Marching to the Front

The weather was gloomy today; the sun had yet to rise above the horizon, but Riyue was already up.

He walked alone through the misty streets, clutching a bouquet of elegant white chrysanthemums he had asked Inoichi to buy for him the day before. He moved silently through the quiet streets, and as he progressed, the houses grew sparse, replaced by lush trees and vibrant green grass. At the very end of the path lay a cemetery, appearing serene and peaceful in the dawn light.

Riyue entered the cemetery and searched slowly among the rows of tombstones until he finally found the two names—both familiar and strange: Hyuga Den and Senju Naoko.

According to Father's final wishes, his remains were not interred in the Konoha Cemetery for Heroes, but were instead buried alongside Mother. Of course, the Konoha emblem was still carved onto the tombstone, and he was granted the honors of a hero; this was Konoha's tribute to him, Riyue thought silently, recalling what the Third Hokage had told him.

Riyue placed the bouquet on the tombstone and said softly, "Although my soul did not originate from the two of you, and I never truly met you, this life is still a gift from you both. I have come to pay my respects on behalf of the original Riyue; from this day forward, you are my parents."

After speaking, Riyue bowed deeply. He felt an inexplicable sense of closeness to the pair, and the thought that the original Riyue's parents were gone filled him with a profound sadness, as if he had lost his own. Having been an orphan in his previous life, he had long since become indifferent to the departure of parents, yet for some reason, his heart ached intensely.

"Father, Mother, I am heading to the front lines tomorrow. I hope you will bless me so that I may grow strong quickly, uncover the truth behind Father's death, and avenge the original Riyue." Riyue bowed deeply once more.

"I will live well in Riyue's place!" He bowed a final time.

With that, Riyue turned and left. The dark clouds drifted away, and sunlight spilled down. Under the rays of the sun, the bouquet of white chrysanthemums appeared exceptionally dazzling.

The next day, supplies and medicine were loaded onto the wagons, and the personnel had assembled. The Konoha transport team was ready to depart. The convoy consisted of over 150 people, including 100 ninja responsible for protection. Riyue, wearing his chunin vest and carrying his pack, stood with the others at the gates of Konoha.

Seeing the Konoha gates in person was far more impressive than Riyue had imagined; everyone who arrived at Konoha was struck by its grandeur at first glance. The gate was like a face, showcasing the prosperity of the village. Riyue looked up at the gate, wondering how many of those leaving today would never have the chance to see it again.

Dan Kato raised his hand and said to everyone, "Alright, let's move out!"

The wagons rolled slowly out of the gate, and Riyue and his team sat on one of them. As soon as they departed, Dan Kato gathered everyone around. He spread out a map of the convoy's formation and began assigning tasks: "Our squad will be responsible for the transport team's security. Shibi, you are in charge of the outer perimeter; release your insects and move along the outskirts of the road with the convoy. Mizuki, you are responsible for scouting the surrounding area. Riyue, you are to assist Mizuki. Shikaku, Choza, and Inoichi, you will hold the center, ready to strike at any moment and support the guards. I will remain in the shadows as a lookout. We will meet every morning and evening before and after the convoy rests. Do not meet otherwise unless there is an emergency. Is that understood?"

"Understood!" everyone shouted in unison.

"Then begin the operation!" Dan Kato nodded, waved his hand, and the group leaped away.

Riyue, Mizuki, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio took up positions on a wagon in the middle of the convoy. Mizuki activated her Byakugan to observe the surroundings, while Riyue stood guard beside her. When Mizuki needed to rest, Riyue would activate his Byakugan to take her place.

Of course, Riyue could only maintain the Byakugan for 20 minutes at present. He couldn't afford to exhaust his chakra entirely, so he limited himself to 15 minutes, but that was enough for Mizuki to rest and recover her energy. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio remained on standby; whenever Mizuki signaled an anomaly, Shikaku would analyze and judge the situation, and the trio would take immediate action.

Shibi patrolled the outer perimeter, his insects providing him with a wealth of information to relay as an early warning. Dan Kato remained hidden in the shadows, acting as a sentry to monitor every movement. The other ninja performed their duties, walking alongside the wagons and guarding their respective sectors. The convoy appeared calm, but everyone was highly vigilant, wary of unknown threats.

And so, the convoy advanced along the forest road, passing through forests and towns, drawing ever closer to the battlefield. Whenever they reached a town, Riyue, the wealthy one, began to leverage his advantages. During rest stops, he would occasionally soak in hot springs, buy supplies, and eat delicious food, making it seem as if he were on vacation. Riyue was arguably the most relaxed person in the convoy. It couldn't be helped; having completed so many missions, his bonuses were generous—being rich was just that willful.

