The Hidden Sand Village had already learned that Konoha's shinobi had arrived before them, and instead of rushing into an attack, they set up camp, awaiting the assembly of the Land of Wind's samurai army. Their primary task was to dispatch intelligence shinobi to infiltrate the Land of Rain and gather information on the enemy's forces.
Given the unknown enemy deployment, Uchiha Kagami naturally couldn't act rashly and also sent out intelligence shinobi for reconnaissance. Thus, the first confrontation between the two sides occurred between their intelligence shinobi, without any major commotion. Everything happened in silence, and only the continuous flow of intelligence reports arriving on the desk could illustrate just how fierce this hidden struggle was.
Within three days, Uchiha Kagami received a valuable piece of intelligence: the enemy would launch their first full-scale attack within two days. Their objective was to tear through the border defenses, enter the Land of Rain, and use the occupied territory as a stronghold for a second offensive.
Based on the gathered intelligence, Uchiha Kagami and Hanzō deliberated for an entire night, finalizing the basic battle plan. Commands were relayed to every squad under their command, instructing them to prepare for battle, as a fierce engagement was imminent.
Asuna and Mizuki's squad was under Hatake Sakumo's command. Hatake Sakumo personally led them, and following the principle of three people per squad, he assigned a newcomer to them. She was a young girl from the Yamanaka clan named Yamanaka Risa, a highly capable direct descendant and trusted confidante of the clan head's lineage, which is why Hatake Sakumo chose her.
Yamanaka Risa was exceptionally skilled in both the Mind Transfer Jutsu series and sensory abilities. Hatake Sakumo added her to the squad precisely because he recognized the need for such a supportive role. Asuna and Mizuki were very friendly towards the newcomer, and as girls, they quickly found many common topics to chat about.
Yamanaka Risa knew that the two girls before her were the daughter of the Third Hokage and the daughter of the commander, respectively. While curious, she also felt the pressure on her shoulders. If anything were to happen to these two, even if the outcome of war was unpredictable, her clan would likely not fare well; at the very least, her immediate family would bear responsibility, even if she died.
At this moment, the three girls also received their squad's mission. Hatake Sakumo personally delivered it, wanting to explain it to them in detail. He placed the mission document before them and waited for them to read it. After a while, as expected, he heard sounds of surprise.
Their mission was for Hatake Sakumo's squad, as the main force, to lead an elite team to charge into the enemy formation, cutting through it like a blade to disorganize and scatter the enemy. Then, the remaining forces would encircle and eliminate them. Even if complete elimination wasn't possible, the goal was to disrupt their command and throw them into chaos.
This was a very bold battle plan, and it was the optimal solution formulated by Uchiha Kagami and Hanzō, combining the enemy's deployment with the terrain of the Land of Rain.
The Land of Rain had no suitable locations for fortifications, making a full-scale frontal assault an unwise strategy. Considering the terrain of the Land of Rain, the idea was to divide the enemy piecemeal, incapacitate their central command, throw their leadership into disarray, and then encircle and eliminate them.
Of course, the enemy wasn't a soft target; it would be impossible to eliminate them all, or even to inflict heavy damage. However, this was precisely Uchiha Kagami and Hanzō's objective. They needed to eliminate as many enemies as possible with minimal casualties and, in doing so, make the enemy hesitant to launch large-scale attacks again. This was a tactic that fully utilized the terrain of the Land of Rain.
To achieve the best results with this tactic, the heaviest responsibility fell on the assault force tasked with penetrating and dividing the enemy lines. As a master of frontal combat, Hatake Sakumo was naturally indispensable. With Uchiha Kagami and Hanzō unable to act easily, he was the most suitable candidate.
The three girls hadn't expected their first battlefield mission to be so arduous. Everyone felt nervous, including Hatake Sakumo. However, he was mentally prepared, but unsure if the girls were, so he asked, "If you feel you're not suitable, you can choose to withdraw. I'll pick someone else from another place."
