Joining

As military supplies, medicine, food, and other logistical resources became increasingly abundant, Konoha's First Legion and Fourth Legion, totaling nearly four thousand ninjas, officially began their assault on the Land of Rain.

At the same time, the ninja forces dispatched by Sunagakure and Stone Village had already clashed fiercely with the Rain Ninja. Under the successive attacks of Konoha, Stone Village, and Sunagakure, even Rain Ninja Village, led by the demigod Hanzo of the Salamander, one of the Ninja World's top fighters, was left helpless. It could only put up a corresponding resistance and was completely unable to drive back the three great ninja villages in such a short time.

The Land of Rain began to become a battlefield for the three great ninja villages. Explosions rang out without end every day, flames flashed, countless wounded were carried down from the front lines, and even more would sleep there forever.

Beichen Haotian had spent three straight days running back and forth between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, and he was bored to death. For three days, not a single Rain Ninja or ninja from another village had attacked Konoha's Logistics Transport Unit. Hearing and seeing the explosions at the front, as well as the faint smells of gunpowder and blood in the air, made Beichen Haotian restless inside.

Only then did Beichen Haotian truly realize that although he no longer possessed the terrifying strength of the Asura Great Swordsman from his previous life, his desire for battle had not diminished in the slightest. Now, Beichen Haotian somewhat regretted it. Why had he competed with Minato at the Ninja Academy? Why had he performed so valiantly during missions? Now that he wanted to fight, he had no opportunity at all.

Another day passed, and Beichen Haotian could no longer endure this dull, tedious life. He hurriedly wrote a passionate, earnest request for battle, declaring that he would feel restless if he could not risk his life for Konoha, make contributions, and protect Konoha, then delivered it to the captain of the Logistics Transport Unit.

There were generally two types of ninjas who joined the Logistics Unit. The first were older ninjas with relatively weak combat strength. The second were young ninjas in Konoha with exceptional talent and the potential to become Jonin or stronger in the future. Clearly, Minato Namikaze and Beichen Haotian belonged to the second type. The Logistics Unit had more young ninjas than just the two of them.

After Beichen Haotian submitted his request for battle, the captain of the Logistics Transport Unit could not help laughing and crying when he read it. He could not make decisions concerning the deployment of troops, so he could only send the letter back to Konoha.

At Konoha's Hokage Building, the Third Hokage, still in his prime, was reading the letter. After finishing it, he likewise could not help laughing and crying. He had never seen anyone in Konoha crying and shouting to be sent to the battlefield.

Placing the letter on the desk, Hiruzen began to ponder. Should he agree or not? His disciple Tsunade had already mentioned taking this fellow as her sworn younger brother, and Konoha had treated him well. As a native-born citizen of Konoha, Beichen Haotian could not possibly harbor any ill intentions toward it. The words in the letter were fairly credible. That boy truly seemed to want to contribute to Konoha.

After pondering for a quarter of an hour, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi made his decision. He would agree to let Beichen Haotian go. The battlefield was the best place to temper a person. As long as he survived, his prospects would become much brighter. The Shinobi World War could also be used to cultivate the talents of the new generation.

However, entering the battlefield was ultimately far too dangerous, so the location had to be considered carefully. It needed to be dangerous, but not too dangerous. This was quite a headache.

Another quarter of an hour passed before Hiruzen Sarutobi finally came up with a solution.

"Someone."

"Lord Hokage, what are your orders?" an Anbu member completely shrouded in a black cloak and wearing a Fox Mask said as he knelt on one knee.

"Order the Anbu to select one Elite Jonin and two Jonin to go to the border of the Land of Rain. They will lead the young ninjas from the Logistics Unit into the edge of the Land of Rain battlefield to eliminate stragglers. With the Ninja World constantly embroiled in conflict, only if large numbers of powerful ninjas emerge in every generation of Konoha can we maintain our status and guarantee peace for the Land of Fire and Konoha. The Anbu must ensure their safety."

"Yes, Lord Hokage. The Anbu will definitely complete the mission..."

"Go." Hiruzen spoke in a deep voice.

Bang! White smoke flashed, and the Anbu immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to leave the Hokage's Office.

A fledgling eagle had to undergo training before it could become a great eagle soaring through the skies.

"We protected them too well before. We always planned to let them grow after the war ended, never realizing that the earlier they matured, the greater the benefits would be to themselves and to Konoha." After saying this, the Third Hokage sighed to himself, then seriously returned to handling official business.

In a forest near the border of the Land of Fire, Beichen Haotian was transporting supplies while waiting for the higher-ups to make their decision. To be honest, Beichen Haotian did not have much confidence. After all, his current status was not particularly high. He could only hope that the Shinobi Hero, still in his prime, had not yet become indecisive and hesitant, and still possessed ambition.

Half a day later, Beichen Haotian finally received the order. Three Jonin wearing Konoha Jonin Vests arrived with it, their expressions either stern or cold.

The young Genin in the Logistics Unit were secretly gathered and, in successive batches, entered the Land of Rain battlefield under the leadership of Jonin. They fought the Rain Ninja, Sand Ninja, and Stone Ninja who had become separated from their units on the battlefield.

Beichen Haotian was among the first batch to enter the Land of Rain battlefield. Each of the three Jonin brought five Genin at a time.

The Jonin leading Beichen Haotian's group was a stern, rigid-looking Jonin. He merely said that once they entered the Land of Rain, they were to obey orders in all matters, then fell silent.

Across the broad plains of the Land of Rain, the six of them ran through the rain. Large craters left by explosions could be seen on the ground from time to time, and some shallow puddles still contained traces of blood. After the fighting, the plains had already been taken by Konoha, so charging across them in the open did not pose much danger.

