Heading to the Front

The sky was overcast. The sun was still below the horizon, but Riyue was already up.

He walked alone along a misty street, carrying a bouquet of elegant white chrysanthemums. He had asked Inoichi to buy them for him yesterday. He made his way silently through the quiet streets. The farther he went, the fewer houses lined the road, until trees and lush grass surrounded him. At the end stood a cemetery, tranquil and peaceful in the early dawn.

Riyue entered the cemetery and slowly searched among the rows of tombstones. At last, he found the two names that were both familiar and strange to him—Hyuga Den and Senju Naoko.

"According to Father's last wishes, his body wasn't buried in Konoha's Heroes' Cemetery. Instead, he was laid to rest with Mother. Of course, the Konoha symbol was still carved on the tombstone, granting him the honors due a hero. That was Konoha's way of honoring Father." Riyue recalled what the Third Hokage had told him.

Riyue set the bouquet down before the tombstone and said softly, "Though my soul didn't come from the two of you, and I never truly met you, you were still the ones who gave me this life. I've come to pay my respects on behalf of the original Riyue. From now on, you are my parents."

After speaking, Riyue bowed deeply. He felt an inexplicable closeness to them, and the thought of the original Riyue having lost both his parents filled him with sorrow, as if he himself had lost his own. Riyue had been an orphan in his previous life, and he'd thought he was already at peace with the loss of his parents, without much grief left to feel. Yet for some reason, his heart still ached terribly.

"Father, Mother, I'm heading to the front tomorrow. I hope you'll watch over me and help me grow stronger quickly, so I can uncover the cause of Father's death and avenge the original Riyue." Riyue bowed deeply once more.

"I'll live a good life in Riyue's place!" He bowed again.

Then Riyue turned and left. The clouds drifted away, and sunlight spilled down. Beneath its golden rays, the pale chrysanthemums shone brilliantly.

The next day, the supplies and medicine were loaded onto the wagons, and the personnel had assembled. Konoha's transport convoy was ready to set out. This time, it consisted of more than 150 people, including 100 ninja assigned to escort it. Wearing his Chunin vest and carrying a backpack, Riyue stood with the others at the Konoha Gate.

The Konoha Gate was even larger than Riyue had imagined. Anyone arriving in Konoha for the first time would be struck by its grandeur. The gate was like a face, displaying Konoha's prosperity. Riyue looked up at it, wondering how many people would never get the chance to see it again after leaving this time.

Dan Katō raised a hand and addressed everyone. "All right, let's move out!"

The wagons rolled slowly through the gate, and Riyue and the others rode in one of them. As soon as they set off, Dan Katō called everyone over. He spread out a diagram showing the convoy's formation and began assigning tasks. "Our team will handle security for the convoy. Shibi, you're in charge of the perimeter watch. Release your insects and move around the roads on either side of the convoy. Mizuki, you're responsible for scouting the surrounding area. Riyue, support Mizuki. Shikaku, Choza, Inoichi, you'll stay in the middle, ready to move out and support the ninja guarding the convoy. I'll stay hidden as a lookout. We'll meet before and after the convoy rests each day. Don't meet at other times unless something happens. Understood?"

"Understood!" everyone shouted in unison.

"Then move out!" Dan Katō nodded and waved his hand. Everyone leaped away in different directions.

Riyue, Mizuki, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio rode in a wagon near the middle of the convoy. Mizuki activated her Byakugan to watch the surroundings, while Riyue stood guard beside her. Whenever Mizuki rested, Riyue would activate his Byakugan and take over.

Of course, Riyue could only use his Byakugan for twenty minutes at a time. Since he couldn't afford to use up all his chakra in one go, he could only keep it active for fifteen minutes. Still, that was enough time for Mizuki to rest and recover her energy. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio stayed on standby. Whenever Mizuki reported anything unusual, Shikaku would analyze the situation and make a judgment. Then they would decide how to respond, and the trio would act at once.

Shibi moved around the perimeter, gathering plenty of information through his insects and passing it on to the others as an early warning. Dan Katō stayed hidden, keeping watch over every movement in the area. The other ninja each had their own duties, walking alongside the wagons and guarding their assigned positions. The convoy seemed calm, but everyone was on high alert, braced for unknown threats.

The convoy continued along the main road through the woods, passing through forests and towns as it drew closer to the battlefield. Whenever they reached a town, Riyue, the wealthy one, made the most of his money. During breaks, he would sometimes soak in a hot spring, buy supplies, or try all kinds of delicious food. It made him seem as if he were on vacation. Riyue was probably the most carefree person in the convoy. What could he say? He'd completed so many missions that his bonuses had piled up. When you had money, you could do whatever you wanted.

