Deployment Before the War

"What are you talking about? You seem really happy."

The one who approached was Asuma, who was also part of this ninja expedition.

This ninja force was not composed solely of the Uchiha Clan; in addition to the Uchiha, there were two other major clans, the Hyuga Clan and the Sarutobi Clan, as well as a large number of civilian ninjas.

The Hyuga Clan was led by Hyuga Hiashi himself, and the Sarutobi Clan also included several veteran Jonin. This was undoubtedly to keep an eye on the Uchiha Clan and prevent them from monopolizing military exploits.

Asuma also joined the team. At this moment, he quietly slipped away from the Sarutobi Clan's formation and came to "surrender" to the Uchiha Clan's team.

Hamasu smiled awkwardly and said, "It's nothing."

"My brother said he wants to confess his feelings after the war." Tetsuo outed his brother again, not learning from last time.

"What? You've also found someone!" Asuma was surprised, then looked a bit dejected.

"Oh, it's not settled yet, but it's likely." Hamasu waved his hand, looking modest, though he couldn't hide his smile.

"Why are you moving so fast! Forget Shintaro; he's handsome and strong, so it's natural that Kurenai likes him. But your situation isn't as good as mine!" Asuma complained.

Asuma, Tetsuo, and Hamasu had formed a deep friendship during the last war, but he still felt a twinge of jealousy seeing Hamasu find someone he liked.

You could say he wasn't just afraid of hardship; he was also afraid of being single.

"I'm just being opportunistic. I go to her parents' shop every day to buy pancakes. Besides, how can love be measured by circumstances?" Hamasu grinned slyly, then spoke more earnestly.

After speaking, he saw Asuma's sorrowful expression and kindly added, "How about I ask her to introduce you to some friends?"

"From the Uchiha Clan? Forget it. My father would never agree. It's too much trouble. Anyway, I'm not that concerned with romantic matters. I want to focus on getting stronger. I'd rather establish my career first, then think about family."

Although Asuma explained this, there was always a hint of arrogance in his tone.

Shintaro watched Asuma and Hamasu from the side, amused. "You two are really something. So relaxed before a war, even talking about your love lives."

"Whatever happens, if the sky falls, the strong will hold it up." Asuma shrugged.

Hamasu even gave a fawning smile, "What's there to be afraid of with Aniki here?"

Shintaro chuckled, "Don't think I can end this war by myself. This is a defensive war for us. The five hundred of us are spread across the border to defend. Even I can't handle everything. You'll have to rely on yourselves."

Hamasu replied seriously, "I will protect the border."

Shintaro patted his shoulder, "See, Hamasu can still be counted on."

Asuma and Tetsuo gave embarrassed smiles, while Tetsuo scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

❀❀❀

After three days of rapid travel, everyone arrived at the northeastern border of the Land of Fire.

The daily garrison at the northeastern border of the Land of Fire was usually managed by patrol teams assigned by the village.

However, it was clear that these patrol teams could no longer adapt to the increasingly frequent invasions by Kumogakure ninjas, so Konoha issued an order to cancel the missions.

These ninja teams had already gathered at the camp and were ready to hand over the defense area to the ninja forces led by Shintaro.

The patrol teams numbered fewer than a hundred, led by a Jonin. He handed over all the border information to Shintaro and then led his ninja teams back to Konoha.

After the change of defense and the handover was completed, Shintaro led the Jonin leaders to select the largest tent in the center of the camp as the headquarters and began the pre-war deployment.

"According to intelligence, this invasion by the Land of Lightning primarily consists of small-scale, frequent incursions, mostly involving four-man ninja teams."

"Our forces are not enough."

Shintaro sat in the front chair, already taking on the posture of a leader, looking around at everyone with his blue eyes.

At this moment, all those sitting in the camp were Jonin, who belonged to the decision-making level of this unit.

Besides himself, Tetsuo and Hamasu also received the title of Jonin due to the blessing of their three-tomoe Sharingan, and Uchiha Yashiro, a veteran Jonin.

The Hyuga Clan was second only to the Uchiha Clan. Besides the clan leader brothers Hizashi and Hisashi, there was also a clan elder.

There were two people from the Sarutobi Clan: one was Sarutobi Asuma, who had been promoted to Jonin after the war, and the other was a veteran Jonin from the Sarutobi Clan.

There was only one civilian Jonin, bringing the total to ten Jonin.

"The northeastern border is too long. I think we should request reinforcements." The elder who spoke was from the Hyuga Clan, clearly feeling that this defensive mission was too difficult.

However, his proposal was jointly rejected by the Uchiha and Sarutobi Clans.

Yashiro and the veteran Jonin from the Sarutobi Clan raised objections together.

Yashiro was thinking from the Uchiha Clan's perspective. If they requested reinforcements as soon as they arrived at the border, wouldn't it make the Uchiha Clan seem incompetent?

The Jonin from the Sarutobi Clan believed that the Third Hokage's orders were everything, and they hadn't yet reached the point of requesting reinforcements.

The elders from the Hyuga Clan had no choice but to give up. Shintaro looked at the three members of the Hyuga Clan and suddenly asked, "Clan leader of the Hyuga Clan, how far can the Byakugan see?"

"The accurate field of view is only fifty meters, but if you pursue the limit, the range is about ten kilometers."

Hiashi opened his mouth and explained that the accurate field of view he referred to was the perspective field of view sufficient to make [Gentle Fist] effective, and if it was only to detect the enemy's situation, the field of view could be extended further.

"Ten kilometers. The total length of the Northeastern Defense Line is over 500 kilometers, requiring at least fifty Hyuga Clan ninjas. Did the Hyuga Clan bring enough people this time?"

"Enough. There are seventy-five Hyuga Clan ninjas in the force, and they are all elites." Hiashi replied.

Although he was much older than Shintaro, he didn't underestimate him but regarded him highly as his commander.

"Very good, then our defense method is settled. The enemy attacks in small groups, and we defend in small groups. Each team must have at least one Hyuga Clan ninja, and preferably a wind element ninja to counter Kumogakure."

"Now, let's allocate the teams."

Shintaro's deployment and command were strong and decisive, without any awkwardness, naturally drawing on his experience as a clan leader in his previous life.

Under his leadership, the specific deployment of the entire force was quickly determined.