The Battlefield

The Land of Rivers served as a buffer zone between two great nations, and its terrain consisted mostly of low hills.

The main mountain range had been occupied by Konoha's ninja forces. Beyond the mountains, the terrain was open, making it difficult to conceal troop movements.

Battles between ninja were unlike those fought by ordinary people. They mainly involved assassinations, sabotage, and decapitations, with large-scale military engagements being rare.

At its core, war was still about the distribution of resources.

The Sand Ninja had started the war partly to divert growing internal tensions at home, and partly in the hope of taking a bite out of Konoha.

The higher-ups in Sunagakure knew full well that destroying Konoha could be a slogan, but it couldn't be taken seriously.

The Sand Ninja had now assembled an army of 10,000 and deployed it at the front line, while their opponents had only 3,000 men. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

As long as they dealt the other side a painful blow, they could force Hiruzen Sarutobi to sign a ceasefire agreement.

If Konoha gave up some resources and missions, that would be more than enough to satisfy Sunagakure. A victory would also silence the discontented voices back home.

Yet Konoha's forward camp stood firm, like a nail driven into the ground, constantly threatening the Sand Ninja forces.

So they had to pull it out. Otherwise, it wouldn't matter how much land they occupied.

The probing phase of the war was over, and clashes between the two sides had grown increasingly intense.

Mo Jingxian hid in a tree among the woods, using his surroundings to conceal himself perfectly.

He had been keeping watch there for nearly an hour, but hadn't found any sign of enemy infiltration.

Of course, he had also used the spare moments between observations to develop his body's potential.

Ever since he had straightened out his approach to cultivation, he had made a habit of training whenever he could.

During missions, he couldn't make any overly conspicuous movements, so he slowly developed his body and improved his control over it.

At that moment, hundreds of muscles beneath his clothes were trembling faintly, consciously coordinating with one another.

His strength rose from the base of his spine, traveled up along his vertebrae, and reached the point at the back of his head.

As it passed, the surrounding muscles worked in harmony, while his spine seemed to come alive like a great dragon.

His 33 points in the "Life" attribute had provided Mo Jingxian with all-around growth. As he trained, his control over his body became ever more precise.

He believed that sooner or later he would reach the level of microscopic control, and that day probably wouldn't be far off.

A signal sounded from the woods. The captain was calling the team to gather.

Mo Jingxian was the second to reach the meeting point. Ayako Hyuuga arrived next, and Shinju Ishikawa came last.

Once his teammates had assembled, High Ninja Lutai called everyone over to sit and rest.

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

The mountains surrounding Konoha's main camp had been divided into more than a hundred patrol points. Mo Jingxian's team had been assigned Points 35, 36, and 37.

They patrolled between the three points, keeping watch for an hour and resting for fifteen minutes in between.

"Come on, everyone, grab something to eat. Another team should come relieve us this afternoon."

Lutai urged them on, hoping to get the new recruits fired up as well.

"It's been three days, and I still haven't seen what the Sand Ninja look like. What do you think... could they go around us and push through the plains?"

Shinju Ishikawa shared his thoughts. He was usually talkative and liked to think things through.

"That's an interesting question. How about you two rookies tell us what you think first, Xian and Ayako?"

Lutai didn't answer right away. Instead, he tossed the question to the two new recruits, partly to test them.

Ayako Hyuuga blushed as she glanced at Mo Jingxian. When she saw him looking back, she immediately lowered her head and looked away.

"I don't think so."

Mo Jingxian spoke with absolute certainty.

"Think about it. Why are the Sand Ninja fighting? Put simply, they want to take advantage of Konoha, right?"

The angle from which he approached the question piqued both rookies' interest.

"Hmm. Straightforward, but right on target. Go on,"

High Ninja Lutai encouraged him.

Mo Jingxian spread his hands. "What else is there to say? Isn't it obvious? If the Sand Ninja went around the camp through the plains and attacked Konoha, they'd suffer heavy losses. Have they lost their minds?"

Everyone thought what he said made sense, but somehow it felt too simple.

This wasn't quite like the national wars they had imagined, full of ingenious schemes and earth-shaking feats. It didn't feel epic at all.

"Xian's right," Lutai said.

"Wars between ninja have always focused on eliminating the other side's fighting forces. Once a battlefield is chosen, both sides keep sending in troops to fight until one side gives up completely."

"So you mean that the ground we're standing on is going to become a meat grinder for ninja before long?"

Lutai looked at Xian in surprise, then nodded.

"Exactly! But not before long. You've already stepped into this slaughterhouse."

The woods were stiflingly hot in July, and the two rookies began to breathe faster.

That was the purpose of a guiding ninja: to lead new recruits into adapting to the cruelty of the battlefield ahead of time.

"If you want to survive this slaughterhouse, sometimes a sharp mind matters more than ninjutsu."

Lutai pointed to his head.

"Any mistake could put the whole team in danger, so don't get careless or charge in recklessly. Remember... you're a unit. Only by trusting your teammates will you have a better chance of survival."

