Kirigakure's Objective

After parting ways with Orochimaru, Shuichi resumed his leisurely life, practicing his gun skills and refining his other Ninjutsu. He also spent his free time training with his friends, living a very comfortable life.

However, this period of peace did not last long. A few days later, he was summoned by the Third Hokage and soon arrived at the Hokage Building.

Upon entering, Shuichi noticed the Third Hokage's slightly grave expression. Knowing him well, Shuichi knew without a doubt that it was a problem on the front lines. Judging from the current situation in the Shinobi World, there must be changes in the Land of Water.

"Why did you call me here in such a hurry? What happened?"

"How are your injuries?" Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't give the order directly, but instead asked about Shuichi's physical condition first.

Shuichi, of course, adopted a "delay it as long as possible" approach. He raised his right hand, which was wrapped in bandages, and said with a somewhat conflicted expression, "Well, it's probably not completely healed yet. It seems to still hurt a little when I slept last night."

The Third Hokage said, "Really? I've already called the Medical Unit over; they're right outside, they can check on you!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Shuichi unwrapped the bandages from his hand and exclaimed in delight, "Oh my, what a coincidence! My hand is already healed! Thanks to the Lord Hokage's concern, the wound just healed this morning!"

The Third Hokage: "..."

"Let me get straight to the point. Recent intelligence indicates that Kirigakure is about to launch a large-scale invasion, but we don't know where they'll choose to come from," Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"To deal with Kirigakure, besides figuring out their whereabouts, it would be best to have a master of Water Release. Most of the Water Release ninjas have already gone to various border areas, so I want you to go as well."

After a period of fighting, the village also figured out how to fight the Mist Ninja.

The most troublesome of these is the Hidden Mist Technique Ninjutsu, which only the Byakugan can ignore, and Konoha has used it to strike them many times.

However, other fronts also need members of the Hyuga Clan, and given the long eastern coastline, there will inevitably be areas that are overlooked.

Shuichi moment. According to the original plot, Ao might get the Byakugan in this battle.

Although he eventually saw through Danzo's Kotoamatsukami through this, given the Butterfly Effect brought about by Shuichi, this event will definitely not happen again in this world. Therefore, the Byakugan must not be allowed to be Kirigakure by Kirigakure. If they happen to encounter it, they should kill Aokiji.

"Could they be after the Byakugan? What is the current distribution of Hyuga ninjas Hyuga the eastern front?" With this in mind, Shuichi asked directly.

The Third Hokage frowned upon hearing this. "It's quite possible. If it's true, it means they've been conducting intelligence work in the Land of Fire."

Shuichi didn't ask about the Hyuga Main Family's situation; he figured he'd just go and be done with it. "Akiha and Shihei both went on missions after becoming Jonin, so am I going alone?"

The Third Hokage didn't rush to answer; recently, Asuma Tenten been constantly bothering him, wanting to go to the front lines, which was incredibly annoying.

Unless absolutely necessary, Konoha will not send promising juniors to the battlefield, as manpower is extremely scarce.

Shuichi happened to be free this time, and his mission was still defensive operations within the Land of Fire. Third Hokage don't know what level his Flying Thunder God is at now, but he should be able to protect a few teammates with ease.

"There's a small team that needs your leadership; they're all your friends. Please take good care of them."

Shuichi: "... I didn't expect it to be Tatsuki and the others. Are they making me their babysitter...?"

"That's fine. With me looking after them, their growth rate will definitely be faster once they go to the battlefield."

The Third Hokage was incredibly shrewd. Shuichi's two childhood friends were on this team, so they would definitely protect him. By bringing Asuma along, he could broaden his horizons without any danger. His plan was extremely meticulous.

"Time is a bit tight. If the enemy does discover the location of the Byakugan, the frontline team will be in considerable danger. Try to set off as soon as possible..."

At the Konoha Gate, Ishikawa Tatsuki, Yūhi Kurenai, and Asuma were all dressed in full-on mission gear. Since their last encounter with the Kirigakure elites, they had not encountered any particularly dangerous missions.

