Yechen wasted little time grabbing his ninja tool pouch and heading straight out of the tent.
Many of his fellow Genin left their tents at the same time, including his team leader, Nakagawa Ichirō.
He reached his teacher in a few quick strides and looked toward the fighting. He could just make out firelight illuminating the distant sky.
Clearly, something really had happened.
Two divisions were responsible for patrolling their outpost, one during the day and the other at night.
Team 7, to which Yechen belonged, was part of the First Division on daytime duty. The Second Division took over from them at night.
Without a doubt, the Second Division was the one fighting the enemy.
The Second Division consisted of five squads. Two had the same composition as Team 7: one Jonin leading three Genin.
Each of the other three squads had one Special Jōnin leading three Chunin.
Including its commander, the Second Division therefore had twenty-one members: three Jonin, three Special Jōnin, nine Chunin, and six Genin.
Their First Division was much the same. Yechen now hoped the enemy had merely triggered a trap by accident and been spotted in time by the Second Division patrol, forcing a fight.
Otherwise, they were in trouble.
That would mean the enemy outnumbered them several times over and had superior fighting strength, allowing them to launch a swift, overwhelming assault to settle things in one stroke.
Yechen did want to complete the mission, and killing enemies to earn evolution points was another of his goals. But if the enemy proved unstoppable, his only choice would be to preserve his strength and survive. That would also mean failing the mission.
While he was lost in thought, the First Division finished assembling. At the same time, fighting broke out in two other directions.
Clearly, the enemy had already broken through, catching them off guard with a surprise attack.
Still, Yechen could not understand why they would attack this outpost. It was only a temporary encampment with no important facilities. Even if they seized it by force, the enemy would gain no tangible benefit.
Besides, they were not particularly far from Konoha's main camp. Once word got back, reinforcements could be dispatched at any time.
In other words, the enemy could not possibly hold this place for long and might even end up surrounded from both sides.
With the risks so out of proportion to the rewards, Yechen could not figure out what they hoped to achieve with this battle.
The mission instructions offered no clear explanation either, only telling them to protect the outpost. Without access to the same information, Yechen could not make a judgment.
He decided to put that question aside for now. If they could hold the position, he would naturally give it his best shot. If they could not, he would not gamble his life on it.
At that moment, First Division Commander Aoki Midorino stepped forward.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone straightened up and waited for orders.
"Squad One!"
"Here!"
A tall Jonin stepped forward with three Genin.
From what he had learned over the past few days, Yechen remembered that Squad One's leader was named Ikeda Kura. He looked as thin as a bamboo pole, but his fighting strength was nothing to scoff at. According to Nakagawa Ichirō, Ikeda Kura was the strongest member of the First Division apart from its commander.
"Kura, keep your squad here to guard the outpost."
"Yes, Commander."
Ikeda Kura raised no objections and withdrew with his squad.
Aoki Midorino looked at the other four squads and called out.
"Squads Two, Three, Four, and Five, come with me to intercept the enemy!"
"Yes, Commander!"
Nakagawa Ichirō led his squad in answering.
After Team 7 arrived here, they had been designated Squad Two of the First Division, naturally making Nakagawa Ichirō their squad leader.
Yechen did not quite understand this arrangement. As the First Division's second-strongest fighter, Ikeda Kura should have been sent to meet the enemy. Why had the commander left him behind to guard the outpost?
Just then, Aoki Midorino demonstrated through his actions that he had assigned the roles correctly.
"Kura, summon your summoned beast."
Ikeda Kura nodded, then quickly bit his thumb and drew a line of blood across his palm.
Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram, Horse. He rapidly formed six hand seals, using his blood as the catalyst, then slapped both palms against the ground. The summoning array activated, calling forth an owl.
Next, he performed various ninjutsu to link the owl's vision to his own.
That way, whatever the owl saw, Ikeda Kura could see as well.
Though there was a range limit, it was an excellent scouting method in their current circumstances.
Now Yechen understood Aoki Midorino's intentions. With Ikeda Kura stationed at the outpost, he could compile the intelligence gathered through the owl's eyes and relay it to the squad leaders.
After that, they would be able to respond calmly no matter how the battle developed.
Sure enough, Aoki Midorino's next words confirmed Yechen's guess.
"Kura, you'll be handling intelligence from here on. Send word of what's happened here to the main camp as well."
Ikeda Kura nodded at those words and immediately formed hand seals.
Flap!
The owl beat its wings and took flight, vanishing into the night in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, Aoki Midorino wasted no more time. He faced the others and roared.
"All four squads, move out with me!"
With that, he charged into the woods first.
Squad Two, led by Nakagawa Ichirō, followed close behind.
"Yechen, Miyuki, Abe Rō, be careful out there. Try to hold your opponents off and wait for support."
"Understood, Teacher Nakagawa."