"The captain... it's him?"
"Isn't he a recent graduate? How could he possibly be the team leader!"
"Shh, don't you know? His name is Uya. He didn't just graduate; he graduated early last year. He's a genius from the Ninja Academy."
"Even if you graduated last year, a year is too young... Besides, on this kind of battlefield, talent alone isn't enough!"
The moment Jiraiya made the announcement, there was a stir in the arena, and a group of Genin began to discuss it in astonishment.
Standing next to Uya, Senju Nawaki was also somewhat stunned.
He was initially a little smug, seeing Jiraiya walk this way and stop in front of him, he thought he was going to be made the captain.
Unexpectedly, it was Uya.
"Cough, Uya... can you do it right?"
Senju Nawaki coughed and looked at Uya with a slightly conflicted expression.
Ignoring the surrounding chatter, Uya glanced at Senju Nawaki and said, "If you want to do it, then you do it."
"Uh, I couldn't possibly..." Senju Nawaki almost gave Uya a hug. He really wanted to be the captain and make a name for himself in battle.
The Hokage seems to be just around the corner.
"However, since you don't want to do it, Uya, then..."
Just as Senju Nawaki was about to proudly declare himself captain, Jiraiya, standing in front of him, finally couldn't stand it anymore.
"Silence!"
A low shout rang out, and the entire room fell silent instantly.
Jiraiya calmly stated, "It's decided, and there won't be any changes. Everyone, depart now!"
It was already strange to make Uya the captain, but if you replace him with Senju Nawaki, a Genin who just graduated, it would be even more absurd!
Senju Nawaki's excited expression froze instantly, as if Crow had flown overhead. Helplessly and dejectedly, he followed behind Uya.
Uya was too lazy to talk, so he turned and left. Then the entire Genin force finally set off, leaving the Konoha camp and heading towards the battlefield.
Watching the group of Genin depart, Jiraiya shook his head, suddenly recalling the look that Uya had just given him.
Why does that gaze feel so familiar?
It feels like I've seen it somewhere before.
After thinking for a while, Jiraiya couldn't find any clues and could only attribute it to the battle for the title of genius that he had witnessed between Uya and Minato Namikaze a year ago.
The Land of Rain.
Dark clouds filled the sky, and a light rain was falling.
However, the water stains on the ground were not transparent or colorless; they were red, the red of blood.
There was no oppressive atmosphere; instead, there was only a chilling sense of desolation, a soaring aura of bloodshed and slaughter!
This is not the aura that one person can exude, but the iron-blooded intent emanating from an entire army of ninjas!
This is the battlefield between Konoha and Iwagakure.
At this moment, at least a hundred ninjas have joined the battle, but they are mostly Chunin, representing the core of the force.
The Genin troops arrived slowly, and were mostly cannon fodder.
However, even if the Genin forces attack together, Genin can still be defeated if the Chunin forces are not numerous enough.
After all, the power of a hundred people unleashing Great Fireball at the same time would be difficult for even a Jonin to Chunin, let alone Jonin.
Konoha ninjas continued to arrive at the battlefield, but they did not directly engage in combat. Instead, they confronted the dark Iwagakure Ninja ahead.
The Konoha Ninja were clearly divided into several groups: the Chunin soldiers wore Chunin uniforms and were divided into several columns, while the Jonin were also grouped together and wore Jonin uniforms.
As for the Genin, they only wear Forehead Protector.
In addition, there were some masked figures standing quietly outside the ninja column, their gazes indifferently fixed on the battlefield through the holes in their masks.
Not only does Konoha have Anbu, but Stone Ninja also has Anbu, and the Anbu Ninja are in a state of confrontation with each other.
As for Hatake Sakumo, he did not appear as the Anbu Captain, but instead stood at the rear of Konoha as the overall commander of the Konoha battlefield, facing a ninja from the Iwagakure camp.
In the Iwagakure camp, the one confronting Hatake Sakumo is the Tsuchikage's assistant, Ono Ōnowa. It's unclear whether this guy and Ōnoki have any brotherly relationship.
"Keep a close eye on Konoha's Anbu."
Ōnowa's gaze was calm and composed as he coldly swept over the Konoha Anbu Ninja before speaking to his own Anbu Ninja.
"There's a very strong guy in Konoha's Anbu. He's sabotaged many of our operations and even wiped out our Surprise Attack Force. Be on high alert."
After speaking, Ōnowa narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the Konoha Anbu Ninja, trying to find the Anbu Captain and that special ninja.
Hatake Sakumo stood there calmly, but if you were next to him, you could see that his fingers were trembling slightly.
This indicates that Hatake Sakumo is also in a state where he can draw his White Fang at any time and suddenly attack.
On this kind of battlefield, there's no need to remind anyone to be vigilant; no one can possibly be drowsy!
Just then, a sensory-type ninja reported to Hatake Sakumo, "Lord Sakumo, the Genin unit has arrived."
Hatake Sakumo hesitated for a moment, then said, " The Chunin troops will halt their entry for now; let the Genin go in first."
"Yes!"
Opposite Hatake Sakumo, the Iwagakure forces also had a large number of sensory-type ninjas, Ōnowa.
"Lord Kagesuke, the Konoha Genin force has arrived."
"It seems Konoha still wants to test the waters first. In that case... let our Genin troops go in."
"Yes!"
After shaking his head slightly, Ōnowa continued to gaze into the distance at Hatake Sakumo and the Jonin and Anbu members of Konoha.
These ninjas are the important ones. As for the battlefield below, although hundreds of Chunin have been deployed, it's just a minor skirmish compared to a battlefield with thousands of ninjas.
As for the Genin) units, Ōnowa cared even less.
The two people that Ōnowa cared about most were Hatake Sakumo and the powerful figure hidden in Konoha Anbu, whom the Tsuchikage Ōnoki had repeatedly warned him about.
These are the only two people he values. As for the battle between Chunin and Genin, it's not worth watching and won't cause any trouble. It's just a matter of both sides constantly sending in ninjas to keep the numbers even and wear each other down.
A one-sided approach is impossible.
Finally, the Konoha ninja cleared the way, and hundreds of Konoha Genin finally entered the central battlefield.
At the same time, the Iwagakure faction also dispatched over a hundred Genin to counterattack.
"It's finally starting."
Standing in the ranks of Konoha Ninja, Uya looked at the Stone Ninja ahead and murmured softly.
Senju Nawaki, standing to the side, swallowed hard, but forcibly suppressed his fear, while wanting to ask Uya if he was still scared.
But the next moment, he was surprised to find that Uya was no longer by his side, but had come to the front of the Konoha Genin force!
Jiraiya glanced at the battlefield, his brow furrowing. He couldn't help but say, "You're really brave, charging to the front. Do you want to die even faster?"
As Hatake Sakumo watched this scene, a slight smile appeared on his lips, while Orochimaru, standing to the side, also wore a strange smile, drawing countless gazes.
The battle... has finally broken out!