A Killing Field

That night, the children slept soundly, crescent smiles on their lips, but Hoshino Maki tossed and turned. In the end, he spent the entire night staring at the tent roof above him.

He thought about many things, and yet somehow, nothing at all.

Hoshino Maki felt he still had a lot to do. For now, he had only taken the first step.

At dawn, Hoshino Maki pushed open the tent and saw Kojima sitting on a nearby rock.

"Morning."

Surprised that Kojima had greeted him first, Hoshino Maki smiled and returned the greeting.

To his surprise, Kojima hadn't left. Instead, he held out a military ration pill to Hoshino Maki.

"Thanks."

Hoshino Maki accepted it. He had brought his own, of course, but the ration pill was clearly just an excuse for the two of them to talk.

"Lord Pakura seems a little displeased with you."

Kojima swallowed the military ration pill in his mouth, then continued as if talking to himself. "She's been on the battlefield since she was seven and has rendered great service to the village. She likes to be direct and say what she thinks, and she puts the village's interests first."

When he finished, Kojima stood up. "I don't know why Lord Pakura is displeased, but if she doesn't like you, the Frontline Troops won't treat you any differently."

"Thanks."

Watching Kojima's retreating back, Hoshino Maki thanked him again.

Pakura.

If there was no clear answer to who Konoha's village beauty was, then Sand Shinobi Village's was undoubtedly Pakura.

Her scandalously full curves, her delicate, snow-white back, and the bearing of a heroine of her age.

More than her looks, she was known for her strength.

The fact that she had survived despite being enemies with both Iwagakure and Kirigakure spoke volumes about her strength.

A female general was perhaps the best way to describe her.

It was only natural that someone like her was adored by her subordinates.

But why was she displeased with me?

I'm so refined, easygoing, and approachable. The nurses at the hospital adore me. How could anyone not like a guy like me, who's nice to everyone?

If she doesn't like this type, I can always offer a custom-made version.

Hoshino Maki's thoughts gradually wandered off track. Fortunately, before long, the Reinforcement Unit began gathering, preparing to head for the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain.

Northern Sand Dunes

The Reinforcement Unit arrived at the bank of a murky river. Across it lay the border of the Land of Rain.

Aside from Hoshino Maki, no one could have imagined that this small country would one day give rise to an organization that would stir up the Shinobi World—and nearly destroy the world.

In the eyes of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, this was merely a battlefield where they slaughtered one another.

"Lord Pakura has driven the Cloud Ninja out of the Land of Wind. The two sides are now fighting in the Land of Rain. Rest for a while, then we'll cross the river in ten minutes."

As the others sat down in small groups to rest, Hoshino Maki sat beside Kojima and quietly asked, "Are the casualties bad?"

Kojima glanced almost imperceptibly at those around them before replying, "Quite bad. If Lord Pakura hadn't arrived, our defensive line might have been overwhelmed."

Kojima hadn't said so earlier because he was afraid of making these inexperienced rookies nervous.

Considering the life span of a ninja, even if a new generation came of age every five years, few of the new Chunin—let alone the Genin—had experienced a war between the Five Great Nations.

Hoshino Maki scratched his head, his brows knitted tight.

In terms of elemental nature, Wind Release countered Lightning Release. And they were fighting on home ground, in the desert of the Land of Wind, with every advantage of time, terrain, and numbers. How could they still be at a disadvantage?

What kind of master of reverse matchups was this? If he was that good, why not go catch some Pokémon instead?

Seeing Hoshino Maki's expression change, Kojima thought he was nervous and tried to reassure him. "Don't worry. Since Lord Pakura arrived, we've successfully stopped their advance. The fighting is now centered around the Land of Rain. You'll be quite safe at the base, working in the Medical Corps."

Hoshino Maki looked at him without saying a word.

We were pretty safe before. Now that you've said that, who knows?

He had never been on a battlefield, but he knew what it meant to jinx things.

After a brief rest, a Jonin leaped across the river and felled a large tree to make a bridge. The Reinforcement Unit officially entered the Land of Rain.