Half an hour later, they entered the mountains and forest. Unlike the forests of the Land of Fire, the terrain here was even more complicated. They had already reached the edge of the battlefield. When defeated Rain Ninja fled in all directions, they would either lose their way in panic or flee into the mountains and forest when their path was blocked.

There were not many Rain Ninja in the mountains and forest, but hunting them down was not easy. Ninjas were naturally skilled at hiding, and without a ninja skilled in sensing, tracking them was extremely difficult. This time, the main combat forces had received orders to leave the remaining enemies for Konoha's younger generation to gain experience. Thus, the main forces left behind a small number of people to provide support while most continued advancing.

The six of them stopped behind a large boulder. The Jonin sent by the Anbu closed his eyes and began forming Hand Seals.

Ninjutsu, Chakra Sensing Technique.

An invisible wave spread outward from the Anbu Jonin, covering a radius of ten miles. It moved extremely quickly, not the slightest bit slower than the speed of sound.

"There's a Rain Ninja of Chunin level in a tree about two kilometers away in the three o'clock direction. There are two Rain Ninja Genin in the bushes about four kilometers away in the eleven o'clock direction. The two of you will deal with the Genin, and the three of you will deal with the Chunin." The Anbu Jonin pointed with one finger and spoke coldly, his expressionless face unmoving.

Although they were Genin, they were not inexperienced novices who had just left the village. Each had carried out missions before, so they were not afraid. They immediately split up and acted according to the Anbu Jonin's instructions.

The Anbu Jonin quietly followed behind the group hunting the Chunin, which was Beichen Haotian's group, preparing to provide backup.

After estimating the distance, the three of them arrived nearby. Beichen Haotian activated his Observation Haki and immediately sensed a faint rustling from one of the trees.

Beichen Haotian used hand signals to notify his other two companions. The three attacked together. Ordinary Genin had very limited Chakra and would not casually use Ninjutsu.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... The sound of objects slicing through the air rang out as six Kunai with Explosive Tags attached to their tails, mixed with nine Shuriken, shot toward the tallest nearby tree.

"Damn it." The Rain Ninja hiding in the tree cursed under his breath and immediately used Ninjutsu.

Water Style: Water Wave.

A large mouthful of water surged from the Rain Ninja's mouth. The roaring waves crashed into the Kunai and Shuriken. Boom, boom, boom... flames and smoke rose into the air.

A Chunin was absolutely one of a village's pillars and the true backbone of war. Most Genin were merely cannon fodder who exhausted the enemy's weapons, Chakra, and stamina. The Land of Rain had been chaotic for years and had always been a battlefield. Although the Rain Ninja Village's Ninjutsu foundation might not be as strong as those of the great nations, its combat strength was definitely not weak.

Knowing that he had been discovered, the Rain Ninja leaped out without saying a word. Without any wasted speech, the six of them launched an attack, intending to resolve Beichen Haotian and the other two in the shortest possible time. The longer the battle dragged on, the lower his chances of survival became.

Ninjutsu: Rain Senbon.

The drizzle falling through the mountains and forest suddenly underwent a bizarre change, transforming into a dense barrage of Senbon that stabbed toward the three of them.

The other two were greatly alarmed. Given the speed at which they formed Hand Seals, they would probably be turned into pincushions before they could even cast their Ninjutsu.

"Don't panic. Just focus on defending." Beichen Haotian leaped in front of them. The snow-bright Tang Saber slid from its sheath behind him, its blade flashing in a dazzling, seamless dance. He blocked most of the Senbon rushing toward the three of them. The remaining two swung their Kunai and were able to block the rest. The two young Genin looked at Beichen Haotian with eyes full of gratitude.

"Attack." Before his voice had even faded, Beichen Haotian launched his assault.

Shave!

Beichen Haotian's figure instantly appeared to the Rain Ninja's left. His Tang Saber swept horizontally, shooting straight toward the Rain Ninja's abdomen.

The Rain Ninja was startled by the sudden burst of speed. After all, unless one possessed exceptional talent, only Special Jonin and above were normally qualified to master the Body Flicker Technique. Fortunately, the Rain Ninja had fought dozens of battles of all sizes. At the brink of life and death, his potential erupted. He raised his Kunai vertically and blocked Beichen Haotian's attack, sending sparks flying. Although Beichen Haotian was young, his strength and physique were in no way inferior to those of the adult Rain Ninja before him.

At that moment, the other two Genin, having heard Beichen Haotian's words clearly, also launched their attacks. Kunai and Shuriken shot toward the Rain Ninja.

The Rain Ninja's pupils constricted. Abandoning Beichen Haotian, he immediately leaped backward to the right and dodged the Kunai and Shuriken.

Shave!

Beichen Haotian's figure appeared beside the Rain Ninja like a ghost. His silver-white blade sliced through the curtain of rain as his and the Rain Ninja's figures crossed.

A thin line of blood appeared across the Rain Ninja's neck. Then a spray of red blood burst from the wound, blending into the rain beneath the curtain of water and creating a strangely beautiful, brutal sight. There was unwillingness remaining in the Rain Ninja's eyes, but even more than that, there was confusion.

"Why can a mere Genin like you use the Body Flicker Technique? And continuously, at that? Are you a monster?"

But no one was destined to answer that question. After killing the Rain Ninja, the three searched his body, took anything of value, and returned to where the Anbu Jonin was waiting.

Using Shave twice in succession was somewhat taxing for Beichen Haotian's current age and physique, but it remained within an acceptable range.