Receiving this mission to go to the front lines filled them with excitement, making them feel that they could finally contribute to the village.

"Don't you know who our captain is?"

Their original mentor, Akimichi Touhou, was a member of Minato Namikaze's team. No one expected that the Ninja World War would break out so soon after they graduated, so the other side didn't have much time to take them on missions.

"You're all here! I'm your captain this time." A familiar voice rang in his ears. Ishikawa Tatsuki looked at Shuichi with surprise as he approached carrying his bag. "Shuichi, it's you! That's great! I can finally fight alongside you."

Red laughed happily, while Asuma, who was initially very excited, felt a chill run down his spine when he saw Shuichi; he knew far more than his teammates.

He was the Tenten who kept clamoring to participate in the great war. He was very happy when the Third Hokage agreed, thinking that his father, the Hokage, had finally recognized his strength.

Now, upon seeing Shuichi, he understood that his weakling image hadn't changed at all, and the Third Hokage had still sent a "nanny," making it difficult for them to cause trouble even if they wanted to.

"Now that we're ready, let's get going." Shuichi didn't waste any more words; it would be troublesome if he waited too long and got slapped in the Byakugan. "We'll talk about the mission on the way."

Following the standards of high-speed marching, they headed straight for the eastern coastline after leaving the village.

Having barely rested along the way and running for almost half a day, seeing that the three were already breathing heavily and exhausted, Shuichi finally chose to stop in an open area.

"Their strength is similar, both above the Chunin level, just with different Ninjutsu styles." Shuichi secretly assessed the team's overall combat strength.

He was well aware of Ishikawa Tatsuki and Kurenai's skill levels, having personally taught them. Asuma, as the Third Hokage's son, was not much stronger than them, demonstrating the remarkable results of their training.

"Look over here, everyone." Shuichi pulled out a war map. "Our mission this time is to support this area. According to intelligence, Kirigakure may send a large force to attack this place..."

Even though they were close, he didn't mention the Byakugan incident. If a large-scale battle were to break out, he would be the main force in the counterattack, and they only needed to protect themselves.

"I know your abilities. Now listen carefully to the battle plan. When we encounter a powerful enemy, I will deal with it. I will leave a Shadow Clone to command you in battle..."

If the enemy isn't too strong, it's a good opportunity for the three of them to practice.

"All of you, move closer and don't move." Shuichi began by Hand Seals, then inscribed a spell on their arms. Although it wasn't his own unique Flying Thunder God Spell Formula, it did have the function of identification.

"Note that we'll be using a new code to communicate between our teams. If a team member disappears and then reappears, they must use the correct code..." Shuichi was worried that the annoying White Zetsu would transform and infiltrate his side.

This technique allows him to sense his own presence, enabling him to track his companions' locations at any time and also distinguish between genuine and fake chakra. Even if the White Zetsu's chakra is imitated perfectly, it cannot fool him.

"OK, let's continue on our way to our destination!"

On the East coast of the Land of Fire, amidst a light mist, the clash of swords and shouts of battle shattered the surrounding tranquility. Lives continued to be lost, and the fighting seemed never to cease.

"Damn it, I never imagined Okita was a traitor!"

Mimura Hamaki parried the Mist Ninja's slashes, then finished him off with a side slash; his skills were incredibly refined and seasoned, a testament to his extensive combat experience.

Several Konoha Ninja were also supporting each other, but there were still a large number of enemy figures around, and they were clearly outnumbered.

"Perhaps Kirigakure is after the Byakugan. They've been detected by us multiple times when they landed, so they've been planning this for a long time before surrounding us," another Konoha Jonin Yamanaka Kyuten, analyzed.

This time, the enemy coincidentally found the opening of the Byakugan and simultaneously sent a large number of people to infiltrate the Land of Fire beforehand, launching a pincer attack from both sides as soon as the battle began, disrupting Konoha's defensive formation.

Then, an inside traitor launched a sneak attack on several Konoha Ninja, putting the situation at an extremely unfavorable point.