This Ninja Is Clearly Quite Strong

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Hanyu's squad hurriedly finished their rest and continued their journey. After another day and a half of uneventful travel, they arrived at the frontline command post before the deadline.

The reason powerful nations with vast military strength tolerate the existence of smaller countries and minor ninja villages is twofold: on one hand, the division of global borders and territories is influenced by history and geography; on the other, it is a deliberate choice by the major powers to maintain a buffer zone between them.

Otherwise, once the one-village-one-country system was established, the only fate awaiting those small nations would be to be steamrolled and completely devoured by the major powers.

To this day, maintaining these small nations along the borders has proven to be a correct decision. No matter how intense the current Ninja World War becomes, the primary battlefields have always been within these buffer zones—the territories of the small nations.

In fact, whether it was the First Ninja World War or the subsequent conflicts, the main battlefields have remained the same. It is true that in every war, villages like Konoha suffer heavy casualties, but the ones who suffer even more are the small nations caught between the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth.

This is not to accuse Konoha of deliberately bullying the weak; the logic is simple. When faced with the choice of fighting a war within one's own borders or in another country, anyone would choose the latter.

Therefore, even if the military suffers severe ninja casualties, the production and infrastructure within the major powers remain largely undamaged. This allows them to sustain the war for longer and enables the major powers and their ninja villages to recover their vitality quickly after the conflict ends.

Compared to countries like the Land of Whirlpools or the Land of Fields, the Land of Rivers, where Hanyu and his team are currently located, is not actually small in terms of area. However, it lacks any ability to resist during the Ninja World War because there is no ninja village within its borders.

Currently, Konoha has deployed approximately four thousand ninjas within the Land of Rivers. To maintain a balance of power, the Sand Village has deployed a similar number, leaving this country packed with a dense concentration of ninjas.

In truth, Hanyu has always felt that ninjas bunching together looks quite foolish. Flexible squad operations are the hallmark of a ninja; group deployments and large-scale assaults are the domain of samurai, not ninjas. Should ninjas really be lining up in formation and shouting slogans before attacking?

But the current deployment and combat style are beyond the control of any single village or country. Once a war reaches this stage, every side is forced to concentrate its power for a decisive strike.

The style of "extraordinary ninja" warfare Hanyu imagines, where the outcome is decided by small-scale skirmishes, only existed in the chaotic era before the establishment of the ninja village system. Once ninjas formed villages, their power became far greater than in the era of clan warfare, and the scale of combat naturally expanded beyond control.

Of course, even with personnel deployed so densely, the battles between ninjas have not completely lost their unique characteristics. While both major villages have stationed heavy troops in the Land of Rivers, neither side would ever commit their full strength at once unless it were a strategic, decisive battle.

Most of the current fighting between the Sand Village and Konoha still consists of sporadic skirmishes between small units. Both sides are patiently attempting to wear down the other's strength bit by bit. To put it bluntly, the war has entered a stage of strategic stalemate.

After Hanyu's squad arrived and reported to the frontline command, they were dispatched just a few hours later, exactly as he had anticipated.

Before the Hokage arrives, the supreme commander for Konoha is Kagami Uchiha. While Sanshao might be able to boss Kagami Uchiha around back in the village, and Hanyu might see him often, such a situation would never happen here. Hanyu currently lacks even the qualifications to meet him in person.

After completing the report, Hanyu returned to his squad members with the mission. He unfolded the map he had just received and pointed to a small area. "Because the reconnaissance squad previously assigned to this area has completely lost contact, the command post assumes they have been killed. Now, we are required to take their place."

Despite the use of the word "assumes," both the command post and Hanyu were certain that the squad was already dead. In a place like this, if a ninja squad fails to send their regular report on time, they are officially declared dead.

"What about the time?" Nara Nagisa asked regarding when the squad lost contact.

"Seven hours ago," Hanyu told the group the intelligence he had gathered from the command post. Generally, frontline ninjas report in every six hours, and they would send a special signal in an emergency. Since the squad they were replacing had sent neither, the most likely scenario was that they had been silently eliminated by the enemy.

"Then what is our mission? Attack or defense?" Nara asked again.

"Defense. Our mission is to guard that area. If small groups of Sand Village ninjas infiltrate, we eliminate them. If a medium-sized or larger force invades, we must warn the command post immediately," Hanyu said. When he was briefed, he had specifically asked if they should investigate the missing squad's tracks or the cause of their deaths, but that request was flatly denied.

Ninjas die here every day, and the command post has neither the energy to investigate every death nor the resources to recover their remains.

"The time limit is five days. We will be rotated out after five days, and if we haven't received orders to rotate after a week, we are permitted to withdraw on our own. Are there any questions regarding the mission?"

"No," the three members shook their heads in unison. Hanyu's briefing was clear enough.

"Good. Now, let's set up our combat formation. Since this is a defensive mission, to ensure a wide field of vision and avoid being wiped out in a single strike, I intend to use a dispersed formation. The basic setup is a 'T' shape. Nara and I will take the front to handle the initial attack. Ten meters behind us will be Renjuro, responsible for reconnaissance and relaying information between the front and rear. Twenty meters behind Renjuro will be Chichiwa. You must maintain sufficient height and visibility, and be ready to support us at any time. Note: because the formation is so spread out, you must remain well-hidden. Otherwise, if the rear is ambushed, it will be difficult for us to provide reinforcements."

"Any objections to the formation?"

The group shook their heads again.

It is hard to believe that the people setting and listening to these tactics are all fourteen-year-old children. They are too calm, too cold. Everyone knows that ninjas are not killing machines, yet they are constantly pushing themselves to evolve in that very direction.

Even as he is about to step onto the battlefield, Hanyu's mind remains clear, and his language is exceptionally precise and concise. His first taste of war will not break him psychologically.

Hanyu fully understands the mission he has been given: they are expendable, but they must relay intelligence back before they die. That is why he chose this dispersed formation. The most dangerous position is actually Chichiwa's; she is effectively detached from the front. If they encounter an overwhelming enemy, she is the final safeguard for transmitting intelligence, but if the enemy strikes from the rear or flanks, she will be the first to die.

"Very well. Check your equipment and supplies..."

"Everything ready? Move out!"

Ninja tools, protective gear, rations, medicine, as well as the scrolls and special signal flares used for relaying intelligence—Hanyu and his squad members re-checked their gear one last time.

Once everything was confirmed, they sped off toward their mission objective.