It was noon.
After a morning of travel, Tsunade and Kitazawa's group finally arrived at the southeastern border of the Land of Fire.
"Lady Tsunade." Hyuga Hiashi led several Jonin to greet her.
Under normal circumstances, the main family of the Hyuga Clan would not leave their homes to protect their Byakugan, much less undertake any missions. However, war was a special situation, and even the main family was no exception; they had to participate.
Ao's Byakugan from Hidden Mist Village was obtained from a Hyuga Clan main family member during the Third Shinobi World War.
"Mm." Tsunade nodded and asked, "How is your situation?"
"Aside from a large-scale surprise attack we encountered when we first arrived, the rest were all skirmishes involving Ninja squads," Hyuga Hiashi replied.
"So Hidden Mist Village's actions have suddenly slowed down?"
Tsunade asked thoughtfully, "Who is the opposing commander?"
"The commander of the Hidden Mist Village vanguard was Kisame Hoshigaki, but now that the main force has arrived, it's Ao," Hiashi said with a normal expression.
But in reality, he wished he could kill Ao. The reason Ao became famous in the Ninja World was because he obtained a Byakugan. His fame was literally built upon stepping on the Hyuga Clan.
If given the chance, Hyuga Hiashi would naturally spare no effort to reclaim the Byakugan.
"No wonder, Ao's style is indeed more cautious," Tsunade said as she walked. "For us, this is not a good thing."
She disliked drawn-out battles because they were troublesome and time-consuming. Konoha Village's strength far surpassed Hidden Mist Village's, and in Tsunade's opinion, it would be best to wipe them out in one battle. But unfortunately, such a thing was clearly impossible.
The group walked into a large tent, which was the main tent. A huge map was hung inside.
"This is the location of their main camp." Hiashi raised his hand, pointing to an island on the map, and said, "Surrounded by sea on all four sides, easy to defend, difficult to attack."
Tsunade glanced at it, shook her head, and said, "It seems their strategy is to fight a war of attrition."
"Hidden Mist Village's strength is inferior to ours, so a war of attrition is normal."
Hiashi didn't find it surprising. Kisame Hoshigaki's large-scale surprise attacks were actually illogical. After all, one careless mistake could lead to the complete annihilation of the army.
Of course, if successful, the gains would also be great. Fortunately, Tsunade sent Kitazawa and others to retaliate in kind, turning the tide.
Kitazawa rubbed his chin.
In the original work, Gengetsu Hozuki, Ao, and Mei Terumī were undoubtedly in the same camp. They all opposed the tyranny of Fourth Mizukage Yagura Karatachi.
However, unlike Biwa Jūzō, Zabuza Momochi, and others, they did not choose to defect. Ultimately, with the help of Ao's Byakugan, they discovered the truth, thus ending the tyranny of Fourth Mizukage Yagura.
Kitazawa originally thought that the commander of Hidden Mist Village this time would be Suikazan Fuguki, but he didn't expect it to be Ao.
Clearly, there had been a power struggle within Hidden Mist Village. Ultimately, Gengetsu Hozuki and others gained a certain advantage.
Although Yagura was the Mizukage, he was only one person, and his declaration of war was inherently unreasonable.
It was not surprising that Gengetsu Hozuki and others could secure a position as frontline commanders.
Kitazawa could now understand why Ao wanted to fight a war of attrition; it was to buy time.
He was thinking about what he could do.
Go find Ao or Mei Terumī? That wouldn't be appropriate. He couldn't explain how he knew about Fourth Mizukage Yagura's situation, and they wouldn't believe a Konoha Village Ninja.
The only way now was to fight first. After Konoha Village gained an absolute advantage, he would then release Uchiha Obito's Genjutsu and complete his system mission.
Afterward, he would negotiate with Hidden Mist Village or accept their plea for peace, obtaining a substantial war indemnity, and retrieve the Byakugan along the way.
If Hidden Mist Village were truly annihilated, then Hidden Cloud Village, Iwagakure, and other Ninja Villages would also intervene. At that point, it would be the Fourth Shinobi World War.
Kitazawa currently lacked sufficient strength and did not want to fight such a large-scale war for now. Moreover, the Akatsuki Organization was lurking in the shadows, eyeing them covetously.
