Battle with the Mist Village (1)

In the forest to the east of the Land of Fire.

Two Konoha Ninja were fleeing for their lives, their faces filled with terror, their clothes tattered and torn. As they ran, they kept looking back as if some ferocious beast was behind them.

"Captain, you go first. I don't have the strength to run anymore," one of the ninjas said, panting heavily.

"Narita, hang in there a little longer. We might run into some Konoha ninjas up ahead." The ninja Captain grabbed his teammate's hand, trying to pull him along to escape. However, he knew in his heart that the nearest outpost was still half a day's journey away in this vast forest.

Narita broke free from the Captain's grasp and said with difficulty, "Captain, can't you see? Those monsters are just toying with us. They could have killed us long ago, but they're not killing us now because they want to see us run away in a sorry state. I'm out of strength. Rather than die such a cowardly death, I'd rather fight one last time. Captain, you should go. I can still buy you some time."

As he spoke, Narita stopped walking and leaned against a tree trunk to rest.

Upon hearing this, the Captain paused slightly, but seeing Narita's resolute expression, he stopped trying to persuade him. He quickened his pace and left the area, hoping to encounter a fellow villager so that even if he died in battle, he could still pass on the information.

Narita remained where he was, didn't rest for long either. He was right; the ninjas chasing them were indeed just toying with them.

Otherwise, at their speed, they would have been caught up long ago.

About 5 minutes later.

"Oh, the little mouse isn't running away anymore!" A teasing voice came from afar.

"Prey that has given up struggling is worthless; it's better for it to disappear sooner." Another voice rang out.

"Hurry up and deal with it; there's another rat waiting for us to catch up ahead."

Narita looked up and saw seven strangely shaped ninjas approaching from a distance. Not only were their appearances unusual, but even their weapons were extraordinary.

"Damn it, you monsters, die!" Gathering his last bit of strength, Narita Body Flicker rushed towards the group, his Kunai aimed straight at the heart of the first man.

However, courage is just courage and cannot be converted into actual combat power. Without these people making any move, a thick bolt of lightning descended from the sky and struck Narita, who was running.

Before he could even dodge, Narita was struck by lightning and knocked to the ground, his body charred black. He twitched slightly a couple of times and then lay still.

Until his death, Narita posed no threat whatsoever to these Mist Ninja.

"Raiga Kurosuki, you're too fast! I wanted to play with him a little longer before blowing him to smithereens." The speaker had a ponytail and a wild smile on his face.

"Munashi Jinpachi, now is not the time to play around. We've already wasted a lot of time. Let's hurry up and catch that rat and interrogate him to get information about the surrounding area." Juzo Biwa said, carrying Kubikiribōchō on his back and grinning with a mouth full of sharp teeth.

Munashi Jinpachi curled his lip in disdain, but didn't say anything more.

"What's the point of interrogating him? Just look at that Konoha Ninja. We should just follow that little mouse; he'll naturally lead us to a place nearby where there are Konoha Ninja." Kushimaru Kuriarare, wearing a Mist Village Anbu, spoke in a gloomy voice, watching the direction the Konoha Ninja had fled, brandishing a weapon that resembled a long needle in his hand.

Everyone else's eyes lit up when they heard this. What a great idea! Instead of aimlessly searching for Konoha Ninja, why not do what Kushimaru Kuriarare suggested and throw out the bait, waiting for the fish to bite?

Everyone turned their attention to Suikazan Fuguki, who was walking in the center. As the Captain of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, he was the one who needed to make the decision.

"That's a good idea. We've already cleared out the nearby outposts. We'll really have to rely on these guys to lead the way for the rest. Let's follow them for half a day and see. If it doesn't work, we'll change our plan."

With Captain Suikazan Fuguki agreeing to the plan, the others had no objections. Mist Village's rules and their style were as ruthless as ever, with a clear hierarchy within the team that allowed no dissent.

Seven figures leaped forward, chasing after the Konoha Ninja who had fled.

The fleeing squad Captain was completely unaware that he had transformed from a helpless mouse into a freely moving bait, his aim being to lure out other Konoha Ninja nearby.

In the Konoha Great Forest, a force of over a thousand people was rapidly marching eastward. This was a reinforcement unit that had set out from Konoha and was heading towards the East Coast.

At the center of the group, and also at the very front, stood three ninjas. Judging from their attire, the one on the left was an Uchiha, the one on the right was a Hyuga, and the one sandwiched between them was a ninja who looked young but was actually even younger.

