Over the next few days, Xuandou threw himself into the busy preparations for war.
The personnel lists submitted by the various ninja clans arrived in his hands one after another.
After reviewing them carefully, Xuandou fell into thought.
Although these clans had not committed all their core fighting strength, most of those they sent were experienced Chunin, rather than rookie Genin thrown in to fill out the numbers.
Behind this list was clearly a measure of recognition for, and a bet on, their young commander.
The Hyuga Clan surprised him most.
As one of Konoha's distinguished clans, they had not only sent higher-caliber ninja, but had also placed them under the personal command of Hizashi Hyuga, a Jōnin from the branch family.
This substantial show of support made the responsibility on Xuandou's shoulders feel a little heavier.
Meanwhile, vast quantities of war supplies were sorted into categories and sealed into specially made storage scrolls.
Specially made soldier pills, medical supplies, explosive tags, replacement weapons...
Xuandou personally took part in the final inventory and sealing to ensure that nothing went wrong.
The Uchiha Clan's wartime personnel were finalized with Elder Zongyan's assistance.
As the day of departure drew near, Kurenai Yuhi also became especially clingy.
These days, whenever Xuandou had some free time, the two would engage in "in-depth exchanges."
Sometimes, Kurenai even came to see Xuandou three times in a single day.
It was partly the novelty of their first taste of forbidden fruit, and partly her reluctance to see Xuandou leave.
Xuandou, meanwhile, was thoroughly exhausted these days.
Had a ninja's constitution not differed from an ordinary person's, he probably really would have been unable to hold out.
He could only console himself with a wry smile. I suppose this counts as a sweet burden.
Just as all the preparations were nearing completion, a travel-worn squad of ninja entered Konoha.
There were six ninja in the squad, all with blood on their clothes.
They headed straight to the elder's office at the Konoha Military Police Force, where they encountered Xuandou discussing the final arrangements with Zongyan.
At their head was a boy of about eleven or twelve.
He had the Uchiha Clan's signature black hair and deep eyes, but those eyes now held a composure far beyond his years, and even a trace of barely perceptible grief.
"Shisui Uchiha, reporting to Lord Zongyan."
Xuandou's gaze sharpened slightly.
Was this the genius who would possess the most powerful Genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, in the future?
"Shisui, Tekka... why have you returned?"
Zongyan raised his head.
"We escorted the Clan Head's remains back to the clan."
Shisui stepped forward and presented a Seal scroll with both hands.
Zongyan took the scroll, walked over to an open space, and formed hand seals to release the seal.
A pitch-black coffin appeared.
Zongyan slowly pushed open the lid. Resting quietly inside were the remains of the Uchiha Clan's current Clan Head.
Parts of his body were missing. Clearly, his final battle had been extraordinarily brutal.
Zongyan gazed at him for a long time, deep grief settling in his eyes.
He took a deep breath, raised his hand, and gently closed the coffin lid.
Xuandou watched it all in silence.
The figure in the coffin served as a cold reminder to him:
This was the real Shinobi World. There were no tender fairy tales, only the cruelty of life and death, and a fate beyond one's control.
For the weak, even choosing how to survive was a luxury before the tides of their times.
At that moment, his resolve to grow stronger became firmer still.
"You've only just withdrawn from the front. Go home and see your families first, and get some proper rest."
Zongyan turned to Shisui and the others, his voice already calm again.
The six bowed in acknowledgment and quietly withdrew.
Zongyan sealed the coffin back into the scroll, turned to Xuandou, and suddenly asked:
"What do you think of Shisui?"
"Exceptionally gifted, with a steady temperament. He will certainly be a pillar of the clan in the future."
Xuandou gave his honest assessment.
A trace of gratification crossed Zongyan's face, slightly softening his earlier sorrow.
"Yes... he's already begun making a name for himself on the battlefield."
"Some time ago, he intimidated an elite Kirigakure squad into retreating all by himself. Their leader was a long-established Jōnin, Ao, the one with the Byakugan."
"Now, some people have already begun calling him 'Body Flicker Shisui.'"
