The Trees Came Alive

Tsunade's choice of an A-rank mission had not been random, but the result of careful consideration.

On the surface, Shizune was a Chunin, while Kabuto Yakushi and Natsume were Genin.

But in reality, Kabuto Yakushi and Natsume were both Chunin as well.

Especially Natsume—after revealing his Wood Style, he was nearly at Jonin level.

And with her as their squad leader, missions of ordinary difficulty would offer no real training value.

An A-rank mission was just right.

The four of them turned into four black shadows, vanishing into the distance after a few leaps.

They did not move too quickly.

As Chunin, their stamina was far inferior to that of Jonin.

Tsunade naturally understood this.

If they moved too fast and pushed too hard, Natsume and the others would not be able to keep up.

If they encountered enemies on the road, they might end up in a difficult situation.

"After more than two years of prolonged war, both Konoha and Kumogakure are fairly exhausted. The front lines are now mainly made up of small-scale surprise attacks."

As they traveled, Tsunade said, "Our mission is to eliminate Kumogakure's hidden outposts and, while we're at it, rescue Shidō Akimichi's squad."

"Shidō Akimichi?"

The name sounded vaguely familiar to Natsume. He seemed to have been a minor character in his previous life.

"Yes. His squad had the same mission as ours, but they've now lost contact."

Tsunade glanced at him and answered, "Shidō Akimichi is a Jonin. Anyone capable of putting his squad in danger must be Jonin as well, so this mission could be upgraded to S-rank at any time."

Natsume was not worried.

Whether they would even encounter them was another question.

And even if they did, there usually would not be too many Jonin.

Tsunade could handle them completely.

Unless they ran into a super Jonin like the Fourth Raikage.

"Medical Ninja do not participate in battle unless it is the last resort."

Tsunade continued, "But Shizune and Kabuto are different. They have combat ability. If we encounter enemies, Natsume will be the main attacker, while the other two will provide support as the situation demands."

"Understood."

Natsume and the other two answered in unison.

"One more thing."

Tsunade looked at Natsume again, concern in her eyes. "This is the first time the three of you, especially Natsume, are going onto a battlefield. It may also be your first time killing someone. If you feel unwell, don't force yourselves."

Killing someone could often cause psychological barriers.

Some people would feel sick and nauseated, some would have no reaction at all, and some would be left traumatized by it.

As Medical Ninja, Shizune and Kabuto Yakushi had long grown accustomed to bloodshed in hospitals.

But Natsume had not.

He was the one Tsunade worried about most.

If he had an adverse reaction, it would be extremely dangerous on the battlefield.

"I understand."

Natsume gave her a reassuring look.

Tsunade nodded.

When the time came, she would just act herself.

If it had been anyone else, she would not have bothered to care.

If a ninja could not overcome even this little psychological hurdle, they might as well go home and raise pigs. What kind of ninja would they be?

But when it came to Natsume, Tsunade's reaction was concern.

All one could say was that everyone had double standards.

But Natsume liked it. He practically wanted to throw himself into her arms and thank her properly.

More than ten minutes later, the four entered a small forest.

Tsunade stopped and said, "Supply convoys from the Land of Fire to Konoha's main camp often pass through here. That is why there are quite a few Kumogakure hidden outposts around the area. We'll keep heading north until we reach the place where Shidō Akimichi disappeared."

A hidden outpost was essentially a fixed, small stronghold.

Usually, three to ten ninja would be stationed there, in an extremely concealed location.

They were normally responsible for surveillance and could provide timely support once battle broke out.

Konoha uprooted them; Kumogakure planted them.

This had already been the norm for more than two years.

Of course, in many areas, it had become a case of the Cloud uprooting and Konoha planting.

Because Konoha had more money and added all kinds of Sealing Jutsu and barrier techniques, their hidden outposts were built sturdier and often held a slight advantage in terms of time.

"Kabuto, conduct reconnaissance."

Tsunade gave the order. "Natsume and Shizune will be responsible for protection."

In truth, none of the three were specialized reconnaissance ninja.

But Kabuto Yakushi had learned quite a few reconnaissance ninjutsu.

At Natsume's suggestion, Tsunade had taught them to him.

In the original story, Kabuto Yakushi had been an exceptionally capable spy, naturally skilled in ninjutsu related to infiltration and reconnaissance.

