Maruboshi Kosuke

Uchiha Meikyō in particular ranked among the very best of all the Chunin in terms of strength.

If he faced Amayuzuru Dairo again now, Meikyō himself would most likely be the one to survive.

A squad with this level of strength could be considered a backbone force even within all of Konoha.

They certainly could not compare to Jonin-level figures, but how many Jonin did Konoha have in total?

Dan Katō had mentioned before that after so many years of the Shinobi World War, Konoha's number of Jonin had long since fallen below two hundred. The other villages had even fewer.

Jonin-level experts would naturally be dealt with by Jonin. With the strength of their squad, as long as they were not too careless or catastrophically unlucky, they still had a fairly high chance of returning alive after going to the battlefield.

After spending a day sorting out his ninja tools and reviewing the fruits of his three months of dedicated training, Meikyō set out with his two teammates alongside the troops early the next morning.

This time, the camp dispatched two entire companies, each made up of Chunin and relatively outstanding Genin. They were led by Inuzuka Gaku and Shirakumo Tokinobu respectively, with each company containing roughly ten squads.

Once they reached the front lines, these people would be split up again and assigned to different units according to the ninjutsu they specialized in.

Meikyō hoped that Dan Katō and Tsunade could arrange for his squad to be assigned to a less dangerous unit.

After all, Orochimaru was currently the overall commander of the Land of Rain Battlefield. Dan Katō and Orochimaru were the closest of friends, while Tsunade had grown up alongside Orochimaru as his teammate. They should be able to secure a better placement for his squad.

Even so, Meikyō still hoped that they would not have to set foot on the battlefield so soon. Ideally, he wanted more time to develop, preferably until he reached the strength of a Jonin or even higher.

However, Orochimaru had clearly decided this time to mobilize every usable force around the Land of Rain Battlefield to the fullest extent. Aside from places that needed to retain a bare minimum of personnel, everyone who could be transferred had gathered at the Land of Rain camp.

"You don't need to worry about that. Orochimaru has already made arrangements."

In the camp, Dan Katō could not help but laugh at the slightly embarrassed looks on his three disciples' faces.

"For young shinobi like you—those who are young, talented, and even have some backing—Orochimaru has assigned you all to the Reserve Force. Only when we fall into a disadvantageous position or a deadlock, or when it is time to deliver the decisive blow, will the Reserve Force, this final source of strength, be sent onto the battlefield."

After speaking, Dan Katō gave them a detailed explanation of the Reserve Force's duties and characteristics. He then briefly checked the three disciples' training progress before turning to leave and attend to his work.

He was now the deputy to Orochimaru, the overall commander of the Land of Rain Battlefield, chiefly responsible for the intelligence network across the entire battlefield. However, because the camp's other two senior leaders, Jiraiya and Tsunade, were not accustomed to handling administrative matters, much of the other work had also fallen onto him and Mokume Kōtō.

After meeting with Dan Katō, Meikyō felt somewhat more at ease.

At the very least, their teacher was one of the people with the highest status and authority in the entire Land of Rain battlefield structure. He would not assign their squad to especially dangerous places.

Moreover, Orochimaru clearly understood that young people like those in Kato Squad—young, highly promising, and already possessing a certain degree of strength—could only be used at the most critical moments. Otherwise, it would undoubtedly be draining Konoha's future war potential.

No matter what Orochimaru might become ten or twenty years later, at least at this time, having only just become one of the Sannin and still young, he still held deep affection for the Konoha that had raised him. In Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind, he was also the best possible successor for the future.

Reserve Unit Camp.

Kato Squad's campsite.

Bang!

As Meikyō formed hand seals, a small iron pot, several sets of tableware and seasonings, and an assortment of canned food, biscuits, and other provisions appeared atop the Sealing Scroll.

"Heh heh, I knew the camp would only have awful dry rations and those Ration Pills that no human should have to eat, so I specially prepared these before we left."

Meikyō grinned at his two teammates.

He had prepared two Sealing Scrolls. One naturally held these cooking utensils and food, while the other was a standard-issue Sealing Scroll stocked with a large number of kunai, Shuriken, and other ninja tools, as well as some expensive Explosive Tags, bandages, and basic medicine.

"What a coincidence. On the way here, Tetsu Maru got playful and accidentally brought back a rabbit."

Inuzuka Ryo wore the same grin as he took out a rabbit that had already been skinned and gutted.

Aburame Nami expressionlessly pushed up her large dark sunglasses and removed a pouch from her waist.

"Eating only that would be bad for our health, so I had the insects find some edible wild vegetables outside just now."

Meikyō was pleased to see that he had successfully led his two teammates astray.

"By the way, Meikyō, it's fine while we're in camp, but what if we go out on missions? If we still do this outside, the smoke from cooking or grilling could expose our position."

As Inuzuka Ryo helped build the stove, he asked Meikyō this question.

A smug smile appeared on Meikyō's face.

"What's so difficult about that? I've been training Fire Style lately. I'm still a little short of mastering nature transformation, but it's not like I gained nothing. Watch closely—this is a new ninjutsu I invented!"

Meikyō formed hand seals and aimed beneath the stove.

Fire Style: Super Smokeless Cooking Fire Technique!

Inuzuka Ryo's eyes lit up.

"Perfect! I also learned a secret technique taught by my clan that can suppress smells and conceal our tracks! And hurry! Nami, get the ingredients into the pot first! We'll stir-fry a few dishes tonight, then have Meikyō use that technique again to roast the rabbit! We're heading to the battlefield tomorrow—shouldn't we eat our fill tonight so we'll have the strength to fight?"

Having said that, Inuzuka Ryo eagerly slapped his hands together.

Ninja Art: Hidden Traces and Misleading Scents Technique!

What Inuzuka Ryo did not know was that even before he used the ninjutsu, an old man outside the camp—nearly fifty years old, blind in one eye, and carrying an iron pot on his back—had already caught a faint whiff of the aroma wafting from the opened canned food in the tent.

"Heh heh, isn't this the tent of Dan and little Tsunade's disciples?"

Maruboshi Kosuke stroked his beard and walked toward the tent with a genial smile.