Kazekage Ninja: The Rise of the Hidden Sand

"Form up!"

Yahiko's voice carried a grim determination as he issued the order.

In mere moments, the black-clad members of the Akatsuki assembled into a precise formation, ten rows by one hundred columns, creating a perfect square.

None of them wore the signature black cloaks with red clouds, nor the wind chime hats, and not even the Amegakure forehead protectors. Their attire was simple: black combat uniforms and masks.

This force of one thousand shinobi represented the very core of the Akatsuki's strength—ninjas whom Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan had painstakingly recruited and trained over the years. It was their entire foundation.

The group comprised 98 jonin, 430 chunin, and 562 genin. This was the Akatsuki's elite force, though to outsiders, it might seem like a modest number.

"I won't say much. This battle determines the life and death of Amegakure. I hope every one of you will follow orders to the letter. I'm counting on you," Yahiko said, bowing deeply to the assembled shinobi.

"Move out!"

Rising from his bow, Yahiko raised his ninja blade high, signaling the start of the operation. Under the cover of darkness, the force began their march toward Sunagakure.

But there was something curious about Yahiko's words. Shouldn't a mission of life and death inspire calls for bravery and valor? Why had he emphasized "following orders" instead?

The answer lay in Mujima's masterful negotiation skills.

Behind the Scenes: The Bargain with Iwagakure

The assassination of Jing Hang had indeed accelerated the timeline for Sunagakure's rebellion. The looming threat of Kumogakure's army on Iwagakure's border had delivered an unexpected boon to Mujima.

Under pressure, Kitsuchi had no choice but to dispatch his top general, Akatsuchi, along with a large contingent of Iwagakure shinobi to confront the Kumogakure forces. This left Kitsuchi with limited resources and no time to execute the rebellion himself. Thus, when Mujima raised the price for the Akatsuki's involvement, Kitsuchi agreed without hesitation. To reassure the Akatsuki, he even paid a deposit of three billion ryo in advance.

But Mujima, a man seasoned in the ways of the world, was far from satisfied. He skillfully pressed Kitsuchi on the specifics.

"Lord Kitsuchi, are you aware of how formidable Sunagakure's standing army is? I've heard that even their rank-and-file soldiers are at least chunin-level."

"No matter. You're only conducting a feint."

"Lord Kitsuchi, did you know Sunagakure's equipment is top-notch? I've heard their kunai are made of Damascus steel."

"That's irrelevant. You're only conducting a feint."

"Lord Kitsuchi, Sunagakure's standing army alone consists of five regiments—nearly two thousand troops. Add in their Intelligence Division, Security Division, and other forces, and we're looking at four to five thousand shinobi. With just our thousand men, I'm afraid—"

"Do not worry. You're only conducting a feint."

"Lord Kitsuchi, Sunagakure's Twelve Zodiac Guardians are all Kage-level combatants. They've even won awards at the World Shinobi Tournament..."

"Enough!" Kitsuchi interrupted, growing impatient. "What do you want?"

With a sly smile, Mujima laid out his terms. "It's simple. With just our thousand men, taking down Sunagakure is a pipe dream. Whether this rebellion succeeds or not is uncertain. You need to give us a clear and achievable objective. Otherwise, ten billion ryo isn't enough to buy these thousand lives."

In the end, the two parties reached an agreement: if the Akatsuki could breach Sunagakure's outer defenses and engage their standing army for three hours, the mission would be considered complete. Regardless of the rebellion's ultimate outcome, Iwagakure would honor its commitments—purchasing iron ore and providing interest-free loans.

Not only that, but Mujima also managed to extort a batch of ninja tools and explosive tags from Iwagakure. After all, Amegakure was poor. Without proper equipment, how could they even fight?

When Mujima left, Kitsuchi was so enraged that he smashed the chair Mujima had sat on with a single punch using the Super Weighted Rock Technique.

"That damned swindler! If the situation weren't so urgent, I'd risk breaking the deal and confronting the Fourth Tsuchikage just to kill him!"

Still, Kitsuchi wasn't naive. He assigned the elite jonin Higashi Shijin as an observer to monitor the Akatsuki's actions. He also warned Mujima in advance: "Don't even think about pocketing the deposit without doing the job. My man will be watching. And don't try to kill the observer to double-cross us. If Higashi Shijin doesn't return, Iwagakure will raze Amegakure to the ground."

The Rebels' Final Preparations

"Three days from now, the operation begins. Our external support is already en route. Let's go over the battle plan," announced the leader of Sunagakure's rebel faction, speaking from the underground meeting room of the Autumn Breeze Drunkenness tavern.

"Yi Ji, you'll lead two hundred men to attack the monitoring center. Shut down the Copper Man Formation system and send the signal to guide our external allies into the village. One of the Zodiac Guardians should be on duty there—either Dan Yan or Yan Mao. Take this."

The leader handed over a small white box labeled Heavenly Series Group D, No. 343: Weakening Agent.

"Dan Su, Tu Lou, your mission is the most critical. Lead five hundred men to seize the Kazekage Building. Rasa has been staying in the assistant's office lately. Move quickly when you see Yi Ji's signal. Strike hard and kill everyone in your path. Take these two boxes. They're specifically for dealing with Rasa."

The leader handed over two more boxes.

"Shu Niao, you'll lead three hundred shinobi to attack the Intelligence Division. There shouldn't be more than a hundred ninjas on duty there. The main problem is Yamashita Tetsu. I don't have any more weakening agents for you. Can you handle him?"

"Don't worry, Leader. My team has rehearsed the Six Shield Formation. It's more than enough to counter Yamashita Tetsu's whirlwind blade techniques."

"Good! The rest will follow me to take control of the Security Division. If all goes well, we'll control all key departments within a single night. That will mark the success of our revolution."

The leader's excitement was palpable.

"The operation begins at midnight on the fifteenth. All teams will act simultaneously, waiting for Yi Ji's signal to move. Down with tyranny!"

"Down with tyranny!" the group echoed in hushed voices.

"For the justice in our hearts, for a better future for our children, and to restore Sunagakure to its rightful path—cheers!"

The leader raised his glass high, and the others followed suit.

The Calm Before the Storm

"Looks like a storm is brewing," Jing Hang murmured, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window of his VIP suite, gazing at the autumn winds swirling outside.

"Storms are a dime a dozen in our village, Kazekage-sama. But rain? That's another story," Yamashita Tetsu quipped.

"Are you eating or not? The broth's boiling," Rasa grumbled, focused on the bubbling hotpot in front of him. He nonchalantly dumped an entire plate of lamb into the pot.

Seeing this, Jing Hang's expression darkened. "Hey! You can't just throw it all in like that! You're supposed to swish the slices one at a time. The meat will get overcooked!"

Unbothered, Rasa fished out the now-cooked lamb, drenched it in his dipping sauce, and stirred it vigorously. "Swishing takes too long. Might as well stew the whole lot!"

Jing Hang sighed, shaking his head. "Philistine."

~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~

Welcome to visit my Patreon, read the early chapters, and enjoy your reading!

 patreon.com/DarkGolds