reinforcements.

Sand shinobi began cooperating with the Mist, reinforcing the Heavenly line and keeping the increasing number of Konoha and Kumogakure ninjas stuck outside the defensive perimeter.

This attitude left Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Fourth Raikage utterly dumbfounded.

Are you kidding me?! You guys are just going to lie down and roll over like that?!

Konoha and Kumogakure had shown up under the pretense of saving Sunagakure from disaster.

But now, with Sunagakure openly siding with the Mist, that justification fell apart.

Of course, those justifications could always be rewritten. If they actually did end up saving Sunagakure, they could still spin it and turn the narrative to condemn Kirigakure.

Could the united forces of Konoha and Kumogakure really break through the fortified line held jointly by Mist and Sand?

Intent on testing Sunagakure's true resolve, Konoha and Kumogakure launched an assault on Heavenly Line.

They lost many lives beneath that wall.

But what they gained was the answer they were looking for—Sunagakure was dead serious.

...

Over the next few days, Sunagakure's dramatic turn made headlines across the ninja world.

At this point, everyone could see it clearly: Sunagakure had entered a long-term alliance with Kirigakure. For the foreseeable future, they would be standing on Mist's side—and working for them, too.

The balance of power in the ninja world was shifting.

A new order was coming.

Sunagakure's sudden surrender was quickly analyzed by Hiruzen Sarutobi and the rest of the seasoned strategists across the major villages.

After the devastating Third Great Ninja War, Sunagakure had been left severely weakened. They simply couldn't afford — nor stomach — another large-scale conflict.

While they hadn't suffered the highest casualties in the war, they were undoubtedly the slowest to recover.

...

Just as Konoha and Kumogakure forces stood face-to-face with Kirigakure and Sunagakure at the frontline, a long-ignored player began to make its move.

Iwagakure.

Previously overlooked amidst the current chaos, the village began to play its hand after receiving real, tangible goods and funds from Kirigakure.

Ōnoki seized the opportunity.

He split his forces in two.

One division, led by Kurotsuchi's father, Kitsuchi, marched straight into the northern regions of the Land of Wind.

The Land of Wind didn't offer much in terms of valuable territory. Even if it was occupied, it would bring little joy to the daimyō of the Land of Earth.

But with the country's ninja forces now gutted, Kitsuchi's unit rampaged freely, pillaging everything and everyone they came across.

Civilians were rounded up and forcibly relocated into the Land of Earth. All possessions were stripped away, with only basic rations left for survival.

The Land of Wind had nothing but sand — the only thing of value left was its people.

Among the areas being raided, there happened to be some wealthy merchants from the Land of Water, men of fortune affiliated with Kirigakure.

Compared to the poverty-stricken civilians whose ribs showed through their skin, these businessmen were dripping in wealth.

Ōnoki and Kitsuchi weren't about to let that go.

They looted every ryo they could, then graciously sent the merchants back unharmed.

News of Ōnoki's betrayal was swiftly delivered to Yagura's desk.

Two words: Headache inducing.

Iwagakure now resembled Kirigakure right before the Third War — unpredictable and dangerous.

Ōnoki had gambled on the fact that Yagura wouldn't dare break ties at such a crucial moment.

So he took the entire unguarded northern region of the Land of Wind for himself with a smile on his face.

Now, the daimyō of the Land of Wind could no longer sit still.

Kirigakure's invasion hadn't directly harmed the daimyō's interests.

Aside from signing two treaties with the Land of Water's daimyō — largely symbolic in the eyes of the Land of Wind's leadership — there had been no strong reaction.

But Iwagakure's invasion?

That was outright aggression.

With almost ninety percent of the northern population wiped out or displaced, the daimyō's interests had been severely damaged.

His response came fast and furious — and it landed squarely on Yagura's desk.

Normally, feudal lords had no place meddling in village affairs. But they couldn't be outright ignored, either.

"Promise them some imaginary concessions from the Land of Rivers," Yagura ordered. "We just need to pacify the daimyō for now."

Iwagakure had been bought with a hefty price — Ōnoki couldn't be allowed to flip sides so easily.

Yagura instructed his diplomatic corps to come up with a convincing excuse to placate the daimyō, then shifted his full attention back to Ōnoki's actions.

Ōnoki was no fool — he'd been playing this game for decades.

He wouldn't do anything overtly reckless.

Behind the scenes, he had quietly shaken hands with Kirigakure.

Attacking Kirigakure outright would've burned that bridge completely — and Ōnoki didn't have the winning cards to risk that.