Though he could not compare to the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, he was more than adequate.

Tsunade would not let him conduct reconnaissance alone; this was meant to train Kabuto Yakushi.

To avoid any fish slipping through the net, she would conduct reconnaissance as well.

"At three o'clock ahead, there are four Chakra signatures. They aren't moving."

A moment later, Kabuto Yakushi opened his eyes and spoke.

The sensory ninjutsu he used required him to close his eyes while scouting.

Though dangerous, it allowed him to grasp the enemy's situation in considerable detail.

Natsume nodded and took the lead.

Before long, he spotted an outpost.

From the outside, it looked rather like a fortress.

An ordinary ninja would have to put in some effort to take it down.

"Kabuto, help me conceal the Chakra fluctuations."

After saying that, Natsume began forming hand seals.

Kabuto Yakushi specialized in Medical Ninjutsu, but his secondary studies were rather broad.

He knew a bit of everything.

He could be called an all-purpose support.

He hurriedly set up a temporary barrier technique.

Though it would only last three seconds, that was enough.

Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!

An A-rank Water Style technique.

Even Chunin found it difficult to perform, let alone Genin.

But with all his various boosts, Natsume's Chakra had already reached Jonin level—roughly one Kakashi.

An immense amount of Chakra gathered in his throat and, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a waterfall that swept over the outpost.

The Cloud ninja on duty suddenly jolted awake.

What the hell was that sound?

The moment he turned around, every hair on his body stood on end.

"Enem—"

Before he could finish, the water swallowed him.

He was merely a Chunin. Unable to put up much of a struggle, he slipped into eternal sleep.

The waterfall continued onward, engulfing the outpost.

The outpost was fairly sturdy, but it was hardly airtight.

Water immediately poured inside.

The three Cloud ninja sleeping within had already been startled awake. At the sight of the flood, they fled outside in panic.

Natsume had been waiting for them.

The instant the three appeared, countless thorns shot out from the trees on either side.

How had the trees come alive?

And they could attack people?

Why couldn't you talk?

The Cloud ninja had never anticipated such an attack and were all skewered together.

Natsume then returned the trees to their original state.

"Nicely done."

Tsunade appeared at his side, her eyes sweeping over his face. Only after confirming that he showed no abnormal reaction did she let out a sigh of relief.

"Kabuto, collect the spoils. If there's any useful intelligence, bring it to me."

She turned to look at the dead Kumogakure shinobi and gave another order.

Kabuto Yakushi immediately entered the outpost and began searching.

"I'll go too."

Natsume felt that Tsunade favored him a little too much, which was not ideal.

At least, it felt somewhat inappropriate in front of Shizune and Kabuto Yakushi.

Tsunade paused slightly, then smiled.

After all, Natsume was different to her.

Without realizing it, favoring him had come to feel only natural.

But this child was truly sensible.

After the search was finished, they found nothing of value.

The four of them set off again.

Meanwhile, at Kumogakure's main camp.

The fact that Tsunade and Hyuga Hiashi had joined the war had naturally not been concealed.

They had never intended to hide it in the first place.

The Fourth Raikage looked at the intelligence report before him, his face full of emotion. "Konoha truly is blessed by heaven."

Even after the Nine-Tails Attack and the death of a Hokage, its strength had not declined by much.

It was absurd.

Kumogakure had always been building up its strength.

The Third Raikage had even willingly faced ten thousand enemies alone and died from exhaustion, all to preserve their remaining forces.

Yet despite all of Konoha's ridiculous maneuvers, it had somehow remained evenly matched with Kumogakure.

The Fourth Raikage's sentiment was only natural.

"If this continues, we may have to send the Jinchuriki into battle to have any chance of victory."

Dodai, the one-eyed jonin beside him, said.

He was the evaluator for the Liger Bomb and was deeply trusted by the Raikage.

"There's no need. We've fought long enough. It's time to stop."

The Fourth Raikage's deep voice rang out. "Leave some time for our geniuses to grow. Cee, Yugito Nii, Darui, Mabui, and the others are only in their teens. In a few years, they will become the pillars of Kumogakure."

But how to stop was the question.

Taking the initiative to seek peace would be too humiliating, and it might easily encourage Konoha to push for more.

A thoughtful look flashed through the Fourth Raikage's eyes.