Upon receiving this battle order, Hatake Sakumo also felt that their squad's responsibility was too heavy. He had initially believed he could protect Asuna and the others, but now he lacked that confidence. Nevertheless, he believed Asuna and Mizuki's abilities were suitable for this mission. The only potential issue might be their mindset, as it was their first time on a battlefield, facing such a difficult mission. Hatake Sakumo felt it was understandable if they felt a bit timid.
However, despite their nervousness, Asuna and Mizuki had no intention of backing out. Their gazes were firm as they looked at Hatake Sakumo, their meaning unspoken. Hatake Sakumo nodded slightly in response and then indicated to Yamanaka Risa, who was beside them, that as a sensory and liaison ninja, she would also need to perform well during the battle plan.
"Yes!" Yamanaka Risa took a deep breath, suppressing her inner tension, and nodded solemnly to Hatake Sakumo.
Hatake Sakumo smiled. Even though they were three girls, their courage at this moment was no less than that of men. He felt that his village's education was quite thorough. Kazamori Masaki had no gender discrimination, and for those with less talent, suitable positions were arranged according to their abilities. In this regard, Hatake Sakumo felt his village was more enlightened than others.
"Since that's the case, let's discuss the allocation of tasks for the operation," Hatake Sakumo said, placing a draft in front of everyone. The assault force wasn't just their squad; there were eighty people in total, with three people per squad, making twenty squads. Hatake Sakumo's squad would be the first column.
Regarding his squad's combat assignments, Hatake Sakumo had little to add. He would naturally lead the charge, Yamanaka Risa would be in the middle, while Asuna and Mizuki would cover the rear and flanks. The key was coordination with the other squads. If the entire assault team was considered a sword, Hatake Sakumo's squad would be the tip, while the remaining teams would be responsible for protecting the flanks and rear, as well as widening the breach. The tip couldn't just charge ahead on its own; if it became separated from the team, it would face fighting alone.
After explaining each squad's duties in detail, Hatake Sakumo told them, "Although our squad doesn't need to consider too much, we must also be careful not to get separated from the team. Because of the pace of the war, we might not notice it. At that time, Risa, we'll have to rely on you to remind us."
Yamanaka Risa nodded. She knew her direct combat ability wasn't very strong, and her greatest value lay in her sensory and information liaison skills. Even though she wouldn't generally need to engage enemies directly, all the information-level communication would have to be handled by her alone. If there were issues in her role, it could implicate Hatake Sakumo and the others. Dedede Novel.
After Hatake Sakumo finished explaining each part of the mission, he left the tent to deliver orders and clarify responsibilities to the other squads. At this point, only the three girls remained in the tent. They repeatedly reviewed the battle plan, as if trying to memorize its contents thoroughly.
"Asuna, Mizuki, aren't you scared?" Yamanaka Risa asked her two companions while looking at the battle plan. She wasn't necessarily scared herself, but merely wanted to ask, and to some extent, to encourage herself and dispel her inner anxieties.
"Scared. How could we not be scared? But since we've received this order, how can we easily refuse? From the battle plan, it seems we are very suitable to carry out this mission," Mizuki replied without hesitation. "Have you forgotten the choice we made in the Ninja Academy? If we chose this profession, then we must bear the corresponding responsibilities, not just go back on our word."
The Ninja Academy had each ninja make choices about their future paths early on. Considering that young people might make impulsive decisions without much worldly experience, after receiving formal education, and within the three years leading up to graduation, they would be prompted to make a second choice. At this point, there was no turning back midway.
Moreover, after graduation, new genin would be assigned to different places for internship tests, exposing them to various aspects of the world and further making them abandon naive ideas. All the ninja participating in this war were like this. The results of the education were very obvious; everyone felt more or less afraid, but no one chose to retreat at the critical moment. If it were newcomers directly from the Ninja Academy, they might still be somewhat unaccustomed, but at least for now, there wasn't a single one.
Yamanaka Risa softly said, "Oh," and lowered her head, continuing to read the battle plan. Seeing that these two high-ranking girls possessed such an unyielding spirit, what did she have to fear? The question she had just asked indeed had an effect; Yamanaka Risa's unease gradually vanished in the face of their calm attitudes.