As the convoy continued, Mizuki monitored the surroundings while Riyue closed his eyes to recover chakra. Thanks to the "blessing" of the Byakugan's high consumption, Riyue's chakra recovery speed was quite fast; after an hour of rest, half of his chakra would be restored. When he had nothing to do, he would play a few games of chess with Shikaku, or practice releasing chakra through all his acupoints—a project that required long-term training.

Choza spent his free time gorging on snacks; the several scrolls he carried were sealed with mountains of food, including various snacks and dry rations, as if they were inexhaustible. Shikaku would sometimes check the route or lie on the roof of the wagon to watch the clouds. Inoichi would go out for a patrol on schedule. Their teacher, Dan Kato, and Shibi were rarely seen. Every morning and evening, they would meet to exchange information, and if there were no anomalies, they would continue their watch as usual.

The convoy stayed in towns whenever possible, only camping in the wild when necessary. Bandits, refugees, and rogue ninja stayed far away upon seeing the strength of the Konoha transport team; no one dared to provoke them. More than ten days passed without incident.

The monotony of the past few days began to make everyone slacken, their nerves beginning to fray.

At this moment, Riyue and Shikaku, who were playing chess, exchanged a glance. Both knew clearly that the real danger was only just beginning, and the relaxed Riyue finally turned serious. They knew that experienced enemies would only strike when their targets' spirits were at their lowest. Thus, everyone began to feign laxity while secretly heightening their vigilance.

Would the enemy truly arrive as expected?

After traveling for a few more days, the convoy set up camp in a clearing within a forest. The ninja built temporary fences around the camp, arranged the tents and wagons according to protocol, and placed the supplies and medicine in the center under the guard of a large number of ninja. Key points were manned, and patrols moved constantly.

The sky had turned completely dark. On a distant mountain, a black shadow watched the flickering firelight in the clearing, standing as still as a stone...

In the camp, most people had fallen asleep after a long day, though many ninja remained on guard duty. Mizuki prepared to rest for a while, so Riyue activated his Byakugan, taking in everything within an 800-meter radius.

"It seems... I haven't discovered any anomalies." Riyue retracted his Byakugan after a glance and closed his eyes to rest. Choza began eating snacks in large mouthfuls. Shikaku went to sleep, and Inoichi rose to go on patrol. Mizuki also chose to rest.

Time flowed slowly until 4:00 AM. The torches and campfires in the camp had dimmed, and the patrolling ninja were yawning with sleepiness. Even the guards couldn't help but doze off; only a few remained awake.

At this moment, the black shadow that had been as still as a stone finally moved.

The figure slowly raised a hand and gave a light wave. Instantly, over three hundred black shadows darted silently out of the forest behind him and began to creep toward the camp. At the same time, figures slowly emerged from the ground about 600 meters from the camp, stealthily approaching the gate. Others used Earth Release to advance slowly toward the camp from underground.

The guards dozing at the gate were quickly dispatched by the vanguard. Dozens of attackers leading the charge entered the camp, swiftly reaping the lives of the guards and advancing toward the central tents and those storing the cargo. The main force of over three hundred followed, flooding into the camp.

"Quick, destroy the medicine and supplies!" someone said in a low voice. The shadows were well-trained, throwing kunai laden with explosive tags at the tents.

"Charge! Kill everyone from Konoha!" others shouted, rushing toward the tents with weapons drawn.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The subsequent explosions shattered the quiet night. Fire erupted across the camp, and the sound of explosions continued. Tent after tent was engulfed in flames, and the dark sky was illuminated by the fire, stained a deep red.

The Konoha camp fell into chaos. "No! We're under attack!" someone screamed.

"Put out the fire! Hurry!" But it was too late; flames were soaring everywhere.

"Run! The enemy is attacking!" Cries and screams echoed from all sides.

"Charge! Charge! Kill them all!" the attackers yelled, brandishing their weapons and rushing forward amidst the constant shouts of battle.

In the nearby forest, the original black shadow remained motionless. Behind him stood seven other shadows, the eight of them silently watching the raging inferno in the camp ahead.

"Heh heh! Lord Kazekage's plan has succeeded! Destroying these Konoha supplies is only the beginning. Konoha will surely fail, and my Hidden Sand will definitely achieve victory!" The black shadow emitted a low voice, cold and filled with excitement.

The shadow waved a large hand. "Inform the troops: leave no one alive!"

"Yes!" A shadow behind him vanished in a flash.