Naruto: Fate System

After many days, Shin once again set his war plans into motion. The reason was straightforward: shortly after his return from Rōran, over half a month ago, Nonō had sent her first report back—Kannabi Bridge had been found.

Not only that, she had exceeded expectations by mapping out a significant portion of Kusa, identifying a critical iron mine he desperately needed.

With the Ryūmyaku under his control, he now possessed the key to an industrial revolution.

Energy was no longer a concern; the only thing he lacked now was resources. Thus, he resolved: both the mines and the bridge were essential to his plans.

The Ryūmyaku alone wasn't enough.

Upon seeing the photos of the Kannabi Bridge sent by Nonō, he finally understood why this bridge was so important. It was a stone trestle bridge built across a mountain gorge.

This explained why, despite ninjas' exceptional mobility, supply lines couldn't do without the bridge. If it had been a regular bridge over a river, ninjas could simply walk on water to cross, even without it.

But a trestle bridge spanning a deep mountain gorge was entirely different. The winds at that height could tear through chakra control like paper.

No matter how skilled ninjas were, they couldn't effortlessly carry supplies across cliffs that spanned tens or even hundreds of meters. The depth of the gorge made even the most basic transportation a significant challenge.

This made the bridge a critical asset.

Its remote location in the mountains explained its relative obscurity—its importance only recognized in the heat of battle. No wonder Shin hadn't found it on his maps before.

The surrounding peaks created natural barriers that had kept it hidden from casual observation.

Fortunately, Nonō lived up to her reputation.

Now, his map was fully detailed, with precise terrain data leaving no room for doubt. 

Shin leaned over the map, his finger slowly tracing his planned trajectory.

"Phase one: seize these two southern mines in Kusa and eliminate all Konoha outposts along the border to secure our supply lines."

He marked each target with a red dot.

"Phase two: push northward and approach this mountain region within two weeks. We'll need to move fast and hard, before they can reinforce their positions."

"Phase three: fortify this area with defensive lines, set traps along the mountain paths, and construct fortifications to block all Konoha routes leading to the bridge. Then, we'll wait for the final showdown."

With that, his hand froze over the Kannabi Bridge on the map before slamming down.

This time, he would challenge the fate and history written before him head-on.

---

More than two months had passed since news of the Third Hokage stepping down had spread.

Shin was convinced Minato's eyes were also fixed on Kannabi Bridge.

To this day, Minato had yet to return to the village to officially take up the mantle of Fourth Hokage. The delay had sparked numerous rumors throughout the ninja world.

Excluding extreme possibilities like illness or injury, Shin could think of only one reason—Minato was waiting for a victory.

He was waiting for a decisive victory to reshape the course of the Great Ninja War, dispel the shadows over Konoha, and ascend to the Hokage's seat in the most radiant and flawless manner.

The timing had to be perfect, the victory absolute.

Personally, Shin had no particular grudge against Minato. However, from a strategic standpoint, he couldn't allow Konoha to recover so easily.

Ame's rise still required time, and during this time, it was best for Konoha—the leading ninja village—to remain weak.

At the same time, in the northern Konoha command post, Minato also studied a map.

His attention was focused on the same mountain region where the Kannabi Bridge was located.

"How far is our vanguard from that mountain region in the central-northern area?" he asked.

A subordinate replied, checking his notes carefully, "According to the updated map, about 220 kilometers."

Minato sighed.

The distance was tricky. With ninja mobility, he could launch a daring strike with elite jonin within a day. However, other than himself, most of the team wouldn't make it back—likely perishing in enemy territory.

Even if they destroyed the Kannabi Bridge, Konoha would suffer significant losses. He was unwilling to take such a reckless gamble.

"Push the frontlines further forward," he instructed, marking new positions on the map. "We need a stronger foothold before we can make any decisive moves."

At this moment, a young man dressed in ANBU attire but without a mask entered. The other officers tensed at his arrival.

"Minato-sama, how much longer are you planning to delay?"

This was Shinno, ANBU commander and the eldest son of Hiruzen.

