Blind Sight (COTK Book 1)

Chapter 18: Karma

As Baki quietly watched his comrades and leader plan out a battle strategy, he couldn't help but think about how many innocent lives would be lost.

There was nothing they could do about it either, and while he understood that, Baki resented it. His first urge had been to suggest evacuating civilians out of Suna immediately, but that would lead to killing more than they saved.

The scouts had come back with too little information. They'd been unable to find any encampment by Kumo. Instead, they'd only brought back more worrying rumors.

A battle was coming, and it could very quickly become a war.

Thousands will die... Baki thought as he blankly watched Rasa explain his plan to his commanders. They were all inside Rasa's office, and like himself, Sasori was off to the side, his eyes closed.

Baki didn't like war, though he didn't hate it either. It was necessary at times, but that didn't make it any less terrible. If anything, since the end of the Warring States Era, the wars had only gotten more bloody, the body counts higher.

The end of the Warring States Era had supposed to bring about peace, and in some ways, it had. Civilians were thriving, and by extension, the Shinobi were as well.

Which had only resulted in more Shinobi dying.

For some reason that Baki couldn't understand, Kumo was here in the Land of Wind. If the goal was to attack Suna, which was the most logical choice, Baki couldn't figure out what they would gain by doing so.

The Land of Lightning is on the other side of the Elemental Nations from the Land of Wind... and the Land of Fire will never let them take over our country because then the power balance would be thrown off, Baki mused. Not that the power balance isn't already fucked.

At the very least, Baki was relieved that the Land of Fire didn't seem to have any dogs in this fight. If knowledge of Naruto's Byakugan was to get out... Baki feared to think what sort of hell would descend upon them.

The Hyūga Clan would be furious, and they had more than enough power to move the entire country against them.

Perhaps, somehow, Kumo has discovered that Naruto possesses the Byakugan, and that's why they are here. It's no secret they've wanted the Byakugan for two dozen years.

Baki sighed and pushed off the wall to rejoin the conversation.

"I want security on the walls raised," Rasa ordered, getting a nod from the Commander in charge of the wall guard. "Fill the gaps, I don't want any more spies getting in or out."

"Could that give away that we're onto them?" Nakazo, one of Suna's most experienced Shinobi, asked.

Rasa nodded slowly, looking back down at the map of Suna on his desk. "Yes, it could."

"It's a risk we're going to have to take. We've let this go on too long." Baki interjected, and many of the Commanders nodded in agreement.

"We don't know when they will attack, or even if they will attack Suna first," Sasori said, also rejoining the conversation.

"Yes, the uncertainty is dangerous," Rasa agreed.

"How can we be so sure that Kumo has Shinobi in the Land of Wind?" Tessai, who was standing to the left of Rasa's desk, asked.

"We aren't," Sasori admitted, shrugging. "That's the problem. Rasa-sama sent out scouts four days ago, and they were unable to find anything to the north and east of Suna. If Kumo is in the country... either the scouts missed them completely... or they're already past Suna."