There had been a bridge here, but now only a few charred stumps remained. It had obviously been burned by the Cloud Ninja as they retreated. Since the Sand Ninja hadn't rebuilt it, the troops must have crossed only a short while ago, and in a hurry—perhaps just moments before the Reinforcement Unit arrived.

But had they really been so rushed that they hadn't even had time to throw together a wooden bridge?

Following the Vanguard troops across the river, Hoshino Maki felt inexplicably uneasy.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

Kazaguruma followed beside Hoshino Maki and asked with concern.

"Nothing. Maybe I haven't been getting enough sleep lately."

Hoshino Maki smiled, signaling that there was no need to worry.

"Ah! It's our fault for not taking good care of you. We're almost at the battlefield, so you must take care of your health, sir."

Kazaguruma sounded remorseful.

"It's fine. This whole area is under our control. We're still some distance from the battlefield—"

Hoshino Maki stopped mid-sentence. His pupils contracted, his body stiffened, and a terrifying thought flashed through his mind. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at the woods ahead.

It's so quiet.

I hope I'm just imagining things.

Hoshino Maki reassured himself.

"I'm going to take a leak."

Hoshino Maki loosened his Forehead Protector, yawned, and sauntered toward the woods, undoing his pants as he went.

"Captain, should we attack?"

Hidden behind the dense foliage, a ninja wearing a Cloud Ninja Forehead Protector peered at Hoshino Maki as he relieved himself, bloodthirsty killing intent in his eyes.

"Wait a little longer. Their main force hasn't arrived yet."

The burly Pashira paused, then suppressed his urge to act.

The enemy was at their most relaxed now, and a surprise attack would surely succeed.

But to take out the enemy's main force—especially the Medical Corps—he was willing to take a little more risk.

Between the Sand and Cloud Ninja villages, the Cloud Ninja held every advantage except for the Medical Ninja. If they eliminated that one advantage, the scales would tip sharply in their favor.

Besides, the ninja in front of them looked no stronger than a Chunin and had no chance of noticing their ambush. That made Pashira all the more certain it was foolproof.

"That little guy's pretty well-endowed."

A female ninja whispered teasingly.

"Hey, Reiko, there's a kid here."

"Ninjas don't make a distinction between children and adults. Don't underestimate Samui."

Beside them, a petite figure crouched on a branch, watching the Sand Ninja with a gaze as calm as still water.

If her cheeks hadn't flushed red, she might have seemed even more convincing.

After teasing Samui, the two women gave each other a thumbs-up.

One, two, three... at least two hundred people. And a lot of Jonin.

Hoshino Maki didn't have the Byakugan, but he didn't know if it was because of Chakra Refinement—he was extremely sensitive to Chakra.

As he drew closer, the vast "forest of Chakra" became clearer and clearer, pressing down on him until he could barely pee.

Hoshino Maki's heart was in his throat, but he still tried to control his heartbeat and relax his muscles, pretending he hadn't noticed a thing.

The two sides were locked in a standoff. Why were the Cloud Ninja here?

What was happening to the troops up ahead?

If they lost this war, history would develop in unpredictable ways. Could he still carry out his plans?

Kishimoto, you old bastard, why didn't you write the war in more detail?!

Questions fired through his mind like bullets from a machine gun. He wanted to observe a little longer, but his reason told him he couldn't. With so many Jonin watching, the risk of being exposed was too great.

He shook off the last drop, pulled up his pants, and strolled back toward the troops.

One step.

Two steps.

At last, he rejoined the group. Breathing a silent sigh of relief, he threw an arm around Kojima's shoulders, using him as a shield and blocking the woods from view.

He turned to hide his sweat-soaked clothes, leaving Kojima facing away from the woods as well.

Kojima wasn't used to the sudden show of affection and instinctively tried to shrug Hoshino Maki's arm off.

"Don't move. There's an ambush in the woods."

Hoshino Maki wore a broad smile as he quietly pointed toward a female ninja nearby, speaking in a low voice and acting like a spoiled young master.

At his words, Kojima's body stiffened. He clenched his teeth, his face full of disbelief, as beads of sweat quickly gathered and streamed down his cheeks.