Throne Of The Uchiha

Retreat

After Uchiha Fugaku and his team infiltrated the enemy base, Satomaru and his four teammates followed closely, silently entering the warehouse behind them.

"Hinata Ning, monitor the perimeter. The other two Sand jonin may patrol this area at any time. The rest of you, spread the explosive tags. Cover all key supply zones—quickly," Fugaku ordered.

He turned to another teammate. "Qiuze Daye, check the sealing barrier. We need access fast."

"Yes, Captain."

There had been no direct intel about patrol teams in the last report. Still, Fugaku was a seasoned commander—this depot belonged to Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Nations. A place this critical would undoubtedly be on high alert, especially during wartime.

Qiuze Daye approached the warehouse's inner seal. After careful examination, he muttered, "The sealing technique is rough—typical of Sand's weaker fuinjutsu. It won't take long."

Fugaku nodded. As expected. In the shinobi world, the nations strongest in sealing arts were the Land of Fire and the Land of Whirlpools. The Uzumaki Clan of Uzushiogakure had been fuinjutsu masters, and after Konoha's alliance with them through the Senju, much of their knowledge was transferred to the Leaf. Konoha's sealing prowess had since far surpassed the other villages—especially after the destruction of Uzushiogakure, when their lost arts began circulating secretly.

Daye formed hand seals, then pressed his palm to the seal array with practiced precision.

"Release."

The chakra script around the tent shimmered, twisted, and vanished silently.

"Good work," said Fugaku. "Now let's see what Sunagakure is hiding that needed a seal."

Qiuze Daye was the first to lift the flap and enter. Inside, the storage area was packed with wooden crates, arranged too neatly.

Daye moved to open the nearest crate, but Fugaku raised a hand to stop him.

"Wait. This feels too convenient. What if they rigged it to kill intruders relying on overconfidence? One mistake here, and the entire squad could be wiped out."

He turned toward the entrance. "Hinata Ning, come in. Use your Byakugan. I need you to confirm the contents—don't touch anything."

Ning deactivated his Byakugan momentarily, then stepped inside and refocused. Veins around his eyes bulged slightly as his dōjutsu activated. He scanned each crate with practiced precision.

"These crates are not normal," he said grimly. "Several of them are booby-trapped. There are explosive seals rigged to trigger upon opening."

He paused, eyes narrowing. "If just one explodes, it'll set off the others in a chain reaction. It's designed to incinerate anyone inside... or destroy the supplies if infiltration occurs."

Fugaku's expression hardened. "A clever trap. Seal it to make it look valuable, lure an infiltrator in, and let their greed—or desperation—do the rest. Sunagakure's strategists aren't fools."

"Place a tag here," Fugaku instructed. "And Ning—keep scanning. I want to be sure there are no hidden compartments or chakra signatures we missed."

Hinata Ning nodded and swept the room again, his gaze moving precisely through the walls and floor.

"Captain," Satomaru said suddenly, "we're out of detonating tags. We used everything we brought."

Fugaku frowned slightly, though he'd anticipated that possibility. Still, it was fortunate they'd uncovered the Sand's built-in explosives—those would help complete the mission.

"Captain, I confirm it," Hinata Ning said. "No hidden storage. All the supplies are accounted for."

"Then we withdraw," Fugaku declared. "The next stage will test us. Burn what you can. Memorize your escape routes. If anything goes wrong, fall back without hesitation."

"Understood."

The Konoha ninja here were elites—selected for missions into Ame no Kuni during wartime. Each one understood the risks.

Fugaku performed a swift hand seal sequence. His chest swelled.

"Fire Style: Flame Bullet."

A surge of flame burst from his mouth and engulfed the sacks of grain. The fire spread quickly, igniting the detonation tags they had placed near the supply tents. The setup ensured the chain explosion would consume the entire depot.

"Disguise as Sand-nin. Retreat immediately," Fugaku ordered. "If you encounter resistance, don't engage. Evade and regroup."

One by one, the six Leaf operatives transformed using the Transformation Jutsu, becoming indistinguishable from elite Sunagakure shinobi. They vanished into the rainy night along their planned route.

The sky was already pitch-black. The downpour helped mask their retreat, suppressing the initial flames, but steam rose as the heat met rain. Glowing embers lit the base faintly.

The fire triggered alarms across the Sand base. Shinobi burst from tents, rushing toward the warehouse. Moments later, the faint boom of the first tag reached Fugaku's ears.

Good. The decoys worked.

Then came a series of violent explosions.

Behind them, a pillar of flame shot into the sky as the warehouse was reduced to rubble. The Sand's own trap had gone off—likely triggered by the fire, or perhaps by vibration from nearby detonations. Either way, the destruction was total.

Where the warehouse once stood, only a smoking crater remained.

In the distance, a group of four Sunagakure chunin led by Kurosawa appeared, blocking their path. The rain and smoke made visibility low, but they had spotted the disguised Leaf shinobi.

"Kurosa! So it's you!" Kurosawa shouted. His voice was unusually agitated.

The loss of the supply point—right under his watch—was catastrophic. With Ishida, the warehouse's assigned jonin, already dead, the full burden of failure fell to Kurosawa. His only hope was to capture the intruders and prove his value.

He moved quickly, forming hand seals.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

A powerful gust erupted from his mouth, enhanced by the heavy rain. Water and wind crashed toward Fugaku's squad like a tsunami, drenching the trees and ripping through underbrush.

Fugaku dropped the transformation and faced forward. "Keep moving! Don't let them slow us down!"

He formed rapid hand seals.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"

Three searing dragons of fire roared from his mouth, forming a spread formation as they collided with Kurosawa's wind jutsu. The resulting steam and heat wave temporarily distorted the battlefield, masking the Konoha team's movement.

The clash of Wind vs. Fire lit up the dark sky. The explosive retreat had begun.