Uchiha Gen had always been very clear-headed.
As the Hokage's son, Sarutobi Enjun might truly have been able to stay in the rear with peace of mind for his entire life.
He could have never participated in war and lived safely—if both the Third Hokage and he himself were willing.
Even if there would be some gossip because of it, it wouldn't be a problem for the Third Hokage.
His power was becoming more solid and his rule was increasingly stable; he could easily suppress it.
But for himself, Uzuki Ruri, and 99.9% of the Ninja in the Ninja World, they would all eventually step onto the most dangerous battlefields to fight life-and-death battles with enemies.
However, looking at it now, both Sarutobi Enjun himself and the Third Hokage still had some grand ambitions.
Since they had chosen this path, they wouldn't back down at this time.
Uchiha Gen had his own cheat, but his teammates did not.
Fortunately, their talents were top-tier.
If they could make enough progress during this period, the team's survival probability on the battlefield in the future would also increase significantly.
The next day, it was still early morning.
The rain, which had lasted for a day and a night, was falling particularly hard at this moment.
The dark clouds in the sky were dense, obscuring the sunlight and making the morning, which should have been bright, appear very gloomy.
Thousands of Konoha Ninja moved quickly like ants across the campsite centered around this fortress-like stronghold.
After the reinforcements of over three thousand led by Homura Mitokado and Orochimaru arrived in the Land of Rain, the total number of Konoha Ninja in the Land of Rain had approached six thousand.
In terms of overall strength, they were the strongest in this region.
Precisely because of this, after Homura Mitokado took over command in his capacity as a Konoha Elder, it was naturally impossible to continue the passive defense on the border as they had when their forces were few.
While the Konoha Ninja attacked in all directions, Uchiha Gen led his team in a peaceful life.
On ordinary days, they performed relatively simple tasks such as guarding outposts, patrolling the rear, checking logistics, and escorting supplies.
They stayed far from the front lines.
Although there were occasional missions to cooperate with some frontline units, they were never the main force.
Konoha was currently in a strategic counter-offensive phase in the Land of Rain.
Its strength was clearly a tier above the other factions within the Land of Rain's borders, leaving no place for them to truly show their skills.
Compared to the past, the biggest difference was actually the increased frequency of missions, which left less time for cultivation.
Important combatants like Orochimaru were usually so busy they were nowhere to be seen.
Uchiha Gen and the others could only train by making fine adjustments to their own situations according to the training plan Orochimaru had left behind previously.
Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, it was two months later.
The New Year had passed, and the season was midwinter.
Due to the climate in the Land of Rain, although it didn't snow, the rainy days were even more damp and cold, piercing to the bone—it could be called a magic attack.
Uchiha Gen's thirteenth birthday was on the fourth day after the New Year.
It happened to be spent while executing a mission to escort supplies.
With limited conditions, the team just lit a few more candles in the tent at night and opened a few more cans of meat and fruit as a celebration.
After the celebration, they had to continue guarding the outposts outside.
It wasn't until late at night that the team returned to the tent.
Accompanied by the snoring coming from Sarutobi Enjun in the top bunk, Uchiha Gen pulled out two cotton earplugs from under his pillow.
He plugged his ears, rested his head on his hands, and stared blankly while checking the system panel.
[Character Name: Uchiha Gen]
[Character Level: 19]
[Current Loaded Character Card: Uchiha Madara (Young)]
[Current Available Item Cards: 7]
[Available Gacha Pulls: 0]
[Current Attributes: Nin 6; Tai 6; Gen 5; Str 5; Spd 7; Sta 5; Seal 6; Int 7; Total 47]
On the front lines, many missions were executed.
Although it was tiring, the experience gained was truly substantial.
In just two short months, he had already grinded his level to nineteen.
He was only one level away from his next pity pull, which was practically within reach.
In addition, compared to when he first graduated, his eight Ninja attributes had also made a qualitative leap.
His eight Ninja attribute panel had definitely surpassed most Chūnin.
Compared to some Special Jōnin, it was certainly not much worse.
It was just that he hadn't yet truly demonstrated a level equivalent to a Jōnin in a specific field like those Special Jōnin had.
This was thanks to his ability to self-study and absorb various skills and experience from the Young Madara character card, as well as two newly drawn item cards.
[Item Card: Cultivation Acceleration Card (White) ×2]
[Cultivation Acceleration Card (White) Description: Within ten days after using this item card, gain a double cultivation speed boost.]
As for the remaining item cards, they were all still white.
Aside from one D-Rank Skill Learning Card and one D-Rank Skill Proficiency Card, they only provided supplies like Exploding Tags and Soldier Pills.
They were useful, but not significantly so.
Of the two skill cards, one was used to increase proficiency in the previously learned Temple of Nirvana Technique.
The other was used on another Genjutsu, the Sly Mind Affect Technique.
Both Genjutsu were standard D-Rank Genjutsu that didn't require the Sharingan to perform.
But performing them with the Sharingan would only make it easier—even with just a Single Tomoe.
Although the bonus to Genjutsu wasn't as obvious as with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan, it still gave more of an advantage than a Genjutsu Ninja without the Sharingan.
"Soon. At this rate, I should reach level twenty this week."
Uchiha Gen slowly closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and forced himself to fall asleep quickly.
He was very clear about this game system he had created in his previous life.
Going from level nineteen to twenty was far more important than going from level nine to ten.
The new pity character card unlocked was just the foundation.
More importantly, the system would update along with the level up, opening higher quality prize pools.
The drop rate for the previous green cards would also significantly increase.
At that time, the benefits brought by each pull would be much higher than they were now, and his development speed would become faster and faster.
Meanwhile, in the Konoha Ninja command room, the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
"Orochimaru's previous judgment was correct."
"Our excessive attacks during this period have forced the other factions in the Land of Rain to unite."
"Now Sunagakure and Iwagakure have allied, and Amegakure stood against us early on."
"Even if we are currently the strongest, the village has no extra power to help us."
"Isolated and without help, we will only fall back into the quagmire of war as before."
Kome Aki straightened his back and spoke in a deep voice while clutching his injured shoulder.
"It was my miscalculation; the blame lies with me."
Homura Mitokado sat to the side, his arm in a bandage.