Book One: The Rise of the Blue-Haired Devil.

      How can I... Yes, yes, I’m still at the front with the Stone... These bastards only went halfway, losing about a thousand people, after which they turned back. For a whole week we expected some kind of attacks from them, but there was absolutely nothing. The calm... it was much more alarming than anything else. In short, after consulting with Tobirama, I finally decided to go to the border. We could, of course, sit on the defensive until the very end, expecting a miracle on other fronts, but I am a realist. It is unlikely that a front with sand or a front with lightning will last long. Sooner or later, the number of opponents must decide everything. We quickly walked through the area where various traps were set. Coming out into the clearing, we found several dead stone ninjas, and at the border of my radius of sensory abilities, I discovered a familiar chakra, which immediately began to move away. Muu used his camouflage technique. Apparently his task was to locate our army. There was a point in stopping him, but chasing through the already unknown territory where the Stone passed was stupid. Firstly, there is quite a decent distance between us. I'll catch up with him in just a few minutes. He might lead me into a trap, which wouldn't be good. Kagami seems to be able to handle the command of our squad. I managed to train him in all the paths of a shinobi. He's not a bad guy, but sometimes his worms in my head haunt me. Well, he is too kind... It looks too strange that the head of the Uchiha clan, what is he talking about the head... for any member of the Sharingan clan it looks strange... Even Izuna was not so kind. Although it is worth recognizing that Madara’s younger brother grew up in the war. Moreover, he grew and survived from a very early age. Perhaps Kagami will also change a lot after the war. Okay, now we need to think about whether to go into enemy territory or not. I think there is no point in talking about intelligence alone. Now this is as thoughtless as possible. Kamizuro can easily hide his entire army anywhere. His bee techniques give a very serious advantage in rebuilding his army, but I’m also not blind to it. Recently I was able to create a small development that will help me a lot on this front. I decided to use it after we set up camp. This took about an hour, after which I, having had a snack, decided to get down to business.       - What are you doing, Michiko dono? – my deputy stared at me with incomprehension, watching as I first took the kite out of the seal and then launched it into the air.       - I'm doing reconnaissance. – I calmly answered him, sitting in the lotus position and closing my eyes. – Printing technique, all-seeing eye. – I pronounce the name of fuinjutsu, after which I literally become a bird in the sky. Yes, you understood everything correctly. The kite had several seals within it that allowed me to observe my surroundings through it and control its flight. The kite headed forward, and I calmly observed all the areas where the Stone ninjas passed. It is worth recognizing that the landscape of this area was greatly damaged. There are many scorched meadows covered with ash. In some places, some charred trees remained. Yes, here it was as if Kurama walked around in anger, releasing his fire left and right. Having flown about ten kilometers, I finally discovered the enemy camp. However, it was very small. There are three hundred ninjas here at best. Most likely this is a reconnaissance detachment. It would be logical if it would be led by Muu. Still, he was very successful in this matter. Speaking of the latter, he had just left the tent, starting to look intently at the sky. Is this his intuition or how can I explain the fact that he looks at the kite, which I control from afar, as if it were an enemy? To my surprise, the Tsuchikage's right-hand man did nothing while my invention flew over his camp. I was not flying the kite at that moment, I simply trusted the wind to carry me in the right direction. My actions could provoke an experienced warrior who was already ready to attack my creation. Fortunately, everything worked out fine. For about a minute, which the reconnaissance subject had to spend flying through the Stone camp, Muu did not take his gaze off him. Why hasn't he attacked yet? He didn’t know that fuinjutsu could be used this way. Even Ashina didn’t fully believe that I would be able to create something like that. I corresponded with Uzukage, trying to maintain contact. After all, he is my sensei. It’s a pity that letters arrived quite rarely. Once every five days is usually the case, but now he was detained for more than a week, which was very strange. I didn’t believe that something terrible could happen, because Uzushio is in the very rear. To get there, you need to go through the entire country of Water, which is not easy. In general, my brain told me that I needed to prepare for the worst, logical thinking proved that bad things were simply impossible, but my intuition... it screamed about the beginning of a terrible crisis... It scared me. I’m used to walking forward with my head up, into a bright future, but now my... not even that... the bright future of the whole world depends on my actions. Yes, perhaps these are very loud words, but for some reason I believed in them. My kite was already seriously moving away from the enemy reconnaissance camp, so I decided to start controlling it in order to cover as much territory as possible with my gaze. Within a couple of minutes I discovered another enemy camp, then another and another... What the hell is going on here? Deciding that I was not seeing the full picture, I raised my reconnaissance device to a great height, from which I could somehow see the enemy camps. Eight? What were they up to? I just don't understand... as many as eight camps were scattered over a certain area. One camp was very small. There were, as I said before, three hundred ninjas. Scouts. Other camps were four times larger, although it must be admitted that they were not completely filled. There were approximately a thousand people in each. In total, about seven to eight thousand ninjas against three... hmm, the situation, of course, has improved a little... we now have a chance in a direct clash, but I still don’t understand where Ishikawa went with the remnants of the army. Has he retreated to another front? It would make things easier for me. If I can get to Muu's camp unnoticed, I can cut it all out or shoot it with a rifle. During the week of respite, I managed to partially restore my supplies of equipment. Now I had three explosive bullets and three regular ones. I couldn't make my own special bullets. To do this, you need to go to Ryuchi, and this, in turn, is very dangerous. The enemy could launch a surprise attack while I was in the sacred abode of snakes. Yes, the stone would have suffered great sacrifices in an attempt to quickly pass through lands stuffed with our traps, but even so, according to my calculations, their numbers would have outnumbered ours by at least two to two and a half times. Seeing no more reason to explore, I returned my fuin device to base. Having sealed the kite in my hands, I met the expectant gaze of Kagami, who had been watching me and what I was doing all this time.       - The reconnaissance detachment is ten kilometers from us. There are quite a few of them. There are three hundred ninjas, but they are led by Muu. Next are several camps, each containing thousands of ninjas. I think we should move towards them tomorrow, trying to break them one by one until they unite together. The rest of the army most likely went to the other two fronts. I didn't find the Tsuchikage either.       - Michiko-dono! Michiko dono! Urgent letter from Uzushio! – a voice was heard somewhere nearby. I turned around at the voice of the messenger, who was approaching us, looking out of breath.       - Urgent? – I asked, arching my eyebrow in disbelief. Such letters are not sent in war without a very important reason. Without saying another word, I snatched the letter from the guy’s hands and began to read the contents. As I read the document containing secret information, I experienced such a hurricane of emotions that Kagami took several steps back, and the messenger had already run away to another part of the camp. My aura crushed most of the camp, which at that time was resting peacefully. My reaction was expected... How would you react to the fact that your house was destroyed? The fact that in place of the head of the village that you built, you put some kind of goofball? How would you react to an attempt on your lover's life? Oh yeah, I hope you understand me now. It took me a full five minutes, which took an eternity for my subordinates, to calm my breathing and stop pressuring them with my aura.       - What's happened? – Kagami asked in an uncertain voice, watching me burn the letter.       - The situation has changed. Now we have no allies in the war. The fog was practically destroyed. It is now led by the son of the first Mizukage, Gengetsu Hozuki. Even if the village of Mist is not our enemy now, it is certainly not an ally. All the Mist ninjas who fought at the front with the Sand will soon be transferred to the Land of Water to strengthen the defense of their native village. We need to quickly close this front, then we can transfer some of the troops to other fronts. This will not give us victory now, because now the sea completely belongs to the Cloud. The Uzumaki will be able to hold them back for only a very short time. This is a serious problem. Tomorrow you will take command, and I will play hero... - I finished the review of the situation, withholding a lot of different information, but at the same time expressing a key message. Byakuren is dead. This is very bad. His killer is unknown. Gengetsu stated that his father sacrificed his life to protect the village. Allegedly, this was the reason for the retreat of the Cloud ninja. Oh, I feel there are a lot of pitfalls in this story... Ashina is now cut off from everyone else, because the Land of Water is now under the leadership of a strange man, a dark horse who unexpectedly emerged from the shadow of his father. I don’t believe in coincidences, so most likely this person is an accomplice to everything that happens in the Fog. Moku, who, by the way, together with Yumiko reached Uzushio riding the seven-tailed beast, said that some white creatures performed a mass movement technique. It even sounds crazy... It even sounds crazy... According to the albino, transporting even oneself over a long distance requires a huge amount of chakra. The Hokage falls from chakra exhaustion after three or four such jumps, and this takes into account the fact that Tobirama is a member of the great Senju clan, which is famous for its chakra volumes. Therefore, I can’t even imagine how much chakra is needed to transport an entire army even a hundred kilometers. White humanoid creatures with teleportation techniques. Cool, well, that’s why life throws such crap at me when I haven’t dealt with the past yet. Eh, now you can’t complain... Am I a man or what? Nyuni began to cheat here. That's terrible.       - When are we heading out? – my deputy asked anyway, no longer arguing with me. During all this time that he spent with me, the guy grew a lot morally. He even began to trust me in matters related to command. This, of course, sounds strange, but he used to be young. Did he kill other ninjas? Yes, he killed. However, this was nothing compared to the war he would have to endure. And only recently did all this begin to dawn on the young head of the Uchiha clan.       - Today. We will attack at night. – I noted coldly, looking at how the sun gradually set behind the horizon.       - Okay, then I'll give the gathering orders. – said the Uchiha, starting to move away from me.       - Are you sure it's worth taking such a risk? – Morgana, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up.       - We have no choice. Either everything or nothing. If we don’t attack, then defeat in the war will be slow and very unpleasant. They will simply gradually find an approach to us. Won't they always stand on our traps, losing lives? The Tsuchikage is no fool. He understands perfectly well that time plays into his hands, but he still has no idea how much... - I said mentally as I exhaled. I didn’t want to go into battle like that, but it was necessary. The only chance to take the enemy by surprise, suppressing his will to fight at least for a while. An unexpected attack from a weaker opponent. Perhaps this is the only chance. Tobirama may not approve of this plan, but by the time news from our front reaches him, everything will already be decided.       