"Lady Tsunade, this is the detailed situation." Hyuga Hiashi handed over a scroll and said.
"Kitazawa, you all go and rest first," Tsunade said while looking at the scroll. "I'll notify you when there's a mission."
Kitazawa and others had launched a surprise attack on the Hidden Mist Village stronghold overnight and had only rested for two hours until now. Since there was nothing to do for the time being, they didn't need to stay with her.
Now it was Tsunade's job. She had to assign appropriate missions to each Ninja squad based on the battlefield situation.
Ninja warfare was vastly different from conventional warfare, still being mission-oriented. Tens of thousands of Ninja engaging in large-scale melees were extremely rare.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade." Kitazawa, Uchiha Yashiro, and the others turned and left.
Hyuga Hiashi subconsciously glanced at Kitazawa. He had received the battle report from Anbu in the morning. It detailed Kitazawa's successful leadership in the surprise attack on the Hidden Mist Village stronghold.
Hiashi was once again shocked by Kitazawa's strength.
In just one year, his impression of Kitazawa had changed repeatedly. From an ordinary Ninja Academy teacher to Tsunade's student, and now to a powerful Jonin.
Hiashi had previously been displeased with Hinata's overly close relationship with Kitazawa. Now, it seemed this was undoubtedly a good thing. It would be even better if Hinata could become Kitazawa's true student.
"This is my first time seeing the sea." Uchiha Izumi walked out of the main tent and subconsciously looked at the sea.
"The sea is beautiful, but unfortunately, on the other side of the sea are enemies." Kabuto adjusted his glasses and said.
"Once Hidden Mist Village is defeated, you will have plenty of time to see the sea." Kurenai said with a smile.
"Mm." Uchiha Izumi nodded.
"Get ready; if nothing unexpected happens, our squad will have a mission starting tomorrow." Kitazawa yawned and said, "As for now, let's sleep first."
"Yes, Teacher Kitazawa." Kabuto and the other two said in unison.
Because they were in the same ninja squad, their tents were next to each other.
Logically, one ninja squad would have one tent. Whether during war or missions, sleeping arrangements were always simple, using sleeping bags.
Moreover, since they slept fully clothed, one ninja squad would share a single tent, regardless of gender.
However, due to Kitazawa's current status and position, their ninja squad was allocated two tents.
As for how they were distributed, Kabuto and the other two naturally shared one tent, and Kitazawa and Kurenai shared the other.
Kitazawa embraced Kurenai's soft body, inhaling her faint fragrance as he drifted into sleep.
They woke up in the afternoon.
After eating, they didn't idle but seized the time to cultivate. Kitazawa took this opportunity to consolidate the ninjutsu he had copied with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan during last night's battle.
These were two Water Release ninjutsu and two Earth Release ninjutsu: Water Release: Water Fang Blade, Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique, Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet, and Earth Style: Underground Move Jutsu.
Copying only meant being able to use them; mastery was still far off. Fortunately, he now had proficient-level Earth Release and Water Release chakra nature transformations, so familiarizing himself with them wasn't slow.
Kitazawa felt that Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique was the most useful. It could be surprisingly effective against non-Hidden Mist Village ninja.
However, the Hidden Mist Village ninja were already accustomed to heavy fog. Coupled with their unique Silent Killing technique, it was hard to say who would gain the advantage then.
Unless Kitazawa also learned Silent Killing. But that technique was essentially an assassination skill, not ninjutsu.
In the original work, during the battle between Kakashi Hatake and Zabuza Momochi in the Land of Waves, he only copied Water Release ninjutsu with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, not Silent Killing.
The next morning, Kitazawa woke up on time. He sat up and stretched.
"Good morning." Kurenai opened her eyes and greeted him.
Being in a battlefield, both of them were very restrained. She hadn't wasted energy last night and had slept soundly; upon noticing Kitazawa's movement, she also woke from her sleep.
"It still feels more comfortable sleeping at home." Kitazawa paused and said, "Not going to class also feels strange."
"Your students are probably even more unaccustomed." Kurenai chuckled and said.
She was quite aware of how popular Kitazawa was with his students. After Kurenai mentioned it, Kitazawa did miss Uzumaki Naruto and Hinata.
It was a shame they were too young; otherwise, he could have let them go to the battlefield as well.
