"Report the password."
The young man was Sarutobi Rōsuke, a jōnin of the Sarutobi clan assigned to battlefield support, and someone who had previously participated in the Uzushio intelligence-gathering mission.
His gaze swept over Might Dai, who stood more than a hundred meters away, completely frozen in fear. Seeing that Dai wasn't wearing a green flak jacket, Rōsuke inwardly cursed the village for sending yet another useless genin to the battlefield to die.
—In the past, many genin teams led by chūnin or jōnin had been ambushed by enemy ninja on the way to the border camps.
Minor injuries were considered lucky. Death on the spot was far from rare.
"P–p–p–password i-is—is—is—"
It was Dai's first time on a battlefield-level mission, and he was so nervous that his mind went blank.
Behind Sarutobi Rōsuke stood Yūhi Ryūun (chūnin), Shiranui Kumoma (genin), and Shimura Yūko, who had also been promoted to chūnin the previous year.
Ryūun and Kumoma covered their faces, thinking Dai looked unbearably stupid, while Yūko's face twitched as she thought, Isn't that the eternal genin? How does he even qualify for a battlefield mission?!
Without the correct battlefield password, Rōsuke would never believe Dai was a Konoha ninja—or an ally.
"N-n-ninja—no, wait."
"It should be—
When Konoha ninja carry out logistics missions, they must uphold the teachings written in the Second Hokage-sama's Ninja Code, understand its principles, and never forget the will we inherit as successors of the Will of Fire…"
Relying on memory, Might Dai rattled off five to six hundred characters' worth of mission code.
Within it were keywords like Will of Fire, logistics, successor, and Second Hokage-sama—more than enough to identify Dai's mission type and affiliation.
Logistics → work assigned only to genin or low-combat chūnin.
Ninja Code → written by Tobirama Senju.
Successors of the Will of Fire → Konoha ninja.
Dense, concise information transmitted through coded speech.
Only then did Sarutobi Rōsuke finally believe Dai's identity.
Lowering his guard, Rōsuke apologized and scanned the silent surroundings.
"Where are your teammates?"
"You can't handle logistics work alone, can you?"
"Well, about that—of course they're—"
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
"AAAAH—!!"
The hiss of snakes, screams of ninja, and the cold sound of someone emerging from underground via Earth Release overlapped behind Sarutobi Rōsuke's group.
In an instant, all four grabbed their weapons and turned.
There stood Orochimaru, clad in a green flak jacket, licking the corner of his lips, hands extended toward an Iwagakure jōnin bound tightly by serpents.
"So you noticed me after all. As expected of Konoha's 'Cold Lord' Orochimaru, feared across the battlefield!"
Hearing the praise, Orochimaru's lips curled slightly.
"You're not bad yourself. Among Iwa's jōnin skilled in Earth Release stealth, specializing in deep infiltration and assassination…"
"…the Silent Lizard."
"Heh."
After the mutual flattery, the Iwa jōnin laughed coldly, unconcerned with his predicament.
"Even if you caught me, you still won't—"
Poof.
He vanished in white smoke, reappearing among the snakes.
Orochimaru calmly replied to the empty smoke,
"I'm not alone, you know."
"Silent Lizard."
About one kilometer away, an older man identical in appearance to the "Silent Lizard" knelt on the ground, eyes glazed and rigid.
Shuriken were embedded in tree trunks around him. The ground bore clear traces of Earth Release defenses.
"It's over."
Nawaki had used Earth Release to cut off the Iwa jōnin's escape route.
Baixing followed up with taijutsu, quickly realizing the opponent's close combat wasn't impressive.
In one exchange, Baixing formed a seal with one hand.
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Technique."
The enemy froze.
Nawaki dashed forward, ropes in hand, swiftly binding him.
"Ugh—!"
"This is impossible!"
"I, the Silent Lizard, captured by two Konoha brats?!"
Sensing movement behind him, Baixing released the genjutsu.
Just as the Iwa jōnin prepared to finish his threats and bite his tongue—
A long snake lunged out and bit into his neck.
"AAAAH—!"
Footsteps approached, accompanied by Orochimaru's unmistakably cold voice.
"In the end,
you're just a jōnin good at stealth and running away."
"Even my students can handle you with ease."
"O–Orochimaru…"
After years of stealing and relaying intelligence along the Fire Country border, the Iwa jōnin was finally captured alive—by Orochimaru's team.
Whoosh whoosh—
"So it was him! No wonder I always felt watched but never found anything!"
Sarutobi Rōsuke finally understood why he'd tested Dai so aggressively earlier.
"A live capture is worth more than a corpse," Orochimaru said calmly.
"Rōsuke-jōnin, please take him back to the village."
"Leave it to me!"
While sealing talismans were placed to suppress the paralyzed jōnin's chakra and stamina, Baixing casually chatted with Yūhi Ryūun about recent events.
Nearby, Shimura Yūko stood with arms crossed, clearly displeased by the faintly ambiguous atmosphere between them.
Elsewhere, Nawaki bragged enthusiastically to Shiranui Kumoma and the late-arriving Dai about his strength.
Soon, the groups parted ways.
Before handing over the prisoner, Orochimaru casually asked a battlefield-only verification code known only to jōnin. Sarutobi Rōsuke answered smoothly.
The exchange was complete.
Four days later.
At the forward camp in Insect Grove Gorge, on the northern border of the Land of Fire, Team One finally arrived.
They met the overall frontline commander:
the current head of the Aburame clan—Aburame Shiken, father of Aburame Shibi.