After his father's resignation, Shikaku had returned to Konoha to stabilize internal affairs, leaving Shinno to replace him as Minato's new strategist on the northern front.

The difference in their capabilities was becoming more apparent with each passing day.

Shinno's intellect and depth were far inferior to Shikaku's. Two months later, his growing impatience was apparent. He paced the room like a caged animal, glaring at the maps as if they personally offended him.

"Minato-sama, it's been two months! How much longer will you wait? The Hokage position has been vacant for two months! Aren't you even a little anxious? What are you so wary of?"

Minato sighed again.

He didn't understand why Shinno seemed more eager than he was. The younger man's aggression reminded him too much of Hiruzen's recent mistakes.

"Shinno, you've spent too much time in the village and don't understand the frontlines well." Minato's voice remained calm. "We can't afford to rush things. The situation here doesn't allow reckless gambles. Moreover, Ame remains quiet. We need more intelligence."

Unlike others, he was highly cautious of Akatsuki. Every report about their activities only deepened his concern.

He had a premonition that Shin, with his ambition, wouldn't leave Konoha unchallenged.

Shinno, however, disagreed. He slammed his hand on the table, making the map markers jump.

"Land of Rain? What's there to fear from such a small nation. Without Hanzō, how could a few youngsters amount to anything? It's been months since they declared war, and they've done nothing. They're just bluffing!"

Shinno exuded arrogance as a ninja from a major village. He dismissed Ame's potential threat as irrelevant.

The other officers shifted uncomfortably, caught between their commander's caution and the ANBU leader's aggressive confidence.

"According to recent intelligence, that so-called Akatsuki leader recently abducted a princess from Rōran and brought her to Ame." Shinno's lips curled in disgust. "What kind of leader wastes time on personal indulgences during war? There's nothing to worry about!"

Ironically, Shin's move to bring Sara to the Land of Rain as a political tool inadvertently served to mislead Konoha. Few could comprehend the industrial ambitions underlying his actions—especially since Konoha remained unaware of the Ryūmyaku's unique energy.

Even Minato frowned but couldn't fully discern Shin's true motives.

The room fell silent as Shinno's arguments swayed many. Was Minato being overly cautious?

But the silence was shattered when a messenger ninja rushed in, his uniform covered in dust and blood. "Minato-sama, bad news! Akatsuki is launching a large-scale assault!"

The messenger stumbled forward, gripping the table for support. "Our first line of defense has already been breached! Their shinobi are highly skilled—on par with our forces!"

At that moment, Shinno stood frozen as if slapped in the face.

Just moments earlier, he had mocked Akatsuki as foolish and Shin as shortsighted. Yet now, the results were undeniable—Akatsuki had attacked with overwhelming force, breaking through the frontlines.

"How is this possible?" Shinno whispered. "How can ninja from a small nation match us in strength?"

---

The battle reports received by Konoha stated that Akatsuki was advancing like a hot knife through butter, with ninja skills that were no weaker than Konoha's.

But standing on the battlefield himself, Shin was well aware that a gap still objectively existed between the two sides.

The first wave of attacks had one of the Pains holding the line, yet the loss ratio was only slightly in our favor. This result looks far worse compared to when we fought the Ame ninja.

Thinking back to when they swept through the Land of Rain, the only truly tough battle they had faced on the main battlefield was the one against Hanzō.

At other times, Akatsuki had basically swept away everything in their path like a storm. Even against Root, it had been a battle of overwhelming superiority, thanks to a combination of fighting spirit, numbers, and territorial advantages.

But this time was different.

Bodies of their comrades littered the battlefield.

The newly reborn Akatsuki was finally facing a truly challenging trial. This time, they were stepping out of the "newbie zone" of the Land of Rain and officially entering the thrilling battleground of the ninja wars.

And so far, the gap still needed to be acknowledged. The evidence was written in blood across every battlefield report.

But when Nagato heard this, he didn't seem particularly worried. After spending so much time together, he was already used to Shin's way of doing things.

"If you're saying this, it means you've already got a plan in mind, right?"

You never just complain without a solution ready, his expression seemed to say.

Shin turned his head in surprise. "Why are you saying that too?"

