Before the Great War, So Many Things to Handle

Outside the Sunagakure camp in the Land of Rivers.

On a huge tree, a figure was yawning, leaning against the tree, swinging his right leg over his left leg and idly swinging it.

In his hand, a ball of flame floated, sometimes transforming into a small animal, sometimes dispersing into several smaller balls, moving erratically. Other times, the flame changed from orange-red to orange-yellow, then yellow, gold, Bright Gold, and then back to orange- Bright Gold again, repeating this cycle.

That's right, this person is Taichi Matsushita. He was sent by Jiraiya to monitor the movements of Sunagakure. It was already the second day.

This is no easy task. First, you have to avoid being discovered by the Sunagakure's Scout, and second, being monitored for so long is incredibly boring.

Can't you see he's just idly practicing his Chakra Control? If he doesn't do something, he might go crazy.

It wasn't that he didn't want to cause trouble for Sunagakure; in fact, he had done just that yesterday when he arrived—ambushing the Sunagakure Ninja who had just left the Camp.

Unfortunately, he underestimated the level of hatred he held in the hearts of the Sunagakure. After learning that it was Taichi Matsushita who had ambushed the Sunagakure Ninja, he was harassed by more than a dozen Jonin, including Sensor Ninja.

This was, after all, near the Sunagakure Camp, and who knows how many sensory techniques were hidden here. As a result, he didn't get close to the Sunagakure Camp at all throughout the day, except for the first hour.

That won't do. Completing the mission is the key; killing a few Sunagakure Ninja is completely insignificant in comparison.

So today, Taiichi could only stay obediently on this big tree, carefully avoiding the Sunagakure 'Sunagakure Scout while monitoring their movements.

As afternoon approached, a large troop approached from afar. Without even needing to use Ninjutsu to Scout, Taiichi knew that the Jinchuriki Shukaku Sunagakure had finally arrived at the front lines.

"Finally here." With those words, Taiichi's figure vanished into a puff of white smoke with a "bang."

That's right, this is a Shadow Clone, and there are two more such Shadow Clone outside the Sunagakure Camp. They were Taiichi to carry out surveillance missions.

Such a boring task was naturally something his main body didn't want to do personally, so this unfortunate task fell to his Shadow Clone.

As for the main body, it was currently beneath a massive waterfall, using the force of the water to temper its body.

Don't mistake this for an ordinary waterfall. If you observe carefully, you'll find that water flows against the current on both sides of the waterfall, and after reaching a certain height, it turns around and accelerates down with the momentum of the waterfall, rushing towards Taiichi at the bottom of the waterfall.

This is Taiichi's latest improved body-forging method, which uses Water Style to create a stronger water force within the waterfall to impact the body, thereby achieving the best body-forging effect.

Of course, such consumption is quite large, and fortunately there is a lot of water here, Taiichi Taiyi doesn't need to use Chakra to create water out of thin air again, otherwise he wouldn't have the level to train like this.

Just as Taiichi was immersed in the exhilarating feeling of training, a memory entered Taiichi mind.

Taiichi appeared on the shore beneath the waterfall, where a Flying Thunder God Kunai was stuck in the ground.

Taiichi's body flashed with Kakkou, and his wet body dried completely. He quickly put on his clothes and disappeared from the spot in another flash.

When he reappeared, he was already at the spot where the Shadow Clone had disappeared, and the group was still out of sight.

With his Soul Vision activated, Taiichi finally confirmed that it was indeed Jinchuriki after witnessing the enormous and violent soul once again.

Taiichi created a Shadow Clone and sent it back to the Camp to report. He watched the group slowly advance until the entire group disappeared into the Sunagakure Camp. Only then did he leave the Shadow Clone behind, and his main body disappeared again.

The Jinchuriki has arrived at the Sunagakure front-line Camp, and the great battle has officially entered its countdown. Just thinking about it makes Taiichi feel his hands trembling slightly, not out of fear, but out of barely contained excitement.

Although Taiichi is not a warlike person, as a ninja who pursues the greatest power, daily hard training is not enough; fierce battles are still an indispensable part of this path.

Only in fierce battles can the human body's potential be fully unleashed, allowing one's strength to progress more smoothly.

