The Flames of War Ignite

"Tsk tsk, I knew it. The Land of Grass has committed so many shameless acts, how could they ever be short of conflict?" Hyuga Gen clicked his tongue while watching the battle in the distance.

Hyuga Gen had originally intended to take advantage of the night to stir up some trouble, but before he could even begin, the ninjas from the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass had already started fighting.

Their interference actually made Hyuga Gen feel a bit slighted. He had already formulated a plan and was just about to act when they stole his thunder, leaving him feeling slightly annoyed.

Of course, he was mostly happy. Since he didn't need to lift a finger for things to develop exactly as he had anticipated, it was the best possible outcome for someone like him who aspired to be a human saltfish.

Watching the battle from afar, it didn't seem particularly intense, which didn't quite meet Hyuga Gen's expectations. He decided he needed to add some fuel to the fire, so he rolled his eyes and hatched a plan.

The night was like water to a fish for Hyuga Gen. He transformed into a Grass Village ninja to stir things up, then shifted into a Rain Village ninja to do the same. Under his careful manipulation, the flames of war grew increasingly fierce.

After his micro-management, Hyuga Gen moved away from the battlefield. He planned to find a place to rest and recharge for tomorrow, estimating that Karin or her mother would likely arrive at the battlefield by then.

He had been talking about Karin's mother, but in truth, Hyuga Gen wasn't sure if she was still alive. Subconsciously, he hoped she was, because if she were still alive, Karin likely hadn't suffered any harm or been bitten yet.

The thought of a young girl in her prime being covered in bite marks, causing her immense physical and psychological trauma, made Karin seem truly pitiable. Since he was here, Hyuga Gen didn't want her to suffer such inhumane torture.

Yes, if anyone is going to bite her, it will be me. If anyone is going to leave bite marks, they will only be mine, Hyuga Gen thought shamelessly to himself.

However, that wasn't the most important thing. Regardless of whether she had been harmed, Hyuga Gen was determined to rescue her and take her away. Even if she refused, he planned to knock her out and carry her off; he couldn't afford a wasted trip, as he strictly avoided thankless tasks.

Meanwhile, inside the Grass Village camp, a group of people was discussing something.

"Our casualties were heavy today, and medical supplies were already scarce. Tomorrow will be even worse, so we must request reinforcements from the village as soon as possible," one of them said in a deep voice.

The day's outcome was completely unexpected. Past conflicts had never resulted in such high casualties; while the death toll was manageable, the number of injured was significant.

Of course, this was all intentional on Hyuga Gen's part. He hadn't aimed for vital points when dealing with the people from the Land of Grass, mostly just causing injuries.

It was different for those from the Land of Rain; Hyuga Gen had killed more of them to ensure the fighting became more intense, though he had used kunai for all of it.

In the pitch-black night, he stood far away, and others could likely only see a blurry figure. He took advantage of the chaos to fire hidden projectiles, which also happened to be good practice for his kunai-throwing skills.

"I have already sent a request for reinforcements, and they should arrive by tomorrow. Don't worry too much about medical care; that woman will be coming with the support team," another ninja replied, clearly the leader of the group.

"That's great! Tomorrow, we must make the people from the Rain Village taste our power," one of the men said excitedly, his joy evident upon hearing the captain's words.

They all clearly knew who "that woman" was and understood her utility. They had all experienced the "human medical kit," and everyone knew how effective she was.

At the same time, a similar discussion was taking place in the Rain Village camp.

"The people from the Grass Village are truly despicable. They killed so many of our brothers today; we must seek justice tomorrow," one of them said indignantly.

"Exactly! We must show them what we're made of tomorrow," others chimed in.

The man sitting at the head of the group frowned. The casualty count today was strange; they usually held a slight advantage, but today had been beyond their expectations.

"Show them what we're made of? Then why were our casualties so high today?" he asked in a deep voice, his eyes glaring at the men sitting below him.

Hearing their leader's tone, which seemed to carry a sense of accountability, the group didn't dare to breathe a word.

"What's wrong? Are you all mute? Weren't you just clamoring for revenge?" he shouted sternly when no one spoke.

"Captain, the enemy might have a powerful sensory ninja hiding in the dark, firing hidden projectiles, which is why so many of our brothers were hit. If it were daytime, they would never be our match," one of them said, realizing that silence would only make the captain angrier.

"That's right, Captain! Someone was firing hidden projectiles. The Grass ninjas would run as soon as they fired. If I hadn't been quick-witted, I would have been hit too," another added quickly.

"Then why didn't you say so earlier?" the man at the head of the table glared at him, displeased, and began to think.

"Fine, that's enough for today. I've already requested reinforcements from the village, and they should arrive tomorrow. Leave some men to keep watch, and the rest of you get some rest so we can avenge our fallen brothers tomorrow," he concluded after some thought, agreeing with their assessment and ending the meeting to avoid affecting tomorrow's battle.

He knew the flames of war would only burn hotter tomorrow.

Hyuga Gen had also found a place to rest. He had to admit that having Xiaojin was very convenient, though he remained curious about where his parents had originally found the egg that hatched into Xiaojin.

In truth, Hyuga Gen wanted to know where Xiaojin's home was and if it had a clan. Although his home was its home, it was a summoning beast, and it would likely feel a greater sense of belonging with its own kind.

Hyuga Gen had also noticed that Xiaojin's strength seemed to have hit a bottleneck. To improve, it needed a breakthrough, but he didn't know how to help it.

After all, human cultivation was different from that of a summoning beast. Hyuga Gen had no idea how a summoning beast was supposed to break through, as humans and beasts were different.

He remembered being bullied by it often in the past, but now Xiaojin was no longer his match. Hyuga Gen could use Rotation, Rasengan, Ten-Pulse Divine Sword, and Fire Style against it, while Xiaojin still only relied on its claws, beak, and wings, so it couldn't beat him.

Hyuga Gen wanted to improve Xiaojin's combat power; the stronger Xiaojin was, the stronger he would be, as a summoning beast was an important part of a ninja's strength that couldn't be underestimated.

However, he had no good ideas for now, so he decided to wait until later.

On the other side, Might Guy and his group had also stopped to rest. They had entered the borders of the Land of Fire, and without any ordinary people in the group, their speed had increased significantly.

At this pace, they would reach Konoha in about a day and a half. It had taken nearly half a month to reach the Land of Waterfalls, but only two days to return—such was the difference between ordinary people and ninjas.

The only pity was that the group now lacked the warmth of a campfire and the aroma of roasted meat.