Unlike the chaotic situation of the three-way war in the north, the fighting on the southeastern front was not tight; it was only because a portion of the forces, primarily the Hyuga, had been diverted to support the north that reinforcements were needed.
This unit led by Nara Suzaku was the support team squeezed out by Konoha.
More than half of them were newbies who had graduated only a few years ago, showing that as the Third Great Ninja War progressed to this point, the number of available Konoha Ninja had indeed reached a point of being stretched thin.
Other Ninja Villages, large and small, were in similar straits; once war breaks out, no one can escape it. Small country Ninja Villages like Grass, Waterfall, and Steam expected the great powers to fight it out while they sat on the sidelines and reaped the benefits? Wishful thinking.
What is the most important thing for a Ninja on the march during wartime?
It is to maintain enough physical strength to deal with unexpected situations, with everything focused on stability and safety; arriving at the destination within the specified time is all that matters.
After Higashino Shin's main force eliminated a squad of Kirigakure Ninja they encountered by chance and finished cleaning up the battlefield, night had already fallen. The leading Jonin decided to rest on the spot before continuing, arriving at the Eastern Front Command Headquarters around 7:00 AM the next morning.
This is the difference between a Ninja and an ordinary person; crossing nearly half of the Land of Fire took only about a day. If they traveled at full speed, it wouldn't even take half a day.
As they approached the outer security perimeter of the command center, the scattered support units began to gather. At that moment, Higashino Shin saw a squad of Ninjas wearing Konoha standard-issue vests appear. After confirming identity information with Jonin Nara Suzaku, they used the Body Flicker to leave and continue their patrol.
After entering the command camp, everyone was assigned temporary accommodations for rest by squad.
The accommodations were very simple, with only one room where everyone slept together to ensure an immediate reaction in case of an emergency. That's how it is for ninjas; when on missions or at war, there's no distinction between men and women and no room for pickiness; no one even takes off their clothes when sleeping.
"Rest here for now. We'll talk about anything else when I get back!" Gekko Yun Jian instructed before leaving.
As a Jonin, he couldn't be as leisurely as his disciples; he had to go to a meeting to understand the current general situation on the front lines.
Once their teacher left, Yūgao Uzuki asked excitedly, "Hey, hey, do you think Lord Orochimaru is definitely here? Teacher should be able to see him, right?"
Hayate had no way of knowing such things, so Higashino Shin replied, "Hard to say!"
Yūgao Uzuki didn't quite understand; as the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Front, if Orochimaru wasn't at the command center, where else could he be?
Before his defection, Orochimaru was highly respected in the hearts of Konoha Ninja. After all, he was one of the Sannin, a Disciple of the Hokage, the hero of the first victory in this war, and a strong contender for the position of Fourth Hokage. He was an idol for many Konoha Ninja.
It was just that his image and temperament weren't very approachable; he couldn't be as sunny and warm as Minato Namikaze, whose perfect image appealed to everyone, young and old.
Just as Higashino Shin expected, around noon, when they saw their teacher return, Yūgao Uzuki asked curiously, "Teacher, I heard others say Lord Orochimaru looks very scary. Is that true?"
Gekko Yun Jian's expression turned a bit strange. "Sorry, little Yūgao, I didn't see that lord. Also, don't spread those rumors you hear blindly in the future."
"Eh? You didn't see him? Isn't Lord Orochimaru the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Front?"
Since the relationship between the three members of Higashino Shin's squad and himself was more than just teacher and Disciples, Gekko Yun Jian whispered, "The one presiding over the meeting was Lord Fugaku, the Clan Chief of the Uchiha Clan. As for Lord Orochimaru, I heard he disappears frequently, and no one knows what he's up to."
Yūgao Uzuki was a bit disappointed. "How could that be?"
How could that be? Higashino Shin thought to himself that Snake Uncle probably had no interest in the war anymore. The reason he agreed to take a post in the east was likely because the Hidden Mist battlefield could provide him with enough interesting experimental materials.
As for specific matters, he could just leave them to Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi. Now that Hyuga Hiashi had been reassigned, the remaining Fugaku would be very happy to command a front line; that was exactly what their clan craved. Once he earned enough merit, he could also apply to become a Hokage candidate.
