After a day and a night of nonstop travel, the support force escorted easily portable strategic supplies and arrived before noon on the second day at the Northern Second Command Post on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water.
This location was currently under the responsibility of the Hyūga clan, mainly tasked with resisting the invading Kumogakure ninja.
Minato did not remain here for long. Before long, he led part of the teams he was familiar with and moved on to the true Northern Command Post.
That location was not too far from here. It lay at the tri-border junction of the Land of Fire, the Land of Fields, and the Land of Hot Water, and was the chaotic battlefield where the three major shinobi villages—Konohagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure—were locked in combat.
Unlike when he went to the Eastern Front Command Post during his first time participating in the war, after arriving at the Northern Front, Makoto could clearly feel that the atmosphere here was extremely heavy, carrying an oppressive sense of a storm pressing down on the city.
The vast majority of Konoha ninja moving about wore solemn expressions, and laughter was rarely heard. The temporary medical division was also filled with wounded, as if a large-scale battle had taken place not long ago.
However, by the time Makoto arrived, the wounded had already been treated, and there was no need for him to assist. The medical resources here were sufficient.
This was merely a direct confrontation with a single Kumogakure force, yet the situation was already so tense. One could imagine just how brutal the three-way melee further north must be.
At the same time, this also indirectly proved one thing: Kirigakure was truly underperforming. Konoha had only committed part of its strength, yet still completely overwhelmed them.
A village torn by internal strife year after year—no matter how fierce the ninja it produces— is still nothing more than a paper tiger.
After resting for half a day, on the morning of the second day after arriving on the northern front, the support force was dispatched to the defensive line located within the Land of Hot Water, to relieve the patrol ninja who were already extremely exhausted so they could return to the command post to recuperate.
The layout of the defensive line was not much different from the eastern front, but unlike last time, Makoto's squad had already all been promoted to chūnin, and the jōnin leading them, Kumomi, did not leave the team the way ordinary teams did after their members were promoted. After all, their relationship was not only that of superior and subordinate; they also bore the status of teacher and disciple.
This was the normal state of a team with deep bonds. Therefore, the outstanding Third Squad was not assigned to hold a fixed defensive post, but instead carried out patrol-support duties—moving beyond the defensive line, searching for traces of Kumogakure ninja and providing immediate support to comrades who came under attack at any time.
Makoto's exceptional sensory ability was also one of the reasons the command post arranged things this way.
...
In the blink of an eye, three days passed peacefully.
Nothing happened during those three days. The last raid had only just ended, and both sides needed to catch their breath and rest for a while.
Ninja were not perpetual-motion machines. It was impossible to carry out high-intensity combat day after day without pause; even an iron man could not endure that.
In a village within the Land of Hot Water, the Kumomi squad, patrolling to this area, moved outside the village in secret, searching for traces of Kumogakure ninja.
Before long, the four who had spread out to search regrouped together.
Kumomi asked, "How is it—did you find anything?"
Hayate replied, "Nothing found. No ninja have passed through here recently."
Yūgao's and Makoto's search results were the same.
"What about the situation inside the village?"
Makoto had already sensed it earlier. "Only a few elderly people are still staying in the village. There are no chakra fluctuations, so the possibility of them being Kumogakure ninja in disguise can be ruled out."
"Is that so? Then let's move on to the next key point."
The three of them glanced at the dilapidated village not far ahead. After erasing any traces they might have left behind, they departed without making contact with the villagers.
Some of the elderly inside also had no ability to detect approaching ninja. Most of them had vacant gazes, sallow and emaciated faces, little sign of vitality, and no hatred visible in their eyes.
The purpose of these elderly people still being alive seemed to be nothing more than waiting for the god of death to come and take them away at some unknown time—perhaps that, too, was a kind of release.
Over the course of three days, the four of them had seen several villages like this, and the situation was mostly the same. The villagers were either dead or had fled, leaving only a few immobile elderly people stubbornly holding on in their homes.
If they were lucky, they would survive. If not, they would be killed by passing Kumogakure ninja, completely eliminating any possibility of information leaking.
Therefore, the ninja world war was not only a matter for ninja. In fact, ordinary people suffered even heavier casualties—only no one cared, and no one kept count.
At first, Hayate and Yūgao still felt some pity, but after seeing it so many times, they became numb to it. Casualties among another country's civilians were still better than casualties among their own. Wasn't this precisely the purpose for which Konoha ninja took part in the war? To protect Konoha, to protect the Land of Fire.
On the fifth day of patrol, Makoto and the other three finally discovered fresh traces by a small stream. Although they had been specially treated, it was obvious that some remnants had still been overlooked.
Following the discovered traces, Kumomi investigated as he went, while also instructing his disciples.