These were Taichi Matsushita, Uchiha clan head Fugaku, and Hyuga's main Main Family representative Yuki.

This strange formation was a reluctant compromise. The Uchiha and Hyuga disliked each other, and the other clans had neither the strength nor the will to fight against these two. In the end, they could only push Taiichi to the front.

At least Taiichi has good relationships with both the Uchiha Hyuga, and he is also very strong.

Taiichi, who occupies the absolute center position of the team, is calm and composed, showing no embarrassment at all for being in the core position.

The various clans spared no expense in this expedition, and he spotted many unknown ninjas among the crowd who would become famous in the future, such as Shisui Uchiha, Tokuma Hyuga, and Inoichi Yamanaka.

In addition, Taiichi spotted Might Duy in the group. His green bodysuit was so eye-catching that Taiichi noticed him immediately in the crowd. He was also one of the few non-family ninjas in the group.

However, the group left in such a hurry that Taiichi didn't have time to say hello. But it was seeing Taiichi Might Duy that reminded Taiichi of Guy, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

In the original story, Guy's squad was being hunted down by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist during the Third Shinobi World War. Might Duy arrived in time, opened the Eight Gates, and sacrificed himself to save their lives.

Might Duy is currently with the team, but he doesn't know what Kai's situation is. Once he gets to the front lines, he needs to find out, and he can't let such a tragedy happen again.

"Taiichi, I hope you will take good care of my Uchiha clan members during this battle against Mist Village."

As the Uchiha Clan Head, Fugaku had previously cooperated with Taiichi, and with Yohei in his household as Taiichi's teammate, his understanding of Taiichi was naturally beyond what others could know.

His words naturally caught the attention of Yuki Hyuga on the other side. He had heard a lot about Taiichi's strength, and he didn't know if it was exaggerated, but a person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. Since there were such rumors, his actual combat strength must not be underestimated.

But as the head of the Uchiha Clan, is it too much of an overestimation to speak to a junior in such a "humble" manner and ask him to take care of the Uchiha Clan Yuki Hyuga Clan face.

"The Uchiha is becoming increasingly degenerate. Instead of seeking strength themselves, they turn to an outsider for help. They've truly put the cart before the horse."

Yuki Hyuga mocked without any mercy. Although he didn't say it directly to Taiichi, it still sounded harsh to him.

He glanced at Yuki Hyuga beside him without making a sound. This guy had an arrogant look on his face, as if he didn't care about anyone.

Taiichi thought to himself that there really weren't many people in the Hyuga Main Family that he liked.

Passing by Yuki Hyuga, Taiichi saw Taiichi Hizashi Hyuga following behind him, who gave Taiichi an awkward smile, as if to tell Taiichi not to mind.

Taiichi pursed his lips. If it weren't for your sake, he would have already retorted.

However, just because Taiichi doesn't say anything doesn't mean others won't.

Fugaku Uchiha wasn't a genuinely nice guy. He was kind to Taiichi because the two sides had a close relationship, but there was absolutely no need for that with the Hyuga.

"Hyuga Elder is quite tough. If any of your Hyuga Clan members are injured on the battlefield, don't let Taiichi treat them. Leave that opportunity to my Uchiha. I will be eternally grateful."

Yuki Hyuga was taken aback upon hearing this. He then remembered that Taiichi was not only powerful, but also renowned in Konoha Medical Ninjutsu.

Even within the Hyuga Clan, many ninjas had received his kindness.

"You—" Yuki Hyuga was speechless, but as the head of the Hyuga Main Family, he couldn't afford to lose face. Words spoken are words that cannot be taken back; he couldn't admit defeat after being silenced by Fugaku Uchiha's words. "The Camp has other Medical Ninja; my Hyuga Clan isn't without its own."

At this point, Hizashi Hyuga, who was a step behind, couldn't listen any longer. He knew Taiichi well, even if others didn't. He quickly sped up and whispered to Yuki Hyuga, "Elder, you mustn't—"

Before he could finish speaking, Yuki Hyuga suddenly turned his head, his eyes wide, glaring at him angrily. "Hizashi, don't think that just because you're the clan head's younger brother you can boss me around. Branch Family is Branch Family. Just do your job as a member of the Branch Family."

A furious rebuke left Hizashi red-faced, but he ultimately held back, silently slowing down and returning to his proper place.

Taiichi watched quietly from the side, his brows slightly furrowed. Although he knew before that the Hyuga Clan Main Family and Branch Family system was absurd, witnessing it with his own eyes was truly an eye-opener for him.

