War Is About to Begin

"War is coming sooner than expected."

Uchiha Yū walked down the street, watching many merchants prepare to leave. From the movements of the shinobi, he could already tell that war had arrived.

The exact timing of the Second Shinobi World War was unknown, but it had come half a year earlier than Uchiha Yū had expected.

Perhaps the conflict between the Third Kazekage and Hanzō, coupled with Konoha's involvement, had prompted the usually cautious Sand Village to take the initiative and launch an attack.

After asking around, Nawaki finally spotted Uchiha Yū at a street corner and hurriedly delivered the order.

"You, Orochimaru-sensei is gathering us. Assemble at the village gates in an hour!"

Hearing this, Uchiha Yū grew more cautious.

He did not know whether he would be carrying out missions with Orochimaru this time or joining the Uchiha Clan. The former's missions would certainly be simpler and less dangerous.

As for the latter, with the Hokage targeting them and the major clans needing to head to the front lines, they would likely encounter quite a few enemy shinobi.

Even as he thought, his feet did not stop moving. He quickly made his way to the village gates to assemble.

When he arrived, he saw some former classmates. Nearly a year had passed since graduation. They were no longer rookies fresh out of the Ninja Academy. Many had been tempered by blood and fire, becoming qualified genin.

Of course, Konoha would not send this group of shinobi to carry out missions on the battlefield. Their duties mainly involved transporting provisions in the rear or escorting documents.

At the front stood the Three Sannin, who were also the leaders of this mission.

Orochimaru stood in the middle. It was obvious that Tsunade and Jiraiya would need to follow Orochimaru's orders.

"Long time no see, You!"

A shout interrupted Uchiha Yū's thoughts. A blond-haired boy following behind Jiraiya poked his head out, walked into the crowd, and gave You a direct hug.

The two had not seen each other for half a year. After being chosen by Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze had returned to the village only a handful of times. Unlike the three-man squad structure, he had remained at Jiraiya's side, following his ninja way.

"It has indeed been a long time."

A rare smile appeared on Uchiha Yū's face as he looked Minato over. He could sense the chakra surging within him, no less than his own.

He had improved a lot in half a year!

The next moment, Uchiha Yū, who had been perfectly cordial until then, delivered a fatal remark.

"Too bad your little girlfriend can't come along on the mission."

Minato Namikaze's smile froze. He did not know whether to put it away or keep it on his face.

"At least I have a girlfriend. Unlike some people, who spend every New Year alone. Next time, you can celebrate with the two of us."

"You really are a bastard."

The two traded a few barbs, but before setting out, they still reminded each other to be careful.

Once everyone had assembled, Orochimaru looked at his disciples. They had grown considerably during this period, and he spoke with satisfaction in his voice.

"You have all grown up. During the coming mission, I may not be able to ensure your safety. I hope you can withstand the cruelty of war."

"Also, our team is temporarily disbanded. During wartime, many matters cannot be handled in team formations."

He patted their shoulders. This was the first time Orochimaru had openly shown concern for his disciples. Until now, he had always played the role of a strict teacher.

After reminding them of various wartime precautions and warning them against falling into enemy traps, he began assigning their missions.

"Our mission is to be stationed in the Rain Village. They are the ones who started this war."

"I will be in charge of directing the war, so under normal circumstances, I cannot leave the headquarters."

The effect of an outstanding commander far surpassed that of an ordinary jonin. Orochimaru's calm temperament ensured that he could handle matters coolly and rationally under immense pressure, something Tsunade and Jiraiya could not do.

Konoha's battle lines were divided into three parts. The shinobi force led by Orochimaru was responsible for the Rain Village front. The Nara clan head was responsible for the forces from the Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Rock Village. Meanwhile, a Hatake jonin led a team stationed near the Sand Village, ostensibly to help the Sand Village through its crisis, but actually to monitor its every move and prevent a surprise attack.

They were the commanders of the war, but behind them, the Hokage was still needed to oversee everything.

Konoha's war machine awakened in the early morning.

Following Orochimaru's lead, they reached the border of the Land of Fire in the shortest possible time. The Rain Village occupied an extremely important geographical position, where three nations met, making it the best place for spies to infiltrate.

The war had not yet begun, but small-scale casualties had already appeared on the front lines. They had been discovered by the enemy while carrying out reconnaissance missions and were injured in the ensuing clashes.

Tsunade was arranging treatment for the wounded. Uchiha Yū was already a qualified medic, and before the war fully broke out, there was no point thinking of heading out.

Orochimaru had positioned him as a medical shinobi, so after arriving at the front lines, he was assigned to the base hospital.

"Lady Tsunade, we meet again."

Upon entering, he saw Tsunade treating patients. After healing one patient's injuries, she followed the voice and saw Uchiha Yū. Letting out a long breath, she said, "You arrived much earlier than I expected. I happen to need help here. It is time to put your talent to use."

She stretched lazily. She had reached the front lines ahead of the force led by Orochimaru, and after arriving, she had immediately begun intense treatment work.

"Every medical shinobi is extremely valuable now. We must ensure our patients survive. As long as they are not dead, we must keep treating them, even if we exhaust all our chakra!"

"As expected of Lady Tsunade."

Uchiha Yū quietly listened to Tsunade's famous medical creed, a conviction she upheld throughout her life. But he did not immediately begin treating anyone. At this stage, the medical shinobi could still handle the workload.

He watched the busy medical shinobi, then took a lap around the hastily constructed hospital and discovered a fatal problem.

"If this continues, the burden on the medical shinobi will be severe."

There was no proper system. Everyone who came to the hospital was wounded from the battlefield, and upon entering, a medical shinobi would treat them.

It was manageable at first, but once the war officially began and casualties increased, the medical shinobi would struggle to cope.

He immediately went to Tsunade's side and interrupted her treatment, prompting her to say with displeasure, "What is it? If it is not urgent, go treat the patients."

Uchiha Yū was not angered by Tsunade's reprimand. Instead, he directly pointed out the enormous flaw in the treatment process.

"Lady Tsunade, there is a major flaw in the hospital's treatment procedures."