Ambush

"Captain."

Yamamoto Isuke's voice reached Fugaku and snapped him out of his daze.

"Captain, have you fought Rain shinobi before?" Yamamoto Isuke asked. "Could you tell me how they fight?"

"Only a few times," Fugaku said after a pause. "And I rarely faced them head-on. Most of those fights were ambushes. But I've heard Rain shinobi are skilled at assassination. It rains year-round in the Land of Rain, and most of them use umbrellas as weapons.

"Those umbrellas conceal all kinds of mechanisms and hidden weapons. You never know what's coming. Stay alert when you face Rain shinobi. As for the details, you'll have to learn them for yourselves in battle."

The Sharingan's genjutsu gave Fugaku a huge advantage in fights with even numbers. Against his ambushes combined with the Sharingan, the Rain shinobi he had fought never had a chance to show the true extent of their assassination skills.

So Fugaku's knowledge of Rain shinobi remained superficial. None had left much of an impression on him.

Yamamoto Isuke nodded. "Thank you for the advice, sir."

The downpour continued without any sign of easing.

Inside the cave, the team's four ninja skilled in sword techniques sparred in pairs, honing their skills through combat.

To Fugaku's eye, both Yamada Shinji and Satomaru had trained under experts. Satomaru's swordsmanship favored a single killing blow from angles that were hard to guard against.

He had likely been taught by a master of the Way of Assassination. But Konoha had no shortage of swordsmen versed in assassination. Several members of the Elders Council fit that description, so Fugaku could not identify Satomaru's teacher from his swordsmanship alone.

Yamada Shinji's swordsmanship relied on explosive bursts of speed. Fast, precise, and ruthless, it was deadly.

Harada Tongze and Haranoki's swordsmanship was rougher. They were capable, but clearly had not received expert guidance. Perhaps their elders had died in battle, or perhaps they had picked up their skills by chance on past missions.

Fugaku had little interest in swordsmanship, but watching Tongze and Haranoki improve with each bout gave him some satisfaction. At the very least, the team was growing stronger.

That would give them a better chance when they encountered the enemy.

Waiting for the rain to stop was dull. By the second day, everyone except Fugaku Uchiha was sparring to build teamwork for battle.

The downpour lasted three days, as though it meant to wash away every trace of bloodshed in the Land of Rain. The great river below the gorge swelled considerably.

On the fourth day, the downpour dwindled to drizzle, and the heavy clouds thinned. Fugaku activated his Sharingan and looked up. Light shone through behind the clouds.

"Let's go," Fugaku Uchiha said, rising to his feet. "The rain has just washed the Land of Rain clean, and now blood will be shed again.

"Remember, we aren't doing this for personal gain. We're doing it so Konoha and the Land of Fire won't be ravaged by war in the future.

"Keeping the enemy beyond our borders is every Konoha shinobi's duty. If a full-scale war breaks out inside the Land of Fire, every Konoha shinobi will have failed that duty.

"Nozawa, send out your Kikaichū and find a suitable target. Ning, watch our surroundings for traps and ambushes. Maru, keep track of any changes in the scents around us. Everyone else, stay sharp and keep watch."

They left the cave. Aburame Nozawa spread his arms, and countless Kikaichū poured from his body, flew into the sky, and scattered in every direction. The squad continued northwest, already close to the Land of Grass.

Drizzle fell from the sky, but the ground here differed from the rest of the Land of Rain. Clumps of wild grass had begun to appear, growing in the cracks between rocks.

Their healthy growth showed that although this was still the Land of Rain, the weather here was already different. Otherwise, the grass could not have thrived.

Fugaku activated his Sharingan and looked into the distance. Towering ancient trees stood far ahead.

"We'll follow the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain," Fugaku said, looking toward the trees. "The trees will give us cover and help us guard against enemy traps."

Along the border, the unbroken rain had stopped. With no rain to obscure their view, spotting enemies would be easier.

"Captain," Aburame Nozawa said suddenly, "there's a nine-man Stone shinobi squad ahead, inside the Land of Rain."

Fugaku nodded. He had hoped to find Rain shinobi first so the team could learn to work together. Instead, they had run straight into Stone shinobi.

Against nine Stone shinobi, his twelve-man squad could take them down with confidence—as long as none were among the Stone's top fighters.

"Stay alert," Fugaku said. "Pick up the pace. We'll get ahead of them and ambush them before they know what's happening."

The squad crossed back into the Land of Rain. Nozawa kept watch on the enemy through his Kikaichū and reported their position as they moved.

"Each of us three jonin will ambush a chunin," Fugaku said. "Try to take them out in the first exchange, then hold off the three Stone jonin.

"The other nine of you will split into groups of three and ambush one chunin per group. Don't give them a chance to escape. Spread out and hide according to the enemy's formation."

The twelve vanished in a blink, taking cover in scattered positions to await the Stone shinobi.

Fugaku's eyes turned scarlet, three tomoe spinning rapidly within them. He could already make out the Stone shinobi.

There were nine figures in all, two of them unusually tall. One look through his Sharingan told him those two were no ordinary opponents.

"These aren't easy targets," Fugaku Uchiha said. "Be careful. The two tall ones are no ordinary jonin. Watch out for their attacks."

The nine figures drew closer at a brisk pace and entered the squad's encirclement.

Body Flicker Technique.

A dark figure shot from Fugaku's hiding place, straight toward one of the Stone chunin.

The other eleven figures sprang out as well, each seeking a target.

Of the nine Stone shinobi, the two tall figures remained perfectly calm, as though they had expected Fugaku's ambush.

One of them formed hand signs, his fingers flashing through a blur of motions, then slammed both hands onto the ground.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"

A ring of towering walls erupted around the nine Stone shinobi, blocking their attackers' advance.

The other tall ninja formed hand signs at the same time.

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!"

Outside the walls, an earthen dragon rose from the ground and unfurled in midair. Its scales looked as lifelike as a real dragon's. Several projectiles shot from its mouth, heading straight for Fugaku Uchiha.

The enemy seemed certain he was the squad's most important member. Perhaps the man had spotted his Sharingan and targeted him because of it.

He thinks a few projectiles are enough to take me down? Fugaku's hands blurred through a series of signs.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A stream of flame burst from Fugaku Uchiha's mouth. The dragon's projectiles slammed into the Great Fireball Technique.