"Orochimaru, thank you. These are the latest frontline reports. Nothing urgent, but please ensure they're delivered to the village."
"Understood."
Orochimaru accepted the scroll, stored it, and stepped outside the main tent.
Aburame Shiken followed, and when Orochimaru stopped, he too looked toward the forest—
the direction of Mist Valley in the Land of Rain.
"Can you still hold the line, Shiken-senpai?"
Shiken nodded. "The Aburame clan is handling the forward reconnaissance here. You can rest easy."
"That's good. Take care."
"You too."
Orochimaru then wandered through the camp—past tents, storehouses, and latrines—until he reached the Uchiha battlefield dormitory.
A large white tent bore the Uchiha fan emblem. Inside were neatly arranged sleeping spaces.
After some catching up, Dai realized that Mikoto had secretly joined the battlefield—and had quietly become a Special Jōnin.
Baixing pretended to be mildly surprised, then quickly returned to calm.
"Amazing! Twelve years old and already a jōnin! As expected of you, Mikoto!"
Nawaki said, full of envy, while glancing around at injured, exhausted, and waiting Uchiha ninja.
One of the waiting ninja coughed lightly, signaling them to keep quiet.
Nawaki lowered his voice and whispered,
"Mikoto, can you tell us what kind of missions you've been doing?"
Only with familiar companions—and Baixing present—did Mikoto truly smile.
She began recounting her time on the battlefield.
"When I first arrived, I was terrified.
My first mission was straight to the frontline—cleaning up the battlefield after a fight…"
"Confirming all enemy ninja were dead, checking for traps, and then… recovering the bodies of our fallen comrades."
When the Uchiha support unit first arrived, there were over twenty members.
Now, including Kaede, and Captain Keishin, only twelve remained.
"At minimum, everyone left is at least a probationary chūnin."
As Mikoto continued, Baixing scanned the tent and noticed the absence of one person.
After she finished, he asked quietly,
"That Jōnin Yūki you mentioned—where is he now? I noticed Kaede resting over there."
Mikoto's gaze fell.
"Yūki-senpai… died on the last mission."
Silence fell.
"Sorry," Baixing said softly.
"How could that happen? He was a jōnin…" Nawaki blurted out.
Dai placed a hand on Nawaki's shoulder and shook his head.
Baixing looked down at a line of black ants marching across the ground.
"On the battlefield, even jōnin are just slightly bigger ants."
"Chakra and stamina are finite."
"That's why anyone who steps onto the battlefield has already passed a life-and-death trial."
"Right, Mikoto?"
He gently wiped the dust from her face.
"Don't be too sad.
All we ordinary ninja can do… is protect the people we care about."
"…Yes!" Mikoto nodded firmly.
At that moment, the tent flap opened.
A tall, black-haired man stepped in—Uchiha Keishin.
"There's a mission. Prepare to depart."
"Who's rested enough?"
Seven Uchiha ninja were present.
"I'll go!"
"Me too!"
"I'll avenge our comrades!"
From the corner, Kaede raised her uninjured hand. "I'm going too."
Keishin scanned them.
"Uchiha support unit—four of you. Come with me."
"Mikoto, Izumi, Shin, Aoyan."
"Wait at the north gate."
"Yes!" ×4
As Mikoto said goodbye and left, Keishin turned to Baixing's group.
"Unrelated personnel—leave once you've completed your mission. Don't get in the way."
Outside, Orochimaru had already been waiting.
Nawaki muttered a quiet "Oh," internally complaining about Keishin's attitude.
Dai, however, nodded approvingly—a true inheritor of the Will of Fire, he thought.
Baixing simply nodded and followed the others out.
Soon, Orochimaru asked how they felt about the frontline.
Nawaki declared passionately that the battlefield was cruel, and that he would become stronger—like his grandfather Hashirama—to protect Konoha and bring peace to the ninja world.
Orochimaru, Baixing: "..."
Please don't say that outside. You'll get killed.
Dai wiped away tears. "I support you, Nawaki!"
"You believe in me too, right?!" Nawaki asked eagerly.
"Of course! As long as you keep striving, the heavens won't betray someone who fights for their dreams!" Dai flashed a thumbs-up and a gleaming smile.
From the Uchiha tent, Keishin emerged with his pack.
"Dreams? Effort?" he sneered.
"Only exceptional talent decides such things."
"A genin-level weakling traveling all this way to a blood-soaked battlefield…"
"Talking about dreams through effort alone…"
He shook his head disdainfully.
"A pathetic Senju brat and the village's eternal genin—truly ignorant."
"Be careful not to die to an ambush on your way back, dragging your team and teacher down with you."
Nawaki and Dai immediately looked crushed.
"Hmph," Orochimaru said coldly.
"That's none of your concern, Keishin-jōnin. Worry about your own mission."
"Heh. Then good luck."
Keishin turned and headed toward the north gate.
Orochimaru sighed faintly.
He missed the quieter Uchiha jōnin of the past.
"Let's go too."
"Yes!" ×3
After eight days, the return trip went smoothly.
When they handed in the mission, even Baixing found it hard to believe.
So many flags raised… and it was this smooth?!
Exhausted from travel, Team One took a proper rest.
Meanwhile, during Baixing's downtime, a jōnin conference regarding the Fire–Rain war quietly convened in the village.
⭐ Why wait? The entire story is already complete on Patreon →https://www.patreon.com/CanonBreaker ⭐
The full book is finished and waiting for you.
📖 Read from beginning to end in one uninterrupted binge—no delays, no cliffhangers.
🔥 Experience the complete journey right now, only on Patreon.