Rushing to the Battlefield

At eight o'clock the next morning, Uchiha Yuan met up with Hyuga Asana and Yamanaka Kizuki, then arrived beneath the Hokage Building.

By then, the area below the Hokage Building was already packed with ninja and onlookers.

After Yamanaka Kizuki used his sensory ability to confirm Shibi Aburame's location, he squeezed over together with Uchiha Yuan and the other two.

"Teacher Shibui, we're here," Hyuga Asana said.

Shibi Aburame nodded and said nothing.

A few minutes later, the Third Hokage and the Two Advisors appeared atop the Hokage Building, but there was no sign of Pot Kage Danzo.

"Everyone, I am the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. You are all about to head to the battlefield and fight to protect the village, yet this old man can only remain in the village for various reasons. I truly am sorry." After speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi removed his bamboo hat and bowed to the crowd below.

The Third Hokage opened by expressing his guilt to the ninja, which made some of those who had originally been unwilling to go to the battlefield and fight feel a little less reluctant.

After that came the customary round of Will of Fire brainwashing. The people below grew more and more excited, until at last bursts of cheering erupted.

Uchiha Yuan had originally wanted to put on an act too, but their teacher, Shibi Aburame, remained expressionless the whole time and made no move at all, so Uchiha Yuan and the others could hardly cheer along.

"All right, it's over. Let's go. To the Land of Bears team." After saying that, Shibi Aburame turned and left.

Seeing this, Uchiha Yuan asked tentatively, "Teacher Shibui, are you unwilling to go to the battlefield?"

"I don't care either way. I just don't want to see children like you heading to the battlefield."

Uchiha Yuan was somewhat surprised when he heard this. He had not expected Shibi Aburame to actually think that way.

In Konoha, a village brainwashed by the Will of Fire, there were truly too few people like Shibi Aburame.

No wonder Shino ended up choosing to become a teacher. So it was inherited! Uchiha Yuan thought inwardly.

Afterward, the four of them came to the village gate together and, under Shibi Aburame's lead, stood at the back of a group.

A moment later, more and more people joined this group.

Once everyone had arrived, a man wearing a ninja cap, a black skintight combat suit, and a green Jonin flak jacket over it, with faintly red pupils, walked to the very front of the group.

"Teacher Shibui, who is he?" Yamanaka Kizuki asked as he looked at the man at the front of the group.

"This is Lord Yūhi Shinkō. He is the village's instructor for guiding Chunin and Genin. Many Jonin, myself included, received Lord Yūhi Shinkō's instruction before becoming Jonin," Shibi Aburame replied.

When Uchiha Yuan heard the name Yūhi Shinkō, he could not help but look toward the front a few more times.

The original work did not describe Yūhi Shinkō much either. Uchiha Yuan remembered that he was Yūhi Kurenai's father, and Konoha's instructor for Chunin and Genin.

The original work had not said exactly how much authority and status this instructor had, but judging from Shibi Aburame's attitude, Yūhi Shinkō should have been considered quite prestigious in the village.

Yūhi Shinkō sacrificed himself during the Nine-Tails incident. At the time, he ordered the young Might Guy, Kakashi, Kurenai, and the other younger-generation ninja absolutely not to go near the Nine-Tails, then fought the Nine-Tails alongside the village's elite ninja, only to unfortunately die.

"Everyone, for the next while, we will be fighting side by side. I believe you all already know that our destination this time is the Land of Bears. The Land of Bears lies southeast of the Land of Fire, and the journey is rather long, so we need to pick up the pace.

"The reconnaissance teams will set out immediately to scout the route. Everyone else, protect the Medical Ninja and all kinds of medical equipment, and rush to the Land of Bears at top speed!"

Following Yūhi Shinkō's order, Shibi Aburame immediately called Uchiha Yuan and the others out of the ranks and hurried in the direction of the Land of Bears.

Four other teams stepped out at the same time. Among these five reconnaissance teams, only Uchiha Yuan's team had four people. One glance was enough to tell it was a Jonin leading three rookies.

The remaining four reconnaissance teams were all configured with three Chunin.

Because the Medical Ninja needed to carry a large amount of medical equipment, their movement speed was indeed a bit slower. In order to protect them, the main force also had no choice but to slow down.

Uchiha Yuan's group had already set out ahead of time, and after two days of travel, the main force had fallen far behind them.

"Senior Shibi, we just left the safe zone. Not far ahead is the battlefield," the captain of one reconnaissance team said as he jumped over to Shibi Aburame.

"I know. Starting from here, we'll each spread out and reduce our target as much as possible!"

"All right. Then take care, Senior Shibi." After saying that, this reconnaissance team left directly.

The other three reconnaissance teams also spread out on their own.

The four teams chose the four routes on the map where the terrain was more complex and ambushes were easier, leaving the middle route for Uchiha Yuan's team.

This route was the closest to the Land of Bears, but there were not that many places along the way where one could easily hide. Setting an ambush here was very difficult, but that did not rule out the possibility that a small group of Kirigakure Shinobi was waiting here, ready to intercept and kill Konoha's reconnaissance team.

Shibi Aburame had been through countless battles, so he was naturally very clear on this point as well. He turned to Hyuga Asana and said, "Asana, you must constantly use the Byakugan to scout the route ahead and confirm whether any enemies are hiding."

Hearing this, Hyuga Asana immediately activated her Byakugan and observed the surroundings. Uchiha Yuan also opened his Mind's Eye and carefully sensed the movements around them.

"Teacher Shibui, no enemies have been discovered within one kilometer ahead." Every time they traveled a stretch of road, Hyuga Asana would report like this.

When Shibi Aburame heard this, he would release insects and use them as safety markers along the route, so the Konoha main force behind them could pass through without worry.

The reconnaissance team continued forward. Every kilometer, Hyuga Asana would investigate the surroundings to confirm they were safe.

After they had advanced nearly twenty kilometers, Shibi Aburame's insects quickly flew back from ahead. At the same time, Hyuga Asana's Byakugan also noticed a ninja team up ahead.

"Teacher Shibui, a ninja team has been discovered roughly six hundred meters to the left front. There are about five people," Hyuga Asana reported.

"Stop. Yuan, go up ahead and take a look. Figure out the Kirigakure Shinobi's composition." Shibi Aburame immediately had everyone stop advancing, then dispatched Uchiha Yuan to check the details of the Kirigakure Shinobi.

There were three reasons why Shibi Aburame sent Uchiha Yuan to scout.

First, Uchiha Yuan knew the Shadow Clone Technique, while the other two did not. The Shadow Clone Technique was extremely convenient for scouting.

Second, Uchiha Yuan's Body Flicker was very fast. Even if the enemy discovered him, Uchiha Yuan could immediately disengage through the Body Flicker Technique.

Third, among the three of them, Uchiha Yuan's overall strength was the strongest. If something unexpected happened and he failed to get away with the Body Flicker Technique, he could still entangle the enemy for a while and create an opportunity for them to rescue him.