Chapter 38: Subordinate Training Manual
The Uchiha and Hyuga were, after all, Konoha's two largest clans. They could each produce hundreds of elite ninja at once. By comparison, some smaller clans couldn't even scrape together a hundred ninja total.
The "elite" standard here—for the Uchiha, it meant awakening the Sharingan. For the Hyuga, it meant awakening the Byakugan. Didn't matter how many tomoe the Sharingan had or whether they'd mastered Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. As long as the bloodline limit was awakened, compared to ordinary ninja and civilian ninja at the same level, they were elite.
Talk about strict hierarchy.
To completely distribute fifty Uchiha ninja throughout the force required forming at least fifty squads. Calculating by the standard three to four person squad size, this mixed force would total close to two hundred people.
To gather this many personnel without affecting Konoha Village's normal operations, Sarutobi Hiruzen had even transferred some Anbu into the force. Handing over such substantial assets to Tsunade showed considerable trust in her.
The force had assembled. At this moment... what was our force commander, Lady Tsunade, doing?
"Kiyonari! Kiyonari! Promise me you'll master this technique as quickly as possible!"
Tsunade pulled out an enormous scroll, urging Hyuga Kiyonari to sign his name on it. This scroll was the contract scroll for Shikkotsu Forest—one of the shinobi world's three sacred places.
Shikkotsu Forest, Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave. These were the three places in the shinobi world that mastered natural energy cultivation methods. The native species living there weren't human, but slugs, toads, and snakes respectively.
The difference was that Shikkotsu Forest wasn't a slug gathering place—only one slug existed there. Its name was Katsuyu. The slugs summoned by successive contractors were all parts of the Katsuyu Sage. The more chakra input, the larger the summoned portion.
"I've already informed the Katsuyu Sage. If you're in danger, use the Summoning Jutsu to trigger this seal. The Katsuyu Sage will use Reverse Summoning to transfer you to Shikkotsu Forest."
"One more thing! Until you've completely mastered Summoning Jutsu, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely don't use it carelessly. Otherwise, you'll end up like that idiot Jiraiya, transported to some weird place!"
Feeling it wasn't insurance enough, she said "absolutely" three times in a row.
Hyuga Kiyonari wrote his name on the scroll, accepted the small scroll recording the Summoning Jutsu, and nodded his head like a pecking chicken.
Only then could Tsunade leave with peace of mind.
Ninja efficiency when executing missions was truly beyond words. Orders issued last night—by the next morning, the force stood ready to deploy.
Tsunade stood at the formation's front. As agreed, two deputy commanders stood behind her—Shizune and Uchiha Shisui. He wore Anbu attire but had removed his mask, revealing a face brimming with youthful vigor.
Tsunade inspected the neat formation before her, nodding with satisfaction.
"Everyone, attention!"
Her voice rang clear and powerful. After leaving the village for so many years, for the first time she made her voice heard among the younger generation.
"Destination—Land of Fire's northeastern border! Move out!"
Ninja didn't have habits of thunderous battle cries. They simply fell silent, transforming into dark shadows that followed close behind Tsunade, disappearing into the forest outside the village.
Along the way, the ninja maintained silence. Only the endless sound of countless feet leaping across branches continued unbroken.
Unless facing imminent combat needs, ninja generally didn't stop during marches. For them, running a full day wasn't any big deal. Tired? Hungry? Pop a food pill and you're good.
Not until evening did this force finally reach its destination.
This was an open clearing in the forest with good visibility. Some temporarily constructed wooden buildings stood around it. Clearly, Konoha ninja had been stationed here before.
Tsunade turned. Everyone's gaze focused on her, awaiting orders.
"Before beginning repairs," Tsunade spoke slowly, "I have some things to tell you. These are all very important, so I hope you'll listen carefully."
Uchiha Shisui immediately produced paper and pen, preparing to record key points. This was his job. The other deputy, Shizune—her work mostly involved attending to Tsunade's daily life.
"In the past, ninja warfare was organized by clan. Uchiha, Hyuga, Aburame... each fought separately. Though alliances like Ino-Shika-Cho existed, generally speaking, clans remained the basic ninja combat unit."
"After shinobi villages were established, with so many different types of ninja gathered in one village, purely organizing by clan seemed insufficient. So some tried grouping similar ninja types together. For instance, Iwagakure's Explosion Corps."
The Explosion Corps was a specialized ninja unit Iwagakure had cultivated. Theoretically, this unit possessed sufficient firepower to deliver devastating blows to any enemy.
Other villages had similar formations—Fire Release units, Water Release units...
"However, in past shinobi world wars, the Explosion Corps' performance wasn't remarkable. Why?" Tsunade posed a question, her gaze constantly collecting everyone's reactions.
"Because their overall level was inadequate—they couldn't pull ahead of other ordinary ninja units."
"Since that's the case, how about building an elite squad? For instance, Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen—an elite force Kirigakure assembled using seven special ninja blades. Within Kirigakure, only sufficiently powerful ninja qualified as candidates.
"The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were indeed strong, even once invading deep into the Land of Fire—not far from Konoha itself. Until... they encountered that man. The man named Might Duy traded his life for theirs, killing four blade wielders. The remaining three fled in panic."
"At that time, Might Duy had burned himself out completely. The remaining children would have been easy work, yet they still escaped. Why?"
"Because they were isolated and unsupported! Might Duy had delayed long enough—Konoha reinforcements could arrive at any moment. Even hesitating a moment longer, they might have been completely annihilated there!"
Each sentence fell like boulders into calm water, exploding through the formation. The ninja exchanged glances, confusion and contemplation interweaving.
Large-scale forces couldn't pull ahead. Elite forces, once suffering losses, couldn't receive support.
So what exactly was correct?
Uchiha Shisui earnestly recorded every key point Tsunade mentioned. Actually, he was also contemplating the answer, but suddenly recalled a private order Clan Head Fugaku had given before departure.
[Your mission is obedience—obeying Tsunade's orders. If clan members won't obey, you must make them obey "with dignity."]
[What you can't recognize, first acknowledge. What you can't agree with, first conform to.]
[What you understand, execute immediately. What you don't understand, slowly comprehend through execution.]
[Understand?]
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