MSIN: Chapter 33
The Land of Rivers is situated in the center of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, acting as a buffer zone between the two major countries. This country doesn't have a hidden village, but it's been subjected to numerous wars.
These small countries are always the cannon fodder and sacrifices of the Ninja World Wars. War is like a cruel "natural disaster" for them, because they never have the power to choose whether to engage in war.
Of course, there are also arrogant individuals who try to challenge the status of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Hanzō of the Rain, the leader of the Amegakure, is one of them. He's a powerful ninja who has always been trying to achieve the title of "Kage." That's why he's been very active in the Ninja World Wars.
(ShixT9: Isn't he already considered a demi god here)
I'm getting sidetracked. Anyway, in every Ninja World War, or whenever Konoha and the Sand ninjas have clashed, the Land of Rivers has always been a place that both sides have fought over repeatedly.
For a long time, this small country was an ally of the Land of Fire and under Konoha's influence and control. But after the Third Ninja World War, perhaps to prevent the Sand ninjas from unilaterally massacring them, the Land of Rivers' Daimyo suddenly declared neutrality. This meant that Konoha would neither help the Land of Rivers defend its territory, nor would they consider the Land of Rivers' casualties during the war.
Even though they declared neutrality, due to traditional factors, the Sand ninjas still viewed the Land of Rivers as a member of Konoha's side. Even if this small country didn't resist, the Sand ninjas wouldn't hesitate to attack them.
This lesson shows that, under any circumstances, being fence-sitters is never a wise choice. Now, the Land of Rivers has realized its mistake. This small country has been completely destroyed by the two major countries.
On Konoha's 200-kilometer front line, 600 ninjas are deployed to monitor the Sand ninjas' situation and serve as the first line of defense in case of an invasion.
Haori has also arrived here.
His body is hidden under a cloak, his face covered by a pure white mask with a hood pulled over it. Haori is currently crouching on a thick tree branch, the dense canopy completely concealing him.
He feels like a sneaky sniper, a bit awkward, but his eyes are fixed on the movements in the distance without blinking.
As they say, this is a battlefield.
Haori's squad is currently numbered 132. It was originally a squad of four, but unfortunately, three members besides the captain were killed in the Sand ninjas' last attack. So, Haori naturally joined the squad.
Currently, they're operating in pairs for reconnaissance missions.
Because the area that needs to be monitored is quite large, Konoha's most forward battle line is very sparse and loose, so each squad has a wide monitoring area and a heavy workload.
The squad leader is a Jounin with impressive strength. That's why he survived the last war. After receiving basic treatment, he returned here.
Okay, there's no real focus in the previous sentence. The real focus is that this squad leader is special. His last name is Hyuga, and he has Byakugan.
So, they can anticipate the enemy, detect the enemy, and strike first.
Haori doesn't interact much with the squad leader. He just warned him about some things to pay attention to at the beginning... This is probably the kind of coldness that all front-line ninjas have. They've killed many enemies, but perhaps even more comrades have died. So, gradually, they become numb. Fulfilling their missions is probably their only obsession.
On the sixth day after Haori arrived, as dusk approached, a special bird call echoed through the forest.
Then, this unique call began to reverberate, one after another.
This is a unique way for Konoha ninjas to signal each other, indicating that the Sand ninjas are about to attack.
Moreover, it's a large-scale attack. Roughly estimated, there are about a thousand troops.
Haori's eyes, through his mask, turned towards the Hyuga captain opposite him. His eyesight is good. He can clearly see the captain signaling him.
"30 minutes, prepare for engagement!"
Okay, Haori is still a half-baked reconnaissance ninja. He can't compare to the professional Byakugan. He hasn't discovered anything yet, but there are already enemies in the distance.
He turned back to his own line of sight, and then became focused.
The first encounter is about to begin.
To be honest, he's still a little nervous. He's not afraid of one-on-one battles. If he can't win, he can just run away. But this is a group battle, and he's not very familiar with this kind of strategy.
A chaotic battle means that accidents can happen at any moment.
As he continuously focused his mind and refined his chakra to its peak, the enemy appeared.
The terrain where Haori is located is a dense forest. Opposite them is a flat wasteland without any vegetation. Any movement is clearly visible.
Then, Haori saw a large number of Sand ninjas swarming out from the distance. They were boldly charging towards Konoha's defense line.
Seeing the enemy's actions, Haori frowned. He wasn't scared, but he thought the enemy was too blatant. Ninja charges, he's never seen it, not even heard of it...
But it's happening right in front of his eyes. Isn't that just asking to be a target?
Something's wrong, something's terribly wrong.
But Haori doesn't have time to think about it. The enemy is approaching. They're within attack range.
The enemy is in a wedge formation, and Haori's Third Squad isn't the main target. On the contrary, they're on the enemy's flank, in a favorable position for an attack.
Then, suddenly, a barrage of long-range attack ninjutsu erupted from the once quiet forest. It was like a hail of bullets!
"If you have a long-range attack ninjutsu, use it. If not, just follow me!" The Hyuga captain said to Haori as he passed by, his voice a mere whisper.
To be honest, he didn't expect the newly recruited Haori to play any real role. Many young ninjas like him, when stepping onto the battlefield for the first time, were killed before they even understood what was happening.
Haori nodded in response to the captain's reminder, indicating that he understood.
The Sand ninjas, in an overwhelming number, charged at Konoha's defense line like samurai. The moment they made contact…
Haori took out two scrolls from his ninja tool pouch. After a moment, he put one back in.
He quickly unrolled the remaining scroll. A circular seal with the character "Sword" written in the center.
"Open!"
Haori released the seal with one hand. With a "bang," the scroll released a burst of white light, and something appeared in his hand.
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