First Time on the Battlefield

"Ninja were meant to stake their lives on completing missions. Since you fear death, give up your identity and live on beneath humiliation."

His tone was icy and merciless. The current Hatake Kakashi gave off a cold, gloomy impression, as if he were desperate to prove something.

"How strange. Kakashi-senpai's father, Konoha's White Fang, chose to abandon a mission in order to protect his comrades. That hardly sounds like something one would say to comrades from the same village."

A smile lingered on his lips as Kakashi's pupils trembled, his expression turning inexplicably frigid.

"Kakashi, stop it. Don't say such things before stepping onto the battlefield. And you too, Uchiha Huayue."

Minato swept his gaze around before letting it settle on the brown-haired girl behind Kakashi, his expression returning to its usual smile.

"Rin, I'll leave Kakashi and Obito to you. Keep it safe. If you run into any danger, I'll get there as soon as I can."

"Minato-sensei, mm! Leave those two to me."

With her short hair brushing her ears and a broad smile on her face, Nohara Rin nodded repeatedly. Smiling, she took the hands of the worried Uchiha Obito and Kakashi and ran toward the village outskirts.

"And also..."

"No need. This idiot and that frail girl over there haven't fallen so low that they need someone else to save them. Same for me. Let's go, let's go."

Huayue rejected Minato's goodwill. If Minato reached the battlefield and discovered the Black Nine-Tails and the Mangekyō Sharingan, the information would most likely leak to Danzo.

"Is that so? Be careful in everything you do. Carelessness on the battlefield can lead to a very tragic end. You're only genin entering the battlefield for the first time. If you encounter danger, just run for your lives."

"My, my. That may be true, but hearing it from you still makes me inexplicably angry. You really don't know how to comfort people."

Their eyes met, and under Minato's astonished gaze, the group vanished through Konoha's gates.

"Sigh, they disliked me. Kids these days really are..."

"Don't dwell on such trivial matters. The battlefield in the Land of Wind is the truly difficult main front. The enemy is Chiyo, who excels at using poison. Without Lady Tsunade's help, she'll be quite difficult to deal with."

"Ultimately, the Third Great Ninja War broke out because of the Third Kazekage's disappearance. It served as the fuse."

Nara Shikaku analyzed the situation quietly. Of those qualified to fight Chiyo, a Puppet Master, aside from Orochimaru, the only one of the Sannin still in the village, there was only Jiraiya's disciple before them—Namikaze Minato, known as the Yellow Flash and likewise one of the Sannin.

"It can't be helped. In the face of their suspicions, Konoha can't simply allow the Hidden Sand Village's ninja to keep making moves along the border. We should set out as well. Stop worrying; your students are already outstanding ninja."

Akimichi Choza, his teammate, offered comfort. The silent Aburame Shibi nodded lightly beside him, his dark sunglasses concealing the thoughts deep within his heart.

"I hope so. I can't shake this ominous feeling. After that last battle, will Kumogakure really let this go?"

Though worry filled his heart, not a second could be wasted on the battlefield. The Konoha jonin also hurried toward the border of the Land of Wind.

Let us tell two tales, one from each branch.

Within the Land of Moon, a small country at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, lay a forest surrounded by mountains and dense woods.

"Listen carefully. This mission is strictly reconnaissance. Kumogakure and Konoha clashed several times when the war began. Both sides have now tacitly chosen restraint, but friction will still occur."

"Most of you are genin who have only just graduated from the Ninja Academy, though a few of you are chunin with mission experience. Remember to follow orders on the battlefield."

Sarutobi Hina, the person chiefly responsible for the ninja's safety, issued a stern warning, her gaze lingering on Uchiha Huayue for quite some time.

"Now spread out toward your assigned sectors. The moment you discover traces of enemy ninja, do not engage under any circumstances. Move out!"

The teams spread outward in a ring. Huayue's three-man squad was entirely unlike ordinary new graduates; unusually, they had been assigned to a reconnaissance zone close to the battlefield.

Hmph, retaliation? Or was it deliberate? What a hassle. We can just investigate casually and muddle through. Kumogakure's Raikage should be Fourth Raikage A now, along with his partner, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer B. Two troublesome guys.

Inside a spacious tree trunk, Huayue, Anko, and Yugao hid quietly. Though all three still had children's bodies, it was quite difficult to leave enough room to move freely.

"Hey, Huayue, is it really okay for us to hide here and not do the mission?"

"Quit nagging, idiot Anko. This is a battlefield; no amount of caution is too much. For a reconnaissance mission, we only need to use them."

"Boar, Dog, Rooster, Monkey, Ram—Summoning Jutsu: Nine-Faced Suparika."

To Anko and Yugao's astonishment, the light of the Summoning Jutsu flashed and vanished, as though nothing had happened.

"A Summoning Jutsu? Are you going to have a Summoning Beast do the mission for us? When did you sign a contract with a Summoning Beast, you cheapskate?"

"Shh, idiot. If you're too loud, someone might discover us. This is a battlefield, and there's no telling what kind of reconnaissance ninja the other side has."

Huayue warned her in a low voice, drawing a silent smile from Uzuki Yugao as the unease in her heart gradually faded.

She was a close-combat ninja, while Anko only knew Fire Release ninjutsu and was not skilled at reconnaissance. Who would have thought that this guy, who looked utterly unreliable, was actually skilled in such an unexpected Summoning Jutsu? She really hadn't seen that coming.

Anko and Yugao stared wide-eyed at each other inside the hollow tree, while Huayue closed his eyes to rest. After a long silence, he nodded lightly.

"Not bad. There are no Kumogakure ninja in this area."

"Great! I can finally speak loudly! Hey, hey, what exactly is your Summoning Beast? Hurry up and let me see—"

Before Anko could finish cheering, a pale yet strong little hand clamped directly over her mouth.

"Idiot, we still can't be sure what methods the enemy is using to conduct reconnaissance. If they pick up your voice, we'll be in serious trouble."

Second by second, time passed. Only when the meeting time was nearly upon them did the three quietly slip out of the tree hollow and race toward the rendezvous point.

The moment they arrived, they heard Kakashi's detached voice.

"Team 7 members Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin have completed reconnaissance. No Kumogakure ninja movements have been found for the time being."

"Team 10 members Uchiha Huayue, Mitarashi Anko, and Uzuki Yugao have not detected any enemy movements."

Seeing Huayue return second, just after Team 7, Kakashi frowned slightly but still chose to remain silent. As team after team returned, Sarutobi Hina nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. Today's mission is complete. Rest in shifts. Night reconnaissance will continue."

"Who's there? Get out!"