Returning to the waterfall, Taiichi took off his outer garment and leaped into the rushing water. Underwater, without him needing to move, the current automatically created a propulsive force under his control, propelling him towards the bottom of the waterfall.

Upon reaching the base of the waterfall, Taiichi, braving its immense force, stepped through the water and sat upright on the surface, once again utilizing the waterfall's immense pressure to train.

While Taiichi himself was still diligently training, the Camp's higher-ups also received a message from Taiichi's Shadow Clone.

Based on the sporadic fighting pace of the past two days, the Central Command Tent quickly concluded that a major battle would take place in the next two or three days.

Currently, both Sunagakure and Konoha are intentionally accumulating strength. Some less important locations have even had their garrisoned ninjas recalled. All of this is in preparation for a more powerful attack during the great war.

That evening, Taiichi, after reporting on the mission, happened to see Yohei returning to the Camp. Judging from their travel-worn appearance, they had obviously just returned from a mission.

"Yohei, Kakashi." Taiichi called out to them from afar, waving him over. "Come here, I need to talk to you!"

The five of them turned around in unison, looking in the direction from which the sound came. Seeing Taiichi walking towards them, they temporarily put aside their plans to hand in their mission and went to greet Taiichi.

"Taiichi, what's up? We were just about to turn in our mission! Let me tell you, I saved Kakashi this time. If it weren't for me, he'd probably be dead out there." Before anyone could speak, Obito started bragging.

Upon hearing this, Taiichi also looked at Kakashi with curiosity. It was truly rare that Obito had actually saved Kakashi.

However, seeing Kakashi nod helplessly, he knew that the rescue had definitely been carried out, but whether it was as dramatic as it seemed was another matter entirely.

Regardless, Obito's actions are still commendable. "Well done, Obito, you've finally grown up. From now on, you'll need to take on more responsibility in the team."

Obito nodded excitedly. Such praise was exactly what he wanted, especially since it came from his good friend Taiichi. However, something felt off; it felt like an elder praising a junior.

Looking at Taiichi's "kind" eyes, Obito suddenly felt uneasy and couldn't help but shudder.

Ignoring Obito's strange behavior, Taiichi looked at everyone with a serious expression. "Let's go, let's go to the side first."

The group exchanged glances, realizing that Taiichi must have something important to tell them, so they silently followed behind Taiichi, heading towards a secluded corner of the Camp.

"Taiichi, what's wrong? Why are you being so cautious?" As the Captain, Yohei naturally asked on behalf of the entire team.

"In the next few days, a large-scale frontal battle will take place." Taiichi looked at everyone seriously and said each word carefully.

"What! A direct war!" Obito exclaimed, his hands trembling slightly, whether from fear or excitement, it was hard to tell.

The others were also full of surprise. Since they arrived at the Southern Camp, they had only had one direct confrontation with the Sunagakure Ninja at the beginning, but it was that battle that gave them a real taste of what it means to be ruthless on the battlefield.

The Ninjutsu flying everywhere, the arrows appearing out of nowhere, and the environment of being surrounded by enemies all brought them a huge shock.

Only then did they realize how weak they were, their lives like a small white flower in a storm, which could be blown away at any moment.

"That's right. You've all been out on missions these past few days, so you're not aware that the Camp has started to reduce its manpower. For the next few days, you shouldn't take on any more missions outside the camp," Taiichi warned the group, which was also a small personal concern of his.

"I'll stay at Camp for the next few days, train hard, make up for my weaknesses, and get myself in shape for the upcoming big battle."

Seeing the seriousness with which Taiichi spoke, everyone unconsciously became tense. Taiichi, knowing that his goal had been achieved, said no more and waved goodbye to everyone.

He's incredibly busy. Not only does he have to monitor the Sunagakure Camp, but he also has to help out at the Medical Camp. In his spare time, he can't neglect his training either. Even six Shadow Clone wouldn't be enough for him!

Seeing Taiichi leave so casually, Obito nudged Kakashi beside him with Obito elbow and chuckled, "Are we still going to take on a mission?"

It turns out they had already planned their itinerary before they returned, and now all their plans have been disrupted.

Kakashi rolled his eyes at the guy. What kind of time is this to be making jokes like this?

He shoved away Obito, who was still trying to get closer to him, and turned to look at Yohei, waiting for him to speak. After all, they were only a small team, and Yohei was their Captain.

