Danger Lurking Everywhere

That night, the children slept soundly, crescent moons hanging from the corners of their lips, but Hoshino Maki tossed and turned, eventually staring at the tent's top for the entire night.

He thought about many things, yet it felt like he thought about nothing at all.

Hoshino Maki felt there was still so much he needed to do; right now, he had only taken the first step.

At dawn, Hoshino Maki pushed open the tent and saw Kojima sitting on a rock not far away.

"Morning."

Seeing Kojima greet him proactively surprised him a little, then he smiled and returned the greeting.

Unexpectedly, Kojima didn't leave but instead took out a soldier pill and handed it to Hoshino Maki.

"Thanks."

Hoshino Maki took it; he had brought his own, but clearly, the soldier pill was just an excuse for them to talk.

"Lady Pakura seems a bit displeased with you."

Kojima swallowed the soldier pill in his mouth, then continued as if talking to himself: "She's been on the battlefield since she was seven, earning great merits for the village. She's straightforward, says what she means, and puts the village's interests first."

After speaking, Kojima stood up: "I don't know where Lady Pakura's displeasure comes from, but if she doesn't like you, the Frontline Troops' attitude won't be any different."

"Thanks."

Watching his retreating back, Hoshino Maki thanked him again.

Pakura.

If there's no consensus on who Konoha's village flower is, then for Sand Shinobi Village, it's undoubtedly Pakura.

Her flawlessly full moon face, her snow-white, crystalline jade-like back, and her commanding presence as a heroine of her time.

More than her appearance, what people know her for is her strength.

Being an enemy of both Iwagakure and Kirigakure and still surviving is enough to prove her power.

A female general—perhaps that's the best description for her.

Someone like that naturally earns the adoration of her subordinates.

But why would she be displeased with me?

I'm so refined, gentle, and approachable; the little nurses at the hospital love me to bits. How could anyone not like this central air conditioner model I've got going?

If they don't like this model, I can totally do a Private Customization.

Hoshino Maki's thoughts gradually drifted off track, but fortunately, not long after, the reinforcement troops began to assemble, ready to head to the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain.

Northern Sand Dunes

The reinforcement troops arrived at the bank of a murky river; crossing it would put them in the Land of Rain.

Except for Hoshino Maki, no one could imagine that this small country would one day birth an organization that would stir up the ninja world's storms and nearly destroy it.

In the eyes of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, this was just a battlefield for their slaughter.

"Lady Pakura has already driven the Cloud Ninja out of the Land of Wind's borders. Now both sides are fighting in the Land of Rain. Rest up; we cross the river in ten minutes."

As people sat down in small groups to rest, Hoshino Maki moved next to Kojima and asked softly, "Heavy casualties?"

Kojima's gaze swept the surroundings almost imperceptibly before replying, "Not light. If Lady Pakura hadn't arrived, our line might have been broken."

Kojima hadn't said it earlier for fear of making these greenhorns nervous.

Considering a ninja's lifespan, if you count five years per generation, not to mention the genin, even the new generation of Chunin had few who had experienced a full-scale war among the Five Great Nations.

Hoshino Maki scratched his head, frowning deeply.

From an elemental standpoint, Wind Release counters Lightning Release, and they were fighting on home turf in the Land of Wind's desert environment, with every advantage of terrain, timing, and morale—yet they were still at a disadvantage.

What kind of reverse-element master was this? Why not go catch some Pokémon instead?

Kojima saw the shifting expressions on his face and, thinking he was nervous, offered reassurance: "Don't worry. After Lady Pakura arrived, we've successfully stopped their advance. Now the fight is centered around the Land of Rain. You'll be safe in the base's medical unit."

Hoshino Maki looked at him without a word.

It was safe enough before, but now that you've said that, it's not so certain anymore.

He'd never been on a battlefield, but he knew what setting a flag meant.

After a short rest, a Jonin leaped to the opposite bank and sawed down a tree to serve as a bridge, and the reinforcement troops officially stepped into the Land of Rain.

There had been a bridge here before, but now only a few charred wooden stakes remained. No need to ask—the Cloud Ninja had burned it during their retreat. But the Sand Ninja hadn't rebuilt it, meaning the troops had crossed in a hurry, possibly just a step ahead of the reinforcements.

