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Burdened Soul: Uchiha SI Ch.75
🕑 Added 2025-07-11 19:00:53 +0000 UTCChapter 75 Far away from Konoha, in the village hidden in the clouds, the Raikage called for his advisors to discuss Kumo’s strategy in the
Chapter 75 Far away from Konoha, in the village hidden in the clouds, the Raikage called for his advisors to discuss Kumo’s strategy in the
Chapter 75 Far away from Konoha, in the village hidden in the clouds, the Raikage called for his advisors to discuss Kumo’s strategy in the
Chapter 75
Far away from Konoha, in the village hidden in the clouds, the Raikage called for his advisors to discuss Kumo’s strategy in the wake of the new intel received from Iwagakure.
“Can we really trust this?” cautioned Dodai, and the aged jounin was in the twilight years of his career.
“That is why I called for all of you,” the Fourth Raikage questioned, and the three of his most trusted advisors were in the room, and though the final decision rested in his hands, he would hear them all so that he may make the best decision for Kumo.
“It sounds too good to be true,” added Mabui, his secretary, and the woman’s analytical mind was quick to see the absurdity of the claims being made.
“For Konoha to lose their Hokage and other S-ranked ninjas in an unknown mission seems simply impossible,” and indeed it did. He had faced Namikaze himself and knew very well just how good of a shinobi he was, and now Iwa claimed that the blonde was dead.
And not just him, they speculated that a significant chunk of Konoha’s elite shinobi had died suddenly.
“Iwa is a major village. The Tsuchikage would not make such a claim if he did not have credible intel,” Samui added, and that may be true. And if so, this was an excellent opportunity for Kumo to restore the balance that Namikaze had disrupted.
“But it could also be a trap?” and he shared Dodai’s fears.
“Iwa could be baiting us into a fight against Konoha. Regardless of the truth of these rumors, if Kumo is the first to attack, we will be starting a Great Ninja War, and no matter what the odds may be, none can predict the outcome of any such war,” Dodai began, and he knew that better than most for he had witnessed the events that had led to his father’s death himself.
How on earth a singular shinobi, who was still barely a child, had allowed Konoha to mount an offence that had forced his father’s hand.
“But what if it is the truth. What if Konoha has lost its Kage along with several S-ranked ninjas?” he whispered again, because then not joining in on the offensive would be a grave mistake. Because even if Konoha’s forces were hampered, as Iwa claimed, underestimating Konoha would be a mistake.
Namikaze may be dead indeed. However, others remained to continue his legacy, and leading this group was none other than Izuna Uchiha—The Seven-Headed Demon. The Butcher of Kumo.
“If we do not join Iwa, then it is highly likely that Konoha will win again,” and as a Raikage, he could not let that happen, and so if there was a chance that they could bring down the haughty Konoha, he had to take it.
“What about our own intelligence?” he asked, and it was Samui who answered.
“Over the last five years, Konoha has been diligent in removing any and all moles in their village. As of last year, we, along with most of the other villages, are completely blind to their internal situation,” and again, this was because of that yellow-haired bastard.
“What about Suna?” he hit upon an idea.
“Iwa mentions that Namikaze did not participate in the exams, that Konoha was trying to keep his disappearance a secret,” and Samui nodded.
“I will have our men look into it,” she nodded and immediately left the room.
“What if it is true?” Dodai asked, and then he would have to take a gamble.
“If Namikaze was not at the exams indeed,” and he leaned forward as he made his decision.
“Then we will go to war....”
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IZUNA UCHIHA
His coronation as the Godaime Hokage was nothing like that of Minato-san. The village remained on edge as the shinobi prepared themselves for another war. A short war, if he were to have anything to say.
But war was war, and now the weight of thousands upon thousands of lives lay on his shoulders.
His own father had been amongst the people he had buried, and yet Izuna had not even had the time or the opportunity to grieve. But that was the burden of a Hokage, and he would carry it just as those before him had done so.
“We are here,” Inoichi whispered as he led him to a secret facility of the Intelligence division, and it was such a secret that before his ascension, he had not heard a single whisper about it.
“Many people feared Minato because of his fighting prowess and his intelligence. And there is no question that Minato was a fearsome shinobi. Still, amidst all that, he hid one of his most lethal weapons away from prying eyes,” and as Inoichi placed his hand on a random-looking spot on the wall, he saw a sealing formula spread out as a section of the wall came out, to reveal a hidden door.
