Raiding the Home Front

Land of Fire, Senju Clan camp.

Compared to the brutal battlefield at the front, the camp was peaceful and calm.

Senju Junyan, a young genius of the Senju Clan, had sharp eyes. His left hand hovered near the long sword at his waist as he led a squad on patrol around the camp's perimeter.

Although a fierce battle raged at the front, the rear still could not be neglected. After all, the camp housed the families of countless shinobi, as well as the resources the Senju Clan had accumulated over the past century.

Therefore, before going to war, every clan left behind part of its forces to guard the rear and prevent the enemy from raiding their home base.

Senju Junyan looked toward the battlefield, unable to keep his heart from yearning. Though guarding the rear was just as important, who would not want to kill enemies on the front lines and display all their brilliance?

"Report, Captain! Everything in the surrounding area is normal!"

The report from his subordinate pulled him back to reality. Junyan nodded and continued leading the squad forward, pausing from time to time to inspect their surroundings.

During a lull in the patrol, one of the young men behind Junyan could not help asking, "Captain, do you think we can win this war?"

"Victory is inevitable," Junyan replied calmly. Though he was not very old, shinobi of the Warring States era generally matured early and possessed remarkably precise judgment of the situation. "War is, at its core, a stage for the strong. As long as Lord Hashirama can defeat Uchiha Madara, our Senju Clan cannot lose."

"That's great. It's just a shame I'm still too weak to fight for everyone on the front lines."

"Then work hard and become stronger," Junyan said quietly. "Since we currently cannot contribute more to the clan, we should strive to become its pillars in the future."

"Yes! I definitely will!"

Seeing the confidence on his subordinate's face, Junyan seemed to see his former self. He smiled and patted the young man on the shoulder, about to say something when a chilling sense of danger struck him from behind!

"Watch out! Something's wrong!"

Junyan shouted, and the subordinates around him quickly gathered together, their expressions grim as they stared at the path ahead.

Tap, tap, tap—

Disorderly footsteps drew closer from afar. At the end of the road, a strange group slowly emerged. Every one of them had red light in their eyes and vacant expressions, swaying with every step like walking corpses.

"What are those? An Uchiha force?"

"They don't look like elite troops. They look more like the old, weak, sick, and disabled."

Junyan narrowed his eyes. The people before him were indeed strange. Their behavior did not resemble that of normal people, and their attire did not look like that of shinobi either. They seemed more like nearby bandits.

"Wait here. I'll go take a look."

After giving the order, Junyan drew the long sword from his waist and held it in hand as he slowly approached. The newcomers seemed entirely unconcerned by his approach and continued trudging forward. Soon, less than twenty paces separated them.

"Are they under a Sharingan genjutsu?" Junyan considered it, then reached out, intending to dispel the illusion affecting them first.

Rumble—

At that moment, the seemingly harmless newcomers suddenly began to swell, while terrifying chakra compressed at extreme speed within them!

Junyan's face changed drastically. "Not good!"

Boom—

"Captain!"

In an instant, flames burst forth, and the violent explosion sent smoke and dust soaring into the sky!

A figure burst out of the thick smoke in a disheveled state. His clothes were shredded, and his once-fair face had been blackened by the smoke. But he had no time to care about his appearance as he roared at his subordinates, "Launch a signal flare! Enemy attack!"

"Yes!"

The young man immediately fumbled a signal flare from his waist and reached for the fuse.

Swish—

Slash—

Junyan's pupils suddenly contracted. A flash of white blade light exploded before him. The young man's hands remained frozen in the motion of pulling the fuse, but his entire head had already flown into the air!

Scalding blood splattered across Junyan's face, his eyes filled with shock. That sudden strike had come without warning, and the figure in fitted black clothing was like a ghost from hell!

"Uchiha Yan Hong!"

Swish—

With a nearly inaudible rush of wind, Yan Hong vanished directly from Junyan's sight, leaving behind only two green leaves blown up from the grass.

Every hair on Junyan's body stood on end. Relying on years of experience, he slashed his sword toward his right!

Swish—

His blade cut only air. Yan Hong lowered his body, evading the horizontal slash, and a red gleam flashed in his eyes!

Sharingan: Genjutsu!

Junyan's consciousness instantly fell into the genjutsu. At the same time, Yan Hong spun and lashed a sweeping kick into his waist and abdomen!

Thud—

Junyan violently spat out blood. His body curled like a cooked shrimp as he was sent flying backward in a twisted posture that nearly broke him in half. In a single instant, he flew almost ten meters, and along his path were two Human Bombs swelling at the same time!

Boom—

The smoke and dust from the explosion instantly swallowed Junyan's figure, while the remaining patrol members were completely eliminated by the suddenly appearing Chinoike Clan.

"Lord Yan Hong, all targets have been dealt with."

"Ah, we were still one step too late." Yan Hong sighed regretfully, then ordered, "Yan One, lead the others deeper into Senju Clan territory. Take whatever you can. I'll cover the rear here!"

"Cover the rear?" Yan One froze briefly, but when the smoke cleared and revealed two figures, he immediately understood. "Understood. Please be careful, Lord Yan Hong."

With that, he quickly led his people farther in.

"It seems Tobirama was right. The Uchiha Clan's third-in-command truly isn't the useless fool the rumors claimed. It's a pity we didn't pay attention to you sooner."

A deep voice rang out. A tall, upright figure appeared before Yan Hong. The man wore his hair cropped short, and his bright, resolute eyes stared fixedly at Yan Hong from his stern face.

Beside the man stood a woman dressed in a kimono. One hand rested on the unconscious Junyan as she dispelled the genjutsu affecting him.

"Sarutobi Sasuke, Uzumaki Mito. Heh, your Senju Clan truly has a lot of nerve, leaving two such powerful fighters in the rear."

Sarutobi Sasuke explained unhurriedly, "With Hashirama on the battlefield, nothing can go wrong there. That means your only hope of turning defeat into victory is to launch a surprise attack on our rear. Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna must contend with Hashirama and Tobirama, so the person chosen to raid the rear naturally had to be you, the mysterious third-in-command."

Yan Hong could not help sighing. "Tsk, tsk. As expected, no one living in this era is simple."

Sarutobi Sasuke neither confirmed nor denied it. Turning to Mito, he said, "Lady Mito, according to our intelligence, this man possesses the ability to seize other people's ninjutsu. To be safe, let me handle him alone."

Mito did not argue. Taking Senju Junyan with her, she said slowly, "Then I'll return to guard the camp. Be careful."

"Hey, hey, hey! You think you can just leave? Isn't that looking down on me too much?"

The three tomoe in Yan Hong's eyes instantly fused, and his Mangekyō Sharingan swiftly locked onto Mito's figure!

"Don't even think about it!" Sarutobi Sasuke shouted as his hands rapidly formed seals!

Earth Release: Earth Prison Jutsu!

Crash—

Earthen walls rose from all four sides, tightly trapping Yan Hong in the center and cutting off his line of sight!

"Go!"

Mito nodded and immediately left the area.

Boom—

The four earthen walls shattered with a roar. Yan Hong stepped out over the scattered dirt. "Such fast hand seals. Looks like I'll have to deal with you first."

Sarutobi Sasuke was equally filled with fighting spirit. "Come, then. Let me see what strength you possess after hiding your talents for so long!"

The wind rose!

Battle was about to erupt!