The hay in the cave gave off a faint scent of grass and wood. The three injured ninja were sound asleep. Sato and Takahashi dozed against the stone wall, while Tanaka guarded the entrance, his gaze sweeping over the remnants of the distant battlefield, wary of any potential Iwagakure pursuers.
Lin Yue sat in the corner, using the last rays of the setting sun to bring up his system panel—after the recent battle, his and Rin's attributes had subtly improved. He needed to quickly analyze their combat strength and consider how to conceal the new summoners.
Host Panel: Uchiha Yue (12 years old)
Level: Genin (Intermediate)
Chakra: 210
Ninjutsu: Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique (Proficient), Substitution Jutsu (Proficient), Clone Jutsu (Proficient), Basic Medical (Beginner)
Genjutsu: Basic Genjutsu (Sharingan Basic Genjutsu Resistance)
Taijutsu: Basic Taijutsu (Beginner)
Bloodline Limit: Sharingan (One Tomoe)
Lin Yue quickly scanned the panel, his mind clear: his Chakra was a bit higher than when he first transmigrated, Great Fireball Technique and basic Ninjutsu were at proficient level, and his Sharingan activation had increased due to actual combat. However, his Genjutsu was still blank, and his Taijutsu stamina couldn't sustain prolonged battles—he needed to patch up these weaknesses while escorting the injured back to the outpost, and also hide the newly summoned individuals.
He then brought up Uchiha Rin's panel to confirm their current combat strength:
Summoner Panel: Uchiha Rin (15 years old)
Level: Genin (Senior)
Chakra: 580
Ninjutsu: Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique (Mastered), Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique (Proficient), Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall (Proficient), Earth Release: Earth Flow Bullet (Beginner), Three Basic Jutsu (Mastered)
Genjutsu: Fox's Heart Technique
Taijutsu: Basic Taijutsu (Proficient)
Bloodline Limit: Sharingan (One Tomoe)
"Rin's Fire Release and Earth Release can cover offense and defense, but we lack reconnaissance, traps, and medical skills," Lin Yue mused. Their current team, including himself, had only five people, and Sato was injured. They also had to escort the injured and supplies, so if they encountered an Iwagakure patrol, they could easily be put on the defensive.
More crucially, the new summoners were all "unregistered," and he needed to find a way to legitimize their presence in the team.
He quietly walked to the cave entrance and whispered to Tanaka, "Uncle Tanaka, I contacted three of my clan members earlier. They happened to be on a reconnaissance mission nearby and said they could meet up with us."
Tanaka was startled for a moment, then nodded, "Alright! We'll definitely need more people for vigilance later. Just tell them to stick close and not fall behind."
Though Tanaka said this, he thought to himself, "Why are there so many Uchiha people on the Iwagakure battlefield? They should be on the Mist Village battlefield."
After getting permission, Lin Yue returned to the corner and silently chanted, "System, consume 300 summon points to summon one reconnaissance-specialized, one trap-specialized, and one medical-specialized Uchiha Genin. Require them to suppress their Chakra, and after summoning, they should gather directly behind the cave. Keep the remaining points for emergencies."
Ding—Summoning successful! Obtained Uchiha Genin:
Uchiha Kage (14 years old, Reconnaissance Specialist): Ninjutsu: Wind Release: Wind Cutter (Beginner), Chakra Sensing (Proficient), Three Basic Jutsu (Mastered)...;
Uchiha Rai (13 years old, Trap Specialist): Ninjutsu: Lightning Release: Ground Current (Beginner), Trap Trigger (Proficient), Three Basic Jutsu (Mastered)...;
Uchiha Sui (13 years old, Medical Specialist): Ninjutsu: Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique (Proficient), Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique (Proficient), Medical Ninjutsu (Proficient), Three Basic Jutsu (Mastered)...;
Three faint blue lights quietly glowed behind the cave entrance. As the lights faded, three young Uchiha Clan members, a boy and two girls, immediately suppressed their presence and walked to Lin Yue's side.
Kage carried a backpack; Rai held a kunai, but deliberately hid it under his clothing; Sui held a scroll and stood at the back.
"Master, how should we proceed?" Rin also walked over and asked.
Lin Yue: "I've already told Tanaka that they'll follow behind us, pretending to be reinforcements who came to the front lines."
Rin nodded. Just then, Tanaka turned around and called out, "Xiao Yue, it's time to go! It'll be dark soon, and traveling at night is more dangerous!"
Lin Yue immediately replied, "Coming!" He and Rin walked out of the cave, where Kage, Rai, and Sui were already waiting outside, pretending to have just met up with the "reinforcements."
Tanaka glanced at the three who had emerged from outside, asked no further questions, and began to arrange the formation: "Rin, you take the lead, responsible for clearing the path and defense; Sato, Takahashi, you're in charge of the injured; Xiao Yue, you walk in the middle; the remaining three Uchiha, you'll follow behind, helping to watch our rear and prevent enemy sneak attacks."
"Understood!" Everyone responded in unison. Kage, Rai, and Sui tacitly moved to the back of the team. Kage quietly activated his sensing Ninjutsu, sweeping his gaze across a 500-meter radius to confirm there were no anomalies.
The team slowly set off, the setting sun casting long shadows. Lin Yue walked in the middle, his Sharingan occasionally scanning the surroundings, while also keeping an eye on the three behind him with his peripheral vision.
"There's a dense forest ahead, everyone be careful!" Rin suddenly stopped. She saw swaying shadows in the trees and immediately formed hand signs, preparing a Fire Release.
Kage also gave Lin Yue a "no hostility" hand signal. Lin Yue breathed a sigh of relief and said to Tanaka, "Uncle Tanaka, it's probably just branches swaying in the wind."
Tanaka nodded, signaling the team to continue forward, "Still, be careful. Iwagakure ninja love to set ambushes in places like this."
As the team entered the forest, Rai took the opportunity to bury numerous traps beside tree trunks—if anyone touched the tripwires, explosive tags would be triggered, both killing enemies and providing an early warning.
Lin Yue looked at the three behind him, each with their own specialty, and felt more confident. With them handling reconnaissance, traps, and medical care, the team's safety had greatly increased.
He knew that the journey ahead would still be dangerous, but as long as everyone cooperated seamlessly, they could survive on the battlefield.
The sun gradually set, and the light in the forest grew dimmer. Lin Yue quickened his pace, while also giving Kage a "enhance sensing" hand signal.
Kage immediately nodded, expanding his sensing range to ensure there were no anomalies to the rear or on either side. The team continued forward, heading towards the temporary outpost.