First Time on the Battlefield

"Ninjas are those who stake their lives to complete missions. Since you fear death, then abandon your identity and live on in humiliation."

The tone was icy and merciless. Hatake Kakashi now gave off a cold, gloomy air, as if he were desperate to prove something.

"How strange. Didn't Kakashi-senpai's father, the Konoha White Fang, choose to abandon his mission to protect his comrades? That doesn't sound like something one should say to a fellow villager."

A smile played on the corners of his mouth, but Kakashi's pupils trembled, his expression turning inexplicably frigid.

"Kakashi, stop. Do not say such things before stepping onto the battlefield. You too, Uchiha Hanazuki."

Namikaze Minato swept his gaze around, letting it rest on the brown-haired girl behind Kakashi, his expression shifting into his usual gentle smile.

"Rin, I leave Kakashi and Obito to you. Keep this safe; if you encounter any danger, I will arrive as quickly as I can."

"Minato-sensei, understood! You can safely leave them to me."

With her hair cut to her ears and a face full of smiles, Nohara Rin nodded repeatedly. She laughingly took the hands of the worried-looking Obito and Kakashi, then ran toward the village gates.

"And also..."

"No need. This idiot and the frail girl over there haven't fallen so low that they need others to save them. Same goes for me. We're off, we're off."

He rejected Minato's kindness. If Minato were to arrive at the battlefield and discover the existence of the Black Nine-Tails and the Mangekyo Sharingan, the intelligence would likely leak to Danzo.

"Is that so? Be careful in all things. The end for those who are careless on the battlefield is quite tragic. You are all Genin participating in battle for the first time; if you encounter danger, just run for your lives."

"Oh my, oh my. That might be true, but it's still inexplicably annoying to hear. You really don't know how to comfort people, do you?"

Their eyes met, and to Minato's surprise, the group vanished through the gates of Konoha Village.

"Sigh, I've been shunned. Kids these days are really..."

"Don't dwell on such trifles. The battlefield in the Land of Wind is the truly difficult main front. The opponent is Chiyo, who excels in the use of poison. Without Lady Tsunade's help, she will be quite troublesome to deal with."

"Ultimately, the Third Shinobi World War broke out because of the disappearance of the Third Kazekage; he is the fuse."

Nara Shikaku analyzed in a low voice. Aside from Orochimaru, who remained in the village among the Sannin, the only one qualified to deal with Chiyo the puppeteer was the man before them—the disciple of Jiraiya, also one of the Sannin, known as the 'Yellow Flash', Namikaze Minato.

"It can't be helped. Faced with the other side's suspicions, Konoha cannot allow the ninjas of the Sand Village to continue their movements on the border. Let us depart as well. Do not worry; your students are already excellent ninjas."

Their teammate, Akimichi Choza, offered words of comfort. Beside him, the silent Aburame Shibi nodded slightly, his black sunglasses hiding the thoughts deep within.

"I hope so. I have an ominous premonition in my heart. After that last battle, will the Cloud Village really let things rest?"

He couldn't help but worry, but not a second could be wasted on the battlefield. The several Konoha Jonin then hurried toward the border of the Land of Wind.

Two flowers bloom, each on its own branch.

In the Land of Moon, a small country at the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, deep within a forest surrounded by mountains and dense woods.

"Listen well. This mission is purely for reconnaissance. The Cloud Village and Konoha have clashed many times since the war began, and while both sides have chosen to exercise restraint, friction still occurs."

"Most of you are Genin who have just graduated from the Ninja Academy, though there are a few Chunin with mission experience. Remember to follow orders on the battlefield."

Sarutobi Hina, the lead officer responsible for the safety of the ninjas, gave stern instructions, her gaze lingering on Uchiha Hanazuki for quite some time.

"Now, disperse to your assigned sectors. Once you find traces of enemy ninjas, do not engage. Disperse!"

The squads fanned out in a circle. Hanazuki's three-man squad was quite different from the average group of new graduates, as they were unusually assigned to a reconnaissance zone close to the front lines.

Tch, retaliation? Or is this intentional? What a pain. I'll just check around and bluff my way through it. The Raikage of the Cloud Village right now should be the Fourth Raikage, A, and his partner, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee. Two troublesome guys.

Inside a hollow tree trunk, Hanazuki, Anko, and Yugao hid quietly. Although they were all still children, it was quite difficult to find room to move freely.

"Hey, Hanazuki, is it really okay for us to hide here and not do the mission?"

"Shut up, idiot Anko. This is a battlefield; one can never be too careful. If it's just a recon mission, we can just use these."

"Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Sheep. Summoning Jutsu: Nine-Faced Svaha."

To the shock of Anko and Yugao, the light of the summoning jutsu flashed and vanished, as if nothing had happened.

"Summoning Jutsu? You're going to use a summon to do the mission for us? When did you sign a contract with a summon? You stingy jerk."

"Shh, idiot. If you're too loud, someone will find us. This is a battlefield; there's no telling what kind of recon ninjas the enemy might have."

Hanazuki warned in a low voice, drawing a silent smile from Yugao Uzuki. The unease in her heart gradually faded.

She was a close-combat ninja, and Anko only knew Fire Style ninjutsu and wasn't skilled at reconnaissance. She hadn't expected this seemingly unreliable guy to be capable of such surprising summoning arts.

Anko and Yugao stared at each other in the tree hollow while Hanazuki closed his eyes to rest. After a long silence, he nodded slightly.

"Luck is on our side. There are no Cloud ninjas in this sector."

"Great! Finally, I can talk loudly. Hey, hey, what exactly is your summon? Hurry up and let me see..."

Before Anko could finish cheering, a small, firm, fair hand clamped directly over her mouth.

"Idiot, we still can't be sure what methods the opponents are using to scout. If the enemy captures your voice, we'll be in big trouble."

Time ticked by, and as the assembly time approached, the three quietly slipped out of the tree hollow and ran toward the meeting point.

Just as they arrived, they heard Kakashi's cold voice.

"Team 7, Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin, reconnaissance complete. No movements from the Cloud Village ninjas detected for the time being."

"Team 10, Uchiha Hanazuki, Anko Mitarashi, and Yugao Uzuki, no enemy movements detected."

Seeing Hanazuki return second, right after his own Team 7, Kakashi frowned slightly but chose to remain silent. As squad after squad returned, Sarutobi Hina nodded with satisfaction.

"Good. Today's mission is complete. Rest in shifts; night reconnaissance will continue."

"Who's there? Come out!"