A Sudden First Taste of the Battlefield (4)

"Who asked you about that? I was asking how you felt about your first real battle." There was a hint of dissatisfaction in Kushina's tone. Her disciple's comprehension was lacking—couldn't a teacher and student be a little more in sync?

Hagoromo thought for a moment before replying, "I'm fairly satisfied with my performance. Because of my sensory abilities, the night worked in my favor. The battle lasted less than two minutes from start to finish. In fact, I only attacked each of the four enemies once. It was basically a lightning-strike tactic. Judging by the results, it worked out rather well: three dead and one wounded. That Sand Ninja Jonin whose arm I cut off probably won't be able to leave the border safely either... Objectively speaking, I had every advantage. If the enemy had possessed a sensory-type ninja, I definitely wouldn't have won so easily. In a head-on fight, the gap between a Jonin and me is still obvious, both in combat experience and strength."

Through this battle, Hagoromo had also come to understand his own weakness: his lack of Chakra. The high-powered ninjutsu he pursued all required the caster to possess enormous Chakra reserves, but clearly, he had not yet reached the age where he had enough Chakra.

"I'm very satisfied with you, Hagoromo. You need to understand that ninja aren't samurai. There aren't so many what-ifs. I knew you were outstanding before, but now you've proven just how outstanding you are." What Kushina had actually wanted to ask was whether Hagoromo had any psychological concerns after his first real battle—and his first kill. She hadn't expected him to analyze the battle so naturally. That meant there was no problem with his mental state at all.

Hagoromo nodded, indicating that he understood. Ninja were not samurai, much less knights. Ninja pursued one-hit kills, not honorable one-on-one duels. No matter what method was used, if one could kill a Chunin, that proved the ninja possessed Chunin-level ability. If one could kill a Jonin, that proved they had Jonin-level strength. Whether they killed with a blade or poison, the result was the same.

If he had known that Kushina was worrying about psychological changes after his first kill, he would have told this teacher of his that there was absolutely no need to worry. Those who aspired to become ninja had been taught almost from birth how to kill, how to kill efficiently, and how to kill efficiently while preserving themselves. As a perfect top student like Hagoromo, he was simply able to fully demonstrate on the battlefield what he had learned in ordinary times. Or rather, he had already rehearsed real combat scenarios countless times in his mind. Kushina's worries were unnecessary.

"But I used up a large portion of my Chakra," Hagoromo said with a wry smile.

His output had been too fierce.

Chidori Sharp Spear in particular—an attack that extended Chakra five meters from the body—was an absurd Chakra drain... Even with Hagoromo's skill at refining and using Chakra efficiently, he could barely handle the consumption of Chidori Sharp Spear.

"Haha!" Kushina burst out laughing. "Who told you to fixate on nothing but A-rank and S-rank ninjutsu? Now you know your Chakra isn't enough, huh?" As she mocked Hagoromo, she also gave his shoulder several hearty slaps.

That left Hagoromo thoroughly depressed. You Uzumaki, Senju, and the like were all Chakra monsters, of course you wouldn't understand the frustration of people with too little Chakra.

The Anbu ninja were still cleaning up the battlefield in the forest. First, they needed to find more intelligence from the corpses of those Sand Ninja. Second, they needed to erase the traces of the battle.

By then, however, virtually everyone in the camp had awakened. A battle had just taken place, and it had happened very close to the camp. They were all ninja, and ninja possessed basic vigilance; they couldn't possibly remain indifferent to fighting so close by.

There were some bloodstains on Hagoromo's cloak, but they were not very noticeable because it was black.

The Anbu ninja searched the area around the camp again. Once they confirmed that there were no more enemies, everyone in the camp went back to sleep.

However, the Anbu on watch increased from one team to two.

Hagoromo also returned to Kushina's tent. He laid out his bedding and lay on the ground, resting while recovering his Chakra. The fierce battle just now had left him somewhat exhausted.

About ten minutes later, he fell asleep.

By the time he woke again, it was already six in the morning.

Hagoromo picked up the forehead protector beside his pillow and tied it around his forehead. Today, they would enter Konoha's General Command Post on the Sand Ninja front. Without that thing on his head, Konoha's ninja might mistake him for an enemy and attack him.

Looking around, he found that Kushina was no longer in the tent. Realizing that he might have woken up a little late, he hurriedly got up. Once outside, he found that everyone was indeed washing up by the stream.

Hagoromo quickly joined them. Afterward, they ate with frowns on their faces. To be honest, Konoha's field rations were awful. Hagoromo would rather shove a couple of Soldier Pills into his mouth than eat something as hard as rocks.

After the meal, the Anbu ninja carefully cleared away every trace of their activities. Only after restoring the place to how it had looked before they camped did the group of nearly forty set out once more.

This was to prevent the enemy from tracking them through those traces. In terms of combat ability, Medical Ninja were somewhat weaker, and the Anbu ninja had no desire to fight while protecting them at the same time.

Because of the need for protection, Konoha's ninja had formed a Swastika Formation. One team of Anbu ninja led the way at the front, while two other Anbu teams guarded the flanks. Kushina, Hagoromo, and the final Anbu team stayed at the rear, while the twenty Medical Ninja were protected at the center of the formation.

Because they had to accommodate the Medical Ninja, they advanced toward Konoha's Frontline Command Post at thirty kilometers per hour. They had to race for roughly seven hours without rest to cover the two hundred kilometers. The pace was not particularly fast, but it was still a considerable test for some people in the group.

Even those with poor stamina had to grit their teeth and endure. This was no longer the heartland of the Land of Fire, nor was it a time when they could travel at a leisurely pace. What happened last night had made it clear to them that this was a border region where battle could break out at any moment. The faster they crossed this stretch and reached Konoha's command post, the safer they would be.

Fortunately, they encountered no more enemies along the way. By early afternoon, they began approaching Konoha's Frontline Command Post.