"Judging from the movement patterns, there are quite a few of them. They didn't leave long ago either. Their direction is exactly toward our Konoha defensive line. Move—fast! Makoto, pay attention to sensing the surroundings."
"Yes!"
Not long after, Makoto suddenly increased his speed and reported, "Found them. There are ten in total, already close to the defensive line."
At that moment, a Konoha-exclusive signal flare shot up into the sky in the distance. The Konoha ninja on the defensive line had also discovered the invading enemy.
Makoto and the other three immediately went all out, rushing to provide support.
By the time they arrived at the battlefield, the two sides were already engaged. Fire Release burned, Lightning Release struck wildly, turning an area that had originally been covered with intact vegetation into utter ruin.
Shrubs were set ablaze, and the grassland was torn up.
A squad of Konoha ninja stationed there joined up with another squad that had rushed in as reinforcements, fighting fiercely against ten Kumogakure ninja.
After noticing Makoto's four charging in at full speed, the Kumogakure ninja immediately split off four people to block them. With that, the numbers on both sides were equal—ten against ten.
But the Kumogakure ninja believed in their own strength, convinced that they would surely slaughter the detestable Konoha ninja before them.
The Kumogakure ninja facing Makoto was a young, dark-skinned man. Seeing that his opponent was a young brat, he revealed a cruel, terrifying smile—yet his eyes were filled with hatred.
As the two closed the distance, he formed hand seals with both hands and suddenly spat out more than ten flashes of lightning from his mouth, then drew his ninja blade and slashed forward.
The lightning flickering from his mouth transformed into sharp senbon that shot straight toward the opponent's face. Makoto did not evade. He extended his left hand, and the earth-yellow shield formed by the defensive ninjutsu One-Horn Great Wall pushed straight through the lightning senbon as he charged forward.
Lightning Release restraining Earth Release? That only held true when both sides were of comparable strength.
Clang!
After closing in, they drew their blades and exchanged strikes. One long and one short ninja blade collided.
The Kumogakure ninja's cruel smile remained, seemingly intending to place psychological pressure on the Konoha brat while also using the advantage of his greater adult strength to force the blade downward.
But he soon discovered that the Konoha brat before him was no weaker in strength—and that some ominous sound was coming from the blade itself.
Crack!
Cracks actually appeared on the long blade infused with Lightning Release chakra. He was gripped by fear and tried to retreat, but it was too late. Makoto gripped his blade with both hands and drove forward, cutting through the opponent's blade, then sweeping across his neck.
Blood sprayed. Life ended.
Makoto could not even be bothered to give him a second glance. He turned and charged toward Yūgao's direction. Before he even closed in, he swung out a wind blade, killing the dark-skinned brat who had been happily bullying the young girl.
The young Kumogakure ninja fighting Hayate, on the other hand, was a fair-skinned and handsome man. But after seeing his teammate defeated so cleanly, his expression shifted from cruelty to terror. He realized that they had run into a true expert.
So it turned out that they, too, were capable of fear—but losing focus in the midst of battle was a major taboo for ninja.
Seizing the moment when his opponent was distracted, Hayate caught the opening and slashed forward, opening up the front of the man's chest with a single strike.
The young Kumogakure ninja collapsed to the ground, letting out a miserable scream that warned his other teammates. But the scream abruptly stopped, and his body went limp as he fell motionless.
Wind Release: Wind Finger Gun!
Makoto raised both hands and attacked on both sides at once, firing two wind bullets. One was "awarded" to the fallen young ninja—the wind bullet detonated inside his mouth, thoroughly sending him on his way.
The other shot toward the middle-aged Kumogakure ninja who was fighting Kumomi.
This man had never been a match for Kumomi to begin with. Now, seeing the wind bullet incoming, his mind was shaken, and he desperately twisted his body to evade.
But the wind bullet was simply too fast. Even though ninja were monsters of reaction speed, he still could not dodge it completely.
The wind bullet struck his shoulder, but what proved more fatal was Kumomi's vacuum blade slicing across his neck.
In the short time after the two sides made contact, all four Kumogakure ninja were completely eliminated.
Not far away, the remaining six Kumogakure ninja saw how quickly the teammates sent to block the Konoha reinforcements had been defeated. Realizing that today's mission had failed, they immediately disengaged and fled from the flank.
Come when they wanted, leave when they wanted—how could it be that easy?
Makoto accelerated in a burst. His figure was light and agile, as if ignoring gravity itself, and he charged to the rear of the fleeing Kumogakure ninja at a pursuit speed even faster than Kumomi's.
Then he leapt into the air.
Wind Release: Shadowless Sword!
Wind blades, each about the size of a fist and as dense as a rainstorm, poured down as if they cost nothing at all, riddling the six Kumogakure ninja full of holes. They died without even managing to use any defensive techniques.
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