Gekkō Hayate was indifferent to these things. "Teacher, what are we going to do next?"
"Well, nothing for now. Just wait for arrangements from above."
---
Waiting time couldn't be wasted. If you didn't use your rest time to Cultivate, wouldn't that be a pity?
In the afternoon, Higashino Shin teamed up with his two teammates again to go find the Senior Maruboshi Kosuke to grind for rewards.
Gekko Yun Jian knew a bit about this special individual and also knew that he took good care of the Village's juniors, so he didn't stop them.
After dinner, a Ninja came to inform Higashino Shin to go to the medical department.
Arriving at the temporary hospital, Higashino Shin saw the person who was looking for him.
"Uncle Mishima, did you need something from me?"
In a vacant ward of the temporary hospital sat a middle-aged man with glasses reading a book. He wasn't tall, had a friendly face, and looked to be in his 30s.
His name was Mishima Toshio, a colleague of Higashino Megumi at the Konoha Hospital. The two families had a good relationship, and Higashino Shin often ran into him when he went to the hospital to farm medical experience in the past.
"Shin, you're here. How about it? Do you want to come help me here? With your Medical Ninjutsu skills, I think it would be quite easy for you."
"Is this my mother's idea?"
Mishima Toshio didn't hide it. "It's Megumi's idea. However, she said in her letter that it all depends on your choice; we won't force you."
"Thank you for looking out for me, Uncle Mishima, but I still prefer combat a bit more."
"Hahaha, just as Megumi guessed. Well, no problem, but if I need help on my end, you'll have to come and assist me."
"Sure, as long as I'm in the camp, I'll be there whenever called."
Just then, a loud female voice came from outside: "Senior Mishima, Senior Mishima, hurry and treat me!"
As the voice drew closer, the door to the room was pushed open with great force, and a girl with an explosive ponytail burst in.
This girl had dark hair with a hint of purple, and her eyes were a similar color. She was slightly shorter than Higashino Shin.
Mishima Toshio covered his forehead in exasperation. "Anko, where did you run off to with your teacher again?"
"To do high-level missions, of course! Don't worry about that for now, just hurry and treat me. I still have to Cultivate tonight."
So this was Orochimaru's only current Disciple, Mitarashi Sweet Potato... Anko.
How to put it? Rash, impulsive, and not very polite—she was the type of single-minded hot-blooded idiot, basically a female version of Naruto.
It was hard to imagine a person with Orochimaru's personality taking such a Disciple.
Mishima Toshio refused. "I've been busy all day and need to rest."
"Eh? Then what about my wound?"
"You idiot, didn't you notice there's another person here?"
Anko Mitarashi shook her head exaggeratedly to look around before pretending to see her target. She and Higashino Shin stared at each other, both feeling the other was quite unreliable.
She pointed at Higashino Shin and questioned, "Is a brat like him a Medical Ninja too?"
Higashino Shin raised his left hand, and green Chakra emanated from it. "Senior Anko, you seem to have a deep prejudice against younger comrades."
"Are? Senior? Do we know each other?"
"We don't, but I've seen you at the academy. You were two years ahead of me. By the time I reached the second grade, you had graduated."
"Ahahaha! Is that so? So you're a junior. You look pretty reliable, so I'll leave it to you then."
"No problem."
Higashino Shin stepped forward and unwound the bandage on Anko's arm. He took a look; it was a wound sliced by a sharp blade, quite deep, and had only undergone simple cleaning and bandaging.
Such an injury was naturally simple for Higashino Shin. As he treated her, he asked, "Senior Anko, do you not like eating meat?"
"How can meat be as tasty as Sweet Dango... Eh? How did you know?"
"You're two years older than me, yet you're actually shorter. How do you have the nerve to call me a brat?"
Anko: "..."
As long as you don't mention height, we're good friends.
Late at night.
The squad had already fallen asleep when Higashino Shin suddenly opened his eyes. He sensed a small snake slithering around outside; this was not the behavior of a wild snake.
This was Konoha's Eastern Front Command camp. If a snake appeared, it could only mean one thing.
Someone was luring him out.