The Head of Intelligence Division motioned for him to enter. As Izuna pushed it open, he found himself entering a massive room, filled with around a dozen people all buzzing around a wall with the entire map of the continent inscribed over it.
It was as detailed a map as any, showing the different terrains and heights, as well as what appeared to be weather patterns and much more.
“It is still incomplete, but Minato believed that you were the only shinobi in the village capable of completing this,” Inoichi added. Izuna was still at a loss about what he was seeing.
“What even is this?” he asked, looking towards the Yamanaka clan head.
“This is a near-instantaneous information network that needs no human resources and requires only the most minimal maintenance,” and that seemed to be a dream, as Izuna gazed at the map once more.
“How does it even work?” he asked, as he stood in front of the map and began to examine the complex sealing array that made this entire thing possible.
“Minato had Jiraiya-sama place some special seals all over the continent. Seals, that allow us to monitor specific information, like the number of people passing by, troop movements, chakra residues, and so forth,” and all those tasks were simple enough, but he got the picture.
“And then you use all that data to map out troop movements and so forth,” he finished, and Inoichi nodded.
“Its efficacy in regular peacetime is not the best, given that it is troubled by the movements of small units. But any substantial force, around any unit greater than five men,” and that was way better than he had expected.
“And Konoha will be able to track their movements,” and if the little dots on the map were the seals, then Konoha had them around all the major villages, and so with this, they would never be caught off guard.
“How are the seals hidden? And who maintains them?” because even if Minato-san had designed them himself, a seal would need to be maintained.
“That is our duty, lord Hokage,” a voice came from the side, and Izuna turned and found himself staring at the Hokage Guard platoon, and it took him a second to make the connection.
“Hiraishin,” he guessed, and Shiranui Genma nodded.
“Yes. The seals also contain a hiraishin tag, and so if we feel that a seal is disintegrating then we teleport to it with Hiraishin, repair it and return,” and while they were nowhere near Minato-san’s level with the technique, they had become much better over the years.
“But it has another use as well,” added Inoichi.
“Ambush,” he finished, because the Hokage Guard Platoon could carry a three-man unit with them, and so a small ambush team could move to any of the marked locations and carry out a surprise attack.
“Minato called it the war room,” Inoichi began, as Izuna stared at the map once more his mind whirring with the sheer work and thought that must have gone into it.
And for all his titles, he suddenly felt like a child staring at a masterpiece.
“Only the Hokage, Shikaku, I, and the twelve shinobi operating the whole thing are aware of it,” he finished, and that was a good thing, because this went beyond normal espionage and information gathering.
No. This was a massive edge, and as he stared at the massive map, he began to feel unworthy of the haori and the hat he now wore, for this was the work of Minato Namikaze, who even in his death was protecting this village.
“Has there been any movement then?” he asked, as Inoichi’s lips thinned.
“Yes, Iwa and Kumo are gathering their forces. By my estimation, Iwa will begin their march within a few days, and will be at our borders by the end of the week,” and that was not enough time.
“Kumo?” he asked.
“They are a bit slow, but there is no doubt that they are also gathering their forces for an offensive,” and so that erased all chances of peace.
“But that is not all, Lord Hokage,” added the yellow-haired man.
“Apart from this, or sources in Suna and Iwa picked up quite a disturbing piece of news as well,” and Izuna had feared as much.
“They have betrayed us, haven’t they?” he guessed, and the Yamanaka clan head nodded.
“Yes, I am afraid so...”
0000
TSUNADE SENJU
Unlike the previous war, the Godaime Hokage did not have nearly half a dozen S-ranked shinobi at his command to face Iwa and Kumo head-on. So many had expected him to take a more conservative approach as the Nidaime had during the second Great Ninja War and entangle the opposing forces in long arduous battles so as to whittle them down and break their momentum.
But few would ever dare call Izuna Uchiha boring, and as he sat face to face with his three great advisors, all of them argued against the young Kage’s craziness.
“That could lead to disaster,” Tsunade argued, shaking her head.
“I am afraid I must agree with my old teammate,” and Orochimaru had been rather subdued ever since the death of Jiraiya, and though he may never speak of it, she had seen him visit his grave every morning ever since the day of the funeral.
“Konoha may not be as powerful as it once was, but you still have quite a few S-ranked shinobi at your command,” and two of them sat right there in the Hokage office, with her and Orochimaru.
“To then go into battle and put your own life at risk could be very well cause a disaster,” and for the first time in a long time, she endorsed Orochimaru’s words.