"Because if there really was no hope of victory, you'd be poring over the map planning a new strategy right now, not sitting here lamenting how strong the enemy is."

Nagato smiled.

What he said was almost identical to what Konan had remarked earlier—not just similar, but practically the same.

Shin couldn't help but laugh. "Looks like fooling you guys is going to get harder and harder. You're all seeing right through me now."

Nagato gave him a sidelong glance. "So you're finally admitting you've fooled us before?"

"Let's look at the map. Look, Konoha's reinforcements came earlier than expected." Shin quickly redirected, pointing to the marked positions of enemy forces.

A scout nearby suppressed a smile at their leader's obvious deflection.

"..."

The joking time was over.

Soon after, he straightened up, his expression becoming serious as he surveyed the gathered commanders.

"I do have some ideas, but they will rely on all of us working together and putting our lives on the line."

"See these points?" He gestured to specific locations on the map. "Each one is both an eye and a potential blind spot in their defense.

At this moment, including Nagato, all the Akatsuki members present clenched their fists to their chests.

"We will follow your command!"

On the long border battlefield, at this moment, the number of people actively engaged in combat was not particularly high.

Due to the incredible mobility of ninjas, war rarely saw all forces packed into one area at once. Shin watched a group of scouts return, their clothes soaked and muddy.

They brought reports of enemy movements.

Along the vast battlefield, both sides had established numerous outposts and observation points, sending a large number of genin and summoning creatures to maintain constant surveillance.

The network of lookouts stretched across the terrain like a giant spider's web, each thread waiting to vibrate with news of enemy movement.

Only when a real battle broke out would elite main forces quickly arrive for support. Shin had observed this pattern repeatedly, watching Konoha's forces react like a well-oiled machine.

This was a style of warfare that only ninjas could execute. In his previous life, no army could achieve such rapid assembly and response speeds.

But after experiencing this mode of warfare firsthand, he quickly realized: this response system could absolutely be deceived.

And Akatsuki happened to have a significant advantage that lent itself to deceiving the enemy.

"Our greatest advantage is Pain." He put markers down on the map. "We'll create multiple pressure points here, here, and here."

"Spreading our forces that thin?" one officer questioned.

"We're not spreading—we're multiplying," Shin said with a smile.

He held a marker in his hand and placed it on the map, as if making a move on a chessboard.

---

At the same time, on Konoha's second defensive line, multiple outposts began sending out distress signals.

Many genin filling the lines had been killed, but unfortunately, no one paid much attention to their losses.

The Konoha forces in the rear began analyzing the situation.

"Where is the enemy's main attack headed?" a commander demanded.

A Hyūga focused his gaze, the veins around his eyes bulging with strain as he peered through the rain. "The chakra reactions at 3 o'clock are the most intense—that should be the enemy's main direction of attack."

As a result, a high-ranking jonin issued an order. "Teams 13 through 36, head to support at the 3 o'clock direction! I'll lead reinforcements to another location!"

The teams moved out immediately.

The squad led by a Hyūga branch member, along with the Konoha jonin who had just given orders, soon rushed to the nearest gap in their defensive line.

"Take position at the western gap," the jonin commander called out to his squad. "Stay alert, but this should be good experience for you younger ones."

In the jonin's assessment, the position he was heading to wasn't the enemy's main attack point. He expected less pressure there and even brought along his disciples—a few young genin and chunin.

A chunin with spiky black hair clenched his fists, "Finally, some real combat experience!"

"Stay focused," the jonin warned sharply. "This isn't training anymore."

But just before they engaged the enemy—

The Hyūga leading the team suddenly screamed in terror. "Something's wrong! This isn't right! High-energy reactions ahead! This chakra level is abnormal!"

The reason for his alarm was simple.

The Akatsuki ninja, having confirmed the success of their deception, immediately pulled out a scroll and unfurled it.

With a loud "boom," they summoned a man studded with black rods.

Moments later, the puppet connected to Nagato's mind.

The body opened its eyes and extended its hands, summoning even more Pains.

This was what Shin referred to as Akatsuki's first major advantage: Pain.