About an hour later we set off. I walked ahead of my small army, concentrating on scanning the area with my sensory abilities. About two hours later I managed to spot an enemy reconnaissance detachment. I gave the signal to my men to be ready, while I myself went to deal with the detachment. It was already quite dark. An ordinary person is quite uncomfortable in such darkness. A ninja can still somehow navigate by applying chakra to the eyes to increase light sensitivity, but I, thanks to my peculiarities, could see perfectly in the dark, as in the light... well, almost, as in the light. Morgana helped me see my surroundings, albeit in black and white. The first few times it was unusual, but now I have become accustomed to this view of the world. It’s a little inconvenient, but the darkness is now and forever my ally. Having approached the enemy camp at a fairly close distance, I realized that the alarm had not been raised, which meant that everyone was sleeping. Muu was no exception. Even with the nickname he was given, he is still a mere mortal who requires food, water and sleep. What did Kagami christen him? Inhuman... A very strange, but quite memorable code name. So, what do we have here? There are two patrol officers on shift. Two patrolmen at each tent. There are only about ten tents. They are quite extensive. The guards stand in a circle, watching each other's backs. You won't be able to remove them one by one. There are only four such circles. One in the center of the camp, three on the edges. You'll have to kill them all at the same time. Well, not all the circles at once, because each circle is independent of the neighboring one. They don't see each other, which gives me enough opportunities. Is there any point in attacking right now? Absolutely not. You need to find out the guard time. This will eliminate unnecessary risks. By sending several sensory waves towards my people, I made it clear to them that they should wait a little. The answer was the red eyes that sparkled in the darkness. It was only for a moment, so it was almost impossible for the patrollers, who did not know the ninja about our methods of transmitting information, to determine this moment. Most would simply take this as a glitch.       The surveillance time went on for quite a long time. It dragged on for an eternity. The guards replaced each other, but the way they did it bothered me. But closer to the third hour I completely understood everything. Once an hour there is a changing of the guard, but not all ninjas at once, but only a part. One circle is completely replaced by fresh forces. That way, I'll only have an hour to deal with the patrollers and then the sleeping Stone ninjas. I already roughly understood how to do this. After the third shift that I saw, I began to slowly freeze the ground under the feet of all the ninjas, however, since the ice on the ground would be too noticeable, I froze the ground at a depth of ten centimeters. It took me a whole hour to freeze the ground under the entire camp. I could kill all the enemies at once with the help of ice pins, but in this way I would have wasted a decent amount of chakra reserves, which I needed for subsequent battles tomorrow, or rather today... Therefore, after waiting for the next shift, already the fourth in a row, I began the attack enemy reconnaissance camps.       - Ice element, Ice Oblivion technique. – I pronounce the name of the technique on the verge of hearing. Having completely subjugated the ice under the feet of an entire squad of patrolmen, I released one ice spear from under each of their feet, which literally impaled each ninja. Everything happened quickly and almost silently. The rest of the patrol circles did not hear the beginning of my actions, so I moved to the next guard. With my careful actions, I eliminated all the patrols without the slightest noise, by ninja standards, in fifteen minutes. Having made sure that everything went smoothly, I emerged from one of my hiding places, quickly beginning to approach the camp tents, moving exclusively in the shadows. Entering one of the tents, I found ninjas sleeping in it. Taking ten senbon from my pouch, I sent them towards the unsuspecting shinobi. Having spent one needle on each, I made sure that they would not wake up again, and then moved to the next tent, in which a small surprise awaited me. One of the ninjas lay awake, just staring at the ceiling. I understood this from the behavior of his chakra in the body, which was active. This was not very good, because he could have time to dodge my senbon. The distance from the entrance to the tent was about five meters, even if he reacted at the last moment, his movement would prevent me from hitting the acupuncture point on the body, which in turn would keep him alive. I didn’t want to waste time on him, so, leaving the clone at the entrance to the tent, I moved to the next tent, in which everything went smoothly and according to the notes. Ten people died before they even knew it. Moving in this manner, I cleared all nine tents. There were only two enemy structures left where there were still survivors. Forty minutes had already passed since the last shift, so we should hurry up, because in addition to killing that sleepless ninja, there was also Muu, whose tent was in the center of the camp. The leader of the group lived separately from the others. I clearly felt his chakra, so I didn’t even doubt that it wouldn’t be possible to kill him in his sleep. He is a sensor, and such people have an invisible protective circle, passing through which you will be detected. Another question is how huge this circle is at the Tsuchikage’s right hand. I try not to get closer to his tent than fifteen meters, fortunately the location of the tents allowed me to do this. We had to spend the last twenty minutes of an hour on the second tent. Why is that? Yes, I just couldn’t think of anything better than how to undermine a guy who was tormented by insomnia. The idea paid off, because I killed him quite quietly, appearing from the ground and piercing him with an ice pin in one hand, while with the other hand I covered his mouth so that he did not have time to utter a sound. He twitched for about a minute, after which he finally died. Having finished with the others according to the already thought-out algorithm, I went out into the street, already getting ready to plan how to finish off Muu.       - And you're pretty good at killing silently. – emphasized someone’s painfully familiar voice...