Instead, he played nice while launching his attack not on Kirigakure but on Sunagakure.

As for the collateral damage involving Water Country merchants? Well...

A few subordinates going off-script and causing minor accidents was perfectly within reason.

...

Meanwhile, the other Iwagakure unit had stationed itself along the border between Iwagakure and Konohagakure. (The tiny countries in between didn't get a say.)

Hiruzen Sarutobi was shocked when he got the news.

He immediately increased surveillance along the Iwa-Konoha border.

Ever since they'd teamed up to push back against Kumogakure, he and Ōnoki had been getting along just fine.

So why, you stubborn old bastard, are you changing sides again?!

When it came to fighting off Kumogakure's aggression, Ōnoki was willing to align with Konoha.

But against Kirigakure? Kirigakure offered more. So Ōnoki was willing to flip.

It wasn't about betrayal — it was politics.

No two countries had interests that aligned perfectly. They could be allies in one region, enemies in another.

That said, not everyone followed orders to the letter.

One unruly Iwa shinobi went rogue, slipping away from his unit.

And now the Konoha border ninjas were in serious trouble.

"Look! What's that?!"

Soaring high overhead, a massive white bird crossed into the skies of the Land of Fire, triggering a full alert from the border outpost's shinobi.

On the other side of the border, Iwa ninja stood silently stationed.

Konoha's sensory team quickly identified several chakra signatures — familiar faces from the Third War.

Every single one of them possessed Explosion Release kekkei genkai.

There was no doubt — this was Iwagakure's elite demolition squad.

Already on edge, the Konoha shinobi tensed up even further when they spotted the unidentified white bird in the sky.

Their instincts screamed: "Take cover! It's likely an Explosion Release technique from Iwagakure!"

"Long-range units, prepare for combat!"

High in the air, a single visible eye peered down past golden bangs.

"All that preparation is pointless in the face of my art, hm."

Deidara sat astride his massive clay bird, soaring dozens of meters above the battlefield.

Ordinary attacks — be they ninja tools or jutsu — couldn't reach him at that height.

Only special techniques like Dust Style or Light-Weight Rock Technique had any hope of landing a hit.

Having spent years experimenting with his "art" against his own comrades in Iwagakure, Deidara had developed his own aerial combat doctrine.

"Finally, a breath of fresh air. Hm!"

After one too many "art experiments" inside the village, he'd been confined by Ōnoki to a remote monastery outside Iwa.

He'd been stuck there for ages.

Now, he was finally let out — and given a brand new canvas for his artistic expression!

The wind whipped through his hair and cloak as he looked down at the gathering Konoha ninja.

His hands dove into the twin satchels strapped to his waist.

"Time for a masterpiece! Hm!"

Having been cooped up for too long, Deidara was practically vibrating with excitement.

The mouths on his palms chomped greedily at the abundant white clay inside his bags.

Below, Konoha's ninjas fired Fire Release and Wind Release jutsu into the air. Others hurled ninja tools.

But all attacks weakened drastically as they fought gravity, breaking apart mid-flight.

The few that did reach Deidara's altitude lost most of their power and were easily dodged by the clay bird.

The clay was ready.

A wild grin spread across Deidara's face.

Genius and madness danced in his eyes.

For the first time, Ōnoki had not only allowed his hyperactive student to run wild over enemy territory — he'd given him more explosive clay than he'd ever seen.

And a strict order:

"Don't come back to Iwa unless you've used up every last ounce of that clay!"

Deidara had never fought a richer battle in his life.

The mouths on his hands chewed and molded the clay into his desired forms.

He cradled over a hundred white orbs in his hands like precious treasures.

With a sweeping motion, his palms parted — and the clay spheres rained down.

At about twenty meters from the ground, the orbs unfurled their wings and transformed into lifelike white bats.

The Konoha shinobi didn't just stand by.

But the bats were fast and nimble. Only a few — maybe a dozen — were shot down and detonated prematurely.

When the shinobi saw the power of even those few explosions, their expressions shifted.

They stopped wasting time trying to intercept the rest.

"Fall back!""Scatter!""Run!"

The remaining clay bats dove straight into the Konoha border camp.

Deidara snapped his fingers. "Drink it in!"

Each tiny clay bomb carried an explosive force far greater than a paper bomb.

And now, more than a hundred of them detonated in unison.

A blinding wall of fire engulfed the entire camp.

"ART IS—EXPLOSION!!"

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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