Pain, being essentially a reanimated corpse, could be quickly transported using summoning scrolls. During this process, it emitted no chakra signature, effectively bypassing all sensory ninjutsu.

In the original storyline, Pain, self-proclaimed as a god, disdained such tactics. But under Shin's guidance, Nagato was more than willing to employ them.

This was the first battle between Akatsuki and Konoha and also the first time Nagato's Pain made its debut in the Grreat Ninja War.

Konoha had no prior intelligence on this strategy whatsoever.

"Captain! We need to retreat! These chakra levels—they're beyond anything I've ever—"

"Banshō Ten'in!"

 The Hyūga, realizing the danger, tried to warn his captain to retreat, but in the next moment, an overwhelming gravitational force yanked them all violently into the abyss.

"Channel chakra to your feet!" the jonin commander shouted. "Try to—" His words cut off as his body slammed into one of Pain's waiting black rods. Blood sprayed across the ground as more rods pierced through his squad members, their screams echoing across the battlefield.

---

Meanwhile, in what Konoha had mistakenly identified as Akatsuki's "main attack" direction, Ajisai's summoned bird had long since spotted Konoha's elite forces approaching.

From her aerial vantage point, she could see everything unfolding exactly as planned.

"The baiting plan is complete. Perform the seals and retreat."

In the next moment, dozens of Akatsuki members simultaneously performed hand signs. Not a single finger out of place, not a moment's hesitation among them.

"What are they planning?" an elite jonin muttered.

Back in the Akatsuki command tent, Shin slowly placed a second marker on the map.

It was as if another chess piece had been placed on the board.

"Our second major advantage lies in unity."

As his words fell, on the distant frontlines several kilometers away, the dozens of Akatsuki members completed their synchronized jutsu.

"Water Body Flicker!"

In that instant, they all transformed into water and vanished without leaving a trace. Not a single person lagged behind.

The Konoha elites who had been pursuing them were dumbfounded. They stood in silence, watching the last droplets of water fall to the ground where their enemies had been moments before.

As the top ninja village in the ninja world, many in Konoha were proficient in the Water Body Flicker, and some were confident they could use it better than these Akatsuki members.

However, they had never witnessed dozens or even hundreds of ninjas performing the same jutsu simultaneously.

In every ninja village, ninjutsu was tightly controlled, and the techniques one could learn often depended on chance and personal connections. Personal pride and clan traditions had always dictated how jutsu were passed down and developed.

Moreover, most ninja villages, aside from the Land of Rain, had ninja clans that possessed their own hereditary jutsu. Each clan jealously guarded their secrets, creating an army of specialists rather than a unified force.

This ensured that the techniques and skills of ninjas were diverse, making complete synchronization virtually impossible. Until now, no one had questioned if this was actually a weakness rather than a strength.

This raised an immediate question:

"Should we pursue them?" asked an elite Inuzuka jonin, turning to his teammates. His ninken whined softly beside him, still tracking the scent of the enemy.

He could easily track down the fleeing Akatsuki members. With his ninken, his sharp sense of smell, and his speed, he was more than capable.

The problem, however, was that within Konoha's unsynchronized ranks, his abilities couldn't align perfectly with his teammates.

Was he supposed to chase them down alone? He refused to do so.

Standing behind the Inuzuka jonin was a Yamanaka clan jonin, not particularly skilled in speed. 

When the question was posed, he hesitated before awkwardly replying, "I only know the standard Body Flicker Technique, not the Water Body Flicker. In this terrain, I'm not sure if I can keep up with them."

In other words, "If you're fast enough, go ahead, but this fight won't include me."

This type of situation was common in previous Great Ninja Wars, and everyone had long since adapted to coordinating, compromising, and compensating for each other during battles.

But today, facing Akatsuki for the first time, they were forced to reconsider.

Could the traditional reliance on team coordination really compare to the efficiency of enforcing unified standards and training from the outset?

The wars had dragged on in this disorganized way for far too long. As a result, no village had ever truly pondered the importance of strict discipline and unified commands in a military unit.

Today, Shin gave them their first lesson in that regard. 

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