War Was About to Begin

"War is coming faster than expected."

Uchiha Yuu walked down the street, watching quite a few merchants prepare to leave. From the movements of the ninja alone, one could tell that war had arrived.

The exact date of the Second Shinobi World War was unknown, but it had begun half a year earlier than Uchiha Yuu had expected.

Perhaps the conflict between the Third Kazekage and Hanzo, coupled with Konoha's involvement, had prompted the normally cautious Sunagakure to take the initiative and launch an attack.

After asking around, Nawaki finally spotted Uchiha Yuu at a street corner and anxiously delivered the order:

"Yuu, Teacher Orochimaru is summoning us. Gather at the village gate in an hour!"

Hearing that, Uchiha Yuu became considerably more cautious.

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

As for the latter, with the Hokage targeting them and such a large clan needing to head to the front lines, they would likely encounter quite a few enemy ninja.

Though he was deep in thought, his feet did not stop moving. He quickly made his way to the village gate to assemble.

Upon arriving, he saw several former classmates. Nearly a year had passed since graduation. They were no longer rookies fresh out of the Ninja Academy; many had already been tempered by blood and fire, becoming qualified Genin.

Of course, Konoha could not possibly send this group of ninja to perform missions on the battlefield. Their tasks mainly involved transporting supplies in the rear or escorting documents.

At the front stood the Legendary Sannin, who were also in charge of this mission.

Orochimaru stood in the center. It was obvious that Tsunade and Jiraiya had to follow his orders.

"Long time no see, Yuu!"

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

The two had not seen each other in 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 arrangement, he had remained by Jiraiya's side, following his ninja way.

"It really has been a long time."

Uchiha Yuu rarely showed a smile as he sized up Minato. He could sense the chakra surging within him; it was no less than his own.

He had improved a lot in half a year!

The next second, the previously amiable Uchiha Yuu delivered a fatal blow:

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

Minato Namikaze's smile froze, and he did not know whether to drop it or keep it up.

"At least I have a girlfriend. Unlike certain 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 off, they still reminded each other to stay safe.

Once everyone had assembled, Orochimaru looked at his disciples. They had grown a great deal during this time, and he said in a gratified tone:

"You've all grown up. I may not be able to look after your safety during the next mission. I hope you can withstand the cruelty that war brings."

"Also, our squad is temporarily disbanded. During wartime, many matters cannot be handled in the form of a squad."

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 warning them about matters that required attention in war and how to avoid falling into enemy traps, he began assigning their tasks.

"Our mission is to station ourselves in Amegakure. They are the ones who started this war."

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

The impact of an outstanding commander far surpassed that of an ordinary Jonin. Orochimaru's calm personality ensured that he could handle problems rationally and coolly under immense pressure, something Tsunade and Jiraiya could not accomplish.

Konoha's battle lines were divided into three sections. The ninja force led by Orochimaru was responsible for the Amegakure front. The Nara clan head was responsible for the armies of Kumogakure and Iwagakure. Then there was the Jonin of the Hatake Clan, who led a squad stationed near Sunagakure under the pretense of helping Sunagakure through its difficulties, when in truth they were monitoring every move they made to prevent a surprise attack.

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

Konoha's war machine awakened at dawn.

Following Orochimaru's lead, they reached the border of the Land of Fire in the shortest possible time. Amegakure's geographical position was extremely important: it was where three nations met and also the best place for spies to infiltrate.

The war had not yet begun, but there had already been small-scale casualties on the front lines. They had been discovered while conducting reconnaissance missions and were injured after clashing with the enemy.

Tsunade was arranging medical treatment for the wounded. Uchiha Yuu was already a qualified medic, and before the war fully erupted, he could forget about going anywhere else.

Orochimaru had designated him as a medical ninja, so upon arriving at the front lines, he was assigned to the base hospital.

"Meeting Lady Tsunade again."

As soon as he entered, he saw Tsunade treating a patient. After healing the patient's injuries, she followed the voice to see Uchiha Yuu approaching. She let out a long breath and said:

"You arrived much earlier than I expected. I happen to need help here, so it's time to put your talent to use."

She stretched lazily. She had arrived at the front lines ahead of the force led by Orochimaru, and upon arriving, she had immediately begun intensive treatment.

"Every medical ninja is precious now. We must ensure the patients survive. As long as they are not dead, we must keep saving them, even if we exhaust all our chakra!"

"Worthy of Lady Tsunade."

Uchiha Yuu quietly listened to Tsunade's famous medical principle, a conviction she upheld throughout her life. However, he did not immediately begin treating anyone. At this stage, the medical ninja could still manage the workload.

He watched the busy medical ninja, then made a round of the temporary hospital and discovered a critical problem.

"If things continue like this, the burden on the medical ninja will be too severe."

There was no proper system. Everyone who came to the hospital was injured on the battlefield, and as soon as they entered, a medical ninja would treat them.

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

He immediately went to Tsunade's side and interrupted her treatment, prompting her to say with dissatisfaction:

"What is it? If it's not urgent, go treat the patients."

Uchiha Yuu did not become angry at Tsunade's rebuke. Instead, he bluntly pointed out the enormous flaw in the treatment process:

"Lady Tsunade, the hospital's treatment process has a major flaw."