Kitazawa shook his head. He wasn't Uchiha Fugaku; he couldn't bring himself to send children to the battlefield.
Although Naruto and his team's strength was no less than that of an average Chunin, the cruelty of the battlefield could too easily leave them with psychological trauma.
If they all ended up like Uchiha Itachi, Kitazawa would completely break down.
After waking up, the two of them quickly washed up and then had breakfast with Kabuto and the other two.
"Lord Kitazawa." An Anbu ninja suddenly appeared, "Lady Tsunade requests your presence."
"Alright, thank you." Kitazawa stood up and walked towards the main tent.
On both sides of the main tent, many ninja were coming and going, receiving missions. Only particularly important missions were issued by Tsunade.
"Lady Tsunade," Kitazawa called out from the entrance and only entered after receiving permission.
Inside the main tent were only Tsunade and Shizune.
"Choose one of these missions here." Tsunade pointed to the scrolls on the table and said, "They are all A-rank and S-rank missions."
"Lady Tsunade really thinks highly of me." Kitazawa couldn't help but smile at her words.
"Your team has two Jonin, so it's only natural to make the most of them," Tsunade replied.
Her previous plan was to keep Kitazawa by her side, but after the Hidden Mist Village raid mission ended, she changed her mind.
Such powerful combat strength couldn't be wasted, and this was an excellent opportunity to gain fame.
Tsunade was now grooming Kitazawa to be the Hokage's successor. The first step to becoming Hokage was to have an extremely high reputation.
"And Kurenai." Kitazawa reminded her.
Under normal circumstances, a ninja squad consisted of four people. With Kurenai, their ninja squad was already over capacity.
However, as long as Tsunade, the frontline commander, agreed, no one would dare to say anything.
"I've already included Kurenai." Tsunade snorted softly and said.
"As expected of Lady Tsunade, you're truly far-seeing!" Kitazawa immediately praised her.
"Enough with the flattery, choose your mission." Tsunade rolled her eyes at him and said.
Kitazawa immediately began sifting through the missions on the table. The missions were roughly divided into four types.
The first type was defense. To facilitate combat, Konoha Village had built many strongholds and outposts, all of which needed to be defended.
The second type was reconnaissance. Like Konoha Village, Hidden Mist Village had also built strongholds and outposts, and Konoha Village needed to know their locations.
The third type was combat, either capturing strongholds or outposts, or hunting down Hidden Mist Village ninja squads wandering outside.
The fourth type was infiltration, going to the island where Hidden Mist Village was located to sabotage or harass medical logistics units.
"I'll choose this mission." Kitazawa handed the scroll in his hand to Tsunade.
"Are you really not afraid of death?" Tsunade glanced at the scroll in her hand and couldn't help but ask.
"This is making the most of our resources." Kitazawa said with a smile, "I'm quite confident in my infiltration skills."
"Be careful." Tsunade was silent for two seconds, then said.
"I understand." Kitazawa took the scroll and left the main tent.
[Once on the battlefield, it's time to show your skills.]
[Current Mission: Lead your team to complete ten A-rank or S-rank missions.]
[Mission Reward: Compound Ninjutsu: Strange Mask Exploding Flames.]
[Do you accept?]
As soon as Kitazawa exited the main tent, four lines of text appeared before his eyes.
This system mission, though sudden, was also within his expectations. Only the mission reward was a bit of a surprise.
Compound Ninjutsu: Strange Mask Exploding Flames, originated from Kakuzu, formed by the combination of Fire Release: Searing Migraine and Wind Release: Pressure Damage.
Although a bit unexpected, the power of this Compound Ninjutsu was absolutely not bad.
In Kitazawa's opinion, Kakuzu could be considered a gatekeeper among top-tier powerhouses. Those stronger than Kakuzu could all be considered top-tier powerhouses in the Ninja World.
"Is there a mission?" Kurenai saw Kitazawa return and proactively asked.
"An S-rank mission, to disrupt Hidden Mist Village's supply transport team." Kitazawa briefly explained the contents of the scroll.
"The first mission is already this difficult?" Kurenai's expression became solemn.
Supply transport teams, generally speaking, would have Jonin accompanying them. And that wasn't even the most troublesome part.