But was it really so urgent that they couldn't even spare time to lay a log bridge?

Hoshino Maki, crossing the river with the Vanguard troops, felt a vague unease.

"Sir, are you alright?"

Kazaguruma, following beside Hoshino Maki, asked with some concern.

"Nothing, probably just haven't been resting well lately."

Hoshino Maki smiled, signaling the other not to worry.

"Ah! It's all because we didn't serve you well enough. You're about to head to the battlefield, my lord—you must keep your body in good shape."

Kazaguruma said with some self-reproach.

"It's fine. This stretch of road is all our occupied territory, far from the battlefield—"

Hoshino Maki's words cut off mid-sentence as his pupils abruptly contracted. His body stiffened, a terrifying thought flashing through his mind. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the forest ahead.

So quiet.

'Hope I'm overthinking it.'

Hoshino Maki reassured himself.

"I'm going to take a leak."

Hoshino Maki loosened his forehead protector, yawned as he spoke, and ambled toward the forest with a slouching gait, fumbling with his pants as he went.

"Captain, do we strike?"

Among the dense foliage, a ninja wearing a Cloud Ninja forehead protector hid behind a tree trunk, tilting his head to watch Hoshino Maki relieving himself, a bloodthirsty killing intent gleaming in his eyes.

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

The burly leader, Pashira, pondered for a moment, suppressing the urge within him.

Even though this was the enemy's most relaxed moment and a surprise attack would surely bring victory, he was willing to take a bit more risk to wipe out the opposing main force—especially the Medical Corps.

Between the Sand and Cloud villages, aside from Medical Ninja, the Cloud Ninja held an overall advantage. If they could eliminate this one unique advantage, the situation would tilt heavily in the Cloud Ninja's favor.

Besides, judging by the look of this ninja, he was at most Chunin level—completely unable to detect their ambush. That only reinforced his belief that this ambush was foolproof.

"That little guy's not so little, huh."

A female ninja whispered teasingly.

"Hey, Reiko, there are kids here."

"In the ninja world, there's no such thing as kids. Don't underestimate Samui."

Beside the two, a petite figure crouched on a branch, her gaze as calm as still water, fixed on that Sand Ninja.

If not for the two blushes rising on her cheeks, she'd have looked even more convincing.

After teasing Samui, the two exchanged a thumbs-up.

'One, two, three... at least two hundred people. So many Jonin.'

Hoshino Maki didn't have the Byakugan, but he didn't know if it was the effect of Chakra Refinement that made him extremely sensitive to chakra.

As the distance closed, that vast 'forest of chakra' grew clearer and clearer, pressing down on him so hard he almost couldn't finish urinating.

Hoshino Maki's heart nearly leaped into his throat, but he still forced himself to control his heartbeat, relax his muscles, and act completely oblivious.

The two sides were at a standoff—how could these Cloud Ninja be here?

What was the situation with the forward units right now?

If this war was lost, history would veer in an unpredictable direction. Could his previous plans still be carried out?

That bastard Kishimoto—why didn't he write the war in more detail!

One question after another shot out from his mind like a machine gun. Though he wanted to observe a bit longer, reason told him he couldn't keep going; otherwise, the risk of exposure under the watch of so many Jonin was too great.

Shaking off the last drop from his 'faucet,' he pulled up his pants and swayed back toward the unit.

One step.

Two steps.

Finally, he reached the ranks. He let out a silent breath, grabbed Kojima by the shoulder, and used him as a shield to block the line of sight from the forest.

He turned to hide his sweat-soaked clothes, also making Kojima face away from the woods.

Kojima was a bit uncomfortable with the sudden familiarity. Instinctively, he tried to lift his shoulder to knock the other's arm off.

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

Hoshino Maki wore a broad grin, subtly pointing a finger at a nearby female ninja, speaking in a low voice, putting on the air of a spoiled Disciples.

Kojima's body stiffened at the words. He clenched his teeth, his face full of disbelief, as beads of sweat the size of beans rapidly oozed out and trickled down his cheeks.