The offensive began

On a certain day in a certain month of a certain year in Konoha.

To be precise, this is a day that Konoha should remember in history.

The Fourth Hokage united a group of over a thousand ninja from the Land of Fire, preparing a major counterattack against the Rock Ninja.

Due to the long journey, and the fact that the border of the Land of Fire was in grave danger with every minute spent there, the thousand-strong group prepared to set off under the cover of night.

Staring ahead, the Fourth Hokage, the leader of the group, stood directly in front, his brow furrowed.

The arrival of this person still made the Fourth Hokage sigh softly. He glanced wryly at the leisurely Yang Xing and said to the group behind him, "Alright, everyone, let's go."

"Um, Minato-sensei..." With a leap, Yang Xing followed beside Minato, his words unfinished.

Minato Namikaze, however, looked serious and warned Yang Xing: "Yang Xing, although you were the last one to arrive here, I don't want to blame you, but please remember one thing: this is no joke."

"I understand. What I meant was, there's a hole in the back of your cloak."

Minato Namikaze: "..."

Why didn't you say so sooner!

"That's what you keep interrupting me to say."

"Okay, okay, I admit I was wrong. But don't even think about causing trouble. Remember this..."

"Hey hey! This matter is very important. You can't just run around or cause trouble. How many times have you told me? You're just like my mom." Yang Xing complained, not waiting for Minato Namikaze to finish his lecture, still looking lazy.

Minato Namikaze: "..."

Why Mom? It should at least be Dad, you brat.

Not far from Konoha, watching this vast procession, a blindfolded boy clenched his fists.

"Yang Xing, when you come back, I'll show you that I've become powerful, and one day I'll surpass you."

It would be very difficult for a large group of a thousand people to travel together, so for convenience, the group was divided into several smaller teams.

The vanguard consisted of highly skilled ninjas, primarily Jonin, while the rear support force comprised Chunin and elite medical Genin.

Yang Xing's squad was, of course, the vanguard led by Minato Namikaze.

The vanguard team was really boring, and Yang Xing could only tease Minato Namikaze to relieve the boredom. Most of the Jonin were middle-aged men, so it was difficult for a kid like him to join the conversation.

The journey was rushed, and with the deliberate increase in pace, the vanguard had already left the rearguard behind by more than ten miles.

Traveling through the night, the journey was getting longer and longer.

Of course, Yang Xing was always the center of attention in the entire unit.

Although most people in Konoha knew and understood the child's abilities, the Jonin from other villages really didn't know why the child was at the forefront, and in the most dangerous group at that.

"Lord Fourth Hokage, there's something I'd like to ask you," a ninja from another village couldn't help but ask, glancing at a child following the vanguard with a puzzled expression. "The vanguard should be in danger; it's not really appropriate for this child to be following along."

"His words are fine."

"But..."

"Hey, stop interrupting." The man was Jonin back by Jonin from Konoha, who said seriously, "Do you know who that guy is?"

The out-of-town clan Jonin shook his head, looking puzzled.

"He's the Fourth Hokage's personal disciple. You all know about the last time the Tsuchikage was injured; he's the one who hurt the Tsuchikage."

The strength of the Third Tsuchikage is evident to all. Since the Second Shinobi World War, the old man's terrifying strength has made him a true Kage Level figure feared by many Jonin.

Unexpectedly, the Third Tsuchikage was defeated by a child.

This made the group of people look at Yang Xing with even more respect.

The title of a true genius will surely spread throughout every village in the Land of Fire.

Yang Xing, oblivious to these things, seemed rather listless.

Nonsense, there isn't a single pretty female ninja, just a bunch of old men around, it's incredibly frustrating.

Moreover, this trip will mean he won't be able to see Rin Nohara and Little Anko for at least a week. Oh, and there's also Azuki-neechan. He just managed to improve his favorability towards her, and now he has to do this kind of thing.

"I don't know who told me to come, but if I hadn't come, I wouldn't want to be unable to make a living in the village."

"Don't tell jokes like that." Minato Namikaze gave a wry smile. Faced with the boy's complaints, he could only console him, saying, "You're the village's most promising ninja."

"So, does that mean I can go back now? You don't need me, right?"

"Well... that's possible, but do you really want to go back now?" Minato Namikaze paused for a moment, then immediately smiled.

His smile was so sinister and cunning; this guy was even more ruthless than I was.

With a helpless sigh, Yang Xing could only slow down and follow listlessly at the back of the group. He really didn't want to see the cunning Fourth Hokage, nor did he want to be sent to his death at the front.

He's not that foolish; the front lines are the most dangerous.

Just as Yang Xing was following at the very back, he unexpectedly encountered two unexpected individuals.

According to the original history, these two shouldn't be here. It seems they came with me.

At the very back of the group, two people, leaping through the trees and barely keeping up, looked disheveled.

Although they were exhausted from keeping up, the stubborn expression on one of them made it clear that he would not give up.

"Um, Asuma, what we're doing isn't right." Kurenai Yuhi was moving too slowly and had been following for so long; she was already a bit tired. Looking at Asuma ahead, she wondered if she should continue following, her face showing some worry.

They sneaked into the vanguard of the counterattack against the Rock Ninja without notifying anyone, and being discovered like this is no joke.

"Red, you must also want to become a powerful ninja, to have your name known, right?" Asuma turned his head, his gaze fixed, and clenched his fists, saying, "I've been waiting for this day for a long time. If that guy can come here, I should be able to too. After all, I did manage to exchange a move with him."

Having exchanged blows with Yang Xing, who was capable of defeating the Tsuchikage, gave Asuma immense confidence and shaped his current fearless personality.

"Even so, if my father and your father knew we were here, they would definitely be angry."

"As long as we can achieve merit on the battlefield, what does it matter whether those people are angry or not?"

"But, but..."

"That's enough. I've made up my mind about this. If you don't want to go, you can go back."

Kurenai Yuhi, head drooping, dared not speak.

She was already more than ten miles away from Konoha, and at night like this, there was no way she could go back.

At this moment, she had no choice but to stick close to Asuma.

However, faced with Asuma, who was single-mindedly focused on becoming stronger and chasing after Yang Xing, Kurenai Yuhi's heart wavered somewhat.

"If it were Yang Xing, I wonder what would happen?" He glanced at the sky and said this without Asuma hearing it.

Yang Xing, who hadn't heard Kurenai Yuhi's words, simply smiled, turned, and left without reporting to anyone that the two had been secretly following him.