Prelude to War

Having figured everything out and prepared the supplies, Taiichi Squad immediately set off for their mission area.

The mission is actually quite dangerous; how many enemies you will encounter and their strength are all completely unknown.

If they're unlucky and encounter an elite team, Taiichi himself will be fine, but the others will be in danger, especially the weakest one Kaze Wafu.

After traveling for half a day, Taiichi, as the only Sensor Ninja in the team, took the initiative to take on the sensory task.

The Chakra Sensory Technique is activated every 10 minutes. Now, with the skill level increasing to Lv6, Taiichi's perception range has significantly improved. The clear perception range has reached 1.5 kilometers, and the blurry warning range has reached 2 kilometers.

While this viewing distance is far less than Hyuga's Byakugan, it is considerably greater than that of Aburame and Inuzuka.

As the last Kaze Wafu, Kazefuzu felt a pang of resentment every time she saw Captain Taiichi unleash his Ninjutsu. As a rare Wind Style ninja, she couldn't find a suitable place in the team.

Leaving aside the other members of the team, they all possess remarkable strength at a young age. Even the weakest member, Saori Furukawa, has a formidable Sealing Jutsu and Lightning Release Ninjutsu that easily surpasses her own.

And that youngest Captain is a fucking freak. He can do everything – sensory perception, medical treatment, sealing techniques, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu – which makes the eldest captain feel incredibly ashamed!

Just as Kaze Wafu was silently complaining, Taiichi, who was running ahead, suddenly spoke up, "Stop, let's take a break!"

The squad halted immediately. Yohei stepped forward and asked, "Taiichi, what's going on?"

"The area ahead is dangerous. Let's replenish our strength here, as battles could break out at any moment!"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. There are no small matters in battle; victory or defeat often hinges on these subtle differences.

They were all experienced ninjas, and each of them was using their limited abilities to recover their physical and mental strength.

Half an hour later, as Taiichi stood up, the other members of the team gathered around him.

"Next, I'll lead the way, Yohei will provide support from the center, and Saori and Xu will bring up the rear on either side behind Yohei. Forward!"

The four-person team continued their journey in silence, and soon entered the danger zone mentioned in the mission description. This was the area where Konoha transportation frequently encountered accidents.

At this moment, the entire Ninja World was in a state of tension, like a powder keg about to explode. Various countries were constantly sending sabotage teams deep behind enemy lines to destroy the enemy's logistics facilities and Resupply, all in order to gain an advantage in the upcoming war.

Espionage, sabotage, defense, and interception are constantly unfolding in the border regions of various countries, and this chaos is continuously extending into the heartland of these countries.

Sure enough, after only two hours of patrolling, when Taiichi used his Chakra Perception again, a group of sneaky ninjas appeared in his perception.

"Attention! At the 2 o'clock position ahead, about 1.5 kilometers away, there are four ninjas hiding. Two are in the trees, and two are in the bushes. They are likely Sunagakure Ninja. Be careful of their Wind Style and Puppet."

With that, the team slightly changed direction and charged straight towards the four Sunagakure Ninja.

No need for inspection, no need for probing; any ninja from other countries are killed on the spot. This is war.

"Yohei and I will launch a Yohei attack, with Saori and Sumi assisting." When the distance was still two hundred meters, Taiichi gave his final instructions.

150 meters.

100 meters.

80 meters.

As the distance closed to its limit, Taiichi immediately used his teleportation Body Flicker, his figure becoming a blur, leaving a zigzag line in the forest, and quickly approaching the large tree where the two were hiding.

Not to be outdone, Yohei charged forward another ten meters before also Body Flicker out and plunging into the grass on the ground.

At this moment, Taiichi had already drawn his Short Sword, and a surge of fire-attribute Chakra was poured into the blade, instantly forming Bright Gold Flame Blade.

With a casual slash, Taiichi unleashed a fierce Flame Blade Qi that cleaved a stunned Sunagakure Ninja in two.

At that moment Flame Blade Taiichi already Body Flicker to the tree, and with a swift horizontal slash, the remaining Sunagakure Ninja who had just taken out Kunai defense was cut in two along with the Kunai.

Without a doubt, ordinary weapons without Chakra protection are no match for the Flame Blade's strikes.

On Yohei's side, having arrived Taiichi, he had already engaged the enemy. Taiichi merely glanced at him before turning his attention to another patch of grass, where the last Sunagakure Ninja was entangled in Saori's electric net and was completely paralyzed.

Taiichi, of course, wouldn't let this opportunity to kick someone when they're down slip by. He flashed Body Flicker, and his Short Sword deftly pierced the enemy's heart.

By this time, Yohei had also finished off the enemy.

