Bab 160: 159-Iwa's Response
Osaka's mission was clear: create enough destruction to make it seem like a sufficient response but not enough to draw the full wrath of Suna.
This delicate balance was crucial, as it was meant to be a strategic show of force without escalating into a full-scale war. The Tsuchikage had given him the leeway to choose which town to attack, which greatly benefited Osaka.
However, he had faced a bit of trouble finding the perfect town to destroy. Minato and his squad had already wreaked havoc on most towns south of the Land of Wind, leaving a trail of destruction that was meant to confuse and mislead Suna about their true intentions.
Even towns that posed no strategic value were destroyed, giving Suna the illusion that the attacks were arbitrary. This tactic created a state of heightened alertness throughout the Land of Wind, but it also made Osaka's task more challenging.
Most towns had already been attacked, and finding one that hadn't yet felt the sting of chaos was becoming increasingly difficult. Fortunately or unfortunately for him, his search had come to an end when he entered Nagoya.
As Osaka stood in the town centre, he overheard a conversation between two shinobi.
"I heard there was an increase in patrols because of the recent attacks on nearby towns," one shinobi said, his voice low but clear.
"Yeah, we need to stay vigilant. The Kazekage is counting on us to keep this place safe," the other replied, nodding seriously.
'How honourable,' Osaka thought, a faint smile playing on his lips.
He continued his walk and approached a tea shop. He sat down at a nearby bench.
The vendor, a kind old woman with a warm smile, approached him. "Would you like some tea, sir?" she asked, her voice gentle.
Osaka nodded, returning her smile. "Yes, please."
The vendor handed him a cup of steaming tea, and Osaka took a sip, savouring the warmth. He struck up a conversation with the vendor, casually inquiring about the town and its recent events.
"We've been lucky so far," the vendor said, her expression shifting to one of mild concern. "Many towns around here have been attacked, but Nagoya has remained safe."
Osaka nodded thoughtfully, his eyes scanning the busy marketplace. "It's good to hear that. The people here must feel fortunate."
The vendor sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Yes, but there's always a sense of unease."
Osaka took another sip of his tea, the steam rising in delicate curls. "I understand. These are uncertain times."
"The Kazekage has increased patrols and security, but there's only so much they can do. We just have to hope for the best."
Osaka finished his tea and handed the cup back to the vendor. "Thank you for the tea."
"You're welcome," she said, smiling again. "Stay safe, sir."
After a few steps of walking away, he subtly tapped his bare foot on the ground. A slight tremor rippled through the earth, and a second later, the tea shop exploded.
"Boom!"
The explosion caught everyone around the shop off guard. The force of the blast threw people back several meters, screams and shouts filling the air as they were flung about like ragdolls.
Amidst the chaos, no one noticed that Osaka remained unscathed, his face calm and expressionless.
Within moments, shinobi guards, who had been on high alert due to recent attacks, rushed to the scene, trying to assess the situation and help the injured.
Osaka watched their frantic efforts for a few seconds before tapping his foot three times on the ground. This time, the buildings neighbouring the tea shop exploded with an even more powerful
"BOOM!!!"
The second explosion was more devastating, involving three buildings. The shockwave heavily injured the shinobi who had rushed to the scene, with only a few managing to escape unscathed.
Debris rained down, and thick clouds of dust and smoke filled the air. People screamed and ran in all directions, the once peaceful town of Nagoya was now a scene of utter chaos.
Osaka stood amidst the destruction, his expression unchanged. This was his speciality—he was a master of destruction, capable of causing mayhem with a mere touch to the ground.
Osaka had been born into a family of skilled shinobi in Iwagakure. From a young age, he exhibited exceptional talent in manipulating earth chakra.
However, during his training at the Ninja Academy, a tragic accident destroyed his chakra pathways, rendering him unable to wield chakra effectively.
Devastated and on the verge of giving up his shinobi dreams, Osaka discovered an unconventional method to channel chakra by making skin contact with the ground.
By transmitting chakra into the earth, Osaka could do wonderful and quite destructive things like create powerful explosions, prompting him to walk barefoot to maintain constant contact with the ground.
This unique ability to cause explosions had gotten him recruited into Iwagakure's most powerful squad, the Explosion Corps despite him not exactly having Explosion Release.
While Osaka's power was not the strongest compared to other members of the Explosion Corps, his ability to go undetected while making explosions made him invaluable.
Even experienced shinobi with dōjutsu like the Byakugan would have a hard time figuring out what he was doing due to his messed-up chakra pathways.
With the guards incapacitated or busy helping the injured, Osaka continued walking through the town, causing more buildings to explode.
As Osaka moved further into the town, he overheard snippets of conversation from the panicked townsfolk.
"What's happening? Why is everything exploding?"
"Is it an attack? Are we under siege?"
"Where are the shinobi? We need help!"
Despite the destruction, Osaka couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for the innocent lives caught in the crossfire. The people of Nagoya were just ordinary citizens, unaware of the larger conflicts that shaped their fate. But Osaka pushed these thoughts aside, focusing on his mission.
One of the guards, a young shinobi trying his best to make sense of the chaos around him, noticed the old man walking calmly amidst the destruction.
"You there, stop!" the guard shouted, pointing at Osaka.
Osaka ignored him and kept walking. The guard, determined to stop him as he suspected the old man, ran towards Osaka.
As he got closer, Osaka tapped his foot again, and a small but focused explosion erupted at the guard's feet, throwing him back with a pained cry.
The guard hit the ground hard, groaning in pain but still conscious. He tried to get up, but his legs wouldn't cooperate. "What's going on?" he muttered to himself, confusion and fear evident in his voice.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Nagoya, a shinobi was sleeping in an inn. Her rest was abruptly interrupted as her eyes snapped open, sensing the danger before it struck.
In a flash, she flickered away just seconds before the room and the inn as a whole exploded into a fiery wreck.
'What is going on?' the Kunoichi wondered, her mind racing as she surveyed the chaos around her. Without wasting a moment, she created several clones, which flickered back to the rubble to rescue those trapped beneath the debris.
They worked quickly and efficiently, pulling people to safety and healing the injured as best they could amidst the chaos.
She flickered across the town, her senses heightened as she tried to locate the source of the destruction. She arrived a few meters from Osaka just in time to hear the injured shinobi shout,
"There! That old man! He's the one causing the explosions!"
Hearing this, the kunoichi scoffed, recognizing the figure immediately. Changing her stance, she said with a sneer, "I can see through that pathetic disguise of yours, Osaka."
Osaka's expression remained impassive. "Chiyo," he said, "It has been long since I saw you."
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