"Since Taiichi has made this suggestion—" Yohei looked at everyone, "Then for the next few days, everyone will stay at the Camp. Minato- Senior and Taiichi may not be available, so feel free to ask me any questions you may have."

Yohei is a responsible person. He is the strongest here, so he naturally has the responsibility to teach and supervise. The other members also agree with this.

After finishing their discussion, they continued their interrupted journey and headed towards the Mission Office.

Taiichi, having left Yohei, Kakashi, and the others, went to the Medical Camp to find Director Fujita.

The intensity of the battle has subsided in the last two days, and the Medical Camp is the place that best reflects this change. You can see that there are quite a few empty beds in the tents now, whereas normally it would be packed with people.

Thanks to this, when Taiichi found Director Fujita, she was also in a rare period of free time. At that moment, she was holding a volume of medical notes and reading it with great interest under a big tree outside the camp.

"Director, I rarely see you here. You're usually either in the Medical Tent or the lab. I always thought you were never free!"

"It's Taiichi!" Director Fujita looked up and saw Taiichi walking towards him with a grin on his face. A rare smile appeared on his usually serious face. "I was having a pretty good time, but seeing you here, I guess those peaceful days are over!"

Taiichi's smile froze, and he chuckled awkwardly, ignoring what Director Fujita was saying. He had come here precisely to cause trouble for the director!

"The big battle is about to begin, Jiraiya- sensei asked me to check if there are any gaps or deficiencies at the Medical Camp?"

"Another major battle is brewing!" Director Fujita put away the scroll, walked over to Taiichi's side, and looked at the sparsely populated Medical Camp and the increasingly crowded other Camp. He couldn't help but sigh, "It truly is the calm before the storm."

Although Taiichi didn't understand Director Fujita's sentiments, he still silently accompanied her as she looked at the scene in the Camp.

After a long while, Director Fujita came to his senses and said again, "I wonder how many people here will be unable to return to their loved ones after this great battle!"

"That's why we're here to protect them! Isn't that the very purpose of Medical Ninja?" Taiichi turned to look at Director Fujita, a warm smile spreading across his face. At that moment, he seemed to be possessed by Minato, transforming into Little Sun, illuminating those around him.

Director Fujita was so stunned by his sudden smile that he quickly looked away and turned to walk towards the camp.

"Let's go, our medical expert, check if there's anything else we've overlooked in the Camp. We'll all be swamped after this big battle!"

Time flew by as both Sunagakure and Konoha actively prepared for the great battle.

One day.

Two days.

Intelligence reports from Sunagakure were relayed Central Command Tent, and as Sunagakure's Camp shifted, Konoha's camp also changed accordingly.

First, those who are usually protected in the main camp, including medical, logistics, and all other non-frontline combat personnel, are being evacuated to the rear in an orderly manner.

When the great battle truly begins, all front-line troops will be deployed to the forefront, and neither Konoha nor Sunagakure will leave any reserve troops behind. This results in a situation where non-combat units lack protection.

At this point, they became the most vulnerable targets. It's important to know that it wasn't just Konoha and Sunagakure that were paying attention to this battle; who knew if there were spies from other ninja villages nearby?

--

When faced with such a vulnerable piece of meat, don't test the integrity of those spies; they're the type to take two bites if they can, and definitely won't take more than one.

Therefore, in this situation, these non-combatants can only retreat to a position that ensures their own safety while also allowing them to return to their duties as soon as the battle ends.

Both sides tacitly agreed to end all of this the next day, so everyone knew that the battle would begin the following day.

On the morning of the third day, before dawn, the Konoha Camp was already bustling with activity.

Led by their Captain, squads of ninjas quickly washed up, ate, and then, under the command of their superiors, left the much more spacious Konoha Camp, lining up in orderly rows on the cleared ground outside the Camp.

The more than 1,500 combat personnel, lined up so quietly, made the scene even more solemn and tense.

At the very front of the group, led by Jiraiya, Minato, the Advisory Group, and a dozen or so other Jonin who were Jonin Captain, as the first rays of sunlight shone on the eastern horizon, Jiraiya, at the head of the group, waved his hand, strode forward, and roared, "Let's go!"

Immediately following, thousands of ninjas shouted in unison, "Victory! Victory!"