Naruto: Azure Awakening Ch 102 - We Are Surrounded

A/N - Thank you, Fernando Corral & Andy Gavoutian for supporting Azure Awakening!

Jiraiya considered the question for a mont before responding. “The way I see it, we shouldn’t attack anyone imdiately but prepare for a potential invasion.” Initially, he had planned to follow Kumo’s lead, even joining the army with his main body. However, after carefully reconsidering the details, he changed his mind. Jiraiya’s main body had used a new shadow clone to update his mories, ensuring his current self was fully inford.

When a shadow clone was dispelled, its mories were transferred not only to the main body but also to any other existing shadow clones. This allowed Jiraiya to stay updated on the latest developnts without needing to physically return to Konoha.

“Let’s see how Kiri responds,” Jiraiya continued. “They won’t let Kumo roam their lands freely. No matter how determined the Mizukage is to eliminate Takimura, Kumo is a much bigger threat and Kiri will focus on them.” He glanced at Hiruzen and Shikaku, both of whom were masters of grand strategy. While Jiraiya was no novice in planning battles, he typically left the broader considerations, like diplomacy and the reactions of other nations, to others. That had never been his primary responsibility.

“After we confirm how the war between Kiri and Kumo unfolds,” Jiraiya added, “we’ll make our next move based on the situation. By then, we’ll be fully prepared in terms of provisions, ships, and everything else. We can also manipulate the information about Kumo’s invasion to gauge whether other great villages are willing to attack them.”

“Our next move should be made in a way that doesn’t trigger the next great war, a war we’re not ready for,” Hiruzen interjected. He glanced at Fugaku, whose authority had been fully restored after Jiraiya publicly stated that a mysterious figure had controlled the Nine-Tails when Minato died.

Despite this, the Uchiha clan wasn’t willing to act as if nothing had happened. The older generation had lost their passion for the Hidden Leaf, but the younger Uchiha were more dedicated than ever.

‘Our hope to regain the Uchiha’s loyalty lies with Itachi and Shisui,’ Hiruzen thought. He had been spending extra ti instilling the Will of Fire ideology in them. To Hiruzen, it wasn’t brainwashing, he genuinely believed in the Will of Fire and was its most dedicated follower.

‘If Takimura falls, the Uchiha’s hope of establishing an independent village will be shattered,’ Fugaku mused. He had his own agenda in wishing for Takimura’s success. He believed that the Uchiha and Konoha could no longer coexist, but he also knew the village wouldn’t simply let them leave.

‘I can’t believe the Uchiha clan has been reinstated in the council while my own influence has been cut so drastically,’ Danzo thought, his calm exterior masking his simring anger. He believed Jiraiya had fabricated the Uchiha’s innocence to placate the clan and stabilize Konoha. But there was little he could do. Even the other two elders, who usually supported him, were now firmly behind Jiraiya. Danzo was alone, truly alone.

While Konoha was slowly regaining its strength, the internal situation was tenser than ever. The village was now divided into three factions: Fugaku and the Uchiha clan, quietly pushing for independence; Danzo, working in the shadows to expand Root’s power despite Jiraiya’s ban on recruiting more children; and the loyalists, led by Hiruzen and Jiraiya, who held the most power but were reluctant to harm the other factions, as doing so would weaken Konoha as a whole.

Unlike other villages, where the Kage commanded absolute authority, Konoha was fractured. No one knew whether the tensions would de-escalate or grow into sothing far more dangerous.

While Yagura’s attack had succeeded in killing Suiren, the morale of the Kiri shinobi who witnessed their Mizukage retreating was shattered. To them, the war was already lost, and all they wanted now was to retreat. Fortunately, not many had seen Yagura flee, but even those who hadn’t were in no better shape. The Kiri army had lost its commander - Fuguki, and the only other figure who commanded authority, Mangetsu, had been missing for over two months.

If Yagura had stayed with the army, even without taking direct action, Kiri’s forces could have rallied around him and overwheld Takimura. But the Hidden Mist shinobi, already discontent with the war, were now left leaderless, and the consequences of that would soon beco evident.

anwhile, Yagura, retreating toward the main camp, encountered a scene he hadn’t anticipated. The rebels, led by Zabuza, had launched an attack on his camp, which housed more than two thousand shinobi.

Yagura had known about the Taki clan’s ability to overwhelm large numbers, though he didn’t know the specifics. He had sent wave after wave of attacks to force their hand, knowing that defeating Suiren would an the fall of Takimura. But he hadn’t accounted for new variables - like Maki’s strength. Takimura had kept Maki’s true power hidden. Since becoming an elite jonin, Maki had never revealed her full capabilities. She was known to be strong, but “strong” didn’t begin to describe the power of an S-rank kunoichi.

Now, Yagura found himself caught between three forces: the rebels, led by Zabuza, numbered over a thousand and had the advantage of surprise; Takimura would undeniably gain an advantage now that Yagura had retreated and the main camp would not be able to send more forces; And lastly, Kumo, which was the biggest threat and had already started the invasion.

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

‘When did things go so wrong?’ Yagura wondered, unaware that his decisions, even the war strategy itself, had been manipulated by Obito, who had deliberately stacked the deck against Kirigakure. With Obito now focused on Akatsuki, he no longer needed a puppet Mizukage.

Yagura surveyed his forces, who were slowly reorganizing under the council mbers’ direction. But they were taking heavy casualties, and ti was running out.