The entire battle, from Taiichi's instantaneous teleportation to the complete annihilation of the enemy, took less than 30 seconds, and the enemy consisted of four Chunin.

Behind the bushes, Kaze Wafu stared wide-eyed, her mouth slightly agape, frozen in place, her hand seal, which was only half-formed, stopping in front of her chest.

He hadn't really grasped the concept since he had only carried out B-level and C-Rank Mission before, but today was the first time he had seen the rest of the team going "full power."

Her Body Flicker speed and ruthless swordsmanship left him far behind, even Saori's rapid Ninjutsu releases were beyond his reach. Throughout the entire battle, he didn't even have time to unleash a single Ninjutsu.

This made him wonder: could he really be of any help to this team on their mission?

"Quickly, clean up the battlefield."

A soft shout interrupted his train of thought; he couldn't help with the fighting, but he couldn't afford to fall behind in cleaning up the battlefield.

A week into the mission, the team gradually became familiar with the rhythm of the mission.

Besides the four enemies they encountered at the beginning, the team encountered a total of six waves of enemies over the next few days. The vast majority of them Chunin, and the number of enemies varied each time, ranging from seven or eight to as few as two or three.

The only time he encountered a Jonin was when he ran into Kaze Wafu. It was a real crisis. If Taiichi hadn't used Phoenix Sage Fire to disperse the opponent's Fire Style in time, the newly Chunin Kaze Wafu would probably be charred to death by now.

--

The Jonin also failed to escape, successfully becoming Taiichi's first Jonin achievement in this mission.

After this period of intense fighting, Kaze Wafu has finally caught up with the team's pace. At least she won't be unable to help at all like she was the first time. This is a huge improvement.

"Over the past few days, everyone's teamwork has improved significantly, especially yours, Xu, you've made great progress!"

As night fell, the team found a sheltered spot, and the four of them sat around the campfire.

In early spring, the night air still carries a strong chill.

The burning fire not only dispelled the surrounding darkness but also brought warmth to everyone.

Taiichi occasionally turned over the branches stuck in the ground, on which were skewered four large fish that had just been caught. With the occasional sprinkle of special seasoning, a rich aroma wafted into everyone's noses.

A sound of swallowing saliva was heard, and everyone's eyes turned to Yohei, who was blinking.

"Haha, why are you all looking at me? It smells so good! Aren't you all tempted?"

Everyone smiled knowingly upon hearing this, continuing to stare at the roasting meat by the campfire. Before long, the fish was cooked, Taiichi distributed one to each of them.

Yohei couldn't wait to take a big bite; the scalding hot fish made him exhale repeatedly.

Kaze Wafu, who was standing to the side, also took a bite of the fish. Her eyes lit up immediately, and she no longer cared about her manners. She began to devour the grilled fish.

Only after the entire grilled fish was in his stomach did he let out a long sigh of relief. "Captain, it's so much better to do missions with you! Not only are the missions more efficient, but there's also so much good food. Back in the day, I was just eating dry rations!"

"Really? Really? Tell us about how the other squads carry out their missions."

Yohei was also very curious. Their team hadn't changed much since its inception, and with Taiichi all-around talent, they basically lacked nothing. During missions, they weren't exactly wealthy, but they certainly didn't have to worry about food or drink.

"Back then, we were on a long mission and spent a month in the wild. During that time, we ran out of our own rations and Military Ration Pill, so we had to make do with whatever we could find and eat it all—" He Kaze Wafu said, looking like she was having a hard time recalling the past.

Yohei was full of curiosity. Wasn't this the same as what they were doing now? Was there any difference?

Looking at Yohei's blank Kaze Wafu clueless expression, He Fengxu sighed helplessly, "You have to understand, not everyone is good at cooking, and our team back then was exactly the opposite; the things we made were only good enough to fill our stomachs."

As she spoke Kaze Wafu even made a vomiting gesture, which made Yohei and Saori burst into laughter.

After a long day, everyone was exhausted. After chatting for Taiichi told everyone to prepare for a rest.

Of course, to ensure everyone's safety, taking turns on guard duty is necessary.

"Xu, you and I will keep watch for the first half of the night. Yohei and Saori, you two will keep watch for the second half."

Everyone agreed with Taiichi's arrangements. Yohei and Saori also quickly fell asleep to replenish their energy from the day's activities.

The campfire crackled and popped, Taiichi sat to one side, occasionally poking at the wood to make sure it burned brighter.

Seeing that Kaze Wafu Taiichi, as the Captain, couldn't help but start a casual conversation. "Kaze, how have you been feeling lately? Are you still keeping up with the team's pace?"

