Battlefield

As a buffer zone between two great nations, the Land of Rivers is characterized primarily by low-lying hills.

The main mountain range is occupied by the massive Konoha army; beyond these mountains, the terrain opens up, making it unfavorable for covert troop movements.

Battles between ninja differ from those of ordinary men, focusing primarily on assassination, sabotage, and decapitation, with large-scale military confrontations being rare.

In truth, the essence of war remains a matter of resource allocation.

The reason Sunagakure launched this war is twofold: on one hand, to divert the increasingly intense internal conflicts within their own borders; on the other, to fantasize about tearing a piece of flesh off Konoha.

The high-ranking officials of Sunagakure are well aware that while "destroying Konoha" makes for a good slogan, it cannot be taken seriously.

Currently, the Sand Ninja have assembled an army of 10,000 to press the front line, while the opposition has only 3,000—a golden opportunity that rarely presents itself.

As long as they inflict enough pain on the enemy, they can force Hiruzen Sarutobi to sign a ceasefire agreement.

If Konoha simply abandons some resources and missions, it would be enough to satisfy Sunagakure, and a victory would be more than enough to suppress the voices of dissent at home.

Yet, the Konoha forward base currently stands there like a nail, threatening the Sand Ninja's forces at every turn.

Therefore, it must be pulled out; otherwise, no matter how much land they occupy, it remains meaningless.

The probing phase of the war has ended, and recent conflicts between the two sides have become increasingly intense.

Mo Jingxian hid in a tree within the forest, using the surrounding environment to conceal himself perfectly.

He had been monitoring the area for nearly an hour and had found no traces of enemy infiltration.

Of course, he also used these fragments of time during his watch to develop his body's potential.

Ever since he sorted out his cultivation path, he had developed the habit of practicing at any given moment.

Since it was not appropriate to make large movements during a mission, he slowly developed his body, enhancing his control over it.

At this moment, the hundreds of muscles beneath his clothes were vibrating slightly, consciously and autonomously coordinating his muscle groups.

Power traveled from the tailbone upward, following the spine until it reached the base of the skull.

Wherever it passed, the surrounding muscles coordinated effectively, and his spine seemed to come alive like a great dragon.

The 33 points of "Life" attribute provided Mo Jingxian with all-around growth, and as he cultivated, his control over his body became increasingly precise.

He believed that sooner or later he would reach the realm of microscopic control, and that day should not be too far off.

A signal for contact echoed through the forest; the captain was calling the members to assemble.

Mo Jingxian was the second to arrive at the meeting point, followed by Ayako Hyuuga, with Shinju Ishikawa arriving last.

Seeing that the team was complete, the Jonin Lutai gestured for everyone to sit and rest.

The squad had been formed three days ago, and their first mission was to patrol the defensive line.

The mountains on the outskirts of the Konoha base were divided into over a hundred patrol points, and Mo Jingxian's squad was assigned to nodes 35, 36, and 37.

The team patrolled between these three points, monitoring for an hour before taking a fifteen-minute break.

"Eat something, everyone. Another squad should be coming to relieve us this afternoon."

Lutai urged them on, taking the opportunity to boost the morale of the newcomers.

"It's been three days, and I still haven't seen what a Sand Ninja looks like. Do you think... they might bypass us and push through the plains?"

Shinju Ishikawa offered his own thoughts; he was usually talkative and liked to use his brain.

"That's an interesting question. How about this: Jingxian and Ayako, share your thoughts first."

Lutai didn't answer immediately, instead throwing the question back to the two newcomers, which was not without a hint of testing them.

Ayako Hyuuga blushed as she looked at Mo Jingxian, but when she saw him look back, she immediately lowered her head to avoid his gaze.

"I think it's impossible."

Mo Jingxian spoke with absolute certainty.

"Look, why are the Sand Ninja fighting? To put it bluntly, isn't it just because they want to take advantage of Konoha?"

His angle of approach successfully piqued the interest of the two newcomers.

"Hmm, blunt but accurate. Continue."

The Jonin Lutai offered a word of encouragement.

He spread his hands: "What else is there to say? Isn't it obvious! If the Sand Ninja bypass the base through the plains to attack Konoha, they would suffer a crushing defeat. Have they lost their minds?"

The others felt his reasoning was very sound, yet it felt a bit too simple.

It was not like the grand national wars of his imagination, filled with intricate schemes and earth-shattering feats; there was no sense of epic scale.

"Jingxian is right," Lutai said.

"Wars between ninja have always focused on eliminating the opponent's effective strength. Once a battlefield is chosen, both sides will continuously pour in troops to slaughter each other until one side admits total defeat."

"Does the captain mean that this land we are standing on will become a meat grinder for ninja in the near future?"

Lutai looked at Jingxian with surprise and nodded.

"Yes! But not in the near future—you have already stepped into this Asura field right now."

The mountain forest in July was somewhat stifling, causing the two newcomers' breathing to grow rapid.

This was the very purpose of a jonin instructor: to lead newcomers in adapting to this cruel battlefield in advance.

"If you want to survive in this Asura field, sometimes your brain is more important than your ninjutsu."

Lutai pointed to his head.

"Any single mistake is enough to plunge the entire team into crisis, so from here on out, you must not be careless or rash. Remember... you are a single unit; only by trusting your teammates will you gain a greater chance of survival."

The atmosphere turned silent; the boys' youthful fervor was receding, and their perception of war began to sharpen.

