Surviving was what mattered!
As the saying went: "In the prime of youth, command ten thousand chariots—and don't send your men to die for Iwagakure."
Besides, if they didn't survive, how could they build up their reputation?
And once survival became the priority, they could act more boldly.
For example, they could relocate over a wide area.
After all, Konoha hadn't specified otherwise in their mission orders. Once they'd completed their task, Konoha couldn't complain if they moved elsewhere.
Were they supposed to tell them they had to stay nailed to the spot until they died?
"Kakashi and the others are going to Kannabi Bridge anyway. Wouldn't it be perfectly natural for us to run into them and get under Namikaze Minato's protection?"
The Kannabi Bridge debacle had never made sense to Haori in his previous life.
As ninjas—and Iwagakure ninjas, no less, who excelled at Earth Release—couldn't they just use Earth Release to rebuild the bridge after it was blown up?
But now he understood. It wasn't that they couldn't. They'd simply lost the will to fight.
The Third Raikage's death had left Kumogakure eyeing them like prey.
They were already fighting Konoha on the front lines, and then the enemy struck at their rear at the worst possible moment. Who wouldn't lose heart?
If it happened once, it could happen again. Especially when Namikaze Minato had just killed fifty ninjas in an instant on the front lines.
Under all those blows, Iwagakure's morale sank and its organization fell apart. How could they keep fighting?
After Konoha had driven home the lesson with its iron fists, giving them a visceral understanding and elevating their spirits through sheer force, they naturally couldn't just stand there like turtles without shells, toughing it out. They surrendered, and the war was over.
"It won't be long now. We just have to hold out a little longer."
After several days of travel, Haori and the other two finally reached their designated area within the allotted time.
Under the cover of the frontline ninjas launching their attack right on schedule, they also slipped into territory controlled by Iwagakure.
Looking at the lush forest before him, Haori couldn't help sighing inwardly.
"Still, even if we're going to find Kakashi and the others, we'll have to wait a while."
Haori wanted to build up his reputation, but he wasn't crazy. He hadn't forgotten that Uchiha Madara was lurking in the Land of Grass.
Besides, his most urgent task was dealing with the most important mission at hand: drawing Iwagakure's attention.
Missions like this were all high-minded talk and fine principles—until you had to carry them out, and then the tears came pouring down.
On top of that, they had no detailed map of Iwagakure's defenses, so they had to figure everything out for themselves.
For a moment, Haori even got the impression that the Konoha High Command had assigned this mission with the attitude of, "I'm not the one charging into battle, so I can just talk big and blow off steam."
"Haori, we've got something."
Just as he was thinking, Aoba suddenly spoke in a low voice.
After his excitement wore off, Aoba had felt a little awkward around Haori these past few days.
He hadn't said it aloud, but he'd remembered thinking Haori was bragging.
But just minutes later, that boomerang had come right back and hit him in the face.
It only made him trust Haori more. Now, whenever Haori asked him to do something troublesome, he never objected.
For example, he'd been having Aoba keep crows scouting the area, which also ensured their safety.
"There's a patrol ahead. Four people, and they're close."
"Enemies?"
Might Guy perked up at once.
"Haori, if we make a big enough commotion, won't that help us complete the mission?"
"Shut up, idiot. Follow Haori's orders!"
Before Haori could respond, Aoba lost his temper.
"Haori's our captain now. Don't do anything reckless."
Haori was a Chunin too, but Namikaze Minato had personally appointed him as captain, and both Might Guy and Aoba had accepted that.
After their analysis last time, Aoba trusted Haori even more.
"No. This time, we shouldn't make too much noise."
Haori thought it over before speaking.
"Might Guy, making a commotion would fit our mission objectives, but don't forget that we still have other things to do.
"We need to attract attention while causing as much damage as possible. That'll put the enemy on higher alert and draw more of them over here.
"That'll work to our advantage."
It would also give them an excuse to move elsewhere.
"Is that so?"
Might Guy gave Aoba an apologetic glance. He knew he could be a problem sometimes, so it was only natural that people scolded him.
He soon turned to Haori and asked curiously, "So what should we do?"
"We can't let this patrol get away, but we shouldn't make too much noise."
Haori spoke directly, looking at Might Guy.
"We need to capture them alive so we can get more information. So, Might Guy, keep your cool. Don't cause another accident like before."
"Yes."
Might Guy nodded, looking a little embarrassed.
"Aoba, you'll need to do more this time. Just like we did in the Land of Whirlpools. Can you handle it?"
Haori nodded. Though he still didn't entirely trust Might Guy, he turned to Aoba as well.
"No problem."
Aoba nodded at once, his face eager for action.
"Then, move out."
Seeing that, Haori gave the order. In an instant, all three vanished, each finding a spot to hide.
Haori concealed himself in a patch of grass and immediately activated his Sharingan. Two black tomoe slowly spun in his scarlet eyes.
Before long, four Iwagakure ninjas walked in their direction, and their conversation was already clearly audible.
"Captain, why can't we go to the front lines? Why do we have to patrol the rear?"
A young-looking Iwagakure ninja said bitterly, clearly unhappy with the situation.
"I know you want to avenge your brother, but serving the war effort in the rear is just as important."
A somewhat older Iwagakure ninja tried to comfort him, though his tone was stern.
"And don't forget how Konoha defeated Kirigakure. Do you want the same thing to happen here?"
Haori listened quietly. By now, he could tell who was in charge of the squad.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
As soon as the four Iwagakure ninjas reached the right spot, several kunai cut through the air, raining down on them.
"Enemy attack!"
Caught off guard, the four Iwagakure ninjas still reacted quickly.
After all, they were on a battlefield. Even in the rear, their conversation made it clear that they were on guard against Konoha.
The Iwagakure captain was an experienced fighter. After quickly warning his squad, he drew a long sword and knocked aside all the incoming kunai.
But the instant their attention was drawn to the kunai, Yamashiro Aoba made his move.
"Ninja Art: Sanzen Karasu no Jutsu!"
In an instant, clouds of smoke billowed, and countless crows appeared all around them.
The crows blocked their vision and hindered their movements.
"What is this—"
The Iwagakure captain froze for a moment. But when he heard a scream nearby, his expression darkened.
"Damn it!"
He slashed wildly, trying to drive away the crows. But at that moment, the birds scattered.
A boy suddenly appeared before him. His eyes were scarlet, and with a slight turn, he evaded the ninja sword.
"Konoha... Uchiha..."
The Iwagakure captain guessed his identity at once. But the next moment, pain flared in his abdomen.
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