Chapter 77

Of course, injuries heal much faster for chakra users than ordinary people, but that's no reason to ignore people's health! The overwhelming majority of fighters with such cases were transferred from the Wind Country to this front after Suna's capitulation, without any rest or with very short breaks of one or two weeks at most. In principle, considering recent losses and the significant depletion of medical ninjas in the destruction of the main camp, these actions are justified.

But why send those who are already recovering or fully healed instead of those who are poorly treated and haven't had a chance to rest? Moreover, there are too few reinforcements from non-clan and clans like Sarutobi and Yurin. There seems to be no grounds to accuse Hokage based solely on suspicions, but considering the consequences... Hiruzen is contributing to the natural weakening of clans. And there's no trace of faceless boys from Danzo around.

There were rumors around the village that after an operation, the old one-eyed prick is rebuilding the strength of his ANBU branch, but unfortunately, I couldn't find out anything concrete. In any case, it's essential to take my safety seriously, not suppress my sensor feelings even in my sleep, and prepare escape routes just in case—I'm not going to die for some mythical Will of Fire. Even if it means abandoning my teammates. Only Saya can count on such sacrifice, and as for everyone else, I largely don't care—this will be my guiding principle in the days to come.

***

— First, this is the fifth, — suddenly the earpiece of the radio came alive, and I grimaced in anticipation of news from the second team, which included Hyuga.

During a war, there are no good news, especially during the first patrol. And after chatting a bit with recent patients, I confirmed my suspicions—losses and injuries occur quite often on this front, and in the last month, the camp lost a third of its fifty-person complement, which is why reinforcements were sent here.

— Enemy shinobi detected moving towards our position.

— Fifth, this is the first, what's the enemy's strength? — immediately responded the Uchiha jounin assigned to our teams as the leader.

— Nine individuals, judging by their chakra levels, three of them are jounin, and the rest are chunin. They are approximately six kilometers away but closing in fast.

— Three teams... This is bad! Retreat towards our position, and we'll prepare a few traps in the meantime, — frowned the jounin.

— Roger.

— Heard that? — he turned towards us. — We're moving behind that hill and preparing a warm welcome for these earthworms.

Silently nodding, we followed him. Unfortunately, the Grass territory lacks the familiar forests for Konoha's shinobi, with almost the entire area consisting of numerous gentle hills overgrown with bushes, or flat land with thick grass reaching an adult's waist or even shoulder-height in some places. This complicates both orientation and preparation for the upcoming battle.

But that didn't stop our leader from setting up several mechanical traps between two hills and right in front of them. I doubt the jounin will fall for such a primitive setup, but it might catch some of the chunin off guard. I also contributed by sacrificing a dozen seals in the most convenient spots. Powerful electric discharges may not do much harm, but they will significantly slow down even those with a large amount of chakra.

And the exploding kunai underfoot will cause quite a few unpleasant moments. Just as I was finishing preparing surprises with the Uchiha, the second team consisting of Hyuga, Senju, and Aburame, who were about five years older than us, finally joined us, and I managed to detect several merged sources of chakra right on the edge of my sensitivity.

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