"Of course, that's not to say having high strength is bad. I mean that brains and strength are equally important."

The group filled their stomachs in silence before the team continued toward the next garrison point.

The defensive line around the main camp was not a straight line, but a web-like formation composed of hundreds of ninja squads.

Mo Jingxian's squad was one of them; they secured their part of the web, waiting quietly for prey to take the bait.

With one side standing in strict formation and the other trying every possible method to sabotage them, the battlefield officially entered its second phase.

Lutai led the way while Mo Jingxian brought up the rear, shielding Ayako Hyuuga and Shinju Ishikawa in the center.

As the squad wove through the forest, Nara Lutai suddenly stopped and raised his right fist.

The team transitioned from motion to stillness in an instant, their coordination achieving absolute obedience.

"Ayako Hyuuga, scout the surroundings."

Following Lutai's command, Ayako Hyuuga activated her Byakugan.

"Reporting to Captain, no traces of the enemy detected."

"Understood, continue forward."

The squad maintained their formation and continued rushing toward the next mission location.

They had experienced such scenes several times over the past three days, and Captain Lutai had maintained a cautious heart throughout.

Under his personal guidance, the youths were rapidly shedding their naivety, becoming more and more like qualified ninjas.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Several figures flashed by rapidly, the wind they stirred causing the leaves in the forest to rustle loudly.

Upon arriving at the location, the group familiarly split into four directions to hide, vanishing into the dense forest in the blink of an eye.

Mo Jingxian found a concealed tree hollow and burrowed inside like a squirrel.

He activated the Mist of Vitality, which gradually began to spread outward.

This technique had been improved, making the name "Mist of Vitality" somewhat inappropriate, but he was too lazy to change it.

Now, the technique covered a hundred-meter radius around him, and the mist was completely invisible; he used sealing jutsu runes to connect the water elements in the air, forming a rapid information channel.

Having made his preparations, Mo Jingxian immersed himself in cultivation once more.

Half an hour later, a message came from Ayako Hyuuga.

"Enemies spotted!"

The squad gathered quickly, and the captain ordered her to scout again.

The veins at the corners of Ayako Hyuuga's eyes bulged as she gathered chakra into her eyes.

"Five kilometers away, three enemies are approaching. They are moving fast; estimated arrival in three minutes."

"What is the strength of the enemies?"

"One jonin, two chunin."

The role of the Byakugan on the battlefield was magnified infinitely; it was practically a portable radar.

Battles between ninjas relied heavily on intelligence; whichever side discovered the enemy first would have a higher chance of victory.

One had to realize that ninjas were high-attack, "glass cannon" creatures; even a jonin could be taken out by a single kunai.

One could easily imagine the importance of the Byakugan.

Otherwise, Kirigakure would not have gone to such lengths to obtain one.

Of course, there were also those barbarians from Kumogakure, who had always coveted the Byakugan with persistent, wicked intent.

Never mind the enemies, even Mo Jingxian looked at it with envy; even if he couldn't use it openly, it would be good to have it on the scales.

The thought flashed through his mind, and he pulled his attention back to reality.

Captain Lutai gathered the three of them to formulate a strategy against the enemy.

"Based on Ayako's intelligence, we can confirm this is an elite enemy squad. We have a chance to take them down."

Jonin Lutai's gaze swept across the faces of his three teammates one by one.

"Mo Jingxian."

"Present."

"You will initiate the attack and hold off the enemy jonin for one minute. Can you do it?"

Mo Jingxian nodded affirmatively.

"No problem."

"Very well."

Lutai looked toward the other two.

"The two of you will face one Chunin and hold out until I arrive to support you."

"Yes!" they replied in unison.

The tactic was simple, employing the strategy of Tian Ji's horse racing.

Mo Jingxian would stall the enemy Jonin for a period, while Lutai would move quickly to slay one of the enemy Chunin.

Then, he would assist the other two in eliminating their opponents, finally converging to surround the enemy Jonin together.

With the prepared striking the unprepared, even a Jonin could fall here; this was the importance of intelligence.

The simpler the plan, the fewer the flaws during execution, and the greater the probability of success.

"Alright, everyone, split up and prepare."

Seizing the time to set up a simple trap, the group scattered to find their hiding spots.

Nara Lutai hid within the shadow of a large tree, his body slowly fading until he vanished, leaving not a single trace behind.

Mo Jingxian's Mist of Vitality spread out, shrouding the surrounding hundred-meter radius.

Within his perception, Lutai's chakra was still there.

The opponent had merged with the shadows, capable of deceiving the eyes, but unable to deceive the information transmitted back by the water elements surrounding his body.

The corners of Mo Jingxian's mouth curled upward; within his sensory range, nothing could remain hidden.

The water element perception he utilized was, strictly speaking, unrelated to chakra, and to this day, no one had been able to crack it.

As his insight into the water elements deepened, he gradually unearthed many small application techniques.

These techniques, when combined with ninjutsu, could not increase the lethality of the jutsu.

Yet, at critical moments, they would play a decisive role.

The veins bulging at the corners of Ayako Hyuuga's eyes, the hand holding the kunai trembling slightly from Shinju Ishikawa, and Captain Lutai's deep, murderous gaze.

Including the wind in the forest and the dancing leaves—all of this was within Mo Jingxian's perception.

A dozen breaths later, Three Sand Ninja stepped into the range of the Mist of Vitality.