Saints and Suffering: A Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter 50- The Wind begins to blow

Prior to the mission start, Domaru, Hikaru, and the rest of their team introduced themselves to each other while enumerating their skills and specialties. Besides the 2 chuunin from the Uchiha clan in their group of 12, the other 10 ninja were dreading the upcoming mission.

They all recognized that they were assaulting a numerically superior force who also had the defensive advantage in an entrenched position. To even make it through this mission while staying alive would be heavenly good fortune.

One of the jonin was a main family Hyuga and had simply introduced himself as Hyuga-taicho while the other jonin was from the Sarutobi family. Several of the chuunin were from various Konoha clans to include the Inuzuka and Aburame, but Domaru was the only Akimichi. The other chuunin were either from civilian families or ninja families to small to be considered clans.

Hyuga-taicho, after everyone had made their introductions, started to go over battle strategy and mission objectives.

The assault would be such in name only. It was more like a hit and run than anything else. The two Uchiha, being fire ninjutsu specialists actually played a mission critical role. They would be in charge of bombarding the enemy positions with ninjutsu along with Jonin Sarutobi. They would have enough time to cast two or three jutsu each, but they would retreat immediately after with the rest of the team.

One of the ninja from the civilian families was an earth specialist with subspecialist training in demolitions, and should they encounter any infrastructure, he would responsible for weakening structures and setting off explosive tags to destroy them.

The rest of the 12 member squad, to include Hyuga-Taicho, Domaru, Hikaru, and the other chuunin were only their provide support and to defend the ninjutsu specialists, getting them in range and protecting them as they cast their jutsu.

The day of the attack, the team set out before the sun rose, aiming to arrive at the Valley of the End before dawn. Should everything go perfectly, their assault would take place a few minutes after sunrise, and they would be coming in from the east, with the sun at their backs, discouraging any counterattacks.

Four other teams of 12 were assigned to similar tasks, and all in all, only 50 Konoha shinobi would be attacking the Kumo encampment at the Valley of the End directly. The other Konoha ninja would be creating havoc and chaos with intense skirmishing everywhere else along the front lines.

The Hyuga that captained the team ran point with his Byakugan active the entire time, scouting for enemies. The Aburame and Inuzuka were flanking him and trailing by a few yards and also on alert.

As the team progressed closer and closer to the Valley of the End, their anxiety only increased more and more. They had expected to meet at least a token resistance, whether it be scouting parties or random patrols.

They encountered no one, and everyone but the Uchiha were feeling a growing pit of discomfort in their guts. The Uchiha, with only revenge on their mind, were not concerned with such trivialities.

The Team arrived at the predestined spot from which they had a somewhat restricted, but ultimately well hidden, point of vantage over the Valley of the End. The sense of unease in everyone's mind only grew larger, as they expected to see a much larger encampment, representing the bulk of Kumo forces, but the camp at the Valley of the End might've only had a hundred shinobi there.

As the team waited for the planned time of attack, the Aburame chuunin held out his hand, upon which a single kikaichu landed. The insect walked and danced across his palm, and after about thirty seconds, the Aburame gathered the attention of Hyuga-taicho and flashed a series of fast Konoha sign language words at his team leader.