In the following days, the entire army remained quiet. However, when the enemy's figures appeared, the entire camp became busy. According to the pre-established battle plan, everyone ran to their designated positions. Hatake Sakumo and the others, who were designated as the vanguard, began to assemble. The eighty specially selected individuals quickly stood in the field.
"I believe you already know our objective. The key this time is a rapid assault. It's not about whether we can occupy any territory, nor about eliminating a certain number of enemies, but about eliminating the enemies we encounter and pushing forward, completely severing the enemy's formation," Hatake Sakumo declared loudly.
Everyone present already knew the specific battle plan, but they listened intently, taking it as an emphasis. After announcing the battle orders, Hatake Sakumo instructed everyone to check their equipment. Since it was a rapid assault, there was no need to carry overly heavy items. It might not seem like a big impact, but over time, the effect on individuals would be very noticeable.
Asuna's physical abilities were primarily inherited from her Kazamori clan bloodline. She had a slender build, appearing to have little strength, but anyone who had fought her would know that her strength was not at all poor; the bodily vitality of the Senju clan also coursed through her.
Of course, her combat style was naturally swift. Her ninja attire was light, with basically nothing but a ninja tool pouch and a short sword. In addition, she carried quick-filling rations and chakra storage blocks for rapid chakra replenishment.
While chakra storage blocks could provide chakra to ninjas for quick recovery of combat ability, they were only for temporary needs; the body's essential nutrients still had to be obtained from food. The rations carried by Konoha ninjas were precisely calculated by the medical squad, based on the ninja's necessary nutrients and combat demands. They were similar in function to traditional military rations (hyōrōgan) but safer, without the side effects of hyōrōgan. Of course, they were not as effective as hyōrōgan for chakra recovery, but with the chakra storage blocks compensating, the two complemented each other, yielding far greater capabilities than traditional hyōrōgan.
After confirming that her equipment was secure, Asuna looked at her companions beside her. They had also more or less finished their checks, then shifted their gaze to Hatake Sakumo. Hatake Sakumo stood still, breathing slowly with his eyes closed. He wasn't asleep, but adjusting his mental state. Even he felt nervous when a mission was about to begin; it was a natural human reaction.
"Move out!" Hatake Sakumo suddenly opened his eyes and shouted to everyone.
Immediately after, the eighty-man assault force departed from the Konoha camp, heading towards the detected enemy direction. Along the way, Konoha shinobi who had been out gathering intelligence acted as guides, ensuring the assault force found the enemy. And the Hyūga shinobi within the assault force would further confirm their location.
After the experience of the First Great Ninja War, shinobi no longer adopted a consolidated formation for advancement. This was typically only used for large-scale firepower output. In normal circumstances, using such a method would easily lead to a large ambush by the enemy, resulting in heavy losses. Maintaining a certain distance and providing mutual support was a more suitable method for shinobi, and this had been proven effective.
It was precisely because shinobi adopted this combat method that this battle plan had a chance of success. If facing a samurai army, without several hundred or even a thousand shinobi, it would be impossible to achieve the effect of dividing the battlefield and causing confusion—if they could field that many people, they could completely use compound ninjutsu and so on for direct annihilation, which was entirely achievable with the current strength of shinobi.
"Captain, the enemy is seven hundred meters ahead," the Hyūga ninja's voice was relayed through the liaison ninja to Yamanaka Risa, who then informed Hatake Sakumo.
Hatake Sakumo narrowed his eyes slightly. He could vaguely make out the enemy's figures, and at the ninja's high speed, the distance between the two sides was rapidly closing. He said nothing, simply drawing his short sword. The pristine blade faintly reflected a white gleam. Seeing his action, Asuna and Mizuki also prepared for battle, while Yamanaka Risa immediately transmitted the command to prepare for battle to the main force.
When both sides could clearly see the enemy's faces, Hatake Sakumo let out a loud cry, as if signaling. He darted out like a flash of lightning, cleanly beheading the Hidden Sand ninja who was running at the very front!