Kaze Wafu looked up at the Captain opposite her. In the firelight, the captain's face glowed with a warm red light. "Very good, Captain. I feel that my strength has improved a lot during this time."

How could I not improve? Everyone in the team except me is a monster, making me, the normal person, feel like an idiot. Who can understand this stark contrast? Kaze Wafu could only silently complain in her heart.

"If circumstances allow later, I will let you take on more roles. Your strength is still too weak right now; if you continue like this, you'll only get yourself killed by staying with the team sooner or later."

Taiichi hadn't expected the new members of the team the village assigned to him to be so weak. Normally, this wouldn't be so bad; they could just practice together more.

Exercise more.

But now we've basically entered wartime, and they're carrying out War Mission. This is very dangerous, War Mission are intense and unpredictable. Nobody knows whether A-rank Mission will suddenly encounter enemies beyond the mission's level.

Actually, Taiichi misunderstood the village. On the surface, Taiichi Squad consisted of Chunin, so adding another newly Chunin wasn't such a bad arrangement.

What they didn't expect was that the actual combat strength of this squad far exceeded their theoretical strength, which led to the current awkward situation.

Kaze Wafu listened to Taiichi's words, his old face flushed red. Was he being disliked, especially by someone much younger than himself? But there was nothing he could do; it was the truth, and he could indeed feel that he was holding the team back.

If this situation doesn't change, either the team's mission efficiency will be further slowed down to accommodate him, or he will die on the battlefield one day due to the high intensity of the mission.

"Thank you, Captain. I will definitely do my best."

"You stay here, I'll go survey the surroundings." Taiichi made an excuse to leave, mainly to give Kaze Wafu some time to think on her own. If she wanted to follow the team, her current strength was definitely not enough, after all, they weren't a team specifically for training newbies.

Nothing happened during the first half of the night. Taiichi woke up Yohei and Saori, and then it was their turn to keep watch for the second half of the night, while Taiichi and Suzu went to rest.

And so, the night passed peacefully. In the morning, the four of them ate breakfast and tidied up. Taiichi then formed a few hand seals, and the ground beneath his feet churned slightly, swallowing up all traces of their overnight stay.

The four-man team then continued to roam the border area. During this time, they would encounter other cleanup teams, exchange information with each other, and sometimes cooperate to capture some cunning enemies.

To ensure the safe transport of supplies to the front lines and the security of the towns in the Land of Fire, all the foreign ninjas who have infiltrated the country must be eliminated without exception.

The four of them moved lightly through the forest, the rustling of leaves in the breeze masking the sounds of their movements. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting shadows on the trees and making the forest less gloomy.

Kaze Wafu followed closely behind Yohei. After several days of intense fighting, he realized that deadly dangers could suddenly appear in this tranquil forest at any time, and that sticking close to his teammates was the best way to survive.

"Stop!" Taiichi suddenly raised his fist, and the team instantly halted, forming a Defensive Formation Taiichi him. Taiichi lowered his voice. "At 11 o'clock, 800 meters ahead, there are 8 people advancing in an attack formation towards us."

"Judging from their aura, there are four Jonin and the rest are Chunin. They must have Sensor Ninja who have already locked onto us and are charging straight at us."

Kaze Wafu, and his Adam's apple bobbed; he was clearly frightened by Taiichi's words.

Yohei Ping licked his lips, his eyes blazing with overwhelming fighting spirit. "Four Jonin, that's great! Taiichi, now I finally don't have to fight you for them anymore!"

Saori, abandoning her usual gentle demeanor, looked at Taiichi with eager anticipation, clearly having full confidence in the team's strength.

Taiichi looked at the trusting expressions on their faces, laughed heartily, and felt a surge of pride. So what if they were just four Jonin? With his current strength, how could he not even handle four Jonin?

He sensed that the eight people opposite him, with four Jonin as the spearheads Chunin scattered on both sides, were charging towards him.

Taiichi informed his companions of the situation, and the squad charged towards the enemy in the same formation.

A faint whooshing sound came from the forest, and eight figures swept through the bushes like ghosts. The scarred Jonin his eyes slightly closed, as if sensing something. Clearly, he was the Sensor Ninja.

"They're charging in too!"

"Oh, you've got some nerve, finding us and not running away right away."

"A bunch of brats, just making a last-ditch effort!"

In the time it takes to say a few words, the short distance of a few hundred meters is nothing more than a blink of an eye for the two opposing ninja groups.

Seeing the Sunagakure Ninja appear in their field of vision, Taiichi and Yohei exchanged a glance and accelerated in unison. They wanted to draw the enemy's firepower to prevent Saori and Suzu from being attacked by Jonin start.

Here, Taiichi's position is even further forward, like a real sharp knife, thrusting at the opponent under the strongest pressure.