The morning mist had yet to lift, but several fully equipped squads had already gathered at Konoha's gates.
Namikaze Yoru and Nawaki stood among the ninjas preparing to depart, each carrying their own supplies. They looked especially young.
Tsunade had come to the village gates as well. Watching the two of them prepare to head for the battlefield, she felt a little emotional.
"All right, Sis. I'm going to be Hokage, so don't worry about me." Nawaki puffed out his chest and declared confidently.
Watching Nawaki raise a giant flag beside him, Yoru couldn't help feeling that a huge "DANGER" was appearing over the boy's head.
Tsunade put on a show of bravado and patted her younger brother on the shoulder. "Go on. Don't bring shame on Konoha."
When Nawaki tried to say something else, Yoru stopped him just in time.
Just shut up and keep your powers in check! He might survive raising one flag, but if he raised too many, the Grim Reaper might show up any moment to claim his soul.
After speaking to Nawaki, Tsunade turned to Yoru and tossed him the ancient-looking Ninja Sword in her hand.
"This was a Ninja Sword my second granduncle once used. Consider it compensation for the one you broke yesterday. I hope you won't disgrace it."
Yoru caught the sword. The instant his fingertips touched its scabbard, he could feel the sharpness it held within. Though it had gone a long time without being drawn, the blade still emanated a bone-chilling cold.
"This... is a little too valuable." Yoru hesitated. This was the Second Hokage's personal sword, after all.
Tsunade waved him off and turned away without giving him a chance to refuse. Her figure gradually faded into the morning mist.
Just then, the squad leaders came from the direction of the Hokage Building. A man in a standard Jonin uniform, with a pair of pure white eyes, stopped in front of them.
"I'm your Jonin squad leader, Hyuga Teruki." His voice was calm and flat, and his white eyes gave no hint of his emotions.
After a brief introduction, the squad set out for the battlefield in the Land of Rain.
Before they left, Yoru glanced back. The faces of the First Hokage, Second Hokage, and Third on Kage Rock seemed to gaze down at the village in the morning light, solemn and dignified.
Yet he wondered: beneath this seemingly peaceful morning, how many undercurrents were surging? Was Danzo already tearing his hair out because Root had been completely looted? The Uchiha and the villagers were locked in endless opposition. And soon they would be entering the Land of Rain battlefield, the "meat grinder of the Shinobi World."
Several days after leaving the village, the scenery began to change. The lush forests gradually gave way to rugged terrain, and the air grew noticeably more humid.
The enthusiasm Nawaki had started out with was gradually worn down by the fatigue of the long journey.
"Stay alert and conserve your strength," Yoru reminded Nawaki, speaking from experience. "This is only the beginning."
He was extremely vigilant. After leaving the village, he didn't keep the Mind's Eye of the Kagura fully active, but maintained a constant, basic awareness of his surroundings.
With a Jonin from the Hyuga Clan leading them, they were always at the front of the squad, scouting the terrain and watching for enemies.
After marching, they made camp beside a stream. Since they were nearing the war zone, they could only fill their stomachs with military ration pills and stream water. They couldn't light a fire.
Just after midnight, a tired Nawaki woke Yoru, who had been sleeping lightly, to switch watch.
As he stood guard, Yoru could clearly sense the heavy clouds overhead and the earthy smell that came before rain. It seemed a downpour was on its way.
Before the first raindrop fell, Yoru's expression turned stern. Beyond the small animals in the forest, he sensed numerous chakra signatures farther away, as if they were quietly closing in.
"Something's wrong." His expression grave, he woke Nawaki and their leader, Hyuga Teruki.
Teruki had no time to ask why. The veins around his eyes bulged as he swept the woods across the stream with his Byakugan.
Under the Byakugan's powerful sight, the approaching ninjas could no longer stay hidden. Once Teruki confirmed they were there, he glanced at Yoru in surprise, seemingly not expecting a Genin to have such keen senses.
Since the other squads were camped nearby, Teruki ordered the two of them to hide and sent several Shadow Clones to alert them.
By the time they were ready, several enemy squads had already crept close.
"Heh, a rookie squad from Konoha?" The Iwagakure Ninja leading them sneered at the apparently unguarded camp.
He waved several subordinates forward, signaling them to use Earth Style to burrow closer.
But when they reached the tents, they found them empty. The whole camp seemed to exude an air of danger.
"Something's wrong! It's a trap!"
Before he could finish, a wave of scorching fire rushed toward them, instantly swallowing the first few Stone Ninja. They opened their mouths to scream, only for the flames to engulf them. The air filled with the stench of burning flesh.
After the strike, Yoru darted backward from his hiding place to avoid facing the Stone Ninja head-on.
The deaths of their comrades enraged the remaining Stone Ninja. More than a dozen figures burst out from all sides!
"Earth Style: Earth Mausoleum Spear!"
Countless sharp stone pillars suddenly thrust up from the ground, forcing everyone to dodge. Teruki moved like lightning, his Gentle Fist shattering the incoming stone spears with precise strikes.
"Nawaki, watch out!" Yoru shouted, hurling a Kunai to drive off a Stone Ninja trying to attack from behind.
"Water Style: Water Wall Technique!"
Nawaki formed Hand Seals in an instant, and a wall of water surged up to block the shuriken flying in from the right.
Yoru drew the sword at his waist, its blade shimmering with a pale blue glow. He met a Stone Ninja charging at him with a sword, and their blades clashed in a shower of sparks.
Thanks to the swordsmanship experience he had gained from Kushimaru Kuriarare and his days of relentless practice, his moves were swift and precise. He killed his opponent in just a few exchanges.
Teruki's Byakugan took in the whole battlefield as he calmly gave orders. "Three o'clock! Two enemies are forming Hand Seals!"
"Water Style: Water Turbulent Wave."
Yoru instantly retreated, while Nawaki's Water Release arrived in time to interrupt the enemy's preparations.
The battle reached a stalemate. Iwagakure tried to use its numerical advantage to keep up the pressure, while the other Konoha squads arrived in time and were on the verge of surrounding the Stone Ninja.
Just then—"Earth Style: Earth Tremor Core."
The battlefield shook violently, as if a powerful earthquake had erupted! To everyone's horror, the ground surged and collapsed, changing the terrain in an instant and forcibly cutting off the Konoha squads coming to reinforce them.
A short figure floated above the battlefield without warning. The hard-pressed Stone Ninja immediately changed their tune, their eyes blazing with almost fanatical admiration.
There was no need to say it: the only person in the Shinobi World capable of mastering such a flying technique was the Third Tsuchikage, the sole wielder of Kekkei Tōta—the Two-Tails Scale, Ōnoki.
After using his jutsu to reshape the terrain, he floated there quietly, his hands clasped behind his back. The overwhelming pressure of a Kage Level presence blanketed the battlefield, nearly freezing the air itself.
"Hehehe... Lord Tsuchikage, making a move like that is beneath your station."
As the hoarse voice rang out, a cold, slimy chakra presence quietly spread through the air.
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