The supply transport team would depart from the Land of Water and head towards Hidden Mist Village's main camp.
This entire route was undoubtedly deep within enemy territory, and they could encounter Hidden Mist Village Ninja at any time.
"Difficult as it is, it's very suitable for our squad." Kitazawa looked at Torune and said with a smile, "This mission will rely on you, Torune."
"Yes." Aburame Torune was startled for a moment, then quickly responded.
"Let's go." Kitazawa said as he walked out, "You can think about how to make this mission simpler and faster."
After leaving the Konoha Main Camp, they arrived at the seashore.
"Our destination this time is an island in the Land of Water." Kitazawa took out a map and said, "According to the mission scroll, the supply transport team will stop and rest on that island."
"How many Hidden Mist Village Ninja are on the island?" Kabuto pondered and asked.
"Because this island is located deep within Hidden Mist Village territory, there is only one Ninja squad stationed there." Kitazawa replied, "One Special Jonin and three Chunin."
"Kitazawa-Sensei, I have an idea." Kabuto's heart stirred, and he said, "We can disguise ourselves as them and then launch a surprise attack."
"That's a good idea." Kurenai couldn't help but nod upon hearing this.
"Alright, we'll do as you say." Kitazawa put away the map and said, "Torune, you follow me. We will be responsible for scouting the surroundings."
He casually put on a pair of sunglasses, and with a single leap, he was on the surface of the sea. Kitazawa led the way.
Although traveling by boat saved Chakra, it was too slow and the target was too large, making it easy to be discovered. Running directly consumed more Chakra.
However, Kitazawa specifically chose a route with many large and small islands along the way. If they got tired, they could rest on an island.
Kitazawa and his group smoothly reached the island mentioned in the mission scroll. Besides Aburame Torune's Kikaichu, Kitazawa would also occasionally look for opportunities to activate his Byakugan.
This allowed them to avoid encountering any Hidden Mist Village Ninja. If it were any other Ninja squad, they might have already encountered several battles.
"There are indeed four Hidden Mist Village Ninja on the island," Torune said after scouting with his Kikaichu.
"You guys handle them." Kitazawa waved his hand and said, "I'll keep an eye on the supply transport team's ship to prevent it from suddenly appearing and spoiling our operation."
Kabuto looked at Kurenai.
"You're a Jonin, you command," Kurenai said with self-awareness.
She wouldn't boss around Kabuto and the other two just because of her relationship with Kitazawa.
After such a long time together, she had also realized. Among Kitazawa's three students, putting aside Aburame Torune and Uchiha Izumi, at least Kabuto was much stronger than her. Especially in Medical Ninjutsu and strategy.
"Torune, launch a surprise attack first." Kabuto immediately arranged, "Kurenai-senpai and Izumi prepare genjutsu."
The four immediately went ashore and headed towards Hidden Mist Village's outpost. The outpost was actually a small stronghold. Probably because it was deep in the rear, there were no traps near Hidden Mist Village's outpost.
Inside the outpost, four Hidden Mist Village Ninja were idly patrolling the surroundings. But their faces all showed absent-minded expressions.
In a place they didn't notice, four Kikaichu, invisible to the naked eye, approached their feet. The next second, the Kikaichu accelerated and bit them.
The middle-aged Ninja, a Special Jonin, sensed danger and instinctively used the Body Flicker Technique.
But his three students didn't escape; their bodies turned blue and purple amidst their screams, dying on the spot.
"What's going on?" The middle-aged Ninja was both shocked and enraged, quickly leaping to the top of the outpost.
He immediately saw that his three students had died from poisoning. Just then, a large number of flower petals appeared out of thin air.
The middle-aged Ninja's heart was alert, and he quickly spotted Kurenai. He couldn't help but widen his eyes. How could Konoha Village Ninja appear here?
The middle-aged Ninja was momentarily dazed, and Kurenai disappeared from her spot. In her place was a pair of Sharingan. Uchiha Izumi appeared in Kurenai's position.
"Sharingan?" The middle-aged Ninja reacted and quickly formed hand signs.
"Genjutsu: Release!"
Just then, Kurenai descended from the sky, smashing a Rasengan towards him. He reacted too slowly and was sent flying directly.
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (45+ Advanced Chapters)