The mood grew somewhat somber. The boys' youthful enthusiasm was fading, and they were beginning to understand the reality of war.

"Of course, being strong is good too. I just mean that brains are every bit as important as strength."

The group finished their meal in silence, then continued on to the next post.

The defensive line around the main camp wasn't a straight line. Instead, more than a hundred ninja teams formed a web-like network.

Mo Jingxian's team was one of them. They had woven their web and were waiting for prey to take the bait.

One side stood ready for battle, while the other tried every possible way to break through. The battlefield had officially entered its second phase.

Lutai led the way, and Mo Jingxian brought up the rear, with Ayako Hyuuga and Shinju Ishikawa protected between them.

The team moved through the woods when Nara Shikuta suddenly stopped and raised his right hand in a clenched fist.

The team went from moving to still in an instant. They followed orders and coordinated perfectly.

"Ayako Hyuuga, scout the area."

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

"Reporting, Captain. No sign of the enemy."

"Good. Keep moving."

The team maintained its formation and continued toward the next mission point.

They had faced this kind of situation several times over the past three days, and Captain Lutai had remained cautious throughout.

Under his guidance, the boys quickly shed their inexperience and became more and more like proper ninja.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Several figures flashed past, and the gusts they stirred up made the leaves rustle.

When they reached their destination, they split into four directions and hid with practiced ease, vanishing into the dense woods in the blink of an eye.

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

He activated the Mist of Vitality, which gradually spread in every direction.

After being modified, the technique no longer seemed suited to the name Mist of Vitality, but he couldn't be bothered to change it.

Now, the technique covered an area a hundred meters around him, without producing any visible mist. He used Sealing Jutsu symbols to connect the water elements in the air, forming a rapid information channel.

Once everything was ready, Mo Jingxian sank back into his training.

Half an hour later, Ayako Hyuuga sent a message.

"Enemy spotted!"

The team gathered quickly, and the captain ordered her to take another look.

The veins at the corners of Ayako Hyuuga's eyes bulged as Chakra gathered in them.

"Five kilometers away. Three enemies are approaching. They're moving fast and should arrive in three minutes."

"How strong are they?"

"One High Ninja and two Chunin."

The Byakugan's usefulness on the battlefield was amplified to the extreme. It was practically a radar they could carry with them.

Ninja battles relied heavily on intelligence. The side that spotted the enemy first had a better chance of winning.

After all, ninja were powerful but fragile. Even a High Ninja could be taken out by a single Kunai.

That showed just how important the Byakugan was.

Otherwise, Kirigakure wouldn't have gone to such lengths to obtain a Byakugan.

And the brutes in Kumogakure had always coveted the Byakugan too, never giving up on their greedy ambitions.

It wasn't just the enemy. Even Mo Jingxian found himself coveting it. Even if he couldn't use it openly, it would be nice to have something to put on the scales.

The thought flashed through his mind, and his attention returned to the present.

Captain Lutai gathered the three of them to devise a plan.

"Based on Ayako's intel, these are elite enemy ninja. We have a chance to take them down."

High Ninja Lutai let his gaze sweep over each of his three teammates.

"Mo Jingxian."

"Here."

"You'll make the first move and hold off their High Ninja for one minute. Can you do it?"

Mo Jingxian nodded firmly.

"No problem."

"Good."

Lutai looked at the other two.

"You two take on one Chunin and hold out until I come support you."

"Yes!" "Yes!"

The tactic was simple: use the stratagem of sacrificing the pawn to save the queen.

Mo Jingxian would hold off the enemy's High Ninja for a while, while Lutai quickly killed one of the enemy Chunin.

Then he would help the other two eliminate their opponent, and finally they would join forces against the enemy's High Ninja.

With the element of surprise, even a High Ninja could fall here. That was the importance of intelligence.

The simpler the plan, the fewer things could go wrong when carrying it out, and the greater the chance of success.

"All right, everyone split up and get ready."

They quickly set up a simple trap, then each found a place to hide.

Nara Shikuta slipped into the shadow of a tree. His body slowly faded away until he disappeared without leaving a trace.

Mo Jingxian's Mist of Vitality spread out, covering the hundred-meter area around him.

He could still sense High Ninja Lutai's Chakra in its original place.

Lutai had blended in with the shadows. He could fool the eye, but he couldn't fool the information conveyed by the water elements around them.

Mo Jingxian's lips curled up. Within his range of perception, nothing could escape him.

His method of sensing with water elements had nothing to do with Chakra, strictly speaking, and no one had figured out how to counter it so far.

As his understanding of water elements deepened, he gradually discovered many little tricks for using them.

Combined with ninjutsu, these tricks couldn't increase its destructive power.

But at a crucial moment, they could be the deciding factor.

The bulging veins at the corners of Ayako Hyuuga's eyes, Shinju Ishikawa's hand trembling slightly around his Kunai, and the captain's deep, murderous gaze—

Everything was within Mo Jingxian's perception, including the wind in the woods and the leaves dancing in the air.

After a dozen breaths,

three Sand Ninja stepped into the range of the Mist of Vitality.