‘This is my blunder, so I’ll fix it myself,’ Yagura thought, landing in the center of the battlefield.

“Everyone, stand behind !” he commanded, his voice cutting through the chaos. It was ti for Yagura to go all out.

‘Isobu, lend your strength,’ he called out to the Three-Tails within him. Yagura rarely used his Tailed Beast transformation, not only because few opponents were strong enough to force him into it but also because of the technique’s flaw. Once the transformation ended, he would be left completely defenseless for a while. But now, facing a rebel force, he could afford to take the risk. After the transformation, he would be surrounded by his own army after all.

Zabuza watched Yagura from a distance, a slow grin spreading across his face as he noticed the condition of Yagura’s arm.

‘Takimura is that powerful, huh?’ he thought, his respect for them growing. The rebellion had struck at the perfect mont and Zabuza was ready to seize the opportunity.

“Maki defeated Fuguki and then joined Lady Suiren. Together, they forced Yagura to flee,” Shin reported to the council in the main camp. He had returned to recover, his movents stiff and pained from broken ribs. The camp was relieved that Yagura had retreated, but no one celebrated. The price of this victory had been far too heavy.

“Lord Akura, should we also join the fight?” asked ruem, his tone respectful as he addressed the new head of the Taki clan. It was his way of honoring Suiren’s mory. Technically, Kaoru was the rightful clan head, but Akura would serve as regent until Kaoru ca of age or was ready to take on the responsibility.

“Yes, we’ll all move now,” Akura replied, standing up. “The next wave of Kiri forces will be here soon, and our troops won’t be able to hold them off without us.” He was eager to fight, to release the pent-up frustration and grief that weighed on him.

Shin left the tent, his report complete. He needed rest - not just from the physical toll of nonstop fighting but also from the ntal strain of coordinating his squad through shadow clones.

‘I’ll rejoin in an hour. Just need a small rest,’ he thought, pushing himself to his limit. Suiren’s death had proven sothing to him: Takimura had beco his new ho, and he was willing to lay down his life to protect it.

As Akura prepared to leave, Oinin flickered into the tent beside him. “There’s an envoy from Kirigakure here. They want to see you, Lord Akura.”

Akura’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘There’s no way Yagura would offer peace. So why?’ He couldn’t understand the purpose of this envoy, but he saw no reason to refuse. “Bring them here,” he ordered.

The council mbers, who had been ready to head to the battlefield, returned to their seats, their curiosity piqued. They waited in tense silence for the mysterious ssenger to arrive.

A few hours ago…

Kaoru had just finished assisting the two Terumi jonins, and now they were rushing to help i. The Hozuki clan head, Hakare, who had been relentlessly pressuring i, suddenly realized he was alone, facing four opponents.

‘How did this happen?!’ he thought, his confidence wavering. All of his subordinates were supposed to have the upper hand against their opponents. One of them had even been fighting a kid…

He glanced at i, who was wounded in several places and bleeding heavily.

‘I was so close,’ he thought bitterly. Winning this fight was now out of the question, his only option was to escape.

“Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave.”

Beneath Hakare’s feet, a massive current of water began to form. The sheer amount of chakra he used made it clear that this was a monstrous technique.

At first, Kaoru marveled at the sight of Hakare’s water technique. But as the scale of the attack beca apparent, his admiration turned to dread.

“Kid, I know you can control water, but you won’t be able to handle this much,” Hakare taunted, smirking as he prepared to unleash the technique. He was certain of his escape, there was no way his opponents could chase him after this.

Kaoru quickly scanned the battlefield, assessing the condition of his allies.

‘Even i won’t survive this if I don’t do sothing,’ he realized. Not only would the four facing Hakare be in danger, but the rest of i’s squad would also be wiped out.

‘Is he really planning to kill his own clan mbers with us?’ Kaoru thought, horrified. Raised in the Taki clan, surrounded by people who loved and cared for him, he was unfamiliar with the ruthless ways of Kirigakure. He had seen it in the Naruto series, but knowing and experiencing were two entirely different things.

Kaoru didn’t have ti to hesitate. He quickly ford hand signs three tis, creating three clones - the maximum he could manage. The clones flickered toward different groups of Terumi shinobi, their eyes glowing cyan.

This was an experint that could go terribly wrong. Kaoru had never attempted to use Suijingan through his clones before, but he rembered that Madara’s clones could even use Susanoo. It was worth a try.

Within monts, the massive water current created by Hakare was rushing toward Kaoru and the Terumi shinobi. i was desperately trying to gather the pitiful amount of chakra she had left when Kaoru stepped forward, forming a dark blue sphere around them. He could glide on water himself, but he couldn’t balance the rest of the shinobi. This was the only way to keep everyone safe.

His clones did the sa. The spheres barely ford in ti as the colossal wave crashed into them. The power of the water was overwhelming, a domineering force of nature. The dark blue outer layer of the spheres held strong, but Kaoru quickly realized another harsh truth: using Suijingan through clones ant the strain on his mind was multiplied by the number of clones. Thankfully, he couldn’t create more than three - any more, and the ntal strain would have killed him instantly.

Blood began to trickle from Kaoru’s eyes, ears, and nostrils. The sight shocked i and the two jonins, but it also deepened their gratitude toward him. When the water finally receded, Hakare and the rest of the Hozuki clan who managed to survive were gone. Kaoru dispelled the spheres and imdiately collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

‘No more clones using Suijingan,’ he thought, relieved that the battle was over. If it had continued, he would have been in serious trouble.