2 Coward Hokage

(two weeks ago)

Kazuma was preparing to depart to the war, going through all the things he could use in the coming battles. He had five kunais and ten shurikens overall. He could somehow obtain exploding tags but he was not lucky enough to get poison. While he was thinking about what else he could get to raise his chances of survival, a clan member called him.

After graduating from academy, where he was taught to use chakra and basic leaf training exercise during his six-month-study, his clan started to teach him a jutsu, fire style: great fireball jutsu. Thus, everyday he was required to go to clan`s training ground to learn the jutsu with three kids from Uchiha clan. They were slightly older than him, but they did not have superior skills. As the war with IWA nearing its peak, the Uchiha specifically chose to send talentless mixed bloods to the battlefield.

Uchiha training ground.

Fire style: fireball jutsu, said Uchiha Yamato after performing some hand signs and blow out fire from his mouth that reached about two meters in diameter and dissipated after reaching 15 meters in distance. He was a jounin and responsible for teaching them fireball jutsu.

- Now, repeat the hand signs that I have showed you and deeply breathe in and hold your breath a second or two before breathing out all at once, said the jounin.

- Ah, it is just a waste of time, whispered a chounin standing beside the jounin. They had to be a pure blood Uchiha to learn the jutsu in such short time. Tainted bloods can never accomplish it.

- How long did you take to learn it? - said the jounin with sarcasm.

Remembering the two-month-hell, he shivered uncontrollably.

- Alright, I admit defeat, but it does not change the fact that all this is waste of time. They will die before even they will have the chance to use the justu. I`ve heard that it is like hell there. If the rumors are half true, then even I am not sure that I survive a month there. I do not know what Hokage is thinking by sending kids there.

- I heard that Iwa became very aggressive after the death of their last commander. He was beloved nephew of Suchikage. I think Hokage is trying to cool down the situation, answered the jounin.

- Fuck. So he is trying to butter up by offering lives of kids, huh. I cannot believe that such a coward person can be a Hokage. If Uchiha member were a Hokage, we would have already won the war, said the chounin.

*****

Finally, it was the day of departure. More than hundreds of shinobi stood on top of the Hokage`s building waiting for the third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen or the "Professor". Kazuma was standing at the first row, as he was a member of Uchiha. When he approached here, he was a little surprised that most of the shinobis were young gradutes or genins with a few older people whom Kazume can consider chounins.

- If all of us are inexperienced, can I assume that we will only do miscellaneous tasks, thought Kazuma.

After some time Hokage arrived followed by a man whose half face was bandaged. The man looked at Kazuma and the other Uchiha members and deeply frowned somehow irritated, but returned to his calm-self right after.

After half an hour of lecture about "Will of Fire", the new battalion finally departed. It was first time Kazuma had gone outside Konoha. Outside Konoha was only trees as it was shown in the anime. It took them about a week to get to the border of Grass (Kusa). Hanzo was the leader of the Ame and it was a little difficult to cross Ame given the power of the battalion. Besides Konoha had a camp in Grass.

On the way to Grass, Kazume saw many villages where people were living relatively well despite of the war. But scenario immediately took 180 degrees turn as he entered Grass. The villeges were destroyed and rotten bodies of people were everywere. This was the first time for most of them in the battalion. They all felt like vomiting and a few actually did. After witnessing the condition of the battalion, the leader told them rest for couple of hours.

- I knew from the anime that life was really cruel here, but witnessing it personally is completely different, thought Kazuma.

- Hey, Kazuma, called one of his clan members. What do you think will happen when we reach the battlefield? I am waiting for it. I will incinerate all the Iwa shinobis with my new fire technique. Ha-ha-ha.

Kazuma answered with just "Hmm" without even realizing it all the while thinking about deserting and surviving. He had little hope when he left Konoha as strength of the battalion was low. He thought if they performed only miscellaneous tasks, he would somehow survive. After seeing the bodies of peaceful citizens of Grass; however, the little hope he had also shattered to pieces.

After couple of days, they finally reached the camp. But the situation in the camp somehow baffled Kazuma. They were all packing as if they were preparing to depart from the frontlines. Kazuma became very happy when he thought that there were some changes in the war and new battalion does not have to fight. But, reality did not disappoint him this time too. The new battalion took the mission of attracting the attention of the enemy. As it turned out, after the witnessing grave situation in Grass, Grass diamyo offered hefty sum to Konoha and Iwa for them to move the battle to Ame. Of course, both sides immediately agreed as a lot of money required during wars. However, Konoha was not sure whether Iwa would attack them from behind while they would be retreating. Thus, new battalion was ordered to keep the Iwa shinobi in distance for half a day while the camp retreated with medics and wounded shinobis. They told that they could retreat too after half a day, but Kazuma was anything but happy about it. He was not sure whether they would be able to keep the enemy even two hours less twelve hours. However, he had no choice.

The camp departed at midnight not to attract the enemies` attention. But thing the new battalion saw together with first lights of the Sun in the morning was Iwa shinobis coming like a typhoon to their camp.

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