Zongyan paused.
"Like you, he was promoted directly to Jōnin by Lord Hokage without an examination."
"He's Lord Kagami's descendant. Lord Kagami and the Third both studied under the Second, so that old bond remains. I intend to recommend him for the Anbu, where the Hokage can personally nurture him. What do you think?"
Xuandou immediately frowned at those words.
Shisui was undoubtedly a rare treasure of the Uchiha Clan.
Once he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan in the future, he would be even more useful.
With the right handling, he might even be able to resolve the conflict between the Uchiha and Konoha.
But in the original story, it was after Shisui joined the Anbu that the Hokage and the other senior leaders duped him with the so-called "Will of Fire," ultimately bringing him to a tragic end.
In Xuandou's view, the so-called "Will of Fire" was nothing but a cancerous, brainwashing ideology.
All that talk of burning yourself to light the way for others was pure bullshit, shackles that bound people's minds!
Burning yourself would only let others warm themselves over your corpse.
If a group needed someone to shoulder its burdens and forge ahead, then someone else must be enjoying a peaceful life in your place!
A prospect as good as Shisui must not be handed over to the Hokage to be led astray again!
"Leave him to me."
Xuandou's tone was decisive.
"This battle against Sunagakure is the perfect stage for Shisui to hone his edge and earn distinction. When he returns victorious, he'll bring back not just experience, but tangible military achievements and prestige!"
Zongyan looked hesitant.
He did indeed want Shisui to join the Anbu so he could be nurtured, but wasn't he also hoping to get him away from the front temporarily and keep him from falling on the battlefield too soon?
Zongyan truly could not bear to let such an outstanding genius face danger.
Seeing his concerns, Xuandou continued:
"Sunagakure has no top-tier powerhouse stationed there. The risks of this war are manageable, making it a heaven-sent opportunity to build experience and establish prestige. The battlefield is the fastest path to growth for a genius."
After a long silence, Zongyan finally gritted his teeth and nodded.
"All right! Xuandou."
"You and Shisui are both the future hope of the Uchiha. On the battlefield... you must keep yourselves safe!"
"Understood."
Only after the two had discussed the subsequent arrangements in detail did Xuandou take his leave.
The next day, Konoha held a grand funeral for the Uchiha Clan Head.
A fine drizzle fell from the gray sky.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi personally led the senior officials in paying their respects, delivering a mournful and heartfelt eulogy.
The Uchiha clan members stood silently in the rain, bidding farewell to their Clan Head.
The people of Konoha had long since grown accustomed to such scenes.
After years of war, farewells had already become part of their lives.
Once the funeral ended, Xuandou officially led his troops off to the battlefield.
For this war, Konoha had mustered a total of just over six hundred combatants.
Compared with other battlefields, where the numbers easily ran into the thousands, this was truly not many.
To conceal their movements, Xuandou broke the force into smaller units, having them travel stealthily in separate groups toward Kikyo Mountain.
Every squad included ninja from either the Hyūga Clan or the Inuzuka Clan, using the Byakugan and their sense of smell to avoid enemy reconnaissance as much as possible.
Although this would slow their progress somewhat, it would ensure that their strategic intentions remained concealed.
After more than half a month, all personnel finally gathered quietly at the designated location.
Immediately afterward, under Xuandou's command, the ninja laid a full hundred thousand explosive tags along the route the Sunagakure Army would have to take and throughout the surrounding area.
Once all the preparations were complete, all that remained was to conceal their presence and wait.
Time slowly passed.
Over the past few days, ninja from several Sunagakure squads had begun secretly entering the Land of Fire to conduct reconnaissance within the area where the Konoha ninja lay concealed.
Although their movements were extremely covert, none of it could escape the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan.
Xuandou knew that with the appearance of these reconnaissance ninja, war was not far away.
Sure enough, that night, a Hyūga ninja entered Xuandou's underground command post and reported:
"Reporting to the commander-in-chief! Our Byakugan reconnaissance squad has confirmed that a large force of Sunagakure ninja is advancing toward our designated ambush zone!"