Shisui Uchiha, Ao

Hearing Danzo assign the mission, Goenji rose with a sigh.

Rising with him were his former companions.

Aburame Fuzei, Ryoma, and Ze.

"Your mission is to reinforce the Kirigakure front. Goenji, you're from the Uchiha, and Fugaku happens to be leading that side, so it suits you well. Do your job properly."

Danzo spoke.

He thought highly of Goenji and had wanted to keep him behind. However, the Kirigakure battlefield currently needed a Jonin like Goenji, someone who could bring greater benefits to Konoha, so he still sent Goenji out.

"Yes, Lord Danzo." Goenji accepted the order.

Their mission was to head to the battlefield against Amegakure and reinforce the troops led by Fugaku.

Whoosh, whoosh—!

The four left Danzo's forces. Shimura Danzō gave Goenji a deep look. "With this one, and Shisui as well, the Uchiha really do have many geniuses... the Sharingan..."

Turning to the remaining people, he saw that the teams had already been assigned. Everyone left was his confidant, people who could never betray him.

"Let's go. It's time to carry out our real mission."

Whoosh, whoosh—!

"Captain Goenji, I didn't expect us to form a team again. I hope we can work together even better from here on out!"

Ryoma, carrying blades on his back, spoke as he looked at Goenji.

They greatly approved of this captain. His abilities were extremely well-rounded—his analytical ability, his understanding of the battlefield, his intelligence-gathering skills, and more were all first-rate. Following a captain like this truly felt comfortable.

Goenji said, "Yeah. We'll definitely make the enemy tremble in fear on the battlefield, just like Lord Minato!"

His eyes were filled with firm determination.

He was certain he could do it. During the past two days back with Danzo, he had tested the concept of his new chakra form. He could now incorporate simple principles of leverage into ordinary ninjutsu, making them more powerful with the same amount of chakra.

And judging by the current situation, the war still had a long way to go before it ended—probably more than two years. That was more than enough time for him to become a ninja standing at the peak.

"Good ambition, Captain. I'm rooting for you." Aburame Fuzei chuckled.

Goenji said, "Don't let your guard down. We're almost at Konoha's camp. Stay alert and keep scouting."

Whoosh, whoosh—!

Whoosh—!

Before long, they entered the area under Konoha's control. On a stretch of land near the coastline, watchtowers appeared before them one after another.

"Stop! Who are you?"

Whoosh, whoosh—!

A squad surrounded the four of them, their ninja tools ready to attack at any moment.

"Konoha reinforcements." Goenji gave the signal.

Konoha's camp.

An earthen building temporarily constructed with Earth Release.

"Oh, you've already completed Danzo's mission? You came at just the right time. Shisui has received intelligence that a small Kirigakure force has entered the Land of Fire from the coast. I want you to cooperate with Shisui and wipe out the Kirigakure enemies."

After Fugaku Uchiha saw Goenji and the others and learned about their situation, his eyes lit up.

Beside him stood other Konoha higher-ups.

They were all Jonin.

"That's right. We need to remain stationed around the camp and provide reinforcements to nearby areas at any time. Your arrival is perfect—you can make up for part of our manpower." The other Jonin agreed.

Jonin were Konoha's higher-ups.

Goenji was also part of Konoha's upper ranks, though he did not hold any concrete authority.

Still, he would have no problem commanding a small unit.

It was only because the battle situation was constantly changing, his team had good mobility, and he lacked experience commanding troops that the Hokage's side had not put him in charge of a large force.

If some unexpected situation arose and the other commanders died, he, as a Jonin, would have to step up.

Goenji exchanged looks with his teammates. "Before that, we need to replenish our ninja tools. We didn't have many left after the mission in the Land of Rain."

After spending so long in the Land of Rain, they had very few ninja tools remaining.

Danzo's side did not have many resources either, so aside from their own Taijutsu and chakra, they had lost many means of combat.

Whether hidden weapons or traps.

Those were important supplements to a ninja's combat strength. Even ninjas at the level of the Three Sannin could not do without such things.

Especially on the battlefield.

This was not like the one-on-one or one-against-many battles in anime.

"Mm. There's still a fairly abundant supply of ninja tools on the Kirigakure front. You can collect your own equipment from the logistics department." Fugaku Uchiha nodded.

Goenji nodded and was about to lead his team away.

"Wait..."

Fugaku's voice rang out again, and Goenji stopped.

He turned to look over.

Fugaku said, "Do your best. Don't disgrace the Uchiha. Show what you can do."

"...Understood."

Goenji was speechless at that.

The Uchiha were competitive all their lives.

Fugaku Uchiha was no exception.

After Goenji and the others collected their supplies, they immediately headed to the rendezvous point with Shisui according to the intelligence provided by Fugaku Uchiha.

Inside a forest.

Within the Land of Fire.

Since Kirigakure was located overseas, they had to rely on ships and land on the beaches to reach the Land of Fire.

The coastal regions within the Land of Fire were mostly forested areas.

Whoosh, whoosh—!

A force of more than twenty people was advancing rapidly. They moved without a sound, unnoticed even by the birds.

They concealed their presence extremely well.

However, the ninja tools and forehead protectors on them all showed that this was a Kirigakure force.

At the front was a young man with an eyepatch and spiky hair.

"Captain Ao, it seems someone is following us." A ninja came before him and spoke.

Ao extracted chakra, and the vision in his right eye suddenly changed, becoming a black-and-white world. "Mm. It's a troublesome opponent. Everyone be careful. We'll deal with this person first."

His expression darkened slightly.

With the Hyūga Byakugan, he recognized at a glance that the other party was Shisui Uchiha, the Genjutsu-type ninja currently wreaking havoc across the battlefield.

He possessed the rare ability to cast Genjutsu from an extreme distance.

Even Ao found him troublesome.

Fortunately, he had the Byakugan. At the very least, avoiding Genjutsu would not be a problem.

Whoosh, whoosh—!

Just then, Ao's expression suddenly changed drastically.

"Move! Scatter in all directions!"

Through his Byakugan, four figures appeared in his field of vision. The leader possessed immense chakra, even stronger than Shisui Uchiha's, while the other three were not weak either.

Judging by their forehead protectors, they were definitely Konoha reinforcements.

The other Kirigakure ninja heard Ao's words and instantly scattered in squads in every direction. Without the slightest hesitation, they followed his orders.

Buzz—!

They had not run far when Ao saw changes in the chakra of the ninja within his own force, and then they began attacking their comrades.

Shisui Uchiha, meanwhile, was still a long distance away.

"Damn it, how can he use Genjutsu from so far away and still control people?"

[That girl really loves following gossip from the webnovel circle, and it's even gossip about me. She sees things I haven't even come across, then keeps telling me about them, making me feel like I'm actually famous!]