“You are the pillar holding the village together, you cannot just walk onto the battlefield and risk your life as you did before,” Shikaku argued vehemently, leaning forward with clenched fists. However, she could see that their words were not having an effect on the young Hokage.
“Are the three of you done now?” Izuna asked, his expression dour and serious as he sat there in a chair that was still too large for him, bearing a weight that only he could carry.
“I do not wish for a prolonged war,” and neither did any of them here, but that seemed to be the best option given that Iwa and Kumo were getting ready to mount a massive offensive against them.
“I grow tired of this whole nonsense from Iwa and Kumo, and believe that it is time that they are taught a proper lesson,” and if only it were so simple.
“By our own sources, we can confirm that both the Tsuchikage and the Raikage intend to lead their forces against us, and the quickest way to cripple both Kumo and Iwa is to kill them both,” and Tsunade scoffed, for killing a Kage was no simple task.
“They are Kages!” she argued, and even amongst S-ranked nin, the Raikage and the Tsuchikage stood as titans, and so killing them was not an easy task.
“Yes, I know that is why I have to be the one to face them,” and Shikaku shook his head.
“I know that you are confident, but you must assess the risk to yourself as well,” and that was what the boy refused to accept.
“You are a kage yourself—the kage of this village, a village that is afraid and fearful. If by any chance your plan backfires and you lose, or even worse, lose your life, Konoha may as well fall apart,” and they could not make their argument any clearer.
And she could understand Izuna’s point, for he had always led from the front, and when Minato had been alive, he could do that. But now, Minato was gone, the fear and the reputation of the yellow flash no longer protected their shinobi.
They had no choice but to change their tactics.
“But what if I win?” the Kage declared as he leaned back.
“Kumo and Iwa forces will fall into disarray, for both villages lack a proper plan of succession. We could use that disarray and mount a massive offensive of our own and attack Kumo and Iwa directly, laying siege to their lands and bringing this war to an end before it can swallow up another generation.” The plan seemed good and all, but she still could not endorse it.
“You cannot face two Kage-level shinobi in the span of a few days and expect to win against both,” she retorted.
“I know that is why, I will only be facing the Tsuchikage,” and as the three of them glanced at one another, they realised that he had already made his mind.
And given that he was the Hokage, they could only bow their heads to his decision and support him to the best of their abilities.
“Ohnoki is an old man, and you yourself say that we should fear old men in a profession where others die young,” and he had spoken those words about her sensei, and Ohnoki was in many ways an equal to him.
“He has lived through three Great Ninja wars and still rules over Iwa for good reason,” he could not underestimate him.
“I know, but of the two Kages, I believe I can take him down,” and he seemed confident in his decision.
“Then what of the Raikage?” asked Shikaku, his eyes narrowed, and she could see his Nara mind plotting and planning, as the young kage sighed.
“While I believe that I could defeat him as well, the Raikage’s speed makes him quite a troublesome opponent for me,” and while both she and Orochimaru could perhaps face the man on an even footing, she could not say so with confidence that they could defeat him.
“I won’t hesitate in admitting that it would be a far harder task than killing the Tsuchikage,” and so who would he defer such a task to?
“Then who will kill him?” questioned Shikaku.
“Thankfully, we have a shinobi who can do that,” and she frowned at his words as the edges of his lips lifted up in a whisper of a smile.
“A taijutsu master who can go toe to toe against any shinobi in this world....”
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A few hours later, the newly promoted three-man cell chunin team stood in the Hokage’s office, as Itachi, Saiko, and Anko all now wore the standard issue uniform and stood alert to receive their orders.
“These are troubling times, and I am afraid I must deploy you all for a special mission,” the Hokage declared as the three nodded.
“We are ready, Hokage-sama,” they delivered in unison as Izuna Uchiha smiled.
“This is an A-ranked mission, and because of that, I am adding one more member to your team,” and with that, he turned his gaze towards the door and spoke up.
“Come in now,” and the door swung open as a shinobi entered the Hokage office, wearing a green spandex suit, while brandishing his hitai-ate on his belt, on the back of which was bound a sword which had once been wielded by the White Fang of Konoha himself.
“He will be the leader of your team for this mission. I believe you might already be familiar with him. Still, he is one of Leaf’s taijutsu specialists, Tokubetsu jounin, Might Guy,” and the bushy brown man saluted the Hokage as the whole team awaited further instructions.
“Your mission is to travel to the mountain range between Suna and Iwa, and rescue the Hero of Suna, Pakura of the Scorch Style....”
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