After four long days of travel through winding roads and steep mountain passes, Raizen and Might Fist finally reached the frontlines.
The landscape had changed. The forests had thinned out replaced by dry soil, cracked stones, and broken trees. The air carried a scent of ash and in the distance the low rumble of battle never stopped.
Smoke rose from the western ridges marking the points of recent clashes between Konoha and the Hidden Stone [Iwagakure] forces.
As they approached the base camp they saw a worn out barricade of stone and chakra tagged walls marked the boundary. Shinobi moved with purpose most of them bandaged, bloodied or simply exhausted.
At the command tent stood a tall figure with sharp features and deep bags under his eyes. His movements were economical, and his eyes calculating Nara Shikaji, the clan head and battlefield commander.
He didn't bother with pleasantries.
Shikaji: "You're late. We've lost twelve this week, and another skirmish could begin before sundown."
Raizen: "We came as fast as possible."
Might Fist: "Ready for orders."
Shikaji handed them a small scroll with a map drawn in ink.
Shikaji: "You'll guard the medical unit. It's stationed in a bunker near the eastern ridge. If it falls, we lose our only healing line. And if the Iwa ninjas bypass our defenses again, that's where they'll strike."
He turned away before they could speak, already giving orders to another unit.
By evening, the sounds of distant battle echoed across the cliffs. Raizen and Mighty Fist had taken their positions at the edges of the medic station a long, sloped bunker built partially underground, surrounded by stone and reinforced wood.
Inside, the air was tense. Medics moved like shadows, healing wounded shinobi with glowing palms. Some of the injured groaned in pain. Others lay silently, eyes staring into nothing.
Raizen: "They're working non stop."
Might Fist: "They can't fight. So we will."
Just then a sudden explosion rocked the ground. Smoke and dust filled the air and Raizen's eyes snapped toward the ridge. A group of Iwagakure shinobi had broken through the eastern flank bypassing the main battle.
They were fast and they were headed straight for the medical unit.
Four enemy ninja burst from the tree line. Their movements fluid, confident and deadly. One had earth style armor covering his chest. Another formed hand signs to launch a barrage of earth spikes.
Raizen: "They're after the medics!"
Mighty Fist: "We're the wall!"
Raizen burst forward with Soru vanishing and reappearing in front of the lead enemy. He slammed his fist forward with Tekken striking the man's abdomen and launching him into a nearby boulder.
The second shinobi raised his hand to form a Jutsu but vines erupted from the ground before he could finish he was dead.
Raizen: "Wood Release: Binding Root Strike!"
Thick roots coiled around his legs, slamming him to the dirt. The medical staff stunned by the technique.
Meanwhile, Might Fist fought the other two with raw strength and sheer will. His footwork was sharp his punches direct. He swept one to the ground and elbowed the second hard enough to crack a tooth.
Raizen used Geppo to rise into the air and came down like a meteor, his leg infused with hardened will. Armament Haki coating his skin. He landed with a crushing blow that cracked the ground beneath him like spider web.
The Iwa ninja were unconscious.
The medic ninja stood frozen, stunned by the speed and power they had just witnessed.
Medic 1: "Did he just use Wood Release?"
Medic 2: "How did they move like that?"
Raizen remained silent, brushing the dust off his clothes.
Later that night, under the pale moonlight, Raizen sat on a broken log, watching the stars. Might Fist returned with water.
Mighty Fist: "You didn't use it."
Raizen: "Not yet. That power… I'll only reveal it when I have no choice."
He glanced at his hand. Somewhere inside, the Fish-Fish Devil Fruit was stirring. But he kept it dormant for now. Suddenly a familiar footsteps approached.
Shikaji: "You protected the medics. That saved lives."
He paused.
Shikaji: "You two are moving to the vanguard at dawn. We march forward."
Raizen: "Understood."
As the commander walked away, Raizen looked back toward the forest.
This was just the beginning.