"Pass the order down! Assemble! We leave in one hour! Attack Kikyo Mountain!" Souya swept his hand through the air, a glint flashing in his deep-set eyes.
Although he hadn't supported provoking Konoha at this time, the order had been personally signed by the Third Kazekage. He had no choice but to obey.
Besides, war was the fastest way to build up prestige and earn merit!
"Yes!" The Sunagakure Ninja kneeling before Souya vanished in a flash.
Souya rose and looked at the purple-blue rod leaning against the table. Its shaft was thick, about the size of a baby's fist.
Its surface was covered in raised, grainy bumps, like tiny spikes or rounded knobs. The whole rod looked as if it had once been immersed in magma, then coated in a thick crust.
Souya grabbed the rod. As he poured Chakra into it, a deep purple-blue light blossomed from its core, as if the stars of a distant galaxy had suddenly flared to life. It was stunning.
This was a Chakra weapon Sasori had specially made for Souya while crafting puppets. Souya had named it Starfall!
He ran his hand over it for a moment, feeling its rough texture and warmth. The corners of his mouth lifted. With this powerful weapon, his shortage of Chakra was, for the time being, no longer a problem.
He secured Starfall Rod with a black shoulder strap, slung it across his back as before, and headed outside.
"Lord Kazekage has given the order! We're the vanguard. Our target is the Land of Fire! We'll take Kikyo Mountain!"
Standing atop Gold Cloud, Souya looked down at the Sunagakure Ninja below. There were at least five hundred of them.
"Yeah!" The Sunagakure Ninja roared as one.
Years of indoctrination in Sunagakure had taught these shinobi that obeying orders was their highest duty. Most never considered the reasons behind the war—or, rather, they didn't want to.
"Move out!" Souya shouted. The Gold Cloud beneath his feet shot east.
Leading from the front was the best way to inspire morale. Seeing Souya take the lead, the Sunagakure Ninja threw themselves into the chase, racing after him on the ground.
Farmers working the flat fields watched the mass of shinobi surge past. Most of them looked frightened.
"Looks like there's going to be another war," said a middle-aged farmer, pausing with his hoe in hand.
"From the direction they're going, they're headed for the Land of Fire. So we don't need to worry. Let's get back to work!" replied a bare-chested farmer beside him.
"Not worry about a war?" The middle-aged farmer still looked troubled.
"Under Sunagakure's rule, we've been doing pretty well. They haven't charged us a single tax. In fact, they've given us grain."
"I hear they're building a dam upstream and rerouting the river. It won't affect the irrigation for our fields."
"If Sunagakure can treat us this well, then even if they lose and Konoha takes over, things will only get better, not worse. That's how Konoha usually does things!" The bare-chested farmer spoke confidently and made a convincing case. He clearly knew his stuff.
"You make a pretty good point..." The middle-aged farmer's expression eased. As far as he was concerned, the most important thing was that this year's rice harvest wasn't disrupted.
"Don't worry! Let them fight. If Kirigakure attacked, then we'd have something to worry about. I hear their shinobi are vicious..."
Boom!
An explosion sounded in the distance. It was too far away to be loud. The middle-aged farmer glanced at the smoke rising on the horizon, then bent back to his hoe.
Souya's expression darkened. A man wearing a Konoha Ninja vest had appeared up ahead.
Long black hair, golden vertical pupils, purple eye shadow extending to his nose, pale skin, and blue-green Tomoe earrings dangling from his earlobes.
"Orochimaru..." Souya murmured as he flew low.
"Oh? I'm surprised you know who I am..." Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"That's Magnet Release, isn't it? You're so young, yet you've already mastered it. You have quite a talent!" He stuck out his long tongue and licked his lips, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
Boom!
Smoke rose from explosions in the distance on both sides of Souya. He could faintly hear screams and shouts of battle.
Quite a few Sunagakure Ninja had probably already died after blundering into traps. That was only to be expected. Sunagakure's shinobi had been stationed in the Flowing River Region for quite some time. It would have been strange if Konoha had left the border completely undefended.
What surprised Souya was that Orochimaru was the one stationed here.
"Heh... A bird caught in a net, and you still have time to worry about your comrades?"
A sinister look flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. Then he suddenly whipped out his right hand.
Shadow Snake Hand!
His right arm transformed into a venomous snake and shot straight toward Souya's face. It opened its jaws wide, its icy fangs lunging without mercy for Souya's throat.
Souya reacted instantly. He drew Starfall Rod with his other hand and shoved it into the snake's mouth, then twisted it violently. The force snapped the snake into several pieces, its stinking flesh and blood scattering across the ground.
Daring not to let his guard down, Souya drove Starfall Rod into the ground and rapidly formed Hand Seals.
Boom!
The earth shuddered. Orochimaru's eyes filled with wariness.
In the blink of an eye, the hard ground began to flow like liquid. The yellow-brown soil churned, then sank underground.
What surged back up was glittering Gold Sand. In moments, a great river of Gold Sand seemed to stretch out before Souya.
"Gold Sand Prison Flow!"
Souya clapped his hands together and called out the technique in a low voice.
Crash!
The ground beneath Orochimaru suddenly split open, swallowing him whole.
The Gold Sand on either side rushed into the fissure, trying to bury Orochimaru completely.
Souya turned his hands, maintaining the seals, then crouched and slapped the ground.
"Gold Dust Great Burial!"
The earth shook with a thunderous rumble.
But Souya showed no sign of relief. He had already sensed through the Gold Sand that it hadn't enveloped Orochimaru underground, let alone injured him.
Boom!
Sure enough, the next instant, the Gold Sand underground exploded.
A gigantic figure appeared before Souya.
Purple stripes, a fearsome, spear-shaped head, and a body that rose dozens of meters above the ground—not to mention the long tail trailing behind it.
"Orochimaru... Do you really need to summon me just to deal with a little brat like this? Either way, you still owe me the full number of sacrifices!" The giant serpent spoke, its voice dripping with malice.
"Don't worry! This is war. You can eat as many Sunagakure Ninja as you like!" Orochimaru's mouth curved slightly. He showed not the slightest pity for their lives.
Before you continue