First Time on the Battlefield

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

His tone was icy and merciless. The current Hatake Kakashi gave off a cold, gloomy air, as if he were desperately trying to prove something.

"How strange. Isn't it true that Kakashi-senpai's father, the White Fang of the Leaf, chose to abandon his mission to protect his comrades? That doesn't sound like something one should say to a comrade from the same village."

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

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

Namikaze Minato scanned the group, his gaze lingering on the brown-haired girl behind Kakashi before his expression softened into his usual, familiar smile.

"Rin, I'll 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 those two to me."

With her hair cut to her ears, Nohara Rin nodded repeatedly with a beaming smile. She laughingly took the hands of the worried-looking Uchiha Obito and Kakashi, then headed toward the village gates.

"And also..."

"No need. This idiot and the delicate girl over there haven't fallen to the point of needing others to save them. I'm the same. Let's go, let's go."

He rejected Minato's good intentions. 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 the war for the first time; if you encounter danger, just run for your lives."

"Ara ara, while that may be true, it's still inexplicably irritating 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.

"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 troublesome main front. The opponent is Chiyo, who excels in the use of poison. Without Lady Tsunade's help, she will be quite difficult to deal with."

"When it comes down to it, the Third Shinobi World War broke out because of the disappearance of the Third Kazekage—that was the fuse."

Nara Shikaku analyzed in a low voice. Currently, the only ones qualified to deal with Chiyo, a master puppeteer, aside from Orochimaru—who remained in the village among the Sannin—were the disciple of Jiraiya, the man 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 Hidden Sand Village to continue their maneuvers on the border. Let's head out as well. Don't worry anymore; your students are already excellent ninjas."

Akimichi Choza, their teammate, offered words of comfort. Beside him, the silent Aburame Shibi nodded gently, his black sunglasses hiding his innermost thoughts.

"I hope so. I have a lingering, ominous premonition. After that last battle, will the Hidden Cloud Village really let things rest?"

Though he worried, not a second could be wasted on the battlefield. The several Konoha Jonin then set off toward the border of the Land of Wind.

Two flowers bloom, each on its own branch.

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

"Listen well. This mission is purely for reconnaissance. The Hidden Cloud Village and Konoha have clashed many times since the start of the war. While both sides have chosen to exercise tacit 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, you must absolutely not engage in a prolonged fight. Disperse!"

The squads fanned out in a circle. Hanazuki's three-man team was unlike the typical group of fresh graduates; they were rarely assigned to reconnaissance zones so close to the front lines.

Tch, is this revenge? Or is it intentional? What a pain. I'll just do a cursory check and fudge the report. The Raikage of the Hidden Cloud should be the Fourth Raikage A, along with his partner, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer Bee. Two troublesome guys.

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

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

"Quiet, you idiot Anko. This is a battlefield; one can never be too careful. If it's just a reconnaissance mission, we only need to 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.

"A summoning jutsu? Are you 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 reconnaissance ninjas the enemy might have."

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

She was a close-combat ninja, and Anko only knew Fire Style ninjutsu; neither was skilled at reconnaissance. She hadn't expected this seemingly unreliable guy to be capable of such an unexpected summoning technique.

Anko and Yugao stared at each other in the tree stump. Hanazuki closed his eyes to rest, and after a long silence, he nodded gently.

"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 her cheer, a small, firm, pale hand clamped directly over her mouth.

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

Time ticked away, and as the meeting time approached, the three quietly slipped out of the tree hole and headed toward the rendezvous 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 Hidden Cloud Village ninjas have been detected for the time being."

"Team 10, Uchiha Hanazuki, Mitarashi Anko, and Uzuki Yugao, 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!"