The convoy continued on its way, with Mizuki keeping watch over the surroundings. Riyue rested with his eyes closed, recovering his chakra. Thanks to the "blessing" of the Byakugan's heavy chakra consumption, Riyue recovered quickly. After resting for about an hour, he'd regain half his chakra. When he had nothing else to do, he played a couple of games of chess with Shikaku. He also practiced releasing chakra through all the points in his body whenever he had the chance. It was the sort of thing that required long-term training.

Choza spent his free time stuffing himself with snacks. Several scrolls he carried were sealed with mountains of food—snacks, dried provisions, and all sorts of other things. It seemed like he'd never run out. Shikaku sometimes checked the convoy's route, and when there was nothing else to do, he would lie on the wagon roof and watch the clouds. Inoichi went out for a walk at regular intervals. Dan Katō and Shibi were almost never seen. Everyone met briefly each morning and evening to share updates. If nothing unusual had happened, they carried on with their guard duties as usual.

Whenever the convoy came to a town, they stayed there for the night. They camped outdoors only when there was no other choice. Bandits, refugees, and rogue ninja kept their distance as soon as they saw Konoha's transport convoy. No one dared challenge the strength of Konoha's ninja. And so, more than ten uneventful days passed.

The long stretch of uneventful days had left everyone feeling a little complacent, their nerves beginning to slacken.

At that moment, Riyue and Shikaku glanced at each other over their chessboard. They both knew the real danger was only just beginning. The usually carefree Riyue finally became serious. They knew that an experienced enemy would wait until their opponents let their guard down before making a move. So everyone pretended to relax while secretly becoming more vigilant.

Would the enemy really show up as expected?

After traveling for a few more days, the convoy camped in a clearing in the forest. The ninja built temporary fences around the camp, then arranged the tents and wagons according to regulations. The supplies and medicine were placed in the center of the camp and guarded by a large number of ninja. Guards were posted at key points, and patrols made their rounds without stopping.

Night had fully fallen. On a distant mountainside, a shadow watched the scattered points of firelight in the clearing, standing perfectly still like a stone...

In the camp, most people had gone to sleep after a day of travel, while quite a few ninja remained on guard or patrolled. Mizuki was about to rest, so Riyue activated his Byakugan. Everything within an 800-meter radius came into view.

"Looks like... nothing unusual." Riyue took a glance, then deactivated his Byakugan and closed his eyes to rest. Choza started stuffing his face with snacks. Shikaku also went to sleep, while Inoichi got up to make a round of the camp. Mizuki decided to rest as well.

Time passed slowly. It was exactly four in the morning. The torches and campfires had dimmed, and the patrolling ninja were yawning sleepily. Even the guards couldn't help nodding off. Only a few people remained alert.

At that moment, the shadow that had stood motionless like a stone finally moved.

The shadow slowly raised a hand and gave a slight wave. More than three hundred shadows silently streamed out of the woods behind him and crept toward the convoy's camp. Meanwhile, figures began slowly emerging from underground about 600 meters from the camp, sneaking toward the entrance. Others used Earth Style to advance underground toward the camp.

The guards dozing at the entrance were quickly killed by the vanguard. After entering the camp, the dozens of attackers in the lead swiftly cut down the guards and headed for the central tents and the tents storing the supplies. Then the main force of more than three hundred men poured into the camp.

"Quick, destroy the medicine and supplies!" someone said in a low voice. The shadows moved with military precision, hurling kunai fitted with large numbers of Explosive Tags at one tent after another.

"Attack! Kill all the Konoha people!" The others charged toward the tents with weapons in hand.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The ensuing explosions shattered the stillness of the night. Flames erupted throughout the camp, and explosions rang out one after another. Each tent was engulfed in fire, and the blazing flames lit up the pitch-black sky, staining it red.

Konoha's camp descended into chaos. "No good! We're under attack!" someone shouted.

"Put out the fire! Hurry!" But it was too late. Flames were already raging everywhere.

"Run! The enemy's attacking!" Cries and screams filled the area.

"Attack! Go! Kill them all!" the attackers shouted. Everyone drew their weapons and rushed forward as cries of battle rang out.

In the woods not far away, the shadow from before still stood motionless. Seven more shadows stood behind him. The eight watched in silence as the flames blazed through the camp ahead.

"Heh, Lord Kazekage's plan worked! Destroying these supplies is only the beginning. Konoha is bound to lose, and Hidden Sand will claim victory!" The shadow's low voice was cold, yet filled with excitement.

The shadow swept a hand through the air. "Tell the troops: leave no one alive!"

"Yes!" One of the shadows behind him flashed away.