Vanguard Unit

Partings are always brief. He hadn't even warmed the bed at home before the Third Hokage summoned him, first offering words of encouragement, then handing him a confidential letter to deliver to Orochimaru.

And once that started, it never ended.

He became the cheerful courier shuttling between Konoha and the front lines in the Land of Rivers—no need to step into dangerous battlefields, as long as he could smoothly deliver classified intelligence to both sides.

Aside from that one infiltration mission, he hadn't received any other tasks in a long time. That changed not long after.

Konoha and the Sand Shinobi had been locked in a standoff at the border for too long. Both sides had lost patience. Just as the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth temporarily ceased hostilities, they both turned their sights on the Land of Fire. To free up troops for the other two fronts, a decisive victory against the Sand Shinobi had to be achieved soon.

Inside the Central Command Tent of Konoha's ninja forces, the overall commander Orochimaru spoke: "The Hokage's orders have been issued. At the latest, the day after tomorrow, we must engage the Sand Shinobi in a final battle. If there are no objections, I'll begin assigning tasks."

He finished and immediately added, "It seems no one has objections. Then let's assign the tasks." He gave no one time to react—very domineering.

Watching Orochimaru assign tasks and command with calm authority, Kaede found that in such a serious setting, Snake Uncle was actually quite normal, presenting the image of an excellent commander rather than the Shinobi World's mad scientist.

But the faint goodwill he'd just developed vanished in the next moment.

"Kaede... Kaede, they're talking about you," someone poked him from behind, snapping him out of it.

Blearily opening his eyes, he saw everyone in the tent staring at him. At the head, Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, his expression unfriendly as he swept his gaze over Kaede.

How dare someone zone out while he was assigning tasks? How dare someone ignore him? Truly, this was the same person who'd dared to snatch his experimental corpses and disregard his threats. Fine then—he'd give him a task with some real difficulty.

"Kaede-kun, I want you to lead the Vanguard Unit in a raid on the Sand Shinobi camp." His expression was serious; no one could accuse him of personal vendetta.

Orochimaru's snake eyes brimmed with amusement, a kindly smile curling his lips, but Kaede felt a chill in his heart. The Vanguard Unit—what was that? A unit known as cannon fodder. It was the most dangerous mission on the entire battlefield.

Jiraiya's face darkened, but he couldn't openly contradict Orochimaru here. Orochimaru was the commander this time, and he wasn't wrong—given Kaede's strength, he was indeed a suitable choice for the Vanguard Unit. Hadn't the three of them been the ones handling this job before? What was Orochimaru playing at?

Even Tsunade, who didn't like Kaede, shot Orochimaru a displeased look. On the surface, the arrangement seemed fine, but letting a mere Genin lead the Vanguard Unit was inappropriate—even if that Genin was undeniably skilled.

"Orochimaru, Kaede is just a Genin. He has no qualifications to lead the Vanguard Unit. And strictly speaking, he's not even under your command." Tsunade was still Tsunade—she couldn't help but speak up when something rubbed her the wrong way.

"Heh heh. Kaede-kun performed exceptionally well on his last infiltration mission. His promotion to Chunin has already been approved. Moreover, this battle determines the outcome of the entire war effort. I have the authority to mobilize every ninja in this camp, even if he's just a courier.

And if he completes this mission outstandingly, I can recommend him for Jonin. Should I congratulate you in advance, Jonin Uchiha Kaede?"

Out of respect for their shared status as Sannin, Orochimaru explained himself to Tsunade. He definitely wasn't afraid that petty-minded Tsunade would hold a grudge and cause him trouble.

Orochimaru's explanation was perfectly reasonable. Tsunade had no grounds to argue further, so she just shot Kaede a "good luck" look.

"Yes, I understand," Kaede replied.

What else could he do? He could only file this grudge away in his heart and settle it later. The road was long—they'd see.

Joining the Vanguard Unit was dangerous, but with his current strength, if he couldn't win, he could still rely on Flying Thunder God to escape. He'd just hang back on the edge and observe. As long as he didn't flee the battlefield, he'd be fine.

After the meeting ended, Kaede had just stepped out of the tent when he felt himself pulled aside to a hidden spot by Jiraiya. "Kid, do you have any idea how dangerous the Vanguard Unit is? You accepted this mission that easily?"

Kaede could hear the deep concern in his words. Though the tone was harsh and laced with reproach, Jiraiya, as his teacher, truly cared about him.

"Jiraiya-sensei, it's fine. Someone has to step up, right? Protecting the village—isn't that what you've always taught us? Trust me, I'll come back alive." A sunny smile curved his lips as he turned to reassure Jiraiya.

The boy's brightness, his sense of responsibility—it left Jiraiya lost in thought for a long moment. Only now did he realize that this disciple of his wasn't so bad after all.

He placed a firm hand on Kaede's shoulder, looking at him seriously. "You've spent a long time in camp, but you've never truly been on a battlefield. You don't know how brutal real war is. Especially the Vanguard Unit—a unit with such a high death rate, where danger lurks every moment.

You must be cautious. Remember—come back alive."

Kaede had never seen Jiraiya this serious before. It was so different from his usual goofy demeanor.

"Mm—I will." Kaede extended his fist and bumped it against Jiraiya's.

A knowing smile appeared on both their faces. In that moment, this nominal master and disciple finally drew a step closer, no longer feeling so distant.

That night, Kaede lay awake for a long time. He knew ninja wars were brutal, but he'd never witnessed one. He hadn't participated, so he couldn't experience it firsthand.

"Tomorrow, or at the latest the day after, the battle begins. Can't say for sure—right now, I'm actually a little excited. Guess I'm not the peaceful type either." Kaede muttered to himself in self-deprecation.

In the middle of the night, he was roused by the assembly order. Orochimaru had never planned to wait two days to attack—that was just a ruse to mislead enemy spies.

Kaede wore a form-fitting combat outfit, making him look tall and lean. He didn't seem like a half-grown kid but more like an adult, standing at the very front of the Vanguard Unit without any sense of incongruity.

The atmosphere was heavy, suffocating. Everyone knew what it meant to join the Vanguard Unit. "Facing death as if going home" was a praise of honor, but Kaede knew no one willingly chose death. They were just the unlucky ones who'd been assigned.

"Ahem—everyone, I hope we can all come back alive." He'd wanted to say something to boost morale, but Kaede felt it was pointless. The pressure was too low; no one wanted to hear his rambling.

Most of the people here were Chunin or Genin. Jonin were few and far between, and those present were already visibly injured or disabled. They would burn what was left of themselves in this war—survive and retire with honor, or die and become martyrs on the Memorial Stone.

In his heart: "Cannon fodder unit. Lives up to the name."

This was a unit that didn't need brilliant command—just a constant charge. Probe the enemy's strength, provide tactical support for the main force behind them. Use their own bodies to pave a safe path forward. That was their mission.

Unfortunately, now he was one of them.