Border Outpost

At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning stood Konoha's Border Outpost.

Years of constant war had left those stationed here perpetually tense. Any rustle of wind or grass could put them instantly on high alert, making the atmosphere unbearably oppressive. Even passersby came and went in a hurry...

Although word had come from the rear that the war was about to end, no one here dared let their guard down.

This was the nation's border, where the two countries met. It was possible to detect the enemy's movements at the earliest opportunity and relay intelligence back.

During wartime, intelligence was critically important. It concerned whether the battle could be won or lost, and no one dared to be careless at a time like this!

Especially now, when the nations had halted large-scale warfare and were at a crucial point in negotiations, even the slightest lapse could bring extremely serious consequences...

Inside one of the tents at the garrison, four people had gathered.

Judging by their attire, they were a Ninja Squad.

One Jonin leading three Chunin—a standard Konoha team configuration.

The Jonin was an ordinary-looking young man barely in his twenties. He wore the standard green ninja flak jacket, with a Konoha Forehead Protector tied around his left arm.

The other three consisted of two boys and one girl, all only in their teens and incredibly young.

Yet after being tempered by war, though they still looked somewhat young and immature, they carried a maturity that did not belong to their age.

The Jonin looked at his three team members. Perhaps because they would soon be leaving this oppressive place, his tone relaxed somewhat. "Others have come to relieve us. This mission is complete, and it's time for us to leave..."

"Yes!" The three Chunin nodded. Two of them visibly relaxed, clearly pleased to be leaving this place.

"Let's go. We'll hand over the mission to them, then head back to the village." The Jonin chuckled and led the three out of the tent.

After completing the handover with their replacements, the Ninja Squad flashed away from the garrison and hurried back toward Konoha Village.

Along the way, they leaped through the forest at a brisk pace. With a ninja's speed, they could return to Konoha Village in just a few days.

Among the three team members was a girl named Nami, who looked only fourteen or fifteen. She had a few freckles on her face. As she traveled, she looked toward her captain and asked hopefully, "Captain Tsurubami Ii, is the war... really over?"

War was synonymous with heaviness and pain.

That was true for ordinary people, and it was true for ninjas like them as well!

Whenever war broke out, it brought pain, displacement, and the deaths of friends and family. No one could escape it.

If possible, no one wished for war to come...

The Jonin leading the team, Tsurubami Ii, clearly knew more than the others. He looked at Nami and smiled. "It should be. The leaders of the various countries are already negotiating. As long as nothing unexpected happens, the war will be completely over soon!"

"Really?" Joy appeared on the face of another teenage boy named Daisei.

He did not know how long he had waited for this moment. Turning toward the remaining member of the squad, he said excitedly, "Yei, we survived! It feels like a dream!!"

War was a machine that harvested lives. No one could guarantee they would survive it. Strength mattered for those who had made it this far, but luck was the main reason...

After the war broke out, they had been forced onto the battlefield right after graduating from the Ninja Academy.

The number of ninjas was key to determining victory or defeat. Even children of around ten had to go to the battlefield and fight...

Children of only a few years old or in their teens going to war was not uncommon in this world!

"Yeah, we survived... But we can't relax too much. Until the war is officially declared over, there's still danger." The other member, Yei, merely spoke calmly, without showing as much joy as the other two.

Yei was only thirteen or fourteen as well. His features were delicate, and he wore a fitted black ninja outfit. His shoulder-length black hair was simply tied and hung down his back. A Konoha Forehead Protector was tied around his forehead, and beneath it were a pair of pale white eyes!

Those white eyes revealed that he was a member of one of Konoha's great clans, the Hyuga Clan's Branch Family!

His full name was Hyuga Yeiichi!

Upon hearing Yei's words, the other two Chunin grew solemn. The delight on their faces faded somewhat, replaced by seriousness.

This alone showed that Yei held a high position in their hearts.

During missions, Yei had noticed enemy movements and foreseen danger several times in advance, preventing them from walking into enemy encirclements. In a way, he had saved them several times.

Therefore, they took Yei's words seriously.

As expected of a Hyuga Clan ninja. Even as a Branch Family member, he's more outstanding than ordinary ninjas... Tsurubami Ii looked at Yei's performance and could not help nodding.

As the team's Jonin leader, he understood his subordinates fairly well.

Among the three, Hyuga Yeiichi was undoubtedly the most outstanding. Though he was also a Chunin, with the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan bloodline, both his personal strength and the role he could play far surpassed the other two.

Many times, even before Tsurubami Ii had discovered the enemy, Yei had already issued an advance warning.

It could be said that a major reason their squad had been assigned to this garrison was Yei's presence!

The Byakugan was simply too uniquely suited for reconnaissance!

Perhaps noticing that Nami and Daisei were somewhat tense, Tsurubami Ii said, "Don't worry. With Lord Minato around, those ninja villages probably won't dare act too recklessly. Large-scale war is already over, and we aren't far from the Border Outpost. The chance of encountering enemies is very small."

"Yes!" Nami and Daisei nodded, though their expressions remained extremely vigilant.

Yei's words are more effective than mine, the team's Jonin leader. This really is... Seeing this, Tsurubami Ii shook his head with a laugh. Still, inwardly, he nodded. Being cautious was good. Yei was not wrong; this was not yet a safe area, and anything could happen.

What he had said earlier was only meant to help Nami and Daisei relax a little. After all, while they had been at the Border Outpost, their nerves had been constantly taut...

The group of four picked up their pace and headed toward Konoha Village.

The Kikyo Mountain Campaign has ended. If I remember correctly, the Third Shinobi World War did indeed end here, but the clouds of war haven't dispersed...

The Fourth Hokage will soon take office. With the Fourth Hokage's strength, there should be a brief period of peace during his tenure, which is a good thing for me... But then there's the Nine-Tails Uprising... As he traveled, Yei sorted through the events of this period and those that would happen in the future.

Thinking of the Nine-Tails Uprising, one of the most pivotal events in Naruto, Yei narrowed his eyes slightly...

That was right.

Yei was a transmigrator. In Konoha Year 47, when the Third Shinobi World War broke out, he had transmigrated into the body of a Hyuga Branch Family member in a medical camp...

After waking up, he had found himself in the world of Naruto, the anime he had watched in his previous life, only to be smacked in the face by the Third Shinobi World War...

Such a fucked-up thing had actually happened to him. At the time, Yei's mouth had twitched, and his mentality had nearly exploded!

Fortunately, after transmigrating, he had gained certain abilities others did not possess. Otherwise, he would probably have died long ago!

While thinking about this, Yei did not relax his senses. As though he had noticed something, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and he stopped. "Wait, something's wrong!"

After hearing Yei's words, the other three stopped as well and landed on the branch of a large tree.

They trusted Yei's senses greatly. Several times, it had been because Yei detected enemies in advance that they had avoided falling into danger.

"Byakugan!" Yei mobilized Chakra and gathered it around his eyes. Veins suddenly bulged at his temples. Once he activated the Byakugan, his field of vision became extremely broad. What entered his sight was no longer the previously colorful world, but one cast in shades of gray and white.

Tsurubami Ii frowned at Yei and quietly asked, "What is it??"

Yei narrowed his eyes and answered in a low voice, "More than a dozen people are approaching. Two of them have Chakra fluctuations at the Jonin level, while the rest all have Chunin-level Chakra!"

Within Yei's Byakugan vision, more than a dozen people were closing in from all directions. Their target... was the four of them!!