Naruto: Why a Illusion ninja in Sunagakure?

Chapter 1 - Let Me Start at the Beginning

With the wild chirping of birds in a desolate forest, surrounded by vast greenery and wild bushes, a young kid with pale blonde hair attempts to hide. He holds a Tanto, a blade about 10 inches long, in his hand. His eyes dart around warily as he tries to calm his breath.

"This situation keeps getting crazier," the kid mutters to himself.

"BOOOOOM"

A sound rang out from far away, unseen but still heard by the young kid.

He turns his head to face the direction at 11 o'clock (northwest) with a worried expression, wondering what could be happening there.

"I don't have to worry that much; that sounds almost indistinguishable from an Explosive Tag, plus the captain should be in that direction," he whispers. The first part of his sentence is a keen observation for a beginner shinobi, while the second part is meant to reassure himself that his teammates will be safe.

As he sat there pondering, he grew even more worried. "To hell with them, I have to come up with a plan to save myself!" He struggled to think of a plan. Touching the small ninja tools bag on his leg, he looked at the kunai and single smoke bomb inside. Usually, a shinobi has a standard plan of action or combo of moves to execute. This made the young shinobi think about which moves fit his current situation, with his chakra reserves depleted and barely any tools left.

The kid we're following is named Ayumu Kagero, from the village of Sunagakure. He recently became a full-fledged shinobi. The Third Great Ninja War is nearing its end, but the sly elders, daimyos, and kage from the five great nations are still seeking benefits for their nations as the fighting winds down.

This is why Ayumu finds himself in the Land of Birds, engaged in a skirmish with shinobi from the village of Iwagakure, using the area as a buffer zone. At this stage of the war, Sunagakure is fighting against the Hidden Mist and Hidden Stone.

Meanwhile, Iwagakure has been fighting minor skirmishes with Hidden Cloud. The war has been winding down on their side since the fall of Kannabi Bridge to Konoha about 15 months ago, leading to their withdrawal from the Land of Grass. The recent death of the 3rd Raikage has also brought a major shock to the Land of Thunder.

Ayumu knew that despite the war winding down, the danger was still very real. Every minor skirmish had the potential to escalate into something far more deadly. He tightened his grip on the Tanto, resolved to stay vigilant.

As he moved cautiously through the dense forest he couldn't shake the feeling that someone—or something—was watching him. His senses were on high alert, every rustle of leaves and snap of twigs heightening his paranoia. This paranoia caused him to tilt his body slightly to the left.

Suddenly, a kunai whizzed past his ear, embedding itself in a tree trunk just inches away. Ayumu spun around, his eyes searching for the source of the attack. Emerging from the shadows was a shinobi wearing the headband of Hidden Stone, with no visible emotion on his face.

The Hidden Stone shinobi did none of the useless taunting expected of a villain, instead drawing his kunai.

Ayumu's heart raced, but he forced himself to remain calm. "I'm not alone!" trying to make the shinobi vigilant, his voice steady. "And you're making a big mistake."

Without another word, the two clashed, their blades ringing out in the otherwise silent forest. Ayumu's training kicked in as he parried and struck, each move calculated and precise. The Iwa shinobi was skilled, with Ayumu Falling into an disadvantage even with giving twice as much effort as his opponent.

As the fight dragged on, Ayumu eventually created some distance between him and the opponent. He needed to end this quickly; his young body couldn't keep up with the stamina of the older shinobi, who looked to be around 14 years of age. With enough space, he threw down his last smoke bomb and formed five seals under the cover of the smoke, with the enemy shinobi wary of getting close.