Those who branched out of the Branch Family have absolutely no dignity in front of the Main Family; they can be humiliated at will. And this is the clan leader's younger brother; one can only imagine how the others would react.

"Alright, we're heading to the front lines to fight Mist Village to the Hyuga Elder wants to show off, please do so back at the Hyuga Clan. The important thing now is to hurry on our way."

Taiichi spoke, his aura surged. Although he didn't target anyone, it made his attitude clear: ninjas still need to rely on strength. His mountain-like aura clearly told Yuki Hyuga that this was not someone he could mess with.

Yuki Hyuga glared fiercely at Hizashi Hyuga, then obediently shut his mouth. Taiichi was even more displeased, thinking that this elder of the Hyuga was tough on his own but weak on others, truly disappointing.

The minor incident did not affect the troops' march. By the afternoon of the second day, Taiichi and the others finally arrived at the front-line Camp and joined the garrison troops there.

These were originally ninjas from various coastal outposts. To prevent them from being defeated one by one, the village gathered them together to perform only simple Scout and warning tasks.

Upon arriving at the front lines, the first thing the group did was search for their Commander, Tsunade. However, to their dismay, when they asked to see Tsunade, the ninjas stationed at the Camp were completely bewildered: Shouldn't the Commander have come with the main force? Why are you asking them?

In an instant, everyone's eyes turned to Taiichi in the very center of the group. There was no other reason than that Taiichi was the most likely person to know Tsunade's whereabouts, so who else would they look at but him?

Taiichi was also very embarrassed at this moment. Wasn't it agreed that she would wait at the front line? It turned out that instead of her waiting for the troops, the troops had to come and wait for her first.

But Taiichi had been through so much training over time, and his face remained expressionless. He closed his eyes and sensed the Flying Thunder God Kunai that Tsunade had placed there, and realized that its location was not far from the Camp.

He then opened his eyes and said to everyone, "Lady Tsunade must have been delayed by something, but she's not far from here and should arrive today."

"Everyone, get the Camp ready first. Set up the sensory and Defense Barrier quickly, and send out all the patrolling ninjas. We can't wait until Lady Tsunade arrives and it's still a mess."

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't matter if she was a little late, as long as she arrived. Most of the people here were high-ranking members of their respective clans, so they naturally knew about Tsunade's movements. They were genuinely afraid that Tsunade's appointment as Commander was just a pretext for the village.

Reality did not disappoint. As evening approached and the sun began to set, Tsunade, Tsunade by Shizune, arrived at the Camp, led by a patrolling ninja.

Before they even got close, the shouts of the patrolling ninjas could be heard.

"Lady Tsunade is here! The Commander has arrived!"

Instantly, the news spread like wildfire, and within minutes, everyone in the Camp knew of Tsunade's arrival.

Taiichi, along with the leaders of his clan's ninjas, arrived at the Camp entrance to greet their Commander.

"Teacher, you've finally arrived!" Taiichi was the first to step forward, his voice tinged with a hint of resentment, though no one else could tell.

"Haha, just in time." Tsunade patted Taiichi on the shoulder, trying to hide her twitching lips. She couldn't very well admit that she couldn't resist taking another gamble; Tsunade still had her pride.

Looking at the ninjas who came to greet him, he saw Uchiha, Hyuga, Sarutobi, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Nara, Inuzuka, Aburame —Konoha every clan he could name from Konoha was there.

It seems that Taiichi was not exaggerating at all. Konoha has indeed reached a point where it has no choice but to First Shinobi World War, and all the major Ninja Clan have put all their resources into this First Shinobi World War.

"Everyone, time is of the essence. I come from the Land of Waves, where a large number of Mist Village outposts have already appeared, and I believe their main force will arrive soon as well."

Now, everyone follow me to the Central Army Tent to discuss how we should fight this battle.

Tsunade spoke with domineering confidence and decisiveness. With a wave of her hand, she led everyone towards the largest tent in the Camp, her back view exuding effortless elegance.

Everyone was immediately excited when they saw that it was indeed Tsunade; she had gone to the Land of Waves to investigate the enemy's situation. With such a Commander, how could the Mist Village not be destroyed?

Only Taiichi, who was following behind Tsunade, couldn't help but twitch his eye. He really put on a good show. Now everyone thought that Tsunade had come late to Scout the enemy's situation. Their recognition of her had risen to another level, and even he couldn't help but admire her. He realized that he still had a lot to learn.